When we look into our car’s rearview mirror we see where we have been, as well as the distant horizon; the vanishing point of times past. In the home building industry’s rear view mirror, I gladly see the depths of home building’s bottom slipping over the horizon. What makes me think so?
First, many sectors of the economy and their metrics are undeniably improving - employment, consumer spending, household formations, and most importantly, consumer sentiment. A...
This month we named our Remodeler of the Year — Anthony Home Improvements in Elkins Park, Pa.
We chose the company for a number of reasons, but reason No. 1A is the company’s ability to adapt to a changing climate, something many firms have struggled to do.
That willingness to constantly change goes back to company CEO and second-generation owner Stephen Klein, who you could safely call a...
My psychiatrist told me I'm going crazy. I told him, "If you don't mind, I'd like a second opinion." He said, "All right. You're ugly too!"
When it comes to TJIs we should take a cue from Rodney Dangerfield and get a second opinion or at least a second look at our joist layout. We send our plans out to the lumber company. The lumber company creates a truss joist layout, develops an estimate, and once agreed upon sends the joists to the job. Simple right?
It can be,...
Yesterday after presenting an orientation for our LeanPlan Workout process to a group of suppliers & trades in Texas, a contractor named Mike walked up to me and two of the senior managers from the builder. Strong-looking guy, with very alert eyes, about 50 years old with that kind of rugged Texas good looks from a life spent working outdoors that you see a lot down there. He had been very attentive during the presentation, and took a lot of notes. Mike looked at us and spoke in a voice...
PB Builder of the Year DSLD shows how powerful and central the basics are. Creating excellence on such basic issues as scheduling and scopes of work creates the basis for an outstanding home builder. They continued driving excellence in all other areas of the business. Find out more about what makes them exceptional at this link.
I am frequently asked, what is the right way to buy labor and materials? Should you use turnkey suppliers and trades or should you purchase and negotiate labor and material separately. Let me be 100% clear about this. I have the answer. I am now into my third decade of looking hard at this issue and have watched more than 200 builders up close and personal and unequivocally conclude based on the evidence that the clear answer is to buy labor and materials separately – except when the best...
Construction drawings are complex and getting them right involves a whole lot of moving parts. From working with builder and trades countrywide I have uncovered the five most common areas where mistakes are made:
1. Plan Dimensioning - One of the biggest causes of premature gray hair amongst framers is poor dimensioning. I suggest that you ensure that your drawings are done consistently with what I call dimension logic:
The 2011 “Black Friday” sales numbers are in and show a pleasantly surprising 16% gain in year-over-year retail sales! Some economists, pollsters, and industry “experts” expected consumerism to be flat or even down this year; proving once again that rational surveys do not accurately capture consumer emotions.
Here are two Black Friday observations – first, asking consumers a rational rating question, i.e. “On a 1 to 10 scale, what is your likeliness to spend more this year on...
What and where do I start to improve? This is a common question and while we need to balance the cost and impact to identify the real bang for the buck let’s start with the basics. Here are some things to be aware of that are indicators that you can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your business. You may hear people saying this indeed you may say it yourself, well these are the places to start and you don’t need to do an organizational self-assessment to uncover them....
The Lean Perspective is by no means limited to sticks and bricks issues on the construction site. When we talk Lean building we are really talking Lean operations: providing value & eliminating waste in product and process wherever it is found. Many seemingly mundane issues can have significant implications in both cost and value. A great example came up last week while having dinner with builders from several companies at the Bob Schultz “Serious Management Workshop,” a twice-annual...
