Construction Trends
California Adopts Nation’s First Statewide “Green” Building Code On July 17, the California Building Standards Commission announced the unanimous adoption of the nation’s first statewide “green” building code. The code is a direct result of the governor’s direction to the commission and will lead to improved energy efficiency and reduced water consumption in all […]
Two-fer (or Not)
A house divided against itself cannot stand. This twice-borrowed adage may work if you’re into wearing stovepipe hats, and your metaphor refers to a nation on the brink of a civil war. On the other hand, a divided house just may be the most effective approach to structuring the management of a commercial […]
Weather Barrier
A large hotel project is being done in our area, and there is no weather-resistive barrier on the glass mat gypsum sheathing under the exterior insulation and finish system. I do not want this to become a black eye on the EIFS industry because of another bad install job. My interpretation of the code for […]
The Lowdown on Material Safety Data Sheets
When the Occupational Safety and Health Administration created the Hazard Communication standard in 1986, a major component was the Material Safety Data Sheet. Manufacturers were required to provide MSDS, and general industry employers maintained them in the workplace. A construction industry version of the standard came along shortly after; it required contractors to maintain the […]
Family Business in Puerto Rico
Richard Huntley, president of WeKanDo Construction, Inc. in Rio Piedras, is the third generation of wall and ceiling contractors in Puerto Rico, but the fourth generation of the trade itself. The patriarch, Homer P. Huntley, started a plastering business way back when, then passed on the legacy to his two sons, Josiah and […]
7 Ways Subcontractors and Suppliers Can WOW! General Contractors
Being a general contractor is a hard way to make an easy living. There are lots of moving parts totally out of your control. On every job we have more than 5,762 chances to make a mistake, miss a schedule or tick off customers. Things aren’t perfect, including the plans, specifications, field conditions, inspectors, subcontractors, […]
Residentials at the Gate
Privately owned housing-starts in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 947,000. This is 11.9 percent (±11.6%) below the revised February estimate of 1,075,000 and is 36.5 percent (±5.2%) below the revised March 2007 rate of 1,491,000. Given these numbers, the expectation is that residential contractors will soon—if they have […]
Cold-Formed Steel Framing
Growing pains are never fun. Anyone who worked with exterior insulation and finish systems a couple decades back knows that all too well. Perception problems set that industry back on its heels in its formative years, and it took years to regroup with educational marketing to build up the solid following it has today. The […]
AWCI’s New President, Jim Keller:
With thanks to Kevin Biddle for a successful year as president of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, we take the opportunity to pry a few minutes out of the incoming president’s schedule to interview him: introducing Jim Keller executive vice president of Grayhawk, Louisville, Ky. To those who know him, he has […]