Tips on Hiring a Commercial Contractor 

tips for hiring commercial contractors - Headwaters Construction Inc.

tips for hiring commercial contractors - Headwaters Construction Inc

Tips on Hiring a Commercial Contractor 2021

There has been an increasing amount of business owners in recent years. Ask anyone who owns a business, and they’ll tell you it’s much harder than it looks. There is one side that takes into account aspects of its wings that include competitive analysis of sales, marketing plans, manufacturing and inventory, profits, and losses. Many business owners avoid all of these things and are most likely to hire a general contractor to complete their commercial projects. Who could blame them, right? In this article, we share some helpful tips on hiring a commercial contractor for your latest project.

Review the General Contractors’ History + Credentials 

It is important to start with basic steps. By going to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation at Headwaters Construction Inc. and pulling out the company allows one to verify its existence and its activity. For instance, it may be of need to see if all the documentation is up to date and what their project history looks like. Getting a clearer view of professional construction companies in your area can be done by checking their attributed websites and testimonials. 

Take References Into Consideration 

There is no need to hesitate in asking for references from your general contractor. This, at times, is crucial as if you sense any sort of hesitance or inability on their end to provide what you want, you must take it as a signal to consider changing paths. Given the fact that you will be in contact and an alliance with these people for months or maybe even years, it is vital to form an association with reliable contractors and make a sensible enough decision in selecting the best option in order for you to watch them deliver as promised. Moreover, be sure to compare the quality of the projects that have been done by the prospective commercial contractors and inspect the work that is done. Our friends at LMS Garage Doors, who installs garage doors Sacramento, knows this first hand. Ask for their portfolio before handing over your deposit.

Must Ensure to Delve Into and Get to The Bottom Line of Costs 

Although the cost may not be the only factor, it, however, is one of the most important factors. There should be an illustration of costs in a divisional itemization that includes as much detail as possible.

Make You Review Other Bids

You must beware of offering the lowest bid compared to your competitors Our friends at Tureks Plumbing, a company that offers bathroom remodeling services in Fox Valley, recommends doing a competitor analysis to see what you should be charging for services. As they would say back in the day, “You get what you pay for” and “Cheap is expensive.” 

Ask For Financials If You’re Falling Short 

Avoid going through the nightmare of incomplete projects and getting stuck with contractors that cannot cover the costs. Take into consideration payment and performance bonds and do your due diligence as this is a rather critical aspect in terms of hiring a contractor. 

Headwaters Construction Inc. is an excellent team to work with to achieve desired results. 

Hiring the right contractor can be a daunting task where the decision is absolutely crucial. This requires diligence and cannot afford to be ignored. 

  1. One must hire the most qualified instead of the lowest bidder. 
  2. One must make sure to use the tools online and check the contractors licensing information and history
  3. Comprehend the ways of charging the costs that are not included in the given proposals. 
  4. Confirming the credibility of the references that are given and evaluating the quality of the work that has been done 
  5. Obtaining the financials of the contractor 

Are you taking a commercial construction project in Sacramento? Do you feel the need that there is a grey area that requires to be filled by a professional builder? Feel free to contact Head Waters Construction Inc for experienced commercial building services in Northern California

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

The Basics of Tilt-Up Construction

basics of tilt-up construction - Headwaters Construction

basics of tilt-up construction - Headwaters ConstructionThe Basics of Tilt-Up Construction with Headwaters Construction

When you combine the strength of reinforced concrete with the efficiency and precision of design-build methods, you get cutting-edge tilt-up construction. This method is fast and economical. That may be why upwards of 650 million square feet of buildings are constructed using the tilt-up method. In this article, you’ll learn the basics that will help you to understand tilt-up construction.

How the Method Works

Tilt-up construction is characterized by a series of concrete panels that are tilted into position, forming the exterior walls of a building. The panels are made onsite using wooden or other forms, concrete, and rebar.

Headwaters Construction Inc., the best tilt construction company in Sacramento, explains that the final designs of the building help the contractor to shape the wooden forms and cut rebar into the appropriate sizes and shapes before concrete is poured into the forms. 

In a few days, the cured concrete forms are hoisted into place on foundation footings. The panels now form the exterior walls of the building. The tilt-up contractor temporarily braces each of these panels. The bracing is removed once the roof holds the entire structure together.

The two sides of the panels (the side facing inside the building and the side facing outside) can be modified or finished in any way you’d like.

For example, veneer can be placed on the exterior face of the tilt-up panels to give the building a unique character.

A History of Tilt-Up Construction

Contrary to what some people may think, tilt-up construction has been around for a long time. For example, commercial construction companies point out that the old-style barns were raised using the tilt-up method.

The tilt-up construction professionals point out that the big break for this method came at the end of World War 2 when there was such a huge labor shortage. So, construction methods, such as tilt-up, became very popular. From that time, tilt-up construction has grown immensely across the U.S.

How Tilt-Up Construction Compares to Other Options

Wood frame construction is labor-intensive, and this attribute makes tilt-up construction a viable alternative due to its limited labor requirement.

Steel beam construction techniques can be quite pricey. This makes them better suited to high rise projects where this cost can be justified. Tilt-up construction is a better alternative if the project isn’t a high rise construction project.

Constructing using prefabricated steel frames can also be economical. However, the design limitations of this technique make tilt-up construction the better option in some situations, according to leading general contracting companies in Sacramento.

Tilt-up construction may also be a viable method in situations where masonry construction is an option.

All in all, there is no single sector for which tilt-up construction is best suited. The method can be used for a diverse range of projects from large scale distribution centers to even churches! 

Key Assumptions Regarding Tilt-Up Construction

You may be interested in knowing how the cost of a square foot of a tilt-up building compares to the other options. However, our friends at Tureks Plumbing, a home-remodeling company in Appleton,  say that these comparisons wouldn’t be very helpful since every construction project has its own peculiarities that often affect the cost of that project. Instead, the commercial builders recommend that you keep the following assumptions in mind when considering tilt-up construction for your project:

First, you are likely to enjoy higher levels of cost-effectiveness the larger your project is. This is because economies of scale kick in for tilt-up construction as a building gets larger.

Secondly, tilt-up construction expedites projects because once the exterior walls are up, other trades, such as plumbing and electrical work.

Thirdly, tilt-up contractors also have a higher degree of control over a project. It is easy for them to access locally available materials and supplies. Compare this to other techniques that involve lengthy lead times and higher costs.

Headwaters Tilt-Up Construction

In short, tilt-up construction brings speed, cost savings, energy efficiency, and other benefits to construction projects. If you would like to know whether tilt-up construction can be an option for your upcoming project, contact Headwaters Construction Inc. and we will work with you to select the most appropriate method to use when constructing your new commercial building.

What Is Tilt-Up Construction?

What is tilt-up construction - Headwaters Construction Inc.

What is tilt-up construction - Headwaters Construction Inc.Don’t imagine that the world of construction has gone crazy if you observe buildings “going up in weeks.” Chances are those swiftly constructed buildings are benefiting from a style of construction called “tilt-up” construction. But what exactly is tilt-up, how recent is it, and how does it compare with other construction methods? Headwaters Construction Inc., a leading Sacramento construction company, gives you the answers to all those questions, and more.

What Exactly is Tilt-Up Construction?

Tilt-up construction refers to a construction method in which the walls of a building are precast horizontally. Tilt construction consists of lifting equipment using a crane, which hoists the panels into their position at the building site.

Headwaters development experts explain that a slab that will form the floor of the building is first completed before the precast walls are lifted into position around that slab. After that, the Sacramento construction company connects the adjacent wall panels and seals the joints between them so that the structure is weathertight.

The sides of the tilt-up panels facing outward are a “blank canvas.” The interior and exterior walls can be used in any desired way.

How Are the Tilt-Up Panels Made?

As is the case with other concreting projects, forms are made horizontally. Rebar is cut to the size of the tilt-up panels that the Headwaters building and contracting firm has been contracted to make. Premix concrete is then poured either directly from the truck’s chute or by use of a concrete pump before the panels are troweled and cured. These panels can be piled on top of each other to optimize space.

A Brief History of Tilt-Up Construction

Tilt-up construction has been around for nearly a century. For example, the barns of decades ago were lifted using the tilt-up method.

The construction boom after World War II made the popularity of this method to skyrocket since there was a shortage of labor. The recent advances in computer-aided design, as well as strides inaccurate project estimation, have made tilt-up construction almost a no-brainer for the projects where it can be used.

Is Tilt-Up Construction Catered for in Existing Building Codes?

Sacramento tilt-up construction is covered in the reinforced concrete section of the International Building Code (IBC). The Tilt-Up Construction Association (TCA) also has design guides which licensed structural engineers can refer to when designing buildings of different dimensions. You should, therefore, have no worries that your building will not be built to any existing building code.

Can Tilt-Up Construction Be Used to Build a Single-Family Home?

The advances in computer-aided design referred to earlier also mean that the greater design flexibility now allows structural engineers to design structures as small as single-family homes without making them look like a big box. Curved panels and other design features for your small home are possible with tilt-up construction.

Gilmore Heating, Air, and Plumbing, who offers residential ac services in Placerville, adds that the availability of smaller cranes has eased the task of using tilt-up construction to build single-family homes. Previously, it was too expensive and sometimes impossible to get a large crane onto a small lot in order to lift the panels into position.

How Are Doors and Other Building Openings Catered For?

You don’t have to cut openings for windows, doors or other uses after the tilt-up walls have been lifted into position. These features are built into the panels right from the design stage of your home or commercial building. In fact, provisions are made in the tilt-up panels for all electrical, plumbing and other building systems.

What Are the Alternatives to Tilt-Up Construction?

The Sacramento construction company that you hire can choose from a number of construction methods aside from tilt-up construction. These include;

  • Steel frame construction. This construction method is ideal for high-rise buildings. However, it involves a time-consuming, multi-step process.
  • Precast concrete construction. In this method, concrete walls are precast at an offsite location (a concrete manufacturing facility), and the completed panels are transported to the construction site. Standardization of the panels is possible, just as is the case with tilt-up panels. The only downside is the added complexity and cost of transporting the large and heavy panels to the construction site.
  • Wood frame construction. This is an alternative to steel frame construction, but this option makes a building vulnerable to fire and insect attacks.

As you can see, many options are available if you are considering putting up a new structure. Let our experts at Headwaters Construction, Inc. discuss all the available options, and if tilt-up construction is ideal for your project, then the details of the project will be presented to you by our competent team.