Articles
For over 45 years as a General Contractor helping owners
in the role of Owner’s Project Manager
Fixer-Upper or Teardown?
My partner, Realtor Jennifer Dunbar, and I spend a fair amount of time looking at houses. I often bring my construction experience along when she is evaluating properties with buyers, and we are currently looking for a rental property ourselves. Between the two, we...
Women in Construction
After more than 45 years managing residential construction projects, I’ve seen firsthand that the most successful projects come down to two things: skill and attention to detail. It would be great to see more women participating in the construction industry...
Women in Construction: Mentorship & Leadership
A few weeks ago, I wrote a LinkedIn post encouraging greater participation by women in the construction industry, particularly in roles where attention to detail, communication, organization, and technical skills are often more important than physical strength....
Lesson from the Field: A Change Order Should Meet Two Tests
One of the most valuable services an Owner's Representative provides is an independent review of every proposed change order. A change order should not be approved simply because additional work has been identified. Before recommending approval, I ask two questions:...
Projects without a Clearly Defined and Actively Managed Schedule
After years of managing construction projects, one patterns stands out: Projects without a clearly defined and actively managed schedule rarely stay on track. Without a detailed schedule, it’s difficult to coordinate trades, plan material deliveries, or understand how...
Starting Construction Before Plans are Fully Complete
One of the most common and costly mistakes I see in residential construction: Starting construction before plans are fully complete. This usually happens because design, consultant coordination, and permitting take longer than expected—so there’s pressure to get...
Starting with an Incomplete or Unrealistic Budget
Another issue I see on many construction projects: Starting with an incomplete or unrealistic budget. In many cases, the initial budget is based on incomplete plans or limited detail. There is often a desire to move forward quickly, even though key elements of the...
What does an Owner’s Representative Actually Do?
One question I’m often asked is: **What does an Owner’s Representative actually do?** In simple terms, my role is to help homeowners navigate the construction process with clarity and predictability. That starts with building—or ensuring—a realistic budget and making...
Key Benefits of Having an Owner’s Representative on Your Project
In addition to serving as a mediator between all parties, I use my decades of custom home building experience to make sure the critical steps of the process are managed correctly. Sometimes I speak to clients who think, “I can do this myself, or I can count on my...
Duties of a Good Construction Project Manager
A home construction project manager will have two different types of duties: Management of the work taking place on site Administrative and financial duties In this post we will focus on the on-site work. On-site work management duties are varied and multi faceted The...
Administrative Duties of a Good Project Manager
In the last writing we focused on the on-site duties of a good construction project manager. In this issue we will delve into the administrative duties that are also necessary. Construction project managers have come from one or two basic paths: Those that rose up...
A 55-Story Tower building to be Erected in Milwaukee: All Wood instead of Concrete and Steel
The reason for this attempt is because concrete and steel both have a very high carbon footprint due to the energy it takes to manufacture. Wood on the other hand, absorbs carbon, trees grow. Mass timber is a system where wood pieces are laminated together to create...
Cross-Laminated Timber: The Building Method Changing Construction
We are about to witness the next big evolution in the construction of buildings—a true innovation that will protect the environment, create jobs in the timber industry, and save residential builders time and money. This revolution is the use of a building method called CROSS-LAMINATED TIMBER, (CLT), aka, MASS TIMBER.
The Slow Global Uprising of Cross-Laminated Timber in Construction
The choice of construction materials, no matter the size of a project, can create a measurable environmental impact. In the previous blog we discussed the significant attributes of Cross Laminated Timber or MASS TIMBER construction as compared to common steel and...
Building Resilience
The climate of the planet is changing. The heat causes more intense weather conditions such as hurricanes, storms, fires and other anomalies. The political divide is astounding regarding climate change. But while people are arguing over weather or not it is happening,...
Environmental Factors in Home Building
The report below is an example of how much detail and care go into the construction of a custom home. It is not as simple as designing a home then going in to build. As we discussed in the last blog, there are many factors to consider when building a home. The...
Green Point Rated
Several of our previous blogs have focused on why it is important to “Build Green”. Not only is it good for the planet but it saves money spent on energy and water, causes fewer building materials to wind up in landfills, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and produces...
Eichler Homes: The Legacy and Need for Energy Efficient Renovations
After WWII, there was a developer in California that created surprisingly innovative and affordable homes, his name was Joseph Eichler. Eichler's brilliant thinking and innovations paved way for methods of construction that revolutionized home building. He was one of...
What To Do If Your Contractor Spent All the Money Before Finishing
This is a phone call I get often in my work as an owner's representative. While it seems like a very dire situation it actually is solvable, and it is possible to reach a positive end result. The initial fear for most owners is that they have been ripped off by either...
Can a Custom Home be Built Within a Budget?
Yes, definitely, but it must follow a process that gives the owner control, accountability, and a roadmap with scheduled reality checks. How? The owner needs one person in charge of the entire process, to monitor the budget and ensure the groups communicate and work...
What to do When Your Contractor is Making Mistakes and the Budget is Out of Control
Hiring a contractor for your custom home rebuild can be daunting. You are ready to build the home of your dreams. Maybe you have the design team set up and have begun initial planning. But you hired a contractor that you thought was capable and reasonably priced and...
Why You Should Always Get a Building Permit
My girlfriend is a realtor who works in high end residences and condominiums. She often calls me for a quick assessment of the good and bad aspects of a listing whether it be hers or it is a property that she is about to show a potential buyer. What we often discover...
Tasks of an Owner’s Representative
A construction project has a much better chance of being completed on budget and on time if an Owner’s Representative or Project Manager is brought in early, even when a general contractor has been selected. Early in the process it may appear that everything is fine...
Is a Frefab Home a Good Option? Can it be Custom Enough?
The answers are yes, for many situations, prefab or factory built homes offer real advantages. I will list some below, but first let’s mention a short list of situations where prefab is not a good idea. Where tastes and budget demand a truly custom one of a kind...
Efficient Home Walls: A Good Construction Manager Knows These Rules
If your building or renovating a home in the Bay Area and are installing walls in your home, you might think “can’t be that hard to do right?” You’ve seen it in the movies or on TV, maybe even in real life. You nail in some studs, put up some drywall and you’re done....
Introduction to Series on Building Science
Over the next few weeks I will be publishing a series of articles on practical applications of what has come to be known as “Building Science”. Yes, there is such a term. “They don’t build them like they used to” is quite true, but in a good way, we build much...
How To Create a Smooth, Predictable and Enjoyable Construction Project
I am listing below tasks that I have found are critical for creating a smooth running home construction project. These are all tasks that an experienced Owner’s Representative, (a.k.a., Project Manager) should either initiate or ensure are accomplished during the...
When should you hire an owner’s representative AKA construction project manager
Ideally you would hire me as an integral member as you are starting the formation of your building team. However many of the inquiries I get are when the project is underway and not going well. In both situations, the best time to hire an Owner’s...
If You Want Confidence You Have a Good System in Place When Building a Home
By hiring me as your owner’s rep early on in the process you can be assured of having a great process that will give you peace of mind and save you lots of money during the entire construction process. (And design, if you bring me in early enough.) Here are four...
What can go wrong – Episode Two – Over Budget During Construction
The second phase where budget is exceeded is, of course, during construction. Be sure that this is not always because of a greedy contractor. The cause of overruns can be varied and the source of the problem can come from multiple directions. That is why an Owner’s...
What can go wrong – Episode One – Over Budget from the Get Go
I think we can all agree that the biggest problems that arise in custom home construction are budget overruns. This occurs during two distinct phases in the process: during the planning phase and during construction. Surprisingly, budget overruns happen most...
Are We Over Structuring Today’s Buildings?
Quite often we find ourselves removing an existing structure prior to building a new one, or making substantial improvements to an existing building. Once the above ground structure has been taken down, (hopefully deconstructed not demolished), the old foundation has...
IAQ – Indoor Air Quality
We are all concerned with having a healthy environment in our homes. Also we don’t want high humidity which can increase the chances of supporting the growth of mold. We have graduated from relying on leaky construction methods that allowed uncontrolled air movement...
Differences in Architecture Across the US: Which Style is Right for You
Recently I have been traveling in the midwest. I am a Southern California native so I am always taken aback by the lovely brick homes and basements in more eastern regions. It makes me think about the differences in home architecture in the midwest vs. California and...
THE PERILS OF THE HOME MORTGAGE PROCESS
The following applies to mortgages called “jumbo” or over the standard Fannie Mae size that you hear adds for such as “rocket mortgages”. If you are in a position of considering a refinance to help you purchase a home you most likely know someone who has gone through...
How to Build Responsibly with Sustainably Harvested Wood
In my capacity as an Owner’s Representative or Project Manager, I quite often have the opportunity to insist that in my projects we consume sustainably sourced products, the main one being structural lumber and finish woods. Forests are a critical part of our survival...
Things you didn’t know about embedded carbon
There has become an increased awareness of the embodied carbon and the products we use in construction. A knowledgeable Owner's representative or Project manager if part of the team can consult to benefit the project in reducing the quantity or volume of products with...