NEDC Owner, David Supple, recently did a Q & A for the Lumber & Building Material Journal. Below are his thoughts, and what he had to say about this interview.
A few months ago I was asked to answer some questions recently for what might be part of an article somewhere and quickly just shot out the answers that came to my mind. This week I was surprised to get an email from a visiting manufacturer out in CA asking for a meeting as he’d see my Q&A in the LBM Journal (Lumber & Building Material).
I actually thought he might have the wrong David Supple as I’d never heard of this magazine but after some googling, found the article he was talking about.
It was me! With a verifiable mug shot and all! 🙂
Reading the article refreshed what was on my mind at the time and got me thinking about how crucial it is to have partners in this industry. This article focuses on the material provider side, which is crucial (as you can ask anyone whose project was delayed due to a wrong cabinet), but if you ask me, just as important, if not more, are those partners who work on the jobsite. Based on the specialization, codes and complexities of each trade I can’t think of another industry that has so many different partners on one project. Let alone that we are talking about an industry that involves taking over a part of your home! Just doing a quick review of a common project for us I came up with this list:
- Demolition specialist
- Reuse center (we often have removed items donated for reuse)
- Dumpster company
- Excavator and foundation contractor
- Plumber
- Electrician
- HVAC specialist
- Roofer
- Mason
- Insulator
- Blue board & plaster installer
- Tiler
- Hardwood floor specialist
- Built-in specialist
- Glass specialist
- Counter installer
- Painters
- Professional cleaners
Here is a partial list of other specialists we use less frequently.
- Energy auditor
- Audio visual specialist
- Closet specialists
- Crane technician
- Fire sprinkler specialist
- Fire alarm specialist
- Garage door installer
- Gutter specialist
- Blacksmith (i.e. custom metal railing)
- Asbestos abatement
- Locksmith
- Movers
- Pavers (driveways, walkways)
- Window restoration
- Siding specialist
That’s quite a few, isn’t it? And this is with our own carpenters doing most of the carpentry work – although depending on the project sometimes we will bring in a framer or finish carpentry crew.
Again, never mind the materials getting on site correctly and on time, just looking at all these partners on a project – there is a lot of opportunity for someone to make a mistake. Say on average we have 15 trade specialists (IMO trade specialist is a more apt name than sub-contractor as it more properly merits the professional’s competence) and all but one – say the roofer or the insulator – performs amazingly well. 93% is not a bad report card grade but that one mistake by one trade could lead to a leaky roof or a drafty corner and that does not add up to a passing grade.
For a mid-size residential remodeling firm like us it is incredibly crucial to have trade specialists that we can trust, count on and actually add to the experience of the project and the end product. This is something we are constantly talking about and looking to improve upon internally. It’s a big part of what makes us able to do what we do – deliver projects on time and budget to a very high standard. It’s a big reason why the DIY or less experienced firm runs into issues. But it is not enough just to have the contacts.
With the design build mentality that we have (i.e. take full ownership for a project) it starts with finding these professionals but continues to treating them well and monitoring their work so that the project is coordinated and completed as planned. In that way all parties (trade, us and client) are thrilled with the built or enhanced space and we all move on better for the relationships built or enhanced.”
Click here to read the full article in Lumber and Building Material Journal – see page 30.