Active Builders Blog

Whether you’re the general contractor of a major construction firm or a local home builder, the completion of a project’s “punch list” is the final barrier between you and receiving payment for your work.

The explosion in popularity of smartphones begs for a solution to the traditional, low-tech way of approaching a construction project’s punch list.

Punch list computer software has existed for years (even for mobile phones). But none of the current construction project management software is maximizing the technology available on smartphones today.

This is how we’d like to see smartphones and specifically a punch list app bring the traditional construction punch list into the 21st century.

What the Punch List App Would Look Like

Imagine you’re a general contractor and you’re entering the punch list phase of a construction project. Instead of lugging building plans, compliance codes, pads of paper or even a large tablet PC to the job site to record information, you’re able to slip an iPhone with a punch list app into your pocket.

As you conduct your walk through, you’re only seconds away from creating an entry to your punch list.  A couple of taps brings up 3-D floor plans; you manipulate the 3-D model with your fingers until you drill down to your exact location in the room; tap the specific problem area, tag it’s location, take a picture and quickly fill out a form describing the problem.

In addition to being able to draw on the plans themselves, the app would also allow you to draw lines or make marks on the pictures you’ve taken.

Because you’re using a smartphone to record information, you can log information more quickly than pen and paper and store more of it. Once a punch list entry is created, the information is shared with the appropriate subcontractor. To reduce the number of communications, punch list entries can also be grouped and sent out as one notification.

Information sent to the subs could include:

• Job site location
• Geo-tagged photos of issues
• Automatic voice-to-text transcription of audio notes
• Requested completion date
• Digital signature request
• Compliance notes for building codes
• Automatic schedule/calendar updates and notifications when tasks are completed
• Vendor price comparison for supplies

As subs complete tasks, the schedule is updated and notifications are pushed out to the other subs. This push notification would be especially useful for subs who are waiting on others to complete tasks. For example, as an electrician completes their work, they update the punch list app and the drywall company is immediately notified to begin work.

The app would also be great for organizing employees on large job sites. In fact, with a group of connected employees on site, a general contractor could tap into employee locations via a GPS-enabled punch list app and assign tasks to the nearest employees.

How impressed would a customer be if you addressed a problem by immediately tapping into a mobile punch list app and directing the nearest employee to solve it?

From Paper to Pixels

The technology of a punch list app would get the buzz, but the app’s true power lies in it’s ability to streamline communication and organize information.

Traditional punch lists are recorded separately, often using completely different recording mediums. Some take a pen and paper to the job site; others an audio recorder; still others snap pictures. Logistically and organizationally, this is a nightmare for all involved.

Take a look at the work flow of a “traditional” punch list process (Click the image to view a larger version).

Opportunities for delays exist at nearly every stage of the process. Information is spread out among building plans, handwritten notes and stray photos. Not to mention dozens of people.

What if every one involved in the punch list recorded information in the same mobile program, communicated instantaneously and received updates in real time?

This is exactly what our mobile punch list app sets out to accomplish.

Take a look at how our app - a digital, centralized point for storing information - changes the project’s work flow.

Instead of each party waiting for updates from the general contractor, everyone is continually updated by the punch list app. More importantly, the updates are entered in the same way by each sub - through the app’s form. No more piles of paper and unorganized work orders while you try to interpret a subcontractor’s personal punch list system.

Subs can better plan their schedules knowing when jobs will be complete. GCs can check the overall status of a project by seeing how many punch list tasks have been completed. If a sub contractor hasn’t completed a punch list item, the app could even sync with a company’s accounts payable department to withhold payment.

Everyone is living in mobile harmony.

What features would you like to see in a punch list app?

By Chris Thorman
Software Advice
www.SoftwareAdvice.com

Posted on August 19, 2009 at 12:23 pm

http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/construction/bringing-your-punch-list-into-the-21st-century-1081809/

New developments in spectrally selective low-e glazing offer unprecedented levels of daylight with minimal solar heat gain.

The nanomaterials revolution has brought many innovations to the building sector in recent years—concrete that cleans itself, glass that switches from transparent to opaque with the push of a button, and solar panels as thin as paper.

One of the more notable nanomaterial successes in the building industry dates back to the late 1970s. That’s when scientists discovered that by applying nanometer-thick films—for the record, a nanometer is a billionth of a meter—of metal and metal oxide to glass, they could block high levels of heat-generating infrared light, while allowing most visible light to pass through. The discovery led to the development of thin-film-coated spectrally selective low-e glasses that offered Building Teams a near-crystal-clear glazing alternative to traditional multi-pane insulating glass units that use tinted or mirrored glass to control solar heat gain.

Over the years, glass coating manufacturers refined the coating process, eventually adding a second layer and—quite recently—a third layer of metal to reflect a much larger percentage of UV and infrared light while still maintaining a high level of visible light transmittance.

“For a long time, double-silver-coated was thought to be the limit from a manufacturing standpoint,” says James J. Finley, PhD, a Fellow at PPG Industries’ Glass Business and Discovery Center in Harmar Township, Pa., who worked on the development of PPG’s triple-silver-coated glass product, Solarban 70XL. (PPG and Cardinal Glass are the only domestic manufacturers to offer triple-silver-coated glass.) “Every time you add a layer, it becomes much more difficult and less cost-effective to manufacture. By building these stacks, from one, to two, to three layers, we can create a much better filter.”

Finley says manufacturers are approaching what is considered to be the physical limit of thin-film-coated spectrally selective glazing—a light-to-solar-gain (LSG) ratio of 2.5—offering unprecedented levels of daylight with minimal solar heat gain. PPG’s product, for instance, is rated at 2.37 LSG in a standard one-inch insulating glass unit, which equates to 64% visual light transmittance and a solar heat gain (SHG) coefficient of 0.27, meaning it blocks up to 73% of the sun’s energy. “We’re not going to get much better performance than that,” says Finley.

In comparison, typical uncoated low-iron glass transmits about 84% of visible light, but has a 0.82 solar heat gain coefficient for an LSG factor of 1.02. Traditional blue/green reflective tinted glass has a low SHGC (0.31), but lets only 27% of visible light pass through, for an LSG of just 0.87 (see table below).

The benefits of implementing high-performance, spectrally selective glazing have been documented by the U.S. Department of Energy in a 47-page technical review of the technology (www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/FTA_Glazings.pdf).

“Because new spectrally selective glazings can have a virtually clear appearance, they admit more daylight and permit much brighter, more open views to the outside while still providing the solar control of the dark, reflective energy-efficient glass of the past,” says the DOE study.

By blocking solar heat and making maximum use of daylight, spectrally selective glass can significantly reduce building energy consumption and peak demand related to heating, cooling, and electric lighting load. When properly specified and implemented in a building project, spectrally selective glazing also can enable Building Teams to downsize HVAC equipment, such as chillers, which reduces initial capital investment costs.

DOE estimates the payback for spectrally selective glazing at about 3-10 years for U.S. commercial buildings in cases where it replaces clear single-pane or tinted double-pane glass. A similar payback period would apply to most commercial buildings in the southern U.S. when spectrally selective glass is used instead of conventional high-transmission, low-e, double-pane windows.

Payback periods can be minimized even further when high-LSG spectrally selective glasses, such as the triple-silver-coated low-e technology, are specified.

By Dave Barista, Managing Editor
February 17, 2009
Building Design and Construction
http://www.bdcnetwork.com/article/CA6635480.html

Broward General Contractor

In the United States and in a number of other countries around the world, LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. Achieving LEED certification is the best way for you to demonstrate that your building project is truly “green.”

The LEED green building rating system — developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington D.C.-based, nonprofit coalition of building industry leaders — is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being… Read More

This article was produced by: http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/leed.asp

Cork Institute of Technology
Chris Gibbons

Background

The basis of this research project is to explore the potential for increasing both the efficiency and the cost effectiveness of solar photo-voltaics by actively extracting both the electrical energy generated by solar cells and the thermal energy, also captured by the cells.

Thermal behaviour of photovoltaics

The best available production PV units have an overall in-field efficiency of about 15%. With current development this may be increased by a further 2-3% in the next five years, but with a significant cost overhead. However, these efficiencies are temperature dependent. In the case of crystalline silicon, the higher the temperature the lower the conversion efficiency. Typically the loss may be 15-20% if no cooling of the panel is provided, and the panel temperature rises to 60-70°C. Cooling of photovoltaic units is, therefore, of considerable importance to operating performance.

The aim of this project is to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by maximising heat transfer from the panels to the environment and hence minimising their steady state operating temperature. Heat transfer to the environment is dominated by convective heat transfer, which is a function of the average convective coefficient between the panel and the surrounding air, the surface area, and the temperature difference. A number of prototypes have been designed, which will be tested using a solar simulator, developed at CIT (see Figure) , infrared thermography and a computer model, which is being developed, that will help to optimise design variables.

The potential for removing and utilising this waste heat, which may account for 80% of the incident solar energy, has been examined in detail. The ideal design solution, for Building Integrated Photo Voltaics (BIPV), would enable the PV devices to function as a facade component for a building. The benefits accrued are as follows:

* the PV conversion efficiency is increased as the collector temperature is reduced.

* the PV support structure is provided by the facade support.

* electrical energy is generated and can be utilised directly in the building.

* the thermal energy captured by the panels may be utilises in the winter as pre-heating, and in the summer as a driving force for ventilation.

Future research initiatives

Further developments of the research will consider the thermal characteristics of the materials used in PV component manufacture in a proposed joint project with the University of Limerick. A joint initiative to further develop expertise in solar and thermal photovoltaics is under consideration with the National Microelectronic Research Centre at University College, Cork.

Chris Gibbons,
Energy Engineering Group,
Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering,
Cork Institute of Technology

Broward General Contractor

original title: All About Solar Power 78
By stephhicks68

Fears of the global economy and a world-wide recession have many people feeling paralyzed. Although gas prices have fallen in recent weeks (as of the date of this publication), many economists are predicting double-digit increases in the cost of heating this winter. The conflict in Iraq continues, and uncertainty about the future of U.S. relations with Iran is a growing concern.

Isn’t it well past the time that we break our “addiction to oil” - no matter where it comes from - and pursue clean, renewable energy sources like solar power? Now, I know that some of you may think - hey, solar power is a myth. It can only work where the sun shines all day long (like Arizona), and once it sets, we’ll all be in the dark. Simply put - You’re wrong. Not only is solar power abundant in locations all over the globe, it can also be stored for use at “off-peak” times, or fed back into the electricity grid (credit may be allowed by utilities for drawing on “their” electricity during darkness).

And what about the environment? Solar power provides an alternative to coal-generated electricity, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Coal burning power plants are the number one source of mercury contamination in the country. Its time to stop the sickness. The economy is hurting as a result of fossil fuels, too. The U.S. currently imports close to 70% of its oil from the Middle East and Africa. Wonder why we are nearly $10 trillion in debt? Even locally, coal prices are up 45%, and natural gas up 160%. Can we really afford to continue to ignore options like solar power?

Consider that each hour, of every day, the sun supplies us with enough energy as the entire globe uses in a year! Yet, the United States only receives 6% of its energy from renewable resources. Solar power is an infinite resource, unlike goal, oil and gas. We don’t need to worry about running out of sunlight in our lifetime.

Its time for some education about the fundamentals of solar power.

Solar Power Technology

What, exactly, is solar power? Stated very simply, energy from sunlight is converted to electricity when it contacts photovoltaic (PV) cells. Solar power can be generated by solar roof shingles and solar panels. Excess energy can be stored in the cells, or occasionally in batteries, to continue providing electrical current after the sun goes down.

If you are a scientist, you can probably understand the explanation of the photovoltaic process set forth by NASA:

“Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. Some materials exhibit a property known as the photoelectric effect that causes them to absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these free electrons are captured, an electric current results that can be used as electricity.”

For the rest of us, it is simple enough to understand that, when ultraviolet (UV) light strikes a solar cell, it activates a thin semiconductor wafer in the cell, which forms an electric field (positive on one side, negative on the other). An electrical current results from the action of sunlight energy knocking electrons away from the atoms in the semiconductor.

Well, maybe it is pretty technical after all.

Let’s turn to some common excuses used by people who are resistant to employ solar power.

1. I don’t live in a sunny location! No worries. Energy is still captured by solar cells, even on cloudy or rainy days, because it is ultraviolet light - not necessarily direct sunshine - that produces the necessary PV reaction. Admittedly, the efficiency of the cells is lower on inclement days. But, if you need assurance that you will not have to purchase a home in the desert Southwest to use solar energy, note that Germany is a leading country (second only to Japan) with respect to solar power installations. It certainly isn’t the Bahamas.

2. Isn’t it too expensive? Not really. While coal-generated electricity is cheaper than solar power in the short run, there are a number of factors which should be considered in determining the bottom line. First, the more people that use solar panels, the less they cost. One estimate is that each time the volume of solar cells doubles, the cost goes down 20%. Plus, solar power installations will increase your home’s resale value, according to the Appraisal Institute. It has reported that sellers can expect an additional $20.73 in purchase price for every $1 decrease in annual electric bills.

Second, although there is an upfront cost for installation, the energy thereafter is free. More importantly, it is not controlled by supply and policies of a foreign country. Want even more good news? The price for PV cells is estimated to fall 30% over the next four years.

Finally, long-term benefits of solar energy cannot be discounted. Reduction of our individual carbon footprints is required to slow the progress of global warming. What price can you put on a polar bear? How about your oceanfront property?

Solar Panels Explained

Solar Power Products

These days, you can find solar cells in a number of places and used to power everything from laptop computers to hands-free lawn mowers. Solar power landscape lights have been available for years (we had some for our home in cloudy/rainy Seattle). On a larger scale, solar panel arrays or solar power shingles can be installed on residential and commercial structures to reduce electrical bills to practically zero.

Solar power water heaters are very efficient and environmentally friendly. One estimate is that the total amount of CO2 produced by ordinary residential water heaters in North America is equal to that put out by all cars and light trucks in the same area. Thus, if half of the homes installed solar water heaters, the environment would experience the same impact as if we doubled the fuel-efficiency of all vehicles! U.S. tax credits allow up to 30% of the cost of installation of a solar water heater, which generally sells for $1500-$3500. One can expect to recoup the investment in 4-8 years, with essentially free hot water for the remaining 20-plus years of the life of the water heater.

For those that want to “test the waters” with solar energy, you can buy backpacks with solar cells to recharge your cell phone or other battery-powered devices. Or, install solar-operated gates for your property - especially useful for rural locations. Even municipalities are getting on board with solar powered traffic signals and flashing lights. You can find solar power products more and more frequently. Just look around - you may be surprised at the places in which you can find solar panels powering gadgets and devices.
Why Else Should we Go Solar?

* Job creation: the clean energy sector could reach 40 million U.S. jobs by the year 2030
* Solar manufacturing technicians are currently in demand
* Tax credits and other incentives
* Energy independence and greater national security
* Continued innovative development of new, related industries
* Reduce your carbon footprint by getting away from coal-powered electricity

Solar power is the future of green, clean, renewable energy. With the controversial passage of the $700 billion bailout in the U.S. Congress, there are some silver linings, including a 30% tax credit for solar panels! There is no time like the present to convert to solar power to light up your life and lighten your wallet.

Solar panel technology is advancing at breakneck speed. Efficiency is being increased, prices are coming down, and the required maintenance of solar panels is much lower than it used to be. By installing solar panels on your home, you not only reduce your electric bill, but also your carbon footprint. Moreover, the value of your house goes up by 10%! In this economy, that makes a lot of sense.

So…. are you ready to go solar?

http://hubpages.com/hub/solar

Miami Remodeling

Caterpillar, the world’s largest manufacturer of construction equipment, is starting to support research on the “Contour Crafting” automated construction system that its creator believes will one day be able to build full-scale houses in hours.

Behrokh Khoshnevis, a professor in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, says the system is a scale-up of the rapid prototyping machines now widely used in industry to “print out” three-dimensional objects designed with CAD/CAM software, usually by building up successive layers of plastic.

“Instead of plastic, Contour Crafting will use concrete,” said Khoshnevis. More specifically, the material is a special concrete formulation provided by USG, the multi-national construction materials company that has been contributing to Khoshnevis’ research for some years as a member of an industry coalition backing the USC Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies (CRAFT), home of the initiative.

The feasibility of the Contour Crafting process has been established by a recent research effort which has resulted in automated fabrication of six-foot concrete walls.

Caterpillar will be a major contributor to upcoming work on the project, according to Everett Brandt, an engineer in Caterpillar’s Technology & Solutions Division, who will work with Khoshnevis. Another Caterpillar engineer, Brian Howson, will also participate in the effort.

Goals for this phase of the project are process and material engineering research to relate various process parameters and material characteristics to the performance of the specimens to be produced. Various experimental and analytical methods will be employed in the course of the research.

Future phases of the project are expected to include geometric design issues, research in deployable robotics and material delivery methods, automated plumbing and electrical network installation, and automated inspection and quality control.

Source: University of Southern California
http://www.physorg.com/news139161727.html

Miami General Contractor

By Michael Wilmeth

LEED 2009, a revision of the LEED Rating System first made available for comment in May 2008, has been approved by the 18,000 member organizations of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The revision is intended to create greater consistency among the several LEED rating systems, reflect a more scientifically grounded weighting of credits, and gracefully accommodate future changes. Reed More…

By Excavator News.

Trench digging for underground pipelines has never been easy, especially the operator cannot set a guideline for digging reference and at times does not have a clear line of sight and needs to be assisted by another person. This paper describes the development of a hydraulic excavator equipped with an electrical lever system (In place of the conventional pilot lever). The excavator is equipped with a limited plane digging control system with a display monitor. With the help of this system the operator can pre-set a desired working plane through the monitor screen. Then digging control system will automatically control the actuators so that the bucket will not go below the set plane (Level).

This system also allows the plane to be set either horizontally or in any angle to the horizontal. The monitor will display the digging state in real time.
This systems will be quite useful especially for the City Water supply Pipe Lines, Storm Water Drains, Desilting of Canals, Sewer sytems, Telecom Cable laying and other under water digging applications viz for increasing the draft at the harbours, etc.

http://excavatornews.blogspot.com/2007/12/hydraulic-excavator-with-digging.html

Miami General Contractor

By Mark Miner, Miron Construction Co. — Western Builder, 1/19/2009
Edited by Mike Larson

Using the same kind of creative thinking used to solve construction challenges, Miron Construction and its suppliers create an effective new safety tie-off system.

During any construction project, a number of challenges always arise. They can stem from design, materials, weather, scheduling, safety issues, or any number of other sources.

When the challenge involves overcoming obstacles in order to maintain the production schedule, meet a deadline, reduce cost, or improve quality, contractors usually have a well-defined process for bringing together the people and resources needed to quickly come up with an effective solution.

In the past, many contractors were not so adept at, or willing to apply, this same kind of problem solving to jobsite safety challenges.

Safety challenges were met with excuses about why a task could not be completed safely or in accordance with governmental regulations.

Too often, the search for solutions to safety issues used to be stifled by the “that won’t work” or “it costs too much” mentality.

Change In Industry Attitude Helps Address Safety Challenges

Now, as more contractors see that it makes good business sense to keep workers safe, healthy and productive, more and more are following the lead of progressive contractors in applying the same techniques they use to overcome production challenges to find answers for safety-related problems.

This process involves the construction team getting together and tapping into its collective experience and expertise to look at the challenge, generate a wide range of ideas, evaluate each one, and then choose the best one.

Still, a unique situation sometimes presents an out-of-the ordinary challenge.

http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6629844.html?industryid=48591

Miami General Contractor

Moisture can create significant problems in our homes. From air condensing on cool surfaces, to rain, melting snow, or groundwater seeping into the basement, indoor moisture leads to mold and mildew growth, which can make us ill and damage our homes and their contents. It can also cause a considerable amount of structural damage—such as rotting of wood framing in walls. Moisture enters through foundations, basement walls, and penetrations in the building envelope. One of the main sources is improper flashing around chimneys and vent pipes, and where walls or dormers intersect with roofs.

The most effective means of drying out your basement actually begins on your roof—specifically with your home’s gutters. Properly installed gutters drain thousands of gallons of water away from the foundation of a home every year in many areas of the country. They not only help keep basements and crawlspaces dry, but also protect siding and windows from moisture. As a result, the installation and maintenance of gutters are two of the most important things you can do to prevent water from entering your basement.

What Are Your Options?
Gutters and downspouts are available in home improvement centers and local hardware stores in a wide range of materials, styles, and prices. The most commonly used gutters are made from vinyl (plastic), aluminum, and galvanized steel; however, they also come in more expensive stainless steel, copper, and wood. Wood gutters are typically only used in historic home restoration because of their cost and maintenance requirements. Vinyl gutters are fairly inexpensive and can be installed by a skilled do-it-yourselfer in a weekend.

Aluminum gutters are slightly more expensive than vinyl, but because they don’t rust, are more durable and save money since they last longer. Aluminum dents more easily than galvanized steel, but steel rusts. Copper, like wood, is mostly used for historic home restorations. It is expensive, but doesn’t rust or require repainting. Stainless steel is perhaps the most expensive, though long-lasting option. In purchasing metal gutters, look for a thickness of .032 inches.

Finally, gutters are either seamless or sectional. A seamless gutter is made from a single piece of aluminum fabricated by an installer on-site. The only seams are at corners where two pieces of gutter meet, and at downspouts. Sectional gutters come in pieces that are joined together during installation. Seamless gutters have less potential for leakage.

What Will It Cost?
Aluminum and galvanized steel gutters cost roughly $5 to $9 per linear foot installed. Wood gutters run from about $12 to $20 per foot, depending on the type of wood. Copper costs about $15, and stainless-steel about $20 per foot, installed. Vinyl gutters run about $3 to $5 per linear foot.

What Will You Save?
Properly installed and maintained gutters and downspouts can save you thousands of dollars by preventing moisture-related damage to your home’s foundation, basement (and its contents), framing, and siding and window trim. By helping prevent mold and mildew inside your home, gutters also protect your health.

Miami General Contractor