Construction Math 101

From a minor home repair to the construction of an entire house, virtually every construction project requires some mathematical calculations. From calculating the square footage of a room to more complicated figures like the area of a triangle or the number of board feet in a piece of lumber, a calculator and a few simple formulas are all you need.

You can find a wide variety of timesaving electronic construction calculators at http://www.constructionbook.com/construction-calculators/. We offer the largest selection of rugged calculators for today's construction professionals including the industry's leading concrete, conversion and electrical calculators. Bid faster and more accurately with our award-winning, digital take-off tools.

Area Measurements

Measuring and calculating area takes two of the three dimensions into account: width and length, as when measuring a floor, or width and height, as when measuring a wall. For the following examples, we'll use a rectangular room that is 10' wide and 12' long and has 8' high ceilings.

• Area of the floor or ceiling: To figure the area of the room, multiply the length by the width (10' x 12' = 120 square feet).
• Area of the walls: The area of each wall would either be 80 square feet (10 x 8 = 80) or 96 square feet (12 x 8 = 96). If you need the total square footage of the walls - for figuring paint or wallpaper for example - you can simplify the calculation by adding all the wall lengths together first, then multiplying by the height (10 + 12 + 10 + 12 = 44 x 8 = 352 square feet of total wall area).
• Area in square yards: There are a total of 9 square feet in a square yard, so to calculate the number of square yards in this room, as when ordering carpet, divide the total square footage of the floor by 9 (120 square feet / 9 = 13.33 square yards).
• Area in square inches: There are 144 square inches in a square foot, so to convert an area from square feet into square inches, simply multiply by 144 (120 square feet x 144 = 17,280 square inches).
• Area of a triangle: For the area of a triangle, use this formula: .5 x the base of the triangle x the height of the triangle. If you have a triangle - a gable end for example - that is 18 feet wide at the base and six feet high from the base to the peak, the calculation would be as follows (.5 x 18 x 6 = 54 square feet).
• Area of a circle: To calculate the area of a circle, the formula is: pi x radius 2 (pi = 3.1416). So, if you want to know the area of a circle with a 22-foot diameter - which would be an 11-foot radius - the calculation would be: (3.1416 x 11 x 11 = 380.13 square feet).
• Circumference of a circle: To calculate the circumference of the same circle - the total distance around it - use the formula: pi x diameter: (3.1416 x 22 = 69.12 feet).

Cubic Measurements

Cubic measurements take all three dimensions into consideration - width, length and height. This will tell you the volume of a given area and is useful for such things as knowing how much air is in a room when sizing an exhaust fan or the volume of a foundation form when ordering concrete.

• Volume of a room: To calculate the number of cubic feet in the room used in the examples above, multiply the width by the length by the height: (10' x 12' x 8' = 960 cubic feet).
• Volume in cubic feet: There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. So, if you would like to convert cubic feet into cubic yards, which is used for such things as dirt, gravel and concrete, just divide the number of cubic feet by 27 to arrive at the number of cubic yards. For example, if you have a form that is 2' wide, 10' long, and 1 1/2' high, first figure the cubic feet, then convert to cubic yards: (2' x 10' x 1.5' = 30 cubic feet / 27 = 1.11 cubic yards).
• Volume in cubic inches: There are 1,728 cubic inches in a cubic foot. To convert the cubic feet in the above example into cubic inches, you would multiply by 1,728 (30 cubic feet x 1,728 = 51,840 cubic inches).

Board Feet

Most lumber is sold by the board foot, which is equal to a board that is one foot long, one foot wide, and one inch thick. If you would like to know how many board feet are in a given piece of lumber, use the following formula:

T x W x L / 12, where T = the thickness of the board in inches, W = the width of the board in inches, and L = the length of the board in feet.

For example, suppose you would like to know how many board feet are in a 16 foot long piece of 2 x 8 lumber. Applying the above formula, you would have the following: 2 x 8 x 16 / 12 = 21.33, so there are 21.33 board feet in that particular piece of lumber.

Not only does Construction Book Express offer you the largest variety of high-quality construction calculators, but we also have a huge selection of books covering the use of mathematics in all industries. Mathematics for the Trades, Math for Welders, Engineering Mathematics, Mastering Real Estate Math, Mathematics for Plumbers & Pipefitters, Carpenter’s Calculations Manual, and Basic Construction Math Review are just a few of the titles you’ll find in this important category.

Increase Customer Communications

Accurately communicating your work is so critical that, when done well, it actually can become one of your best competitive advantages. Like a successful marriage, the key to a trustworthy homeowner-contractor relationship is open and frequent communication. Communication can sometimes be problematic because people get consumed by the work, the materials, and the deadlines. You don’t want to slow down to talk about the work, but when it isn’t done correctly you’ll have to talk about it because it has to be redone.

Remodeling accounts for 40 percent of all residential construction and improvement spending and almost 2 percent of the U.S. economy. While the volume of work is astounding, it is competitive and homeowner expectations for a good communication flow are greater than ever.

Homeowners already know many of their options, they have expectations, and they want the work done right—the first time. However, closing the communication gap also means working together as a team. Communication problems often occur when clients are too busy to attend weekly job meetings. It opens the door for misunderstandings.

Proactive remodeling contractors who anticipate educated, busy and demanding customers are setting up guidelines for frequent communication to prepare a homeowner thoroughly for what lies ahead. Some firms are even designating Residential Integrators, who are tasked with the responsibility of representing the company's mission, structure, attitude, and professionalism. You can find a guide to Residential Integrator's Customer Relations at www.ConstructionBook.com.

Communication for the Ages

The most critical decision any homeowner makes on a remodeling project is choosing the right professional, and word of shoddy work, excessive costs, legal aggravations and poor communication spreads quickly.

Today’s homeowners demand more expertise from their remodeling contractors due to their access to countless resources for designs, products, methods and communication tips. The need for communication increases in relation to the amount of information available to a client.

Generation Xers have the skill to do the research and a strong desire to know what’s going on, so you have to communicate very clearly with them to make sure you understand why they like something and why they’re bringing something to the table.

The amount and quality of communication is critical on the other end of the spectrum as well. Baby boomers and retirees have more time to research Age-In-Place (AIP) projects. People with disabilities present an even different set of communication challenges.

Regardless of age, the tone of communication influences buyer satisfaction and resulting referrals. Consider communications training, be aware of your body language and learn how to replace unfriendly or intimidating words and phrases while still establishing boundaries.

Best Practices

Typically, budgets and schedules are the biggest issues on a project. To keep everyone on the same page from the beginning, it is a good idea to provide the homeowner with a catalog that is categorized for quick reference and update it with copies of meeting notes, change orders and selection confirmations. Construction Book Express has a huge selection of forms and documents available for you to customize at http://www.constructionbook.com/forms-documents/.

Another best practice that contractors of any size can incorporate is to have one key contact person for the duration of the project. The salesperson and operations manager are very involved with the homeowners throughout the project, however one person should run the job from beginning to end.

Stepping up your customer communication may be less difficult than you think when considering the opportunities available for interaction:

• Contact customer within 24 hours of initial call;
• Qualify leads, schedule appointments, provide references and exchange contact information;
• Share estimates, budgets and methods for changes;
• Review detailed outlines of warranty on workmanship/materials;
• Examine job schedules and product selections schedule;
• Conduct pre-construction meetings;
• Warn customers of potential problems hidden behind walls;
• Conduct daily or weekly meetings;
• Establish and discuss rules for children, cleanup and protection of personal property around work area;
• Survey customers and demonstrate appreciation;
• Stay in touch after the project;

Finishing Touches

Larger companies are able to devote resources to formal customer communication and satisfaction programs, but smaller contractors can benefit from these strategies, too. Your company should establish a long-term system launched at a project’s conclusion. Time and expenses could be built into a project’s overhead as marketing costs.

• One week after homeowner walk-through, final items should be completed and clients should receive a final Homeowner Manual materials including:
  • Warranty information
  • Emergency contact numbers
  • Paint choices/product selections
  • Home maintenance pamphlets
  • Congratulations/thanks letters
• Ten days after sending the final billing statement, send your customers a survey with cover letter, self-addressed stamped envelope and a $10 coupon to a local coffee house.
• Upon final payment, have a “thank you” gift delivered to the customers.
• Five months later, send the client a letter notifying them of a follow-up phone call within two weeks and scheduling an appointment for six-month warranty work if necessary.
• Set up an annual project anniversary for 10 years, wherein clients receive a "congratulations" card promoting special services.

One important reference for all contractors and builders is Managing Your Most Difficult Customers, also available at www.ConstructionBook.com. Learn how to make every customer a happy customer with this great new book!

Where are the Best Places for Developing Land?

The Fastest-Growing Counties in the US

Looking to find the best spots for land development? You may not need to leave your state. The nation's 100 fastest-growing counties are spread across 28 states, with hot pockets of growth far from the Sun Belt. With population increasing in these areas, the demand for developed land is also increasing, driving up property values in counties throughout the country.

Without a doubt, advantage goes to sunny climates. Counties in the five states with the biggest overall population gains since 2000 -- California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Arizona -- accounted for well over half of the 100 hot counties. Add in Nevada, the fastest-growing state, and six Western and Southern states accounted for two-thirds of the top 100's population growth, according to data prepared by ESRI, a supplier of geographic information-systems software and data.

A supersize county
Just one supersize county -- Southern California's Riverside County, bigger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined -- has added 474,000 residents since 2000.

But even slow-growing regions have pockets of growth. Since 2000, the Midwest's population has grown by just 2.7% (1.8 million residents), yet the region is home to 14 of the 100 fastest-growing counties.

Case in point: Ohio's population has grown about 1% since 2000, one of the lowest growth rates. Yet Ohio is home to two of the 100 fastest-growing counties: Delaware, north of Columbus, and Warren, northeast of Cincinnati.

In Delaware County, cornfields have given way to Polaris Fashion Place, a massive mall that opened in 2001. Cincinnati's Procter & Gamble Co. in 1995 opened a research center in Warren County, helping fuel growth. The two counties accounted for more than three-fourths of Ohio's population gain this decade.

Similarly, Illinois' population has grown 3% since 2000, yet three counties near Chicago -- Kendall, Kane and Will -- are on the top-100 list with strong double-digit growth.

Sizzling growth
Kane and Will are among 11 counties nationally with population gains above 100,000 since 2000. Kendall's population has rocketed 49% since then, making it the ninth-fastest-growing county. Like many high-growth counties, Kendall has a small base: Its current population (81,000) is a fraction of the more than 5 million in Chicago's Cook County.

The most sizzling growth has occurred under the sun. Flagler County, Fla., on the coast between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, ranks No. 1, with a gain of 75% since 2000. It boasts wide-open beaches, tranquil surroundings and plenty of golf. The local tourism authority proclaims: "'Peaceful' is not just a word; it's a lifestyle."

The fastest-growing counties tend to be on the edges of major metro areas. Four of the top 10 counties surround Atlanta. Loudoun County, Va., outside Washington, is No. 2 on the list.

All of this has contributed to the game of supply and demand. Because there is such a huge demand for housing, developers are seeking out cheaper land to put in a lot of housing.

Relative home values
Cheap is relative. The median home value in Sabine, Texas, the lowest-priced place in the top 100, is about $64,000. The median home value in northern California's Placer County, the most expensive, is $587,000. Home prices in the fastest-growing county, Florida's Flagler, are rising 12% a year.

The recent end of this decade's unprecedented housing boom will mean less construction, slower growth and possibly lower prices in some overheated markets. But there's no denying how prices have surged. California and Florida, which are first and third in population growth since 2000, are home to all 25 markets with the greatest percentages of housing appreciation this decade, according to government data.

Resources
So, you’ve decided on where to develop and need some information on how to get started? Check out the huge selection of land development resources at www.ConstructionBook.com. You’ll find guides to Getting Financing & Developing Land, Business Park and Industrial Development, Land Development Calculations, Mixed Use Development, Multifamily Housing Development, Office Development, Residential Development, Land Development for Civil Engineers, Checklists and Forms, and much more!

Stick to ADA Guidelines

Being familiar with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines is a must for any contractor. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is civil rights legislation assuring public buildings and structures provide reasonable accommodations and access to anyone with a disability. This can be for wheelchair users, or for the visually or hearing impaired, as well as a range of other potential disabilities.

Building Codes
Most state building codes comply with ADA guidelines. Most states have gone to the International Building Code and the International Plumbing Code, which references a document called ICC ANSI A117. This is the standard for where to put plumbing fixtures and what makes the toilet room accessible. All the information plumbers will need is found not only in ADA, but also in these building codes. Construction Book Express has a full line of International Codes available at http://www.constructionbook.com/international-codes/.

Liability
Typically, the responsibility of meeting ADA guidelines falls to the architect or designer. It is important for each trade involved to understand what their responsibility is. For example, if a plumber installs something based on an architect's plans and the architect was incorrect, the plumber will have to return to the site and redo it to avoid legal action.

That's the best-case scenario. The worst case is that the architect, owner or general contractor will pass the buck down to the plumber. Regardless of whether a plumber can be directly liable, the most common situation would be to have the general contractor, prime contractor or owner going after them.

There generally are two components to ADA litigation; one is fixing the problem and the other is litigation costs, which consist mostly of attorney fees. If you just have a general indemnity obligation and the entire violation is your work, you will have to reimburse for attorney fees as well, which is often where the big money is in these cases. As a tradesman, your goal is to eliminate the indemnification obligation.

Nuts and Bolts
Although the Standards for Accessible Design are lengthy, there are some fairly common concerns:

• Entrance and exit ramps
• Doorway widths
• Bathroom stalls
• Showers
• Shower heads
• The height of toilets from the floor; where the toilets should be located as far as the center line being 18 inches from the nearest wall.
• The location of the flush handle should be on the wide side of the room or the toilet stall.
• The sink height and the types of controls should be lever-type controls rather than knobs.

Poundage is also an issue. The amount of pressure it takes to work the controls, whether on a toilet or in the shower or on the sink is supposed to be no greater than 5 pounds of effort.

Also note guidelines for lavatory heights and knee clearances. The maximum height generally is 34 inches to the rim of the lavatory, and remember to provide the 29 inches of knee clearance beneath the apron of the lavatory.

To find out all of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, check out the Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities and the ADA Guidelines and Fair Housing Act, both available at http://www.constructionbook.com/ada-code/

Products
Construction Book Express offers many books and products that can help you navigate ADA guidelines and ensure that you are never in violation. You can shop our wide selection at http://www.constructionbook.com/ada-code/.

Commit to Project Management

Sometimes jobs can get so far out of hand that it becomes necessary to micromanage every aspect. By adopting project management principles it may be possible to infuse efficiency.

As individual contractor jobs get bigger and growth hits the point where multiple jobs are due around the same time, it is important to have a system in place that can help improve efficiency. While numerous management-based best practices promising results in this arena have come and gone, the basic principals of project management not only have stuck around, but they also have grown stronger in virtually every discipline.

Even though project management takes a slightly different form depending upon the industry, universally embracing project management means making a commitment to some key principles. The most important aspects include defining the scope, identifying any potential problem area, recognizing accountability as well as establishing a timeline for completion. However, in each area it is crucial to make sure that everything is realistic.

Focal Points
Moving toward a more project-oriented structure requires a true commitment, and realistically it is something that most businesses need to implement gradually. The key is to be effective in taking this approach.

You must embrace as many principles as possible while starting out with a focus on smaller projects or even breaking big jobs into smaller deliverable components. In some instances, smaller projects have a greater chance for success than large projects. On the smaller scale, you can roll out completed portions of the project incrementally, which helps build momentum and enthusiasm.

The ability to properly estimate the schedule becomes vital in a project structure, so utilize top-down and bottom-up estimating to hone in on a realistic schedule. Try obtaining actual data from similar projects for a top-down estimate and create a detailed task plan for a bottom estimate. If there’s a large gap between these estimates, focus more resources on the planning effort until there’s reasonable agreement between the two estimates.

The actions of a leader also are key components to any project’s success. For instance, a project leader is more successful when capable of providing clear and frequent communication, anticipating risks and issues before stalling the project and taking ownership of the schedule and milestones. Escalating schedule issues that occur and maintaining a sense of urgency—personally and among the project team—is a quality that leaders should exhibit. This becomes especially true if a third-party vendor is responsible for handling a specific segment of work. Because the team depends on individuals outside the company’s immediate control, you can’t let them be out of site and out of mind. You should stay in communication constantly and encourage them to share the challenges they’re facing.

Tighten Up
As a firm starts to find comfort with project management, it is important to continue embracing more in-depth concepts as well as pay close attention to potential pitfalls—especially because it is human nature to revert to comfort behaviors. There are many aspects to running a project efficiently while hedging against potential pitfalls.

It is important to always define the problem to be solved clearly before moving forward. The project manager must able to clearly articulate the business problem that the project is designed to address and what the benefit of solving the problem is to the business. However, when a business decides it is ready to start preplanning for problem areas, it is important to remain focused on clearly identifying the tasks at hand, the dependency relationships between the tasks, the anticipated delivery schedule and the person accountable for completing the task. It is vital to avoid sticky situations resulting from listing a task completion date of ASAP or an assignment to the team.

Your firm should also monitor risks very closely. Develop mitigation strategies for big risks that the project is facing and work to ensure the risk doesn’t torpedo the project. For project issues which crop up, identify them as early as possible and take active measures to address the issue before it spins out of control. One way to help head off issues is to meet regularly with the crew to assess status.

Project Management is the most important ingredient in completing a successful project. Numerous programs and publications have been published with goals, schedules, methods of progress, cost management - all with the intent to help prioritize and keep your company focused on the path ahead. These software programs, books, and guidelines are ideal in order to grow and succeed.

Construction Book Express offers a wide variety of Project Management publications and software that can have immeasurable benefits for your firm.