Friday, December 29, 2006

Last posting of 2006, Karma and Construction Business


Karma (Sanskrit kárman "act, action, performance"[1]; Pāli kamma) is the concept of "action" or "deed" in Dharmic religions, understood as a term to denote the entire cycle of cause and effect as described in the philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism. All living creatures are responsible for their karma - their actions and the effects of their actions. (Source: Wikipedia)

You may say "What does Karma have anything to do with the construction business?" Very little on the surface. As the matter of fact, many of the readers may dismiss this posting as non-sense. I cannot prove the existence of Karma in life, let along in the construction business. I cannot touch, put my finger on or taste Karma, but I believe in it and I try to live my life and conduct business accordingly.

As the description above indicates, all living creatures are responsible for their karma - their actions and the effects of their actions. Therefore, "it takes two to Karma" in the construction business. Contractors need to follow the law and the rules of business in running their enterprises. They need to realize that remodeling and/or new construction is not just a transaction for the customers, but an emotional investment. For most people, money spend on construction is the biggest sum they will ever spend in any endeavor. Contractors need to understand and nurture their customers.

Contractors also need to believe that what goes around, comes around. Taking advantage of customers, unkept promises, cutting corners will eventually catch up with them in their business or personal life. Approaching customers with an open heart and honesty will help contractors gather positive energy they need for the longevity of their business and their life.

Consumers also have a part to play in the tango of Karma. Due diligence, checking references and licenses are the minimum steps you need to take before hiring a contractor. Afterwards, you need to trust the higher powers and your contractor to do a good job for you. Don't stress over the project unnecessarily, and don't bring about unneeded negative energy. My past experiences showed me that customers who are more relaxed about their projects will experience fewer issues. Contractors are there to handle construction related issues, let them deal with it.

In 2007, I wish all of you a healthy and a happy year. Happy new year.

Murat Aksu
12/29/2006

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Mold/Silverfish issues and how to rescue your shower?



Lately, we have been receiving an increasing amount of phone calls from customers complaining about mold, cracked or loose tile problems in their showers. Our customers are surprised that this is happening to them because their homes are relatively new, 3 to 7 years old.

Unfortunately, we are not at all surprised that our customers' showers are suffering from mold, silver fish, cracked or loose tiles. Here is why:
  1. Most builder built showers have either the 4x4 or the 6x6 builder quality tiles.
  2. These tiles are often tightly installed with the built-on spacer of the tiles.
  3. Lack of space between the tiles means that limited amount of grout can be worked in between the tiles.
  4. Furthermore, most of these tiles are directly installed on dry walls (regular or green) without the use of a vapor barrier layer or other protective materials.
  5. Sealed or not, water eventually penetrates through the grout lines and completely soak up the dry wall behind the tiles.
  6. This causes tiles to come loose, mold and silver fish to grow behind the walls.
Result is an unusable shower that is also a health risk to you and your family. Here is what Environmental Protection Agency writes about mold:

"
Molds produce tiny spores to reproduce. Mold spores waft through the indoor and outdoor air continually. When mold spores land on a damp spot indoors, they may begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on in order to survive. There are molds that can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and foods. When excessive moisture or water accumulates indoors, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or un-addressed. There is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment; the way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture."

Things you should know about mold problem and prevention:

  1. Potential health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposures include allergic reactions, asthma, and other respiratory complaints.

  2. There is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment; the way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture.

  3. If mold is a problem in your home or school, you must clean up the mold and eliminate sources of moisture.
  4. Fix the source of the water problem or leak to prevent mold growth.
  5. Clean mold off hard surfaces with water and detergent, and dry completely. Absorbent materials such as ceiling tiles, that are moldy, may need to be replaced.
  6. Molds can be found almost anywhere; they can grow on virtually any substance, providing moisture is present. There are molds that can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and foods.
Another nuisance found along with mold is Silverfish.

"Silverfish is about 1/2 inch long, with a uniform silvery color over the upper surface. Their bodies are long and slender, flattened. The bodies are broad at the front, and gradually tapering toward the rear.
They can be found almost anywhere, but prefer damp, moderate temperature places such as basements, laundry rooms, and under sinks.

  • Silverfish prefer a dark, moist environment and require a large supply of starchy foods or molds.
  • Silverfish are considered to be nuisance pests that can feed on wallpaper pastes, natural textiles, books, and papers.
  • Silverfish also feed on mold or fungi that can grow on various surfaces.
  • They are fast-moving and can travel throughout buildings.
  • Silverfish can damage book bindings, wallpaper, paper goods and dry foods. They may eat holes, irregular shaped in the wallpaper to get to the paste.
  • They may leave a yellowish stain on fabric."
Source: http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/silverfish.htm

As described above from official resources, mold and silverfish problem have serious health effects and require the elimination of sources for moisture. A1A Contractors have been eliminating the moisture problem by using a protective membrane layer between tiles and dry walls in the shower and bathroom areas.

Our choice for this protective layer is a product offered by Schluter Shower Systems.

This system completely seals off the walls and prevents any moisture from damaging the dry walls. This prevents mold and silver fish growth as well as preventing tiles from becoming loose and separated. Schluter Shower Systems is not the only product line available in the market, but it is one of the most advanced technologies for your shower and bath areas.

The idea is to eliminate the source of moisture to save your health and your shower.

Murat Aksu
A1A Contractors
December 26th, 2006

Should consumers act as their own General Contractor?

Remodeling or building a house is one of the biggest investments a person makes in his or her lifetime. Acting as a general contractor in one of the most important investments of a lifetime is similar to managing your own retirement investments in the stock and bond markets. Some of us do a good job and some lose their shirt and mind in the process.

Before taking the big step of acting as a general contractor, consumers should consider few issues and risks associated with this task. Let's first look at the definition of a general contractor:

"One who contracts for the construction of an entire building or project, rather than for a portion of the work. The general contractor hires subcontractors, such as plumbing contractors, electrical contractors, etc., coordinates all work, and is responsible for payment to the said subcontractors."
Source: www.titleguarantynm.com

As the description above implies, the general contractor is the ultimate authority and the responsible party in any construction project. Based on this description, there are important factors that a consumer who would like to be their own "General Contractor" should be prepared to handle:
  1. Qualifying, negotiating, hiring and managing of subcontractors
    • Good subcontractors are often very busy and very hard to secure.
    • Most consumers are not experienced in construction business and do not know the market rates.
    • Managing independent contractors is an art form.
    • All of the above requires tremendous time and effort from a home owner acting as a general contractor.
  2. Coordinating multiple subcontractors
    • Coordination of subcontractors requires knowledge of construction business and building codes.
    • Construction is often a series of sequential tasks requiring good timing and scheduling skills (and availability on behalf of subcontractors).
    • Most consumers do not know enough about state building codes and construction business to be able to create a workable schedule for subcontractors.
  3. Permits, Insurance, Liability and Risk
    • When a consumer acts as the general contractor, State requires him/her to obtain a construction permit for the project.
    • With the permit comes the liability for all persons coming into your property.
    • This means that if a worker becomes injured while working on your property, you will now be liable for the workman's compensation of that person.
    • You may also be exposed to other risks associated with law suits involving employees and their employers (subcontractors).
    • Finally, as the general contractor, you will be the ultimate authority and responsible party for all aspects of the project and the finished work. If you do not like the finished project, you just have to learn to live with it.
The question then becomes, "Can you do it?" The answer can be found within you. Do you have the time, experience and the patience to manage multiple subcontractors for your project? Are you adequately insured to manage the risk of working with 3rd parties? If you answer "No" to anyone of the questions above, you should then employ a reputable General Contractor to do the job for you. Otherwise, trust yourself and your abilities to get the job done.

Murat Aksu
December 26th, 2006

Monday, December 25, 2006

Are there different types of contractors?

"Are you a licensed contractor?" This is a question that I often get asked by my customers during our initial meeting, and that's a good thing. It shows me that consumers in the State of Virginia are getting smarter about hiring State licensed contractors. However, often Consumer's knowledge or due diligence stops at that point. In this brief posting, I would like to enhance consumer's understanding of different types of contractor licenses offered in the State of Virginia.

State of Virginia offers 3 different types of contractor licenses; class A, B and C. Let's start with the lowest level license, C. This class of license is the entry level to construction business as a contractor. State of Virginia does not require holders of class C licenses to take a qualification exam. Instead candidates are obligated to attend a 8 hour long class offered by a state authorized trainer. This is the same class that candidates for all class type license must attend, including A and B. The class generally covers various topics at a high level including legal, business and some local building code. Once the candidates for class C license attend and complete the class, they are qualified to become State certified contractors. Their licenses remain valid for the duration of 24 months. This type of license comes with certain limitations, most importantly project size and annual business volume. C class license owners are limited to work on projects that are under $7,500 per contract and less than $150,000 per annum.

The next level up is class B type contractor license. Apart from attending the mandatory class, candidates must also pass 2 exams in order to qualify for this classification. The exam is designed to test the business, legal and some construction code knowledge of the candidates. The monetary limitations for this class are less than $120,000 per project and less than $750,000 per annum.

The final level is called class A type contractor's license. The holders of this license are required to take the same 2 exams as the class B license holders, and an additional exam that generally tests their understanding of finances and running a business. State does not place any monetary limitations tby projects as well the total volume of annual business for these license holders.

Most counties and cities started to require a "Builder" license for any construction projects involving new construction as well as additions. This classification requires an additional exam that tests the knowledge of candidates on topics such as reading a blue print, state construction codes and safety. Holders of both class A and B licenses can qualify to become "Builder" provided they obey by monetary limitations imposed upon their licenses by the State.

You may say, "What if I have a project that is less than $1,000 per single contract?" In that case, State does not require companies to be licensed for any class of contractor. So you can use your friend from church, work or school for small projects costing less than $1,000 without having to verify if they are state licensed.

I hope this posting will help you understand the different type classes of State contractor licenses. Make sure that your contractor and the sub contractors employed by him/her are State licensed. Verify their licenses by visiting the following URL and clicking on License Lookup:

http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/servicesconsumers.cfm

Murat Aksu
December 25th, 2006


Saturday, December 23, 2006

Consumer Protection against Contractor Fraud in Virginia

I decided to write about this topic after I found out about one of my customer's terrible experience with a shady construction contractor in the Ashburn, Virginia. This posting is a brief introduction to how my company does business and also very valuable information about consumer protection laws in Virginia that anyone thinking about hiring a contractor should know.

My customer contacted my company A1A Contractors for their kitchen back splash project. Their kitchen was beautifully remodeled with French Country style cabinets, granite top and olive green wall paint. They asked for a grid and diagonal backsplash with accent pieces to match.

This very busy husband and wife team found it hard to go and select tile samples for this project. I decided to help them out by selecting samples from Conestoga Tile and Dal Tile company stores around Ashburn, VA and delivering them to their home. Once they selected the tiles, I ordered them and passed on the contractor discount (20%) to my customer. The construction phase lasted about 5 hours (we worked while they were at work) and after the final clean up we left the house. At about 6:30PM that night, my customer (the wife) called me and invited me back to give me the final payment for the project. She was so excited and said that she could not believe how beautiful the backsplash looked in her kitchen. (Pictures)

I went over to their house to collect the final payment. As the customer was writing the check he told me about how happy they were about doing business with my company. They proceeded to tell me that a contractor they found through Contractor.com took $2,500 of their money and disappeared without finishing their kitchen remodeling project. They then turned to me and said "Would you be offended if we added an additional $65 to the final payment because we are so happy with you?" I was very happy, but very saddened about their past negative experience.

Unbeknown to many consumers, many states like Virginia have passed Consumer Protection Acts against shady contractors. Furthermore, there are Monetary Funds set up to help consumers recover all or part of their expenses including legal fees. In the State of Virginia, the act is called Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Act. This act provides and avenue by consumers to file complaints against shady contractors licensed by the State of Virginia Board of Contractors.

If the Board finds that the consumer has be wronged, he and she (family members can claim individually against a contractor) can recover all or portion of their investment from the Transaction Recovery Fund (
The maximum claim of one claimant against the Fund based upon an unpaid judgment arising out of the improper or dishonest conduct of one regulant in connection with a single transaction involving contracting, is limited to $20,000, regardless of the amount of the unpaid judgment of the claimant.)

The reason why I want to write about my customer's experience good and bad experience with Construction Contractors is as follows:
  1. Just like in life, there are good and bad people involved in the construction business.
  2. As a consumer, you should know your rights and select reputable contractors.
  3. Contractors need to educate consumers about their rights in order to weed out shady characters out of this business.
Consumer protection is only good if it is used.

Murat Aksu
12/23/2006