ABC's of Construction- Lux Edition sponsored and hosted by Goodwin Foust Custom Homes

 

Just in time for the Holidays your SMC of the Upstate thought we would show you a few of our "Favorite Things." A wish list if you will of things that are hot in new construction. Come find out how to sell new construction with the latest and greatest installed in the walls and we'll bring the ABC's of Construction events full circle with a finished home.  

Sponsored and hosted by Goodwin Foust Custom Homes.  

Thursday, November 19th from 11-1:00 p.m. 

*RSVP required- please RSVP by Monday, November 16th.*

Local builder is looking for Construction Site Supervisor.

Greenville, SC based residential contractor looking for Construction Site Supervisor for Marietta, GA based projects.  The construction site supervisor will assist Project Manager (PM) in overseeing the construction activities taking place on the work site and will be involved in daily supervision of Sub Contractors.  The role is a salaried position and reports directly to the PM.  When supervisor is present, all work crews and individuals on site will take direction from the site supervisor, who is responsible for knowing what work is to be done and implementation of the necessary resources to complete the work.  In concert with the PM, the Construction Site Supervisor will plan, implement and oversee construction efforts at specific worksites. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

·         Insure unit construction schedule is followed and  maintained

·         Immediately communicates any deviations to the schedule to the PM

·         As directed, contacts subs for scheduling of work on project

·         Monitors subcontractor attendance on site

·         Regular inspection of work product for quality control issues, identifies issues and directs necessary repairs

·         Monitor, manage, and direct unit “punch out” including minor carpentry work as needed

·         As directed, meets with buyers on site to demonstrate progress and quality of construction and answer questions.  Any change orders requested will be directed to PM in writing

·         Insures safe conditions on the job site at all times

·         Insures job site is maintained in a clean and orderly fashion with all materials secured and safe from weather

·         Insures subcontractors are parking appropriately as not to inconvenience existing community homeowners or hinder normal community activity

·         Receives material and matches with Obsidian Purchase Orders.  Delivers all packing slips to PM

·         As needed, facilitate with unloading of material

·         Meets with local utility companies to insure proper and timely installation of utilities

·         Schedules and meets local inspectors for progress inspections and reports inspection results to PM

·         Contacts necessary subs to schedule work to remedy any failed inspections

·         Insures timely & proper installation of buyer changes as directed by Obsidian office

Knowledge and Skills:

·         Minimum of 5 years residential construction management experience

·         Excellent written and verbal communication skills

·         Positive attitude and problem solving mentality

·         Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

·         Experience managing skilled trades and non-skilled labor

·         Experienced carpenter with own tools

·         Thorough understanding of framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, foundation, carpentry and masonry trades

·         Ability to read and understand blueprints, schematics, and construction documents

·         Understanding of proper safety procedures and recognition of hazards

·         Ability to organize material and labor

·         Knowledge of national and local building codes

·         Proficient using email and basic smart phone technology

Compensation

·         Annual Salary - Commensurate with experience

·         Monthly  cell phone reimbursement

·         Truck mileage reimbursement

Please forward resumes to the HBA office.

How Long Does It Take to Build a House?

The 2012 Survey of Construction (SOC) from the Census Bureau shows that on average it takes about 7 months from obtaining a building permit to completing a new single-family home. Looking at the houses completed in 2012, houses built for sale, on average, register the shortest time from permits to completion – between 5 and 6 months. Houses built on owner’s land take longer – about 8 months if built by a contractor and more than 11 months if they are owner-built (i.e., where the owner of the land serves as a general contractor). Single-family homes built for rent take, on average, between 8 and 9 months from permits to completion.

In most cases, no time is wasted from the moment a permit is obtained and construction is started. Most homes built for sale and on owners’ land are started prior or within the same month as authorization. Houses built for rent, on average, register a slight delay of one month before construction is started.

The time from permits to completion varies across the nine Census divisions. New England and Middle Atlantic register longer times of between 9 and 10 months. Pacific and East North Central division also show above average time of 8 months to completion. Builders in the East South Central Division manage to complete a home in 7 months, on average. The rest of the country registers times between 5 and 6 months.

For houses built for sale, the SOC also gathers information on sales, registered at the time when a buyer signs a sale agreement or makes a deposit on the home, not the final closing. For new single-family homes sold in 2012, the average time from completion to sale is under one month. However, this average is highly skewed by a relatively small number of homes that are not sold prior or while under construction. Looking at new single-family homes completed in 2012, more than three quarters of these properties were sold before or during the completion month, including 30 percent that were pre-sold (i.e., sold before being started). Only 6 percent of homes completed in 2012 remain unsold as of the first quarter of 2013. So, for most new single family homes there is no additional lag from completion to sale.

Construction employment has not kept pace with construction growth

Part of the reason employment growth is so weak is that despite sizable increases in residential construction spending, increases in construction employment have been MIA. From April 2012 to April 2013, residential construction put-in-place increased from $249 billion to $295 billion, an 18% rise. However, during the same period, the number of residential building employees and residential specialty trade contractors rose from 2,048,100 to 2,131,800 or by just 4%!

Elliot F. Eisenberg, Ph.D.
GraphsandLaughs, LLC
elliot@graphsandlaughs.net

NAHB: Top 12 Accomplishments, Number 9: Combating Water Pollution Myths

Builder Review Daily is highlighting the top 12 actions taken on behalf of Home Builders in 2012.

Accomplishment number 9: Combating Myths About Building’s Role in Water Pollution
A new NAHB resource helps HBAs and developers overcome the myth that home building is a major source of water pollutants due to storm water runoff from construction sites.

This resource, titled Water Quality and the Construction Industry, employs recent government data to explain how agriculture, dam making and other activities overwhelmingly affect water quality, while sediment released from residential construction accounted for significantly less than 1% of the total sediment in surface waters as of 2009. In fact, as the presentation notes, EPA’s own data shows that pollutant discharges from construction sites have decreased over time -- primarily due to the steps that builders and developers take to control the storm water that runs off of their sites. This fact, along with EPA’s admission that "construction sites are already being adequately addressed through existing programs,” indicates that there is little need for states or municipalities to take additional steps to control construction site runoff. Rather, in most instances, doing so would only result in higher construction costs and higher home prices, with little or no added environmental benefit. The slide presentation is available for NAHB members to download as part of our “Land Use 101” package of detailed information and background materials on infrastructure, green development and other topics. 

DHEC Stormwater Permit issued effective January 1, 2013

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control issued the new NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction Activities on October 15.  The new permit will be effective January 1, 2013.

There are changes to the new permit compared to the existing permit, although the changes were relatively minor.  As a result of the actions of NAHB, the Environmental Protection Agency dropped its plan to impose numeric limits on effluent.  Because the new permit is valid through 2017, any requirement to measure and limit effluent on construction sites will not be required in South Carolina before January 1, 2018.

To help HBA members understand the new permit, DHEC will hold three informational seminars:

• Upstate: Monday, November 19, Chapman Cultural Center, 200 East St. John Street, Spartanburg (9 a.m. until 12 noon)
• Midlands: Wednesday, November 28, Peeples Auditorium, DHEC Headquarters, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia (1 p.m. until 4 p.m.)
• Coastal: Friday, November 30, Horry County Government Center, 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway (1 p.m. until 4 p.m.)

Design engineers, CEPSCI inspectors, and others involved in land development are encouraged to attend one of these free sessions.