As we all try to be a little greener, conserve water, become more environmentally aware, or just want to save money on our utility bills, there are many ways to do this. And so much information on the web to help you.

But if you live in Sioux Falls, SD there are a couple of programs that are not very well known and deserve some attention. If you are a city of Sioux Falls water customer be sure and check the links below for help with water conservation.

PLUMBING RETROFIT REBATE PROGRAMS

Sioux Falls Public Works offers rebate programs for replacement irrigation timers, clothes washers, and toilets.

http://www.siouxfalls.org/PublicWorks/water_conservation/rebates

WATER CONSERVATION KIT

http://www.siouxfalls.org/PublicWorks/water_conservation/kit

The kit includes:

• Low Flow Showerhead
• Hose Nozzle
• Lawn Watering Gauge
• Leak Detection Tablets
• “Water Wheel” with indoor and outdoor watering conservation tips
• General Information on water conservation and lawn watering techniques

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What he said got me to thinking. Sure, as a building consultant I don’t have a high adventure job like those guys that fight wild fires or an international spy. But, as far as glamour goes, I guess it depends on how you look at it.

Like most things, its a matter of perspective.

So how does any of this sound?…

• Working with new science, new frontiers, learning and exploring things in ways that people have not done before.
• Using existing science in new applications.
• Building better buildings. Designing better buildings.
• Making buildings better for the people who use them. Healthier, safer, and more comfortable and energy efficient.
• Solving building problems that affect peoples comfort, health, and safety.

None of those things sound too bad, do they? I get to do those things everyday.

I suppose it may not be high action and adventure; although I’m pretty sure it fits the bill for high technical adventure.

Building Science – maybe not “glamorous” – but it’s still pretty cool.

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Listening. We’re told to listen as children. As we grow older we find out it’s more of a skill than just something to do. In business it turns out to be the one thing we can always do, but often choose not to. Especially when we’re selling something.

The last two people that called me had several things in common:

• They both had building problems that had yet to be fixed.
• They both had gone through multiple contractors and repairs.
• They both had spent a lot of money and time trying to get their problems resolved.

The most important thing they had in common:

• Months later they both still had the same problems with their buildings.

So how does listening fit into today’s post?

When I asked those two building owners why they thought they still had problems they both said it was because the people they’d hired to fix their problems did not listen.

None of the previous companies they’d hired to help them actually took the time to find out what was actually happening to them and their buildings. (Read our post  Hammers and Nails to see this from a different angle.)

All the contractors, tradespeople, and others they had called for help; all of those people had been focused on selling. They were so focused on getting the job that they didn’t bother to make sure that what they were selling could actually help.

Those other companies should have been more focused on helping. That change in focus from selling to wanting to help someone; that would have allowed them to listen.

Companies need to sell, that’s how business survives. But, what if what you’re selling can’t help your client, or isn’t really what a client needs?

By the time I start working with a lot of my clients they are frustrated, and even angry, because of the problems they are experiencing and the quality of help they received when they tried to fix them.

I spend a lot of time listening. Because you can’t diagnose a problem without talking and listening to the people with the problem.

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Over the last year we’ve worked with many contractors on job related disputes and construction defect related issues. Some of these relationships began as proactive communication by the contractor to prevent or control a situation, others have been a reaction to client complaints.

There’s typically a pattern to these types of issues that can be recognized and changed for each contractor. Not only is there a pattern, but there are also specific things that many conflicts have in common at their bottom line.

A good part of construction dispute prevention starts by having, implementing, and using, a set of proper business procedures tailored to your company and the type of work you do.

Angela Goldman, a litigation attorney out of Massachusetts, has provided a very helpful post on her Massachusetts Builders Blog. No matter where you are located, read 10 New Years Resolutions for Contractors

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Many people think that building maintenance is only about fixing broken things, but there’s a whole lot more to maintaining a property than meets the eye. Every building owner needs to know about the four types of building maintenance outlined here.

1. Preventative Maintenance

This maintenance is focused on preserving the physical integrity and value of the property. By following a preventative maintenance routine you can reduce corrective maintenance costs.

Preventative maintenance consists of regular maintenance activities and routine inspections that are done to prevent problems with your building and to help prevent costly repairs in the future. It’s always cheaper to fix problems when they’re still small and preventable!

2. Routine Maintenance

This is the most frequently done activity of all and is done by performing routine and scheduled maintenance of the property.  Changing equipment filters, cleaning gutters, removing debris from roof drains, caulking, office cleaning, window cleaning and repairs, and parking lot care are just a few of the many items that require scheduled maintenance.

3. Corrective Maintenance

These are actual repairs that keep the property functioning normally and usually need to be done as soon as possible. The repairs are usually done in response to something breaking or not working properly anymore. This type of maintenance includes replacing a broken air conditioning unit, fixing a dripping faucet, unclogging drains, replacing light bulbs, or repairing a non-functioning toilet.

Don't Let This Happen To Your Building

4. Deferred Maintenance

This is what happens when the other types of maintenance are not performed. This is the maintenance that isn’t really maintenance at all! It’s the repairs, replacements, and improvements that should’ve been done but weren’t. Now they’ve become larger problems with larger repair costs. These items are oftentimes the most expensive to fix and many times they could’ve been taken care of at far less expense, if they had been fixed when first noticed.

Deferred maintenance has been called “the controlled self-destruction of your property” and it should be pretty obvious that you want to avoid deferred maintenance as much as possible!

What condition do you think your building is in?

Do you need someone to help you figure out your buildings maintenance and repair needs? Click here for more information on building maintenance inspections and the benefits of proper maintenance.

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• Slips & falls are the #1 cause of accidents in buildings.
• Slips & falls account for 40% of all general-liability claims
• Slips and falls are the 3rd leading cause of injury to customers and employees every year.
• $60,000 to $100,000 per claim. That’s what the National Floor Safety Institute estimates that the average liability award for injury is to a customer or other third party.
• The impact of a slip and fall accident can range from inconvenience to massive liability.

Those are some pretty high numbers. So high that you wouldn’t think that slips and falls are the most preventable accidents to occur in the workplace. But they are.

The focus needs to be on prevention, not compensation after a slip and fall claim.

Did you know that proper building maintenance is a key part of liability prevention?

Prevention is the best and cheapest way to manage your property against slips and falls. Prevention goes beyond simply clearing away clutter or placing a “Wet Floor” sign at a slippery entrance.

Here are some basic things to consider about slip and fall hazards on any property:

Inside: Dangerous conditions such as torn carpeting, changes in flooring, poor lighting, narrow stairs, or wet floors can cause someone to slip and hurt themselves inside a building.

Outside: Slip and fall incidents happen outside when people trip on broken or cracked sidewalks, damaged parking areas and curbs. Rain, ice, snow, or hazards that are sometimes hidden, such as a pothole, also create slip and fall hazards.

Depending on your property type, and its usage, there are many other potential slip and fall hazards that can be addressed. But you can’t protect yourself if you don’t know the hazards exist.

Cautious building owners need to establish a program that addresses liability prevention with proper maintenance.

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Because homeowners can perform their own lead based paint removal without conforming to the same rules that EPA certified renovation firms have to abide by, it opens up a whole new arena of liability for those following the EPA’s RRP rule.

Here’s a similar situation…maybe you’ve come onto a job where for one reason or another the previous contractor (or handyman, or brother-in-law, or homeowner, or unlicensed person, or neighbor, etc…) didn’t finish the job?

As a contractor, project manager, consultant, etc… How do you control your liability? You have no idea what the conditions were before any of the work was done? What precautions were taken during the work?

Those who know me already know what I’m going to say. Without going into a long rant I’ll just say that, at a minimum, you need to document, test, and verify – and then repeat as needed until the project is over.

Wow! Didn’t even finish that last sentence before some of you were talking about the added cost to the project , that no client will pay to have that stuff done, doing that will cost you the job, and all the other reasons you can think of to not to protect yourself and still get the job.

In the situations mentioned above it doesn’t matter whether you choose to do the RRP work yourself or hire it done, there are many things that can be done to protect yourself. These things include independent 3rd party clean up, lead testing, and clean up verification.

Maybe the question isn’t about what do you need to do get the job. Maybe the question is whether or not you should even be trying to get the job if you can’t protect yourself from the liability of the work you’ll be doing.

(FYI: The EPA’s Renovation, Repair & Painting rule went into effect on April 22nd, 2010. It affects all professionals working in homes built before 1978 that contain lead based paint or other lead containing materials. If you disturb lead containing materials in homes built before 1978 you must be EPA certified and use lead-safe work practices.)

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Preventing frozen water pipes and meters is easier than trying to thaw them – or repair the damage from broken ones. There’s still time to do a quick check of your property and put some measures in place to help prevent this from happening to you.

Pipes located in the following areas of your building  are the most susceptible to freezing:

• Outside walls
• Walls next to an unheated area
• Under sinks on an outside wall
• Under a sink in a wall next to an unheated area
• In an unheated basement or crawlspace

Protect Water Pipes From Cold Drafts

• Eliminate cold drafts near water pipes
• Tightly close doors and windows to the outside
• Install storm windows on basement windows
• Seal cracks in walls, or around windows, close to pipes
• Fill cracks in walls and around windows in basements and crawlspaces
• Turn off water connections to outside water fixtures

Keep Water Pipes Warm

• Provide warmth to the water pipes; insulate the pipes, or both
• Open the door to the room where the pipes are located to allow warmth to circulate
• Place a lighted bulb (a trouble light or safely placed lamp)near water pipes. Never use open flames.
• Wrap pipes in insulation or heat tape
• If your kitchen or bathroom sink is located against an outside wall, insulate the wall
• Open the cabinet door below sinks to allow warm air to reach the pipes
• Turn on plumbing fixtures frequently. It’s less expensive to run your faucet regularly than for you to repair a frozen or burst pipe

A little bit of time spent protecting your building will help protect you from the misery of frozen and burst water pipes.

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That phrase and others like it refer to the Law of the Instrument, and it’s also known as “Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.”

It refers to the way people work and how they solve problems. It’s about looking at things from the point of view of one’s profession.

So how does that apply to solving problems with buildings? It means that if you only know how to fix things one way – then that’s how you will always fix the problem. Even when it doesn’t fix it the first time, the second time, the third time, etc …

Oftentimes when that type of “fixing” doesn’t work you’ll hear someone offer this bit of advice “Get a bigger hammer.” Do you suppose that really works?

So, when the “hammer” isn’t working what do you do?

• For the contractors, heating and cooling companies, and other service providers out there – what do you do when the problem you’re working on hasn’t (or can’t be) be solved by the product or service that you sell?

• For the building owners out there – what have you been doing when the service providers you’ve been using can’t fix your problem?

Some problems just can’t be solved using the methods you have. It doesn’t matter whether that method is your “hammer”, or someone else’s.

This same law of the instrument applies when you hire someone to solve your building problems. If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got. It’s not cost effective to “hammer” away at a problem if you keep getting the same unacceptable results.

We have a full toolbox of skills, techniques, and experience that helps us view your buildings problems in a way that others don’t. We have a problem solving mindset, and that lets us see things in a way that others can’t.

And yes, we have a hammer. But, we bring the whole box of tools when we arrive to solve your building problems.

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The fact is that a properly maintained building adds value to your investment. Do these three things to protect, and therefore make money, on your building investments.

1) Don’t neglect your building. Buildings are just like people, they need attention. The easiest way to make money on your property investment is not to lose money by ignoring your buildings maintenance and upkeep needs.

2) Maintain your property. Growing up we were all taught to take care of things because they’d last longer. The same goes for buildings. It costs an average of 15 times more to fix something after it breaks than it does to proactively take care of it.

3) Plan and budget for future maintenance. If property is considered an investment then the expense required to keep the value of that investment should be considered money well spent. Studies have shown the typical return on maintenance can be 300% or greater.

Think about these things for a second… letting little problems turn into big problems will cost you more to fix. Sure, it’s common sense, but how many times do we put something off because it doesn’t need our attention right now.

At a minimum, each dollar saved through preventative maintenance is as good as a dollar earned through any other business activity. And if that dollar saved also helps to increase the value of your property? WOW … easy money!

Can you afford not to maintain your building?

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