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Category: Architecture

Selecting Craftsmen For Your Construction Projects

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SOME TIPS FOR SELECTING CRAFTSMEN FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS 

  1. A craftsman is not the site manager, who controls and later approves the renovation In these times, finding a reliable, responsible site manager to coordinate the work of the craftsmen and keep everything together proves difficult. Why is this? There is plenty of construction work, but the competition is strong, so it is harder for individual craftsmen to survive. Wages remain low and unreliable businesses do not pay their craftsmen. This is how many craftsmen join forces to form teams to win the trust of customers. But who is the site manager? This is often decided spontaneously, often it is the oldest craftsman who may also own a car. However, he remains a craftsman, who acts on the side of the other craftsmen and possibly loses sight of the customer’s interests. Craftsmen are simply knitted and follow the motto: Give me money, tell me what to do, and I’ll fix it. Many craftsmen are not interested in the customer’s specific wishes or whether any expertise is needed. Often, money is the only motivation, and not customer wishes. This can make the job more complex and time expensive. 
  2. From the very beginning, make sure to choose a company not recently listed in the commercial register, but can provide trustworthy references. Many construction managers attempt to save on this, but the services must be covered guarantees. You should not forget that you may later require to rely on warranty service. Ask in advance if the craftsmen are still available at a later point. It will make your life easier, if you make obtain services from local companies and make advance checks on the construction site. This way you can determine conscientious and clean work. Take your time and avoid unwanted surprises. Often, at this point, you can see if you can cooperate with the site manager and if he is willing to assist you. Listen closely as he talks about details and if offers new ideas. Feel free to enquire about details regarding the work and the construction site. Also check if there is order on the construction site and how clean it looks, because much depends on this. 
  3. Never make arrangements merely by handshake. For one, it is forbidden by law in many cases, on the other hand, without a proper contract, chaos is inevitable. You can hardly prove that, for example, you already paid money. Additionally, a contract provides security and guarantees.
  4. You should never pay craftsmen right away. With the help of a building contract, the budget should be designed for you to always maintain control.Unfortunately, the only motivation for many craftsmen is the payment. When builders pay too fast, motivation diminishes and unreliable craftsmen do as they please. If advance payments for materials are required, you should not pay more than 30 percent of the value of the goods. This only makes sense for large construction projects and local companies. For smaller jobs, you should agree in advance that the craftsmen will buy the material themselves and then settle the bill after invoicing. Further work is then paid with progress. Adhere to the rule: work before payment.
  5. The saying “Trust is good, control is better” has element of truth, because you are and will remain the principal. No matter how you decide, it is important to remember that you are the builder. This is especially true if you work with different craftsmen. That does not mean that you should leave everything to the site manager. Ask questions, because stupid or unnecessary questions do not exist on a construction site. At least once a week, check that everything is progressing orderly and that the work is performed properly. If necessary, you should also politely point out defects and mistakes. Make it clear to the site supervisor that you are in control and that it is your wish for everything to run smoothly. As an example, there should be no smoking in an apartment and the staircase must be kept clean. Always remain polite and be consistent. This way you achieve the best results in your construction project, even with different craftsmen. If possible, you should discuss everything exclusively with the site manager, as he usually works closely with many craftsmen on an hourly or lump-sum basis, allowing for specifications to be forgotten. As the saying goes, trust is good, control is better. This proverb fits very well with the construction industry and we hope that we could help you with our advice with your construction project.

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Important Tasks For The Construction Supervisor

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IMPORTANT TASKS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR ON A COMPLETE RENOVATION OR RECONSTRUCTION

On a construction site the supervisor has many responsibilities. After all he takes the role of executive manager, there to lead the workers and project. However, these responsibilities are often neglected, as many supervisors choose to follow a much easier strategy: Present an offer, somehow finish the task at hand with some worker friends and then quickly cash in the money.

But this isn’t the overall process, that should be considered. Many aspects are influenced by correct planning, calculations, scheduling and leadership qualities. One should not forget, to observe both details and cleanliness on a construction site. Many supervisors are simply overstrained by monitoring too many projects at once, while loosing site of the details and hence, quality.

The budget is then uncontrolled and quickly depleted and the work progress no longer correlates with the defined schedule. Many supervisors will then attempt to invest their own time on construction, leading to other sites run uncontrolled. This in turn leads to the supervisor taken on less construction sites, which earns him less money and disallows them to pay good workers. Many construction teams have experienced similar situations. We also experienced many different workers, until we chose those colleagues, that share our work ethics and wish to deliver good quality to our customers.

It is important to us, to listen, learn and grow from experience. For example, we ensure using self created checklists, that organization and detailed controls are kept up throughout the renovation.

Through special management programs we control systematically all stages on a construction site. Through these permanent checks on a construction site, we identify details, which are in essential for quality results.

By these means we attempt to present our customers with the best possible results on our market. Additionally, we school our team of craftsmen continuously to work cleanly and responsibly.

Our workers should never expect, that other processes, such as the cleanliness on the construction site, is of no concern to them – or should the customer miss a fault, the worker should never hesitate to raise attention to it. All this is crucial to the overall quality of work. Many customers are not able to visit the site on a weekly basis to monitor the progress. Therefore our photo reports are an advantage to the customer. With all these measures, we attempt to improve the construction industry, so our customers can enjoy their freshly renovated properties for a long time.

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Stages of a Renovation

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SUMMARY OF THE STAGES OF A RENOVATION

1. Demolition Works

Any demolition works take place takes precedence. For example, old wallpaper, sanitary elements, tiles, doors with frames as well as electrical installations are dismantled and properly disposed of. In addition, the condition of pipes, walls, wooden beams and beams is reviewed. If mold or other damage is found, it will be eliminated after a qualified inspection.

2. Drywall and Masonry Work

Following are tasks related to drywall, masonry and demolition (according to the project of the structural engineer). In this case, openings are widened and support beams installed. New concrete screed is laid, suspended ceilings are mounted and double-planked stud walls with mineral inner insulation are installed.

3. Electrical Installations

The new electrical installation is installed with new wiring in prepared slots. Also, a new electronic electricity meter with fuse box (according to DIN standard) is mounted.

4. Plumbing

In this step, the new water and sewage pipes are commonly laid under plaster. In addition, connections for sanitary and kitchen appliances are prepared. The wet rooms are sealed with a hydro-insulation layer and joint tapes and the radiators dismantled.

If necessary, the new heating pipes are laid under plaster and new radiators are mounted with thermostatic heads.

5. Puttying and painting work

The next stage is the putty and painting work. Ceilings and walls are primed with a suitable primer, then reinforced against tears with fabric, troweled and finely sanded. Finally, walls and ceilings are painted twice. The radiators and heating pipes are sanded and painted, the old windows and interior doors and their frames are sanded, machined and then painted.

6. Window and Door Works

Then, the new interior doors and their frames and the new windows are installed. If necessary, this also includes the assembly and testing of security locks and shutters.

7. Floor work: tiles and wooden floors

Next, the new tiles are laid and grouted. In this case, corner joints are sealed well with silicone.

The existing door openings are repaired or closed off with floorboards or parquet. Now the new wooden floors will be laid, sanded off and painted if necessary. Finally the laying of the baseboards follows.

8. Final steps

Now the final steps in all areas are completed.

Throughout the apartment, new socket and switch inserts and LED lamps in the suspended ceilings are installed. In addition, various flaps, covers, door fittings and the door intercom are mounted. Also, new bathroom equipment will be delivered and installed, with joints sealed with silicone before any cosmetic work is done.

At the end, the property is thoroughly cleaned, to allow it to shine in new splendor.

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The Correct Way Of Handling Craftsmen

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THE CORRECT WAY OF HANDLING CRAFTSMEN – OR HOW TO SUPERVISE AND CONTROL YOUR OWN PROJECT BETTER YET

We are ourselves part of the craft industry and therefore respect any craftsman, who performs properly and responsibly. Lately, we have more and more customers approaching us with their construction sites started by other companies. They hope that we take over these orders. We do not appreciate these construction sites, because we can only give guarantees for our own services. Nevertheless, we can not refuse these requests.

For example, one owner recently told us during a visit to her old apartment, that felt victimized and asked for our help. We are truly sorry for these customers. In cases like this, just like in many such examples, the orders were taken over by unreliable craftsmen. But after a short time it turned out that they can not fulfill the promises they made.

Construction supervisors are in the best position to recognize in advance unreliable amateur appointed to a job, which can not complete the renovation in a cleanly and satisfying manner. This is especially common when a property is to be re-let, after the purchase and renovation with little money invested in the renovation. During the construction project, however, it usually shows that a careful renovation of a property is important to avoid future problems.

The construction industry and the craft has evolved significantly over the recent years. Due to open borders and the influx of many unqualified, all-round craftsmen from abroad, prices were pushed down and thus quality was degraded. This trend is also becoming more and more common among German craftsmen. As such, good quality customer service is no longer a priority.

In our professional life, we have encountered many craftspeople, that would shy away from contact with the client and literally would hide away. In one case, a craftsman from another company surprised the owner and verbally abused neighbors in the stairwell. Due to the current construction boom, many craftsmen appear to have the impression that customers depend on them and that customer service is no longer important. We distance ourselves from such unreliable craftsmen.

For many years we have seen these changes in the craft and aspire to counter this development with our own work. We aim to provide good customer service and follow the principle, of being there for the customers, to deliver good quality and to take care of the customers. These principles should be followed any true artisan.

Here are some additional tips for selecting craftsmen for your construction project.

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The Craftsman Is Not The Site Manager

Good To Know

In these times, finding a reliable, responsible site manager to coordinate the work of the craftsmen and keep everything together proves difficult. Why is this? There is plenty of construction work, but the competition is strong, so it is harder for individual craftsmen to survive. Wages remain low and unreliable businesses do not pay their craftsmen. This is how many craftsmen join forces to form teams to win the trust of customers. But who is the site manager?

This is often decided spontaneously, often it is the oldest craftsman who may also own a car. However, he remains a craftsman, who acts on the side of the other craftsmen and possibly loses sight of the customer’s interests. Craftsmen are simply knitted and follow the motto: Give me money, tell me what to do, and I’ll fix it. Many craftsmen are not interested in the customer’s specific wishes or whether any expertise is needed. Often, money is the only motivation, and not customer wishes. This can make the job more complex and time expensive. 

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