|
|
 |
|
home |
Construction Department
| |
Construction Department
"Choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life. " - Confucius
As you know, nothing is more rewarding than building a beautiful landscape for your clients (except maybe receiving the final payment). To be able to stand back and admire what you and your company created, from virtually nothing, is an experience few people get to enjoy. We, however, get to do it every day. As a member of FromDesign2Build.com, you will learn:
- The latest construction techniques and details
- How to properly sequence a design/build installation
- How to seamlessly transfer a project from design/sales to construction
- How to manage labor and materials more effectively and more profitably
- When you should use subcontractors and when you shouldn't
- Which on site meetings are critical and which are a waste of time
- How to get more production from your employees every day
The installation process can be incredibly rewarding and incredibly frustrating at the same time. Listen to successful design/build contractors tell it like it is and learn from their success and failures. Plus, view photos and videos of actual construction projects while they are being built.
|
Plan the Plan
Jody Shilan, Editor
It never ceases to amaze me how an industry that invests so much time and energy into planning the location of every tree, shrub and perennial spends such little time planning the installation itself.
. . .
keep reading
|
Just Set It and Forget It
Jody Shilan, Editor
Anybody who has watched enough TV at 3:00 a.m. certainly recognizes the tag line, "just set it and forget it" from Ron Popeil, and his variety of infomercial-based cooking appliances. They make everything seem so simple to use, as any good infomercial
. . .
keep reading
|
Challenged Designers
Jody Shilan, Editor
In last week's Trade Secret called Estimate/Build Your Way to Profits, I introduced many of you to my Site Visit Proposal that explained how to create a professional looking proposal and increase your chances of selling to smaller or "low-end" projects ($1,500-$5,000).
. . .
keep reading
|
Estimate/Build Your Way to Profits
Jody Shilan, Editor
For those of you that do not have formal design training, are just starting out in the business or work on smaller projects, this week's Trade Secret is for you. Nobody is going to come right out and say it, but we all do "low-end" design/build, or what I am
. . .
keep reading
|
Techo-Bloc's "Paver Pete" Baloglou
Jody Shilan, Editor
Like many landscape associations, the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association is primarily made up of two types of members. The first and largest group is our regular or landscape contractor member. These are the guys that are our there designing,
. . .
keep reading
|
That's the Way We've Always Done It!
Jody Shilan, Editor
This one statement seems to be a recurring theme this week and I'm not sure why. However, one thing I do know is that it will be the focus of this week's Trade Secret. Last Wednesday, Bill Arman of The Harvest Group mentioned this idea during our interview on
. . .
keep reading
|
And the Winner Is...
Jody Shilan, Editor
Last weekend at the NJLCA, we judged our Landscape Achievement Awards. These awards are for projects submitted by our members for both maintenance and design/build, and can be in the categories of residential or commercial.
. . .
keep reading
|
Landscape Design/Build and Emergency Response Team
Jody Shilan, Editor
There is nothing like a good old fashion disaster to teach you some important life lessons and open your mind to potential business opportunities. Rumor has it that The Jersey Shore was hit so hard that they finally cancelled the TV show and tossed "Mike the
. . .
keep reading
|
|
Stylistic or Cookie Cutter?
Jody Shilan, Editor
I have had debates with other designers and contractors regarding the concept of developing a unique design style. Some are of the opinion that each project should be as different as the property and its owners, while others believe that projects should
. . .
keep reading
|
Reinventing the "Estimating" Wheel
Jody Shilan, Editor
In this week's Trade Secret we are going to focus on the dreaded "E" word, Estimating. I am pretty sure most of you would rather do anything than sit at a desk doing quantity take-offs and estimating man-hours.
. . .
keep reading
|
I Think We Have an Underground Stream
Jody Shilan, Editor
How many times have you heard a customer say, "I think we have an underground stream"? I've heard it hundreds of times and it's never been true. Their water issue is usually something so simple and easily resolved, yet most contractors don't have a clue as to how to
. . .
keep reading
|
Never Assume -- It Just Makes an Ass Out of "U"
Jody Shilan, Editor
We all know that we should never "assume" (which, ironically, is an assumptive statement). Even if you are already familiar with the saying that when you "assume", it just makes an ass out of you and me, many of you are still doing it on a daily basis. . . .
keep reading
|
Oh Deer!
Jody Shilan, Editor
In many places, deer damage to plant material is an overwhelming problem. Depending on which side of the "deer fence" you're on regarding deer control techniques, there are many opportunities to profit from this issue and provide your clients . . .
keep reading
|
The Not So Incredible Bulk
Jody Shilan, Editor
One of the more difficult tasks of the landscape contractor is to manage materials and material costs during construction. This is especially true with bulk materials delivered to your construction yard, such as mulch, topsoil, gravel and sand. . . .
keep reading
|
WIIFM, WIIFY and WIIFT
Jody Shilan, Editor
For those of you not familiar with what WIIFM is, it stands for "What's In It for Me". In addition to WIIFM, I've decided to create my own sayings and acronyms by adding WIIFY or "What's In It for You" and WIIFT or "What's In It for Them". . . .
keep reading
|
|
|
|
|
About this Site
