How to Reduce Change Orders in Commercial Construction
But most change orders — the ones that actually hurt your margin — aren't design changes. They're disputes. They're scope gaps nobody caught at buyout. They're ambiguous language in a scope letter that a subcontractor is now interpreting in their favor. They're work that was assumed in your estimate but never explicitly assigned to anyone.
What to Look for in a Construction Consultant
Not all construction consultants are created equal. Here's exactly what to look for — and what to avoid — when hiring a preconstruction consultant for your GC operation.
How Small and Mid-Size GCs Can Protect Margin Without Hiring a Full-Time PM
There's a conversation that happens in the offices of small and mid-size general contractors all over the country — usually after a project closes out with less margin than it should have made.
Someone says: "We need more experienced preconstruction support."
And someone else says: "We can't afford to hire a senior PM just for preconstruction."
Why Your Scope Letters Aren't Protecting You — And What to Do About It
The subcontract is out. The project is underway. And six weeks in, your mechanical subcontractor hands you a change order for $47,000 — work you were absolutely certain was in their scope.
5 Buyout Gaps That Turn Into Change Orders — And How to Find Them First
Every general contractor has been there. You're three weeks into a project and a subcontractor stops work. Or sends a change order for something you were certain was in their scope. Or points to their exclusion list — the one you approved in the rush of buyout — and says "it's right there, we never included that."
The Go/No-Go Decision: How to Know Which Projects Are Worth Bidding
Here's something most general contractors know but rarely say out loud: some of the most expensive projects they've ever worked on are the ones they lost.
Not lost money on. Lost the bid on.
What Is Profit Fade in Construction — And How Do You Stop It?
You estimated a solid margin going into the project. The work got done. The client is happy. And when the final numbers come in — the margin you built into that bid is gone. Not all of it. But enough to hurt. Enough to make you wonder where it went.