Construction Specific Articles
Qualities to Look for in a
Lead/Supervisor/Foreman
One of the common situations I run into is lack of leadership within the field crew. This is particularly noticeable when the owner is withdrawing from the field to spend more time working on his business.
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When the Owner Stops Being Part of the Crew
I was working with a roofing and siding company recently and the owner, in the process of switching from running his crew to running his business, confided that he was having trouble estimating labor. “When I’m on the roof, the crew can do X square/hour, but as soon as I leave, they suddenly are doing 1/2X square/hour. I don’t understand it. I’m used to estimating based on my being on the job, and suddenly I’m underestimating labor.”
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The Labor Code Challenge
It’s important to be sure that what goes into labor categories is well understood to avoid confusion, guesswork, and skewed reports. While it may seem obvious to the estimator that gutters belong with roofing, on site labor may find it equally legitimate to log gutter installation with exterior trim (after all, it’s attached to the fascia).
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