My First Architect: Mike Brady

I first learned about architecture from Mike Brady. When Mike wasn’t hard at work in his study (before it became Greg’s bedroom with beads for a door) he was working in his trailer at a job site. Mike was on site often and had a handle on every project, serving as the eyes and ears of his clients.

Then Mike got a computer and everything began to change. Fast forward to today’s architects, who spend about as much time on a job site as this other well-known television “architect.”

Wanted: Closers

Many consultants do great work. They are technically competent, thorough in their examinations and clear in their explanations. When they find deviations from project specifications, they (correctly) document the issue and then issue a report calling for corrective action. Then another. And another. After all, what better way to show the results of your scrutiny than in black and white?

However, once a report has been issued it’s the contractor who assumes the responsibility for corrective action. Most of the time, these items get closed. How often? Nobody knows for sure. One of the dirty little secrets of construction is that nobody’s keeping score. Which means there could be dozens of unverified corrective action items by the time a project closes.

Maybe consultants should get paid on their close rate.

Important Things to Know About Construction Photography

Here’s some interesting information to keep in mind the next time you decide to record the water proofing details way down in P5 using the same camera that you used to shoot  your kids birthday party. Thanks to our Construction Verification Supervisor Bob Gross for providing the expertise.

So it basically breaks down like this.  Most of the time we get asked what is the difference between the photos we take and photos other consultants take.

We use Canon 6.3 megapixel digital SLR’s and they have a removable lens.

Most of the other consultants including the QA\QC guy for the contractor use a simple point and shoot.

We use a full size flash (externally)  and they use the flash that is built in (to their point and shoot)

There are several major differences.

First of all the lens that we use is 55mm in diameter.  The larger the glass lens is on the front of the lens the more light it will gather.  An average point and shoot has a lens that is 15mm across if that.

Second the flash that is built into the average point and shoot is built to go 15 feet and light up two faces.  It is designed to take photos of people.   Our flash is 6 times bigger and made to throw up to 50 feet.  More light means better photos.  In a dark room (think condo before the electricity is turned on) more light is a bonus.

Third.  Our digital SLR’s have a better infrared beam built in.  Digital cameras throw out an infrared beam that measures distance a split second before taking the photo to judge distance for the autofocus feature.  Larger lens, better light, more light, better infrared beam means not only better pictures but, more in focus pictures.

Beware the Apprentice Plumber on Level 6

It’s 7 AM. There’s a water line being installed in a wall on Level 6 of your multi-hundred million dollar condo project. Although your high-priced acoustics consultant instructed your high-priced architect to specify sound isolation pads be added to the feeder pipes that service two adjoining condo units, the responsibility for executing this expensive design detail falls on a 20-year old plumber’s apprentice who was out drinking ’til the wee hours the night before. The sound isolation pads get left in the box - whatever, dude.

A lawsuit seed has just been planted.

This scenario is played out on construction sites around the world every day.

New Office Designs and TI Construction

An interesting piece on Microsoft’s new “Touchdown Center” (or as I like to call them, Commuter Compassion Stations) appeared on the Seattle Times’ Tech Tracks blog.  This concept brings the broadband power and meeting space of the office a little closer to home for the large number of MS employees who live in Seattle, on the opposite side of Lake Washington from their Redmond corporate campus.

The center follows Microsoft’s “Workplace Advantage” interior design strategy, which can be summed up as less, more and a lot more (walls, space and technology, that is.) Looking through samples of this strategy I can’t help but think how this will change the game for those who make their living on Tenant Improvements. It certainly means the dry-wallers won’t be too pleased.  However, their loss is the LV electricians’ gain for sure.

(Pre) Construction Verification

As I’ve mentioned before, the scope of Construction Verification reaches beyond that of traditional inspection or documentation services. In fact, it even reaches backwards. (You may download a complete description of Pre-Construction Verification Milestones here.)

12 Months Prior to Ground Break - Insurance Discounts

As early as 12 months prior to project start, owners can begin negotiations for reduced insurance rates by presenting their plans for risk mitigation through implementation of their construction verification plan. Insurance carriers appreciate any efforts that their clients take to reduce uncertainty. So when presented with a plan for third party recording of every significant operation on a job site, they become absolutely giddy.

Given the newness of Construction Verification, it also pays to introduce it to the project early to allow all partners to plan for the incorporation of CV data into their own project plans. For example the architect can incorporate it into the RFPs issued to specialty consultants. By utilizing online access to project data, consultants can reduce their site visits. Also, they may add their own images and data to the project database. These changes allow for a more efficient use of the consultants’ time at a reduced expense to the project budget.

6 Months Prior to Ground Break - Project Verification Planning

Owners can begin preparation of their project verification plan by creating a central record of accepted technical standards as determined by the architect and other specialty consultants (e.g. building envelope, mold, acoustical, etc.) This central record contained within the project verification plan will serve as a touchstone throughout the project, providing the Construction Verification Tech with a time-saving reference that will be readily available for answering simple questions during the project.

2 to 4 Weeks Prior to Ground Break - Pre-Construction Condition

Recording for the Pre-Construction Condition Report usually begins 3 - 6 weeks prior to ground break. Scheduling this assessment a few weeks before construction gives the contractor ample time to review the data to make any last minute course corrections that might be necessary (e.g. altering the truck route to the site.)

Project Start - Party Time!

Here’s where it all comes together as the finalized Project Verification Plan is delivered to the contractor and the owner. This is also a good time to conduct an orientation meeting to familiarize all project partners with the protocol for communication between them and the CVTs during the project.

Full Verification starts with the foundation and then continues until wallboard installation begins. On occasion, verification will continue through installation of finishes, landscaping, etc.

Can a 4-Car Garage be Green?

The recent arson job by ELF on the Street of Dreams homes in Maltby, WA certainly has accomplished one of the goals of the eco-terrorist organization. The conversations regarding green construction have propagated well beyond the realm of homebuilders, realtors and would-be home buyers.

The developers can talk themselves green in the face (poor pun alert!) but for all of the cork floors and Leed certified practices incorporated into these houses, I would speculate that the houses’ carbon footprint over their lifetime would not be that much different than similar houses built using conventional means.  The equalizers in this equation would of course be the multiple fossil-fuel burning machines that would occupy the 4-car garage that adjoined each of the 4,000 square foot McMansions. After all, these houses were 20 miles from Bellevue (30 from Seattle) and were likely to house one, if not two, single occupancy commuter vehicles.

When considering whether new residences deserve the moniker “Green” the housing industry needs to stop kidding themselves and look at the big picture that includes the location of the house and the likely lifestyle of its inhabitants.

Who Benefits from Construction Verification? Vol. II - Who hires who?

The first question that people often ask me about our Construction Verification services is “Who hires you, owners or contractors?”

Since one of the cornerstone principles of CV is neutrality, the question is a natural one. After all, how can we claim to be neutral when we are working for the owner (or the contractor.) The answer lies in our methodology, which ensures that we ultimately work for the project, regardless of who pays the bill. As long as we follow our process, there is no bias for or against any party. And if we don’t follow our process, red flags go up, sirens scream and everyone involved knows about it.

So, the answer to the question is either party can initiate the CV process, but both benefit.

The Tribes on a Jobsite

Reading a post from Seth Godin (a fav for us marketing geeks) today started me thinking about the tribal nature of construction jobsites and the depth of knowledge that they represent. The tribes of the carpenters, masons, electricians, etc. have been around for over a hundred (if not hundreds) of years, much longer than most of the principle organizations in construction. Tradition runs strong in these tribes and often triumphs over other forces (design guidelines, management directions, etc.) to the detriment of productivity.

Unfortunately, collaboration is not a tribal tradition. If it were, the improvements in jobsite communication, quality control and productivity would be mind-blowing. What if the tribes smoked a peace pipe and agreed to a treaty that would place the good of the project above all else? What if all tribes watched out for one another, alerting each other to potential problems before they lead to delays, rework and rescheduling. Every day on every jobsite in America (and many other places), there’s a steel worker who notices a misplaced junction box or a mason who sees a carpenter’s apprentice using the wrong tool. What if those rival tribe members took ten seconds to give a quick “heads up”, then moved on. What kinds of improvements would we see?

Asymmetric Information and Renovating your Kitchen

In Barry LePatner’s book Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets (originally discussed here) he sites asymmetric information as one of the key contributors to the problems of the construction industry. The basic argument that LePatner makes is that in any construction project, the contractor holds all the cards because construction is his primary business as compared with the owner/developer who builds new buildings much less frequently.

When introducing a prospective owner/developer client to construction verification, I often will ask them if they have ever renovated their kitchen. If you’ve lived through this experience yourself, then you realize exactly what asymmetric information is all about.  After assessing competing bids and selecting a contractor, you as a homeowner feel confidant in your choice and are ready to move ahead with confidence.  Though, as soon as work begins you soon realize that the contractor now holds all the cards.  As your old cabinets come down (and your anticipation goes up) and you begin to discover the many surprises that lay hidden beneath the surface, you soon learn that you must take your contractor at his word for every decision that comes up because your limited experience doesn’t give you the knowledge necessary to challenge anything presented to you. Believe it or not, the same holds true for developers of half billion dollar condo projects (give or take a few hundred million dollars.)

LePatner explains that contractors (and subs) take advantage of asymmetric information to push through an excessive number of change orders during a project, which allows them to turn a money-losing low-bid project into a profitable one. In our experience, we’ve seen many examples of this surreptitious strategy at work. Recently, a plumbing subcontractor bragged to one of our CVT’s that he was able to bill the GC on his last job for 176 additional hours above and beyond his original estimate.

It’s certainly easy to identify with the overt symptoms of asymmetric information that would seem to favor the contractor.  However, I believe that the contractor can suffer for holding all the cards as well.  Granted, we’re all professionals, but none of us are above displaying feelings of suspicion if we feel that someone’s taking advantage of us.  I’m sure most contractors would prefer not to be scrutinized with a suspicious eye ever time they file an RFI. I would argue that an informed owner would make a more willing collaborative partner. If all parties in a project share information equally, it’s the project itself that will ultimately benefit as the walls of doubt come down and productivity goes up.