Lead Carpenter System

Calculating Capacity in Production with Chris Peterson – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E16

February 26, 2024 0:41:23

Determining the right amount of work for a company can be a challenging task. The industry has tried to define it, but each company has different budgets and employees who may not work at the same pace. Additionally, the completeness of job packets or job information provided by sales/designers can vary greatly in any company. One employee may be more thorough than another. So, what’s the solution? In today’s discussion, Chris Peterson will talk about how Schloegel Design Remodel measures its capacity.

Chris Peterson, MCR, CRPM, CLC, is a Co-Owner of Schloegel Design Remodel. The award-winning Kansas City-based design-build firm focuses on creating the ultimate client experience during every project. Chris started his career as a craftsman and continued to climb the ranks with his attention to detail, management skills, and love of the industry. Chris has served as president of NARI Kansas City, actively participates in Remodelers Advantage, and persistently advocates for industry growth through NARI’s Future Fund program. Another of Chris’s greatest passions is BBQ! He actively competes in Kansas City competitions and has brought several awards home. He loves to spend time with his wife and two daughters, as well as his 16-month-old granddaughter.

Chris, Tim, and Greg talk more about:

What is VPW
Any pushback from the team
How to track the information
And more…

Capacity Beyond Demand with Chris Fox – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E14

February 12, 2024 0:42:48

On today’s episode of The Tim Faller Show, Chris Fox is joining us as the guest to talk about the concept of Capacity Beyond Demand. In order to maintain a good budget and client experience, it is important to determine the capacity of each department, as having an over-capacity department can lead to a decrease in both. Chris Fox will explain how his company, Fox Home Innovations, uses this approach and its positive impact on the business.

Chris Fox owns Fox Home Innovations, LLC, located in Manhattan, KS. Chris founded the company in 2009 and currently manages the Sales Department. He and the rest of our Leadership Team want to hit their big goal of 90% self-performed Revenue by 2026.

Chris, Tim, and Greg talk more about:

What are the benefits for a business (owner) to have this as a principle of practice?
Is there any way to measure capacity?
And more…

Change Orders: Getting the Coding Right with Trevor Robertson – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E7

November 20, 2023 0:31:17

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, we welcome Trevor Robertson from Innovative Design Build, who will talk about how he uses change orders and how they are coded for cost accounting. Trevor is the Project Manager who oversees the process and communicates the changes with the accounting team. He will also discuss how he handles errors in the change orders.

Trevor Robertson is the Project Manager at Innovative Design Build located in Atlanta, Georgia. From a young age, Trevor enjoyed building, fixing, and creating. As he grew up, he realized just how powerful being able to turn a concept or idea into something tangible is. With years of experience under his belt, he joined Innovative Design Build in 2018, where he is still working today. His professional superpower is planning, then replanning when the plan changes!

Trevor, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

How do you code materials, labor, etc.
How are change orders created and entered into the system?
What are the results of this process?
And more…

The Value of Purchase Orders with Ian Schwandt – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E6

November 13, 2023 0:35:07

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve are joined by Ian Schwandt to discuss the importance of purchase orders. Although purchase orders have been in use for a long time and are widely used in commercial construction, they are now being increasingly utilized in residential construction as well. Ian sheds light on how TDS Custom Construction implements their purchase orders and how they have helped improve the financials of TDS Custom Construction as well as the production staff.

Ian is the Production Manager for TDS Custom Construction in Madison, WI. After starting at TDS as a part-time Estimator in 2020, he moved to full-time in 2021 after getting his new home built to the “done for now” stage. Ian moved to the Production Manager role in 2022 with the focus on developing department-wide financial literacy. Ian is also a Contributing Editor and podcast host for Fine Homebuilding Magazine and a frequent contributor to JLC Magazine.

Ian, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

Obstacles and challenges of using purchase orders.
Why did TDS start using purchase orders?
And more…

Gross Profit per Day with Dan Purnell – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E1

October 9, 2023 0:34:37

Today, the Tim Faller Show welcomes Dan Purnell as a guest. Dan will be discussing how his team at Alloy Workshop utilizes GP/Day. He explains what GP is and how Alloy Workshop uses it as a measuring tool. Moreover, Dan differentiates GP/Day from other metrics and its impact on the department.

Dan Purnell is a Project Developer at Alloy Workshop located in Charlottesville, VA, and is a member of the Production Manager’s Roundtables. It was established in 2011 when Dan Zimmerman (AR) and Zach Snider (GC) decided to form Alloy Workshop as a design/build company in Charlottesville. Since taking the project manager role, the company has seen a turnaround. Alloy was previously seeing project duration slippage and GM slippage on all of our projects. Dan and the Alloy team really focused on creating a very comprehensive pre-production process, so all selections, purchasing, etc., are complete prior to mobilization. This has slowed much better performance as it relates to schedule and GM% slippage. Dan and his team also reduced to an average of 2% GM slippage and getting grippage on our project duration now. This shift leads them to look at different metrics to track profitability and how that can help us make business decisions.

Dan, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

What difference does GP/Day make?
Any dangers with GP/Day?
And more…

The Art of Estimating with Geno Arroyo – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

September 25, 2023 0:43:02

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Geno Arroyo joins the show to discuss successful estimating. Geno goes through his process as an estimator for each project from start to finish. Suppose you want a more in-depth breakdown of his methods, including getting labor costs right, then you must attend Remodelers Advantage’s Art of Estimating masterclass.

Geno Arroyo is the Estimator for Fox Home Innovations, LLC, in Manhattan, KS. Geno has had the privilege of being a part of the Fox Home family for over three years. When he started with the company, he was a Lead Carpenter, then transitioned from the field to the estimator role. The most significant accomplishment Geno can think of during his time is developing and implementing an actual estimator role within the company and having a role to play in getting our overall company slip and grip to 0.87%.

Geno, Tim, and Steve talk more about…

The creation of the estimator position and the results
Phases of work for an estimator
Budget meetings with the estimator
And more…

When Construction Meets Technology with Eric Fortenberry – [The Tim Faller Show] S4 E21

September 11, 2023 0:44:07

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve talk to Eric Fortenberry, the Founder, and CEO of JobTread Software. While working as a CEO for a General Contracting company, Eric built the first version of JobTread due to the broken processes at the company. Eric gives insights on how he turned the company around using data from the first version of JobTread. Eric also discusses how JobTread differs from other software applications on the market.

Eric Fortenberry is a passionate entrepreneur who founded JobTread, a construction estimating and project management software company, in 2019 after serving as CEO for a General Contracting company where he built the first version of JobTread to help streamline and remedy their broken processes. JobTread has grown to help thousands of builders and contractors sell and manage over $1 billion in construction jobs and has been recognized as a Top 100 Product by ProRemodeler for the past two years.

Eric has been named to Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30 List of the World’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs under the age of 30 and received awards at the White House and United Nations after being named to the Empact 100 List, showcasing the Best Companies Started and Run by Young Entrepreneurs. JobTread is located in Dallas, TX, and has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Dallas Business Journal.

Tim, Steve, and Eric talk more about:

Job costing and estimating
The creation of JobTread
JobTread’s long-term plan
And more…

Contracts for Contractors with Nisreen Hasib – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

August 14, 2023 0:44:22

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Nisreen Hasib joins the show to discuss contracts for contractors. Nisreen discusses the importance of having contracts and some of the important items to put into those contracts. She also gives examples of bad and good contracts she has seen over the years and how they impacted the project. Nisreen also talks about revisiting contracts to stay up to date with state and national regulations.

Nisreen Hasib is the founder and CEO of Basil. Basil makes it easy for builders, remodelers, and general contractors to generate the documents they need at the click of a button. She is based out of New York. Prior to starting Basil, Nisreen was a labor and employment attorney and an executive at different venture-backed companies based in New York. Nisreen started Basil in 2022 after finishing her first remodeling project in the Catskills. She saw that a lot of contractors were using out-of-date contracts or contracts that had not been appropriately drafted, leaving them vulnerable to legal liability.

Nisreen, Tim, and Steve talk more about…

Do the contracts get more complex the more expensive the project is?
Reframing contracts
And more…

Design and Production: What Happens When the Job Starts? with Morgan Thomas and Candice Rania – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

August 7, 2023 0:38:22

Candice Rania and Morgan Thomas rejoin the Tim Faller Show for a follow-up from their last episode, Design and Production: Can we really get along? In this episode, Candice Rania and Morgan Thomas join the show to discuss what happens once the job is started. They discuss challenges at the job site, whether it is unforeseen circumstances or supply chain delays. Candice and Morgan discuss how they resolve these challenges with the communication between the design and the production teams during the job.

Morgan Thomas started at Leff Design Build in Sonoma County, California 5 years ago as a project manager and was then promoted to her current role as the production department manager. She is excited and proud of her team’s input to the project’s budget, which she thinks has created an improved sense of ownership among her coworkers. Candice Rania is the President of Leff Design Build and works closely with Morgan.

Tim, Steve, Morgan, and Candice talk more about:

How the production team helps with client experience
Connection between design and production during construction
Limiting slippage
Design’s impact on change orders
And more…

The Tricks of a Lead Carpenter with Doug Horgan – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

July 10, 2023 0:44:29

Tim and Steve welcome Doug Horgan to the show to discuss the role of a lead carpenter. Doug talks about his responsibilities, including research, being an internal “help desk,” managing people internally and externally. He also manages scheduling and explains the meaning behind the saying “make ready planning” and why it’s essential for a lead carpenter.

Doug Horgan is Vice President–Best Practices at BOWA, the Washington DC area’s premier custom and remodeling builder. In this training, quality, and troubleshooting role, Doug’s goal is reducing construction defects through sharing knowledge. Doug’s thirty years of tools-on carpentry, warranty troubleshooting, and instruction experience, are the foundations for visually rich presentations on how to build properly and avoid construction problems.

Tim, Steve, and Doug talk more about

Having an organized job site
Client relations and communication
Advice for a lead carpenter
And more…