Carl Seville is a consultant on sustainability to the building industry. His firm, SK Collaborative, provides certification for multifamily projects, new and rehab, throughout the eastern United States under the National Green Building Standard, LEED, EarthCraft, Enterprise Green Communities, and Energy Star programs. A HERS rater, he holds the LEED AP Homes and Green Rater designations. Learn more at www.skcollaborative.com.
In the march towards instant and endless, efficiency standards keep water heating technology up-to-date.
A key system is one that monitors work performed in the field. Because trade contractors do most jobsite work, managing them effectively can directly improve your profitability. Time is money, and money matters.
Periodically, you should review how much everyone in your organization comes up in conversation -- employees, trade contractors, suppliers, and even customers. Whoever you talk about the most in any month needs to go.
Quality assurance in construction is inherently difficult. Few other industries have to build their product in the rain, using dozens of individual companies, each of which in turn hires their own staff—often unskilled or untrained—to perform the work.
A remodeler uses his own home to train himself and his crew in specific green practices so he can better inform clients.