Blog

Construction Industry Blog

Topics, articles, and updates from the construction and trades industry.

How to Get Bid Bonds

How to Get Bid Bonds

Working in your own contractor business or as an employee in a construction company means continually building a reputation for excellence. Not everyone manages to do so. Because of this reason, project owners who are searching for construction companies require you to provide a bid bond if you want to be able to compete for getting the project. In this article, we’re talking more about what bid bonds are and your company can get one.

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Making It Through Your First Year in the Construction Business

Making It Through Your First Year in the Construction Business

If you are looking to get into the construction business, now is an excellent time. In this competitive industry, you’ll find yourself connecting with clients and other companies like never before. Whether you’re starting this path with a new business or as an independent contractor, there are tips and tricks you should know to help you get started. Here are 10 things to keep in mind as you work through your first year in the construction business.

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Leveraging Cloud Technology for Daily Tasks

Leveraging Cloud Technology for Daily Tasks

Organizations of all sizes, from startups to international companies, use cloud technology to automate processes, store data, and complete daily tasks. In this article we’ll review a few of the benefits of cloud technology for the construction industry.

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Contractor Hidden Health Concerns You Can Tackle

Contractor Hidden Health Concerns You Can Tackle

The construction industry comes with its fair share of hidden health concerns and safety risks, but most people are aware of these. Incidents like falls, machinery-related accidents and exposure to dangerous chemicals are common enough that every construction company in the world has rules and policies in place to prevent them.

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Incentives That Actually Motivate a Construction Workforce

Incentives That Actually Motivate a Construction Workforce

The trades are a competitive industry, and it’s challenging for business owners to recruit and retain skilled professionals in today’s market. Therefore, it’s more crucial than ever to invest in your workers. After all, they’re the driving force behind your success and, without them, who knows where your business might be.

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How to Measure the Success of a Construction Project

Whether you are a skilled foreman or just starting out in the construction industry, completing a project successfully is absolutely crucial. Knowing how to determine if your construction project has been successful will help you plan the project and ensure a better chance of success.

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Selling Green Building Services to Clients in a Growing Building Market

The trend toward greener buildings hasn’t slowed down in recent years and isn’t expected to do so anytime soon. Experts predict the green building materials market will reach nearly $365 billion by the year 2022. Adding green building materials and options to your services allows clients who are interested in green buildings to choose the options that make the most sense for them.

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Not Another Blog About The “Skills Gap”.

I sat down with Jon Paul from Superior Renovations. Him and I talked about ways we can actually do something about the skills gap. He shares his views, and ideas on what we can do in keeping craft alive. And ways to help bridge the gap between business and generations.

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What do Real Estate Professionals Look for in Contractors?

Operating a business that provides services for home improvement or property management calls for attention to branding and presentation strategy. The way that contractors present their business to real estate professionals could make a significant difference in their ability to secure new contracts and engage repeat customers. Learning what real estate professionals look for in contractors will give you an edge when looking for new sources of business.

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Training Resources for the Skilled Trades

Are you a small business owner looking for training resources for your workforce? The United States government has heard the cries of the small businesses in this country. There are now programs and funding for assisting small businesses in training their workforce to improve productivity. The U.S. government has set aside monies to help subsidize training programs offered by small businesses.

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How To Effectively Estimate for Home Renovation

Learning how to estimate in construction, while remaining both competitive and profitable, is one of the most common contractor education needs. We’ve put together a guide to estimating construction work for home renovation so that you can increase your profits and provide the most accurate price for jobs to clients.

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5 Key Reasons to Manage Your Construction Data

Managing construction data is a critical component of running a successful construction business. If you don’t manage your construction data, chances are much greater that situations will develop where the lack of data will make running your business successfully much more difficult.

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Tuning Up Electrical Tools

Most hand tools are inexpensive, which is a good thing when they need to be replaced. However, it also means they often get tossed long before their useful life is over. Performing regular maintenance on the most common electrical tools in your belt takes only a few minutes a week and makes the tools safer to use and allows them to work better. You can also save the money that slips away when you replace electrical tools them too early.

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Beginner’s Guide to Construction Math

Do you hate math? Many people struggle with math. For some, math is one of those subjects that they grasp quickly. For the rest of us, it is something that we struggle with. If you are going to work in construction – and more importantly – build a construction career, you are going to have to work with math on a daily basis. This Beginner’s Guide to Construction Math will help introduce you to the basic math concepts that you will need to master.

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Construct-Ed Gives Free Education to The Centre

We (Construct-Ed) and our contributing Instructors have partnered with The Centre for Skills Development & Training, to offer their students free access to all courses on Construct-Ed for one year. The Centre is an organization in Ontario Canada dedicated to providing people with opportunities to build a better future.

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Circular Saw Safety: Tips, Rules, & Free Online Course

Circular saw safety is incredibly important, because circular saws are one of the most versatile—and common—power tools on a construction site. With the correct blade, they can cut a variety of materials, ranging from wood to metal, and are available in handheld and table-mounted models. Circular saw safety rules must be followed, or severe injury can occur.

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Contractor Business Card Template & Guide

How to Design a Contractor Business Card  So, you need to design a contractor business card? Maybe you need a new (or updated!) logo? Awesome. We've got you covered. Whether you need to design a roofing business card, general contractor business card, or commercial...

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How to Start a Roofing Company

Foundations of How to Start a Roofing Company. If you want to know how to start a roofing company, I think I can help you out. I've been a business owner in construction for years. I'm president of Jurin Roofing Services, founder and CEO of Construct-Ed, and a...

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Trade Skills Courses Online

Learn trade skills with these online courses. Learn trade skills from experienced Pros in the industry. Watch Construction Courses Online - FREE. WATCH NOW No time? Enroll now & watch later. Signup with email, and watch the courses whenever you want. ­...

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Construction Marketing Courses

Learn construction marketing to grow your business. Learn construction marketing from a pro. Construction marketing skills are crucial to help you gain leads, grow your business, increase sales, and increase brand awareness. Whether your job is in construction...

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Green Building Courses

Watch Green Building Courses and Learn Online Learn green building techniques from a pro. Our green building courses are published and taught by real experts in the industry. Whether you're looking to learn green building design, learn about green building design, or...

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Construction Estimating Courses

Watch Construction Estimating Courses Online. Construction estimating courses online are a fast and easy way that you can learn estimating basics, or advanced estimating skills, at your own pace. They can be easier to follow than construction estimating books, and...

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Home Remodeling Classes Online

Browse our online home remodeling classes: courses for remodeling, and design skills. Learn building, design, and remodeling from real pros. If you want to learn home remodeling and design, you’ve come to the right place. Our home remodeling classes are actually...

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Construction Business Management Courses

Watch construction management courses from experienced pros and grow your business. The demand for business management professionals within construction. If you're looking to watch construction management courses, you've come to the right place. It’s no secret, the...

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How to Become a General Contractor

How to Become a General Contractor: Keeping it Lean, Low Cost, and Starting Small. There's lots of articles telling you how to become a general contractor. But in this article, we're going to give you some tips on how to start a contracting business...

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Contractor Forums – The Best Forums For Pros!

Looking for contractor forums? You've come to the right place. This is the complete list of the best contractor forums available right now. Whether you're looking for a construction contractor forum, a home remodeling forum, or you're an independent contractor looking...

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How to Become A HVAC Tech

Learn how to become a HVAC tech! Overview of an HVAC Technician’s Career If you're looking to learn how to become a hvac tech, you've come to the right place.  If you are someone who likes physical work, you can consider a career as an HVAC technician. The term refers...

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3 Simple Tips to Help Reduce Employee Lateness

Learn How To Reduce Employee Lateness The Problem - Employees who show up late for work. Employees showing up late to work is a big problem for construction and remodeling contractors. The scopes of work that most contractors take on require more than one set of hands...

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Starting A Construction Company

How to start a construction company, with little to no experience. So you want to learn about starting a construction company?  Awesome.  Seriously! The trades can be a great way to make money and are a great alternative to expensive education and loads of student...

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Avoid Being a Construction Industry Statistic

Don't Be A Construction Industry Statistic Are you considering starting a construction or remodeling company?  Or are you already in the construction industry as an independent contractor or a small business owner?  If you are in the industry, you might get some...

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How do I become a construction estimator?

Learn how to become a construction estimator, how much estimators make, what it takes to be an estimator, and more. If you're interested in how to become a construction estimator, or if you're wondering -"how much do estimators make?" or "do I need a degree to...

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Standard Bench Height for Table, Deck, and More

Standard bench height for tables, decks, and more. What's the standard bench height for a table? What's the standard bench height for a deck? How about a shower, mudroom, or work bench? We've got you covered. We'll give you a quick answer below, and also include tips...

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Construction Blog: Complete Guide

The ultimate guide on how to start a construction blog:  free resources, step by step guide, and ideas for your blog. Whether you’re a contractor or a construction company – starting a successful blog is a great way to benefit you personally, or your business. In this...

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The Law of Timing – Leadership for Contractors

Introduction to the Law of Timing & How It Affects Leadership for Contractors Welcome back!  I am really glad that you are joining me as we continue to take a look at John Maxwell’s best selling book - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  In these podcasts we...

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How to read a tape measure

Learn how to read a tape measure fast, and easily in 4 steps. Learning how to read a tape measure is an important skill for anyone to know, especially if you're thinking of entering in to construction or the skilled trades. The good news is that it's very easy, and...

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Law of Influence – Leadership for Contractors

 Introduction to the Law of Influence for Contractors Welcome welcome!  Thanks for tuning in for our podcast! It is the week after Easter.  March is a bit confused this year.  It has actually proven this year to come in like a lamb and it looks like it is going out...

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Construction training: Complete Guide

The complete guide to construction training: learn which method of learning is right for you. There are so many ways to learn trade skills, get construction training, and gain education in the construction industry, it can be confusing to know where to start. In this...

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How to install pocket door hardware

Learn how to install pocket door hardware in 5 steps: So, you want to  learn how to install pocket door hardware? Well, you've come to the right place. Either read the article below, or watch the free video course to learn how. Pocket doors are still a popular choice...

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Concrete Vibration: How to Vibrate Concrete

Learn concrete vibration: how to vibrate and consolidate concrete So you want to learn about concrete vibration and how to vibrate concrete? You've come to the right place! Everyone has different techniques for concrete vibration, and there are so many variables in...

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Is There a Construction Labor Shortage?

Industry Trends: Construction Labor Shortage Are you a leader or a manager in the construction industry? If so, you most likely are facing one of two problems on a daily basis. Either you don’t have enough work to keep your employees busy or you are facing a...

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Is Failing to Plan Planning to Fail?

They say that failing to plan is planning to fail. Are they right? Winston Churchill is credited with saying: “He who fails to plan is planning to fail.” This very simple, but poignant statement is applicable in many areas of life. It applies not only the worlds of...

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Accounting for Contractors

Learn the Basics of Accounting for Contractors Are you running your own construction business? Maybe you work for a larger construction company and need to interact with the accounting department on a daily basis. Regardless of your...

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The Best Offense is a Good Defense

In construction companies, it pays to have a good defense. The best offense is a good defense. This adage applies not only in sports, but also in the world of business. A good defense in sports allows the team to spend more time on offense than on defense. A good...

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Overcoming the Construction Labor Shortage

How to overcome the labor shortage so prevalent in the industry. Let’s face it, there always seems to be a problem to work around within the construction industry. Projects come in and the materials needed for the project are back ordered for weeks. Either the...

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Everyone Can Teach Someone Something

Teach your crew how to teach others. It is 6:00 AM Monday morning, and you arrive at the shop before the sun has peaked over the horizon. You are coming in to pick up your job assignments, load your truck and get on the road. Your service manager greets you with your...

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