The main speaker is Mark Naftel, counsel in the Business and Technology Group of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, and Berkowitz PC in Nashville, TN.  Mr. Naftel details the various parts of a contract and how they specifically relate those professionals in the construction/remodeling industry.

Listed below are the main aspects of the seminar:

What should be in a Contract?

1. Indentity of parties
2. Definitions
3. Description of services or goods to be provided
4. Payment – How Much and When
5. Risk allocation
6. Method of agreement – Signatures and hand written changes
7. Details of deposits and payment schedules
8. Explaination of handling Change Orders
9. Inspections and approvals – sunset provisions
10. Delays – Liquated damages and Bonus provisions
11. Liens
12. Warranties
13. Subcontractors – Indemnity and regulatory compliance
14. Inspection and acceptance provisions
15. Limits of Liability
16. Late Fees and cost of collection

“THE CONTRACT SHOULD TELL YOUR STORY ABOUT HOW YOU RUN YOUR BUSINESS”

*The Mission of the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry worldwide.

The Knoxville Area chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry hosts home remodeling seminars at the Knoxville Fall Home Remodeling and Log-Home Show. The show at the Knoxville Convention Center is 4-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6; and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7. Admission is $5.75 for adults, $4.75 for senior citizens 62 and older; $3.75 for children 6-12; free children younger than 6. The seminars are hourly beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday and continuing through Sunday. The Knoxville chapter of NARI is part of a national not-for-profit trade association with nearly 8,000 member companies nationwide.

NARI Knoxville will be hosting a series of seminars during this exciting 3 day remodeling show.

Here is the schedule of Seminars.

REDBUD Construction Services will be leading the “How to Choose a Remodeling Professional” seminar 11am-12pm on Saturday September 6th and partaking in the “Q and A Session” at 4pm.

Come by the NARI Knoxville booth and meet the professionals that will be constructing your next project.

Event Info
Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street
Knoxville TN
Adults $5.75
Seniors [[62+] $4.75
Kids [6-12] $375

For more information call
865-622-7686

NARI Knoxville will be hosting a series of seminars during this exciting 3 day remodeling show

Saturday, September 6
11:00 How To Choose A Professional Remodeler
12:00 N Green Remodeling 101
1:30 Remodeling As Your Needs Change With Age
2:30 What To Prepare For When Remodeling
4:00 Sustainability In Concrete
5:00 Consumers Question The Remodelers – A Q&A Session (Shawn Van Dyke with REDBUD Construction Services will be participating in this seminar.)

Sunday
12:00 How To Choose Floor Covers
1:00 Energy Efficient Appliances
2:30 How To Choose A Professional Remodeler

Event Info
Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street
Knoxville TN
Adults $5.75
Seniors [[62+] $4.75
Kids [6-12] $375

For more information call
865-622-7686

[This post originally appeared on the Redbud Construction Services Construction Managment blog...]

You may have a garage full of tools, a truck with empty Mt. Dew bottles in the bed, and your Saturday afternoon free for This Old House, but, a General Contractor, these do not make.

Everybody says that you can save money by being your own General Contractor, but what no one says is how much time it will take out of your normal daily life and the value of that time. Yes, you may save money, but like any complicated process, it may not be worth it.

You may want to consider the following items before embarking on this new adventure:

1. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT.

Construction Management is a term that is used to define the duties of a professional that is often hired by the Owner to manage the entire scope of a project from beginning to end. A Construction Manager will refine the scope of a project, prepare a preliminary budget, and design a realistic schedule that can be achieved. Acting as your own General Contractor, these duties fall to you. You may choose to hire a Construction Manager, but remember, you are trying to save money. If you do decide to act as your own General Contractor, hiring a Construction Manager may be the only way to ensure your project is a success. In your role as a Construction Manager you should be able to review a set of plans and determine a range for the project budget, find errors or omissions in the plans, prepare sub-contractor schedules, and determine the scope of these sub-contractors.

2. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL CODES.

Just because you have a set of plans does not mean that they meet your local codes. Planning a remodel or renovation?…when you uncover something you did not expect, you may have to bring it up to current codes before proceeding. Do you know the individual inspectors in your area? Many General Contractors have built relationships with the individuals that will inspect their projects. A certain level of trust has been established with these individuals, and many times an inspector who has experience with General Contractors they know will actively work with these Contractors to solve problems in a very cost-effective way. Acting as your own Contractor on a single project, you may not have the opportunity to establish this type of relationship with your local inspectors. In order in keep the project moving, you have to make sure that the required inspections are scheduled and performed in a timely manner. An experienced Contractor will know what can be “covered-up” and what must be left “open” in order to complete the work properly.

3. YOUR EXPERIENCE IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATION.

Depending on the size of the project, you may receive a lump sum price for a certain scope of work on your project, but other work may be a time and material type of contract. If you do not fully understand these terms, you will need to educate yourself on what they mean and what items may be open for negotiation. Contracts are not only about money; they include schedules, retainage, insurance requirements, and substantial completion requirements. There’s a saying, “Everything is negotiable”…but it may not serve your project to ‘beat down’ your sub-contractor to save a few dollars. You should have the knowledge to determine what is a good price, a fair price, and a ridiculously great price. Here’s a hint…do not go with the ridiculously good price. There’s another saying, “You get what you pay for.”

4. YOUR NETWORK OF SUBCONTRACTORS AND TRADE PROFESSIONALS.

How are you going to choose your sub-contractors…yellow pages, trade magazines, word of mouth, or hours of research and interviewing potential sub-contractors? Good General Contractors have, among other things, a vast network of design and trade professionals that they can call with little notice and have them perform certain tasks in a very timely manner. The Owner acting as their own General Contractor, usually lacks this network of professionals. The Owner acting as the General Contractor can build this type of network, but for a single project this may take more time than the project allows. And you have to realize that a General Contractor has built this relationship over a long time and several projects. These relationships are what you are paying for when you hire a General Contractor. No matter how much knowledge you may have in the areas of the items above, you only create these types of relationship over time… a lot of time. You have to know what sub-contractors to hire, when to schedule them, and what preparations have to be completed prior to them showing up on the job site for them to work efficiently.

5. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MATERIAL SUPPLIERS.

Getting the sub-contractors to show up at the right time is one thing, but getting the materials on the site is another. Your Big Box home improvement stores have just about everything you need for your project, but material suppliers have better prices and they perform delivery much more often than the Big Boxes. These material suppliers usually require in-house accounts, which you can set-up, but again, this takes time and planning. And the question to ask yourself, “Can I get a the same deal on 100 sheets of drywall as the General Contractor that orders thousands of sheets from the same supplier?”

6. YOUR ABILITY TO MANAGE MULTIPLE TRADES AND TASKS.

General Contracting is an art of multi-tasking. On any given day at your project site, you have to able to direct one sub-contractor’s work, meet with another sub-contractor to get a quote for his work, solve the unforeseen problem that arose that morning, contact the sub-contractor that was supposed to be on-site two hours ago, choose your finish materials, and pay material suppliers and sub-contractors. And finally you must inspect the work put to make sure it was installed properly.

7. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES.

You have to know the techniques used to install materials and how changes to the work may affect the work by other trades. A simple and inexpensive fix during the rough-in phase may prove to be costly during finishing. Although most quality sub-contractors perform very well, mistakes are made. Your ability to recognize these mistakes and have them corrected will determine the efficiency of your project. In construction most things can be fixed, but a General Contractor’s ability to avoid these mistakes is why you pay them. When you are your own Contractor, this duty falls to you, and the General Contractor should pay for mistake made under his contract. You’re the General Contractor…you’re the one paying for the mistake.

8. YOUR AVAILABILITY TO MAKE CHANGES AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THE SPOT.

Acting as your own contractor is exactly that. Acting. You have to be able to answer questions during the time in which the work is being performed. Some questions can be answered over the phone, but like most things in construction, you have to see the situation in order to provide the best solution. If you are spending a majority of your time performing your profession, then you will not be able to make the critical decisions for your project in a timely manner. Changes are part of every project. What if you change your mind about the design? What if a situation arises that is not shown on the plans? Do you have the ability to address these items in a way that minimizes costs and schedule impacts? The General Contractor will be represented on the site enough during the project to clearly define and solve any problems that arise. If you are not able to perform this duty, you should reconsider your decision to be your own contractor. This will save you time, money, and headaches.

9. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING.

Simply put…you have to know when, where, and how long each task will take and how to schedule these tasks so that your sub-contractors will be working efficiently. Who works in that area first….the plumbers, the electricians, or maybe the framers need to install the blocking? The plumbing may be rough-in, but who installs the vents through the roof, the plumber or the roofer? The rough-in is complete, but will the drywall sub-contractor add the dead wood at the perimeter of the ceiling to attach the board to? Does the electrician have the specs on the heating unit so they know the power requirements and has the HVAC contractor routed the drain lines so that they do not interfere with the plumber? And who works in that area first? Coordination and communication is the key to a successful project, and your understanding of Construction Scheduling is vital in this process. Often a quality General Contractor will have a Program established to deal with the scheduling and coordination of sub-contractors’ work. This Program takes most of the guess-work out of the equation. You probably do not have a Program designed.

10. YOUR ABILITY TO TRACK AND CONTROL THE COSTS OF YOUR PROJECT.

You should know what something costs before you buy it. But a construction project is always changing. How do you control the cost? EXPERIENCE! Knowing the difference between what has to be done and what can be worked around will save you money in the end. For the person acting as their own Contractor, hopefully, this will be kept to a minimum, but it’s rare. On any given project you should be able to know what is being spent on a daily or weekly basis and how you manage and track those costs will determine the amount of money saved. You have to know whether it is less expensive to perform some work yourself or pay a professional. What you save by doing the framing yourself may easily cost you more in the end if items are missing, incorrect, or if things change.

CONSIDER THIS:

The money you save on your project by acting as the General Contractor will not be from a deal on materials, efficient work from the sub-contractors, or from the quality of work. You will save money on your project by not charging for your time. Tom Silva from This Old House says it best:

I suppose you can save some money — if you don”t charge for your time, if nothing goes wrong, and if all the work is up to par — but there’s no guarantee. Part of my job is to get the best prices from the subs that work for me, and they’re willing to offer those prices because they know the job will be organized and I’ll tell them exactly what I expect them to do, which saves them time. And they know that if they do a great job, I’ll have other work for them in the future. A one-time GC doesn’t have that kind of leverage.

The point of this article is not to discourage you from acting as your own General Contractor, but to educate you on the things to consider before you take that step. Managing a construction project is a detailed and complicated process, and the first step is to prepare.

Call REDBUD Construction Services and speak with us about how we may serve you as the Designer and General Contractor for your project…865-250-9172.

This recent article from the NARI website discusses when is the right time to hire a professional for your remodeling or construction project.  Here are a few great points:

A kitchen designer or interior designer can create a functional and attractive layout for your kitchen cabinets and appliances. But if you want to start knocking down walls to increase floor space or change the traffic flow, it’s best to have the advice of someone who understands the ramifications of doing so.

Even seemingly innocuous projects can lead to unforeseen consequences. Creating an extra bedroom in a basement is a great way to maximize the space within your home. But if it doesn’t have an appropriate escape route, you could be building what amounts to a death trap.

If you’re uncertain whether your remodeling project requires professional advice, one way to be sure is to ask. …After all, not every project is as easy to manage as HGTV might have you believe.

REDBUD Construction Services does not give out free estimates, but we do offer a one hour consultation to determine the scope of your project and the level of design that would be required to price your project.  To schedule a consultation, call 865-250-9172.

REDBUD Construction Services is a member of NARI and active in the Knoxville chapter.

[The first meeting, held July 31,] was a great success.  We had about 40 people – it was standing-room-only!  We worked so hard to get the word out and get this started, and we were thrilled with the turnout.

Redbud Construction Services was in attendance at the meeting and is an active member in NARI Knoxville.  We look forward to meeting you at the upcoming Knoxville Fall Remodeling and Log Home Show, which will be held Sept. 5, 6 and 7 in the Knoxville Convention Center.

Come by the NARI booth and tell us about your latest project.

The end of the summer is quickly approaching and with that are those long summer nights…the type of nights where the heat pump runs all night long trying to keep up.  Well, the good old heat pump is about to get a break for a few weeks until those cold autumn winds start to blow.

I know it sounds funny, but summer is the best time to winterize your home. WHY?:  You can schedule your contractor/handyman before the demand rises and his/her schedule is open a month or so in advance.  Just as lawnmowers and outdoor furniture on going on sale, heaters, furnances, and other seasonal items will most likely go up.   Adding insulation and sealing cracks will not only serve you n the cold months…it will help keep you cool until those autumn wind begin to blow

Here are some of the easy DIY tips for winterizing your home:

• Inspect the exterior of your home.  Check the roof, the gutters, the facia boards, siding, and foundation.  How does it look….clean, rotted, any cracks?  Make a list and get this work done while it’s still warm outside.
• Seal/weatherstrip doors and windows.  Also check any spaces under your doors.  Install door sweeps if needed.
• Clean HVAC filters, ducts, coils and furnaces/chimneys.  Have your HVAC equipment serviced…this is the equavilant of having a tune-up on your car.
• Insulate.  Adding proper insulation to attics, walls, and floors can help those bare toes from feeling winter’s bitter bite on those cold mornings.
• Don’t forget to drain that hose bib and disconnect the hose.

Some of the above items can be handled by the least experrenced DIY’r, but the services and cleaning of your home’s mechanical systems should be left to the professional.

Call you contractor today about any of these projects you might need to get started in the next two months.  If you aren’t sure if something need to be fixed or replaced, take a picture and e-mail it to your contractor/handyman….he/she doesn’t have an e-mail?….Send your questions and pictures here and we’ll try our best to help you out.