Smart Phones for Smart Builders
A restoration contractor shares the 11 iPhone apps that keep his truck neat, his subs in line, and his crew out of the rain.
Synopsis: Today’s cell phones are more than just devices for making a call. For restoration contractor Aaron Lubeck, an iPhone lets him track the weather, communicate with his subs, carry his portfolio, do construction calculations, and more. Lubeck details his 11 go-to iPhone apps that have allowed him to streamline and improve his work easily. He also includes a wish list of four apps he wishes he had.
Just a few years ago, my checklist of items to bring to the job site would have included a cell phone, a plan set, a codebook, a calculator, a level, a camera, a weather report, a black book for contacts, a map, a laptop, a portfolio, and an invoice booklet. That’s a lot of stuff to pack up and strip down every day, not to mention a lot to haul around but not necessarily use. It’s no wonder my truck was a mess.
Because I like to think I have better use for my time (and lower back) and because I’m always looking to improve my productivity, it was natural for me to adopt Apple’s iPhone. This pocket-size tool functions as a mini-laptop, a GPS tracker, a text messager, a media player, a web browser, and rather subordinately, a phone.
While a cell phone is a staple for any modern builder, it’s the applications (apps) available on today’s smart phones that are revolutionizing the way I do business. By facilitating work with less paper, less duplicative communication, and less time, my smart phone is a great declutterer. At the same time, it enables more efficient work, cutting costs and letting me keep a leg up on the competition. In fact, it was a day’s productivity lost to an erratic rainstorm that was the nail in the coffin for my dumb phone. Realizing that access to an up-to-the-minute weather app may have led to a different outcome, I decided my old phone’s $200 termination fee cost less than losing another day to unpredictable weather.
Two years ago, I chose the iPhone over competing smart phones for its simplicity, its multiple functions, and its availability of apps. Since then, the competition among smart phones has gotten stiffer — Android phones have closed the gap — but in my view, the iPhone is still a winner.
For all its benefits, though, the iPhone has a few downsides. First, for builders who are doing heavy-duty work, the phone may be too fragile. The touch screen isn’t ideal for dirty hands, and it may be less durable than a bulky Nextel or BlackBerry. The initial cost is more than that of comparable phones, the monthly plans cost more, and the phone is particularly expensive if broken or lost. I’ve found the premium well worth it, but it may be superfluous to others. Regardless of the platform, for builders wanting to be more intelligent about their everyday operations, a smart phone may be the smartest move they can make.
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