Common Construction Defects - by Pete Fowler. Published by The Journal of Light Construction in 1998
Building
Introduction
Wow. This is fun for me to read. It's a January 2004 letter that I wrote to a client, when he asked why we didn't use Xactimate. Xactimate was a good program then. And it's even better now. Some people on the staff here at Pete Fowler Construction are even certified to use Xactimate. But it's still not REAL estimating.
We have been using this letter in our estimating training courses ever since it was written. I am sure we have put this letter in our project files more than 100 times, when we have been hired as construction cost estimating experts and others have used Xactimate to perform their work.
The letter has prompted a lot of good (and a couple heated) conversations. I hope it keeps working!
Business
When I have done my best work as an expert witness, I have gone over and over and over and over my report and conclusions, refining, improving, and ultimately perfecting the work through an excruciating process that is at least 95% elbow-grease, and at most 5% “experience,” native gift, or divine inspiration.
Article of the Week
Our goal at PFCS is to do AWESOME work for our clients, but not have to beat the hell out of everyone to get it. All employees want to feel appreciated and that they are an important piece of the puzzle. Providing tools to complete our tasks is important, but providing respect and appreciation is vital and is the foundation of PFCS.
