CANADIAN CONTRACTOR JUL/AUG 2014

Builders’ Software 5 Questions to Ask

Creative Eye Renaissance Revisited

Steve Maxwell Building with Stone

page 18

page 36

page 43

Manny Neves and Anderson Hines work hard and play hard, on-site and online – page 28

THE MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL RENOVATORS AND CUSTOM HOMEBUILDERS

HARDCORE RENOS

CANADIAN

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Cover

HARDCORE

28

Renos

Renaissance

Revisited 36

features

Software for Contractors 18 Renovators and homebuilders have hundreds of name-brand software programs to choose from. Ask these five questions to understand their differences.

COVER STORY Hardcore Renos 28 Manny Neves and Anderson Hinds are born entertainers – as proven by the amount of views that their online videos are getting. They are also master craftsmen.

Software for Contractors 18

Renaissance Revisited 36 Decorative painting techniques by pro painter Paul Reinke – using the canvas of a 12,000 sq.ft.

Italianate mansion.

Debt Collection 55 Tips from a lawyer on legal ways to collect.

Cash Flow 56 Many a great business has stalled and sputtered because the proprietor ran out of cash. Tips to avoid this happening to you.

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July/August 2014

3

©2014 Benjamin Moore & Co. All trademarks are registered trademarks of their respective owner.

72748

SURE STEP.® FOR A NO.SLIP FINISH.

Shown in Desert Sand. For more details, visit insl-x.ca

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Hardcore Renos

35

Videos

departments

What’s Online 6 Highlights of the video tips, product demos and laughs we’ve got for you online at canadiancontractor.ca Editorials 8 Rob and Steve offer opposing points-of-view on the importance of technology to a renovation contracting business in 2014.

58

What Would

You Do?

Voices 10 Ontario contractors get even crankier, wise words on competing with lowballers, Top Ten lists, houses without furnaces – and an inspiring story from a veteran contractor who has worked all over the world.

Site Notes 15 He’s very outspoken, more than a little bit eccentric – and he has never owned a computer.

None of which has stopped Frank Cohn from becoming a two-time Renovator of the Year – and a popular radio show host.

Maxwell’s Stuff We Like 43 Techniques, products, opinions and inspiration from Steve Maxwell, our building techniques, tools and technology expert.

Like a

43

ROCK

What Would You Do? 58 Another case study from the real world of contracting. Give us your advice on how you would handle this sticky situation – and you could win a $100 gas card.

www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

5

ONLINE CANADIAN

ONLINE @

Visit us online

CONTRACTOR

.ca

VIDEO

STEVE MAXWELL’S DECK SERIES Our contributing editor Steve Maxwell only spends a fraction of each day at a keyboard. Most of the time, he’s at his family’s Manitoulin Island ranch, building up a storm, putting tools and building products through a punishing workout… and producing hundreds of superb how-to videos. This series of decks videos is not to be missed.

Type “Maxwell” in the search bar at canadiancontractor.ca to find this and other videos and articles from Steve Maxwell

VIDEO

HOW TO WORK A TRADE SHOW In this video, Mike Draper (www.renovantage.com), our resident contractor coach, and Rob Koci, our publisher, talk about how to work a consumer trade show for high-quality leads. You need a system, you need to give some stuff away, and you need to take some stuff home. Watch this video before you work another show.

Type “Draper” in the search bar at canadiancontractor.ca to find this and other videos featuring Mike Draper

VIDEO

THE LICENSED PLUMBER GOT RE-ELECTED, NOT SO HIS LEADER In this video, Garfield Dunlop (centre), the licensed plumber who just got reelected as an Ontario MPP (PC), stood at the microphone during the recent provincial election and promised to stop the Ontario College of Trades from “taxing” contractors. His leader, Tim Hudak, resigned after the Tories were trounced.

CANADIAN

Type “Hudak” in the search bar at canadiancontractor.ca to find the only video of Tim Hudak we are now likely ever to run.

CONTRACTOR.ca BUILD | GROW | PROFIT

Volume 15, Number 5 July/August 2014 canadiancontractor.ca | Tel: 416 442 5600 |

Editor Steve Payne spayne@canadiancontractor.ca

80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON, M3B 2S9

Contributing Editors Rob Blackstien, John Caulfield, Brynna Leslie, Steve Maxwell

Canadian Contractor, established in 2000, is published 6 times a year by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd.

Art Director Mary Peligra mpeligra@bizinfogroup.ca

ISSN 1498-8941 (Print) ISSN 1929-6495 (Online)

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Circulation Manager Beata Olechnowicz bolechnowicz@bizinfogroup.ca

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EDITORIALS

Voices

GO HIGH TECH OR PAY THE PRICE

By Rob Koci

L

”

Builders’ software and systems can help you stay

”

competitive.

Rob Koci Publisher

rkoci@canadiancontractor.ca

8

July/August 2014

www.canadiancontractor.ca

ast issue I took a shot at unions. I am of the opinion that unions are part of a larger effort to push small businesses out of the renovation industry and replace them with large-scale corporate renovation companies, probably attached to existing new home builders. Think Green Park Renovations International or Mattamy Home Renovations Inc. It makes sense. It’s easier for governments to control largescale builders than the majority of Canadian Contractor’s readership: renovators and custom homebuilders. And governments LOVE control. Increasingly burdensome regulatory compliance takes about the same amount of time for a $500,000 company as it does for a $10 million company, which means the larger company can cut costs by amortizing overheads over more projects. And big companies can take bigger hits when things go wrong and they have expensive lawyers that can put more heat on nonpaying clients.

Over the next five years you will have to think seriously whether you want to go big, go home or go underground. For certain, you won’t be able to stay where you are.

That’s why high tech is so important to your existence. Once you have implemented a good system, you can reduce your admin costs, streamline your processes and ensure you can supply the necessary documents for the various compliance régimes in our industry without days away from the job site. It will allow you to keep your prices competitive and your guys from drifting off to work for the big corporate builders.

There is a learning curve to high tech. You’ll have to change the way you do things. You might lose some of your guys when you put GPS on your trucks or when they have to swipe a card to enter and exit to your jobsite. But what you’ll keep is your independence – and your dignity. I think that makes high tech worthwhile.

EDITORIALS

Voices

LOW-TECH BUILDERS STILL THRIVING

By Steve Payne

F

rank Cohn, a two-time Renovator of the Year in the Toronto area, has all the work he can handle – and I am predicting he always will.

Frank has been the well-known, outspoken, slightly eccentric host of his own Saturday morning renovation radio show on Toronto’s CFRB for a decade and a half.

When he wrote a regular column for us almost 15 years ago, he used to drive us all crazy.

Because we could never send Frank an email. No computer.

Even now he refuses to own a computer.

“What’s your HomeStars rating?” I recently asked him.

“I’ve never been on the Internet, so I have no idea,” Frank replied cheerfully.

Frank is extremely successful. He can honestly tell people he’s never read a bad review from a customer!

We’ve profiled Frank in this issue, so you can read more of his foibles and forthright opinions on page 15.

My point here is that while Rob, overleaf, tells you Go High Tech or Pay the Price, he is probably right, in general, about 95 per cent of renovators in our industry. You’re going to be overwhelmed with paperwork, scheduling conflicts, stress and forgotten details if you don’t make a serious effort to build systems into your business. But those systems, as Frank attests, don’t have to be high-tech.

I watched Frank doing his Saturday morning radio show recently, and noticed that spread out in front of him were neatly organized, carefully written “cheat sheets” with the names of his sponsors, other firms that he was recommending, specific wording to use during the show, and other cribnotes.

That is a system. It works for Frank.

As Steve Maxwell wrote in the pages of this magazine about a year ago, if you don’t have ANY system to keep track of stuff, you are going to fail fast. But it doesn’t have to be software. Steve recommended the low-tech among us (count me in) carry a shirt pocket full of index cards or a notebook.

The system, not the platform, is where you start.

”

Frank Cohn is a

two-time Renovator of

the Year. He still doesn’t own a computer.

”

Steve Payne Editor

spayne@canadiancontractor.ca

www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

9

VOICES

LIBERALS RE-ELECTED IN ONTARIO Renovation contractors and homebuilders throughout Ontario were quick to post their comments on our website after Kathleen Wynne’s government was elected to a 9-seat majority at Queen’s Park during the provincial election on June 12. The new bureaucracy called the Ontario College of Trades – despised by most of you as a “tax grab” – was, after all, a Liberal idea. The recent activities of the WSIB, aiming to sign up another 80,000 contractors through new regulations that force independent contractors and owners/officers to pay into it for the first time, are also the result of Liberal-introduced legislation. And then there is Wynne’s plan to introduce an Ontario Registered Pension Plan, effectively a 3.9 per cent payroll tax (not applicable to the self-employed or – extremely controversially – civil servants). Most of you hated that idea, too.

But Wynne can do what she wants; she’s got a huge majority.

Here’s a selection of your online posts shortly after Wynne’s victory party.

“My husband’s business may be in jeopardy” My vote didn’t help, but I really needed the PC’s and Tim Hudak to lead this province out of the misery put in place by the Liberals. I went to bed last night after watching the results knowing that if the Liberals implement an Ontario Pension Plan my husband’s business with his 6 to 8 employees may be in jeopardy. After watching the Ornge (formerly, Ontario Air Ambulance) disaster, the E-Health mess, the gas plants scandal, and the Ontario College of Trades eating away at our hardearned dollars, I have a hard time believing they should be in charge of our pension money.

Our employees pay taxes; we match the CPP and pay more for EI - and now we will have to contribute to their Ontario pensions. Imagine – Ms Wynne will build a huge building housing hundreds of government workers to collect, invest and monitor the Ontario pension plan funds and then (inevitably) she will tell us, “Oops, sorry… so sorry, we made a mistake. We invested your money but, sadly, we made mistakes. So sorry, I apologize. I will keep apologizing. Your pension money is gone.

But we will apply to increase the HST to recover the funds. And I am so sorry. Forgive me and reelect me!”

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July/August 2014

www.canadiancontractor.ca

And guess what? Apparently we will.

Shame on us.

Diana Brown Small Business Contractor in Ontario Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

“Bob’s Renovating Service: Half off!”

Here’s an idea: “Bob’s Renovating Service”: Half off to those homeowners who decline access to the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) enforcement officers. From my perspective, the underground economy in Ontario had really shrunk in size over the past decade or so. This (election result) will likely change that very quickly. It’s full steam ahead on OCOT and Ontario pensions.

Robert Sloan Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

“Thanks for the motivation, Kath!”

Thanks for the motivation, Kath! Just installed an A/C unit for cash!!!!! Three grand in my pocket, baby. Suck it up. Ain’t nobody got time for your crap. I’m taking care of my family first. Oh, and by the way, don’t accuse me of taking and not contributing. When I had my back issues last year, I went to a private clinic and paid for my own rehab. Our health care system is more broken than our apprenticeship system.

Mike Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

“What’s with the media? If a conservative farts they are all over it!”

I don’t see how the OCOT can make a difference: They have no real power that I know of. I have a neighbor that is a licensed plumber. I asked him last night if he had heard from them and he said yes. I asked if he had paid them and he said no and that he had told them to go (expletive) themselves. I also wondered about them (doing enforcement at Timmies). Really?

And they all complied? I’m glad that wasn’t me: I have no fear and no respect for any of them - and I’m sure there would have been a physical altercation.

As for the Liberals getting (back) in: HOW? Am I missing something or are there many blind Ontarians out there.

The scandals are piling up and what’s with the media? If a

VOICES

conservative farts they are all over it but the Liberals do whatever they want and the only way we hear about it is on the internet. I suppose that is why they want to censor it.

Last week I had a customer tell me he was in the horse racing business for 40 years and the Liberals did something (to that industry) and he is no longer in business. Wow, does that guy ever hate Wynne. How come we never hear about that stuff?

Anyhow I don’t think that if you refuse to comply with the OCOT that it makes you a fly-by-nighter. If we don’t draw the line and fight back, we will (have to) close up shop and run West.

Terry Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

We need an organized legal campaign against the College Definitely need to see some kind of organized legal campaign going forward. Many of the College of Trades’ practices are highly questionable.

• Publicly claiming to be a self-governing body but having no democratic process.

• Mandating fees to tradespeople not currently practicing in Ontario.

• Participating in the Red Seal program but failing to recognize credentials of other provinces’ tradespeople.

• Flagrant abuse of privacy laws.

We may not be able to stop them at the polls but they certainly can be slowed down in the courts.

Joe Greps Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

“This law should be disobeyed and disregarded before the ink is dry” A law made to extort money from the trades without legitimate justification - or that forces independent trades into union programs - should be disobeyed and disregarded before the ink is dry. Stand up for yourselves and your customers against this kind of corruption.

Chris Langman Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

HOW TO HANDLE LOW-BALLERS Recently on our website we linked to an article from the fine American-based magazine, Remodeling. It was called “Taking over another project from a contractor who was fired – or who walked off the job.” (To find that article, type “Taking over another project” in our search bar at www. canadiancontractor.ca.) Our contractor readers weighed in with some interesting comments about competing with lowballers.

“Could I come back and finish the work?”

Here’s an experience from my years of renovating. I had a customer call me for an estimate for a complete kitchen. I gave my price and was informed by the customer that my price was “double.” They showed me the other renovator’s quote. I explained to this person that they were going to have problems – and that the other contractor wouldn’t be able to complete a proper job. And I told him I could not reduce my price. I didn’t get the job.

Three months later the same customer called me to inform me that I was right. Could I come and finish the work the first contractor started. So I informed him that I generally don’t finish other people’s work. But I went to take a look…

Oh boy, what a mess… The other renovator had taken out a supporting wall… getting a building permit was going to be a real problem.

I never did the work.

To all people who want to do a renovation, let me remind them that if one renovator is half price – and you hire him – your dream project is going to turn into a nightmare.

Jean-Claude Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

“He called me to rescue him from his disaster” A customer told me he found someone for 40 per cent less (than my quote). I told him it’s his money but he will be getting 40 per cent less. In the fall he called me to rescue him from his disaster.

Joseph Posted at canadiancontractor.ca www.canadiancontractor.ca

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VOICES

Words to live by I never lost a cent on the jobs I didn’t get, lol.

Marcel Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

TOP TEN THINGS YOUR CONTRACTOR WON’T TELL YOU Way back in 2008, we ran a pair of Top Ten lists – one from the consumer magazine MoneySense – slamming contractors – and one from our publisher Rob Koci (then editor), defending contractors. Here are the twin lists – and your comments on them…

“What Your Contractor Won’t Tell You” (MoneySense magazine version) 1. I love it when you, the homeowner, is disorganized.

2. A home inspector can be your best friend.

3. I have absolutely no professional qualifications.

4. I may have pulled your quote out of thin air.

5. We “strong, silent type” of contractors can be real trouble.

6. You can save a bundle by pitching in as I work.

7. If I can start tomorrow, you’ll hate my work.

8. Every job needs a formal contract.

9. Permits are not optional.

10. You’ll forget I was ever here.

“What Your Homeowner Customer Won’t Tell You (Canadian Contractor version) 1. My best friend is a lawyer.

2. I have no intention of using you, but I want your detailed drawings so I can shop my project around.

3. Somehow, I will find an excuse not to pay you that 10 per cent holdback.

4. I am going with you because your price is so low compared to others that you obviously made a mistake.

And I don’t care!

5. Actually, I have no idea how I am going to finance this.

6. I am all smiles now, but I am bi-polar.

7. I can hardly wait for you to mess up, so I can have some leverage on you.

8. I love your work, but I’ll be damned if I will let you know.

Because I am still not going to pay that holdback.

9. I’m dumb like a fox.

10. That door you just installed? It’s twice the price of the one I was expecting – and I know you made a mistake. Thanks!

won’t be hunting them down for the final payment.

Matt Posted at canadiancontractor.ca

Here is a comment on all of that, from one of our readers…

“We should stop expecting customers to screw us over, then maybe they won’t” Ouch. I think for the most part that (second list) is pretty harsh.

Though there are definitely customers out there that have some of those qualities. I have been fortunate enough to not run into many of them (I’ve been at the tiling career for four years now).

Most customers pay right away and don’t expect me to give them something for nothing, though I do at times. My original quote doesn’t change as I keep it high enough to equate for those so called “extras” that always happen on every job. We as contractors should know that. Anyway, this article will bring on a lot of controversy, but I’m assuming, mostly agreement. We should stop expecting customers to screw us over… then maybe they won’t. Good work, good attitude and a good finish is what most of them expect. Just give them that and you’ll find you

RENOVATORS DOING ELECTRICAL Alec Caldwell ran a post online reminding contractors that, if you do your own electrical without a license, you are running legal risks if an electrical fire breaks out even many years later. Can you live with that risk for all the years you will still be in business? Here’s a reply to that article.

“Ridiculous to suggest that a competent person can’t change a light switch” I just came across your article on renovators doing ‘minor’ electrical work. I appreciate the advice as far as the possible legal precautions. However, I disagree with the underlying theme that we DIYers and renovators don’t know what we are doing… A number of years ago I completed a 1,200 sq.ft. addition on my home that included raising the original 1-1/2 storey home to a full two storeys. I hired one of the premier electrical contractors in my area to upgrade my panel to

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VOICES

200 amps. All he did was install the panel itself with the main breaker and install the main supply lines from the pole. I wired the addition myself, upgraded some wiring in the original house and completed all connections at the panel itself. I had it all appropriately inspected: The inspector found one fault in my work (where there were multiple ground wires in a box that I had twisted together rather than using a marette) but the

in both heavy and light-weight construction with moderate amounts of glass and expansive amounts of glass. There are pros and cons to both. I use deepened edge insulated slab on grade whenever I can (no frost wall, just EPS foam). I believe we can build cost effective homes by this method that will compete with conventional.

Richard McPhee

inspector found eight things wrong with the panel installation!

So who’s workmanship put who at risk? The professional electrician’s workmanship!

If it takes somebody 10,000 hours of training to learn to wire

DEFENDING PROFESSIONALIZATION Here’s an inspirational post that speaks for itself.

a home properly, he needs to change careers! If the real issue is

“Education created unforeseen opportunities”

about safety, why aren’t we making it easier for anybody who

I am writing to defend the importance of acquiring professional certifications and skills… Skills come through experience and education, the higher the skill the more education is required.

I worked in Germany for a while and those workers were very skilled and very well educated in their respective trades and also very efficient. North America has not grasped the importance of having very highly skilled trades on the whole.

The trades in Germany were paid very well—more than us— and they appeared to have a good standard of living.

Where I was assigned, the company had in-house classrooms for apprentices: You worked and attended school within that company’s structure. Those same (highly skilled) tradespeople were then assigned to another country, while we assembled and commissioned the project. In my opinion, education creates freedom from control for anyone and opens doors to opportunities that may be unforeseen.

Continuing education always assisted me. From starting out wiring houses in my spare time at the age of 13 (I should have been studying) I worked my way up to become a chief electrician and maintenance superintendent working in 10 different countries. So mark my words, when you are older and out of work with no certificate, you will be… up the creek.

Just write your certificates, get the paper that proves to whoever, you passed the exam. In 1991, I took $3,000 out of my savings, after studying oil field related electrical systems for 8 months (had my Red Seal and unrestricted contractor’s ticket) and flew to Texas for a course. So many laughed at me and yet three weeks later I was in the middle of a gas field in the Middle East and at the beginning of an incredible adventure-filled 16 years.

David

wants to learn correct procedures and make the inspection process more accessible and user friendly? Personally I respect the need for a properly-trained electrician to work on heavy commercial applications. But I also find it a bit ridiculous to suggest that any reasonably competent person can’t change a light fixture or a wall switch, especially if supplied with clearly explained installation instructions.

I firmly believe there are greater risks created by somebody changing their own brake pads on their car than the risks created by that same person replacing his light switch…

Whatever happened to good old common sense?

Stephen Murray

THE HOUSE WITH NO FURNACE Recently we ran a piece online on Passive Solar Houses and here is a comment from homebuilder Richard McPhee.

“Passive Houses can be built cost-effectively” I suspect Nick (another poster, who inquired about costs) should be able to build (a Passive House) for $150/sq.ft. as he is a contractor. I built my parents a new 1,500 sq.ft. house with an insulated slab-on-grade (hydronic). The heat source was an inexpensive 33 gallon direct-vent hot water heater. All domestic heat and hot water was $36 a month on equal billing (natural gas). The gas company changed the meter twice, thinking it was broken. That was about 15 years ago and the house cost $160,000. I’ve built many passive solar buildings since 1980

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www.canadiancontractor.ca

SITE NOTES

Y

ou can’t email Frank Cohn. He doesn’t have a computer.

“If someone wants to reach me badly enough, they leave me a message and I return their phone calls,” he says unapologetically.

“I can’t do computers. More than two buttons and my brain scrambles.”

Even Cohn’s designs, estimates and invoices are done and copied, as required, in his own hand. “I used to get the girl next door to type things up for me, but she went away to university.”

Now based in Mississauga, Ont., Cohn is a two-time Renovator of the Year at the Greater Toronto Homebuilders Association and he has been nominated multiple more times at the provincial level. For almost 15 years Cohn has become well-known in Southern Ontario as host of The Home Improvement Show, Saturday mornings on Newstalk 1010 radio.

Cohn’s list of occupations that might disqualify you from receiving his services caused a minor sensation when we printed it a decade ago. Lawyers were tops – at that time. Teachers were another.

He’s still thriving.

He’s got a steady supply of subtrades willing to work with him repeatedly. He asks for a $500 deposit upon signing of contract, even though he’s got a six-toeight month waiting list for every job. And he’s turning away work all the time.

After growing up in Virginia, Cohn started his renovation business in 1969. He didn’t always hate technology; by the early 1980s he was one of the “early adopters” of mobile phones.

“I had one of these great big suitcase-operated phones that you had to carry around,” he recalls.

But then he discovered that technology eventually started to get in the way of his efficiency, rather than aid it.

“Technology is not the answer to organization,” says Cohn, “you’ve got to have good systems in place.”

Cohn does. The first time I called him, I got his answering machine.

“Please leave your name and phone number first. You’ve got 30 seconds to leave a message.”

“If you leave your phone number off the top, I don’t have to listen to the entire message before I decide whether or not to call you back,” he says.

Every morning, Cohn wakes at 3:30 a.m. to work on design, estimates and invoicing when “there’s no distractions.” He’s out of the office by 6 in the morning. Monday’s, he’s at clients’ houses hand delivering their weekly invoices.

“Monday mornings, my clients are trained,” says Cohn. “I’m there at 7 a.m. with the invoice and they know I don’t proceed until I get a cheque. If there are any problems that need to be resolved, they can be done immediately.”

Cohn is generally on job sites and meeting prospective clients until 2 p.m., when he returns to the office to listen to his phone messages.

Cohn qualifies potential clients from the first phone call. Clients must be in his geographical region and have a

Larry Arnal Photography

No Computer? No Problem!

Frank Cohn has twice won a Renovator of the Year award from the Greater Toronto Homebuilders’ Association.

Booked months in advance, he still operates without computer technology

By Brynna Leslie sense of humour, and he tries to avoid “studious types and princesses.”

After the initial estimate is done, Cohn waits for clients to call him back, a trick to determine if they’re actually interested in getting on his wait list. If they call back, he returns to the site, inspects for any plumbing, electrical or other issues that could delay a project, and presents clients with an itemized budget. If they like it, he gives them a copy, in his own handwriting.

Oh he does have a fax machine.

He’s just not sure if he likes it.

www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

15

TECH

SOFTWARE

FOR CONTRACTORS

18

>

July/August 2014

With more than 200 name-brand construction software programs available – most of them claiming to be the greatest thing since sliced bread – how are contractors to start to choose between them?

Well, you can start by asking five basic questions – as outlined here.

By John Caulfield

M

arkham, Ont.-based Brookfield Residential is North America’s fifth-largest builder/developer. It starts between 800 and 1,000 homes each year in Alberta alone. So you’d think it would be using pretty sophisticated software to run its business. Until about a year ago, you would have been wrong.

Before then, Brookfield tracked its sales manually and used a self-developed estimating system, according to its project manager of housing applications Harp Arora. But since mid 2013, the builder has operated on project management software from Builder MT, accounting and estimating software from Sage Software, and sales and options management software from Sales Simplicity, all of which “talk” to each other. BMT’s trade portal, onto which Brookfield’s documents are uploaded automatically, has virtually eliminated calls from subs or suppliers about missing paperwork, says Arora.

www.canadiancontractor.ca

TECH

35% had been managing their businesses manually using Excel Brookfield is representative of a residential construction spreadsheets, paper records, etc. One-third of those polled said industry that is shaking off its well-documented technophobia. project management was the software solution at the top of Builders and contractors of all sizes appreciate how the right their wish lists, followed by estimating (24%). technology can enhance operational efficiency and profitability Talk to software vendors—and even some builders—and you without a significant increase in expenditure or manpower. hear the same thing: too many builders and contractors, large “Five years ago, people would have laughed if you or small, still don’t know if they’re making money day to day, mentioned web-based software,” says Donny Wright, owner of project to project. They are turning to construction software, say Co-Construct, a Charlottesville, Va.-based software provider these vendors, to see more clearly how their companies are that gets one-quarter of its revenue from outside the U.S., mostly performing on every level.

Canada and Australia. “Now, not only are “Today, in the residential construction builders embracing it, it’s cascading out to their market, it has really become all about data,” subs.” On April 22, Co-Construct launched a says Peggy Smedley, editor of Constructech mobile interface for builders and their trades magazine, which covers builder technology. called “Partners.”

Su Canning, IT manager for Fusion Homes, But the housing landscape is littered with couldn’t agree more. For the past three builders that have guessed wrong on software, years Fusion, which starts around 200 homes and have wasted thousands, even millions, of annually in the Guelph, Ont., area, has been dollars on their mistakes. With more than 200 using a suite of products from Builder MT and construction programs available, and most of its strategic partners, which Canning says them claiming to be the greatest thing since provides her company with “visibility,” and a sliced bread, how is a builder or contractor better shot at “giv[ing] our customers what to know which products are best for his or they want.” her company?

A good place for builders to start any Software providers recommend that before examination of software programs might builders or contractors adopt any construction be Software Advice, the online forum software or hosted network, they need to do where buyers voice their opinions about more than just a Google search to determine software they’ve purchased. Software whether the products and suppliers being Advice conducted the above-mentioned poll, Donny Wright, considered meet the parameters of their Co-Construct and puts out an annual Buyers Guide that companies’ operational structure and, more

“Five years ago,

people would have laughed if you mentioned

web-based

software. Now, not only are

builders embracing it, it’s cascading

out to their subs.”

important, their growth objectives.

Their due diligence should answer these basic queries:

> QUESTION 1

What functions do you need?

A poll of 385 recent buyers of construction software found that 20

July/August 2014

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breaks down vendors by software functions: takeoffs, estimating, bid management, project scheduling project management, program and portfolio management, accounting and job costing, customer management, and field service management.

“To determine what tasks you need the software to support, you should create a checklist of ‘must haves’ and ‘would like to haves,’ ”says Janna Finch, Software Advice’s managing editor for construction.

It can’t hurt builders, either, for builders to talk to peers and competitors about what software they’re using, or to demo vendors’ products. That is, as long as they don’t get talked

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TECH

>

into thinking they need more software than they actually do. begin with a “light” version of Site Boss for as little as “Buying a size 14 shoe doesn’t make your foot grow to 14,” $49 per month. quips Jason Davies, a former contractor who is now product manager for the Pro Contractor suite sold by Viewpoint Construction Software.

The “make or break functionality” of software to their operations should be paramount to builders’ and contractors’ buying decisions. And the primary needs of smaller builders usually begin with “revenue recognition methods” says Bridgette Hobart, who owns Paradigm Technology Consulting, Barry Forbes, Sales Simplicity’s president, recalls a a value-added retailer in Allentown, N.J. conversation he had recently with a developer in Toronto She adds that companies often get started with software whose accounting firm told him it works with 32 different that solves one problem, like QuickBooks for accounting software systems. “The biggest problem for builders of any size and estimating; or Salesforce.com for customer relations is integration,” says Forbes. Builder MT’s president Tom Gebes management (CRM). There appears to be strong demand adds that when builders grow, they often realize their existing for options management software, “which is fundamental software “can’t keep up,” but make the mistake to whether [builders] can sell their houses,” of doing makeshift runarounds “that still don’t explains Brian McCormick, director of have the horsepower.” residential and supply chain for MiTek Growth-minded companies, then, should Industries. base their evaluations of construction software When evaluating programs, builders and not only on their current size, but whether that contractors should identify their companies’ software is adaptable and expandable. “pain points,” and what they want software Builders for the most part use multiple to accomplish, says Dan Houghton, co-owner software programs for different functions. “Most of Omaha, Neb.-based Builder Trend, which Jason Davies, products can’t do certain things,” observes Pi offers a cloud-based software suite.

Viewpoint Construction Software’s Bakst, pointing specifically to project It’s important for buyers to understand that Software management software that usually doesn’t software is designed for different levels of include a financial management component. operational complexity. Builder Trend, which The larger question, though, is not what a software program gets 15% to 20% of its sales from Canada, targets small- to lacks, but whether that software can mesh with other programs, medium-size builders. Builders starting 75 or more homes a especially those that might be needed down the road. year are likely to gravitate towards vendors such as Builder There are basically two kinds of software programs, explains MT, MiTek, and Hyphen Solutions, whose clients include 10 of Hobart of Paradigm: integrated solutions or plug-ins. Hobart the 15 largest builders in the U.S. also notes that vendors have been moving towards Application There are myriad other companies whose products are Programming Interfaces (API), which allows certain products to adaptable to builders of varying sizes and with differing interact with existing systems. needs. Sage, for example, offers three estimating solutions, Such interfaces increase the probability that a software says Dennis Stejskal, its vice president of construction strategy. vendor might one day offer an all-in-one package that performs Small builders and contractors have lots of vendor choices, most functions a homebuilder requires. too. One of them is Los Angeles-based Pi Software, whose The only thing holding up that evolution, says Wright of Site Boss project management web application has about 450 Co-Construct, is the housing industry’s “maturity.” Finch of users. Pi’s president and founder Kelly Bakst says builders can

QUESTION 2

Is the software scaleable?

“Buying a size

14 shoe doesn’t make your feet grow to 14.”

22

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TECH

Software Advice points to Portland, Ore.-based Viewpoint’s

poll found that 78% of recent buyers had no deployment

February 2014 acquisition of Maxwell Systems as an example

preference. But Steven Mulka, a founding partner with SIS

of how vendors are merging to bolster their software portfolios.

Software, who analyzed the polling data, suggests that cloud

Davies, Viewpoint’s product manager, says that one benefit

solutions, along with more powerful software at affordable

of this union is that it gives builders and contractors that don’t

prices, “will provide opportunities for [builders] to get the

have dedicated IT departments an out-of-the-box solution with

improvements they’re looking for and achieve a positive ROI

whatever functionality they need. Some contractors might simply

without having to spend millions.”

be looking for collaborative software that connects information

Bakst of Pi Software recalls that when his development team

from the field with on-premises computers. For others, a soup-

started thinking about Site Boss, it saw that what the housing

to-nuts multifunctional solution is available, he says.

market needed most was quality automation. And the best

No other software vendor has been a more active consolidator than Constellation HomeBuilder Systems, which acquired 30 businesses in 2013. Indeed, Constellation bought its way into construction software, says its vice president Chris Graham. Its suite now includes BuildSoft, which helps small and midsize builders with job costing and purchasing accounting; and Buildtopia and HomeDev Pro, jobsite management software for production and custom builders, respectively.

Builder MT—whose products focus on structural framing solutions—expands its menu through strategic alliances. Besides Sage and Sales Simplicity, Builder MT brings to the table Service Software’s Punchlist Manager, the BIM consultant CE Vision, Avid Rating (for CRM),

way to achieve that simply and affordably,

“After 2007, mobile

the team concluded, was with a product “that

technology became

adaptable to constant change,” says Bakst.

more important to builders, who came out of the recession armed with iPhones and iPads.”

Dan Houghton, Builder Trend

and Microsoft Dynamics’ NAV accounting products. Last year, Builder MT created a

was entirely web-based, mobile-friendly, and To a greater or lesser degree, that’s the direction many other software providers are headed. “After 2007, mobile technology became more important to builders, who came out of the recession armed with iPhones and iPads,” says Houghton of Builder Trend, whose products include mobile apps for project management.

Gebes of Builder MT notes that web-based programs appeal to builders that eliminated their IT departments during the last downturn, and are now looking for management solutions that don’t require new layers of manpower.

Builder MT has a cloud-based product for model options management, and in September

“robust” API “that makes all of the different software look the

will release a cloud-based builder portal that can integrate

same,” says Gebes.

with existing portals for superintendents and trades. Many of

>

Constellation’s products are accessible from mobile devices, says Graham. And Sage is standardizing its mobility and cloud platforms for North America, says Stejskal.

A growing number of cloud applications are offered through a

QUESTION 3

deployment model called Software as a Service, or SaaS, which

Should your software be cloud-based?

SaaS appeals to builders that don’t want to concern themselves

is hosted by a vendor and accessed through a web browser. with hardware or servers, says Graham. Viewpoint’s Davies also points out that giant corporations like Dell and Coca-Cola have

Most builders aren’t thinking about this yet. Software Advice’s 24

July/August 2014

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opted for hosted solutions. However, Davies also suggests that

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TECH

>

some builders and contractors that are reaching for the cloud don’t need to be up there yet.

QUESTION 5

>

What’s next?

QUESTION 4

$

Are your employees on board?

$

Co-Construct tracks why customers sometimes de-subscribe from its products, and one of the biggest reasons is personnel: employees were balking at using the software.

The housing industry is never going to be technology pioneer. Indeed, Forbes of Sales Simplicity recalls speaking with a builder in Florida in April who insisted that his workers were still “scared” of computers.

It’s anyone’s guess how true that is.

But software buyers can’t ignore their employees in the buying equation, and that includes explaining to them the program’s functionality and training them to use it efficiently. Stejskal advises builders to look at their company’s work structure and organization chart first to determine who’s going to be using what. Graham goes farther when he insists that any builder that buys software “needs to make sure this is going to be a critical business system,” and that “everyone is using it at the implementation stage.”

Before it installs anything, Constellation goes department by department to hear employees’ specific needs and concerns.

Builder Trend homes in on estimators and project managers, whom Houghton says are most likely to be impacted by new software applications.

26

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“The front runner for us will be asking customers what’s the most time-consuming part of their day, and addressing that.”

Jason Davies, Viewpoint Construction Software

$

$

One thing you can bank on is that technology will change. And while “newness” is in the eye of the beholder, several vendors contacted for this article say they are expanding the functionality of their existing programs, and are getting into

new products.

These vendors say they are soliciting ideas from their customers, so builders and contractors—theoretically, at least—can help shape the products they’ll eventually be using. Builder MT, for example, divides its client base into nine advisory groups that meet quarterly to discuss trends and analyze its products.

Forbes says Sales Simplicity gets two or three emails a week from builders asking the vendor to add functions. One recent suggestion was to put sales information onto a mobile app for an iPhone that a builder’s senior-level managers can access easily.

Sales Simplicity rolled out this app in May, says Forbes.

“We’re going to follow market demand,” says Viewpoint’s Davies, “and the front runner for us will be asking customers what’s the most time-consuming part of their day, and addressing that.” cc

COVER STORY

Don’t let the Shaft-style wigs fool you. Although Anderson Hines (left) and Manny Neves play it for laughs in their videos, they are old school contractors at heart.

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COVER STORY

Manny Neves and Anderson Hinds of Toronto-based Hardcore Renos will make you laugh. Watch any one of their funny-as-hell online videos (www.hardcorerenos.com) and you’ll immediately understand why they are getting offers to host their own TV show.

However, they’re not just entertainers. They are also master craftsmen who are deadly serious about the quality of their work.

~

By Rob Blackstien

Photos: Roger Yip

A

week after getting into a heated argument with Chico (not his real name), his foundation tradesman, Manny Neves was approached by another worker.

“He said to me, ‘You’d better be careful, because Chico’s in with the mob. He’ll put a hit on you if you piss him off.’ ” Neves and Anderson Hinds – the other half of Toronto-based Hardcore Renos – clearly not sold on the notion they were close to being fitted for concrete shoes, just laugh.

And so it goes with this edgy, fun-loving and media-savvy pair who have earned a reputation among local subtrades as being “the picky contractors” for their refusal to do anything but top-notch craftsmanship in their projects.

Spend a little time with this duo and several

things become clear. They definitely do have fun – finishing each other’s sentences, cackling madly at some inside joke or Neves’ virtually non-stop sarcastic dialogue, and coming across in their online videos (122 of them at time of writing) as a pair who truly love what they do.

They are clearly born showmen. Neves is the direct, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners side of the equation while Hinds is the walk-softly-but-carrya-big-hammer, family-man type. Their nerves never show in front of the camera - and they certainly didn’t appear when the tape recorder starting rolling for this interview, either.

When asked if it was the first time they had been interviewed, Neves immediately quipped, “Does being interviewed by the police count?” To which Hinds added, “What about immigration?”

>

The Art of HARDCORE www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

29

~

COVER STORY

Canadian Contractor “Is this the first time you’ve ever been interviewed?”

Manny Neves “Does being interviewed by the police count?”

~

Anderson Hinds “How about immigration?”

Photos: Roger Yip

(Just try not to picture the pair – slow, hypnotic baseline playing in the background – knocking on the door of a house and telling the hot housewife in the sheer lingerie that they are there to fix the plumbing. You get the picture…)

“If that pops in your mind it’s because that’s a reflection of who you are,” Neves says, challengingly. “It’s not a reflection of us, it’s always been a reference to the level of difficulty of renovation.”

Among the dictionary definitions of hardcore is “a militant or fiercely loyal faction.”

That may best fit what Neves and Hinds are trying to

Hinds and Neves – wigless.

Deadly Serious But behind the laugh-in-the-face-of-a-death-threat hilarity, Neves and Hinds are deadly serious about doing the best work they possibly can. On their current project (see sidebar: The Rondale House, opposite), they have already alienated more than one “old school” tradesman because they are almost obsessive-compulsive about getting things right.

They are unapologetic about this, knowing that ultimately the only people they answer to is the homeowner who will be grateful that this pair has been so hardcore about quality.

When we interviewed them, we had to ask them about this Hardcore Renos brand name and its obvious connotations.

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accomplish.

“People who are deeply involved in what they do, they call it hardcore, so it doesn’t necessarily have to associate with anything derogatory,” Hinds adds.

It was serendipity that brought this pair together, 20 years after they went to high school together. While they did know each other in school, they didn’t hang out outside of class.

“I wasn’t that black back then, right?” Neves asks.

“He’s blacker now. He eats more black food than I do,” Hinds responds.

After high school, Hinds went into the building industry and has remained there, in one capacity or another, since.

He started with cabinetry and furniture-making and gradually shifted into finish carpentry and renovating.

Neves took a very different path. He went to film school at Ryerson University in Toronto before becoming a director of highly-successful TV commercials.

Over that time, they did not stay in contact.

“I don’t keep in touch with anybody from my school... I like

COVER STORY

it that way,” Neves says with deadpan humour. Or maybe he means it.

So when they ran into one another in 2006 at a Home Depot, it was the friend Hinds was with who spotted Neves. “(Anderson) didn’t recognize me,” Neves says. “And I liked it that way.”

But they started talking and quickly found out that they were both interested in the same things.

With the TV commercial business slowing down, Neves was looking for something new.

Voila! Hardcore Renos was born (although the pair didn’t actually do any projects under that company name until 2011).

While film to renovations sounds like a sea change, it wasn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.

“My dad was a bricklayer and I would pay attention to what he was doing,” Neves explains. Even back then, he could see that there was always a way to improve techniques.

Old School versus New School “Once again it was old school versus new school,” Neves says. “He would teach me the old school way of doing things and then I would come up with suggestions on the new school of things.”

Hence, the Hardcore Renos way of doing things began to emerge.

“That started reaffirming the old hardcore,” Neves says. “You take longer, you make that extra effort, you keep on asking yourself, ‘Is this what you would do in your own house? Is this what you would do for a family member?’ ”

Photos: Roger Yip

Chance Meeting at Home Depot

THE RONDALE HOUSE While the Hardcore boys had done virtually every type of renovation, with their current project on Rondale Boulevard in midtown Toronto they have busted their home building cherry.

• • •

Size: 5,100 sq. ft.

Bedrooms: Four Bathrooms: Five

SPECIAL FEATURES • •

Schluter-DITRA heated floors in all tiled areas “Hot roof” technique allowed attic to be opened up – i.e., the use of Demilec Heatlok Soya sprayfoam insulation under the roof deck.

No need for soffits and roof vents as with a cold roof.

• Three electrical vented skylights by Velux • Triple zone Carrier Infinity system. The system automatically regulates the home heating and cooling through sensors located at each thermostat point, and like everything in the house, it’s all Wi-Fi, so can be controlled with a smartphone.

“It was not only about building a century home, we were really critical about building this house that was going to last a long, long time, but was going to save them a lot of money,” Neves explains.

To that end, the house is essentially a Passive House as borne out by an independent study by BlueGreen Consulting Group Inc. BlueGreen reported that the Rondale home well exceeds the EnergyStar program’s air tightness of 2.5 Air Changes per Hour (ACH).

Hardcore Renos beat that easily, as pre-drywall tests indicated the house had a very tight 1.4 ACH leakage rate. Perfectionists that they are, the boys brought the spray foamers back for some touch ups. The result? A post-drywall test of 0.75 ACH, a rating BlueGreen co-owner Greg Labbe says has only been beaten by two Ontario houses.

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31

COVER STORY

1. Manny and Anderson installing a Schluter-DITRA-HEAT FLOOR 2. High-end finish carpentry using Brenlo Mouldings 3. Bathroom featuring Schluter-KERDI-BOARD

1

3 2 Photos: Roger Yip

Hinds adds, “It’s never just ‘good enough.’ You always have to go that extra mile to make sure that it’s done perfect.”

Which brings us back to finding hardcore subtrades. Or training regular ones to think hardcore. Like the drywaller, who upon receiving orders to do a level five finish on the seams in the garage at their Rondale project, as if it were any other room in the house, looked at Neves as if he had just been asked to become familiar, in a biblical sense, with Shamu the Killer Whale.

It finally got done that way. Which created a bit of tension, which was defused by lots of humour and wisecracks. In fact, you’ve got to have some fun or else the Hardcore boys are not going to get along with you.

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No TV in the Bedroom Neves tries to put things in perspective in one of his soliloquies: “You’re renovating, you’re building dreams for people, you’re building their homes. It’s a place that their kids are going to grow up, a place that if they’re still married hopefully still having sex in their bedroom unless there’s a TV in there and there’s no sex going on in there. You want them to enjoy it.”

Part of what makes their jobs go well is the lack of clutter both in terms of waste and trades climbing all over each other.

Neves and Hinds keep their job sites extraordinarily clean and a pre-wiring meeting with the HVAC, plumbing and electrical tradesmen to plan things out room by room helped make it possible to create a bulkhead-free home in the Rondale project.

Neves’ background in film and advertising shines through in all of Hardcore’s branding - the web site, their social media presence and particularly their treasure trove of how-to videos.

HARDCORE

Q&A

MANNY NEVES

ANDERSON HINDS

Girlfriend, no kids

Family

Motorcycles, films

Hobbies

“I have no personal time whatsoever right now.”

“Passionate, Driven, Task-Oriented ”

Life/work balance Words to describe himself

“Family-driven, Cautious”

Words to describe the other

“I don't want to be bored”

What drives him

Travel

“I’d want the ability to fly”

COVER STORY

Guilty pleasure First thing he’d do if he had supreme power over the universe

The Island of Pico in The Azores

Favourite vacation destination

Mushroom, garlic and mozzarella

Pizza toppings

Wife and four kids Gardening, model helicopters, woodworking “Because of this build, it’s quite difficult to get the balance. That’s why, Friday, at the end of the day, that’s it” “Meticulous, Honest, Optimistic” “Direct, Hardcore, The joke is Manny has the hatchet, and I come around with the first aid kit and mend the wounds” “A sense of accomplishment at the end of the day” Chocolate

“Make sure that everybody has a half-decent life”

Barbados

Spinach, chicken, mushrooms and cheese

Three

Tattoos

None

Love

Money or love

Love

Coffee, but it has to be espresso

Tea or coffee

“We’re not contractors that drink Tim’s”

Desert island CD

Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On

The Taming of Sleeping Beauty

Desert island book

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

Rocky

Desert island DVD

Rocky

Alphaville, Big in Japan

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33

HA Photo: Roger Yip

COVER STORY

Hardcore Renos’ black and white Mercedes Sprinter vans are festooned with sponsors’ logos.

Suppliers have started to covet Manny and Anderson’s booming website traffic.

It is that artist mentality that drives him to try to create perfection.

That is just one of many things their clients appreciate, but it’s also “the honesty that we have when it comes to giving them something that they want.

We tell them straight,” Hinds says.

“Black and white, nothing in the middle, it is what it is.”

That brand philosophy extends to their business cards – white on one side, and black on the other, and even their Mercedes Sprinter vans – one white and one black. On the surface, this seems like an allusion to their race, but once you get to know them, you realize that black and white means only one thing to Neves and Hinds: there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things – with no greys in between.

Now that is hardcore. cc 34

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Photo: Hardcore Renos

Playing it for laughs, working really hard, and having a vision.

HARDCORE HARDCORE Videos

View 122 of them at www.hardcorerenos.com

COVER STORY

Part of Hardcore's time is spent selling sponsorships for the products they use in the build, but they also receive sponsorship from Mercedes. The Sprinter van interiors are featured here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj4lUBW3mL8

Doing a high quality job on everything, including the footings, does not mean you can't have fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm0mRGRrPto

With over 15,000 views, this video of the second floor framing is one of Hardcore's most popular.

That's what hoisting a 40-foot, 2 x 6 wall will do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WXH5uNi_GU

A blower door test proved the high quality of the building envelope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H3K0hS79jA www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

35

CREATIVE EYE

ITALIAN MASTERPIECE 12,000 Square Foot Home Kleinburg, Ontario

This 12,000-square-foot house in Kleinburg was a magisterial canvas for pro painter Paul Reinke to work on.

The mural you see here, in the great room, is a reproduction of 1899 painting

by Lionel Noel Royer: Vercingetorix Throws Down his Arms at the Feet of Julius Caesar It was transferred to the ceiling using the Tattoowall process. Tattoowall training and technology is available in Canada from the Masters Academy of Decorative Arts (www.mada-arts.com).

“The murals on the ceiling are actually ink painting in reverse,” explains Reinke. “By printing it on the reverse side, on the glue side, onto a translucent film, the colour isn’t lost over time.”

Contractors Sparview Design Build hired Reinke to do an immense amount of plaster work on the house – as well as many other special effects.

The fireplace, the columns, the mouldings around the balcony and the elaborate plaster around the chandelier connect the decor from room to room.

“The house is a procession,” explains Reinke.

By Brynna Leslie

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RENAISSANCE REVISITED Decorative effects painter Paul Reinke put his years of experience to work on this project

Photos: Larry Arnal Photography

CREATIVE EYE

www.canadiancontractor.ca

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37

CREATIVE EYE

ITALIAN MASTERPIECE

12,000 Square Foot Home Kleinburg, Ontario

You may never get to construct a ceiling like this, obviously. Just look at this dome – it is comprised of a stunning 10-carat gold foil. Reinke applied an amber wash over top of the gold to give it more richness. Then he added a six-inch gradation on the edge that goes from solid black to zero.

“It has an angelic light,” says Reinke.

“You can make fake gold look great, but there’s something about real gold.”

The interior walls of this house are stucco designed to look like limestone.

Reinke washed the walls with colour to add variation that would give it an irregular and more natural finish.

“The premise was to make the house look and feel like a castle,” says Reinke.

The multi-sided square wall art can be seen from upstairs and several rooms on the main level.

Reinke achieved the look by hand-troweling gold and chocolate paint on drywall with a wax coating to give it a satin finish.

The shield in the centre is Venetian stucco – ground marble that’s burnished into the wall with stone and cement ground into it. “It has real gold dust in it,” says Reinke.

“It’s a spatula finish, done with stainless steel trowels to give it the look and feel of polished stone, explains Reinke.

Outside, the single statue is a hint of what’s to come – reflecting the ornate interior carefully crafted by the hand of an artist.

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Photos: Larry Arnal Photography

CREATIVE EYE

www.canadiancontractor.ca

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39

Photo: Larry Arnal Photography

CREATIVE EYE

ABOUT PAUL REINKE decades ago as an illustrator. He did medical drawings to pay his tuition at the Ontario College of Art and the University of Toronto. With an entrepreneurial spirit, he moved from advertising into the film business as a scenic artist, focused on the constant acquisition of training and knowledge.

A combination of economics, good luck and hard work brought Paul to home renovations and decorating following the film market crash in 2001. He doesn’t believe in the cliché of the starving artist.

“There’s no windfall, we all have to work really hard to get somewhere,” says Reinke “The only secret is getting up every day and giving your all day in and day out and believing that you deserve to make money.”

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Photo: Paul Reinke

Paul Reinke began his career three

Applying final details to the Kleinburg house

“The only secret is getting up every day and giving your all day in and day out”

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How to build with stone Page 46

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P RO D U C T S , T E C H N O L O G Y & T I P S F O R C O N T R AC TO R S

ROCK

STEVE MAXWELL’S

STUFF WE LIKE

TRIBUTE TO THE OLD GUYS

July/August 2014

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MAXWELL’S MIND

GOTTA LOVE THE OLD GUYS

By Steve Maxwell

W

hy is it that the world most admires people who matter the least in any sort of practical sense? I’m reminded of this whenever I see the best farmers, well-drillers, mechanics, carpenters, loggers and, of course, contractors in action. And yet it’s the blow-dried pretty people who get all the attention.

Why is it so hard for people to see that our entire civilization is built on the experience, stamina, patience and insights of people who’s working clothes are rough and dirty, and whose skin is creased and scarred? And anyone working in our industry knows that it’s often the oldest, gnarliest and highest mileage tradespeople who are the custodians of all the practical knowledge that makes civilized life possible. Some of these folks also show the most courage I’ve ever seen, like a tradesman I know named Harold.

Harold is somewhere in his 80s, and more than 10 years ago he tried retirement for a while. He gave up. “I’m just going to keep working until I can’t work any more,” he philosophized the last time we met in a small country store. And if there’s one thing I admire about Harold, it’s his excuse-free definition of “can’t.”

Harold’s pronounced, decades-old limp and recent cataract surgery still don’t qualify as reasons for him to sleep late or fritter his days away doing nothing in particular. Harold is still working and contributing. How’s that for spunk?

I’ve always figured that old guys in the trades are too saggy, wrinkled and weather-beaten to make it to the media spotlight in a world that worships youth at the expense of substance. But maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps the world really would watch a TV show about the day-to-day lives of “over-the-hill” contractors. The thing is, any of the old guys I know would much rather just get to work.

You’ve gotta love the old guys.

”

It’s the oldest, gnarliest and highest mileage tradespeople who are the custodians of all the practical knowledge that makes civilized life possible.

”

Steve Maxwell Tools Editor

steve@stevemaxwell.ca

www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

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PRODUCTS

MAXWELL’S NEW PRODUCTS

S t u f f We L i k e

Stone is one of the classiest

Like a

ROCK How to build with real stone in real ways

By Steve Maxwell

building materials going, and that’s why inventors keep coming up with manufactured substitutes for the real thing. But nothing quite matches traditional stonework for authenticity and good looks.

Beautiful, yes, but is real stonework practical on modern projects?

Perhaps more than you might think.

I’ve been building with sedimentary stone since 1987, and the approach I’ve settled on uses traditional tools wherever stone surfaces are visible, and a few modern tools that boost efficiency big-time behind the scenes. Even with the help of modern technology, real stonework never happens quickly, but it can still be a realistic part of higher-end projects. Find a mason willing to try the techniques I’ll tell you about here and even building projects not funded by millionaires can benefit from authentic stonework in at least smaller quantities.

Before I get down to details, here are a few terms. When I say “traditional” coursed stonework, I’m talking about a wall that’s 9” to 24” thick, textured with hand tooled surfaces following a horizontal and vertical pattern. There are many other kinds of stonework in

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PRODUCTS

MAXWELL’S S t u f f We L i k e

the world, but building the way I’ll show you here is what I know and love best. See “Broken Ashlar” on page 50 to learn more about my favourite classic stoneworking pattern.

Traditional stonework can function as a wall on its own, but the project in the photos uses a 9”-thick layer of stone built as a self-supporting layer over an insulated wood frame. This combination delivers all the beautiful deep window openings and thick corners of traditional stonework, plus the energy efficiency necessary to meet code.

STEP #1 Rough-Cut Stones to Length and Thickness Gas-powered masonry saws do a lot to boost the efficiency and precision of building traditional stonework, and I run two saws right now – a 111cc Stihl and a 67cc Echo. Both spin 14” diameter diamond wheels. Water injection is key, too. It lengthens abrasive life and keeps everyone happier and healthier.

The first stones you set on a foundation can be just about any size and shape within the pattern you’re creating. It doesn’t matter where you start, but as the wall rises you’ll need to cut stones to fit within a given space between neighbouring stones. Measure the length and height of these spaces, then subtract half an inch at each end for mortar joints and half an inch underneath for bedding mortar. The most accurate way to measure the height of a space is to place a 24” level on a neighbouring stone, centre the bubble, then measure down to the stone below. I make a list of a dozen or so stones, cut and face them, then bring the stones back after tooling for bedding in mortar on the wall.

Cutting stones to length is easier than changing their thickness because less sawing is involved. That’s why I always scour my pile for stones that are already the thickness needed. It’s not unusual to find stones that are just a little too thick for a given spot, perhaps because of a lump

This is what good quality, natural sedimentary building stone looks like before it gets worked.

Traditional stonework involves nothing but this material and mortar.

Marking the edge of a stone for facing with a pitching chisel. Any straight edge and a carpenter’s pencil works fine.

Facing a stone with a pitching chisel. Facing creates a slightly bulging surface plus a straight line for aligning stones.

e Stuff We Like . . . Stuff We Lik www.canadiancontractor.ca

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PRODUCTS

MAXWELL’S NEW PRODUCTS

S t u f f We L i k e The stout edge of two pitching chisels. The one on the right includes a bend that breaks the stone more deeply.

A masonry saw with a diamond blade and water injection is ideal for use cutting stones to length and thickness.

or bulge on the top or bottom. See “Air Force” on page 50 for a quick look at a 130-year-old stoneworking power tool that speeds progress and makes it easy to remove trouble spots like these.

Simple height and length measurements are all you’ll need for cutting ordinary wall stones to length and thickness, but when I’m building an arch or round window, I create plywood templates to guide the more intricate and angled stone shapes. That way it’s just a matter of tracing the pattern, cutting the stone, then chiseling the face before installation.

A 14” diameter wheel offers almost a 6” depth of cut, which isn’t usually enough to make it completely through the stones I work with. If there’s still a couple of inches of uncut stone under the line, hammer steel wedges into the saw kerf every 6” to 8” to break the stone all the way. A few hammer blows and you’re done.

STEP #2

Steve creating plywood templates for shaping the stones that line the edge of a round window.

Mark and Face the Stone The face of each stone that’s visible in the finished wall is its most important side, and chiseling an outwardly bulged surface is called facing. Although the chiseled face itself will be irregular (that’s part of the attraction), the lines where the chiseling starts on all four sides must be straight and in the same plane as each other. I use a straight edge and carpenter’s pencil to mark four lines back about 1/2” to 1” back from the face, then chisel on the line.

I face stones with a stout, thick chisel called a pitching tool and a 4 lbs. mason’s mallet to strike it. The edge of the pitching tool is ground to an 80º bevel, with the high side of the edge placed along the pencil line before striking a sharp blow. The aim is to cleave a crisp, sharp shard off the face of the stone, move the pitching tool over on the line, then strike again. Complete this operation by

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PRODUCTS

MAXWELL’S S t u f f We L i k e

following lines on all four sides of the stone and you’ll have achieved two crucial things: a facetted face that’s irregular and attractive, and a consistent edge for aligning the stones along the outer face of the wall as they’re laid in mortar.

STEP #3 Lay Stone and Point the Joints I use 3 parts sand to 1 part cement for my stonework mortar, with the cement being a 50/50 blend of Portland and masonry. The thicker mortar joints in traditional stonework often exceed the 1/2” thick maximum recommended for mortar made with masonry cement.

Trowel a 3/4” to 1”-thick layer of mortar onto the place where the next stone is going, then nestle that stone into place along a guide string. This is a lot like laying brick, except that the area behind the face of the stone is quite likely to be irregular. Fill these spaces with chunks and chippings of stone created by your work chiseling the face of the stones earlier, with mortar pushed in around the shards. When I’m working against an existing frame wall I’ll often use a tape measure to position stones a certain distance from the wall, rather than following a string.

One key to traditional stonework is to avoid the modern practice of recessing mortar joints. My favourite classic pointing involves tooling mortar onto the joint so it bulges outwards slightly, then drag a bullnose slicker across a 24” carpenter’s level to create horizontal and vertical lines. This creates a regular pattern of double lines over the rough stonework that looks just great.

No one ever became a stonemason by reading a magazine article, but perhaps my experiences will help you see that real stonework can boost some of your projects in a big and not too impractical way.

A Sharpie marker is ideal for marking the sizes of stones after they are cut and shaped.

A vintage tool to create vintage results. This bullnose pointing slicker was new in the 1920’s – a gift to Steve in 1991 from one of the last old-time stonemasons on Manitoulin Island.

You can measure the height of a space for stone without a level, but a level allows you to take an average measurement from across the whole width of the space.

e Like . . . Stuff We Like

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PRODUCTS

MAXWELL’S S t u f f We L i k e

Broken Ashlar This is my favourite style of stonework because it combines refined, square-edged blocks in a rhythmic and varied pattern. Square or rectangular stones are laid level to create a visual rhythm, with taller square stones always separated by several longer, horizontal ones. No two areas of a broken ashlar wall are exactly the same, and that’s part of the attraction.

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Air Force

In 1885, 29-year-old William Holden invented the handheld, air-powered stone hammer that has since revolutionized the way stone is worked around the world. An internal piston oscillates back and forth as air flows through this cylindrical tool, delivering hundreds of blows a second to the stoneworking chisel held in the end. The action is just a much faster version of hitting a chisel by hand with a mallet. The two air hammers I run are made by the Trow & Holden plant in Barre, Vermont and look just like those first made 130 years ago.

I most often use either a 4- or 9-point tooth chisel with my air hammers to hog off high spots on stones. It takes at least a 5hp electric or gaspowered compressor to run an air hammer.

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Products Win More Quality Deck Jobs

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PRODUCTS

By Steve Payne

Wooster Chinex FTP Brushes With increased paint release and reduced drag for the smoothest finish, new Wooster Chinex FTP brushes are ideal for today’s paints. Compared to other Chinex brushes, FTP has added firmness and softer, fuller tips for sharp edging. Perfect for low VOCs and fast-drying coatings. Very durable; fast and complete cleanup.

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Wooster Super/Fab FTP and Pro/Doo-Z FTP Rollers Featuring Wooster-exclusive HydroFlow technology, Super/Fab FTP and Pro/Doo-Z FTP rollers offer controlled release for increased production, less effort, and more consistency. They create even mil thickness and eliminate back rolling. Perfect for today’s paints. Super/Fab is recommended for flat, eggshell, and satin paints; Pro/Doo-Z works with all paints, flat to gloss Watch the video: http://youtu.be/f9E2AjxdW8I

Mold Armor E-Z Deck Wash & E-Z House Wash The powerful formula of these Mold Armor products cleans exterior mildew, mold and algae stains with no scrubbing! Simply spray on, wait 10 minutes and rinse. Can be applied with garden sprayer, tank sprayer, roller or sponge. Ideal for vinyl, aluminum or wood siding, brick, stucco, concrete, decks, fences and other outdoor structures.

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Home Armor Flexible Sealer A great product for contractors, Home Armor’s Flexible Sealer stops both indoor and outdoor water leaks with guaranteed longlasting performance. Extreme weather-proof, it remains flexible under hot and cold conditions. Solves problems on gutters, windows, roofs, shingles, unpressurized pipes and more. Quick aerosol application.

CONTRACTOR LAW

Debt Collection 101

Here are some legal avenues to collect what your customers owe you.

By Dianna M. Rievaj

CBC recently reported that the cost of unpaid wages and materials for the construction trades is $300 million a year.

Why do contractors allow their customers to keep their hard-earned money? A common answer is that the contractor is often embarrassed that they aren’t getting paid – so they don’t use proven debt collection methods to pursue payment. But in my experience as a lawyer, it isn’t typically the contractor who’s at fault - the customer has simply invented reasons why they won’t pay. So what can you do about it?

Builders’ Liens You’ve all heard of the builders’ or construction lien, but it’s not always your best bet for walking away with the most money. For starters, liens are very timesensitive. Each province has its own rules, but the window to file your lien is only about 45-60 days after “substantial completion.” If you miss that deadline, your ability to file a lien expires. Liens are also quite technical and most contractors will require a lawyer.

Ideally, a lien would be incentive enough for a customer to pay you.

However, a lien only has an immediate incentive if the customer is planning to sell or they need their next construction mortgage draw. A lien is also very shortlived (about 45 days). To keep a lien in place after that time, you must “perfect” it – which means formalizing the lien into an actual lawsuit. This involves another trip to your lawyer’s office and is the first step in what can be a lengthy and costly Supreme Court action.

Demand Letter An alternative first step to a lien is the demand letter. Your lawyer writes a letter which says, “I’ve reviewed the file.

I think my client is right, so pay within ‘X’ days or we’ll sue.” This letter will cause many customers to stop playing games and pay in full. They realize you’re not going away and they don’t want a lawsuit they know they won’t win. At the very least, it may start a conversation that could lead to an acceptable resolution.

Small Claims Court If you’re not owed a huge amount, small claims court is often a great option.

In many places you can be in front of the judge in as little as two months.

You often get a decision the same day as your hearing. You can represent yourself or enlist the help of a lawyer.

In many provinces you can claim up to $25,000. Interestingly, even if you are owed more than the limit, you can reduce your claim to be heard in Small Claims Court. You would choose this route if the savings on legal fees would be more than the amount you reduce your claim by. Your issue also gets resolved significantly faster than taking it to Supreme Court.

Supreme Court For a Supreme Court action you’ll need a lawyer. Supreme Court is laden with red tape and costly, required procedures. Be sure your lawyer is

very clear upfront about the legal costs, how long it will take to get a decision and your realistic chances of success.

Just as important, be sure to discuss the likelihood of actually collecting if you win. In debt collection, winning is only half the battle. You may also have to enforce the order.

Collecting on Your Judgement Once a judge has determined you’re right, the next, often more challenging, step is actually collecting. Most debtors will not simply write you a cheque – you have to enforce against them. You can register the judgment at the Registry of Deeds. This will prevent them from selling/mortgaging their property. The Sheriff’s department can garnish wages and empty their bank accounts. In extreme cases, the Sheriff will repossess their personal property. There is a cost to all of this and if your debtor has no assets you are out of luck.

The bottom line on your bottom line is, you have options. Learn what they are and make an educated decision.

All lawyers are not created equal. Find one you like and trust and go from there. Don’t let the customer keep YOUR money any longer. cc Dianna M. Rievaj is an Associate Lawyer at Kennedy Schofield.

This article is meant to offer basic legal information and should not be relied upon for legal opinion.

www.canadiancontractor.ca

July/August 2014

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CASH FLOW

Four Tips to improve your cash flow

Your truck runs on fuel, your business runs on cash

By Adam Friedman That truck you’ve got in the driveway. Incredible, isn’t it?

It uncomplainingly hauls a loaded site trailer, two buckets of ¾ gravel and the your entire site crew all in one go. Even though you’ve skipped a few oil changes, it runs like a sewing machine, o starts in minus 30 C weather and pulls like a racehorse. It’s a miracle of engineering that you’d be lost without. But here’s a question: How reliable is it without fuel? How far will it go on an empty tank?

What will it haul when the gauge is on empty?

Your company can be engineered as superbly as your truck.

Your staff can be as efficient and uncomplaining – but how many renovations will you do in a year without cash? What level of quality can you bring to your work when you can’t pay for materials?

What capable, loyal staff will stay without being paid?

Cash is business fuel. Whether it’s a good business or a bad business, dump some cash into it and it will run; starve it of cash and it’s done. Here are four ways you can make sure you company always has cash:

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1. Be aware of each job’s ‘cash chain’ Every job has a cash chain, which refers to the lineup of people or businesses that will influence the money you need to complete the renovation or home repair.

The chain starts with the source of your clients’s income, then flows right through to your suppliers and beyond. Are all the links in the chain solid? Are there links that you need to shore up? For instance, there might be a supplier you haven’t used before. Are they flexible with terms? Are they tough on collections? Will you need cash sooner to pay them? As for your client’s own cash flow, do they already have the money for this project, are they financing it, or are they paying for it out of their own cash flow? What kind of company do they work for? Do they have a safe job?

Are they paid on salary or is their income uneven?

You absolutely have to be aware of what you are getting into with each client’s ability to pay.

2. Keep your bank and your suppliers in the loop Truth is, most impending cash problems are predictable. You can usually see them heading your way at least two weeks in advance. In the meantime, the biggest complaint your suppliers have about their customers is that they are not warned of impending cash problems. Letting them know what is coming makes them more generous. Trust improves cash flow.

3. Have a cash flow tracking system High tech is here, folks. Technology can improve your cash flow substantially. Using wireless job clocks and mobile time tracking apps for your crew is a great idea.

GPS tracking on your vehicles is another plus. Electronic banking and accounting will powerfully increase your ability to see what’s happening to your cash.

CASH FLOW

4. Accept credit cards right on-site I know of many contractors that use credit cards rather than their supplier accounts when buying materials for their jobs – even $20,000-plus lumber packages – just to collect Air Miles or contractor credit card points. Similarly, plenty of your clients have similar incentives to use their own credit cards to pay for their renovations. If you can take credit card payments on the spot at the time you deliver the bill, it may mean happier clients and it will definitely mean huge improvements in your cash flow. Instead of a net-30 payment schedule that forces big cash flow pressure on you, the payment can go directly into your account virtually minutes after submitting the bill.

Recently the Internet has made handling credit cards incredibly easy. Systems like Square take minutes to install on your smart phone and will allow you to conduct a credit card transaction a few minutes later. You don’t need a special

relationship with a bank and you can take all major credit cards. There is a service cost, but you have to measure it against the cost of bad debt, down time due to cash flow issues and the cost of interest when borrowing from your line of credit.

One of the advantages of Square, in particular, is that there is no minimum number of transactions or minimum dollarvalue per transaction. It can allow you to process win/win/win transactions – a win for you, a win for your client, and a win for your cash flow. In addition there is a full suite of sales reports from Square that you can incorporate into your accounting and financial reporting process.

From now on, remember that cash flow is nothing less than the fuel supply-line to your business. Keep that fuel flowing by keeping these four tips in mind on a daily basis. cc Adam Friedman is part of the Canada/International marketing team at Square, Inc., San Francisco, Ca.

www.canadiancontractor.ca

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Family business General contractor Jim Taylor has a lead carpenter, Jeff, who has become indispensable. Now Jeff has started to date Jim’s daughter, who also works in the business – with some storm clouds potentially gathering for everyone concerned.

By Rob Koci

J

im Taylor always wanted to run a truly “family” contracting firm, so he was thrilled when his 24-year-old daughter Amy began dating Jeff, his recently-hired lead carpenter.

Jeff had proven to be a great hire – and he could be trusted, which freed Jim up to find more business – which he quickly did. In fact, Jim soon had to hire Amy to come into the office three times a week to help out.

Things were working out great, until Jim found out that his daughter was a lot more serious about Jeff than Jeff appeared to be about Amy. At least that was the impression Jim was getting.

The business was taking off, but possibly at the expense of a family train wreck!

Jim was always the nonconfrontational sort, and his first inclination was not to get involved. Trouble was, he was on the verge of signing a $250,000 reno with a client who insisted that Jeff be the site foreman. Just to make things more interesting, the client for this project was the family of Jeff’s former fiancé (Amy did not know).

Maybe it was time for Jim to say something – but to whom?

And what should he say?

See the potential solutions to Jim’s dilemma, at right.

LAST ISSUE’S WINNER – “Roofer’s Dilemma” Last time, we asked you what you would do if, when installing a flat roof membrane, you found out that the roof deck needed to be topped off with plywood – which you had not foreseen or budgeted for. Our favorite answer was from Wally, who chose Option #4: "Tell the customer and risk him insisting it be done with no extra charges" – but at the same time explaining to the customer that NOT doing it would void the warranty for the membrane.

Reputation for quality protected, lesson learned: Always have an "Assumptions Clause" in every contract (in this case assuming that the roof deck did not need replacing or sheathing).

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July/August 2014

www.canadiancontractor.ca

WHAT SHOULD JIM DO? 1. Say nothing, and let the potential heartbreak sort itself out.

2. Tell his daughter his suspicions about Jeff.

3. Confront Jeff with his suspicions.

4. Lay some personal ground rules for both, without revealing his suspicions.

5. Decline the job.

HOW TO ENTER We want you to pick the answer, above, that is closest to what you would do.

We will pick a single winner by random draw from among the answers we like the most. If you want to give us an Option Number 6, please feel free.

Please email your answers to rkoci@canadiancontractor.ca.

We will send a $100 gas card to the winner.

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