Whether you’re starting a new business, need to move to a larger warehouse, or just need to remodel your current office building, you’ll be in need of a commercial general contractor. This contractor manages your construction project: buying materials, hiring professionals, and covering liability issues. Pick the wrong contractor, and you can end up with shoddy work, completion delays, and even lawsuits.
So, how do you find the right general contractor for your project? Read more
When business owners get bids for commercial renovation projects or new construction, budget is almost always a major concern. And, while most responsible business people will look to save money when it’s practical, there is a right way and wrong way to approach potential cost savings. The decisions you make upfront will have a huge impact on the quality and value of the finished product, and cutting corners can come with many hidden, additional costs that you may not have considered.
Here are some of the common ways that people cut corners on commercial construction projects and the potential problems that can result.
Our annual meeting is a time for The Builders Association to present yearly reports and welcome incoming officers and Executive Committee members.
Like most things in life, when it comes to your commercial construction project, you generally get what you pay for. While you may be tempted to jump at the lowest bid for your project, doing so can result in hidden costs, such as delays and mistakes that can drastically affect the final pricing. However, you also want to ensure that the price you’re being quoted is a fair one and not arbitrarily high due to unreasonable markups on material and labor.
So, when comparing general contractor bids, how do you make a decision on construction services that keep your job costs to a minimum while delivering the results you want? It’s critical to understand that the cheapest bid price isn’t necessarily the best bid.
When it comes to commercial projects, time is usually of the essence. Completing the project in a timely manner can be critical to the organization that has commissioned it, and construction delays can have a major impact on operations and profitability.
Potential project delays can stem from a wide variety of root causes, and if not addressed properly and efficiently, they can get out of hand quickly. Long lead times and construction cost overruns are the last things a business owner wants to deal with when thinking about the investment in their facility.
Most project managers and stakeholders would rather avoid any significant delays in the construction process altogether. While some unforeseen obstacles may be beyond a commercial contractor‘s control, many common construction delays can be prevented by making the right decision in the early stages of the project schedule. Read more
Ohio EPA’s Compliance Assistance Conference has gone virtual and is currently taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 8, 2020.
There’s no need to travel – sit back, relax, and enjoy a front-row seat while we bring the experts to you. Although our methods may have changed, Ohio EPA remains committed to assisting businesses, communities, and environmental professionals with their environmental compliance needs. Read more
In the ever-changing landscape that is the battle against the novel coronavirus, the CDC and OSHA have published workplace guidelines, and also recommend individual companies develop their own “infectious disease preparedness and response plan” to lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread on construction sites. Read more
The Builders held the Annual Golf Outing at the fabulous Trumbull Country Club this year. Golf teams were greeted with a beautiful day on the links complemented by sunshine and clear skies.
The Ohio Department of Health issued mandatory requirements for face coverings in certain high-risk counties. Trumbull County is one of the counties included in the initial order.
Please use the following link to view the actual order: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/publicorders/Directors-Order-Facial-Coverings.pdf
As a result of the Order, The Builders will be adhering to the requirements and anyone entering our Office building will be required to wear a face covering.
When you think of hiring contractors for a project, labor costs and time to completion are likely your top concerns. However, there’s so much more to it!
While navigating the process of finding qualified contractors, it’s important to look beyond cost and time to some more qualitative aspects. Do non-union craftsmen have the background needed to do the job correctly (and safely)? If you’re not careful, you could be in for a world of headache.
By comparison, union construction jobs provide a guaranteed way to get quality work for your project.
There are real benefits to hiring union contractors; you get the best trained, most safety-minded workers in the industry who complete regular continuing education and continuously update their skills. But wait…there’s more!
The Mahoning Valley area benefits from having a vast majority of specialized union construction trades. Employees of the construction trades belong to a locally organized and often internationally recognized trade union. The unions have state and nationally recognized apprenticeship programs that regulate the required education and hands-on training of its craftspeople, and apprenticeship programs are oftentimes the same length as a bachelors degree in regard to time to complete.
Having a union ensures that only experts are on the job site, and while you might not have realized it, many specialty areas exist within union construction trades. The crafts within this diverse trade include the following:
Using professionals for your construction project provides you with the highest quality of work from your building’s foundation to its finishing touches. Foremen and supervisors also typically receive special training upon completing their initial training and work hands-on for a significant amount of time before elevating through the ranks.
Around the world, union construction professionals help craft breathtaking structures, like schools, bridges and so much more. Using an experienced union contractor for your construction project provides a multitude of benefits:
The basis of any commercial building begins with the foundation and works up to the girders, the framing and the drywall. But the intricate skills used to create a professional building also includes things like the cabinetry, marble and custom finish work. The detailed work on these areas and many others in a commercial building are the work of master crafters who are often union contractors.
These highly trained, talented craftspeople also specialize in restoration. Skilled construction trades can help with building restoration and remodeling. Whether you want to return an 80-year old building to its original glory or you want to update an old building to something more modern, union contractors can do it.
Rather than having inexperienced trades work on a repair or restoration project, many organizations opt to save time (and money) by hiring a union contractor. Doing so helps avoid additional damage to the project because these men and women know how to fix things correctly on the first go.
Restoration, especially historical restoration, requires specialized tools and knowledge. Union contractors have access to these specialized tools and equipment for proper restoration, and also have the professional training necessary to handle this kind of work.
Along with that, many union contractors have built working relationships with other professionals (such as architects, etc). These close-knit partnerships allow a higher level of work that goes beyond construction and achieves artistry and true craftsmanship.
Beyond their expertise and experience, hiring union labor provides many other benefits, too. This is particularly true for businesses. In the B2B landscape, you improve your project’s safety, labor relations and your company’s public relations by using union contractors.
Using union contractors enhances the safety levels on your project because the unions regularly focus on health and safety training. Union contractors adhere to the highest safety standards, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards and regulatory compliance.
Broker agreements with the workers on building construction or remodeling projects are not needed on union projects because the union handles labor relations. Unions maintain a buffer between your business and the craft’s tradesperson, so if an issue does arise, the union takes care of it (which leaves you more time to concentrate on business as usual).
Hiring union contractors is a great public relation move because the utilization of the most highly trained, safest workers in your community says good things about you and your business. (Due to their high quality of work and ability to keep projects moving on schedule, many government agencies require hiring union labor on contracts they award.)
Most importantly, when you hire local union trades, you are “keeping it local.” These people often live in your community, shop in your stores and play with their children in your parks. Their families are the future of our area and support many local projects and activities in our region.
With so many reasons to hire union contractors, why wait? Whether you need to build an office complex, school or hospital, your local union contractors can help. Check out our directory today to find the team you need for your next project, whether you’re in eastern Ohio or western Pennsylvania. We look forward to working with you!