RMO World – Issue 29: March 2024 St. Patrick’s Edition

Business agreements are generally contractually binding, which makes the initial stages of any agreement so vital. From the first interaction, your construction estimates can have a huge impact on both the business and the customer.

Accurate estimates in construction are important for the following reasons:

Good Estimates Save Money

When an estimate creates an accurate picture of the details of a construction project, everyone saves money. You will know exactly how much to spend to complete a job, while your client will know how much to expect to pay well ahead of time. This also helps prevent unnecessary purchases and surpluses, which will save you and your client time and money.

Accurate Estimates Win More Work

Positive or negative, people will always share their experiences with other companies. By providing a realistic, accurate estimate that a client is happy with, they’ll know that you operate your business honestly and will be more likely to work with you again or refer you to others.

Honest Estimates Reflect Company Values

When you strive for and provide accurate estimates, you demonstrate the integrity of you and your company. Of course, you can’t anticipate every problem or unexpected expense you’ll encounter on a project, so always be transparent throughout the project regarding any hiccups especially if it is going to affect the budget in any way.

Realistic Estimates Prevent Surprises From Creating Problems

No project goes 100% according to plan, and it’s common for unexpected costs to arise. Most clients understand this, however, too many unexpected expenses will begin to wear down your professional relationship and make you look bad. Always do your best to prevent unexpected costs from the outset, then your clients will be more understanding when something comes up that’s out of your control.

Stay tuned, in coming editions we will be providing insights into estimate techniques.

Being in construction wood is of course a key element in most projects. Something interesting we recently came across was the difference between old growth wood and new growth wood.

The difference between old growth wood and new growth wood is like the difference between granite and paper. Old growth wood has better stability, durability and longevity. New growth wood, depending on where it is used, can start to rot and warp after only 20 years.

The term “Virgin Wood” refers to first-cut wood, or wood harvested for the first time. As the country expanded from east to west and trees were harvested for wood, the virgin wood forest harvesting era lasted from the 1870s into the 1940s.

The biggest difference of virgin growth wood is that it has grown very slowly over a long period of time and because of this slow growth, the growth rings are very tight. Tight growth means more stability. In the above photo there are 2 pieces of wood 100 years apart. The wood from 1918 has 20-25 growth rings per inch. The wood from 2018 has only 7.  

Stability isn’t the only advantage. This slow growth also yields more heartwood. Heartwood is the longest lasting part of the tree, whereas sap wood which will rot very quickly. Note too in the picture above, the wood from 1918 is all heart wood, the wood from 2018 is all sap wood.

Most wood used today, by contrast, is grown very fast. Grown for quick production, these trees produce very little heartwood and these trees have fewer growth rings per inch.

Seeing as this is the month of St. Patrick’s Day here are the 5 most famous Irish architects:

1. James Hoban (1758 – 1831) designed the White House which has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. 
2. Eileen Gray (1878 – 1976) was well known for incorporating the work of lacquer with luxury in the international style, the major architectural style.
3. Andrew Devane (1917 – 2000) established a large architectural practice of Robinson Keefe Devane an architectural and interior design firm specializing in the commercial, industrial, educational, and healthcare fields.
4. Kevin Roche (1922) won the Architecture Pritzker Award. He is considered the architect most creative regarding the design of glazed buildings.
5. David Collins (1955 – 2013) specialized in the interior design of bars and restaurants in London. He was recognized for his works in Michelin-starred restaurants such as The Wolseley, and Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road.