22nd September 2009
You know the saying: boys will be boys. That's why taking a 10-year-old out on a plumbing job is not such a good idea in general. However, you might learn a little bit about how not to tackle a particular problem, or why your crew always seems to be in th...
21st September 2009
Plumbers can profit from taking a look at how government intervention helps change the home market, and what effect this can have on their particular industry.
You might have already known about this year's tax credit for first time property purchasers...
15th September 2009
Lots of white collar jobs come with their own "arbitration". You see it everywhere - on contracts for all kinds of social services and everything else. But for trade contractors, arbitration is often just done on the job, and comes down to a simple questi...
14th September 2009
There are a lot of scenarios where plumbers encounter frozen pipes. Every winter, the pipes and condemned buildings, abandoned tenant dwellings, and selectively heated homes may freeze and cause plumbing issues. That's when seasoned plumbers need to use t...
11th September 2009
Yes, we like to talk about the problems with home plumbing projects, random clients with their own weird situations, and one time jobs that went awry. But seriously, there can be huge problems with recurring work situations in a commercial environment or ...
03rd September 2009
Whether you're a plumber called in to address a leaky faucet situation, or a homeowner tackling the job yourself, there are some basic tactics for dealing with compression faucets that can be useful as a general guideline for getting tighter fixtures and ...
31st August 2009
Professionals in any roofing job need to know how to protect themselves from financial liability. One way is to anticipate changes in materials costs and use "escalator clauses" to be able to charge more when the cost of materials increases.
I have don...
30th August 2009
If I wrote a book about plumbing, one chapter would be about the people who are always chattering away right beside you, as you are trying to concentrate on fixing their stuff. This always drove me crazy, but over time, I got better at dealing with it, an...
21st August 2009
In a lot of plumbing situations, the job's not done until the paperwork is prepared. This means that a professional plumber has to be not only a trade service provider but someone who knows how to represent their work on paper.
So maybe you're not the ...
18th August 2009
Some basement drainage situations are just no fun: specific challenges might arise when setting up a sump pump or related configuration. A few basic tips can make this a lot easier and lead to some better thinking on how to install drainage elements.
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11th August 2009
If I wrote a book about roofing, one chapter would be about the hazards of having clients in the way. A lot of roofers get better at dealing with it, but it's always a liability on the job.
We all know that it can be particularly challenging when clien...
07th August 2009
You might think that it's as simple as just calling a roofer every 10 years. Often that's not the case. There are things that get in the way of keeping a roofing good shape, and sometimes, being proactive about these things is in the best interests of the...
07th August 2009
One of the first things you have to do as a roofing manager is to make sure the crew doesn't play around with the tools. No, this is not a given, it's an essential part of the process.
I'm really not kidding. You turn your back for a second, and some o...
05th August 2009
Have you ever wondered how professional roofers do it all? Well, sometimes it's not so easy: more than one project has become a logistical nightmare. Sometimes, it starts at the very beginning when you have to figure out how to get yourself and everything...
04th August 2009
We may be used to seeing a sea of dark colors when we look at a neighborhood from an aerial view, but that may be about to change. Professional roofers should be aware of new trends and be able to explain them to clients when it's time for a new roof.
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