ConstructConnect Blog

Construction companies are in business to do two things: build things and make a profit. So why do so many excel at the first thing but struggle to be profitable?

Networking is all about making new connections and building longstanding relationships. In the commercial construction industry being able to effectively network is a vital skill that as an individual could land you your next job or put your company on the path to your next big project.

“Change is inevitable,” as the old saying goes. On construction projects, a more appropriate statement might be that “change orders are inevitable.” If the mere thought of a change order makes you cringe, it may be time to take a look at tweaking your change order process.

Keeping your construction projects on schedule to meet your completion deadline is no easy task. Adverse weather, costly rework, unavailable resources, and subcontractor default are just a few of the things that can throw your timeline off course. Damages and penalties for not hitting your deadline can ruin your profit and hurt your construction company’s reputation.

As a contractor, when was the last time you reviewed the substantial completion terms in one of your contracts? Sure, you probably know the date set in the contract for work to substantially complete, barring any authorized extensions from justified delays, because that means it’s time to get paid the remainder of the contract amount along with any retainage that was withheld along the way.

Is it time to grow your construction business? Are you looking to expand into new markets or territories? Growing your construction business, regardless of whether you're just starting out or have been in the industry for years, requires careful planning. In order to strategically scale up your operations, you must ensure you will have the resources (workers, equipment, etc.) to handle the additional work.

All in all, 2021 was an okay year for the commercial construction industry. Overall construction spending was up, with residential construction put-in-place seeing an increase but nonresidential experiencing its second year of decline.

Construction doesn’t stop when winter weather strikes, so it’s important to know what steps to take to keep your workers warm and safe. Before the next major winter storm starts to impact your area with snow and ice accumulation, be prepared and review these winter weather safety tips for keeping your workers safe.

It’s that time of year again. As we say get ready to say goodbye to 2021 and ring in another new year, it's time to unveil ConstructConnect's Top 5 Coolest Buildings of 2021.

Good news. The number of fatal occupational injuries for the construction industry declined in 2020. The number of construction worker deaths in 2020 was 1,008, a 5.3% reduction from the 1,061 fatal work injuries in 2019.