Avoiding Color Variations in Colored Concrete
Change any ingredient or step in the manufacturing process and the color of colored concrete masonry units changes too. The same is true for colored mortar. Change the pigment, cement, sand, amount of...
View ArticleBest Green Practices
The recent and increasing attention being paid to green or sustainable building offers many benefits to the housing industry and homeowners in North Charleston. At the same time, it reinforces and...
View ArticleClay Flues for High-Tech Heaters
More efficient gas furnaces in North Charleston extract more heat from the flue gases before they are vented into the chimney. Although these furnaces conserve fuel, they also cause corrosive...
View ArticleCrew Motivation and Development
Strict behavior and dress codes leave crew members of all ranks in North Charleston with a clear grasp of what it takes to progress higher at McGee Bros, where employees are expected to look like...
View ArticleCustomer Services
After you sell your product, what then? After the sale, service can be one of your most effective lead generators and sales tools or it can be a major problem. How you handle the job — from the...
View ArticleDoors and Windows
In most coastal regions, screens and screen doors are an absolute must to keep out flies and mosquitoes. But they also impede the view; hence, the search for a practical, retractable screen. The...
View ArticleDynami Builder Software
The ability to spec a home online is very important, but what separates Dynami's software in North Charleston from the competition is the close relationship it has with Dynami Mortgage, a captive...
View ArticleEmployee Background
Hiring the right people is a tough job. Every prospective employee works hard to present a fantastic first impression. Someone who doesn't frequently hire can be fooled into hiring the wrong person....
View ArticleEmployee Training
Whether you have one employee or 20, investments in training pay significant rewards. Whatever job an individual holds within your company, the more he or she knows about these topics, the more...
View ArticleEvaluating Cracks
Cracks in masonry in North Charleston can scar a building's architectural appearance. Or they can be the first telltale signs of a potential wall collapse. Thus no crack should go unexamined. For every...
View ArticleFlashed Loadbearing Walls
Every building has its own challenges. Some constraints are more severe than others, such as on this project in North Charleston. The designers were asked to create a visually appealing building with a...
View ArticleHand Tools
In each issue of Tools of The Trade we highlight some of the latest and most innovative tools. This month we focus our attention on hand tools.
View ArticleHandling Clients' Complaints
Even the most efficient companies in North Charleston get complaints. And the complaints you get will tell you a great deal about your organization's flaws and weak spots. On the other hand, a deluge...
View ArticleLandscaping Products
Featuring mechanical joints in North Charleston that eliminate the need for coupling, the channel drains in the Pro Series line are available in 1 meter lengths of channel and 3- and 5-inch kits...
View ArticleMetal Connector Nailers
As building codes address wind-zone construction with extra vigor, more metal hardware is being required to tie buildings together from foundation to ridge than ever before. Framing anchors, ties,...
View ArticleOn Sales Deadline
During the sales presentation, the client mentions that the work must be completed by a certain date. Now what? Since we rely on a manufactured product and don't control delivery times, there's a...
View ArticlePay as You Go
What if you sold a job and arranged financing for your customer, and what if through that financing the customer had the ability to pay the deposit and the balance upon completion? But what if he told...
View ArticlePersonnel System
Personnel systems provide vital support for the most valuable parts of a remodeling company: its employees. A personnel system should define a company's needs, find the best person to fulfill each of...
View ArticlePower Tools
The U.S. tool industry sells more cordless drills/drivers per year than any other power tool. An extremely useful and versatile product, the cordless driver is likely the most popular piece on the...
View ArticleRemodeling Material
Spark Modern Fires aims to change the notion that gas fireplaces can't work in modern settings. The Redding, Conn., company eschews the shapes and materials common in traditional fireplaces, creating...
View ArticleTips for Buying Land
In the spirit of keeping it simple, here are four land position do's and don'ts that may help home builders weather a rapidly changing environment.
View ArticleTooling Exterior Bed Joints
It is difficult to tool horizontal mortar joints in ribbed concrete masonry. Two methods can be used. One is to form wide mortar joints (3/8 inch or slightly larger) so that the mortar can be tooled...
View ArticleTrucking Operation in Masonry Business
A crucial part of any masonry business in North Charleston, the trucking operation should not be overlooked or underfunded. An improperly loaded or poorly maintained truck or trailer poses a serious...
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