Simplify every phase of contracting, while upgrading profitability.

With this unparalleled asset, you won't miss a trick in the contracting business. Codifying Sidney Levy's years of experience as a successful contractor and construction industry consultant, Building Contractor's Checklists and Forms steers you clear of mistakes and takes you step-by-step through an orderly, smoothly flowing process.

You'll save countless hours of digging for information - and your temper. Covering the day-to-day business practices of building contractors, Building Contractor's Checklists and Forms leaves nothing to chance. It's a great time-saver and hassle-eliminator for contractors both small and large.

Building Contractor's Checklists and Forms gives you all the tools you need to:

• Write bulletproof contracts with subcontractors and vendors.
• Select the most competitive subcontractors for your projects.
• Improve the quality of your project.
• Perform construction component inspections with confidence - from site work to mechanical systems.
• Create detailed and effective punch lists quickly.
• Keep track of labor productivity.
• Ensure that your winter conditions costs are all-inclusive.
• Improve your safety record.
• Enjoy the process, from inception to exit.

This comprehensive collection of checklists and forms will improve your on-site and in-office business management, inspection and negotiation techniques, and organizational skills.

All forms and checklists are also available in customizable Word and PDF format from a website.

Contents:
Doing the Demographics; In-House Sales Team; Working with Real Estate Brokers; Plans and Specifications; Marketing Magic; Lot Selection; Finding Financing; Winning More Bids; Employees; Subcontractors; Site Work; Footings and Foundations; Private Sewage Systems; Private Water Systems; Preparing to Build; Framing; Fireplaces and Flues; Siding; Roofing; Windows and Doors; HVAC Systems; Plumbing Systems; Electrical Systems; Insulation; Wall Covering and Ceilings; Interior Doors and Trim; Painting and Staining; Cabinets and Countertops; Flooring; Decks and Porches; Finish Grading and Landscaping; The Punch List.

From the Preface:
We all strive to building the highest quality construction projects and the subject of Quality Control and Quality Assurance always becomes a hot topic. What standards or goals do we anticipate achieving? How do we define quality and, as important, how can we best implement a plan or program to meet these standards or goals?

Well, first of all, let's differentiate between Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA). There is often confusion on the jobsite as to what we mean by these terms and they are sometimes thought to be interchangeable - but they are not. Quality Control is best defined as the standard established during the design of a construction component, assembly, or equipment used in that component or assembly as incorporated in the "contract" plans and specifications. Quality Assurance is the activity taken to "assure" that the quality standards contained in the contract documents have been met.

As an example, let's say the architect, when designing a cast-in-place concrete column, uses as the quality standard they wish to achieve, specifications established by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). ACI has quality standards for cast-in-place and precast concrete. The dimensional tolerances for concrete walls, for example, in their Specification 301,2.1.1.1 is as follows. In lines and surfaces of columns, piers and walls:

• Plumb in any 10 feet +/- 1/4 inch
• Maximum for total height of the structure (taken to be less than 100 ft) +/- 1"

The father of Quality Control was J. Edwards Deming, his philosophy was - that which can be measured can be controlled. In the 1950s, having been brushed aside by the automobile industry in this country, he traveled to Japan hoping to interest the Japanese car makers in ways in which QC could be applied to that industry. His ideas were eagerly embraced by what is now Toyota and Nissan-and the rest is history. His maxim of "what can be measured can be controlled" is just as applicable today as it was 50 years ago.

Another term you'll hear today is Total Quality Control (TQC) which involves not only design and construction, but all other elements of the construction process: training of personnel, shifting the responsibility for detecting defects from inspectors to workers, working with material suppliers to increase the quality of their products, and improving the performance of every department within the construction company's organization.

About the Author:
Sidney M. Levy is an independent construction industry consultant with more than 30 years experience. He is the author of numerous books on construction methods and operations. He received the British Chartered Institute of Building Silver Medal for the third edition of Project Management in Construction, in the Managing Construction category. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Table of Contents:
PREFACE; Section 1: Checklists for Construction Component Field Inspections; Section 2: Checklists for Project Management Functions; Section 3: Checklists for Residential Contractors; Section 4: Subcontractor Interview Form; Section 5: Building Contractor's Comprehensive Checklist; Section 6: Useful Forms for Builders.