Voices
Opinion: Montreal can be carbon neutral by 2050
Engineering firm believes Montreal could get there before Canada as a whole
The power of a bad seed
In case you missed the original article, here it…
We finally found a hole in Giannis’ game
As those of you that follow the NBA know,…
What to do with demanding people
Steve Barkhouse of Ottawa-based Amsted Design-Build wrote the following…
Does Mike Holmes have trades training?
After reading our recent article about Mike Holmes’ column…
Free the Regulations
In response to Gene’s outrage over having to purchase…
Building codes: Ottawa behaving like Beijing, he says
Building codes MUST become free, another sensible reader urges. Maybe we can get this done by sometime in the next century.
Caulking video response: Polyurethane is great stuff, but it is not the easiest to work with
Joe White cautions against trying to the same type of caulking bead shape with different types of caulk.
A call to connect at the Toronto-based Builders Show Dec. 4th to 6th.
“I’m NOT an expert by any means. But why reinvent the wheel if there are people who have been there, done that?”
Peer Group Diary: The peer group visits a beautifully built home…that made no money
“Imagine your company was bringing in $10 million per year and you’re still working for wages.”
What’s better, top line or bottom line? Read this and find out.
“There is so much pressure to keep employees working that contractors take the work even if it is not going to add anything to the bottom line.”
Peer Group Diary: A face-to-face meeting in Calgary looks into the challenges of running a family business
“In a family business, humility helps”
Your complete guide to estimating, Lesson 1 of 7: The foundation of great estimating
“Designing your company around repeatable, predetermined processes that follow predictable steps to known outcomes is great for accurate estimates.”
Myths of contracting continued: I know about that, so I’m good
“Our lives, both personal and business, are full of things we know we should do, but we just don’t”
Fast-growing Canada Needs Housing; Public policy needs to keep pace
“In welcoming these new Canadians, we have an obligation to ensure there is sufficient housing”
Does a Carbon Tax Make Sense? I think I think so, says contributor and P Eng. Paul Duffy
“Here’s the cool thing—when you make a decision to conserve, you get doubly rewarded.”
Myths of contractors continued: If I fund a project with my own money, there is no interest cost
“Whenever your money is tied up it does have a cost”
Win more work!!
“the majority of contractors do a poor job of following up with leads out of sheer time restraints.”
How to lose out because you didn’t think of everything when you made up the contract
Years ago, I had a service contract with a…
The first rule of holes: Stop digging
“The guarantee of the loss of a lot of money makes you stop”
People are not things, and knowing how to handle things does not prepare you for handling people
“I became a carpenter in part because I had no confidence is handling personal relationships.”
Canadian home sales edge higher in August, says the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)
OTTAWA, Sept. 16, 2019 /CNW/ – Statistics released today…
More on what you pay your Project Managers: David Litwiller, Litwiller Renovations and Custom Homes Ltd., Calgary, AB
“They (my PMs) were hourly paid, making $70 to $80K per year on a regular basis “
More on what you pay your Project Managers: Evolve Builders Inc.
“Our target wages for the role start at $50k up to $80k, with the median at about $64k.”
Systems are good, but build loyalty first
“A company with loyalty as a key driver of its culture would have quickly realized from feedback that falling sales were clearly a symptom of the system’s installation”
We asked our RenoFocus contractors how much they paid their project managers. Here’s one Toronto contractor’s response
“Our standard base salary is between $55-60k and goes against a base $750k revenue”
Myths of contractors continued: I save money by doing chores myself
“If you can’t point to some fundamental improvement you haven’t been doing the job of a general manager”
“Heavy upfront deposits help cash flow. We take 25% on acceptance and another 25% one day prior to starting.”
“Valid and reliable companies take massive risks for every job we take on”
In 2020, the spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation business will have new standards to meet
“Reducing greenhouse gases and climate pollutants is essential to the long-term survival of the planet and more urgently needed than ever in 2019”
Negotiating stories to learn from
“One contractor we spoke to about this topic said it was tough to provide any tips because he’s not the negotiating type anymore, for good reason”
