5 Ways Cleaning Up the Job Site Improves Your Reputation

You and your crew have worked hard on the job site all week and finally finished the project with a couple of hours left at the end of the day. So, it's time to head to the local watering hole, right?

If you want to develop a reputation as a lazy, sloppy contractor ? go for it.

Responsible contractors spend the last few hours on the job cleaning up the entire job site. you'll probably find discarded lumber scraps, lunch refuse, bottles, cans and all manner of loose nails and screws on the site. Not only can some of this be dangerous for the client and his family, it's hurting your reputation by creating the impression of a contractor who just doesn?t care.

Spending a couple of hours with your crew cleaning up the mess they?ve made will improve your reputation in more ways than you might ever consider.

Repeat Business

The lifeblood of any business is repeat customers. it's a lot harder to find a new client than it is to keep a satisfied one around long enough so they need you again. Your client?s view of your company begins with the way you enter the building with your crew ? and doesn?t end until the job is finished and he?s ready to use his new space.

If a client has to spend any time cleaning up after your crew, he?s never going to call you back to do that second job. it's a matter of respect; the client will feel respected if you leave the work site cleaner and neater than it was before you started working on it.

References

Almost every contractor relies on references to convince potential clients that he does good work. Virtually every potential customer that visits your website, calls your office or walks in your door will ask to see examples of past work and will want to talk with your past clients for references.

The one way to guarantee that you get the job instead of your competitor down the street is by having a better reputation for treating your clients right. Every job you finish has the potential for influencing dozens of jobs in the future. Even if you do a perfect job, quote a competitive price and go overboard to get it done ahead of schedule, not cleaning up your job site will be the one detail the client remembers. Moreover, it's guaranteed to be the one thing he tells everyone when approached for a reference.

Reviews

Everyone?s tied in with everyone else these days through his or her smart phones, tablets and computers. One of the first places prospective clients will search when looking for a contractor is online review sit's. These websit's solely exist to gather customer reviews of businesses; they wield enormous influence when it comes to winning or losing new business.

The contracting industry runs on word of mouth on a global scale and your company can suffer in a matter of days if you'receive even a couple of bad reviews. These sit's run the gamut from local to nationwide ? and customers use them to rate every business in town. Some of the most popular are:

Yelp!

Its hundreds of millions of users worldwide form a social community of business reviewers, which can make or break your business.

Cit'search

While not as big as Yelp!, this site still holds a space near the top on almost every review ranking search.

Angie?s List

Unlike the others, Angie?s List charges members a fee to post and read reviews. This not only gives their reviews more weight, though. What they lack in volume they make up in sheer influence.

it's well worth the time and effort to check social media and review sit's on a regular basis, seeking out disgruntled customers and offering to make things right. there's no guarantee it will soothe ruffled feathers and influence them to review you again, but it's worth a try.

Work Ethic

you're not the only person working in your company. Your crew members are probably more familiar faces on a job site. If your company has earned its reputation for doing good work and treating clients with respect, it will percolate down into the work every team member does.

After all, every business owner wants their employees to take pride in their work as opposed to being the type of crew that just slides by on jobs. Doing ?good enough? just isn?t good enough in today's competitive work environment. When your crew expects to go over the top on every job site, leaving it clean and neat, the good word will spread about the reputation of your crew.

Other Contractors

No one can afford to hire experts for every job on a build site and specialists are needed infrequently enough so it doesn?t make sense for more than one or two of them to be working in many local work environments. If you come across a job site that needs a specialist who isn?t on your payroll, it's great to know a variety of subcontractors who handle specialized work.

In any local business area, it makes good financial sense to come to agreements with other businesses regarding subcontracting specialties. An electrician who knows datacomm inside and out has a different skill set from one who specializes in air terminals and other lightning protections. The same goes for plumbers, carpenters and other construction specialists.

Having an agreement in place is one thing, but having other contractors that want to call you when the need arises is another. Your reputation is key when it comes to picking up that valuable extra income. If your team is well known for doing good work and cleaning up after themselves, you've automatically got an edge over another business that can?t be bothered. it's all about the little things ? it's surprising how much they'll ultimately affect your bottom line.

Save Time and Money with Combined Arc-Fault and Ground-Fault Protection in One Device

At some point, every contractor has had a homeowner complain that what we say they need in order to comply with code is ridiculous. Occasionally, we may even agree with them. But we still need to protect ourselves and our customers, by ensuring that every installation is fully compliant.

You may have seen more of those circumstances arise lately, especially if your region has embraced the 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC). The requirements for Arc Fault protection expanded, and the addition of AFCI and GFCI circuit protection was a huge change in residential power distribution standards. So your electrical sub-contractor may now be sharing What'seems to be bad news.

there's sound logic behind the change, though. In the U.S., there are more that 40,000 fires each year caused by electrical problems, with more than 350 deaths and 1,400 injuries. arc-fault protection can prevent a significant number of those fires. So, whether we agree with them or not, the code changes aren?t without justification.

The Evolution of this Change

The NEC has required GFCI protection in certain ?wet? areas since 1971. Then, in 1999, they extended the requirement to include AFCI protection for outlets in residential bedrooms. The 2014 code, however, is now requiring AFCI protection throughout nearly the entire residence. Your electrical contractor is now required to install AFCI circuit breakers that feed both receptacles and devices not only in kitchens, baths and bedrooms, but also in living rooms, dens, dining rooms, parlors, hallways, rec. rooms, sun rooms, hallways and closets.

This isn?t necessarily bad news, though. For small projects, like adding another receptacle to an existing circuit, this can make the job more expensive than would have been the case a few years ago. But for new construction and many remodels, using this new equipment can sometimes actually reduce the overall cost of the project. Between reduced installation time and saved space, a project?s total cost can often be lowered by using a dual function (CAFCI and GFCI) circuit breaker.

How it Works

By using a combination breaker, such as the Homeline Single-Pole Plug-On Neutral Dual Function (CAFCI and GFCI) from Square D (available in both 15 and 20 amp), installation time can be reduced significantly, while also reducing the clutter within the load center?s gutter. It also avoids the necessity of installing GFCI receptacles downstream. Those receptacles, even the low-profile versions, are very bulky and several times more expensive than a standard duplex receptacle.

By utilizing a unique clamping mechanism, this breaker plugs onto the neutral bar, so no pigtail wiring is required, saving even more installation time. The device can rapidly sense series arcing causing currents as low as 5 amps, which is considerably more sensitive than traditional protection devices. When also factoring in labor savings, its cost is comparable to that of a traditional breaker in combination with a GFCI receptacle, but provides even greater safety for the homeowner.

Square D?s combination breaker also has TIME SAVER Diagnostics, which provides an identification of the type of fault that has occurred. When a problem surfaces, this feature can save a lot of trouble-shooting time. At the end of the day, the installation of the combination breaker is safer, faster, and often less expensive, than equal protection under previous NEC versions.

Like you, your electrical contractor is concerned with getting the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and Square D?s Homeline Plug-On Neutral Dual Function circuit breakers are designed to help him accomplish exactly that. they'll help shave valuable time off of projects as well as keep clients fully compliant with codes and much safer from the risk of electrical fires.

Home Depot always has these circuit breakers in stock, so next time your electrical guy tells you ?there's a problem?, ask him if he?s checked out Square D?s Dual Function Breakers? you may be glad you did.

Square D sponsored by: Home Depot

How Long Should You Guarantee Workmanship?

it's incredibly tempting to want to give your workmanship a lifetime warranty: you know you did good work and want to stand by it for the life of your company.

Warranties on workmanship help convince the customer that you're a worthwhile contractor and can be a lifesaver for honest clients if something goes wrong. But not every client is honest ? sometimes attaching a long warranty to your work means you'll get taken for a ride. Setting a time limit on a warranty ensures that customers speak up as soon as a problem arises.

Benefits of Warranting Your Work

Beyond instilling confidence in your clients, warranting your work offers some unseen financial benefits. First of all, a happy client will tell their friends about you and your business. Word-of-mouth referrals are invaluable and you just can?t buy the type of publicity that comes from a glowing review.

But warranting your work also means that you can get a better idea of how your supplies, parts and materials hold up over time, allowing you to make better-informed decisions in the future. For example, you install four decks one summer and offer a five year warranty on all of the jobs. If all four of those clients call you two years into the warranty to report that the wood has warped beyond salvage, you'll know it's time to choose a new lumber supply house for future purchases.

Finally, warranting your work for a set period of time allows you to see how customers and clients behave: if you keep getting calls from clients about failed installs even though the parts warranty is up (and you only warrant your labor as long as the parts), you may need to make that part of your contract stronger or more prominent.

Parts Warranty vs. Labor Warranty

If you install a new water heater for a client, you've got two warranties to worry about: the warranty on the water heater itself and the warranty on the work.

You didn?t build the water heater yourself, so you have to rely on the manufacturer to issue that warranty ? whether it's good for one year, five years, ten years or the lifetime of the company.

However, you did the installation and know that you performed your best ? so you can guarantee that, for example, if a bolt falls off, you'll come fix it. In fact, you're so confident in your work that you offer all of your customers a lifetime warranty. But what happens when a client calls you after the parts warranty is up and asks if you can replace a pipe that connects the water heater to the hot water hookup?

You have two options in that scenario: replace the pipe for free under the workmanship warranty and get paid nothing for your time and effort (while losing money because the parts are no longer under warranty) or risk losing future business by charging a service fee and requiring payment to replace failed parts no longer under the manufacturer?s warranty.

Simply put, it doesn?t make financial sense to warranty labor longer than the parts are warranted. By extending your labor warranty only as long as the parts warranty, you're not losing money by replacing failed components, even if the installation remains solid past that date. You won't be hurting your reputation by charging to replace failed, non-warranted parts and you make it clear to your clients that while you stand by your work, you have no control over the product you're installing.

Setting a Time Limit

When setting up a workmanship or labor warranty, it's up to you to define the time limit during which a client can come and ask you to redo your work for free, If you Don't want to go by the parts warranty, complete a lot of jobs on non-warranted materials or work with materials with vastly disparate warranties (wood warranted for 90 days and nails warranted for 10 years), you'll have to determine the time limit on your own.

Determining your labor warranty period is largely a matter of personal preference. Think about how many jobs you do during any set period. If something were to go wrong with half of those jobs, do you actually have enough time to make repairs at each site while still maintaining your business and actively seeking new clients? If you do, then a 90-day warranty might work.

Extend that 90-day time period to 1 year, then 5 years and eventually 10 years. At what point does it become impossible to sustain forward momentum and growth for your company while still keeping your word to your former clients? That?s how to decide a reasonable time period for your warranties.

Talk to a Professional

An industry-savvy attorney who works with contractors on a regular basis can give you a little more insight on setting your labor warranty and what time period might be best for you and your specialty.

While it isn?t strictly necessary to consult with a lawyer when figuring out your workmanship warranty, you'll need to visit one anyway to amend your contract, so you may as well get their input. After all, your attorney will be the one defending you in court if a client wants to fight your terms.

Start with researching the subject, do some hard thinking about what you and your business can and can?t afford ? and also seek out professional input from the lawyers who can (and do) see some of the worst-case scenarios when it comes to labor warranties.

Choosing and Using Window Films: Types and Terminology

Forget the cheap, ugly window films you may have grown up with. Brittle, easy to bubble, and peel ? but nearly impossible to remove, it'seemed ? they didn?t offer many advantages.

Today, it's a different story. From lowering your cooling bills to protecting your family and home ? or merely decorating your glass ? you can find a window film perfect for you. Installation is fairly simple, too. So the next time you're working on windows, you may want to discuss window films.

Types of Window Films

When you'read about window films, pay attention to which category of window film is being addressed. As the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors discusses, there are three categories of window films: tinted film, made from cellophane-like material that is applied for temporary use such as with glare-reducing retractable shades; semi-permanent films applied to the windows directly and intended to stay permanently; and permanent tint, such as the brand Heat Mirror and other low-E coating makers who develop their own coating system and apply it to the windows at the factory.

If there's money in the budget, today's manufacturer-applied coated glasses are a great investment. However, all homeowners can benefit from cheaper at-home films that are easy to apply. These semi-permanent films last a very long time, too. Look for specialized films such as:

Insulating Window Films

Everyone benefits from insulating window films. Well, except for the energy companies, who get to collect a little less of your money. Insulating / thermal films reflect the heat from outdoors in summer, while in the winter they help retain heat. No matter what the climate, homeowners will find these films indispensable.

Most insulating window films block up to 99-percent UV rays. This means on top of energy bill savings, you help protect your furniture, walls, and flooring from fading. Insulating window films also reduce visible light transmission (VT). The disadvantage to this may be less light in the room, but it also means less glare on televisions and computer monitors. For more light, choose a film that specifies it allows VT.

Some insulating window films count towards local, state, or federal tax credits. Aiming for LEED certification? You may be surprised to learn that your film qualifies you for points toward it. Best of all, the money recouped from lower bills will eventually pay back what was initially spent on the film.

Safety and Security Window Films

Live in a crime-prone neighborhood or concerned about the safety of a relative? Safety and security films work wonderfully to protect your home and loved ones. These films reinforce the glass to increase the shatter resistance. Some are even rated as able to wit'stand a bullet from a small caliber gun or small explosions, according to manufacturer?s claims. Nature?s hurricanes and tornados, or break-ins and robberies ? all can be just a little less of a worry.

You can also find UV blocking ability, and other characteristics, combined with safety and security in window films.

Decorative Window Films

Stained glass, etched designs, frosted coatings ? they are beautiful, but who can afford to go replace perfectly good glass on a whim? Enter decorative window films, in such a wide variety of designs you may have a hard time deciding which one you like best. Take some time and browse the Internet for decorative window film and comparison shop first. you're sure to get great ideas!

To their credit, decorative films aren?t just pretty. They may also block about 70- to 80-percent of the sun?s UV rays. Some are easy to remove, so you can switch them to other windows if you want. You may enjoy it'so much you simply want to buy more, and at the generally affordable price for most films, you can, too.

Privacy Window Films

Blurring the lines between decoration and privacy are today's privacy window films. Not only are they often made with pretty designs, unlike decorative films, they also make sure all view is blocked. From frosted panes to dark film (such as used in cars), crumpled tissue paper or mirrored surfaces, privacy windows make it difficult to impossible to spy inside your home.

While some privacy films won't allow you to see in, you may find it harder to see out, as well, depending on the film. You can also expect some level of UV protection ? up to 98-percent reduction, according to some manufacturers. Be sure to look for the VT rating as well.

Important Window Film Terminology

it's not enough to know that you want a window film, or even what type of film you want. While shopping for your film you will encounter many terms. Understanding the lingo will help you buy precisely what you want:

• UV Rejection: UV-rated products block a certain amount of ultraviolet rays A and B, which the sun emits. UV rays are harmful to the skin plus fade interiors. Look for high UV rejection rates for best results.
• Light Transmission: Simply put, the light transmission level is how much light will pass through the film. Police officers test light transmission on vehicle tints to ensure that car tints are legal ? the lower the score, the darker the tint. For home use, aim for around 50-percent light transmission to balance glare and visibility properties.
• Visible Light Transmission and Reflectance: Visible light reflectance and transmission (often called simply VT) measures how much light is reflected away from the window. The higher the film rates, the shinier it appears outside (hence a mirrored appearance).
• Shading Coefficient: A term used in the energy field, the shading coefficient simply measures how much a window film prevents (reduces) the heat gain from outdoors. Look for film with a shading coefficient level of .50 or lower.
• Solar Energy Rejection: Another energy term is solar energy rejection. Simply put, it's the measure of the film?s ability to repel UV and VT as well as infrared (radiating) heat. The higher the film?s score, the better it insulates your windows.
• Thickness: Another important quality, the film thickness is expressed in either mils or sometimes, microns (1 mil is equal to about 25 microns). Thickness becomes particularly important in safety and security films; generally, the thicker it is, the stronger. Look for film measuring at least 4 mil ? keeping in mind that 14 or greater is best.

In the end, what matters most is how the film performs for you. By understanding the types of films, what they will and will not do for you, you can better select the ideal treatment for your windows. Understanding the terms the manufacturer uses makes it much easier to translate a film?s qualities, as well. Now all you have to do is find the film you want!

Review of the FLIR C2 Thermal Imaging Camera

FLIR Systems Inc. is the leading manufacturer of thermal imaging equipment. In business since 1978, they?ve honed their products and support to a level of near perfection. The latest offering from the company, the FLIR C2, is the industry?s first entry-level thermal imaging camera that allows you to grab and go.

Like a Digital Camera for Heat

The C2 features a design not seen in other thermal imaging cameras. Instead of the traditional gun format, the C2 looks and feels like a standard digital camera or smart phone. The company calls it pocket-sized and They are dead-on ? this infrared camera easily fits in your pocket for fast access on any job site.

In addition to its size, the C2?s point-and-shoot nature is invaluable on a job site. For example, if you suspect heat loss from a window, you can double check your hunch by getting a reading from the camera. If you think your client?s windows aren?t living up to their claims of warding off the sun?s rays, just point the infrared camera at it and check the readings.

If you're not familiar with thermal imaging products, the C2 is a good starter model, as the interface is user-friendly. Advanced users can calibrate the settings to meet their needs, but if you're not tech-savvy, you can use it'straight out of the box without having to worry about making any complicated adjustments.

The C2 is lightweight and compact, making it easy to slip into a tool belt pocket, but it's not so lightweight that you'll have to worry about breaking it the first time you drop it or if it accidentally bumps into your other gear. Contractors looking to purchase their first infrared camera would do well to look into the FLIR C2.

C2 Hardware

The basic hardware is simple, featuring a capacitive touch screen for viewing images and accessing the menu. The touch screen is responsive, but not so sensitive that it will accidentally bring up the menu while you're working. A large shutter button makes it easy to take a shot of your target and there's a smaller (but still easy to find) power button nearby. Both buttons are rubber, meaning that if you've got grease on your hands you can still depress them easily.

The front of the camera features three separate points: a lamp for additional light in dim environments, the infrared lens and a separate digital camera lens. The lenses sit in a depression surrounded by the same rubber coating that protects the rest of the camera, but there's no extra shelter from additional shutters or caps ? meaning contractors need to take care when placing the product in their pockets or tool bags.

The C2?s memory is internal and features 165 megabytes of space. it's not expandable or replaceable, but with the high compression rate of the C2, it isn?t an issue. When tested on 100 images, they only occupied 4 MB of memory space. A general contractor could easily use this thermal imaging camera on three or four whole-house jobs in one day without having to unload the memory.

Likewise, the battery is internal and rechargeable. The camera comes with an easy USB-to-mini-USB cable and a variety of charger plugs capable of fitting a variety of outlets, including American, Canadian and European. When the battery life was tested, it lasted for more than three continuous hours without showing any signs of stopping. You won't have to stop work to recharge the battery, which means less strain on your time between clients.

Easy to Use

It can?t be stressed enough how easy it is to use the C2. The camera allows users to switch between digital, MSX and straight thermal. While the straight digital and straight thermal reads are nice to have, it's the MSX that wins the prize. Overlaying the thermal image with the digital image, you can show your clients exactly where hot spots and heat leaks exist. And the image detail is greatly superior to anything offered by other thermal imaging cameras We've seen.

The C2 thermal camera offers different color scales, from full rainbow, to an orange-to-purple gradient (termed ?iron?) and grayscale, making it possible for you to choose the best setting to illustrate your point to clients. When tested, the rainbow was the easiest for a layperson to understand: the coolest spots showed as blue, while hotter areas are red.

The easy MSX readout is possible for clients to understand at a glance, but it also gives professional contractors a simple way to judge just how much heat loss or gain an area is giving off. You can use the camera?s ?lock? feature to focus on an object and take multiple images over a period of seconds or minutes and be able to tell if it's a constant heat loss ? as from a leaky window frame ? or a variable one, as could be the case with an appliance that?s on the fritz. Having the thermal overlay on the digital image also makes it possible for contractors to discern whether anomalous readings are from their area of focus (like bad insulation) or if something else in the room is throwing off the camera?s ability to pick up on things without blurriness, guessing or other problems.

it's easy to switch between Imperial and metric measurements ? and temperatures are displayed right on the screen. When targeting a specific area, the camera displays the temperature of the target, but also gives you a handy range on the side of the screen featuring the hottest and lowest temperatures in the camera?s field of vision, making it possible to judge ambient temperature.

The Downside

Not every camera is perfect, not even the FLIR C2. The accuracy and resolution of the infrared technology is not great for close-up images of under three feet. But if you need to show your clients a general image of how much their wall insulation has settled or how much heat is escaping from around their window frames, this camera will do the job very nicely.

The other downside to the C2 is that you need to connect the camera to a computer via USB cable to retrieve the images. there's no SD or microSD card to fiddle with, which is good, but carrying around cables can be cumbersome, especially if they get lost. The C2 has no Bluetooth capabilities, meaning you can?t easily transfer images to a smartphone or tablet, either.

The Test

When tested on a 100-year-old farmhouse, the C2 provided quite an eye-opener for the homeowners. They knew their insulation was bad and they knew their wiring was faulty, but a walk-through with the FLIR C2 revealed the extent of the problems.

Using the C2, the homeowners could see that the hot water tank in the basement was leaking into the ground below it. Their exterior basement doors, which were original to the house and had been unearthed just a year earlier, were letting in massive amounts of cold air. The basement itself stayed chilly ? the ambient temperature was about 68 degrees on a 90-degree day.

When surveying the walls, the homeowners were in for a further surprise. The original plaster and horsehair walls were sandwiched between the drywall interior and the siding. This kept the home insulated, but several key areas had started to crumble.

Wiring was another nightmare for the homeowners. They knew the whole house needed re-wiring, but the C2 unearthed several spots on the living room circuit that were dangerously close to catching fire.

The windows, some of which were original to the house, retained the heat of the day, but the frames were leaking copious amounts of air. The stained glass window that the homeowners were debating keeping needs a fix ? the C2 detected that the amount of heat coming through was the biggest obstacle in keeping their upstairs foyer temperate. A contractor could easily sandwich the window between two fixed storm windows, or apply a film to it to keep the sun?s rays at bay. Now that they know the source of the problem, they have options.

The FLIR C2 efficiently detected all of these problems, providing the homeowners with concrete evidence to present to their contractors; this invaluable knowledge will cut down on the time and money spent trying to fix their dream home.

Who Needs an FLIR C2?

If you need to pinpoint small areas or get detailed imaging, the FLIR C2 isn?t necessarily your best option and if you?d prefer transmitting your findings to your client digitally via phone or tablet, look elsewhere. it's also not the right equipment for on-the-spot, easily shared printouts.

However, for most general contracting work, it's a good, entry-level camera that won't break the bank and is backed up by decades of solid workmanship and stellar customer service. it's a sturdy device with few bells and whistles, but that?s exactly what the market needs.

If you're thinking of investing in an infrared thermal camera for your business, you?d do well to consider the FLIR C2. it's easy to use straight out of the box and advanced technical support and training are available.

The user materials are thorough and comprehensive and it easily handles multiple jobs per day, memory-wise and battery-wise.