LinkedIn Archives

How much contingency should you budget for your project?

Posted by richardcartright

· November 26, 2013

· No Comments

Contingency is a part of the budget set aside to cover possible project problems. Generally, contingency is there to cover ‘unknown conditions’ or conditions that could not have reasonably been known. Unknown conditions are a fact of construction and there is really now way to completely avoid them, contingency prepares you for them. How much contingency you put in the…

Missing a commercial deadline can be like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

Posted by richardcartright

· October 11, 2012

· No Comments

Last summer, I went to the county fair and stopped by a booth for a local pre-school that was under construction near my house. I’d been watching construction progress through varying stages, when I would occasionally pass by that direction. I think it was early June when I saw it last. With less than three months to school starting, the…

11 questions to ask before signing with a contractor.

Posted by richardcartright

· October 2, 2012

· No Comments

Before sending out your bid package, talk to multiple companies to get more information about each. Give each contractor a quick call to conducting a short phone interview as you connect, or you can choose to include a questionnaire as part of a simple interview process. It’s up to you, as it is truly a matter of comfort. If you…

Help! My contractor is adding additional terms!

Posted by richardcartright

· August 23, 2012

· No Comments

The following is a question and answer session from the Norwich Bulletin, followed by a response from Richard Cartright, the Founder of Construction Conductor. Q: I hired a general contractor to oversee a home renovation to my property, a 988-square-foot two-story farmhouse. The contractor charges me 20 percent plus an hourly rate when he is on the site. He does…

How much time will it take to manage your own Construction Project?

Posted by richardcartright

· August 7, 2012

· No Comments

Some owners think a professional construction manager is not needed. They are sure that in just a few short hours per week they can keep in contact with all their subcontractors, make material choices, manage the project’s finances and even deal with the building inspectors. “It shouldn’t be all that hard,” they say to themselves, “why pay for services I…

How fees consume your project budget.

Posted by richardcartright

· July 24, 2012

· No Comments

Every Project Costs Money People know that every project has materials, labor, and equipment costs, but people often forget about the cost of design, permitting, and management fees. All of these costs and fees can be reasonably predicted, and the more you know about the project details, the more accurately you can predict project costs. People may opt out of…