quallity workmanship

Why is it that when a client is not happy with the work that they are paying for most contractor get up set . Lets face it , as the builder it is your job to deliver what the home owner is paying for .

so many guys out there are just not up to the job they cut out on their own before they have acquired the years of experience needed to be able to complete a job with the quality workmanship expected.

There is not a month that goes by that I am not asked to fix work done by others and it is most often that the work done is clearly just that the person doing the work had no idea what they were doing .

Yes there is still some jobs done by just bad contractors but for the most part it is just that the lure of quick cash has guys trying to go out on their  own .

While it easy to blame the young guys but the home owner has to except some blame . it is there responsibility to check references and get 3 separate quote for work to be done.

The client should stay on top of the job so as not to let thing get to far out of control.

With todays tech and social media it has never been more important to provide your  your client with the best quality you can provide .

When a job goes south you can bet that your name will suddenly start showing up the internet for the hole world to see , this will not help in the long run for your business.

So take on only those jobs that you can do and have the experience to do.

The best advice I can give you is to ask question often and try to learn everything you can from your employers and courses as well as from the internet and be sure of your self before heading out on your own .    

Lighthouse project

Custom1Contracting

Over the years I have been lucky to have been asked to build many different structures and that is one thing that keeps making this job fun and interesting .

It can be boring at times building the same old home over and over or deck after deck , but once in awhile a project gets dropped in your lap that breaks that daily grind and brightens your day.

This light house was just such a project with its angled walls and 2 teared roof .

The wood siding and cedar roof as well as the inside finished all in pine .

Then as  bonus I was asked to design and install the landscaping and stone skirt and floor .

It is jobs like this that help set us apart from other builders and every chance I get to show that my company is the best choice when it comes to designing and building projects that are out of the norm.

    

custom1contracting.com

Happy With My Job but Time For Change

So many people I talk too have one thing in common when it comes to their employment . Time and time again it is that they are not happy with the way things turned out for them,  There are many reasons  for this the one main constant when it comes to self employed people is that they just are not educated enough to do the job .Some do not have the skills or the mind set to be their own boss , much less handle employee.

While other do not stick to the "kiss " system of business , they try to do everything and end up not getting work because their business does not define its self and gets over looked .

For over 35 years I have been struggling to make a living in the construction trade from roofing to building all the time learning and honing my craft as I go.

While it has been trying at times there were many good times as well and yes I did move from one trade to another which did effect my ability to get work I for one was lucky that not only did I know and have the expertise for each trade I did but working as a sub was very easy to come by.

As the years went by I did happen to build a following of client that now years latter help to build my business and keep food on the table .

While it is true that if I had just focused on one aspect of construction I would have been able to grow a profitable business and made my life easier .

Over the years I have had many people tell me that I do too much for my client or that I should let other people do the work and of course stop doing everything .

But that is the point I do enjoy working with my client and designing and planning the hole job .

Over the years I have been hired to general some very large jobs do to my experience and reputation for getting things done on time.

So now the time has come that while I do not regret the choices that I have made I do now find that there are just to many job offers coming in to general large jobs as well as offers to design and build large cottages and homes , so the time has come that I have started turning away small jobs and turning other jobs onto others that I can trust to do the job

Over the years the one thing I can say is that I did and do enjoy the work I have done and while I will miss doing all the little thing for my client I know that it is my time to move on and up and let others do the work while I over see the jobs.

This way I will be able to train other as well.

SSLD

                                                        Custom1Contracting 

Well foundation is in and the framer rolls in and out comes the guys tools are set up and work begins.

Right off some guys start building the beams and setting it in place.

while others start installing the sill plates as they go they tighten down the nuts .

Once the plates are down the guys start installing rim boards and joist it is now that they start to notice that the sill plate and rim board do not lay flat together but just keep going .

Now that the joist are installed it is plywood time , it is here that they start finding that the sheets are not all landing on joist and start cutting to fit.

So up till now the framer has been able to get around the few problem they have ran into but the worst is yet to come.

The wall plates are marked and walls are built but they start to run into problems with putting plywood on , it will not go square between the walls and they have to stand some with no plywood .

By now you get the picture while they will get the house finished it will be filled with problem for all the trades as they build and the end product will be substandard.

This could have been avoided by following one simple rule SSLD strait square level and dimension . this simple rule when followed will make your job as framer run smooth and fast.

when you first show up at a new job you take time to check the foundation to make sure that it is square , strait , level and that it is the right dimension.

The problem is that many framer do not follow this simple step and a lot do not know how to adjust when things are out and still make the  build square and level .

 

It is quite easy to tell if a home was built square and level ,how many times have you seen tile run from one size to another against the wall .

or look at the soffit and see it go from small to large .

how many times have you seen humps in the roof or trim not joining just right .

It's like I keep saying if you hire by price along you will soon regret that choice .

when choosing a builder price is the last point on your list .

                                             custom1contracting.com

                                   On Time On Budget Total Satisfaction

The Art Of Framing

The Art Of Framing

When it comes to framing most would tell you that it is not that complicated to learn and do ,well maybe but most often it is one of the hardest trades to do .

There are thousand of people out there working in the trade but most often as is the case many are just not that good .

It is not their fault in most cases they just have not been instructed properly , as with most guys in this trade they find them self needing a job and there are thousands of framers out there always needing guys.

This is how it starts the blind leading the blind ,guys will get hired on start learning the trade and before you know it they them selfs think they are framers and strike out on their own with some other new guys .

It might be that yes they can manage to put up a small subdivision home with a few mistakes that alway get over looked this does not make them a framer .

What it does tell you is that many of our homes are not being built to the best standards that they could be but life goes on.

The biggest problem is that in our strive to make money we fail to see the hole picture ,there is a right way to build and most just do not posses the skills to make them a good framer .

I learned long ago that if you do thing right and have a plan you will make money and be able to produce a quality product 

The most important part to becoming a good framer is knowing how to read and interpret blue prints from the simple 3 sheet subdivision home plane to the multi page plans for large commercial jobs .

The next part to becoming a good framer is knowing the building code and having a good understanding of structural loads and how to build within them.

With these mastered now it is time to learn the mechanic of framing and this will be easy to learn now that you have the theory down pat .

Now that you are a framer it is time to set a plan on just how you will build 

this is a plan that I have used for years and it work perfect for small to large jobs . 

The first thing I do is study the prints for a few days before you start to look for problems and to make a cut list for windows and doors .

When you start I like to set up a work station for cutting and a place for mess to be placed,

Have one guy start cutting from you cut list while you get to work with the floor I will have the same guy doing the same thing every time like one on sill plates and another on beams and floor joist .

It is important to finish everything as you go the more you leave the you have to finish at the end and some time making it harder to do .

When installing joist install wall blocks and watch for toilets and bath drains as well as point load blocking.

once the floor is finished mark out all wall on the floor and start laying out wall plates , here as before one guy lays out the plates and another start laying in studs and jacks this will go fast now that you had one guy all ready cut all the parts needed for the walls.

I will start with the longest wall first and will build all walls I can before lifting them here to finish every thing like all plywood and tyvek before you lift them .

once you have lifted the exterior walls build and install interior walls making sure to install all back up and then install wall bracing and square and level all walls .

At this point everything should be done before you start the roof and once again have everyone doing a job and working together to get done .

Trusses or cut roof just make sure you completely finish all bracing and back up before plywood and make sure your sub facia is strait and level it will make the plywood go easy.

Small jobs will mean that some jobs are done by all the guys but on large job or subdivision were I will be building more than one home at a time I will have separate crews for each part like I will have one crew for floors and one on walls and one for roof so we can just keep moving along and quickly .

I know my plane works I have been able to finish large project or smaller project faster than others and with no deficiently .

Of course there is more to it than what I have mention but this will give you an outline.