Construction Materials Design – In General
A Little Personal History.
After having worked summers during college in construction I had gotten back into the business in Chicago in 1993after practicing law and management consulting for nearly 20 years. The 1990’s was a period of very rapid growth in small retail/commercial and residential as the re-building of the inner-city began to really take off. Skilled people were in short supply, so I felt I had to learn to train guys. One of the applications on which we trained – by doing – was erection of (wood) panelized houses. Though I learned a lot erecting wood panels, I came to prefer steel. The custom was to use the ball on the end of the crane cable to make the wood panels fit.
But even if you succeeded in that there was still damp lumber that offered drying-twisting-cracking-drywall nails popping issues. Steel is lighter weight, more easily worked into architectural shapes and spans and better backing for the plaster and fine paint that we were starting to do. As we learned in 11 Arches, moreover, you’re better off to allow for differences from shop to field and learn to use better fasteners to assure good fit on the job. Out of this I began to think of whole parts of the job as “components.”
The Impact of a Large Restoration – Quality & Productivity.
During the course of the 11 Arches restoration, I found I needed to continue to merge skills and cross-train. The guys cutting the ribs and framing for the various soffits (discussed below) had to know the problems of drywall and plaster and know they (the carpenters) would be expected to make it all happen. Otherwise, too many issues. So I began to think and talk with them in terms of “assemblies” of components and skill sets. It worked; not without difficulty but it eventually worked. The picture nearby illustrates why I came to believe it will only fit together when the guys understand each other’s problems and make up their minds to make it fit together.
Three Businesses, Three Divisions of Labor
Where I was right.
So, when we began to near completion of the interior of 11 Arches and I began to think in terms of getting back into business, I thought in a “componentized” way about setting up the business. I was sure the political process would severely curtail low-wage Arizona labor. Shortage of low-wage labor would increase the need for productivity to manage costs. So why not set up a business over the border, produce components less expensively and then bring those components to Tucson – couldn’t I surely find good labor there? Well, up to a point.
Where I was wrong.
I was wrong about the time I had to come up with an approach; the current housing crisis saw to that. Still, I found good labor in members of the family that are my key skilled labor here. But, even the best:
- Would not travel here if they didn’t absolutely have to (and then only for a substantial cost-of-living per hour),
- Would not work for the standard $2-$3/hr even there because they could drive 30 minutes+- and get several times that picking tomatoes in Willcox and still have their Agua Prieta cost of living and
- Many Mexican laborers wanted top US wages just to cross the border and then didn’t want to hear about their skill levels.
Compromise.
So I compromised. I knew one company had to be a licensed general contractor and I needed high people and trade skills there. The component manufacturing firm did not need a license but did need the best skilled guys I could get, regardless of the border. So the skilled guys that live here legally work in the general contractor and the Arizona manufacturer. The skilled guys that live in Agua Prieta work and produce there then ship here to the Arizona manufacturing company for completion and installation. Both groups of skilled guys know that their work has to really fit for the laborers here. Would this work without family links? I’m not sure, but it works now.
Result?
Local stream
The result is we really think through and break jobs down into components, whether that’s for erosion control or rainwater harvesting or walls and ceilings. There are some savings on jobs due to some wage savings across the border and we can deliver real quality. Shop control really helps there. In this business during this period, I am reasonably well satisfied. And I believe it will work when the economy begins to move again – and it will. Boomers will still settle in the West and they’ll still want quality.
