Monday, August 30, 2010

Winter and Spring

Once again the leaves are starting to turn and the pace of construction quickens to get everything done before the snow flies. We still have a few start dates available before freeze up but we build all winter so what’s the hurry, right?
We start doing a lot of our off-road building after Thanksgiving when the ice is thick enough to support vehicles and planes on a normal year. We can put in piling foundations year round so we never stop.
If you want to build next spring; now is the time to start the planning process. Sometimes the financing takes several months to go through. Spring and Summer start dates fill up pretty quickly so it is good to get the ball rolling early.




Behind every successful man is a surprised woman. Maryon Pearson

Winter and Spring Schedule

We still have a few start dates available before freeze up but now is the time to start thinking about winter and spring. As you know, if you read our blog very often, we do a lot of our off-road building in the winter. Things really start to get busy after Thanksgiving when the lakes are solid enough to drive and land on.
If you wanted to build this summer but just couldn't get to it; we can do it after freeze up.
If you are planning on building this coming spring, give us a call and we'll start the planning process with you so everything will be in order right after break-up.
We are usually putting foundations and garage slabs up until November 1 and sometimes a little after.



Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.
Earl Nightingale

Thursday, August 26, 2010

FAIR TIME!

The Fair starts today! Our booth is right next to the one with the airplane, right down the street from the haunted house. We will be there to answer any questions and actually write estimates for you on the spot.
If we have built for you before, please bring a picture that we can post on the wall or just stop in to say hi.
If you are interested in building in the future, stop in, we would like to meet you and discuss your future plans.

Look forward to seeing you at the 2010 State Fair! Hopefully, we'll see some sun!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

RAIN!

We have obviously had a very rainy summer so far in South Central. Rain affects our schedule in several ways and it is hard sometimes to explain that it isn't that it is uncomfortable to work in and we are a bunch of wimps. There are other aspects to consider.
It slows the pace down in rough framing when you have to slog through mud, change into dry clothes and work with heavy wet wood, it is also dangerous to walk on wet, narrow, slick wood. Especially when you are twenty or more feet off the ground.
The scheduling problems usually start with the dirt work. It is hard or impossible to excavate when it is really wet. The dirt turns to mud, equipment gets stuck or slides around, making it very difficult and slow.
When the dirt work gets behind schedule; we can't start the foundation work on time, which means we can't start the framing on time which means we are not finishing on time, which means we can't start the next job on time which makes people unhappy. When the sun does come out and dries everything out, we are still playing catch up on the previous job so we can get the schedule caught up, but the client gets frustrated because we aren't on they're job while the weather is good.
The only way to catch up the schedule is to work more hours or hire more people which comes with it's own set of problems. We normally elect to work more hours within reason.
Residential framing is hard work and the more hours you work the less efficient you become and the more likely you are to get hurt. Statistics show that efficency drops dramatically after eight hours and the injury rate goes up.
The bottom line is; we are trying to get back on schedule right now and we are actually very close to being right on so we feel pretty fortunate even if we haven't had much help from mother nature.





Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. Mark Twain