Things To Do In SW Florida

A career as a contractor is a good one. You don’t have to spend thousands at a four-year college, you don’t have to sit at a desk all day, and you have a competitive salary. In this field, you can choose a specialty and field that is important to you. Much contracting work allows you to work your own hours and work wherever you want across the country – there are so many opportunities in this field.

A career in construction or building is reliable. There will always be a need for new builds, maintenance, and renovations.

There are many ways to get into this field including courses (in person and online) as well as apprenticeships.

As a contractor, you can work indoors and outdoors. You have a lot of freedom of where you work and you always can experience new places and meet new people.

You can also work your way up into managerial roles.

Technology is growing within the world of construction. If you’re great with technology, you can teach and help out others with learning the new advancements. The more you know about this technology the more you will be valuable and can advance in your career. read more

If you’re a contractor, you need to know how to read a blueprint. If you don’t, you likely won’t do your work properly or be good at your job. Before you start applying for construction jobs, make sure you have been taught and learned how to read a blueprint.

A blueprint is a two-dimensional drawing that contains all the details for a project. These details are so you can request permits, determine a schedule and do the construction. They also detail the project’s scope, specifications, building codes, and measurements.

• Blueprints can vary in size. They can differ project to project depending on the complexity of the project. Right now, digital blueprints are gaining popularity. They are great because anyone can easily see the latest plan changes in real time.
• When you first get a blueprint, scan the entire plan. Read all notes and specifications that are included. You will have to know how to read plan views, which are the basic views that people will see as they look down at the horizontal plane.
• Each plan has a different scale and it’s important you are using the correct scale.
• Compare elevations and floor plans and make sure nothing gets missed.
• Sections of blueprints is where you will see cross sections of the building (studs, insulation, sheathing, etc.). you will also find the dimensions of the cabinets, countertops and more.
• Schedules are included in blueprints.
• There are hundreds of abbreviations and symbols on blueprints. There is usually a key to abbreviations and symbols.

Blueprints are tricky to read, but in time they become easier to read and can be read quickly. In the blueprints, errors can be spotted before issues occur so time and money isn’t lost. Blueprints are key in the decision-making process of a project and they should reflect reality and be read carefully.

Reading a blueprint is a skill and you need to learn it in order to be a successful contractor.

Not only do you need to know how to read a blueprint to be a contractor, you must be licensed to work legally. read more

Efficiency on the job site and during a construction project is critical if a contractor wants to deliver a project on time and within budget; however, this is easier said than done and it can be quite the challenge to be efficient.  New technologies are helping improve efficiency on the job, but new techniques and approaches are being worked on and introduced all the time to solve productivity issues.

How can construction companies improve efficiency?

• Improve decision-making and management workplace. Reduce nonproductive activities. Take a look at daily on-site activities and operations and review when issues arise. You can identify opportunities that can speed up workflow. Measure the current level of productivity. Through this data collected, you can find flaws in the workflow and better streamline the operation. Establish an efficient communication system. Find ways to communicate with upper management in real time. Set a regular meeting where questions can be asked and answered.
• Embrace technology to manage the worksite. Technology can provide a competitive advantage.
• Listen to staff members and provide the right kind of training. Employees on site can be the best insight into how to make site processes efficient compared to the upper management who isn’t on site. Conduct regular face-to-fact meetings to ask about issues and get workflow suggestions. Training is important for efficiency. Give people the right skills to work and/or lead people.
• Give equipment regular maintenance checks. You want to keep the tools and machinery in good working condition. Broken equipment can delay projects.
• Improve procurement and supply chain management. Maintain positive relationships with suppliers.

As a construction company, you need to address efficiency issues at the start.

Join in industry that is continuing to grow and change and advance.

We can help get you licensed for any contractor specialty in any state to be a part of the construction industry.  We are a Florida contractor licensing company. We have helped thousands of contractors across the United States get their contractor license.

We will complete and submit a completed application to the Construction Licensing Board on your behalf after getting information from you by phone or email. We know what the Board is looking for. read more

Bad estimates can lead to bad occurrences. In a study, 25% of business owners, bookkeepers, accountants, estimators, and finance managers in the construction industry said two to three bad estimates could put them out of business. Eighteen percent of these people said one bad estimate could put them out of business. As you can see, accurate estimates and job costing is critical.

• One in five people in the construction industry struggles with cost estimation.
• One in three struggles to estimate labor costs. This is one of the most expensive project costs. One in five people said they rely on a fireman or manager to record employee hours to keep track of labor costs. A smaller amount said employees use mobile tracking apps to record their hours.
• One in four track project costs by paper and pen. Twenty-seven percent user paper and do project calculations by hand, 7.5 percent keep track in their head, and 46% use accounting software and a job-costing system or app.

Most people surveyed said they try to do a cost estimate for every project. Preparation is key. Seventy-three percent of these people who prepare a cost estimate for every project said their estimates were very close or exact to the final costs. Those who prepare a cost estimate for most projects are far more likely to say their profits were “usually less than expected.”

The more you do cost estimates, the likelihood you will get better at them and be more accurate.

Want to be a part of growing industry? We can help get you licensed as a contractor in any state. We are a Florida contractor licensing company. We have helped thousands of contractors across the United States get their contractor’s license. read more

There are many types of contractors. Contractors can do so much more than electrical work or painting. There are plumbers, roofers, HVAC technicians, solar contractors, and more. For this article, we wanted to talk about mechanical contractors. We hope this article teaches you a little more about this particular contractor specialty and maybe it will interest you as a career path.

A mechanical contractor is a type of engineer. He/she takes existing systems and redesigns them so they work better. Mechanical contractors can be found in many industries such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, food processing, NASA, and more.

Mechanical contractors design, manufacture and handle the operation of certain components or devices that are generated by mechanical engineers.

A mechanical contractor needs a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. This type of contractor must take practical and written exams and get the right license to work legally. Many companies will offer job training and apprenticeships. read more