2010 Blog Topic Index

Trivia Loosely Related to this photo--

Danny Bonaduce lived up the street from us when we lived in Woodland Hills, CA in the 1960's and early 1970's - Danny and I built a fort together in a tree on Mulholland Drive across from San Feliciano Blvd. You could probably say I was the contractor (I found the wood and did most of the work)-- Danny was more the developer (he convinced me we wouldn't get in trouble building the fort in a tree that was on someone else's property).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And A Partridge In A Pear Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the spirit of the season, here are the topics and associated lists (that may or may not be accompanied by music) from my blogs this year-- I hope this is useful--

April

• Project Success (7 Project Tips)


• Join-To (4 Details that Determine Quality)

May

• As-Planned vs. Luck (5 Parts of a Plan)


• Done? (Smoldering vs Dead Out)


• Clean Up (Part of the Process)

June

• Scope, Then Price (5 Scope Clarifiers)


• Right Tool for the Job (Rube Goldberg)

July

• Hit It On The Head (Focus and 5 Process Improvement Ideas)

August

• Put Your Energy To Use (Natural Tendency)

September

• Customers Count (3 Steps to Amazon Order Management & 5 Ways to Improve Commitments)

October

• Pre-Building (5 Lessons from Revolution-Era Pre-Fab & 6 Pre-Build Considerations)

November

• Say What? (5 "Hearing" Tips, 5 More "Get-it?" To-Do's and 3 Levels of "Knowing")

Wow, time flies when you're pontificating about stuff most people may know, but forget----

I look forward to more in 2011--

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Say What? - Part 1

Did You Get It?

When something is really important, when you absolutely have to be sure - like confirming the time a crucial product will be delivered to your project - what do you do? Think about it . . . What are you willing to risk if you miss the deadline?

We tend to treat communication about things that are really critical differently than just casual conversation. Where we get into trouble is when one of the parties communicating doesn't THINK it is important at the time (or if they are intentionally trying to be vague).

One of my favorite examples of someone forcing clarity in an important conversation is in the movie "The Specialist" where the mafia boss - Joe Leon, played by Rod Steiger, tells his son - Thomas Leon, played by Eric Roberts-- to agree to stay out of a business matter:

"I no hear you say OK - OK?"


After trying to avoid the question, Thomas finally responds:


"OK"---

Not quite the same ring as the Godfather's "Make him an offer he can't refuse", but the same intended severity. Mafia movies tend to show very serious repercussions for not following the directives of the "Boss" - ultimate accountability.

------In real life, we have to find other ways to get buy-in and hold people accountable.

Listen Carefully

If you have ever played the campfire game (or for my daughter, after-dinner-table game) "Telephone", where one person whispers a phrase into the ear of another and they pass it to the next, etc, --you know that the message gets pretty garbled by the time it gets to the end - to humorous effect. Unless you're trying to keep yourselves entertained, mixed-up messages aren't very useful.

An often-underappreciated part of effective communication, is to make sure you are hearing what is being communicated to you:

1. What was the intent of the message?
2. What words did they use?
3. What were the critical details?
4. Was anything repeated or emphasized?
5. Was there any particular emotion or sense of urgency?

I have found it's a good idea to repeat-back what you thought you heard - give the other person a chance to clarify or correct their message.

Many times delivery or tone is crucial to how you respond-- Quiet, low tone, casual and loosely chosen words, make it harder to read urgency and importance (if that is the underlying intent).

We all respond to orders barked at us, regardless of whether they are well-thought-out, or if there is any real urgency behind them. Unfortunately, it's up to you - if you are trying to writhe a directive out of a poorly delivered message.

Come On, Really?

I hate to bring it up, but sometimes people say things because they expect that is what you want to hear from them, or they feel like something has to be said and no one can check at the time whether the statement is reasonable or not - hence the throw-away "Two weeks" promises from The Money-Pit contractor.

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Here is a list of things you can do to help make sure you get the message (no particular order):
  
• Watch Body Language - Check out the Fox TV show "Lie To Me"
• Confirm the Message - Does the message make sense with what you know, or can you compare it to what you know? - Reasonableness check
• Summarize the Basics - What are the 3 to 5 most important points the person is trying to get across to you?
• Memorize the Message - If you had to repeat the message back or tell someone else the message you recieved, could you do it?
• The Whole Thing - Got it? - Got it!

I believe there are 3 general levels of "knowing" or understanding a message:

1. Recognition - You know it when you see it.
2. Regurgitation - You can repeat it back as it was told or taught.
3. Reapplication - You can use it or teach it in a different form than you recieved it.

Following on this, the best communication occurs when the deepest level of understanding is achieved. Finding a way to make the message you heard your own, is the first step-----

The other end of the effective-communication process is what YOUR message is (and WHY they should follow or buy-in) - but that is a topic for another blog.


Related Sources
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins

Unrelated Trivia
United States President S. Grover Cleveland (22 & 24) won the popular vote in 3 separate presidential elections, however, he lost the electorial vote to the 23rd US President, Benjamin Harrison. Benjamin's grandfather, William Henry Harrison (9th US President), had the dubious distinction of holding office for the shortest period of any US President in history (30 days), since he died due to contracting pneumonia from giving the longest presidential inauguration speech in history, in the rain.

Like Benjamin's grandfather, it also rained on his inauguration day, but #23 was no fool, he made sure his speech was short, and he got S. Grover Cleveland to hold his umbrella (the big guy left of center holding a top hat is 22/24). Inauguration photo.

The "S." stands for Stephen ---there's the real trivia for you - a US President whose first name is Steve :) --

Pre-Building The Job

Bodacious Plan

On the evening of March 5th, 1776, General George Washington and his rag-tag army of 2,000 volunteers completed staging what would turn out to be one of the most important early victories of the American Revolution-- Colonel Henry Knox had successfully transported 59 canon and ordnance 300 miles from the vacant Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, and the rebels prepared the first large-scale prefabrication in US history. That evening they moved the canon, barrels filled with sand and stone (to be used as breastworks, or to be rolled down the hill on charging Red-Coats, if it came to that . . . ), and facines (bundles of branches or logs) - creating the effect of a fortified wall atop the ridge of Dorchester Heights, overlooking Boston and the British ships in Boston harbor.

General William Howe - commander of the British forces occupying Boston at the time, is reported to have remarked when he saw the fortifications the next morning-- "The Rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month" -- The result of this effort was that the 11,000 occupying troops and 1,000 loyalists fled Boston to Nova Scotia - without a shot being fired--

Isn't It Great When A Plan Comes Together?

A lot of coincidences contributed to the success of the efforts of Washington, Knox and the Rebels-- In the end, it helped convince the British that the Americans were serious about Independence (It took another 5 years to actually achieve that goal . . . ). The fact that they had a vision, a plan and buy-in by all the participants set up the whole effort at Dorchester Heights to even have a chance to succeed.

5 Lessons from the Fortification of Dorchester Heights:

1. First Get All the Materials - Without the canon, gunpowder, ordnance, barrels/birch trees, the Rebels couldn't have even started work on the fortifications.
2. Stage Assemblies (then transport into position) - They couldn't have built the fortifications in place without risking attack. Building the facines and gabions down the hill (out of sight) and moving them into place at night was the only chance they had.
3. Plan Logistics (address site considerations) - The Rebels used straw to deaden the sound of the wagon wheels transporting the pre-fabricated fortifications and canon, to avoid calling attention to the movements.
4. Use Weather to Best Advantage (often a judgement call) - General Howe had considered retaliating, but a snowstorm dampened his confidence, and the decision was made to completely evacuate, including all ships from the Boston harbor.
5. Be Ready With Contingency Plans - Washington expected retaliation, and had planned escape routes that would have been difficult for the British to follow. The fortifications were designed as both blockades, and if worse came to worse, they could be used as weapons.

How 'bout Them Forefathers?

Thinking through how you plan to build something is as critical as the construction effort itself. The goals for any construction project should include minimizing time and resources, without anyone getting hurt--

Here is a list of 6 "Pre- Build" Considerations:

1. How Can the Project Be Accomplished Safely? - Everyone Goes Home Unhurt
2. What is the Optimal Sequence of Activities? - Critical Path
3. What Materials or Processes are Similar? - Economies of Stacking, etc.
4. Which Parts are Standard? - Can More Parts Be Standardized?
5. What Adjacencies Need to Be Considered? - Restrictions, Services, Exit Plan
6. Does Any Aspect of the project lend itself to Pre-Fabrication & Transport to Site?

Prefabrication or Modularized Assembly may not be an option for all situations, but considering aspects or portions of the project for Pre-Fab may drive better work/assembly patterns and solutions.

Related Trivia:

George Washington went on to win the revolutionary war, defeating the strongest, best-equipped, best-trained military machine in the world at the time, through leading ordinary men to extraordinary accomplishments - by sheer perseverance and belief in the goal of independence.

More information on George Washington:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

Henry Knox went on to be Washington's first Secretary of War, found the Society of the Cincinnati (an organization of American Military officers), and Fort Knox and Knoxville, Tennessee were named in his honor.

More information on Henry Knox:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Knox

Recommended Books:

"1776" by David McCullough

http://www.amazon.com/1776-Illustrated-David-McCullough/dp/1416542108/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286766801&sr=1-2

Customers Count - And You Should Too

Do It Now

Ever go to a restaurant that has great food, but the waitperson seems to be always working on another table, or focused on something besides serving you? And other times you may have been to a restaurant where the food is just OK, but the service is so good that it makes up for it-- Have you had those experiences? And which waiter got the bigger tip?

Customer Service is often a function of the level of attention and energy that is paid to the customer--

How many times, when someone asks us for something, do we add the item to the list of things we are currently working on, while the person asking expected action immediately? My wife will tell you it happens with us all the time. It isn't that we aren't working hard, we just aren't being responsive in the eyes of the asking party.

Can we agree that your "customer" is anyone who asks for something you provide, whether there is direct compensation, or simply a promise?


No objection? Then we'll continue . . . .

The details, from the point of the agreement on, are a matter of prior negotiation-- There is an expectation that the customer will rely on. The trick is to clarify the expectation such that the promise is reasonably achievable in the time frame, for the consideration (money, respect, appreciation, etc.). If there is no agreement, then there is no sale - implied or otherwise.

If Not Now, When?

Time management gurus will argue that it isn't reasonable to stop what you are doing to respond to every request - and most times, they would be right. Just not in the eyes of the customer---Customer requests don't need to be rational-- especially if the customer thinks they paid for, or otherwise deserve the prompt response. The best response would be to proactively manage the customer request - here are a few suggestions:

1. Define the Objective - Use a "go-by" or common standard that works for you ("is something like X okay?")
2. Agree on a Time frame - Make sure it is achievable (or better yet, beatable)
3. Confirm & Follow Up - Do it like Amazon.com does and you will be a hero

Sales trainer Jeffery Gitomer (If you aren't familiar with him, click on this immediately http://www.gitomer.com/ and get caught up - haven't you heard? EVERYBODY SELLS--- if you don't believe it, your competition does and is doing it---) will tell you that simply satisfied customers aren't what you really want - they can be raided by your competition using any number of incidental ploys - you want RAVING FANS.

OK, so how do I get one?

Through Trust

Trust is earned over time, by consistently delivering on promises, and it is earned most successfully by doing something so spectacular that the customer will "never forget" you, and what you did for them. Examples include saving their job, helping them win a client (or almost better, saving them from losing a client), achieving goals they didn't expect, and the list goes on . . . . they could count on you - without specifically telling you what to do. This requires a higher level of thought and effort than just being responsive. It involves thinking ahead as to what the customer needs in the future will be, and delivering on a higher level than the expectation.

Promises, Promises

With projects-- especially large projects-- the commitment that establishes the expectation of a successful outcome is made up of multiple promises, made to many people, every day, for the life of the project. Commitments you make to your customers depend on promises made to you. A babysitter who fails in her promise to be on time, makes you late, which can ruin a whole evening of promises made to friends, etc. I know a superintendent who just won't let an unreasonable commitment stand -- "Tell me exactly how you are going to finish when you say" and "What time can I count on you Friday morning? I will call you ahead of time to make sure, and I will meet you", etc.---Some people are better at making good on their pledges than others -- just as some are more willing to accept "loose promises" from friends or coworkers than others. Why is that?

What Counts?

Accountability is taking responsibility for actions - some recourse for failed actions can be severe. Short of punishment, simply keeping track of how the people you are working with meet their commitments will show how accountable they are. For example, a person makes 5 commitments -- from when they will be at a meeting, to how many people they will bring, to when they will start work, how long they will work and when they will finish that day-- at the end of the day, you will have a good initial sampling of how accountable they are. If they did everything as they said they would, they would have a score of 5/5 - not yet complete trust, but a good start showing a routine of successful commitment. A lesser score would need attention and a score less than say 2/5 might be a sign that you can't count on this team member at all, without significant attitude adjustment and focus on meeting & beating commitments (every one of them - no matter how small).


















As TV's Dr. House would say: "People lie." - Try not to let people lie to you, especially when they don't mean to. A loose commitment to you, passed along to someone else by you - when unmet, becomes a reflection on you (almost like it became "your lie").

5 Ways to Improve Achieving Commitments:

1. Measure Accountability - Regularly share them with the team (friendly competition will force improvement).
2. Make Sure Promises are Reasonable - How Many/How Much/When (how do they compare to historical quantitative information).
3. Examine Risky Commitments - Why is the case special, what extra efforts will be taken to ensure success?
4. Communicate Sensitive Variables - What is outside of control? What would cause the commitments to be missed? What measures are being taken to try to manage the unknowns?
5. Work as Team - Everyone works together to make sure all commitments are met.

Working to gain trust and confidence of customers to choose us to be partners on their project teams is what many of us do every day - responding to customers internally and externally.

Same-Day-Service has been a beacon of aggressive advance promise for years in many industries. For some tasks it is too long, for many in the Design and Construction industry it is too short. But, for most everyday tasks, it seems to be a balance between the customers' need for immediate response and the need to be efficient with your time.

Maybe try responding to customers with "Same-Day-Service" for a few weeks and see what kind of response you get in return. You may find new unexpected rewards in the form of added trust and confidence building among your team--

Trivia:





Salmon P. Chase - US Treasury Secretary under President Lincoln, used "faith and promise" of the US Government to raise money, starting the first US paper currency, to finance and win the Civil War. He also was instrumental in adding "In God We Trust" to US currency. His successes earned him a spot on the $10,000 bill (no longer in circulation). He was one of only three statesmen featured on US paper currency who did not serve as US Presidents - the others being Alexander Hamilton ($10) and Benjamin Franklin ($100). The middle initial stands for Portland-- More info on S. P. Chase: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_P._Chase

Put Your Energy to its Best Use

The Tree Is Gonna Fall

This summer in Maine a 60-foot-tall pine tree whose base had rotted, partially fell perilously close to the cabin my wife and I were staying in - it didn't fall all the way down (which was good). It got hung up in the upper limbs of two adjacent trees at an angle between 60 and 70 degrees to the ground (if 12 o'clock is 90 degrees straight up - about 1:00). The tree branches holding it up were cracking about every 30 minutes or so - without intervention, the tree's natural path was going to be to fall on the roof and cause lots of damage (Google "cutting down a tree the wrong way" and you will find many humorous videos of what might have happened . . ).

Just So You Know - We Survived . . .

Well, we tried to shove it over, push it over with a ladder, climb on the roof - tie a rope as high up as we could and pull it over --- No good. So, a wise friend who came over to help stepped in and said quietly, "You're trying too hard." He went to his truck, got out a pulley, a yellow nylon strap and a rope with a hook on one end. In about 20 minutes, we strapped the pulley to a tree about 25ft back, tied the base of the tree with the hook to the rope, and looped the other end through the pulley and back to one of the hooks on the front of his truck. Again he said quietly, "You're gonna want to step back." He backed up and the base was pulled back from the front of the cabin, the top fell away and the tree fell down with a boom - safely away from the cabin (and any people) ---

Timmmmberrrrrr!!!!!

Two things: 1. When you know what you're doing, the flow of work goes easier and faster (including set-up and clean-up) - sometimes it pays to have someone around who knows where the stones are in the stream. And 2. Mechanical advantage is a beautiful thing to watch in action. If you want to make things easier for yourself in the woods, on a lake, at home or on a project - consider using pulleys. Each pulley, properly sequenced, significantly reduces the amount of effort needed to pull or lift a load.

Natural Tendency is a very important aspect to consider in solving a problem, or pursuing any goal or endeavor - Which way is the river running? Which way is the traffic flowing? What force is pulling?-- and, in what direction?

I believe that thinking through what is driving an issue, a problem, a point of view or a process (natural or man-made) - will lead most often to the solution or resolution. A person's incentives and strengths will usually determine their most likely actions. If you have a list of activities to do and you're going to get rewarded for one of them, you tend to do that first. Similarly, if you are good at some activity, the natural tendency is to do that first and leave the stuff you don't like to do until later - it's human nature. Keeping this in mind can prove very useful in project assignments with a team, relationship building and in negotiations.

Stomach Grumbling or Losing Track of Time?

There is a lot written about the concept of behavioral tendencies, with one area being Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (diagram below) - where the bottom of the triangle is self-preservation, leading to the top which is self-actualization.

According to Maslow, the level at which a person stands on this diagram will determine to large degree how they will behave. The specific levels are not as widely accepted as the concept of behavior being directed by what's on a person's subconscious mind--

So You Know the Motivation - Then What?

Jujutsu or Jiu-Jitsu is a Japanese martial art style based on the the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it. In translation, Jujutsu means "way of yielding". Jujutsu techniques redirect physical motion to gain advantage. Stopping motion takes a lot more energy than redirecting it. Finding ways to use the other person's passion and energy as part of the solution leads to win-win successes. Identifying incentives and strengths (or pulling and pushing forces), defining wants/needs and expectations, will set you up for what is coming at you - Then, adeptness at using virtual leverage, mechanical advantage, or Jujutsu in issue resolution will determine how you handle it--

Next time you find yourself stuck in a seemingly insurmountable problem - step back and consider the Natural Tendency - maybe you are trying too hard.

Related Information on the Web:

Rescuing a Canoe Caught In Rapids:

http://www.brrr.ws/docs/Boat_Rescue_Haul_Systems.htm

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs further discussed:

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html

Jiu-Jitsu Demonstration In Los Angeles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHINjQh8e-U&feature=related

Recommended Books:

Flow - Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csikszentmihalyi/dp/0060920432

Now, Discover Your Strengths - by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

http://www.amazon.com/Discover-Your-Strengths-Marcus-Buckingham/dp/0743201140

And, a Comic:

Hit It On The Head

Take A Shot

When I was a freshman at Michigan, I lived across the hall in the dorm from Mike McGee, who was at the time one of the most promising high school basketball recruits in the country - even more so than Earvin "Magic" Johnson who was a freshman at Michigan State. I remember watching Mike on TV in a game at halftime, when a reporter asked him what he was going to do in the second half to secure the win, Mike said: "I'm gonna work a little on the 'O' and a little on the 'D' . . . " -- thanks for that insight Mike, back to you in the booth . . .

OK, Pick One

I read recently that research proved that people can't truly focus on two things at the same time --Multi-tasking is really working on several things in a routine that allows progress to occur simultaneously. The act of juggling actually proves this point - an accomplished juggler is only able to keep multiple objects in the air through a patten of rehearsed movements. The focus is not on the individual objects or separate movements, but on the routine. If the juggler were to focus on the shape, color or even number of objects, rather than the rhythm or 'feel' of the pattern, everything would fall to the ground.

Ouch!

Ever hit your finger trying to pound

in a nail? I can tell you, for me, it happened when it was getting dark (or the light was poor), when I should have been wearing glasses, or when I was tired.

Boo Hoo - Focus Better

Hitting a nail squarely on the head, and the rhythm of sending a 16-penny nail home in 2 swings, with a 22oz framing hammer is one of the more satisfying feelings of focus for me (and one that probably contributed to my passion for playing drums). You can force a bent nail in by adjusting the angle and speed of the hammer - which sometimes feels like bending the nail straight by pure willpower.

OK Now I Use A Nailgun

Most construction tools and equipment use ancient "Egyptian" levers, pulleys, hydraulics, etc to focus increased power or pressure on a particular task - to help make the task easier, or simpler. I am sure new tools are developed as a result of someone examining a difficult or repetitive task (routine) and asking if it could be done a different way, with a bigger lever or pulley, or with help of water, wind, etc. -- Too often, I notice that routines may start out working well, but when they lose the original focus (the "why"), they become mundane or perfunctory. This results in wasted or superfluous effort, which is the exact opposite of what the original routine was designed to do.

Continuous Improvement guru's tell us that we should constantly be looking at 4 things:

1. Purpose of the Activity

2. Available Resources (Tools, Equipment & Manpower)

3. History, Competitors and New Developments

4. Leaner Processes

And I would add:

5. Rhythm of the Activity

Basketball Again?

The first drum lesson I ever took, the teacher got me to think of hitting the drum like dribbling a basketball - striking the drumhead is important, but to get an even pattern, you need to work on the feeling of strike and bounce-back. I believe that true focus is a rhythm: Push, then pull back. Work hard on a puzzle or problem, then do something else for a few minutes and the solution comes easier. There are numerous examples of this concept - "work hard, play hard", "flex-release", "heave (then) ho", etc . . .

After all, you can't push a nail into the wood, you have to pull back and swing in a controlled motion - golf is another example (and I certainly need a lot more work on that), and there are hundreds of swing coaches who help get your game together, as long as you can keep your focus and routine simple - Pull back, swing . . . pull back, swing. Focus on the target and the rhythm of the motion.

Take A Break & Come Back 110%

It can be the same with any endeavor - if you keep it simple, with the proper routine of focus, your work will be much more satisfying, and successful.

Related Trivia:

Mike McGee and Magic Johnson both went on to play for the LA Lakers. Magic Johnson was one of the most successful, smooth-passers ever to play the game, and he was a great example of a rhythm-focused player. Mike McGee (whose notoriety will surely return after this blog) was perhaps every bit as gifted a shooter as Magic, but he did not achieve anywhere near the same level of success, perhaps because he did not have the focus he had in high school, in the pros.

Recommended Rhythm-Focus Links:

1. Steve Gadd (one of the greatest drummers of all time) demonstrating the Mozambique at a clinic - notice his focus, and ability to quickly adjust to a fast tempo with the same complicated beat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCdeKmHwK30

2. Chris Bliss performing an amazing juggling routine: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776181634656145640#

3. Michael Moschen (the father of Contact Juggling) puts on a quietly mesmerizing show of juggling in a TED presentation: http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_moschen_juggles_rhythm_and_motion.html

How to Juggle poster:

http://www.curtiszimmerman.com/en/docs/CZG%20Website%20-%20Juggling%20Instructions.jpg

Scope First, Then Price

Steve Martin used to have a bit in his routine where he tells a joke, supposedly to an audience of plumbers, delivering an esoteric punch line that only plumbers would appreciate -- the rediculousness (?) was even funnier than the actual joke (I highly recommend Steve Martin's autobiographical "Born Standing Up"). In the same vein, when I was working in estimating, we used to have Steve Martin-like jokes - Jokes funny only to estimators. As an example, a number that was way-off due to a typo, like "$10,000/cy for concrete material - aaaaggghhhh, that's hilarious!" (Estimators rolling on the floor laughing) - we would call that an "Estimating Joke".

OK, back in your chairs, both of you.

Estimate vs Budget

It is useful to think of a "Budget" as what you have to spend, and an "Estimate" as what the specific scope of work should cost. In the Design & Construction industry, it has been my experience that these terms are pretty much interchangeably used - but the distinction is an important one. Before you give a reasonable estimate, negotiate a price, or even take a scientific wild @$$ guess (SWAG) at a budget, it is wise to clarify the scope first. A price without an accompanying scope is a problem waiting to explode.

This probably sounds like common sense, but budget-and-scope or estimate-and-scope mismatches happen all the time. I would bet that more change orders, disputes and claims on projects come from "missed scope", "misunderstanding of what was included", or "apples-and-oranges" mismatches than any other recurring project problem.

Who's To Blame?

There is a certain amount of anxiety on projects (more on larger projects) when it comes to being "on-budget", depending on what commitments are made, and at what point you are in the scope definition and price-assignment process. The ramifications and repercussions of being "off", or "over-budget" can be severe. Imagine the Red Queen in Alice and Wonderland: "Off with their heads!"

There is definitely an art to leveraging past experience and assigning an accurate number to a sparsely-defined scope -- This skill is something professionals work hard to refine, based on experience, past project cost histories and "tweaking" to match special considerations of the project at hand (read, for large projects: "don't do this at home, or without supervision"). I would be delighted to provide assistance or make a referral - however, at any level of endeavor, a price without a scope is comical. That would be like going to the store and saying to the clerk, "I'm hungry, how much will my groceries cost?" ---aaaagggghhh, that's hilarious!

No Kidding

OK, so what do you do? Here is a 5-step formula:
1. Agree on the Major Scope items (80-20 rule) - once you establish the major items, including labor, materials, equipment, professional fees and incidental costs, it's kind of like "The Price Is Right" - But you don't need to guess, there are many ways to get to a reasonable price once the Major Scope items are set.
2. Agree on a "Go-By" - establish quality and quantity standards for these major items. Using what has been done before as a guide "tweaks" or further refines the cost level, and helps confirm expectations.
3. Identify Unknowns - Agree on a place-holder for what isn't quantifiable or decided, but will be required. This is typically a range, and will be the variable cost within a budget or estimate.
4. Look for Unusual Aspects - Usually, estimates and budgets are based on educated extrapolations of previous experience, but miscalculations happen when they don't take enough into account what is different about THIS project.
5. Review, Reflect and Adjust - Estimate/Budget/Scope-Matching is an ITERATIVE process, it needs to be reviewed and tweaked (with input from team members and affected constituents) to be most effective.

If It's That Easy . . . .

There are all kinds of stumbling blocks involved in this process - including political, personal, tactical, avaricious, evil (?), etc . . . But just starting with agreement on scope can lead to more successful negotiations, happier clients and fewer disputes.

As an exercise, don't just get a receipt, but take a minute to review it and make sure the scope is right BEFORE you agree to pay.

An Estimating Joke where you pay the consequences isn't funny.





Here's another joke:

Right Tool For The Right Job

One of my Dad's favorite expressions when I was growing up building stuff with him was, "Use the right tool for the right job." - I'm sure he meant "get the tool that was designed for the specific need at hand." And, since he has a great tool collection, it's a matter of locating the tool in his garage or toolbox, and getting on with the job. He would proceed to show me why the tool was right for the job and how to properly use it - an extremely invaluable education that lead to my appreciation of tools, and also to notice the finer attributes of really fine craftsmanship.

Don't Have The Right Tool?

Not having the Right Tool for me (with a more pedestrian toolset than my Dad's), means a trip to Lowes for a look at the latest cool stuff -- but sometimes the "Right Tool" just isn't available or affordable. So what do you do? We all tend to improvise, but there's a reason why there is a massive tool industry that is constantly coming up with new and better tools for new, more specific uses - starting with safety. Part of proper planning should involve thinking through what tools and equipment will be needed-- but, over the course of a project if a new need arises, improvisation is at least a consideration.

Yes, you can use a small flat-head screwdriver to drive in a Phillips-head screw, when a Phillips isn't available (same with thousands of like-tool substitutes)-- and usually, a beefier or higher-quality tool will work better than a cheaper one -- but aside from Safety and Common Sense, there is no good way to get around the "Right Tool" rule. Along these lines, there are a number of humorous pictures being sent around of people working in ridiculously contrived "Rube Goldberg" contraptions*. You may have seen the one with the guy working under his car on the side of the road while it is propped up by two boards - looks like the guy has his life in his hands.

When No One's Looking

The best advice I heard about considering contriving something to substitute for the "Right Tool" - Think about what the headlines would say in the paper the next day after your accident - then, a more conservative approach (maybe even hiring a professional) may be the answer. Most people who get hurt using the wrong tool were really just trying to "get 'er done" - think again, maybe there's a more reasonable way . . .

Related Trivia:
*Rube Goldberg - actually Reuben Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970) was a Jewish American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for a series of popular cartoons he created depicting complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways – now known as Rube Goldberg machines. In the construction industry, we often refer to an improvised plan to accomplish a task as a "Rube Goldberg".
A commonly known Rube Goldberg Machine is the game "Mouse Trap".

There is a really great Rube-Goldberg-inspired video of the band OK Go, that I recommend, even if you don't like the music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

As-Planned vs Pure Luck

A Goal is Not a Plan

As Zig Ziglar would say, "You gotta have Goals!!"-- Ideally, goals are realistic, written down, and with some timeframe. Goals are important, there is a ton of stuff written about them, and that's not what this article is going to discuss further--

OK, so having a goal is a big step, but you can't just do that and go to lunch. I would say the hard part is the execution-- the subsequent actions that lead to the achievement of the goal. There is an excellent book by David Allen - "Getting Things Done" -- one of the best take-aways I learned from that was the concept of the NEXT STEP. If you think about it, most of the anxiety people have (and the resulting procrastination) in going about a task, a project or a goal, is "How the heck am I going to accomplish this?" --Allen says that you can get anything off dead-center by making a note, right on it, saying what the next actionable step needs to be. As an example, you may have an in-basket with a pile of mail, reports, etc., that need your inspection, approval, review or other action. If you were to set aside an hour or so, and go through each item and, if the action would take less than a few minutes, then act immediately (like "throw in trash")-- if not, then make a note as to what the VERY NEXT STEP needs to be. You should find this very satisfying and feel a great sense of accomplishment when you finish. I don't do that nearly as much as I should - but every time I do, that is how I feel.

Luck Isn't a Plan Either

When it comes to project planning, everyone probably can agree that the GOAL is to complete the project on time, within budget and to the expected level of quality--- but the PLAN (the steps toward reaching the goal) is the most significant contributor to SUCCESS --with LUCK, being the other contributing factor. Most projects get completed, but there is a wide-range of degrees of success (good vs bad), with the more successful projects being on the better-planned end of the spectrum.

You may be thinking "That's just Common Sense" - OK, how many times do we all jump in to an activity, saying to ourselves "I can just wing this", or "I have an idea of what to do in my head" - and the task may be so simple that it works out, or if it is complicated, luck plays a role - and success results. But more often than not, action involving multiple parts or team members, or communication (even between a client and builder), to achieve success REQUIRES a PLAN. The PLAN that is more thought-through, and communicated with the team, the better.

What's The PLAN?

The PLAN I'm taking about should have:
1. Clear Completion Expectations (including Drawings, Specifications or other Scope Clarifiers) - What will it look like when it's done?
2. Sequence & Logistics of Assembly (pre-building the project) - How will the parts come together? Where do the parts get placed prior to assembly? What equipment will be needed?
3. Time Frame (Schedule & Milestones) - What will happen first, second, etc? How long will each (and the total) activity take? What are the activities that will affect other activities (critical path)?
4. Special Considerations (Safety, Access, Adjacency, Noise, Weather Protection, Utilities Service) - What is unusual about this project? What assistance is needed?
5. Estimate of Cost (Sum of all the anticipated labor, materials, equipment, utilities, and other stuff that will be needed to complete the project - plus an appropriate allowance for unknowns and inexperience) matching Budget (How much available for the project) - Is there enough money to do the project? - DON'T START if there is a question about this.

No Egg On Your Face

I could go on about planning, and there are thousands of resources available that provide much more detail about planning - and, in fact, I would be delighted to assist with specific project needs by providing a professional consultation or referral - but the intent of this is to outline a simplified way of thinking about projects, from constructing large commercial buildings, to making furniture, assembling a child's toy or building a tree fort.

So hopefully, you are already doing these things, and this is just a reminder for those times when you may think you have everything set in your mind - But, when starting a new project, I would ask you to think to yourself: "Is this something I do all the time, every day?" if not, it may be more like building your first tree fort, but now you're older - if you're not lucky, someone might get hurt.

This cracked me up when I was a kid:

Shemp is flipping eggs a couple of times, when they don't come down, he turns around, shocked to see Moe who just walked through the door--

Shemp: "Hey Moe, where'd you get the sunglasses?"

From: Hokus Pokus 1949



Keep smilin'!
Happy Memorial Weekend--

Done? What Would Smokey Say?

The Production Crew

Early in my construction career I was responsible for the interior build-out of the Headquarters office of the mall developer, Taubman Company, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The drywall contractor had begun falling behind - the steel studs had been installed on time but the wallboard had not started as scheduled. The drywall contractor's superintendent assured me that he would be "done" in two weeks (heard that before?). He said his "production crew" was coming off another job and they were going to "knock it out in no time"-- Sure enough, within a week, the job looked completely different. Upon closer inspection, the crew had installed all the full-sheets of wallboard, and had left uncompleted the cut-outs at the top of the wall, where the structure above and the above-ceiling services intersected the wall. The crew was packing up when I asked them when they planned to finish -- they said they were "done" - another crew did the cut-out work.

The Last 5%

It ended up taking another two weeks to get the last 5% of the wallboard installed---- and the lesson I learned from that experience has become vivid in my mind - There is a natural tendancy on any job to accomplish the high-productivity work (the big pieces, the repetitive work that makes the most money per amount-of-time-spent) FIRST, and leave the rest to be done "all at the same time", "when we come back to finish-up", etc.---

Allowing that to happen adversely affects the attitude and overall quality on the job. If one trade sees another trade's work left incomplete or with significant corrections to be made, they are less inclined to raise the standard themselves. It is best for the project NOT to allow the work to be "finished later" -- the goal should be, to add-on to the Nike ad: Just Do It --NOW!

Done? or Smoldering?

Another lesson from the "production crew" that I have learned over the years is the concept of what "done" means. "Done" should mean "done", but often it means, "complete, EXCEPT for a few things that in my mind are insignificant compared to the overall amount of work I have done, but probably did not bring up . . . "

Many years ago, the US Forest Service had a problem with people leaving campfires "mostly extinguished", and major forest fires starting hours later from the smoldering ashes left by well-meaning campers. They created an ad campaign with Smokey The Bear, where he would urge people to make sure their fires were "out -- dead out". This may be a good image when you think of "mostly complete" work or issues -- similar to a fire that could flare-up unless extra attention or efforts are paid to make SURE.

Smokey would say: DONE = Dead Out.

I hope this is helpful when working with construction teams or in everyday communication--



Answer to the Trivia Question:
President who could write Latin with one hand while writing Greek in the other:
James A. Garfield (20th president), who unfortunately died in office from an assassin's bullet that was never found. They later concluded from an autopsy that he would have lived if the doctors had not tried to find it (!!).

Latest Construction Trends Update

Please send me an e-mail if you are interested in receiving information from the AGC, Bureau of labor Statistics and AIA on the latest Construction Industry Trends. Things are improving for the single family market, Stimulus money is getting to Construction projects, employment is up and AIA work on the boards is on the rise.

Hopefully these trends solidify and continue---

Clean Up - Later? Or As-You-Go?

Professional builders or trade contractors look at projects (or they should, if they want to stay in business) as "How can I Get In, Exceed Expectations, Get Out, and Get Paid?"--- All well planned projects should be approached the same way, except the "paid" part may be in the form of non-monetary remuneration (accomplishment, praise or thanks). If you approach the planning of the construction of a project, but neglect the clean-up part, a lot of the good done in planning can come unraveled.

Successful projects are very much a product of the process of construction "How did it go as the project was being built?" -- You don't see a lot of ruins, or partially completed projects around (although with funding problems, there seem to be more lately), so projects get built eventually -- "Was it a good process, well planned?", "How was it viewed by the public?" -- these perceptions all contribute to the success or failure of the project.

The End In Mind

There are generally two ends of the spectrum on project clean up: Clean up at the end of a project and Clean up as-you-go. Many believe that clean up as-you-go is more time consuming and costly (for those being paid in money), but I am convinced that well-planned cleanup as-you-go actually reduces the amount of clean up needed to be performed, and saves overall time/money.

Consider project jobsites - We have all seen examples of the cluttered, trash-strewn jobsites (maybe even in your neighborhood). The idea is that a separate crew comes in at the end, or on a weekend and "does all the cleanup at the same time". The trash created in those sites invariably gets run over by equipment, foot traffic, carts, vehicles, etc and even if damage to adjoining work is avoided, all the debris is never completely removed. In the case of exterior masonry for example, it is difficult to pick up all of the brick, mortar and other debris, and when landscaping is later planted, it may affect the proper growth of trees or bushes. In the case of interior flooring and cabinetry, it is difficult to ensure that completed work is properly protected, amongst debris, and additional damage could result. Both of these examples show that although the initial work may be completed faster than the as-you-go cleanup, the likelihood of call-back or rework is greatly increased.

I learned a lesson early in my career when I was in Detroit, when I used to drive north up Jefferson Avenue along the lake to a hospital project I was working on (now St John Riverview Hospital)--- I got to see first hand the demolition of the old Uniroyal Plant that was nearly across the street. It took a relatively short time to get most of the structure torn down, but removing the debris took months. The huge pile of debris, with water squirting up, seemed to grow, flow into the street, first taking one lane, then two, and then I heard they got fined for having to shut down all the northbound lanes. The takeaway from this was, the hard part is not the initial work, but getting the debris out! You may have seen fabulously produced "building implosions" that take about 10 seconds for the building to come down, but months later they still are cleaning up the last of the rubble.

So, when it comes to your project, think about how you can get the waste material out as-you-go, and you will save time, save money and you will get credit (from those who appreciate well-built projects) for the great job you and/or your team did as the project was constructed.

I hope you find this thought-provoking and useful in your project pursuits--



Trivia question:
Which US President was famous for his parlor trick of writing in Latin with one hand while writing in Greek with the other, at the same time?

Join-To: Overlooked Quality Impact

Join-To Conditions
Most recurring quality problems (and the most difficult to fix after installation) happen at locations where two materials meet -- what I have learned to call "Join-To Conditions". Look around the room you are in--You will see several examples:

• Where the wall meets the floor
• Where the ceiling meets the wall
• Where windows or doors meet the wall
• Corner conditions
• Carpet-to-tile or wood transitions
• Cabinet to wall
• Etc. . . .
  

How do they look? If they look good, it is because the designer and builder considered and solved the conditions. More frequently though, these conditions are not thoroughly considered, and the impression of lesser quality results - even if the materials used are expensive or high quality themselves.

It is very beneficial for any project to take time, before the design is completed, to review with the design and construction team the constructability of the project plans. As far as finish quality is concerned, solutions to Join-To Conditions can cause the biggest impact. Here is a summary of 4 of the most common I have seen over the years, with a few considerations for each.

1. Exact Match - Easy to say, hard to do in real life. Materials move over time and what may start out as "flush" may become a "gap" or develop a "lip" later on. Exact Match is probably the most difficult Join-To Condition to make look really good, but it also may be the only available solution due to adjacent conditions. If Exact Match is the way you have to go, it is recommended to make sure the backing or substrate is solid. Since all materials are exposed, much more attention to surface finish, edge treatment and fasteners (or adhesives) will be required. Exterior applications for Exact Match are even more difficult to accomplish successfully, because of weather. Materials expand and contract at different rates, and when moisture is involved, freezing and thawing cause even more pronounced movement.
2. Butt Joint - A Variation of the Exact Match of two different materials is a Butt Joint - typically two of the same materials, separated by a caulk joint. This Join-To solution has an advantage over the Exact Match, in that the caulk joint allows for some movement without affecting the appearance of workmanship problems. Some Butt Joints allow fort significant movement as part of the design. Major Butt Joint examples include prefabricated expansion joints (seen on highway bridges or large buildings). This solution does not try to conceal the joint, which makes the location, dimensions and configuration of the joint important to the overall design aesthetic.
3. Reveal - A channel recess between two materials, often square in section. Reveals have the appearance of a clean line or band, as compared to the proportions of adjoining field material. Reveals typically provide a more modern, high-end appearance and tend to highlight the quality or impact of the field. Reveals are commonly used with thick materials, including wood, stone and built-up gypsum walls. Reveals can be made to allow a certain amount of movement without affecting the look or quality, and the "line" can be more easily maintained (than, for example, a painted field with a stripe). Properly designed and installed Reveals may cost more than other Join-To solutions, but they tend to provide a longer-lasting quality appearance.
   
4. Trim Cover - The most common, successful Join-To solution is to cover the joint with "trim". Common examples of this are door and window casings, crown molding, flooring base and door thresholds, to name a few. The trim cover provides an additional design feature to be considered in the aesthetic scheme and installation solution. Trim conceals the rough or unfinished edges beneath, allowing for a more expeditious installation. Also rough fasteners are covered, and more flexible tolerances are allowed behind the trim. In general, the Trim Cover solution is more economical, and more often seen (especially in residential construction) than other "planned" Join-To solutions.

Other solutions to difficult Join-To Conditions involve covering the entire field and joint with one material or by using an obstructing element so that the condition cannot be seen. Examples include "floating" over an uneven joint and covering with carpet, or by covering a joint condition behind a column.

Identifying and solving Join-To Conditions will save countless hours in rework or "call-backs" down the road. Ultimately, the success or failure of the Join-To solutions on every project will have significant impact on the overall perception of quality.

On one hand, failing to address Join-To Conditions will cost money and cause disappointment, but addressing them early is one of the best ways to increase the Quality and Value of your project.

Hopefully this information is helpful in stimulating ideas to make your projects better, whether you are building a multimillion dollar commercial project, a piece of furniture for your home, or a tree fort in your back yard.



Answer to the Trivia question - what three different presidents later went on to be:
(1) Senator: Andrew Johnson
(2) Congressman: John Q Adams
(3) US Chief Justice: William H Taft

CHW gets lunch!

7 Project Success Tips

How often do you find yourself jumping into the middle of a project and later on find out that you forgot or didn't consider something, and in some cases, someone gets hurt? --when I built tree forts as a kid, I would run into these problems all the time. I have learned through over 45 years of building things that there are a few universal essentials to well-built projects--- and I summarized seven of them. These apply to building major commercial structures and also to a home project in your backyard.

1. Safety First - If a project needs to be done, it also needs to be done safely. Safety can't be something that is considered after you get started, it needs to be done along with the primary planning process. What safety protection measures need to be taken? What tools and equipment will be used? What separation or protection from danger will be needed? Talking through how a project is going to be built, gives an opportunity for all involved to think about safety, quality and efficiency before the work starts. A safe project is a clean project, and results in higher levels of satisfaction all-around.

2. Area Logistics - Where is the work going to be done? Is there room? Are there access or adjacency constraints? How do the materials, equipment and manpower get in and out of the project area? What is going to be affected by this project? This is the step that causes you to imagine building the project before you actually start, and what the project will be like when the work is going on. This is one of the most overlooked steps in project planning. You can travel around construction sites and look at projects that have well-thought-out logistics, and projects that don't. Project sites that are a mess, will affect the quality, safety and overall Owner satisfaction. Since construction is by nature disruptive, those projects that have good logistics planning are better neighbors, allow the work to progress more expeditiously, with higher quality ---and in the end, everyone involved is much happier.

3. Schedule & Sequence - This can be as simple as the answer to the question, "What comes first, and how long will it take?"--or as complex as a massive Critical Path Method chart, with thousands of activities, links and associated durations. The problem with many schedules is that they are created and then never updated. No schedule is completely accurate when it is created-- it needs to be updated and adjusted for changes in plan or inevitable impacts (like weather). The goal is to anticipate enough of the project conditions that the overall duration and major milestones are met, while communicating how the various work items will fit together along the way. Many times schedules are just re-used from a similar project, or even, "It took 2 months last time, so we'll use that--". Past history is a good starting point (or "Go-By"), but the best schedules are customized to take into consideration the most current information. Contractors in the past have been notorious for mis-estimating schedules - in the movie "the Money Pit" with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, the contractor was constantly telling the Owners that the work was going to take "two weeks", and it always ran way past . . . if you haven't seen the movie, it is a comedy, with a very funny but unflattering portrayal of contractors. Although most projects have schedules, many miss the critical step of updating and communicating to all the parties changes, impacts and efforts to get back on track.

4. Rules/Requirements/Restrictions - Most projects have to be built within codes, standards, plans & specs and personal expectations. The best projects review all these requirements, and establish clear expectations at the outset. Without this, the builder may find himself re-building to meet the expectation, that was never understood or communicated in the first place. Project documents should communicate what the expectation is and allow that expectation to be confirmed. Questions are a great way to establish clarity-- and for the benefit of all involved, they should be documented in writing. Misunderstanding and miscommunication are the root of most project conflicts. "Measure Twice, Cut Once" is a long-used expression in construction that urges confirming and double-checking to remove doubt.

5. Follow-Up - Even with the best laid plans, directions and agreements - any of these left unchecked, will likely result in project disappointment. I believe there are 3 opportunities to impact or manage a work activity - establishing and confirming the reasonable expectation in the first place, second follow-up to confirm the commitment is on track, and finally confirming satisfaction after the commitment is completed. Amazon is a great example of this-- if you order something from Amazon.com, they immediately confirm the order and confirm the expectation of the delivery of the item (first follow-up). Then, when the item is being shipped, they confirm that it is coming and what the expected delivery date is (second follow-up) and then, after the item is delivered, they send a survey to ask how the service was (third follow-up). Construction projects would surely benefit from using this technique.

6. Clean-Up - Sometimes the hardest part of a project is finishing, getting everything removed and allowing the regular activities of the former worksite to return to normal. Thinking about cleanup and smoothly exiting the worksite from the outset --is essential to a successful project. Efficient cleanup planning could affect safety, logistics, schedule and certainly expectations. The best approach to a smooth cleanup is to finish the work and cleanup as you go. There is a tendency to want to leave certain items until the end - "we'll get it when we do the punchlist" or "let me come back and do all that at the same time"-- these approaches may seem most expedient, because all cleanup is done at one time - but I am convinced that more cleanup is required if left until the end, than would be required if done as the project progresses. The proof of this is when you consider human nature. If a project has mixed materials or trash (even in piles) around a site, there is a tendency to add to that trash rather than avoiding creating the trash in the first place. Sometimes the trash even creates damage to finished work.

7. Celebrate Success - Whether it is a round of drinks for the crew, a formal ribbon-cutting party, or more elaborate recognition of the efforts of those involved - celebration is something that is often neglected on projects. In fact, using the promise of celebration can be a great incentive to provide vision to the team.

I hope these ideas are useful, even if they confirm what you already know (or do), to make your personal and professional projects successful.

The answer to the trivia question 4 presidents elected WITHOUT popular majority:

John Q Adams (Andrew Jackson)

Rutherford B Hays (Samuel Tilden)

Benjamin Harrison (Grover Cleveland)

George W Bush - 1st term (Al Gore)

Next trivia question (winner gets lunch at Lawry's in Addison):

Which 3 presidents went on to later serve as (1) US Senator, (2) US Congressman, and (3) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Materials Cost Trends April 2010

One of the things I have been tracking over the years is Cost Trends in the Commercial Construction Industry. I have found that the Producer Price Index has been one of the most reliable sources of factual (non-political) forecast information. The latest hasn't data hasn't come out yet through the Associated General Contractors, but I have another source that I keep track of and that is the Engineering News Record Materials Trends data.

It seems Asphalt Paving and Steel prices have been rising for the past few months (although low work volumes may have kept those impacts from showing up in quoted prices) -- now we are beginning to see rising Gypsum Wallboard and PVC Piping, which are essential materials on most Commercial Construction projects.

Here is a link to the April ENR Materials Trends Summary:
http://enr.construction.com/economics/materials_trends

Please let me know if you have questions, or want more specific input on helping to fend off these impacts---

At the Dallas Arboretum--

Tree Fort

I have been building things all my life and about once a year I build a significant project. Although other relatives are much more prolific creators than I am (visit websites www.karivonwening.com, www.davedolphin.com, www.robertcturner.com). I built a greenhouse, a shed, a wellhouse, a porchdeck, a hutch, a bookcase, etc . . . and a few years ago I built a treefort for my stepson, who was too old to really get into it at the time. So it has been basically holding up the tree limbs since then. Recently, my 8 year old daughter Hope has started to climb up the ladder and then bring friends up and then she found the pulley and a rope and tied it to a basket and she has started hoisting plants up to the fort. This morning she watered them and went up again to talk to them. She has found a new place to go to have fun! It is great to see the fort getting to be used and appreciated. Seems like over time, we get new opportunities to appreciate things we already have.

I have been building forts since I was about 5 years old, my mom will tell you all about the first one - I had no patience . . . built it in about 20 minutes and climbed on top when it was done. That is the excitement I get about building things all the time. This picture is me focusing on something I think is important (like paying the tab), and my mom is about to tell another story.

I hope to use this blog to talk about issues related to building things - all kinds of things - buildings, additions, renovations, furniture and even tree forts. I also like to share trivia and sometimes corny jokes.

Here is one of each:

Trivia: What four presidents were elected WITHOUT a popular majority?

CJ: Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar, one says to the other, "I lost my neutron," the other says, "You sure?"

"Yep, I'm positive."