Category Archives: Construction

Tips to Construct a Perfect Deck

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Decks are in huge demand. A deck enhances the look of a home and provides the home owner with ample space to enjoy the outdoors during the warmer seasons. In addition, a deck also increases the monetary value of the home. However, in order to achieve all this, it is important for the home owner to keep quality construction and design in mind for a perfect deck. This article will provide you with various tips on how to construct a perfect deck.

Before starting your deck project please ensure that you have got the appropriate building permits. This is important as it ensures that the construction is done keeping safety in mind.

1. Sealed Wood: Always use sealed wood on your deck, as unsealed wood can start to deteriorate within a year. In addition, the unsealed wood will make your deck look worn and old.

2. Open Riser and Railing: When you start constructing your deck, do not forget to close any open space, as it may result in an accident. For example, your foot can fall in-between open spaces among stairs when walking up the steps. Similarly, you should never build your deck and it’s staircase without a railing. The absence of a railing can make it difficult for you or other people to maintain balance while walking up stairs or walking on the sides of the deck. This also poses a huge safety concern as someone could fall.

3. Railing Height and Baluster Spacing: While constructing your deck, you must adhere to the deck construction codes set in your area, as these codes are set for your safety. Though you must ensure that you follow all the construction codes, the most important code that you can’t really afford to forget or miss are the specific measurements for railing height and baluster spacing. Not following standard practices for this can be a real safety concern. Low railing height may allow someone to fall over the railing. Similarly, if you do not maintain the standard baluster spacing, children can get stuck in-between them or worse walk through and fall off the deck.

4. Deck Footings: Deck footings are those, which create a solid foundation on which your entire deck lies. Without the proper footing size, your deck will begin to shake soon after construction and may even collapse. So, always ensure that you use optimum quality and standard sizes deck footings.

5. Other material: A deck is not only made up of wood, but you also need to have many kinds of fasteners and fixings such as joist hangers to fasten and fix the deck joints. Using screws instead of nails also ensures that your deck will be put together better and planks or other parts will not come loose easily.

In addition to these tips, it is advised to every home owner to hire a professional deck building company. A reputable deck company will not only provide you with an exceptional deck but will also suggest the best available deck designs and type of deck to build.

A Brief Introduction to Construction Project Management

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Construction management is a broader concept that deals with various aspects from project conceptualization to completion. It includes project scope, planning, assessing project risks, organizing multiple activities, controlling initiatives, scheduling, and implementing effective strategies and tools to achieve repeatable success throughout the system. There is an essential link between clients’ expectations and acceptance of a completed project. A project management company is supposed to ensure an uninterrupted and smooth transfer of a project from the design process to the completion of a project.

A project life cycle involves four stages which include planning, execution, and delivery. Project stages play a critical role in providing better control and management. A project usually starts gradually, touches the peak and then declines to final delivery of the project to the client. What follows are some of the basic construction project management activities:

Resourcing

A project manager can use bar charts to resource the project. This simple way of resourcing can help plan a logical breakdown of activities for the project and the expected time required to complete these activities. Each activity demands a different set of resources which needs to be identified. Materials, labor, subcontractor, and equipment are some of the fundamental resources required to carry out a construction project. We can adjust the chart bar by moving different activities back and forth in time to reduce the quantity of a resource required to streamline the requirements for that resource.

Material Ordering

The bar chart can help a contractor identify when a material is needed for a project and order it accordingly. Delivering a project on time is of supreme significance. Therefore, it is important to consider the delivery time when a material is ordered. This systematic approach reduces storage costs and decreases the chances of spoiling, shrinkage, and a material being damaged.

Contingency plan

Some projects can get complicated as not everything on site goes as per planning or expectations. Events like heavy rain, injuries, and absence of employees due to sickness can affect the flow of work leading to delays and pressure on the managers. The inclusion of an appropriate amount of slack time can allow a contractor to deal with contingencies. Slack time or float can be treated as a separate activity. However, float is often included in the activities themselves, adding more time than anticipated to get the work done.

Risk management

Construction is a complicated and challenging process which drives contractors to interpret and ensure compliance with codes, laws, regulations, etc. Communication and coordination among stakeholders may highlight differing interests, purposes, and expectations. Risk, therefore, should be considered as an important component of a project.

Free Money – Home Improvement Grants and Construction Projects

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Those about to embark on a new construction or home improvement project may be able to claim thousands of dollars in free grant money to pay for many of these expenses. These construction and home repair grants are available through local government agencies and private organizations that benefit from tax incentives by providing you with the cash you need.

Home improvement grants can help you pay for drawing up plans to expand your home, update your house with energy efficient equipment, or pay for materials. Labor costs may also be covered by the grants you may be eligible to receive.

Local and state governments tend to be the agencies that support home improvement grants, as they benefit directly from your home improvement and construction projects. As homes are repaired, expanded or rehabilitated, the government can assess the property at a higher value. As a result, the property values of the neighborhood increase and higher property taxes can be collected. In the end, by providing cash incentives to home owners, the government benefits as well.

Government home improvement and construction grants may also be offered in particular neighborhoods as a way to encourage people to gentrify or improve low-income neighborhoods. Billions of dollars is spent every year in community development, but most people are unaware that that these funds can be obtained for their personal use.

Those interested in seeing if they qualify to receive home improvement grants can do so by simply applying for this free grant money. By searching the database for the available grants in your area, you can quickly see how much money is available and who qualifies to receive these funds. As a result of submitting a application, individuals may receive thousands of dollars that can be used to improve the functionality and appearance of your home.

Once obtained, these grant funds never have to be paid back. The applicant should closely review the terms of the program to clearly understand what the money can and can’t be used for, as each grant program has different restrictions. However, most grant applications do not require a credit check, down payment or any kind of collateral. Simply find out if you are eligible to receive free government money today but submitting your grant application.