Controlling your material costs is key to meeting your budget. Without a solid understanding of material management principles and practices, you will not be able to keep the cost of building your home on track with your budget. In short, fail to manage your materials and you will fail in the business of home building.
Before you begin to think that this course is based on some theoretical method that works in a laboratory but not in real life, Let me assure you that what you will learn here works in the real world. I can say this because I have been in your shoes. I know what you’re up against. For this reason, I respect what you do and I want you to succeed as you build your home, or homes, in what will always be a competitive building market. I’ve lived the builder’s life and let me assure you that what I’ve learned has often come at great cost.
My upbringing in home building and my experience building homes, combined with my experience consulting with many builders has given me a valuable perspective on the manner and methods of home building that are used in our industry. This is the broad level of understanding I bring to this subject. It includes the thought processes that the builder as well as his trades and suppliers go through when planning, budgeting, and building a new home.
As you may already know by now, my father was a builder and my entire family was involved in the business of building homes. From foundation to finish, we did it all. In the days when a builder actually built his homes “with his own two hands”. Through my upbringing, I had the now-unique opportunity to learn virtually all phases of construction hands-on, from what we now call “true craftsmen”. Those days are gone.
The point is that you won’t find the craftsman builder in the market these days. Their approach is inefficient. Specialization has led to a subcontracting model that is highly dependent on the skills, talents, and availability of an outside subcontract work force. This evolution has created a new and much more efficient and potentially profitable role for the builder.
This is the first point you need to understand. The Builder’s job has been redefined. He doesn’t swing a hammer, wire or plumb his own houses. He doesn’t trim his houses or build the cabinets. He hires and manages the people that do.