Archive for category Building and Construction
Cost Estimating Is The First Thing After Plans If You Are Planning On Building A Structure
Posted by SEO SERVICES in Building and Construction on July 27th, 2010
There are many different steps to cost estimating, however the first thing that needs to be done is to determine the cost of finishing the construction job. One of the biggest difficulties in the construction industry is settling on a budget amount and trying to stay with in it. There will always be something that pops up in a construction project so making sure that they are included into the estimate is critical to avoid delays in getting the job finished on time.
Cost estimating consists of many different factors. Without all of this information, the estimator cannot offer an accurate estimate. Resources should be listed in order of importance to make it easier to follow.
The land where the structure will be built should be first on the list, followed by construction materials and the laborers that will be needed to complete construction. Usually the cost estimator will break these categories down into sub categories.
When trying to draw up an accurate estimate, the cost of land must be taken into consideration. Taxes and brokerage cost for the land must also be taken into consideration. The type of structure that is needed will determine what materials will be needed and the costs of those materials will be needed to create an accurate estimate. Equipment that will be needed to build the structure will also need to be figured into the estimate. The figures need to fairly accurate in order to avoid additional fees.
Experts have concluded that approximate forty percent of all construction fees are incurred by laborers. Laborers include everyone from the architect to the laborers both skilled and unskilled that construct the building.
The cost of the building itself will depend largely on what is going to be built. A civil engineer is the best person to determine just what it will cost to construct the building. An architect who is experienced can determine what is a fair and accurate rate for the construction by just looking at the blueprint of it.
Weekend warriors who choose to complete the project themselves usually purchase a kit to complete a deck or other home improvement project. These kits usually contain all of the information that you need to create your own estimate.
Nick Hurd - About the Author:
Nick Hurd is the developer of LiteningFast Estimating. LiteningFast is an estimating program that helps you estimate faster, easier and more accurately. It’s integrated with QuickBooks to provide job cost. Building Cost Estimating - needed to for budgets. It was introduced to the market in 1994 and currently has over 3,500 users in the US, Canada, and around the world.
Your house is an asset. It’s your loved ones’s shelter.
Please visit Home Addition Cost Estimator or Bathroom Remodel Cost Estimator today to learn more.
Some Startling Facts About Crane Safety
Posted by SEO SERVICES in Building and Construction on July 16th, 2010
Crane safety has for the most part been maligned in the United States. There have been serious efforts in the past three years to bring harsher penalties for construction projects operating without crane insurance in place, and clear, uniform guidelines for all states to follow and crane operators to follow. But, crane safety practice is still weak throughout American construction sites, and the crane operators more than often work at break-neck schedules in order to fall under-budget or on-budget. Money seems to be the motivating factor behind many CEO?s decisions not to insure their cranes and heavy equipment. This is the paradox of the American construction industry; America have the most advanced cranes but the worst safety practices at construction sites. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has devised new rules to reduce accidents involving cranes in construction. These changes will have a wide sweeping influence upon the construction industry here in the United States. The much-anticipated federal rules could save at least 50 lives and prevent 100 injuries a year, according to OSHA. It would supplant a rule promulgated from 1971, which has seen few revisions despite changes in how crane work is performed.
This “comprehensively addresses the hazards related with the use of cranes and derricks in construction, including tower cranes,” says Edwin G. Foulke Jr., OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor. “This draft rule will both protect construction employees and help prevent crane accidents by updating existing protections and requiring crane operators to be trained.” Under the current rules, legal responsibility for accidents is unclear, leaving crane operators, owners, users, lift directors and site supervisors confused of their liability. Even though there is significant crane insurance coverage options available to crane owners and operators-even the insurance industry must review the changes taking place in the OSHA guidelines to anticipate the amendments to the liability in their insurance policies. Several fatal crane accidents this year have led to increased state and local regulations. Often, a crane collapses onto a site worker or the crane operator is crushed by a crane. The cost of added safety would pay dividends, according to OSHA estimates. The construction industry would spend about $123 million a year in compliance costs, such as worker training and testing — but large construction companies would save $406 million in accidental deaths and injuries, a net benefit of $283 million per year. OSHA estimates the average cost of a life at $7.5 million and an injury at $50,000. However, More than ever, cranes are being set up by unlicensed riggers with the lack of crane insurance , operated unsafely and used to hoist loads far heavier than what they were built to carry, records show. Unlicensed construction projects are not a rare occurrence, but often is the case?uninsured projects are quite prevalent since the economic crisis of 2008 that left many medium and small size construction companies cutting corners to save money on their construction projects; usually crane insurance is the most expensive outlay of insurance for any size project. Because of the lack of crane safety obligation and lack of crane insurance the number of crane related accidents and deaths has increased not only in the United States but also around the world in general. Why? Because the need for more residential infrastructure has increased-specifically for apartment complexes and office high-rises. In the last serious accident In New York USA, before the tragedy on E. 51st St., an overloaded 200-foot crane buckled and partially collapsed at a residential construction site at 450 Washington St. in Tribeca, New York forcing the temporary evacuation of some adjacent homes. That was Feb. 1. 2008 The next day, two workers were injured in a fall as they were trying to disassemble the crippled crane. Neighbors claimed that work had been progressing at breakneck speed at the site since January.
The operator was issued a violation for working in an unsafe manner with a “grossly overloaded” crane. But months will pass before any action will be taken. He is not scheduled for a hearing before the city’s Environmental Control Board, which adjudicates serious building violations, until April 17. Unfortunately, fines usually are low and punishment haphazard. Such is the case with most states in America.
