Today, I stopped by a new home that was being built by a former competitor of
mine. He builds a great home and laughs and shakes his head when we talk about
how I transitioned from being a builder to a writer. When I still built homes on
a daily basis you could scarcely tell his work and homes apart from mine. One
might think we were clones of one another. We had a very splendid relationship
and still do. There was always enough work for both of us. If he was busy, he
would often refer customers to me if I was a tad slow and of course, I would do
the same.
As I strolled through this magnificent home that was framed and under roof,
it brought back all sorts of memories about some of the signs a great builder
leaves behind each day on the jobsite much as an animal that walks through soft
mud. There were clues everywhere within the home and I started thinking how most
people might not even realize what they might be looking at if they happened to
walk around and in the home after the workers had gone home for the day.
For example, when I pulled into the jobsite, there was orange plastic fencing
erected in critical locations that protected valuable trees and kept people away
from dangerous trenches and machinery. I couldn't find a scrap of trash or
cardboard anywhere on the lot. The building site was immaculate and even the
trash dumpster and temporary toilet were discreetly placed so they didn't
detract from the curb appeal of the home in its partially finished state.
The large garage was transformed into a dry and convenient storage place for
all sorts of lumber. All too often I have driven by jobsites and seen exterior
finish trim lumber dropped directly on the dirt and left out in the elements.
Not here. The lumber was stored up off the concrete floor so air could circulate
around it and it was neatly stacked so that you knew exactly what material was
where. One would think they were in the warehouse of a traditional lumber
yard!
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The dining room of the home served as the command center for the builder. A
large bulletin board was attached to the stud walls and on it were all of the
safety notifications, building permits, emergency phone numbers and all
necessary notifications as required by all government agencies. There were no
less than two fire extinguishers within sight and as I continued my tour I saw
many more throughout the home. There was also a dry-erase board that allowed
subcontractors to post messages for the builder and other subs. What a great but
simple idea!
A complete set of rules and guidelines were also posted on the bulletin
board. Consider these a code of ethics for all of the people who work on the
job. The builder was communicating to each subcontractor and their employees
what was expected and what would not be tolerated. These rules are such a simple
thing, yet I have rarely seen them on another jobsite.
A giant rolling drafting table/storage box had a complete set of plans on it.
This permanent set of plans allowed everyone who worked on the jobsite to see
what was expected of them. It is not unusual for a subcontractor or an employee
of a subcontractor to forget to bring plans to a jobsite. Different plans have
been substituted by mistake and utilities are installed in the wrong locations
because a sub is simply working from the wrong set of drawings. That couldn't
happen here as the plans for the house were in the open and easily
accessible.
The inside of the home was swept perfectly clean and there was no trash to be
found anywhere. This type of environment can be self-sustaining. When a new
subcontractor enters the jobsite, he can see it is spotless and he can't blame
his mess on another tradesperson.
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Glancing at the workmanship even a novice homeowner who knows little about
construction methods could see that the cuts on the lumber were precise, the
walls were plumb and the holes drilled for plumbing and heating pipes were
centered and neatly done. Craftsmanship seemed to emanate from the walls like
sound from a bass drum in a high school marching band.
The message here is simple: visit your new home construction site often and
unexpectedly. Give it a report card with respect to what you see. If you see
disturbing things, discuss them immediately with your builder. From time to time
people make mistakes, but if you see the same mistakes week in and week out, you
better start taking photographs to record the oversights. The photos may just
come in handy if a dispute develops.
