tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60230388265524477502024-03-08T07:26:49.163-08:00Engineering and Construction Contracting AssociationFor companies involved in capital projects involving the process, refining, pharmaceutical and power industries. Description of past and future conferences.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-21758583191711765702012-10-05T17:16:00.000-07:002012-10-05T17:16:00.444-07:00Career Opportunity in Accounting and Finance and Its Overview<div id="article-content"> <p>I have a financial careers feature coming up next week. It would focus on accounting, banking and insurance - what range of jobs is available, how you get such jobs, what courses you need to do, what professional courses you should be doing to keep up to date, any conversion courses from other careers to financial careers etc.</p><p>The banking sector in Ireland is currently undergoing a process of commercial realignment and is bracing itself for job redundancies. There are certainly opportunities within the accounting, banking and insurance sectors, what are these opportunities and how anyone can position themselves to avail of future opportunities and be best prepared to handle the forthcoming turmoil.</p><p>As a pre-requisite, most positions within accounting, banking and insurance require an undergraduate qualification, and if you are considering this avenue, investigate the exemptions that the course offers towards professional qualifications. So, not only will you obtain a Degree but also exemptions against professional qualifications from the Certified Public Accountants, Chartered Accounts, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and even the Irish Taxation Institute. If you are unsure of a specific area within these career sectors, choose a generic and wider course title for example 'Accounting and Finance' and tailor your career direction when you have a greater sense of yourself versus the daily job functions of certain roles. The present growth areas within Accountancy and Finance are around auditing, compliance and risk - try and incorporate these types of modules within your degree of study or professional qualification. Within banking and investment the qualification of desire is the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), which should assure career progression and advantage.</p><p>If you are an unemployed engineering or construction professional, considering a career transition towards a career in Accounting or Finance you would be well equipped for a career within this sector with your exposure to high levels for mathematics and commercial experience. The soft skills and cultural awareness of a career within this sector would have to be explored before a decision is reached. There are plenty of course options, for example DIT offer a one year Conversion Post Grad Diploma course in Accounting. Ciara Murphy, from the CPA, states that 'In recent years, a huge number of people have switched careers to improve their job opportunities, especially those in the construction and services industry'. Accountancy remains a growing profession, with 40pc of today's graduate jobs based in accounting and finance. At CPA Ireland we provide flexible and varied learning options for those who want to make the change, with no previous qualification or experience needed.'</p><p>The Insurance market in Ireland contributes 9% to the national GDP and the main areas within this space are insurance/risk management and regulation. The professional body is the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and they offer professional qualifications in compliance, financial services and insurance up to FETAC Level 7. The Insurance sector is likely to contract in the short term however there are opportunities and labour shortages as Actuaries, Risk Modellers and quantitative analysts along with compliance skills.</p><p>If you are unsure as to what direction to take considering the investment in time and finance involved, speak to a qualified and impartial career guidance practitioner.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-53876683052959888342012-10-04T17:15:00.000-07:002012-10-04T17:15:00.496-07:00What Internet Marketing and Golf Have in Common - The Importance of Assessing Your Website<div id="article-content"> <p>If you play golf, you probably know that there are more instructional gadgets, trinkets, books and equipment fads in the game than probably any other sport. Every year, a plethora of new things hit the market that we feel compelled to buy to solve our game's ills, and every year we line up to buy them having never really focused on the one thing that will improve our game most: our golf swing.</p><p>Like golf, the Internet is never at a loss for new technologies, trends, or fads on which we feel compelled to keep up. From search optimization to e-commerce and email marketing to social media channels, video syndication and analytics, we can go mad trying to understand and stay current with the latest "must dos." But none of that stuff means doodly-squat if the foundation of our Internet marketing, our base website, is fundamentally unhealthy.</p><p>Since so much rides on it, the most important thing we can do to make sure all the other things we do to market our businesses on the Web work, is to conduct--or contract for--an unbiased and sober assessment of our base website. Such an assessment should focus first on the site itself:</p><p></p><ul><li>Is it properly constructed for our business purpose, our audience and to fare well on the search engines?</li> <li>Is it aesthetically pleasing and in concert with our other branding and sales materials?</li> <li>Is the site modern, logically arranged and intuitive or does it look dated, feel confusing and feature functional inefficiencies?</li> <li>Where is the site hosted?</li> <li>Who owns and administers the associated domains?</li> <li>Do we know all the associated costs and what we're really being charged for?</li> <li>Is it equipped with the up-to-date tracking code and, if so, do we really know what the tracking data is telling us?</li></ul><p></p><p>Only after taking a hard look inward, and committing to the fundamental repairs this process may reveal, should our evaluation turn to the other components of our Internet marketing effort.</p><p>In the end, Internet marketing is a lot like golf. We get so bombarded with the latest and greatest equipment, instruction and gadgets that we forget to address the fundamental flaws in our base golf swing. Bushels of dollars later, we still slice nine out of ten shots into the weeds. When it comes to Internet marketing, look inward first. Absent a fundamentally sound website, all the Internet marketing trends, gadgets and fads will only accentuate its flaws and put us smack dab in the Internet marketing weeds.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-76627559951216712652012-10-03T17:14:00.000-07:002012-10-03T17:14:00.329-07:00HVAC School Training Is in Demand and Can Provide a Rewarding Career<div id="article-content"> <p>What can people living in Chicago do without any heating, those in Florida work with out air-conditioning, or possibly grocery stores across the country manage to do without any refrigeration? Not much of a good deal.</p><p><strong>Heating and Air Conditioning/HVAC Training Program Business Outlook</strong></p><p>So, as you expected, employment prospects for HVAC mechanics as well as, workers are expected to be superb, in particular for the people with technical schooling or possibly formal apprenticeship coaching.</p><p>Simply because heating and air conditioning generally occur through the very same programs, the field is often reduced into the abbreviation HVAC. Furthermore, as our market increasingly calls for heating and cooling, Heating and cooling schooling worthy of evaluating.</p><p>Heating and air-conditioning units consist of lots of mechanical, electrical, and electrical elements, for instance, electric motors, converters, pumps, oscillating fans, ductwork, water pipes, thermostats, as well as fuses. Within central heating operating systems, for instance, a single furnace heats up air that is sent out throughout the building by way of a system from metal or abs plastic ducts.</p><p>Heating and air conditioning technicians must be able to maintain, detect, and correct complications while in the complete system.</p><p>As a consequence of growing sophistication associated with HVAC equipment, employers prefer to retain the services of those with Heating and cooling schooling. Numerous technicians and also technicians, nevertheless, often uncover the job informally at work.</p><p><strong>Heating and Air Conditioning And HVAC Training</strong></p><p>Various trade universities offer 6-month to Two year Heating and cooling schooling classes. Trainees study concepts, pattern, along with machine engineering, and devices. In addition they learn the core involving installations, service, as well as the repair. Good HVAC instruction courses may offer curriculum on shop math, mechanical illustrating, implemented science as well as chemistry, circuitry, plan examining, and computer systems.</p><p>Technicians may work for big or small contracting firms as well as exclusively for a vendor or dealer. Many employed by small-scale operations often perform both installation and servicing, and work with heating systems, a / c, in addition to refrigeration hardware. Service contracts-which involve heating, as well as a/c regarding individual home owners on the frequent basis-are getting more common. Services deals help to reduce any temporary fluctuations with this work.</p><p>Prior to selecting a great HVAC school, it is vital that your particular college you decide on is accredited. Exclusively certified HVAC universities offer the degree of education that is actually congruent along with the standards set forth written by the numerous Heating and cooling accreditation institutions. Credential via a good recognised training course will be one particular need intended for individuals HVAC School graduates who favor that will carry on with HVAC certification in the future on. At present, there are solely three accrediting establishments for HVAC Training: HVAC Excellence, The National Center for Construction Education and Research, and the Partnership for Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-51159027701217861702012-10-02T17:13:00.000-07:002012-10-02T17:13:00.156-07:00Anaerobic Adhesives Reduce Costs and Increase Reliability For Industries<div id="article-content"> <p>Anaerobic Threadlocking Adhesives</p><p>Threaded fasteners set and hold tolerances on assemblies ranging from light duty equipment to heavy machinery. In many cases fasteners that self-loosen during equipment operation may contribute to wear and fatigue, and result in poor operating tolerances, misalignment, and sometimes catastrophic equipment failures that cost millions of dollars in unscheduled downtime each year. Various types of differential stresses such as vibration and shock, thermal expansion and contraction, and micro-movement reduce clamping force on the assembly and ultimately cause machine failure. Case after case, anaerobic threadlocking adhesive technology has proven to be more reliable and cost efficient to prevent the loosening of threaded fasteners and leakage in a variety of applications versus mechanical fasteners such as spring washers, wire retainers and nylock nuts.</p><p>Liquid threadlockers have become one of the most reliable and inexpensive ways to ensure that a threaded assembly will remain locked and leak proof for its entire service life. Applied drop-wise to fastener threads, liquid anaerobic adhesives fill the grooves of the threads and cure to a hard thermo-set plastic when exposed to active metal ions in the absence of air. Anaerobic adhesives lock the threaded parts together, ensuring that mating parts will ultimately act as one conjoined part that resists failure and delivers the greatest possible reliability.</p><p>Mechanical devices such as spring washers, wire retainers and nylock nuts are costly and are ineffective in preventing loosening of threaded fasteners caused by side sliding motion. They also do not seal or prevent corrosion within the fastener assembly and must be sized appropriately for the specific fastener, resulting in large and costly parts inventories.</p><p>Most assemblies held together by threaded fasteners will at some time be dismantled for repairs, maintenance or adjustment. For this purpose, industrial anaerobic adhesives are available in differing grades: low strength threadlockers for easy removal, medium strength threadlockers that can be removed using common hand tools and high strength or "permanent" threadlockers suitable for very demanding assemblies with minimal service requirements. Even the high strength threadlockers can be removed with standard hand tools following direct exposure to 232 - 260°C (450-500°F) high temperatures for about five minutes.</p><p>Using Anaerobic Adhesives Reduce Cost and Increase Reliability for Industries</p><p>Several case studies from various industries manufacturing and maintenance applications show that anaerobic threadlocking adhesives increase the reliability of threaded fasteners and reduce the cost associated with downtime and unscheduled callbacks.</p><p>In one case study with hydropulpers - machines designed to agitate a mixture of paper pulp and water to prevent dewatering until this mix can be used in the papermaking process extreme vibration incurred by the machine resulted in problems with keeping the mounting bolts for the gearbox tight. Even with proper torquing procedures, the bolts needed to be retightened every two weeks - requiring additional labor costs and downtime. Unplanned loosening caused misalignment problems and equipment failure resulting in severe productivity loss and maintenance costs. Once anaerobic thread locking adhesives were introduced to all the mounting studs and nuts during a recent downtime, loose bolts were no longer causing problems and held the hydropulper gearbox tight until the next scheduled annual preventive maintenance.</p><p>In another case, a pump manufacturer had problems with gland studs and adjustment nuts that either broke during assembly or loosened during adjustment. Gland studs were made to Class 5 interference fit tolerance of 0.0254 - 0.213mm (0.001" to 0.0084") To achieve this, special oversized studs with 0.0762mm (0.003") tolerance pitch diameter were used with a Class 2 tapped hole. Stud drivers were used with a capability of driving M12 (½") studs up to 111.6 kg/m (75 lbs/ft) and M20 (¾") studs up to 282.7 kg/m (190 lbs/ft). Any deviation from tolerance resulted either in broken studs during assembly or loosened studs during gland adjustment with the retaining nut. If studs loosened, the whole pump needed to be disassembled for repair. The heavy interference fits caused high flange stresses which warped the end plates and gland box causing power loss, excess wear, and shortened pump life. The manufacture utilized threadlocking adhesives to solve this problem.</p><p>When threadlockers were applied during assembly to Standard Class 2 studs up to and including M12 (½"), over M12 and stud nuts, cost savings were immediately achieved because the manufacture of studs now requires only standard tolerance and standard gauges, while assembly is easily done by hand. The locking ability of the threadlockers exceeds the interference fit strength by about 20% and adjustments of the gland nuts are easy and precise because the studs are never loose. Finally, all housings are now stress and warp free.</p><p>A traffic infrastructure tunneling solutions manufacturer, uses threadlocking adhesives to lock all the screws, hydraulic motors, hoses and fittings in their tunnel boring machines, which have to withstand enormous pressure while eating its way through rocks underground. In this case, threaded fittings have to resist up to 350 bar oil pressure. "An insane piece of engineering" is how the Discovery Channel describes the machine that drilled a 5.4 and a 3.9-kilometer tunnel in Kuala Lumpur in 2006. The 82-meter tunnel boring machine is as tall as a high rise building with 20 floors lying on its side. Imagine this machine moving through the ground, encountering a variety of soil types and loading conditions, hard rock or loose rock, working under tremendous pressures, high stresses, torques, rotating and twisting forces. Threadlocking adhesives are able to resist the extremely high oil pressure and provide reliable locking, sealing and long-term vibration resistance.</p><p>Liquid threadlockers were also applied at a hydraulic lift manufacturer for forestry, mining and construction use. M16 structural bolts on the base turn table of the lift, which holds the boom & bucket loosened when subjected to severe vibrations, impacts & shear loads. Previously nyloc nuts were used to prevent vibrational loosening of these bolts but they failed to retain clamp load over long periods. Bolts also had to be retorqued frequently. After threadlockers were used, the bolts retained clamp load under severe conditions without any loosening while protecting threads from rust and corrosion. Re-torquing of bolts was no longer needed and safety and equipment reliability were improved.</p><p>New Innovations in Anaerobic Threadlocking Technology</p><p>New technological advances in anaerobic threadlocking adhesives have also provided many advantages previously unavailable including surface insensitive, high temperature, and chemically resistant materials, as well as formulations engineered to withstand extreme vibrations. Semi-solid threadlocking formulations in a stick format that complement their liquid counterparts have also been developed to work well in overhead or hard to reach applications where liquids might be too messy or potential migration might be a concern.</p><p>Since its invention in 1953, liquid anaerobic threadlocking adhesives and thread sealants have become the most reliable and cost efficient methods for sealing and securing threaded fasteners and pipefittings in a variety of assemblies in many different industries. Many case studies have demonstrated that these innovative anaerobic adhesives and sealants are better able to withstand various types of differential stresses such as vibration and shock, wide range of temperatures and micro-movements that reduce clamping forces than traditional mechanical threadlockers to reduce downtime, unscheduled maintenance and costs.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-3680047624125766342012-10-01T17:12:00.000-07:002012-10-01T17:12:00.350-07:00A Quick History of Ballooning and Modern Hot Air Driven Gadgets<div id="article-content"> <p>In fact, the history of aviation and flight always fascinated humanity since the tale of Icarus and Daedalus. Today, flying is no more something extraordinary and available for everyone who pays the required money. Whether it is helicopters, jumbo-jets, private jets, private jet hire or fighter jets humanity dreamt of flying and indeed realized it nowadays. However, we often forget that the first steps were not easy - especially in the domain of ballooning. The history of ballooning, both with hot air and gas, now spans many centuries. Indeed, this fascinating technical achievement and its visionaries were already in play before Christ. However, until the challenge was completed, the history of ballooning know many firsts, including the first misfortunes, the first human flights, first flights to North America and over the English Channel, and, of course, the first major aircraft disasters.</p><p><strong>Pre-Modern and Unmanned Balloon-Flights in Ancient China</strong></p><p>Already 220 - 280 AD hot air balloons were a popular topic in ancient China. Several Chinese kings and famous warlords used airborne lanterns for military signaling for instance. Such lanterns were later known as the Kongming lanterns.</p><p>Ballooning in Europe came much later into play. In fact, the first balloon was let gone in 1709 in Lisbon, Portugal. A man called Bartolomeu de Gusmao managed to lift a small balloon made of paper full of hot air about four meters. The Portuguese king as well as the Portuguese court were witnesses and great respect followed Bartolomeu over the next years. This even is, according to old documents, the first and earliest recorded model balloon flight known until that time.</p><p><strong>The next Attempts: First hydrogen Balloons</strong></p><p>In 1766 the world-famous Henry Cavendish published his pioneering essay on hydrogen. Based on this, the Professor Jacques Charles who has studies Cavendish's work for years, conceived the idea that hydrogen would be a suitable lifting agent for balloons and consequently Charles used this notion for designing and constructing the first hydrogen balloon. The Robert brothers, who worked closely with Charles, invented the methodology which was the construction of the lightweight-principle everybody knows today: airtight gas bags. How did they do it? In fact the principle was quite facile. They dissolved rubber in a solution of turpentine and varnished the sheets of silk that were stitched together to make the main envelope. Indeed, this led to another characteristic even children associate with ballooning nowadays: the red and white coloration as the Brothers used alternate strips of red and white silk which left a red and yellow result due to the varnishing and rubberizing processes.</p><p>On August 27 in 1783 Charles and the Robert brothers launched the world's first balloon filled with hydrogen (in fact they launched from the Champ the Mars, an area on which later the Eiffel Tower was constructed). The famous Benjamin Franklin was witness to this beside a huge crowd that enjoyed the spectacle.</p><p>How did the balloon work? In comparison to modern balloons this one was relatively small. It was 35 cubric metre sphere of rubberized silk and only capable of lifting about 9kg. However, it was filled with hydrogen which was gained by pouring almost a quarter of a tone of sulphuric acid onto half a tone of scrap iron. The hydrogen gas was fed into the envelope through lead pipes. One of the "child-problems" however was, that it had not yet a cooling system. Therefore, the gas got quite hot when it was produced but contracted drastically when it cooled down.</p><p>The balloon was able to fly 45 minutes long in which it passed distance worth of 4 kilometers.</p><p><strong>The First unmanned Flight in the History of Ballooning</strong></p><p>A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first living "persons" that enjoyed the pleasure of being in a balloon high up in the air. The world-famous Montgolfier Brothers launched their balloon Aerostat Réveillon on 19th of September 1783, including those animals. King Louis the 16th and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette were witnesses to this spectacle. The Montgolfier brothers were clever and applied the principles of scientific methodology: The sheep was believed to have a reasonable approximation of human physiology. The duck was expected to be unharmed by being lifted aloft. It was included as a control for effects created by the aircraft rather than the altitude. And the rooster was included as a further control as it was a bird that did not fly at high altitudes.</p><p>In summary this balloon flew for eight minutes, three kilometers long and reached an altitude of 460 meters. It landed safely and the animals were not hurt.</p><p><strong>First Attempts to Fly with Humans</strong></p><p>France is also the birthplace of the first manned flight in a balloon. Again the Brothers Montgolfier were pioneers in that respect that they were the first to carry passengers using hot air to generate buoyancy. How did they know what buoyancy is and how to use it? The answer for the Brothers was quite simple: they had observed ash rising in paper fires (the Montgolfier family traditionally was a family of paper manufacturers). After having demonstrated that the technique works and that they were able to transport animals in a balloon over a distance of several kilometers and at an altitude of several hundred meters they now aimed at doing the same with humans. And in fact they managed to do so. The first free flight with human passengers was on 21 November 1783. Monsieur Rozer along with Marquis Francois d'Arlandes were the first passengers, entering the hot air balloons (King Louis the 16th originally wanted to use condemned criminals for the project but was eventually convinced not to do that). The first hot air balloons were essentially cloth bags with a smoky fire built on a grill attached to the bottom. Therefore it is not surprising that they were susceptible to catching fire, often upon landing. However, this did not occur very often. Such pioneering work of the Montgolfier Brothers that had managed to invent a hot air balloon that could carry both animals and human beings successfully eventually found its major recognition by this type of balloon being named Montgolfère after them.</p><p><strong>First Manned Flight in a Hydrogen Balloon </strong></p><p>Just shortly after this spectacle Jacques Charles and the Robert Brothers managed to launch a new manned hydrogen balloon in Paris. The crowd yelled of excitement. Jacques Charles was pilot of the hydrogen-filled balloon. The envelope in this case was fitted with a hydrogen release valve and was covered with a net from which the basket was suspended - quite similar to those balloons we have nowadays. They also had sand ballast to control the altitude - another milestone in the history of ballooning. In total the balloon managed to reach the altitude of 550 meters and flew for more than 2 hours long, covering 36 kilometers. In another try the same balloon ascended to about 3000 meters - a new world record.</p><p><strong>New Inventions New Challenges</strong></p><p>Such new extraordinary inventions also led to new challenges. It was again in France when Jean-Pierre Blanchard saw it as his next great challenge to fly across the English Channel - he managed to do on January 7, 1785.</p><p>However, that was also the time when the first major aircraft disaster occurred. In May 1785 a balloon crashed down in Tullamore, Ireland and seriously damaged the village. More than a 100 houses caught fire and burned down, making the town home to the world's first aviation disaster.</p><p>In the following years Blanchard searched for new challenges and found it in his try to fly a balloon in the United States. On January 10, 1793 Blanchard entered his hydrogen balloon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He reached about 1,770 meters and landed in Gloucester County, New Jersey. President George Washington was among the guests observing the spectacle.</p><p>Between the 1790s and 1960s gas balloons became the most common types of balloons used. The first balloon driven by a steam engine (it was very slow but effective) was flown by Henri Giffard in 1852. Paul Haenlein flew the first internal combustion motor-powered balloon in 1872. And Alberto Santos Duman was the first to fly in an untethered airship powered by an internal combustion engine in 1898.</p><p><strong>Ballooning in the 20th century</strong></p><p>During the Second World War balloons were especially used as shields in London against the attacks of the German Luftwaffe. They had the task to obstruct any incoming fighter plane. Although their effectiveness was debatable, they were a cheap protection.</p><p>Hydrogen balloons were used particularly in upper atmosphere research projects during the first half of the 20th century. Thus they more and more were used to execute research projects in the air. However, they more and more lost their prestige as new planes and jets, companies were invented and became products of mass production and <a target="_new" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.chapman-freeborn.com/en/private_jet_features/">private jet hire</a> companies became reachable for people. Some people were still into ballooning and sought further pioneering challenges such as the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean or the first to circumnavigate the world. Both were successfully done around the 1950s.</p><p><strong>Ballooning in Modern Times</strong></p><p>Modern hot air balloons with an onboard heat source were pioneered by Ed Yost in the second half of the 20th century. The first successful flight was on October 22 1960. However, high-altitude balloons working with hot air are nowadays primarily used for recreation. They more and more lose their attraction and are today more the work of adventurers or researchers.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-15996189984285610642012-09-13T17:11:00.000-07:002012-09-13T17:11:00.035-07:00Changing Trends in Enterprises, Entrepreneurship, and Employment<div id="article-content"> <p><em>Industrial transformation...</em></p><p>Before the industrial revolution, families sustained themselves through farming and other trades and crafts including carpentry, cloth production, and metalwork based upon proximity to sources of materials and supplies. In this context, the term "trade" refers to an occupation. Because such activities could be performed at home, and often augmented farmwork, families flourished in cottage industries. In this system, the family was the enterprise - manufacturing products in a workshop at home. Merchants brought raw materials to homes and would take finished products to markets. Entrepreneurs and agents would "put out" work to these workshops, which were in effect their subcontractors.</p><p>Journeymen were craftsmen who had completed apprenticeships, such as in carpentry or metalwork. Journeymen traveled between local communities with the right to charge a fee for a day's work accordingly. Apprentices were new practitioners who entered programs to receive training for their careers while working.</p><p>As the industrial revolution progressed, work was transferred from homes to factories when the required machinery became too large or expensive. Production moved from a decentralized to a centralized system, creating employment opportunities for laborers in factories.</p><p>Initially the "put in" system was used, where workers were treated as subcontractors within a factory and eventually became employees. Factory working conditions were often harsh. Labor movements were founded to fight for workers' rights, from which today's employment and labor laws have evolved.</p><p>As the economy shifted from family to commercial and industrial enterprises, employment opportunities grew. Entrepreneurs provided the innovation to start new enterprises in new or existing markets, with new products and/or services, from which new industries evolved.</p><p>Enterprises were established that had an identity in their own right separate from their individual founders and owners. An enterprise is an undertaking for prize or cause. Business entities such as partnerships and joint stock companies emerged over time, and eventually the concept of a corporation was developed - a legal entity that exists separately from its shareholder owners.</p><p>Trading took place in marketplaces. In this context, the term "trade" refers to buying and selling. A market is a set of potential buyers (prospects) and/or actual buyers (customers) and potential and/or actual sellers (suppliers) who are motivated to execute transactions. Motivated buyers have the desire, want or need, authority, and resources to demand and purchase a product and/or service. Motivated sellers have the desire, want or need, authority, and inventory to supply and sell a product and/or service. A marketplace is where buyers and sellers can meet to execute transactions. Street marketplaces were common in towns along sidewalks or as squares and covered buildings, and still are popular in many places around the world. Financial transactions were conducted in bourses or exchanges where contracts representing financial instruments were traded by dealers and brokers.</p><p>Through improvements in manufacturing techniques, such as production lines and automation, the scale of units produced increased dramatically. Through improvements in energy, transportation, and telecommunications technologies, reach extended into new geographic markets for acquisition of materials and supplies, and delivery of end-products.</p><p>Chains of suppliers of raw materials, manufacturers and distributors, merchandisers (wholesalers and retailers), and end-consumer customers emerged over time. Some enterprises decided whether to make or buy materials and supplies on a case by case basis. Others became "vertically integrated" by owning and controlling most or all aspects of their supply and demand chains to make hand-offs between processes more efficient and effective. Tremendous wealth could be generated for entrepreneurs participating in chains that created value through both sales and production activities.</p><p>Governance, administrative, and operational disciplines emerged as enterprises became larger, creating the need for managers, supervisors, and staff. As a consequence, executive, administrative, professional, technical, vocational, and clerical jobs were created. As such enterprises became stable sources of employment. The word "firm" was used to describe them - suggesting the notion of steadfastness. This term is still common today, especially for professional services partnerships such as accounting, architectural, consulting, engineering, and law firms, where trust and integrity are important factors.</p><p>Through acquisition or merger, enterprises can become "horizontally integrated" - offering the same products and/or services in different markets. Through horizontal integration, enterprises can gain economy of scale and become corporate "giants." The world's largest enterprises have gained scale by doing the same thing in multiple geographic markets around the world, although offerings may differ slightly through varying customer demographics and local practices.</p><p>In many industries, such as construction, energy, financial services, and manufacturing, there are a few very large global players that have grown mainly through acquisitions and mergers, and a large number of very small players that serve local markets almost exclusively. Joint ventures are also common that share risk, resources, and expertise.</p><p>Not only did the construction industry contribute to the growth of economies by building infrastructure, but it participated in globalization trends through the development of large enterprises, such as Bechtel, Halliburton, Black & Veatch, and CH2M Hill, that have worldwide reach.</p><p>Construction activity flourished with the development of residential, commercial, industrial, and corporate real estate. Through the use of prefabricated and modular buildings, the construction and manufacturing industries became interrelated.</p><p>Energy production and manufacturing activities globalized, driven by the aerospace and automotive industries, with such enterprises as Royal Dutch Shell, Honeywell, and Ford. The financial services industry has globalized with such enterprises as Barclays, HSBC, and JP Morgan Chase. Globalization was necessary not only to achieve scale, but also to serve global customer enterprises. Global financial services enterprises may be able to better manage risk than those only serving local geographies through their ability to move resources between and within multiple markets.</p><p>The food service and hospitality industries have partially globalized, primarily through franchising, but the merchandising industry is still primarily local, although products may be sourced internationally.</p><p>As a consequence, industrialized societies have stabilized through enterprises that create employment from jobs that provide steady income streams for food, housing, health, education, transportation, taxes, and disposable income for entertainment and recreation. In effect, these enterprises finance the lower levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for many people.</p><p>The need for marketing and sales capabilities grew accordingly and media communications vehicles, such as magazines, newspapers, radio, and television, relied upon advertising revenue to cover their costs. Today, many websites rely upon advertising revenue to cover costs, and there is a gradual shift occurring from physical to electronic media of all forms as mobile devices become more popular.</p><p><i>Industry structure...</i></p><p>Today's economy is structured according to either market-driven or production-driven industries. An industry consists of a group of enterprises that share common activities, products and/or services and/or common methods of distribution.</p><p>In the market-driven approach, the economy comprises goods-producing and service-providing industries; in the production-driven approach, the economy comprises product-driven and service-driven industries. Goods-producing industries include: natural resources and mining, construction, and manufacturing; service-providing industries include: wholesale and retail trade, transportation (and warehousing), utilities, information, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and public administration. Product-driven industries comprise enterprises that manage inventories available for sale as primary activities (regardless of whether they transform them or not). Under this approach, the retail, wholesale, and food service industries are product-driven.</p><p>"Commerce" is a more general term than "trade," that refers to the buying and selling of commodities, merchandise, and services, and the associated warehousing, distribution, and transportation. Commodities are products that are indistinguishable and interchangeable with other products of the same type because there is little to no value added. Commodities include natural products such as produce, minerals, and oils. Merchandise consists of commodities and manufactured products for retail sale to consumers.</p><p>Consumers are users of products and/or services - both individuals and enterprises. Enterprise consumers are either entrepreneurial (in emerging or growth stages) or institutional (in growth or mature stages), and consist of sole proprietors, partnerships, limited liability companies, or corporations. Sole proprietors are natural persons, whereas partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations are juristic persons, meaning that they are non-human (business) entities having the same status as a natural person for legal purposes. Juristic persons may be considered separate from their partners, members, or shareholders, for legal purposes, although the distinction is not necessarily absolute. Juristic persons may enter into contracts, own assets, incur liabilities, and sue and be sued.</p><p>Commercial enterprises are involved in light manufacturing, merchandising, retail, and professional services. They are small to medium sized enterprises, located on Main Street, in shopping centers and malls, and in office parks. Commercial enterprises are typically narrowly held.</p><p>Industrial enterprises are involved in heavy and high volume manufacturing and related industries, such as in chemicals and energy. They are medium to large sized enterprises located in dedicated facilities, such as factories and refineries and are typically more widely held.</p><p>Corporate enterprises are large service providers in finance, entertainment, health care, and transportation, and include the administrative activities of industrial concerns. Corporate enterprises are typically widely held.</p><p>Commercial enterprises are major sources of employment in local communities for entry to mid-level positions. Industrial and corporate enterprises employ both unskilled and skilled employees, and are providers of professional career opportunities.</p><p>From a governmental policy perspective, employment provides stability in the economy. An activity that is repetitious provides an opportunity for steady employment, such as food processing and service, and manufacturing in growth industries. Entrepreneurial and sales activities are more prone to uncertainty; in order to promote stability, the compensation of salespeople is incentivised to encourage results on an ongoing basis.</p><p>Government policy has also encouraged home ownership, which strengthens stability. For most people, their job provides their largest source of income, and their house is their largest asset; their mortgage and related expenses are a significant component of their monthly compensation. Home value appreciation is a creator of wealth for many families. However, the home as an asset can become a liability if it prevents the owner from relocating to a different geography to pursue new opportunities. In down markets, home values can depreciate to a point lower than the mortgages that finance them - a stressful and sometimes irrecoverable situation.</p><p><i>Challenges for employment in the future...</i></p><p>As industries mature and reposition, restructure, and reengineer as a consequence of changing buyer trends or competition, employment opportunities may erode, and current positions may be eliminated. Reengineering initiatives can lead to a strategic repositioning of an enterprise by changing its activities, pursing different methods of performing the same activity, or streamlining current activities to reduce costs. The application of technology can play a major role by creating jobs in new areas and eliminating them in others. Globalization trends have changed the cost structure of certain activities by outsourcing to providers who offer economy of scale, or to low cost production markets such third-world countries.</p><p>The consequence is that job markets have changed dramatically, and that old assumptions for employment have become invalid. The notion of working for one employer for forty plus years is no longer possible because industries, enterprises, and types of employment change quickly.</p><p>Even the methods for finding a job have changed. It's not what you know, or who you know, but who knows you that matters. Finding a job is an individual marketing initiative, and many people do not have experience in promoting products and/or services, let alone themselves. However, if individuals cannot promote themselves, how can they promote anything else? It is essential to launch an individual marketing campaign and to keep it refresh an alive in order to find a job in today's economy.</p><p>A marketing campaign for an individual begins in the same way as for an enterprise: by developing a strategy that addresses opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses, and by setting objectives, goals, and specific action-oriented initiatives.</p><p>The process starts by an individual understanding the power of their own knowledge and skills - the personal, professional, technical, entrepreneurial, leadership, and management competencies that others will want to know and benefit from.</p><p>Effective personal and professional competencies are essential for gaining entry level positions in enterprises, and the initial promotions thereafter. However, the enterpriship competencies in entrepreneurship, leadership, and management disciplines determine long-term success from transforming ideas into value, influencing others to follow direction through influence, and applying resources to activities to gain results in both entrepreneurial and employment activities.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-34707197152643997562012-09-12T17:10:00.000-07:002012-09-12T17:10:00.460-07:00Purchasing And Selling Real Estate In Israel<div id="article-content"> <p>This article is the first of two that will cover the various aspects of buying real estate in Israel. The first article will provide a general overview of the Israeli real estate system, the major differences between transactions in Israel and the United States, and the most important considerations in such a transaction. The second article will cover special issues when the property is new and being bought from the contractor, and also taxation associated with purchasing and selling property in Israel.</p><p>There are two types of property in Israel: privately-owned (private land) and state-owned property administered by the Israel Lands Administration ("Minhal"). Private real property, like in the U.S., is owned by the buyer with title vesting in him. Land is registered in the land registry (Tabu) under the name of the buyer. On the other hand, title to Minhal property does not pass to the purchaser. Instead, the buyer gets a long-term lease to the property which is usually for 49 years with an option for an additional 49 years. Over 80% of the land in Israel is Minhal land, so the buyer should not be deterred from buying it. However, private land is often viewed as preferable. As each type of land involves a slightly different purchase process, one of the first things to check is whether the property is private or Minhal.</p><p>Most buyers start the process by obtaining the services of a real estate agent in the area in which the buyer is seeking to buy. An agent's fees are success based and range from 1-2% plus VAT depending on the size of the deal, and your negotiating abilities vis a vis the agent. The fees usually become a legally binding obligation once a legally binding purchase agreement is signed. Agents are required sign the potential customer on a written agent agreement and then add each property they show the buyer to the agreement, asking the buyer to initial next to the property to establish the agent's right to a commission in case the buyer purchases that property. Many agents try to sign you up on many properties without actually showing you them all. This can cause a conflict between you and multiple agents so it is advised only to sign after the agent has physically shown you a property.</p><p>After finding a property and negotiating a price with the seller, the actual process of buying the property commences. The process of buying land in Israel is different from that in the U.S. in numerous ways. First, there is no standard escrow process and there are no escrow companies. Second, there is no title insurance. Rather, lawyers play a dominant and indispensable role in the purchase process and are responsible for protecting their client's interests and handling the multifaceted and bureaucratic process from start to finish. Should each party retain its own attorney? Ethical rules of the Israeli bar are more liberal than in California and allow one attorney to represent both buyer and seller, a situation that happens often. However, a foreign buyer is particularly vulnerable and should not rely on the seller's attorney, given the obvious potential for conflict of interest. Attorney fees vary between 0.5-2% of the deal plus VAT, depending greatly on the experience of the attorney and the size of the deal.</p><p>After finding a property and negotiating a price with the seller, and at times before retaining an attorney, it is not uncommon for the parties to sign an informal (binding or nonbinding) memorandum of understanding which sets forth the main terms, such as price and date of transfer of possession. The buyer may ask for a small deposit at this stage. Most attorneys caution very strongly against the signature of an MOU as it oftentimes leads to legal disputes as the parties who are not yet advised by an attorney do not realize that such a document will be binding upon them, and they may fail to insert certain critical language to it.</p><p>There are a few important issues to take into account prior to signing any document. First, the buyer's should obtain a print out of the title of the property and make sure they are dealing with the true owners. The seller's should be identified by formal identification. Second, given the fluctuation of the $/Shekel exchange rate and the devaluation of the dollar, purchase prices are now negotiated in Shekels. For a U.S. buyer to protect himself against further dollar devaluation, he should either negotiate a floor exchange rate, or have sufficient Shekels on hand to buy the property</p><p>Third, as there are no standard inspection processes in Israel, it is absolutely vital that no binding agreement be signed before the buyer have a contractor or architect conduct an inspection of the property to make sure that the property is in proper shape. For example, small cracks in the wall, which may or may not have been intentionally concealed by the seller, may indicate that parts of the property have been illegally built and are sinking. It also advisable to retain a licensed appraiser in order to obtain an appraisal as to the value of the property This is especially true for foreign buyers who are less familiar with property values in Israel. An appraiser is also qualified to give an opinion as to whether the apartment/house was built in accordance with the building permit and local zoning laws and regulations, and also to provide information as to what else may be built in the vicinity of the property in question.</p><p>The next stage is to retain an attorney to represent you. No transactions in Israel take place without attorneys. The lawyer is responsible for drafting the contract and conducting several aspects of the due diligence. The role of the attorney is vital because there are no other documents that set forth the rights and responsibilities of the parties, no escrow companies and no title insurance to verify title. Remember: other than when buying new property directly from the contractor, there are very few provisions set forth in the law that provide protection to either side beyond what is negotiated and written in the contract.</p><p>In preparation for preparing the contract, your attorney will examine title of the property; verify who the owners are and whether the property is owned free and clear of any third party rights or is subject to a mortgage or lien. If the land is Minhal, the attorney will check how many years are left in the current lease and whether a lease payment is due to the State. Usually, the lease payment is paid for the 49 years in advance and thus no monthly or annual fees are due from the purchaser at the time of the sale. However, if the lease is over, or the lease payments were not previously paid for in advance, a monthly or annual lease payment will be due to the State.</p><p>One of the issues that the attorney does not check, but which is the responsibility of the buyer is inspection of the property. While the seller is obligated to disclose any defects in the property, he may not. Also, defects may become apparent following the sale. In addition, building code violations such as unauthorized enlargement of the house are common and could result in future municipal lawsuits, demolition orders or payments to the city. As stated above, the best way for the purchaser to minimize these risks is to hire an engineer or architect that will inspect the property before the signing of a binding agreement!</p><p>Another very important issue which must be ascertained is whether the property is subject to betterment tax. Betterment tax is levied by the local municipality or regional counsel on properties which have received additional construction rights as a result of a change in the local zoning laws. Thus, if a house has become entitled to construct an additional level, then that is deemed to be a taxable benefit, which is taxed at the high rate of 50% of the value of the benefit. The seller is usually responsible for paying this tax, but if the contract does not address this issue, then the obligation may fall upon the purchaser, who will not be able to transfer the property to his name without settling this debt.</p><p>The most important part of the agreement from the standpoint of a purchaser is the part of the contract dealing with the payment schedule and escrow arrangements. The agreement must establish the portion of the purchase price which is paid to the seller at each step of the process, from initial signing of the agreement until the transfer of possession and title.</p><p>The amount to be paid at each milestone is negotiable and it is important to understand the various material milestones in the process. Usually, the first milestone is filing a "warning" on the property's title at the land registration office ("tabu") after the contact is signed stating that the property is under sale and cannot be re-sold by the seller. Another milestone involves the removing of any mortgage on the property. If a mortgage exists on the land then the seller is required to bring a letter of intent from his lending bank setting forth the sum required to be paid to the bank in order for it to release the mortgage. In such a case a certain sum is usually paid after the mortgage is removed, or the buyer pays off the mortgage directly to seller's lending bank to release the mortgage.</p><p>Another milestone occurs when the buyer providing the seller with all the documents required to transfer title. These documents include certificates from the tax authorities and the local municipality that the seller has paid all debts owed and that there are no building violations. Another crucial document which is required to be furnished by the seller is an irrevocable power of attorney which authorize the purchaser's attorney to sign any document and take any action required in order to transfer the property to the name of the purchaser. This power of attorney is irrevocable, by the terms of Israeli law, because the rights of a third party, the purchaser depends upon its validity. These documents, especially the power of attorney, is released to the purchaser against payment of all or almost all the purchase price to the seller, as the transaction is near the end and the only remaining action is actual transfer of title by the purchaser's attorney, and granting of possession. [not done any more]</p><p>With regard to apartments, a few additional point should be mentioned. First, joint buildings (condominiums), buildings containing two or more apartments, involve relationships between tenants. These relationships are covered by building by-laws and address issues such as use of common property, entitlement to use unused building rights, the share of each apartment in building maintenance, and so on. The purchaser should ask the seller for a copy of the by-laws. Many times buildings do not adopt by-laws in which case the statutory by-laws set forth in the Real Estate Law apply. Second, various attachments to the property, such as parking spaces, should be part of the title to the apartment. Third, in addition to arnona, each apartment pays monthly house committee dues. The purchaser should inquire as to the amount of the dues, but unless one is dealing with a building which provides many services (a pool, exercise room, doorman, etc.) these dues are usually fairly nominal.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-62601511007009539052012-09-11T17:09:00.001-07:002012-09-11T17:09:29.668-07:00Exploring the World of Oil and Gas - Possible Careers<div id="article-content"> <p>In today's society, news headlines are fixated on the price of oil and gas, as overseas negotiations and an ongoing battle in the Middle East continue to affect the perception of this vital commodity. However, behind the scenes - there are plenty of employees who make decisions, transport the oil, and facilitate business deals for the United States. When looking to learn more about the careers centered on oil and gas, consider the following employment possibilities:</p><p>Exploration Manager</p><p>Discovering vital oil and gas deposits is a valuable job in this day and age that will only continue to increase in importance as resources become scarcer. An exploration manager leads and operates the expeditions to discover more oil and gas. While evaluating the possibilities and value of a potential site, knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations is a must. A bachelor's degree (and preferably a master's degree) is required in this field. Those with eight to 10 years of experience are most likely chosen for this position. The average yearly salary for this career choice is between $157,665 and $208,954.</p><p>Oilwell Pumper</p><p>While you are quite familiar with the employee who may pump your gas at a service station, have you ever stopped to think how oil is manufactured? An oilwell pumper is responsible for the daily maintenance and care of oil wells. They operate the injection equipment and oversee oil production - making sure to keep in line with standard operating procedures. This kind of pumper will keep reports and make assessments of the volume and pressure of gas and oil contained inside of a well. A high school diploma or its equivalent is needed for consideration. Zero to two years of experience within the field is suggested, as you should display a familiarity regarding the concepts, practices, and procedures within this particular field. Usually, a supervisor or manager manages their progress and projects. The typical salary for this job is between $35,348 and $57,176.</p><p>Pipeline Engineer</p><p>A pipeline engineer may work with natural and/or liquid gases - heading projects; working with operations and marketing; selecting pipeline routes; reviewing construction sketches; conducting financial tracking and reporting; and provide technical training to other members of the staff. The ideal candidate for this type of position has five to 15 years of experience in transmission size pipeline engineering, and a bachelor's degree in engineering. Preference is usually given to those with a PE certification. The salary for this job varies. For instance, in Texas - you can expect to earn up to $105,000, which is usually contingent upon the amount of experience you possess.</p><p>Gas Supply Manager</p><p>As a gas supply manager, you are responsible for getting a hold of the required supplies of gas for various companies. Contract negotiation with acceptable sources become a major part of this job, as well as making sure that all conditions are fulfilled. You will oversee the appropriate transport and storage of these gas supplies. Over time, you will create a working relationship with suppliers. A bachelor's degree is required for this position - coupled with at least 10 years of experience in the field. Experience in a related area is also accepted. The average yearly salary for a gas supply manager is found between $89,001 and $136,754.</p><p>Rate Analyst</p><p>Energy operational costs are the focus of this particular job, which has employees analyzing the gathering and transporting rates for gas. Having knowledge of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission policies is a must with this career. Most often, an advanced degree within an area of specialty is expected. The majority of rate analysts have four to six years of experience in the field already under their belt. A variety of different tasks are expected of this job position, which typically earns between $61,482 and $78,854.</p><p>Electric and Gas Operations Superintendent</p><p>As an electric and gas operations superintendent, your responsibility is to oversee the work crews in charge of constructing, maintaining, and repairing systems associated with electricity and gas. A superintendent creates plans and watches over the process of their employees by managing crew supervisors. A bachelor's degree is sometimes required for this position, as well as at least eight years of experience within the field. The job also centers on a variety of various concepts, practices, and procedures. In this particular career path, extensive experience and judgment truly come in handy when planning and setting goals. Of course, a superintendent is expected to lead and guide the work of other employees. The earning potential for this job is between $71,607 and $106,982.</p><p>College Courses</p><p>To get an idea of the potential college courses associated with a career in oil and gas - you may face Oil & Gas Field Operations, Hydrocarbons, Oil Field Production, Oil Field Processing, intense labs, field experience, and testing on wastewater treatment, crude oil handling, artificial lift systems, and drilling techniques.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-63481990613940802842012-09-10T17:08:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:08:33.604-07:00Machinery Safety in the European Economic Area and the PUWER Regulations 1998 in the United Kingdom<div id="article-content"> <p><strong>A new look at safety.</strong></p><p><strong>European conformity</strong></p><p>The single market is one of the great achievements of our time. This economic space, where goods, services, capital and labour can circulate freely, provides a foundation for prosperity in the European Union as we move towards the 21st century.</p><p>Since 1987 more than 20 directives, adopted on the basis of the New Approach and the Global Approach, have progressively come into force. The operation of any innovative system inevitably raises questions.</p><p><strong>Background on the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 98</strong></p><p>PUWER requires users of work equipment to carry out regular risk assessments which are documented and kept on file. Most importantly, those risk assessments must address each of the Regulations under PUWER.</p><p>The regulations require that all provided work equipment is suitable for its intended task and can be used without putting persons at risk.</p><p>In general terms, the Regulations require that equipment provided for use at work is:</p><p>Suitable for the intended use;</p><p>Safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and, in certain circumstances, inspected to ensure this remains the case;</p><p>Used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training.</p><p>Accompanied by suitable safety measures, e.g. protective devices, markings, and warnings.</p><p>If you are an employer or self-employed person and you provide equipment for use at work, or if you have control of the use of equipment, then the Regulations will generally apply to you.</p><p>The Regulations cover places where the HSW Act applies - these include factories, offshore installations, offices, shops, hospitals, hotels, places of entertainment etc. PUWER also applies in common parts of shared buildings and temporary places of work such as construction sites. While the regulations cover equipment used by people working from home, they do not apply to domestic work in a private household.</p><p><strong>Machinery inspections</strong></p><p>Most companies carry out risk assessments for processes that use machinery, unfortunately that doesn't always mean that the correct risk assessments have been carried out on the machinery itself. The PUWER approved code of practice (ACOP) L22 specifically refer to the competence of the person carrying out the assessment or inspection.</p><p>Engineers should carry out thorough inspections, focusing on safety critical components that could affect the ability of the equipment being operated safely. You should consider the design and installation of the equipment and bring any problems to your attention. For example, if an item has a non-compliant Safety Related Control Circuit, inadequate guarding or requires CE marking and is not at present, you should check it.</p><p>• Risk Assessments -Satisfying the requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, and will be carried out in accordance with EN 14121-1</p><p>• Assessment of electrical systems and safety related control circuitry in accordance with EN13849, EN954-1 or EN62061 as required.</p><p>• A Report on compliance of your equipment in respect to each of the sections of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.</p><p>• Where non-conformances are identified, we will give detailed help with solutions which reference the Harmonised or other EN Standards.</p><p><strong>Competent sign off</strong></p><p>When making safety upgrades to machinery, it is important that they are compliant. Whether your upgrades are completed by the Original Equipment Manufacturer, a third party sub-contractor or by your own staff, a competent [person should inspect your equipment and provide certification for physical compliance with the Regulations.</p><p>It makes sense to involve experts before upgrades are started as we can advise on the scope and design of those upgrades before money is spent on your machinery. Remember that even if you employ an outside resource to complete the safety improvements, you are legally responsible for inspection before putting that machine back into service.</p><p><strong>Incident investigation</strong></p><p>The main purpose of investigating incidents is to find the reason why harm was caused to employees, other people or resources such as equipment or facilities. The investigation should not be used to allocate blame, but to identify what went wrong and to prevent a similar incident happening again. Accidents are costly events, besides pain and sufferings there are costs arising from accident, such as human cost, loss of time from work, claim for injury, business disruption and clearers time, therapists time, investigation time, ambulance time, fire brigade, police and other hidden costs such as disruption to family and society.</p><p>An expert consultant can provide an independent, third party assessment of the root cause and practical advice on corrective measures to prevent a recurrence and attend meetings and correspond with Authorities on your behalf. They should work for you, to protect your business and your employees.</p><p><strong>CE Marking </strong></p><p><strong>Background to European Conformity.</strong></p><p>To supply products on the market in the European Economic Area (EEA), CE Marking is mandatory.</p><p>With the CE marking on a product the manufacturer ensures that the product conforms to the essential requirements of the applicable EC directives.</p><p>Most new products placed on the European market must be CE marked. This will include products which are "new" to Europe, second-hand products from outside Europe and which are put into service or placed on the market in Europe for the first time, and existing products which are so substantially modified as to be considered "new".</p><p>CE marking is the responsibility of the person who places the product on the market, or puts it into service, for the first time. In law this duty rests with the Responsible Person, which in most cases is either the manufacturer or the manufacturer's authorised (in writing) representative, but can also include those who import non CE marked products into Europe, any user in Europe who makes a product for their own use, and those who modify existing products already in use to such an extent they must be considered "new" products.</p><p>CE marking is the final stage of the conformity assessment process as specified in the relevant Directive for the product. The conformity assessment process (sometimes referred to as the CE marking process) is concerned with:</p><p>Assessing the risks presented by a product throughout its lifecycle</p><p>Meeting safety objectives by design and construction</p><p>Taking account of the current best practice to ensure the safety for that product, known as the state of the art</p><p>in some cases the supply Directive will require the use of third parties to verify compliance, collecting and retaining information about the design, testing and construction process and the means by which the product complies with the essential requirements of all relevant product safety.</p><p>Declaring the product's conformity with all relevant product safety law by means of a document (the Declaration of Conformity), which in most cases must accompany the product down the supply chain to the end user and the preparation and provision of comprehensive product User Instructions, in the language of the end user.</p><p>Directives likely to be encountered with your machinery include:</p><p>• The Supply of Machinery ( Safety ) Regulations 2008 as amended. SI 1597.</p><p>Directive 2006/42/EC applies to machinery, lifting accessories such as slings and chains, and safety components. A machine is defined as "an assembly of linked parts or components, at least one of which moves..."</p><p>• The Electrical Equipment ( Safety ) Regulations 1994 as amended. SI 3260.</p><p>It applies to all apparatus running on (or generating) an electrical supply in the range 50 - 1000 volts A.C. or between 75 and 1500 volts D.C.</p><p>• The Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 1992 as amended. SI 2372.</p><p>The Directive requires that products must not emit unwanted electromagnetic pollution (interference) and must be immune to a normal level of interference.</p><p>• The Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999 as amended. SI 2001.</p><p>Equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar gauge including vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressure accessories.</p><p><strong>Safety circuit validation</strong></p><p>Only competent persons should carry out assessments of your control systems with reference to EN61508, EN62061, EN 954-1 and EN ISO 13849-1.</p><p>The new European Harmonised Standard, EN ISO 13849-1:2008 "Safety of machinery - Safety-related parts of control systems" replaces EN 954-1. Get an expert to assist you in selecting the appropriate standard for compliance of your plant, we firmly believe in cost effective safety, not blindly following trends.</p><p>A comprehensive analysis, in accordance with the Validation Plan, enables you to model the structure of your safety related control system based upon the components used and the designated architectures, thereby permitting calculation of the reliability values in detail, including relevant parameters such as the overall component reliability (MTTFd), the average test quality (DCavg) of components and blocks and probable common-cause failures (CCF), to determine Performance Level achieved (PL). This is in turn compared to the Performance Level required (PLr) for the level of risk posed by the machine.</p><p><strong>Modified machinery</strong></p><p>Many companies no longer have the budgets available to invest in new plant and machinery. This means that for many end users the only alternative is to upgrade or adapt existing plant. It is important however, to remember that modifications to existing machinery might fall under the scope of the new Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. It is often a case that an existing declaration of conformity is rendered invalid if machinery undergoes a 'significant' change.</p><p>The term 'significant' is often misunderstood and can also include the linking of machinery together such as in a production line. One should exercise caution when linking old and new machinery.</p><p>Get an expert to give advice in ensuring compliance, especially at the design stage to ensure that a 'significant' change is not undertaken and exclude CE Marking altogether. This will provide a large cost saving to many capital projects.</p><p><strong>Buying machinery CE audit</strong></p><p>If you are an end user, or thinking of buying new machinery, or machinery first provided for use after January 1st 1995, then you have specific responsibilities in respect to the conformity of that equipment. Regulation 10 of PUWER (HASAWA 1974 Sec 2/2) states:</p><p>Every employer shall ensure that an item of work equipment conforms at all times with any essential requirements, other than requirements which, at the time of its being first supplied or put into service in any place in which these regulations apply, did not apply to work equipment of its type.</p><p>In plain language, that means it is in breach of the Regulations for you to use equipment if it does not comply. So if the manufacturer does not CE Mark that equipment properly, you could be held responsible if you use it!!</p><p>When purchasing or hiring new or second-hand equipment, special care needs to be taken to ensure that any associated risks have been assessed and that you are complying with the law. You should check that any contract deals with health and safety and that there is no misunderstanding about the condition of the machine and its guards or safety measures. The law applies not only to guarding but also to other aspects, which may affect health and safety, such as noise generated by machinery, solvent vapour emission, and protection against fire and explosion.</p><p>Key stages in the purchase or acquisition of new equipment will be;</p><p>1. Defining a user requirement specification.</p><p>2. Pre-delivery CE Inspection</p><p>3. Post installation sign off and PUWER inspection</p><p>The purchase and acquisition of equipment for use within your organisation should comply with all National and International Regulatory requirements. In order for this provision to be complied with, a competent person should review the machine acquisition protocol existing within your organisation and, with the involvement of key stakeholders, provide a template User Requirement Specification document that covers the common requirements, industry standards, and organisational standards that apply to Equipment intended for use within European facilities.</p><p>It should be read together with the relevant organisational Machine Specification.</p><p>This practice will assist in ensuring equipment supplied shall comply with the statutory national, local, legal regulatory requirements, and internal Standards applicable to the equipment type, operating environment and operating site.</p><p><strong>Systems Audits</strong></p><p>It is important that any consultant communicates effectively to define the level of reduction of risk to the business that is required and how this is to be achieved. The legislation continually changes and new Standards are published with alarming regularity. It is possible that some of the remedial works is no longer compliant. We need to determine the company's viewpoint of "compliant" and "safe" as they are not mutually dependent and there is no infinite pot of capital. This will define the "agreed adequate level of safety" in the business.</p><p>Following this process you can audit your HSE & Q Policy and procedure in respect to machinery and its use.</p><p>These are necessary to build up a picture of existing health and safety management controls and to determine their suitability. The audit procedure is designed to scrutinise policies, procedures and day-to-day activities from a which a comprehensive report is produced which compares 'what is' against 'what should be', again with practical suggestions for improvement.</p><p>Health and Safety Audits are best carried out by an external pair of eyes as nothing is overlooked.</p><p>An important part of an audit service is a "gap analysis" regarding competence of employees. You should look at your training records and systems to determine if improvements can be made that will have a positive effect on the behavioural safety of the safe use of your machines.</p><p><strong>ATEX and DSEAR</strong></p><p>An approved system demonstrates your legal responsibility in regard to the use of safety-related products, systems or services, wherever you are in the supply chain. Assessment and/or certification to IEC 61508 is either a pre-requisite or it can offer a significant advantage over the competition.</p><p>The assessment of the process plant will cover the relevant hardware and software lifecycle and how it is applied. The majority of the work entails detailed examination of the relevant documentary evidence and can therefore be conducted off site.</p><p>On completion of the full assessment, you should compile a detailed report, which provides the supporting evidence to enable the wording of the certificate to be framed accurately and appropriately.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-66832671632020870042012-09-09T17:07:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:07:34.482-07:00Prefinished Hardwood Flooring: Solid and Engineered<div id="article-content"> <p>Selecting new hardwood flooring for your home can be an alarming and unexpected time consuming task. With the never ending selection of hardwood flooring materials available today with as many locations, each offering discounts, advantages and recommendations over competing rivals, home or business owners are often left in a cloud of confusion with difficulty in making a formidable decision. Far too many times, frustrated home and business owners throw up their hands in surrender, giving in to uneducated sales presentations, purchasing the lowest priced wood flooring material to bring closure to a very un-eventual process. Unfortunately, purchasing hardwood flooring material based on price eventually results in floors once installed, with surprising negative consequences in less time than expected.</p><p>To date, there are two types of pre-finished hardwood flooring materials available, solid and engineered, available in a wide spectrum of colors and finishes. Where each type of wood flooring material is similar in durability, however there remains a significant difference in composition and pricing per square foot that remains a determining factor often over-looked by price conscious, weary purchasers.</p><p>Solid pre-finished hardwood flooring is as the name implies, "solid" wood with un-limited species to choose from. With thicknesses of 5/16" to ¾" typical, solid wood flooring is fabricated in tongue and groove configuration locking all members together in a "no-glue" fashion. Tongue and groove solid pre-finished wood flooring is typically nailed in with specialized tools, however may be "free-floated" over appropriate underlayment to allow for contraction and expansion during temperature changes. Three- quarter inch (3/4") tongue and groove solid flooring is not recommended for below grade installations, such as basements, due to adverse effect on the wood when installed over existing concrete surfaces. Buckling, cupping and seam separation are common indications of solid wood flooring installed in improper locations or in an incorrect manner.</p><p>Associated costs per square foot for solid hardwood flooring are as expected considerably higher due to solid wood composition. With typical costs per square for material only starting or exceeding $4-$5 per square foot, ¾" solid hardwood flooring should be installed by qualified and experienced flooring installers for best results. Home or business owner installation is not recommended due to the complexity of installation and specialized tools required. Of noticeable cost per square foot concerns, home or business owners should take note of professional installation raising the cost of solid wood flooring exceeding $10-$12 per square foot, however the results far out-weigh the additional cost of the original investment. Solid hardwood floors have a life expectancy of 50 years or more when properly installed with the possibility to change finishing colors by re-sanding, keeping abreast with the latest in interior designs.</p><p>Engineered pre-finished wood flooring is rapidly becoming the most popular selection of hardwood flooring beyond the conventional means of floor covering, carpet. Constructed from 3-10 layers of wood, typically 5, the layers of engineered flooring are oriented in opposite directions glued under extreme pressure for endurance. The term, "engineered" has long been associated with stigmas of poorly constructed or "cheap" flooring upon initial introduction; however has little or nothing to do with the composition of pre-finished hardwood flooring material other than a manufacturing process used in the production of this superior flooring material.</p><p>Of the five types of hardwood flooring material available, engineered pre-finished wood flooring has gained recognition and notoriety for value and affordable pricing. Similar to pre-finished solid hardwood flooring material, engineered wood flooring material is installed in a tongue and groove manner however offers options in installation over solid pre-finished wood flooring, increasing consumer awareness two-fold.</p><p>Nailed, glued, glue less or floating, pre-finished engineered flooring is both "eco-friendly" and "user-friendly". With latest in installation design technology, engineered pre-finished hardwood floors offer "click and lock" design with no glue, nails or special tools required. The simple "click and lock" technology allows home and business owners to self- install pre-finished floors in their home or place of business saving hundreds of dollars in professional installation costs. With novice experience, a home or business owner can install a pre-finished hardwood floor over s week-end with dramatic results in overall room appearance.</p><p>Ranging in pricing and depending on grade selected, engineered pre-finished flooring is available starting at $3.50 per square foot, home or business owner installed. Subsequent selections of better quality grades (thickness of material) and finishes will increase overall costs per square foot accordingly.</p><p>Taking all choices, styles and colors into consideration when selecting a flooring material, the eventual outcome will produce a hardwood floor that is beautiful, long lasting, tested by time and performance. While the debate may continue for many years yet to come a home or business owner can be assured of one remaining factor, a superior floor that is solid and engineered.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-66770110951719360202012-08-09T17:06:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:06:37.767-07:0012 Structural Foundation Tips, a Horror Story and a Good Method<div id="article-content"> <p><strong>Choose the right Expert</strong></p><p>Groundworks and foundations are potential financial black holes. They are often misunderstood and mistakes are seldom cheap or delay free. It is as much about knowing what not to do as how best to obtain the support you must have to carry off a successful project. There are a surprising number of so called experts who are ill equipped to lead technical projects with an equally surprising lack of understanding of the subject you are taking to them. This too often results in people leading projects for industry on the same basis as they would approach smaller or domestic works and that inevitably leads to delays, misunderstandings and unnecessary avoidable frustrations. This article helps to clarify various roles and milestones which will stabilise and smooth the path to a successful conclusion.</p><p><strong>What do Engineers do?</strong></p><p>The best foundation you can have for strength is a strong rock, like granite. However it is unlikely to be the right shape and rock is not easy to shape so what is the best sort of ground to have? Geotechnical engineering is a very big subject and often confused with structural and civil engineering. The answer to the question is ground with sufficient strength to be able to take the weight you wish to impose on it. The geotechnical engineer will be able to tell you what you have got by taking samples, measuring the compressive strength and analysing the materials sampled.</p><p>Structural engineering is simply about structures. Civil engineering has become associated with altering the shape of the landscape but its origins quite simply emanate from the civilian end of military engineering.</p><p>I divide it up into two categories for the purposes of building and construction. Above ground is everything which is factory prepared and brought to site to be erected and below groundworks, which include all the services works, preparations, slab and foundations works, comprise the onsite preparations.</p><p>The structural engineers need metallurgists and the civil engineers need geotechnical engineers. This latter part is something which vanishes into the mists of time until you want some work doing which involves the floor or beneath it so when the information is published at the very outset of the project it usually disappears into the groundworks designs and never re-emerges. Make sure you always keep a copy of it. If you want to develop the site in future, it is the first thing the engineers will ask you for.</p><p>Before anything can be constructed on land (or below water) you have to establish exactly what you are building on and whether or not it will support the weight of the proposed structure.</p><p>I am amazed at how many experts there are in this field who are prepared to take massive risks and place amazing confidence in the properties of concrete even after 60 years of use. It's a bit like assuming Blondini's tight rope would be as good today as it was the day it was put up and then deciding to go for an afternoon stroll across it in ski boots.</p><p>Ground moves, it's as much alive as you or me, there are hundreds of small tremors and vibrations at work all the time and this has an effect on everything we do or make. To just assume it will be safe to erect a mezzanine floor on a concrete slab is an unsound decision which could be costly. The same applies to shelving and racking especially if you intend to erect it on a mezzanine floor. If you load it to full capacity without knowing what you are doing you could be applying the equivalent of a stiletto heel load on balsa wood and we all know what stiletto heels do to lino and timber floors!</p><p>I was shocked after structural engineers had stated that a former canal side engineering works should have the floor strengthened that the directors of the company overruled the structural engineers and refused to pay for the works to be carried out. They went on to build cantilever racks designed to take 20 tonnes a bay onto a cracked floor stating that they had done the same at other locations and never had any problems. It's like driving south on the north bound carriage way at 2.30 in the morning in thick fog and saying it is safe just because you can't see anyone else and you are driving slowly!</p><p><strong>Why does Pisa lean</strong>?</p><p>When we build load bearing structures these connect inevitably to the ground and that is where, with the aid of gravity, the full force is finally taken. You can make most things stable and perfectly able to accept very heavy and extreme loads. Steel will float if it is designed to do so and sink and re-surface again. Air will support metal. Groundworks are every bit as important and there are many ways of finding out what is going on in the ground. The leaning tower of Pisa is an amazing and famous example of problem ground. There was much argument and discussion regarding the work to save the tower from falling over completely and in particular how much of the "lean" to preserve in the reconstruction works. The answer was they reduced the lean by approximately 1.5 degrees to just short of 4 degrees and it leans because the ground is very weak and unstable. It was constructed over a substantial period of time which probably saved it in a period when little was understood about foundations. There were a lot of corrective building works which in fact make the tower curved as well as leaning. This is fine as a tourist attraction but you certainly do not want it in your factory!</p><p><strong>12 Tips to help you understand foundations</strong></p><p><strong>1) What weight will the ground take?</strong> Core samples must be collected from key areas for any proposed load bearing application whether green, brown or developed sites. If you don't have the results of this sampling you are guessing.</p><p><strong>2) Pick the correct professionals, they are faster and right. </strong> These samples are then analysed and a ground bearing capacity assigned to them and some sums, that could look like the ones below,may be done relative to the location and proposed work. If you don't understand them you probably require professional help.</p><p>Moment causing rotation</p><p>= load x lever arm = [(q - qo) x B] x [½B]</p><p>Moment resisting rotation</p><p>= shear strength x length of arc x lever arm= [s] x [p.B] x [B]</p><p>At failure these are equal:</p><p>(q - qo ) x B x ½B = s x p.B x B</p><p>Net pressure (q - qo ) at failure = 2 p x shear strength of the soil</p><p>This is an upper-bound solution.</p><p><strong>3) Decide what weights and loads your process imposes.</strong> This is just the beginning. It now goes to the structural or consulting engineer who uses the data to construct a suitable specification for the base building materials. You are never going to see these. Before this can happen they need to know what weights and loads are to be placed on them and how. Its all a bit like a computer, there are several levels between you and the plug in the wall and what you can do on the key board. It is this that is so frequently missed and simply not understood.</p><p><strong>4) You need calculations.</strong> Once the soil conditions are understood a technical design can proceed. There are pages of calculations and scenarios required to do this. When you take over someone else's property or building you assume the floor won't collapse beneath you and thanks to building regulations it probably won't.</p><p><strong>5) Research as much as you can from existing archived information.</strong> In order to start a building project from the ground up, the first thing you need is a floor that will take the weight. To do this you will need to trace back the history of the build to the original core samples and calculations, not the drawings of the slab and foundations but the two prior stages. The architect won't have them but may know where you can get a copy. There should be a set lodged at the local authority if your building is less than 10 or 12 years old but if you can't find them its back to item 1 again, core samples.</p><p><strong>6) Understand good ground conditions.</strong> There are many ways to construct foundations. Before you can commence you need to support and stabilise the ground into which they are going. Generally speaking you will need more than 50 kNm2 ground bearing pressure and most fabricators cover themselves by stating minimally 150 kNm2. The fact is that without this information building regulations won't allow you to proceed or worse still will allow you to proceed and then condemn the building.</p><p><strong>7) Organise good control procedures</strong> If a floor in its current condition won't take a load you can open up the ground and strengthen it. This is a good way of doing things because you can see what you are dealing with. However disturbing the ground can be fraught and if it is brown ground or very soft ground you might as well bury your wallet in it because the costs will just spiral.</p><p><strong>8) Stabilisation options</strong>. With the right type of ground you can stabilise it by adding man made resins. This bonds the soil material together and self seals itself so damp proof membranes are less of a problem. As it is the engineer's equivalent of keyhole surgery there is little or no mess and it is very quick. It is cheaper than piling and the ground can be used straightaway once the process is installed.</p><p><strong>9) Get to grips with the basic site.</strong> With good ground or new works it is always going to be cheaper to conventionally construct foundations. If the ground is poor, restoring the strength is going to be expensive. It is always dirty and takes a minimum of 15 days before you can really use it.</p><p><strong>10) What you should be concerned about</strong>. Foundations can, and do, cost as much as the intended build on them. They can be a bottomless pit for money and beware of anyone who does or says any of the following:</p><p>a) Oh planning won't be a problem - <em>you cannot say that until it is awarded.</em></p><p>b) I don't think building regulations will apply - <em>building regulations always apply.</em></p><p>c) I have already done the building regulation drawings for you -<em> why would you do that? They are supposed to be submitted after the works are complete, as constructed.</em></p><p>d) Well first we will go for planning approval, that will only take 4 weeks - <em>in your dreams!</em></p><p>e) Your building project can be done in less than 6 months - <em>highly unlikely.</em></p><p>f) What are percolation tests? - <em>these test what happens to surface water and are an indication of the drainage requirements and also are used to check they are working properly, for example French drains. The local authorities will expect to see drawings and the results of these tests and might make you dig the drainage up if you can't prove them.</em></p><p>g) Oh the builder will sort the foundations out and you won't need planning for this - <em>this is a cavalier approach, almost guaranteed to cost you extra money. If the foundations have not been done the builder is not going to be in a position to provide the calculations required by the local authority.</em></p><p>h) I know this man who can do that cheaply for you - <em>in this case I would find out who he is and go and see some works he has done cheaply for other people.</em></p><p>i) Doesn't know anything about your business - or want to - <em>an indication that he is working to a hidden agenda.</em></p><p>j) Doesn't quote, advise or know about any of the content of this article - <em>deeply suspicious - avoid.</em></p><p><strong>11) Legs </strong>- Finally if you are going to have anything with legs or pillars involved you have to know how much weight it will put on the floor and be sure the floor (slab) can take it. You may be asked to mathematically prove it. If it fails load tests you will need a block of concrete or construction to support it in the ground. I have seen this crop up as an expensive afterthought on dozens of occasions - don't get caught out.</p><p><strong>12) The difference between planning and building regulations</strong></p><p>If you did the building regulations drawings they would be wrong. The only reason for doing them prior to planning consent is ignorance or increasing fees to the unsuspecting client. Either way your money is down the drain. Building regulations are the main area of flexibility, whereas planning is much more restrictive. Why?... because the engineers run that part so the build may have to vary, but it still has to comply with regulations because planning governs shape and building regulations deals with method and content or put another way planning is about 'what' and the building regulations are about 'how'.</p><p>My customer took 5 months to get planning consent with a book of conditions that his professional adviser would really struggle to deal with. If he thought he should do building regulations drawings first he is unlikely to understand or take seriously the consent terms.</p><p><strong>Horror story tip</strong></p><p>If you think none of this happens I have a customer who was told by his "professional" adviser (who had full professional memberships and accreditation with internationally respected Royal Charter Institutes) that he was going to get planning approval in 2 weeks prior to the government's re-organisation of the local authorities in 2009. He couldn't make certain changes because he had already done the building regulation drawings so the work had to be built the way he had drawn it. This is what actually happened:</p><p>• There were serious issues with the highways department that our "professional" knew nothing about.</p><p>• He had no idea about groundworks and hadn't even had a ground survey done.</p><p>• He obviously had no idea of how to approach a planning application.</p><p>• He seriously underestimated the timescales.</p><p>If he did know all this then the implications are even worse because he knew what he told my customer was wrong. I would like to say this is rare but it is far from rare, it is common place to tell the customer what they want to hear to get their work. NEVER ever get building regulations drawings done prior to planning approval because at that stage you don't have:</p><p>• Permission to build</p><p>• Technical designs</p><p>• Planning conditions</p><p>• Ground or environmental survey information</p><p><strong>The epilogue - How to do it right - A Good Method</strong></p><p>8 months later his project had still not concluded. It should have taken 12 weeks to plan, 8 weeks to build and 4 weeks to fit out. Unfortunately 6 months was too slow for my customer and then when someone told him it could be done in two weeks it was time for us to walk away. This is very common. This is what should have been done.</p><p>• The newly re-organised authority should have been contacted straightaway. They would have had better facilities anyway. Getting snarled up in the changeovers with the demised departments guaranteed this project was going to fail to meet expectation from the outset.</p><p>• Consult the highways department where parking or road access is an issue.</p><p>• Consult the client with a suggested range of solutions.</p><p>• I would then have taken a set of discussion plans (really cheap rough information) and tested the local authority for other lurking problems.</p><p>• Don't do the ground survey until there is a strong chance of obtaining planning consent. The survey usually is the lesser of the two costs but you may find the likely terms of consent exceed your budget expectations in which case the survey money is wasted in the event you abort.</p><p>• Work backwards from the finished article/design to ensure your ground designs are right. If you think design work is expensive and time consuming wait until you try demolition!</p><p>• Only when all this is agreed should there be a move to a planning application. Why? Because if you want a door or window moving or changing, it is a new application and/or associated cost. It could even delay or abort the project so always keep the exit route of least cost open</p><p>• Nail down contractors, suppliers and work schedules with fixed price contracts.</p><p>• Check for hidden costs and delays. Obviously you need to know where these are likely to occur but that is one very good reason to implement regulations prior to work beginning</p><p>• Once the work is completed to the planning terms, then and only then, are the final "as built", building regulation drawings done. Up to this point you will be using manufacturer's drawings derived from the planning consent drawings which is why you never do the building regulation drawings otherwise the cost of revisions would be enormous. One of my projects had 31 drawing revisions prior to the building regulation drawings. Revisions are normal, they are there to save costs and not to incur them.</p><p>• You can't change the procedures. The planners make sure you don't try because many people depend upon them. Their job is to help everyone safely use the system and benefit from its supporting role. This attitude is what gets applications through the quickest.</p><p>The moral of all this is if it sounds too good to be true it probably isn't true.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-50292596680108578422012-08-08T17:05:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:05:39.237-07:00How to Avoid Building Construction Failure in Kenya<div id="article-content"> <p>Of late, several buildings have collapsed in Kenya.</p><p>There are procedures and best practices that should be followed to avoid this.</p><p>Step 1.</p><p>Have the building designed by registered professionals. Architects in Kenya are registered by the Board of Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya. The Board of Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya is under the Ministry of Public Works. The registration process is rigorous and is a 2- year examination whereby the Government ensures that the applicant has undergone training under a registered Architect for a certain period after graduating from a recognized Architecture School.</p><p>After registration as an Architect, the applicant can then register with the Architectural Association of Kenya as a corporate member.</p><p>The Architectural association of Kenya also registers students-student membership, architecture graduates who are not registered-graduate membership, building contractors, developers, draftsmen-virtually everyone with an interest in construction.</p><p>This begins the confusion in that a would-be developer will approach a quack who is not registered to give Architectural services in Kenya. The quack will then prove to the innocent developer that he is registered to offer Architectural services by producing a registration certificate from Architectural Association of Kenya as a Licentiate member. What the developer doesn't know is that only Corporate and Fellow members have the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors certification as a must have requirement.</p><p>I also noticed that even leading Banks and Financial institutions still can not differentiate between the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya certificate and an Architectural Association of Kenya certificate. They insist that for someone to offer Architectural services to their customers, one has to hold the Architectural Association of Kenya certificate. What they don't know is that the Architectural Association of Kenya Licentiate certificate is open to a wide variety of applicants-except the Corporate Membership certificate. This is the trick that is used by most quacks to confuse innocent developers and Financial institutions that they have certificates to offer architectural services since none of the developers will insist of Corporate Membership certificate because they don't know about the categories of membership.</p><p>If a law is established to create one centre of reference for Architects-such as with the Law society of Kenya, we will be one step ahead in ensuring qualified personnel offer Architectural service to Kenyans.</p><p>Step 2.</p><p>Once the developer has maneuvered their way into getting a licensed Architect to offer the service, drawings are produced and lodged for approval at the relevant Local Authority.</p><p>Most local authorities don't have adequate technical personnel to decipher the drawings and give the necessary input for approval.</p><p>Nairobi city council has the personnel but they are too few to handle all the workload that comes to them daily. <br />Since the council can not offer professional technical information regarding the approvals, due to understaffing and lack of the technical know-how, this creates a perfect recipe for corruption. The developer's approvals are delayed to the point that he is forced to part with some money for the plans to be approved-usually without the plans being scrutinized. If the plans are scrutinized and all processes are followed, a fatal omission will be easily noticed and structural drawings from a registered structural engineer are supposed to be produced. The Local authority is also supposed to check that the plans have been produced by a registered architect.</p><p>Of late, local authorities have been insisting on the architect's registration-registration from the Board of Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya.</p><p>This is a good step but the quacks and corrupt council officials have found a way of going around this by attaching a 'real' architect's certificate on the drawings produced by the quack. This can be easily stopped by ensuring that all buildings being constructed should have a sign-board showing the name of the professionals who have been involved in the design.</p><p>Step 3.</p><p>After the developer getting the necessary approvals to commence construction, he is supposed to contract a registered building contractor for construction services.</p><p>Building contractors are registered by the Ministry of Public Works.</p><p>The developer can either single-source a contractor or request several registered contractors to quote or the building construction and choose the best.</p><p>The registration of the building contractor is supposed to show that the contractor has proved that he understands building construction and has agreed to adhere to the best practices as stipulated by the Government.</p><p>In Kenya, most developers do not use the building contractors. This requirement is again not enforced in private developments. In Government, Parastatals and corporate developments, this requirement is fully followed to the letter.</p><p>The Architect who has been contracted by the developer is supposed to offer periodic supervision of the building construction until completion of the building whereby he is supposed to certify that the building is complete and ready for human habitation. These processes are enforced by the local authority who as we said earlier, are understaffed and don't have enough technical personnel hence this step is rarely taken unless when the developer wants to insure his building and the insurance company insists that they need to see the completion certificate.</p><p>In corporate sector projects, all these processes are followed to the letter-that's why we never hear of the 20 -plus storey buildings collapsing in Upperhill, Kilimani and other areas where the corporate sector develops even though the buildings are approved by the same local authorities and constructed within the same laws that govern the individual-owned buildings which are prone to collapse. The building construction collapse is mainly on the individual-owned constructions who do not follow the laid -down procedures and whom the local authorities are too overwhelmed to cater for. If all the laid-down procedures are followed regardless of the size of the project, collapse of houses will be a thing of the past.</p><p>[http://www.aak.or.ke/memb_classes.html]</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-90735510304509947952012-08-07T17:04:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:04:39.258-07:00Building Contractors - Master Builders of Homes, Buildings and Roads<div id="article-content"> <p>Building contractors or general contractors are construction professionals that contract other individuals or companies for the construction or renovation of a house, building, road or any other structure. They provide estimates to clients by studying the blueprints of the structure. Subsequently, once a contract is signed, building contractors will then be responsible for the means and methods to be used in the construction of the house, building or road. They have to make sure that all the details of the signed contract will be met.</p><p>Building contractors, especially established ones, already have their own equipment, manpower and even construction materials to supply their clients. However, for those who are still starting out, the only way to execute the contract agreement is to contract other contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. Building contractors often work 24/7 throughout the duration of the project to be able to immediately solve problems that may occur from accidents or those caused by the weather. Other problems that may occur are lack of materials, malfunctioning equipment and lack of manpower.</p><p>Building contractors also accept projects for different government agencies and they are often referred to as the prime contractors. They often follow the same procedures similar to contracts they accept for private clients. In general, building contractors specialize in one type and size of construction project. Commercial contractors, however, sometimes accept residential projects and vice versa but most rarely take on large scale public works projects such as building industrial sites, bridges and sewage systems to name a few.</p><p>Building contractors often start out as construction workers mastering in carpentry, insulation, landscaping, plumbing and other similar jobs. After gaining the necessary skills, they will then work as apprentices or assistants for other contractors or developers. Before becoming a contractor themselves, they should have at least 5 years of experience in the contracting field and have certifications in mastering a construction skill. They are also required to get a degree in construction science, construction management or civil engineering. Many states require contractors to be licensed before they can work and get clients from the area. Building contractors must complete several requirements before they can be granted their licenses.</p><p>Other ways of getting a license aside from taking a four year course degree is to attend training programs plus at least two years of college programs in construction science or construction technology. The American Institute of Constructors and the Construction Management Association of America often offer voluntary certification programs for aspiring contractors. Once you have completed the requirements and passed the written examinations, you will be granted your certification.</p><p>Working as a building contractor can be very demanding and stressful but can also be very fulfilling. With an average $69,870 annual income and with the employment rate for contractors and other construction personnel and workers increasing until 2014 (according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics), there will surely be a lot of opportunities for building contractors for the next few years.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-3212223398197756732012-08-06T17:03:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:03:42.398-07:00How to Manage a House Construction Project<div id="article-content"> <p>After you have your architectural design approved by the local authority, the next step is to commence construction work.</p><p>Careful selection of your building contractor is crucial. Invite several reputable building contractors to quote on the blank Bills of Quantities and give a specific return date for the quotes.</p><p>With the help of your architect, analyze the quotes in terms of previous similar works performance, time period to finish the contract and the pricing.</p><p>Construction contracts are available at the architectural association of Kenya offices, professional centre, Nairobi.There is a provision for a performance bond to bond the contractor to carry out the works as specified and within a given time frame, failure to which he forfeits a specified amount of money, usually 5 % of the contract sum.</p><p>Once the building contractor finishes the contract, the architect inspects the works and if satisfied, he issues a practical completion certificate to certify that the works are practically complete and the owner can move in to the house. This document enables the building contractor to get back his performance bond from the bank.</p><p>The construction contract also specifies the amount to be retained from each payment, usually 10% of the contract sum. Once the contractor is through with the contract, half of the retained amount is paid to him and the other half is paid after 6 months-this period is known as the defects liability period. This retention will be used to rectify any damage that might occur after 6 months from taking possession of the house. If defects occur after 6 months from possession of the house, the costs of repair should be undertaken by the owner of the house.</p><p>After the 6 month defects liability period, your architect checks if all the defects have been rectified such as leaking roofs, doors not closing properly e.t.c. If he is satisfied, he issues the contractor with a final certificate so the contractor can now be paid the remainder of the 10% retained amount.</p><p>The architect also inspects the construction works on a regular basis, usually every two weeks and holds a site meeting with the client, contractor and other consultants such as the Quantity Surveyor, Interior Designer, structural engineer, electrical engineer and mechanical engineer -building services.</p><p>These site meetings and inspections help to track the progress of the construction works from start to completion and are useful tools used to diagnose problems, come up with solutions and resolve disputes within the contract period.</p><p>If you are planning to build a house in Kenya, Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, this article will be very useful in giving you an insight as to how to go about in managing your project effectively.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-84772855183209702612012-08-05T17:02:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:02:41.552-07:00Atlanta Construction Lawyers<div id="article-content"> <p>Atlanta construction lawyers represent clients such as contractors, homebuilders, suppliers, owners and sub-contractors in Atlanta. The construction litigation practices of Atlanta construction lawyers include trials, arbitrations, and mediations involving contract disputes, architect and engineer liability claims, products liability and warranty claims, building design defects, transportation and airport concerns, environmental concerns, public and private surety bond claims, construction liens, and acceleration and delay damages claims. Atlanta construction lawyers are members of the Atlanta Bar Association.</p><p>Contract negotiations undertaken by Atlanta construction lawyers are for large commercial projects, homes, and public buildings. The contracts include architectural and engineering contracts, design-build, and engineer-procure-construct, and construction management agreements.</p><p>Atlanta construction lawyers argue cases with regard to non-payment, changes in scope of the construction project, timing, and defective work. Dispute resolution options are mainly arbitration and litigation. Most Atlanta construction lawyers prefer arbitration over dispute resolution. Even though it is not very profitable, it is faster and private. But some clients prefer litigation, because arbitration decisions cannot be easily appealed.</p><p>An experienced construction lawyer can avoid disputes, as he can advise you about possible problems and take appropriate remedies for problems that might arise later. Many Atlanta construction lawyers work as a team with engineers, project managers, and advisors. The fees that Atlanta construction lawyers charge may be success fees, where lawyers take an amount that is pre-determined; or, they may opt for an hourly rate where the fees is in accordance with the time spent in these cases. Before signing a contract with your lawyer, it is necessary to have a clear view of the issues involved and the budget for the entire procedure.</p><p>Internet research and interviews will help in determining which Atlanta construction lawyer is suitable for your claim. It is recommended that you choose a lawyer with ideal characteristics and good personal chemistry with you.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-49682720533007893232012-07-05T17:01:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:01:45.481-07:00Condominium Warranties - Express and Implied - Rhode Island<div id="article-content"> <p>Q. What is a Warranty of Quality relating to condominiums?</p><p>A warranty of quality is a guarantee that the quality of a condominium being sold is as represented or promised.</p><p>Q. What is an Express Warranty of Quality relating to condominiums?</p><p>An express warranty of quality is a warranty of quality that is created by the overt actions of the seller of the condominium unit.</p><p>Q. How is an Express Warranty of Quality created?</p><p>Express warranties are representations made by any seller of a condominium unit to a buyer of a unit, if relied upon by the buyer, may be created in the following manner:</p><p>1. Writing</p><p>Any written or printed affirmation of fact or promise relating to a unit, its use, or associated rights, area improvements to the condominium that would directly benefit the unit, or the right to use or have the benefit of facilities not located in the condominium, creates an express warranty that the unit and related rights and uses will conform to the affirmation or promise; (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.13(a)(1))</p><p>2. Model</p><p>Any model or description of the physical characteristics of the condominium, including plans and specifications of or for improvements, creates a warranty that the condominium will substantially conform to the model or description; and (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.13(a)(2))</p><p>3. Description</p><p>Any description of the quantity or extent of the real estate of the condominium, including plats or surveys, creates an express warranty that the condominium will conform to the description, subject to customary tolerances. (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.13(a)(3))</p><p>Note however...</p><p>Lawful use -</p><p>Any provision (in the form of a writing, model, or a description) that a buyer may put a unit to a specified use is an express warranty that the specified use is lawful. (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.13(a)(4))</p><p>Formal words -</p><p>Formal words such as "warranty" or "guarantee" are NOT required to create an express warranty of quality. (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.13 (b))</p><p>Specific intention -</p><p>A specific intention to make a warranty is not necessary to create an express warranty of quality. (Id.)</p><p>Mere opinion</p><p>A statement purporting to be merely an opinion of the real estate or its value does not create an express warranty of quality. (34-36.1-4.13 (b))</p><p>Previous Sellers</p><p>Any conveyance of a condominium unit transfers to the purchaser all express warranties of quality made by previous sellers. In other words the warranty is transferable. (34-36.1-4.13 (c))</p><p>Q. What is an Implied Warranty of Quality?</p><p>A warranty of quality that arises by operation of law based on the circumstances related to the sale of the condominium and not based on any express promise by the seller.</p><p>Q. How is an Implied Warranty created?</p><p>In the case of the declarant and any person in the business of selling real estate for his or her own account, Warranties of quality will be implied as follows:</p><p>1. A condominium unit will be in at least as good condition at the earlier of the time of the conveyance or delivery of possession as it was at the time of contracting, reasonable wear and tear excepted. (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.14(a))</p><p>2. A unit and the common elements are suitable for the ordinary uses of real estate of its type and that any improvements made before the creation of the condominium, will be:</p><p>a. Free from defective materials; and</p><p>b. Built in accordance with applicable law, according to sound engineering and construction standards, and in a workmanlike manner. (34-36.1-4.14(b))</p><p>3. Residential Units - the existing use does not violate applicable law at the earlier of the time of conveyance or delivery of possession. (See R.I.G.L. 34-36.1-4.14(c))</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-2151909356763197442012-07-04T17:00:00.000-07:002012-09-11T17:00:44.369-07:00Good Job Training Prospects in HVACR - Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration<div id="article-content"> <p>What career path combines high-tech computers, mechanical engineering, and construction, and has the goal of making people safe and comfortable? Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration - or HVACR.</p><p>This dynamic field offers the opportunity to use many different skills to achieve a result that everyone appreciates: comfort and security for people in a wide range of settings including workers on the job, patients in hospitals, guests in hotels, and families at home.</p><p>Technology has changed the HVACR industry. Gone are the days when a mechanical furnace in the basement provided heat and an air conditioner in the window provided cooling. Today, computer-controlled heating and air conditioning systems regulate the temperature, humidity, and the overall air quality in residential, commercial, industrial, and other buildings. Refrigeration systems, which use related technology, make it possible to store and transport food and other perishable items.</p><p>Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration technicians install, maintain, and repair these increasingly complex systems. HVACR technicians are often highly specialized. They may focus on heating systems, air conditioning, or refrigeration, and specialize in either installation or maintenance and repair. Some are skilled in one type of equipment such as solar panels, hydronics (water-based heating systems), or commercial refrigeration.</p><p>Technicians may also sell service contracts to their clients. Service contracts provide for regular maintenance of the heating and cooling systems, and help to reduce the seasonal fluctuations of this type of work.</p><p><b>What kind of training do HVACR technicians need?</b> According to the U.S. Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Because of the increasing sophistication of heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems, employers prefer to hire those who have completed technical school training or a formal apprenticeship."</p><p>Accredited career schools offer HVACR training. Programs can last between six months and two years, and can result in a certificate or associate degree. Many people continue their education and earn a bachelor's or even master's degree in engineering or computer science.</p><p>The goal of most training programs is to prepare the student for professional certification. National accrediting bodies include HVAC Excellence, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, and the Partnership for Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Accreditation. In addition, HVACR technicians are required to be licensed by many states and localities. Requirements for licensure vary greatly, but states or localities that grant licenses require the applicant to pass a test.</p><p><b>How about employment prospects?</b> The news is good! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the current decade 2008-2018, job prospects for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers are <u>expected to be excellent</u>, particularly for those who have completed training from an accredited technical school or a formal apprenticeship.</p><p>Where are areas of possible employment growth? Here are a few:</p><p>• Replacement of old HVACR systems with environmentally friendly systems. For example, replacing central air conditioning units that are more than 12 years old with EnergyStar qualified models can cut cooling costs by thirty percent. <br />• Servicing HVACR systems from the recent building boom.. <br />• The resurgence of new construction in growing areas of the country. <br />• The increased complexity of new systems that require more servicing. Sophisticated home, office, and industrial systems use computer controllers and advanced technologies such as solar and heat transfer. <br />• Steady rate of retirement by older HVACR technicians.</p><p>Job opportunities exist for people with the right training. If a career in HVACR sounds right for you, then check out career training programs by going online to a reputable college directory website. You can compare programs, check out flexible schedules, and get information about financial aid and career services. Then, when you have received information and you've narrowed your choices to the top two or three, make your application. In less time than you think you could be on your way to a rewarding new career.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-53571401691334961192012-07-03T16:59:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:59:46.841-07:00Concerned With Construction Costs? Hire a Quantity Surveyor<div id="article-content"> <p>If you are concerned about the construction costs on a building project in the UK, consider hiring a quantity surveyor Yorkshire professional. When you are concerned about the cost of materials and the contracts associated with these material vendors and subcontractors, this type of surveyor can work with your construction team to ensure you keep costs low while ensuring you have enough materials to avoid construction setbacks.</p><p><b>Defining the Role</b></p><p>Generally, when you hire a quantity surveyor, Yorkshire professional, you can expect someone who has a broad set of skills which are applied to the contracts and costs on building projects. This UK surveying professional may use a variety of methods to do their job including value management, feasibility studies, cost planning, cost and profit analysis, estimation of costs and materials forecasting. They even involve themselves in resolving disputes with subcontractors and vendors who handle the materials and supplies.</p><p>This type of surveyor integrates well with the entire construction team including you, the client as well as the architect of the building project and the various engineers handling a variety of duties including electrical, plumbing, mechanical and physical aspects of design. Quantity surveying professionals are invaluable when drafting contracts as well as interpreting them. These skills can help when settling disputes with subcontractors and other outsiders on the building project as well as measure effectiveness of construction progress.</p><p>Quantity surveying encompasses the management of building costs by precise measurements. These can be done by studying the blueprints and other drawings prepared by the architects, engineers and designers. In addition, the surveyor applies their specialised knowledge of current market prices of labor, general work, materials and equipment to evaluate project progress. Maximising the use of the materials and ordering materials to arrive based on building schedules is essential to success, particularly when trying to follow a specific timeline.</p><p>Auditing of current contracts as well as the paperwork involved is another crucial duty. A surveyor specialising in quantity surveying should also be able to audit invoices and past payments to ensure the construction company is not overpaying for materials and services. Adapting current building schedules may be necessary based on materials and cost forecasting.</p><p>Contract negotiations with subcontractors and vendors are sometimes within the realm of this type of surveyor as well. Basically, anything having to do with the cost of the construction project is fair game. For your UK construction needs, hire a quantity surveyor, Yorkshire professional.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-62732213061566477162012-07-02T16:58:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:58:50.523-07:00The Beauty of Engineered Wood Floors<div id="article-content"> <p>Traditional wood floors are increasingly giving way to engineered products due to improved product performance and reduced cost. With some advanced processes you can have an engineered wood floor that truly looks and lasts like solid wood and can be installed where solid wood is impractical. Let's review the limitations of solid wood products and the benefits of our engineered counterparts.</p><p><strong><strong>Shrink or Swell: The Properties of Wood</strong></strong></p><p>Most wood cells have a long tubular shape, are typically vertical in the main stem of a tree, and have a significantly smaller radius than length. Many of woods' structural properties derive from cellulose molecules in the cell wall that attract and chemically bind water. This 'bound' water in the cell wall equilibrates with the relative humidity of the atmosphere around the wood causing the wood to shrink or swell over some time, usually a seasonal change.</p><p>If you compare the rate of expansion or contraction across the face of a board to the length change it is typically 50 to 100 times greater across the face. Wood experiences much less movement along the direction of the cellulose molecules. Wood floor installers allow for movement across a floor by leaving expansion gaps next to walls. Traditionally, the use of solid wood flooring directly over concrete has been avoided because of moisture issues.</p><p>Shrinking and swelling in engineered wood products is greatly reduced by gluing layers together with the alternate layers turned ninety degrees. The shrink/swell in cross ply construction is dominated by the low expansion coefficient in the direction of the cellulose molecules, resulting in a reduction of the shrink/swell across the face by a factor ranging from 10 to 20 times - far less than solid wood.</p><p><strong><strong>The Facts About Engineered Wood Floors</strong></strong></p><p>Engineered wood flooring offers the advantage of using a smaller amount of high quality or rare wood for the face. Some of the lesser quality-engineered flooring contains smaller pieces that are not suitable for use in solid flooring, resulting in a chopped up look. However, a high quality engineered flooring can be produced from full size boards and maintain the same aesthetically pleasing look as a traditional floor. Ask for a product with certified low formaldehyde emissions from the glues and backer.</p><p>A wear layer comparable to a solid wood floor can be achieved using a precision 'frame' saw instead of slicing or peeling the faces. A thicker wear layer requires even more attention to the details of the profile. One example is the location of the tongue and groove; setting them too high on a product with a thick wear layer increases the risk that the flooring will not remain flat.</p><p><strong><strong>Choose Wisely... Choose Wood</strong></strong></p><p>Wood floors are durable and easy to live with. The direct benefit of adding value to the home is a recognized bonus. Modern finishes require little maintenance and can be cleaned without the use of harsh chemicals, furthering woods' value as being environmentally sound or 'green' friendly. The long service life reduces the amount of solid waste. And an important benefit for the homeowner; wood is hypoallergenic, thus avoids problems associated with some other floor coverings.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-59697677446069879302012-07-01T16:57:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:57:54.192-07:00Gaining an Online Education in Construction<div id="article-content"> <p>Pursuing an online education can be done in a number of fields including construction. Students can complete the basic coursework needed to enter into a career in this field through accredited schools and colleges online. Hands on training may be necessary depending on the desired career each individual student chooses to pursue. Online career preparation in construction can be completed at various levels of study in a number of specialized areas. Students can start by learning more about the options available to them prior to enrolling in an accredited online school or college.</p><p>Training is available at numerous levels of study, which will allow students to pursue the education they long for. Students can choose to train at the certificate level or degree level in the construction field.</p><p></p><ul><li>Training can be completed at the certificate, associate, and bachelor degree levels.</li> <li>Length of training will vary but may range from several months to four years.</li></ul><p></p><p>With the option of receiving accredited online career training students can study for their desired career from the comfort of their own home. Some levels of training may require students to complete hands on training in order to receive all skills and knowledge necessary for employment.</p><p>Specific areas of construction may require students to learn various subjects. Online schools and colleges allow students to receive this training based on the specialized area of study they choose to pursue.</p><p></p><ul><li>Training can be completed in carpentry, home inspection, electrician and energy trades, plumbing, and many other areas.</li> <li>Possible careers for students who choose to specialize in these areas can include working as woodworkers, roofers, contractors, electricians, home inspectors, and many other professions.</li></ul><p></p><p>By enrolling in an accredited online studies students can enter into the career of their dreams by completing all required training and coursework.</p><p>Students will need to complete a variety of studies in order to obtain the degree or certificate they desire. Specific areas of study will be based on the level of education and prospective career. Coursework may give students the chance to learn HVAC, framing, masonry, building materials, electrical circuits, equipment, construction methods, inspection standards, millwork, blueprints, and much more. Students may also have the opportunity to study engineering, building codes, safety, contract specifications, and many other related course subjects. Students who train in these areas will gain the knowledge and skills they need for a successful career in construction.</p><p>When looking to pursue a higher education, students should make sure the online school or college they choose is fully accredited. Only agencies such as the American Council for Construction Education ( <a target="_new" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.acce-hq.org/">http://www.acce-hq.org/</a> ) are qualified to fully accredit online training programs that meet specific criteria, and provide students with the best quality education available. Students can research various online construction education programs prior to enrolling in order to ensure that they will provide the education desired. Requesting more information and choosing a program that fits your individual needs and goals will help you to be on your way to an exciting new career.</p><p>DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.</p><p>Copyright 2010 - All rights reserved by PETAP.org.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-38095956239952782112012-06-17T16:56:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:56:56.773-07:00If You Decide Upon Search Engine Marketing Based Solely on Price, You Are Likely a Victim<div id="article-content"> <p>Everyone loves a bargain. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with saving money or finding a great deal by shopping around. As a consumer, it almost feels like you have "won" something when you can compare notes with others and have the bragging rights to say, "You paid <em>how</em> <em>much</em>? Wow, you got ripped off! I got it for 30% less." From a business perspective, it's just good decision making to minimize expenses as much as possible by finding the lowest price on whatever product or service you need- <em>most</em> of the time, that is. There are exceptions.</p><p>If your purchase is shrink wrapped in plastic and branded by a manufacturer, you can be somewhat assured that finding it somewhere else at a lower price is a "safe" bonus. In most product and service industries, when comparing generic product labels to brand names the old expression, "You get what you pay for" applies as a universal caution that quality comes with a price tag. The moral of the story with such expressions including, "Pay me now or pay me later" illustrate that you really don't get much of a bargain by buying offshoot products and services. In most cases, the knockoff product breaks prematurely or the discount service needs to be redone (in part or in whole) to make it right. At the end of the day, cutting corners usually results in spending more time and money later to get what you thought you were getting in the first place, and any savings that you initially realized is negated.</p><p>The same is true for your business' marketing efforts on the Web. Unfortunately, many website developers avoid discussing what it actually takes to get a positive return on investment from your website. Whether it's because they don't really know what's involved or because they want to get whatever money they can from you before asking for more, the topic of marketing and promotion is rarely covered during the design process. For the website developer, it's safer that way. Once your website is built (<em>and you have paid them</em>), the afterthought question, if it gets asked at all, is typically, "What are you going to do to promote your website?" The question comes as casually as, "Do you want fries with that?" The topic of marketing is almost treated as though it were <em>optional</em>.</p><p>It's not- if you want your website to pay for itself and bring you new business.</p><p>For your website to perform, you must ensure that its pages are constructed with certain features and characteristics that are important to the search engines so that search engines (like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.) can properly and effectively consider listing the site when someone searches for what you sell. The process of adjusting the site is called search engine optimization, and it involves more than just pasting a few keywords on the pages of your site. Text, links, font, typesetting, image labeling, and other characteristics are all adjusted as part of the optimization process. Or at least, they <em>should</em> be.</p><p>After your website is optimized (prepared for the search engines), it then must be marketed (promoted to the search engines). Yes, that means <u>more money</u>. By now, you're probably thinking, "When will it end? How do I stop the bleeding? Won't people just find me because I have an optimized site?"</p><p>Unfortunately, your website is not like the ball field in the 1989 movie, "<em>Field of Dreams</em>". In other words, it's <u>not</u> a case of the coined expression, "<em>If you build it, they'll come</em>". For your website to develop a<em> findable</em> presence on the Internet amidst all of the competition, some kind of action is necessary to get the search engines to take notice of it. Search engine marketing is performed by many methods, including article publication, blog posting, social media, link building campaigns, pay-per-click, subscribed directory listings, and much more. Just as traditional marketing can be done by many methods (television, radio, newspaper, phone book listings, magazine ads, billboards, etc), marketing your website on the Internet is an expansive (and often <em>expensive</em>) process.</p><p>Aside from the methods, other significant differences between search engine marketing and traditional marketing are your audience and your competition. In traditional marketing, your audience is people and your competition is anyone who sells what you sell in your marketplace. It's different on the Web. On the Internet, your target audience for marketing efforts is not just people, <em>it is the search engines as well</em>. And your competition is not just other service providers in your area, it is <em>any document, video, article, blog post, or other company that is taking up space</em> where you want your business to appear.</p><p>Similar to traditional marketing efforts, your dollars are 100% at risk with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). There are no guarantees that people who find you will pull out their wallets and buy what you are selling. Inexperienced and unethical people who tout themselves as search engine "experts" count on that little detail. There are numerous deceptive ways that unscrupulous fraudsters can artificially inflate the amount of traffic that your website receives without bringing any real, qualified customers to you. Often times, such fraudsters lure you in with lofty promises and seemingly bargain basement prices. Even some of the legitimate companies in the SEM arena can be misleading. The term "Buyer Beware" applies in full force, and the only defense you have is to get a basic education on SEO/SEM topics.</p><p>Therefore, read on.</p><p>As we've discussed above, Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing are not black-and-white, cut-and-dried, plain-and-simple processes. You can receive two price quotes from completely different companies claiming to optimize your site, one for $200 and one for $2000, and they are both "telling the truth." Assuming that both companies are honest and ethical, the price difference does not necessarily reflect that one is a bargain while the other is overpriced. To explain the difference, you must look at the extent to which your site will be optimized. For example:</p><p></p><ul> <li>Will each page on your site be optimized with the same set of keywords throughout the site, or will each page be individually optimized with a unique set of keywords relevant to the content on the page?</li> <li>Will images on the page be adjusted and "labeled" with keywords in the programming on the page, or will they be left as generic?</li> <li>Will text characteristics like font size, font style, use of headings, etc. be adjusted along with the text content, or will the words simply be changed to reflect keywords on the site?</li> <li>Will the keywords be selected, analyzed, and verified based on market research data to determine demand, relevance, and applicability, or will the words be selected by intuitive guessing?</li> <li>How will such characteristics of keyword density, keyword dilution, placement "above the fold", and geo-targeting be addressed, or will these strategic elements of SEO be <em>omitted</em> from your project's scope of work?</li> <li>Will the physical characteristics of the site (use of frames, tables, site maps, page names, navigation structure, etc.) be addressed, adjusted, and corrected as appropriate, or will the scope of work involve just quick tweaks, working with what's already there?</li> <li>The list goes on...</li> </ul><p></p><p>The $200 deal may take eight to ten months to achieve mediocre results, if any results at all. The $2000 dollar deal may result in top rankings within a couple of weeks, bringing in tens of thousands of dollars each month in sales. Maybe-but not <em>guaranteed</em>.</p><p>You see, there are <em>varying levels of detail</em> to the extent that your website can be optimized. It's not a matter of "<em>is it optimized, or isn't it?</em>" Knowing that, it becomes easy for one company to undercut another in price, sometimes substantially, using the same language that "We will optimize your website."</p><p>I wish it were a simple equation that could be summed up by saying, "You pay less, you get less", but that is not the case either.</p><p>To complicate the issue, we need to examine the ethics of the service provider involved. Here is where you really need to do your homework to protect yourself. You might be in safe haven if you initiated contact with the SEO/SEM provider based on a referral from another happy customer, but more times than not, you are the one receiving a call from a company that is soliciting. <em>Buyer Beware</em>.</p><p>Before you commit to doing business with anyone regarding the marketing "fate" of your company, check them out thoroughly.</p><p></p><ul> <li>What is their Better Business Bureau rating? </li> <li>Do a search for the company on the Internet using the company's (or freelancer's) name to obtain any information about them. If the company is legitimate, you should see plenty of references to them. If they're shady, you may see evidence of lawsuits, complaints or bad press associated with them. Be sure to explore what you find, and dig a little deeper.</li> <li>Obtain references and examples of client success stories that you can verify yourself by doing keyword searches on the web. If an SEO/SEM company claims to have achieved great placement for their customers, your response should be, "Show me." If they refuse or cannot produce examples, walk away.</li> </ul><p></p><p>In the SEO/SEM world, "You get what you pay for" is a best-case scenario. Since there are no guarantees on producing results, it is very easy for rogue fraudsters to overcharge for services, deliver nothing, and laugh all the way to the bank. Adding insult to injury, if you sign a year-long contract for ongoing marketing services, those same fraudsters can legally bind you into throwing good money after bad, month after month, and if you refuse to pay, they can sue you and collect even more. I'll emphasize it again, <u>you should absolutely look out for your best interests and perform some kind of background check</u> on anyone who asks for your Internet marketing money.</p><p>Even some of the larger, popular phone book companies must be questioned. If you have been in business for any length of time, you will undoubtedly be solicited by a telemarketer from one or more online phone book directories. You are <em>low-hanging fruit </em>for them-after all, they own a database of phone numbers and business names and business-to-business calls are exempt from the Do-Not-Call registry, so why not exploit it?</p><p>When you are approached by such companies, the sales pitch is often geared towards getting your business (<em>not necessarily your <u>website</u>)</em> found at the "top of the listings, on page one". In the same breath, the sales person may inter-mingle a comment about being <em>partnered</em> with a search engine company like Google, or some such statement. Although the sales person may not be<em> intentionally</em> trying to be deceptive, the resulting confusion is the same: In these conversations, the business owner usually ends up (mistakenly) thinking that his or her website will be guaranteed a top position in the organic search engine listings on page one of Google (or other search engines) for selected keywords.</p><p>What is really being promised, usually? For a fee, the business will receive a top placement listing within the online directory of the <u>company</u> that is soliciting the business owner. That listing will be for the selected keywords, but it will <u>not</u> be the business website at all. It may be for a profile page or for a template landing page, but it will not necessarily be found anywhere on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. in the organic listings. What of all the talk about being "partnered" with the search engine company? Whether stated for informational purposes, credibility, or as a "red herring" to distract and mislead, it's pretty common for phone directory companies to do enough business with the search engines' pay-per-click programs to achieve "partner" status... but that status guarantees you nothing. It just means that the phone directory company met the search engine company's administrative and financial requirements to be dubbed a "partner". If a directory listing company makes claims about top placements for your business,<em> insist that they show you examples</em> of other clients whose <em><u>websites</u></em> show up in the <em><u>organic search engine listings</u></em> under various keywords <em><u>other than the business names</u></em>. Don't be surprised if they can't, at which "no, thank you" is an appropriate close to the sales conversation.</p><p>Like SEO, SEM involves more than one method or process to be effective. The success of your SEM efforts relies on the extent of your promotion efforts and how well diversified they are. Another old expression, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket" applies to the methods used in promoting your business. If you find yourself in the situation of doing <u>only</u> pay-per-click, your organic search engine positioning will suffer. If you find that you're paying someone to do <u>just</u> blog posting for you, your organic marketing is imbalanced. The price tag may (and probably will) be much lower than if you used a competent broadened strategy focused on your local, regional, or national markets, but paying less to get <u>nothing</u> in return is just plain dumb.</p><p>It's smart to compare SEO/SEM service providers and cost does need to be considered. But cost should not be the deciding factor. It should be a contributing factor. More importantly, credibility, experience, demonstrated results, level of detail, and diversification of methods need to weigh in on the decision, too. If you make your decision based solely on price, by the time you figure out that what you're doing isn't working, you are most likely out hundreds or thousands of dollars and bound under a contract to spend thousands more. How does that bargain feel now?</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-56815363982398229782012-06-16T16:55:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:55:52.449-07:00Construction - Building Industry Safety and Good Lifts by CIF<div id="article-content"> <p>Construction Industry Federation (CIF) actively represents and serves over 3,000 members covering businesses in all areas of the Irish construction industry through a network of 13 Branches in 3 Regions throughout Ireland and through its 37 Sectoral Associations.</p><p>CIF delivers its services to members either directly or through its Branch Network and Sectoral Associations. Member firms come from all over sectors of the industry and span all sizes of firms from the very small to the very large. The 37 different Associations are grouped in four key categories:</p><p>General Contractors, mechanical & electrical, specialist contractors, home builders</p><p>Each local CIF Branch will include members from each of these four sectors.</p><p>CIF's team of construction experts know the industry from experience, from member feedback and from research. As a member you too can benefit from our problem solving expertise.</p><p>What they Do</p><p>The CIF engages with Government, professional groups, business groups and the social partners on our members' behalf. They monitor issues and trends, initiate proposals and act in our members' interests at local, national and EU levels.</p><p>13 Branches</p><p>Represent members at local level throughout Ireland. Branch members and dedicated regional staff deal with issues affecting their localities and regions. They contribute to national policies through representation on the Federations Executive Body.</p><p>37 Associations</p><p>Represent general contracting, house building and specialist firms in Ireland's construction industry providing a forum for members to develop initiatives and deal with problems affecting each sector of the industry.</p><p>CIF Safety Services assist members in implementing best safety and health practices for the prevention of accidents. CIF Safety Services provides an extensive range of advice on Safety, Health and Welfare issues and also presents training courses designed specifically for the Irish Construction Industry as well as individual member company needs.</p><p>Public Consultation - Draft Working on Roads Code of Practice for Contractors with Three or Less Employees</p><p>The Health and Safety Authority has developed a draft Working on Roads Code of Practice for Contractors with Three or Less Employees which it intends to publish in accordance with section 60 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (No. 10 of 2005).</p><p>The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires all employers to have a safety statement for all workplaces which is based on written risk assessments. This Code of Practice allows employers, who employ up to three people and are engaged in road works, to meet the legal requirement to have a safety statement in a simple and easy way.</p><p>This Code of Practice is based on the Health and Safety Authority's Safe System of Work Plans (SSWP). The SSWP relies heavily on pictograms to explain and clarify hazards and controls, thus creating a wordless document where safety can be communicated to all workers regardless of literacy or language skills.</p><p>At present there are five SSWP for employers to use; each one covers typical construction activities: Ground Works; House Building; Demolition; New Commercial Buildings and Civil Engineering. These SSWP are covered by the Code of Practice for Contractors with Three or Less Employees published in 2008.</p><p>This supplementary Code of Practice deals specifically with the Working on Roads SSWP. This code of practice can be used by any trade engaged in road works.</p><p>Operation of Passenger and Goods Lifts</p><p>Following a recent fatal accident involving operation of a goods lift, the Health and Safety Authority is asking all employers to ensure that the lifts on their premises have undergone the necessary thorough examination by a competent person.The HSAA would advise all employers in all sectors that passenger and goods lifts including pavement hoists and dumb waiters, are subject to requirements set out in chapter 2 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, [S.I No.299 and 732 of 2007].Lifts must have a periodic thorough examination by a competent person every 6 months. Reports of such examinations shall be kept available for inspection by a HSA inspector. All repairs required to lifts must also be carried out by a competent person. Under no circumstances should goods lifts be used for carrying passengers unless they meet all the requirements for passenger lifts. All employees should be clearly instructed on the dangers of inappropriate use of goods lifts.Lifts which are not designed for lifting persons shall be clearly marked to this effect. Employers are required to maintain a register of lifting equipment which shall also be kept available for inspection by a HSA inspector. Employers who currently have either passenger or goods lifts on their premises should ensure that they have undergone the required thorough examination and that the risks associated with the use of such lifts are addressed in the Safety Statement to ensure that these risks are controlled.</p><p>ETCI News <br />Electro-Technical council of Ireland (ETCI) launched its new publication ET215:2008 'Guide to the Maintenance, Inspection and Testing of Portable Equipment (Electrical Appliances and Tools) in the Workplace. This Guide is intended to help employers meet their statutory duties in this regard. The Guide is available as a free download.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-17528410707922691712012-06-15T16:54:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:54:51.938-07:00Construction Industry in Albania and Tax Administration<div id="article-content"> <p>General overview of construction industry in Albania</p><p>Construction is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Albanian economy, with a real growth of 14% for the recently period of 2008. Construction activity is concentrated in the major urban centers. State participation in the construction sector is mainly focused on infrastructure and engineering constructions. State financing for engineering constructions constitute 85 % of total state financed construction.</p><p>Private sector construction is mainly focused on flats and buildings for families, which comprise about 82% of the total financing of private construction. The more people in the economy, the greater the demand for housing. it is households that demand housing services: typically one household per house. The size and demographic composition of households is variable and not entirely exogenous. <br />Construction Industry - Accounting and Tax Legislation</p><p>Invoices between the owner/builder and the subcontractors should be standard GDT invoices and are required to be raised on a monthly basis. All other suppliers' invoices will be obtained as and when supplies are made, e.g. when cement and steel rods are delivered. Other accounting records such as the sales and purchase ledgers will be present together with a stock inventory. The records will follow the normal pattern of accounting, however, the accounts may relate to one particular construction. In the event a building contractor is involved in the more than one construction it will be necessary for the accounts to reflect the costs for each site separately so as to be able to determine the final cost in total. There is likely to be a building account, where all the costs relating to that particular construction are itemized.</p><p>Taxation of construction and repair works includes:</p><p>1. VAT <br />2. Profit tax and Personal Income Tax <br />3. Withholding tax <br />4. Dividend taxation <br />5. Local taxes and; <br />6. Employment taxes</p><p>One of the amendments to the Albanian Value Added Tax Act, includes the supply of buildings, except in the process of construction, is an exempted supply and also the renting of buildings is an exempted supply, except in cases of a) renting for a period of not more than two months; b) accommodation in hotels or resort buildings.</p><p>Since 2005 various interpretations were given by GTD to clarify misunderstandings with respect to land and buildings. To understand the implications of VAT and buildings, certain key definitions should be explained.</p><p>Land and building</p><p>The person desirous of having a building constructed is the person "erecting" such building. Leasing a land or a site is an exempted supply, except the cases when the land is used for parking of transport vehicles and other means of transport. The parking of means of transport and other movable vehicles is VAT taxable. Services supply in construction, thus the process of construction and maintenance of buildings, are taxable supplies. The renting of buildings, unless they are public property, by the central or local government authorities, is taxable. Leasing of public buildings by central or local government bodies shall be considered an exempted supply for VAT purposes. The definition of the "ground", according to this law, implies an area unprocessed, unattended, undeveloped, not containing any erections, except for simple divisive walls or fences that determine the borders of such area. Building implies a fixed construction on the ground, or part of that structure (such as a room or an apartment), which includes the ground on which it stands as well as the surroundings included in the sale, but does not comprise roulots or trailers.</p><p>Specialties of VAT treatment</p><p>On the basis of VAT Albanian law minimum taxable on buildings for dwelling purposes on the process of construction is based minimum fiscal price and the construction surface.</p><p>Minimum orientating prices for fiscal purposes on the process of construction of buildings for dwelling purposes are defined by Decision of Council of Ministers after consultation with Builders Association of Albania.</p><p>Each month the constructor is required to present a 'work in progress' report that is required to be checked by the auditor. A technical construction engineer belonging to the GTD estimates the amount of work that has taken place in the month and the auditor then reconciles the estimate with the stock movement of the goods. Additionally, account is taken of all other expenses, i.e. cost of the land, wages, and social insurance payments, electricity etc. Once the engineer has completed his work the auditor checks the movement of the stock to ensure the figures reconcile with the amount of work estimated to have been completed.</p><p>To the total estimate cost of the month's work a mark-up of between 6 - 10% is added and VAT is paid on the total. VAT from purchases is allowed to be deducted in the normal way.</p><p>On conclusion of the whole construction reconciliation is conducted between the VAT paid monthly and the VAT due on the final sale. The difference is said to be minimal!</p><p>The seller is not required to charge VAT on the eventual sale of the apartments, assuming it to be an apartment block. <br />If the work is paid in advance, then the taxable person receiving the advanced payment is obliged to issue an invoice and register this invoice in the register of sales belonging to the taxable period in which that advanced payment was made.</p><p>Profit tax and personal income tax</p><p>In construction and repair projects extending over one calendar year, the final determination of the profit and losses shall be made every year and not in which the project ends. The income calculated in the year in which the temporary acceptance is made is taxed under the legislation of the same year. The profit tax rate is 10%. Enterprises must file profit tax returns until March 31st of the following year and pay the tax promptly until the end of the month in which filing is made.</p><p>Sale of immovable property, land and building shall be taxed at 10% of the realized capital gains. Such condition is not applicable in the cases when there is an exchange of the right on the ownership of the land with the right of the ownership of the building constructed on that land.</p><p>Withholding tax (taxation of project-in-progress)</p><p>According to the Income Tax Law, both work advances and progress invoice amounts paid to those performing the work, i.e. contractors or subcontractors, are subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%.</p><p>Dividend taxation</p><p>In construction projects, final determination of the profit and losses shall be made every year; profit from the project is distributed afterwards.</p><p>Under the current regulations in Albania, dividend withholding tax rate is 10% if dividend is distributed to non-residents and resident individuals. Dividend distributions to resident corporations are exempt from withholding tax. However, the bilateral tax treaties, which may determine lower tax rates, should also be considered.</p><p>Tax treatment of construction and repair works performed outside Albania</p><p>Profits from construction and repair work and technical services performed outside Albania, which are added to the income generated in Albania, are exempt from corporate tax regardless of whether such profits are transferred to Albania or not.</p><p>On the other hand, should these kinds of profits be distributed to the shareholders, they are taxed as dividends.</p><p>Special Tax Audits in case of merging, fusion or splitting of construction companies</p><p>Merging includes more than all fixed assets and liabilities of the company merging company with the company that takes over. The rights and obligations of the merging company pass to the company that takes it over. The decisions to audit a merging company are issued in the name and registration number of the company that takes it over. The authority to represent the merged company has already been transferred through merging to the company that takes over. The decision to audit a company that has been transferred through merging covers only the time to the moment of merging. If the audit needs to cover the time after the merging, then it is necessary to request another audit order for the company that has taken over the former company. If the merging occurs while the audit is in process, the parties automatically change, in other words, the entire communication is made with the company that is taking over.</p><p>The merged company is subject to taxes until the moment the merge is executed. The company that takes over is considered to have been exercising the business of the merged company since the beginning of the last fiscal year of the merged company; If the audit focuses on the review of operation dating before or after the merging day, then it is necessary to prepare to audit memos, one for each company. Through merging, one or more companies can transfer their heritage to an existing company or a new company established by them, or to a temporarily created "partnership". Through splitting, a company can also transfer its heritage to some existing companies or some new companies. <br />Such opportunities are open to companies in the process of liquidation, provided that the distribution of their assets among the partners has not been subject to execution. The partners of the companies transferring their heritage in the framework of the above-mentioned operations, benefit shares of the initial capital or stock from the benefiting company or companies. Sometimes they can benefit compensation in cash, the value of which cannot exceed 10% of the nominal value of the initial capital shares or stock.</p><p>If the operation includes the creation of new companies, each of them should be established according the rules that apply for the form of the company being created. Merging or splitting causes the disintegration without liquidation of the disintegrated companies and their heritage is completely transferred to the benefiting companies, in the condition it is at the moment the operation is finalized.</p><p>However, no action is taken to exchange the initial capital shares or stock of the benefiting company/companies with the initial capital shares or stock of the merged or split company/companies if such shares are owned by:</p><p>- The benefiting company or a person acting on its behalf or to the benefit of this company. <br />- The merged or split company or a person acting on its behalf or to the benefit of this company.</p><p>Merging or splitting enters in force:</p><p>- When one or some new companies are created: on the date when the last of the newly created companies is registered in the commercial register. <br />- In other cases: on the date of the last meeting of the assembly approving the operation, except cases when the contract foresees that the operation will enter in force on another date, which should be no later than the closing date of the ongoing financial year of the benefiting company/companies, and no sooner than the closing date of the closed financial year of the company/companies that are transferring their heritage.</p><p>The partners of a company can agree to re-split the company, instead of liquidating it. It often happens that there is a real split. We can talk of a real split when the partners of a company take over parts of the company's activity and run them as separate companies.</p><p>What next?...influencing compliance behaviour with tax professionals...</p><p>Being able to deal with taxpayers through their agents substantially reduces the cost of tax administration. Think of what life would be like for a tax administration if there were no tax professionals. Some people who work for tax administrations might say that life would be much easier without them. Yes, there might not be so much tax planning, or challenges to taxation, and taxpayers might be more willing to accept tax administration's view. This might make life easier for the tax officials. But given the complexity of tax system for anyone that it's no part of tax administration, despite all the efforts at simplification, think of what the disadvantages might be?</p><p>Instead of funnelling the interaction with businesses and corporations through tax professionals, it would be necessary to interact directly with an additional two-three thousands subcontractors and supply businesses and over one hundred VIP construction taxpayers. This would have huge cost implications for tax administration, as more employees would be needed to service the substantial additional contacts and queries that would ensue.</p><p>It would also be immeasurably harder for tax administration to ensure that all taxpayers understood their obligations and this would adversely affect voluntary compliance.</p><p>For these reasons, tax structures recently are trying to make it as easy as possible for tax professionals to meet their client's compliance obligations and we provide a variety of support services and measures to support and achieving client's compliance.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-76994273124571228652012-06-14T16:53:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:53:53.394-07:00Home Inspections - A Question and Answer Guide<div id="article-content"> <p>A home inspection is an evaluation of the visible and accessible systems and components of a home (plumbing, heating and cooling, electrical, structure, roof, etc.) and is intended to give the client (buyer, seller, or homeowner) a better understanding of the home's general condition. Most often it is a buyer who requests an inspection of the home he or she is serious about purchasing. A home inspection delivers data so that decisions about the purchase can be confirmed or questioned, and can uncover serious and/or expensive to repair defects that the seller/owner may not be aware of. It is not an appraisal of the property's value; nor does it address the cost of repairs. It does not guarantee that the home complies with local building codes or protect a client in the event an item inspected fails in the future. [Note: Warranties can be purchased to cover many items.] A home inspection should not be considered a "technically exhaustive" evaluation, but rather an evaluation of the property on the day it is inspected, taking into consideration normal wear and tear for the home's age and location. A home inspection can also include, for extra fees, Radon gas testing, water testing, energy audits, pest inspections, pool inspections, and several other specific items that may be indigenous to the region of the country where the inspection takes place. Home inspections are also used (less often) by a seller before listing the property to see if there are any hidden problems that they are unaware of, and also by homeowners simply wishing to care for their homes, prevent surprises, and keep the home investment value as high as possible.</p><p>The important results to pay attention to in a home inspection are:</p><p>1. Major defects, such as large differential cracks in the foundation; structure out of level or plumb; decks not installed or supported properly, etc. These are items that are expensive to fix, which we classify as items requiring more than 2% of the purchase price to repair.</p><p>2. Things that could lead to major defects - a roof flashing leak that could get bigger, damaged downspouts that could cause backup and water intrusion, or a support beam that was not tied in to the structure properly.</p><p>3. Safety hazards, such as an exposed electrical wiring, lack of GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters) in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of safety railing on decks more than 30 inches off the ground, etc.</p><p>Your inspector will advise you about what to do about these problems. He/she may recommend evaluation - and on serious issues most certainly will - by licensed or certified professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For example, your inspector will recommend you call a licensed building engineer if they find sections of the home that are out of alignment, as this could indicate a serious structural deficiency.</p><p><b>Home Inspections are only done by a buyer after they sign a contract, right?</b></p><p>This is not true! As you will see when you read on, a home inspection can be used for interim inspections in new construction, as a maintenance tool by a current homeowner, a proactive technique by sellers to make their home more sellable, and by buyers wanting to determine the condition of the potential home.</p><p>Sellers, in particular, can benefit from getting a home inspection before listing the home. Here are just a few of the advantages for the seller:</p><p>· The seller knows the home! The home inspector will be able to get answers to his/her questions on the history of any problems they find.</p><p>· A home inspection will help the seller be more objective when it comes to setting a fair price on the home.</p><p>· The seller can take the report and make it into a marketing piece for the home.</p><p>· The seller will be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it up for open house tours.</p><p>· The seller can make repairs leisurely instead being in a rush after the contract is signed.</p><p><b>Why should I get a home inspection? </b></p><p>Your new home has dozens of systems and over 10,000 parts - from heating and cooling to ventilation and appliances. When these systems and appliances work together, you experience comfort, energy savings, and durability. Weak links in the system, however, can produce assorted problems leading to a loss in value and shortened component life. Would you buy a used car without a qualified mechanic looking at it? Your home is far more complicated, and to have a thorough inspection that is documented in a report arms you with substantial information on which to make decisions.</p><p><b>Why can't I do the inspection myself?</b></p><p>Most homebuyers lack the knowledge, skill, and objectivity needed to inspect a home themselves. By using the services of a professional home inspector, they gain a better understanding of the condition of the property; especially whether any items do not "function as intended" or "adversely affect the habitability of the dwelling" or "warrant further investigation" by a specialist. Remember that the home inspector is a generalist and is broadly trained in every home system.</p><p><b>Why can't I ask a family member who is handy or who is a contractor to inspect my new home?</b></p><p>Although your nephew or aunt may be very skilled, he or she is not trained or experienced in professional home inspections and usually lacks the specialized test equipment and knowledge required for an inspection. Home inspection training and expertise represent a distinct, licensed profession that employs rigorous standards of practice. Most contractors and other trade professionals hire a professional home inspector to inspect their own homes when they themselves purchase a home!</p><p><b>What does a home inspection cost?</b></p><p>This is often the first question asked but the answer tells the least about the quality of the inspection. Fees are based according to size, age and various other aspects of the home. Inspection fees from a certified professional home inspector generally start under $300. An average price for a 2,000 square foot home nationally is about $350-$375. What you should pay attention to is not the fee, but the qualifications of your inspector. Are they nationally certified (passed the NHIE exam)? Are they state certified if required?</p><p><b>How long does the inspection take?</b></p><p>This depends upon the size and condition of the home. You can usually figure 1.2 hours for every 1,000 square feet. For example, a 2,500 square foot house would take about 3 hours. If the company also produces the report at your home, that will take an additional 30-50 minutes.</p><p><b>Do all homes require a home inspection?</b></p><p>Yes and No. Although not required by law in most states, we feel that any buyer not getting a home inspection is doing themselves a great disservice. They may find themselves with costly and unpleasant surprises after moving into the home and suffer financial headaches that could easily have been avoided.</p><p><b>Should I be at the inspection? </b></p><p>It's a great idea for you be present during the inspection - whether you are buyer, seller, or homeowner. With you there, the inspector can show you any defects and explain their importance as well as point out maintenance features that will be helpful in the future. If you can't be there, it is not a problem since the report you receive will be very detailed. If you are not present, then you should be sure to ask your inspector to explain anything that is not clear in the report. Also read the inspection agreement carefully so you understand what is covered and what is not covered in the inspection. If there is a problem with the inspection or the report, you should raise the issues quickly by calling the inspector, usually within 24 hours. If you want the inspector to return after the inspection to show you things, this can be arranged and is a good idea, however, you will be paying for the inspector's time on a walkthrough since this was not included in the original service.</p><p>Should the seller attend the home inspection that has been ordered by the buyer?</p><p>The seller will be welcome at the inspection (it is still their home) although they should understand that the inspector is working for the buyer. The conversation that the inspector has with the buyer may be upsetting to the seller if the seller was unaware of the items being pointed out, or the seller may be overly emotional about any flaws. This is a reason why the seller might want to consider getting their own inspection before listing the home.</p><p>Can a house fail a home inspection?</p><p>No. A home inspection is an examination of the current condition of your prospective home. It is not an appraisal, which determines market value, or a municipal inspection, which verifies local code compliance. A home inspector, therefore, cannot not pass or fail a house. The inspector will objectively describe the home's physical condition and indicate which items are in need of repair or replacement.</p><p><b>What is included in the inspection?</b></p><p>The following list is not exhaustive. Not all of these may be in the inspection you get, but the inspector will be following a standardized checklist for the home: <br />· Site drainage and grading <br />· Driveway <br />· Entry Steps, handrails <br />· Decks <br />· Masonry <br />· Landscape (as it relates to the home) <br />· Retaining walls <br />· Roofing, flashings, chimneys, and attic <br />· Eaves, soffits, and fascias <br />· Walls, doors, windows, patios, walkways <br />· Foundation, basement, and crawlspaces <br />· Garage, garage walls, floor, and door operation <br />· Kitchen appliances (dishwasher, range/oven/cooktop/hoods, microwave, disposal, trash compactor) <br />· Laundry appliances (washer and dryer) <br />· Ceilings, walls, floors <br />· Kitchen counters, floors, and cabinets <br />· Windows and window gaskets <br />· Interior doors and hardware <br />· Plumbing systems and fixtures <br />· Electrical system, panels, entrance conductors <br />· Electrical grounding, GFCI, outlets <br />· Smoke (fire) detectors <br />· Ventilation systems and Insulation <br />· Heating equipment and controls <br />· Ducts and distribution systems <br />· Fireplaces <br />· Air Conditioning and controls <br />· Heat Pumps and controls <br />· Safety items such as means of egress, TPRV valves, railings, etc.</p><p>Other items that are not a part of the standard inspection can be added for an additional fee: <br />· Radon Gas Test <br />· Water Quality Test <br />· Termite Inspection (usually performed by a separate company) <br />· Gas Line Leak Test (usually performed by the gas company) <br />· Sprinkler System Test <br />· Swimming Pool and Spa Inspection <br />· Mold Screening (sometimes performed by a separate company) <br />· Septic System Inspection (usually performed by a separate company) <br />· Alarm System (usually performed by a separate company)</p><p>We recommend getting a Radon Test if your prospective home falls into an area of the country with known Radon seepage, since Radon gas produces cancer second only to cigarette smoking and can be easily mitigated by installing a vent system. We also recommend a water test to make sure you do not have bacteria in the water supply. Water can also be tested for Radon.</p><p><b>What is not included in the inspection?</b></p><p>Most people assume that everything is inspected in depth on inspection day. This misunderstanding has caused many a homebuyer to be upset with their inspector. The inspections we do are not exhaustive and there is a good reason for this. If you hired someone with licenses for heating and cooling, electrical, plumbing, engineering, etc. to inspect your house, it would take about 14 hours and cost you about $2000! It is much more practical to hire a professional inspector who has generalist knowledge of home systems, knows what to look for, and can recommend further inspection by a specialist if needed. Your inspector is also following very specific guidelines as he/she inspects your home. These are either national guidelines (ASHI - American Society of Home Inspectors, InterNACHI - International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) or state guidelines. These guidelines are carefully written to protect both your home and the inspector. Here are some examples: We are directed to not turn systems on if they were off at the time of the inspection (safety reasons); we are not allowed to move furniture (might harm something); not allowed to turn on water if it is off (possible flooding), and not allowed to break through a sealed attic hatch (possible damage). The downside of this practice is that by not operating a control, by not seeing under the furniture, and not getting into the attic or crawlspace, we will might miss identifying a problem. However, put into perspective, the chances of missing something serious because of this is quite low, and the guideline as it relates to safety and not harming anything in the home is a good one. There are other items that 95% of inspectors consider outside a normal inspection, and these include inspecting most things that are not bolted down (installed in the home) such as electronics, low voltage lighting, space heaters, portable air conditioners, or specialized systems such as water purifiers, alarm systems, etc.</p><p><b>What if there are things you can't inspect (like snow on the roof)?</b></p><p>It just so happens that some days the weather elements interfere with a full home inspection! There isn't much we can do about this either. If there is snow on the roof we will tell you we were unable to inspect it. Of course we will be looking at the eves and the attic, and any other areas where we can get an idea of condition, but we will write in the report that we could not inspect the roof. It is impractical for us to return another day once the snow melts, because we have full schedules. However, you can usually pay an inspector a small fee to return and inspect the one or two items they were unable to inspect when they were there the first time. This is just the way things go. If you ask the inspector for a <u>re-inspection</u>, they will usually inspect the items then at no extra charge (beyond the re-inspection fee).</p><p><b>Will the inspector walk on the roof?</b></p><p>The inspector will walk on the roof if it is safe, accessible, and strong enough so that there is no damage done to it by walking on it. Some roofs - such as slate and tile, should not be walked on. Sometimes because of poor weather conditions, extremely steep roofs, or very high roofs, the inspector will not be able to walk the roof. The inspector will try to get up to the edge though, and will also use binoculars where accessibility is a problem. They will also examine the roof from the upper windows if that is possible. There is a lot the inspector can determine from a visual examination from a ladder and from the ground, and they will be able to tell a lot more from inside the attic about the condition of the roof as well.</p><p><b>Should I have my house tested for Radon? What exactly is Radon?</b></p><p>In many areas of the country, the answer is a definite yes. You can ask your real estate agent about this or go on to the internet for a radon map of the country. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that's formed during the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Radon exits the ground and can seep into your home through cracks and holes in the foundation. Radon gas can also contaminate well water.</p><p>Health officials have determined that radon gas is a serious carcinogen that can cause lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoking. The only way to find out if your house contains radon gas is to perform a radon measurement test, which your home inspector can do. Make sure the person conducting your test has been trained to The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) or The National Radon Safety Board (NRSB) standards.</p><p><b>What about a newly constructed home? Does it need a home inspection?</b></p><p>Yes! In fact, we find far more problems, some quite serious, in newly constructed homes than in homes that have been lived in for years. This is not due to your builder's negligence - he/she has done the best job they could with subcontractors and planning - it's just that there are so many systems in a home, that it is close to impossible to inspect everything, and correct it before the Certificate of Occupancy is issued. Then, for some reason, the subcontractors no longer want to work on the home, and final jobs and details are missed. We recommend getting several professional home inspections near the completion stages of the home to discover everything that should be corrected. If the house is still new but sitting for a while before sale, it's even more important to get a home inspection. We have seen water lines not hooked up, plumbing lines not hooked up, sewer lines not hooked up, vents not hooked up, and a variety of other serious but easily correctable problems!</p><p><b>I am having a home built. The builder assures me he will inspect everything. Should I have an independent inspector make periodic inspections?</b></p><p>Absolutely yes! No matter how good your builder is, he/she WILL miss things. They are so concerned with the house, they get so close to their work, as do the subcontractors, that important items can, and will be, overlooked. Have a professional inspector make at least 4-6 interim inspections. They will be worth their weight in gold.</p><p><b>What is the Pre-Inspection Agreement?</b></p><p>Most service professionals have a service agreement, and home inspection is no different. In fact, there is enough confusion about what a home inspection should deliver that the agreement is even more important. Some homeowners who get a home inspection expect everything in the home to be perfect after the repairs. This is not the case! Imagine getting a call from a homeowner a year later who says the toilet is not flushing - remember that the inspection is a moment in time snapshot. In the inspection agreement the inspector is clear about what the inspection delivers and the things that are not covered, as well as what you should do if you are not pleased with the services. We really think that by reviewing this before-hand you will understand much more about the inspection and be happier with the results. A home inspection does not guard against future problems, nor does it guarantee that all problems will be found.</p><p><b>What kind of report will I get following the inspection?</b></p><p>There are as many versions of a "report" as there are inspection companies. Guidelines dictate that the inspector deliver a written report to the client. This can range from a handwritten checklist that has multiple press copies without pictures and 4 pages long to a computer generated professionally produced report with digital pictures that is 35 pages long and can be converted to Adobe PDF for storage and emailing. Be sure to check with your inspector about the report he or she uses. We recommend the computer generated report, since the checklist is more detailed and easier for the homeowner/buyer/seller to detail out the issues with photographs. In this modern age, we feel the reports must be web accessible and e-mailable to match the technologies most of us are using.</p><p>There are some great things you can use the report for in addition to the wealth of information it simply gives you on your new home:</p><p>· Use the report as a checklist and guide for the contractor to make repairs and improvements or get estimates and quotes from more than one contractor.</p><p>· Use the report as a budgeting tool using the inspector's recommendations and the remaining expected life of components to keep the property in top shape.</p><p>· If you are a seller, use the report to make repairs and improvements, raising the value of the home and impressing the buyers. Then have a re-inspection and use this second report as a marketing tool for prospective buyers.</p><p>· Use the report as a "punch list" on a re-inspection and as a baseline for ongoing maintenance.</p><p><b>Will the report be emailable or available as an Adobe PDF file?</b></p><p>Yes. As discussed in the last question, you will probably want your inspector to be using the latest reporting technology.</p><p><b>What if I think the inspector missed something?</b></p><p>Inspectors are human, and yes, they do miss items. However, they routinely use advanced tools and techniques to reduce the possibility that they will miss something. This includes very detailed checklists, reference manuals, computer based lists, and a methodical always-done-the-same-way of physically moving around your home. That is one of the reasons that an inspector can miss an item when they get interrupted. The inspector will have a set way of resuming the inspection if this happens. If, in the end, something IS missed, call the inspector and discuss it. It may warrant the inspector returning to view something that you found. Remember, the inspector is doing the very best job they know how to do, and probably did not miss the item because they were lax in their technique or did not care.</p><p><b>What if the inspector tells me I should have a professional engineer or a licensed plumber or other professional contractor in to look at something they found? Isn't this "passing the buck"?</b></p><p>You may be disappointed that further investigation is required, but, believe us, your inspector is doing exactly what they should be doing. The purpose of the inspection is to discover defects that affect your safety and the functioning of the home; the inspector is a generalist, not a specialist. Our code of ethics as well as national and state guidelines dictate that only contractors that are <u>licensed in their specialty field</u> should work on these systems and areas. When they tell you that a specialist is needed, there may be a bigger, more critical issue that you need to know about. If you move into the home without getting these areas checked by a qualified specialist, you could be in for some nasty and expensive surprises. The inspector does not want to cause you any more expense or worry either, so when they do recommend further evaluation they are being serious about protecting you and your investment.</p><p><b>Will the inspector provide a warranty on the inspected items?</b></p><p>Most inspectors do not give the homeowner a warranty on inspected items. Remember, a home inspection is a visual examination on a certain day, and the inspector cannot predict what issues could arise over time after the inspection. However, some inspectors are now including a warranty from the largest home warranty company in America - American Home Warranty Corporation, as well as others, on the inspected items for 60 or 90 days. This is a very good deal, and the agreement can be extended after the initial period for a relatively small amount of money.</p><p><b>Do most inspection companies offer money back guarantees?</b></p><p>Most inspection companies do not offer a satisfaction guarantee nor do they mention it in their advertising. It's always a good thing if you can get extra services for no additional cost from your inspection company, and of course a satisfaction guarantee is an indication of superior customer service. You usually have to call your inspection company right after the inspection and viewing of the report to tell them you are not satisfied. If you are not happy with the services, you should talk to your inspector first and let him/her correct the issue(s) you are unhappy with first, as the inspector is trying to make an honest living just like the rest of us, and is not failing you on purpose.</p><p><b>What if my report comes back with nothing really defective in the home? Should I ask for my money back?</b></p><p>No, don't ask for your money back - you just received great news! Now you can complete your home purchase with peace of mind about the condition of the property and all its equipment and systems. You will have valuable information about your new home from the inspector's report, and will want to keep that information for future reference. Most importantly, you can feel assured that you are making a well-informed purchase decision.</p><p><b>What if the inspection reveals serious defects?</b></p><p>If the inspection reveals serious defects in the home (we define a serious defect as something that will cost more than 2% of the purchase price to fix) then pat yourself on the back for getting an inspection. You just saved yourself a ton of money. Of course it is disappointing, even heart wrenching, to find out that your well researched house is now a problem house, but you now know the facts and can either negotiate with the seller, or move on. You may want the home so much that it will be worth it to negotiate the price and then perform the repairs. Imagine, though, if you had not gotten the inspection - you would have had some very unpleasant surprises.</p><p><b>Can I ask my home inspector to perform the repairs?</b></p><p>You can, but if your inspector is ethical, he/she will refuse, and correctly so; it is a conflict of interest for the person who inspected your home to also repair it! Inspectors are specifically barred from this practice by licensing authorities, and it's a good practice - an inspector must remain completely impartial when he or she inspects your home. This is one reason you should have a professional home inspector inspect your home and not a contractor - the contractor will want the repair work and you are likely to not have an objective inspection from this person even though they mean well and are technically competent.</p><p><b>Does the Seller have to make the repairs?</b></p><p>The inspection report results do not place an obligation on the seller to repair everything mentioned in the report. Once the home condition is known, the buyer and the seller should sit down and discuss what is in the report. The report will be clear about what is a repair and what is a discretionary improvement. This area should be clearly negotiated between the parties. It's important to know that the inspector must stay out of this discussion because it is outside of their scope of work.</p><p><b>After the home inspection and consulting with the seller on the repairs, can I re-employ the inspector to come re-inspect the home to make sure everything got fixed?</b></p><p>You certainly can, and it's a really good idea. For a small fee the inspector will return to determine if the repairs were completed, and if they were completed correctly.</p><p><b>What if I find problems after I move into my new home? </b></p><p>A home inspection is not a guarantee that problems won't develop after you move in. However, if you believe that a problem was visible at the time of the inspection and should have been mentioned in the report, your first step should be to call the inspector. He or she will be fine with this, and does want you to call if you think there is a problem. If the issue is not resolved with a phone call, they will come to your home to look at it. They will want you to be satisfied and will do everything they can to do this. One way to protect yourself between the inspection and the move-in is to conduct a final walkthrough on closing day and use both the inspection report AND a Walkthrough Checklist to make sure everything is as it should be.</p><p>Copyright 2010 by Lisa P. Turner</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023038826552447750.post-48054828005324333022012-06-13T16:52:00.000-07:002012-09-11T16:52:43.496-07:0010 Phases of Swimming Pool Construction<div id="article-content"> <p>Building an inground swimming pool is the culmination of 10 different phases of swimming pool construction. This article will give you a brief understanding of the construction cycle. And it all begins with, the desire to have a pool in your own backyard.</p><p><strong>Design & Engineering</strong></p><p><strong></strong> The first place most homeowners look for qualified swimming pool contractors is the local phone book, and by word of mouth from others who have built a pool. After the initial interview process, you will have a good idea what your swimming pool will cost to have built. The contractor or consultant will provide a design and a complete bid for your acceptance. With a contract in hand, the contractor will obtain all necessary engineering from a qualified structural engineer. The contractor will then submit for permits from the local jurisdiction. At this point, it might also be necessary for the contractor to apply for a Home Owners Association(HOA) approval depending on your local community requirements. Once the building permit is obtained, the construction kicks off in high gear.</p><p><strong> Layout & Excavation</strong></p><p>This is one of the most exciting phases of swimming pool construction, excavation. Excavation is the digging and forming of the swimming pool. The very first thing the excavation crews do is the pregrade. Pregrade is the clearing of the pool site and the grading of the area for the swimming pool. This allows the crew to paint on the ground the final shape of your pool and at the same time the crew will stake the perimeter of the pool and add forms for the structure of the pool. The typical time needed to dig a pool depends on various factors. These factors include: access, soil conditions, and overall size and depth of the pool. Most pools these days are dug in 1 to 2 days.</p><p><strong> Rough Plumbing & Electrical</strong></p><p>Once the pool is dug, it's time to move on to the rough plumbing and electrical. This is where all of the trenches will be dug for all the pipes and conduits necessary to operate your pool. Sometimes, the rough plumbing & electrical will be broken down in a couple of parts, otherwise all trenching and installation of the pipes and conduits will be done at the same time. This includes installation of the suction and return lines, water-feature lines, vacuum cleaner lines, fill lines, solar inlet and returns, gas lines for swimming pool heater and future barbecues and firepits, and the electrical service line. In most cases this will take 2-3 days to complete, and may be done either before, during or after steel.</p><p><strong>Steel</strong></p><p>The steel phase is the addition of rebar formed in the ultimate shape of the pool. A rebar contractor will "tie" the steel using bailing wire in a grid pattern determined by the structural engineer. A good crew will normally take less than a day to tie the steel depending on the size, shape and any raised walls or bond beams.</p><p><strong>Gunite or Shotcrete</strong></p><p>Up until this time, your backyard will look like one big disaster area, with trenches running here and there and a big hole in your yard with a criss-cross pattern of rebar running through. Gunite or Shotcrete is the application of the concrete to the pool surface, it makes the shell of your pool. The crews will arrive and via a hose will apply the concrete in the end, the pool will have a close to finish look. The benches installed, and the pool walls and floor will have been completed. This will also be one of the first times you will be required to be actively involved in the construction of your pool. For the next 7 to 10 days, you will be required to hose down the swimming pool shell two and three times a day with water to help cure the gunite or shotcrete. You will be truly amazed at how much water the pool structure adsorbs.</p><p><strong>Tile & Rock </strong></p><p><strong> </strong>After the installation of the gunite or shotcrete, the waterline tile and any rock or boulders will be installed on your pool. The tile is necessary to provide an easy surface to keep clean at the waterline. Rock or boulders are added to incorporate a natural "swimming hole" look and feel and for waterfalls and jump rocks. For pools with the contemporary look or classic style, tile is incorporated into the design and is applied not only to the water line, but also to any raise walls or water-features.</p><p><strong>Decking</strong></p><p><strong> </strong>(Concrete, Pavers, Trex, Tile, Stone, etc.) With the tile installed, the next addition to your swimming pool project is the decking. Now where I grew up, decking was always associated with wood, and redwood was king. But when I got involved in the swimming pool industry, deck was the item that surrounded the pool. For the majority of swimming pool owners, the deck of choice is concrete. Concrete is durable and inexpensive when compared to the other options being, grass or landscaping, tile, stone, pavers and natural or synthetic wood products. The installation of decking takes a minimum of a couple of days for forming and finishing, or it can require multiple days and weeks depending on the surface. The deck crew will also be responsible for installing the equipment pad, where all the pumps, filters, heaters and other equipment necessary to operate your pool will be located.</p><p><strong>Equipment Set</strong></p><p>The excitement builds, you're almost done and ready to swim. At equipment set, either your pool service company or the plumbing and electrical company will return to install all of the equipment. The lights will be installed, control panels will be hooked-up, all pumps, heater and filter will be mounted to the equipment pad and plumbed. This normally is routinely completed within one to two days. All ready for the filling of your pool with water. But wait, we're missing the all important pool surface.</p><p><strong>Plaster</strong></p><p><strong></strong> Plaster provides the waterproofing surface for your pool. Plaster comes in many different forms from plain-old, to pebble and polished surfaces. Typically, this can be done in a day. And for those of you where money is no object, this can be an all tile pool surface complete with Grecian borders. After the swimming pool finish has been applied, now is the time to start filling your pool.</p><p><strong>Construction Clean-Up and Start-Up</strong></p><p><strong></strong> Once the bulk of the construction is complete, all excess and left over materials will be removed from the pool site. All empty boxes will be hauled to the dumps, and finally, your backyard will be ready to be enjoyed and not looking like a disaster zone. The last item left to do is to start up the pool. The start up process assures all equipment is operating and the swimming pool has all of the necessary chemicals to prevent algae and other problems. Now it's your turn to start reaping all of the benefits of swimming pool ownership.</p><p>This has been a brief article describing the inground swimming pool process for gunite or shotcrete pools. A swimming pool is the culmination of many individual persons, each an experienced veteran of his or her trade. For most homeowners, a licensed contractor can guide them through the process. For others, the option of building their own pool and acting as their own general contractor can save them thousands of dollars but requires a deeper level of understanding.</p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16643429446326783933noreply@blogger.com