The current state of the economy and very high fuel prices has many contractors looking for additional cost savings in what are already very small profit margins. It’s difficult to land new projects these days and when you do get one, the last thing you want is to lose money on the job. One technique that may help you operate more efficiently and save on labor and fuel costs is to ask your crews to practice the 100 percent rule.
Make Sure Everything is 100 Percent Ready and 100 Percent Complete
The 100 percent rule works for home builders, commercial general contractors, sub-contractors, and just about any trade that performs work in the construction industry. The technique is very simple, but it may take some time to fully implement it into your daily operations. Depending on the type of company you have, all three parts of the rule may not apply, but in general:
• Job site 100 Percent Ready – don’t send your crews to a job site unless it’s 100 percent ready for their phase of work and all materials needed to do their job are present on site. If you’re a trim carpenter, don’t What Is An Apprentice In Construction send your crews to a house when the crown molding is backordered or the sheetrock is still being finished in the basement. Making trips back to a job site to take care of loose ends incurs additional labor and fuel costs
• Job 100 Percent Complete – If your crews need to stay on a project an hour past quitting time to complete the job, it can save sending crews back in the morning and allow you to move to the next job. When a crew completes their phase of work, have them walk the home or building to ensure it is 100 percent complete. A quick walk through can ensure they haven’t missed anything that might result in a call from the How To Renovate A House Yourself manager and a return trip to the site
• 100 Percent Complete before Occupancy – don’t allow occupancy of the home or building you’re constructing until it’s 100 percent complete. This can be difficult if you’re being pressured by your customer, but once they move in you’re stuck with working around their schedule. Simple tasks can take twice as long and several trips when you have to schedule an appointment to complete your job.
As with everything in the construction industry, there are exceptions to just about every rule and the 100 percent rule may not be appropriate in some situations. However, trying to stick with the rule should help you reduce labor and fuel costs and may even improve the morale of your crews.
Construction