Hi everyone,
As a former carpenter for residential remodeling I have taken a new position as a maintenance/facility manager for a small/mid sized facility.
We have several buildings and in the next 5 years plan on remodeling, or tearing down and rebuilding, a large section of one building. This will involve working with several contractors and as a larger project than I have ever taken on I’m wondering if there are any seminars, books, etc., that you might know of where I could turn for ideas and help on handling such a large project.
Thanks!
Replies
sounds like you've come to the right place. there cant be many subjects that have'nt been hashed over countless times by knowledgeable pro's here at breaktime. all those discussions can be found in the archives
good luck
I had an employee who also lived near me about 40 miles from his parents home in Houston. He had to move back to Houston when his dad died in order to help his mom. After 5 years working for me, and 20 years in his own business, he still calls me almost daily for mentoring and advice. We also do design / plan work for his company.
In our desing / plan work many of the potential questions are answered. I would suggest a good set of plans and specs for your projects.
If you know someone with experience, perhaps your employer would provide compensation for an offsite consultant, and add if a site visit(s) is required.
My opinion:
Management for large projects can be learned, but to have personal and local experience "speaking into the projects" and advising you would be of greater value than generic training.
We are primarily custom homebuilders, but when asked by a former client about a hotel build, and potentially two or three, we quickly introduced the project to an experienced hotel builder willing to provide consultation and resources. If the hotel launches, with us as builders, he will be part of our management group with limited responsibility. Based on our first meeting, I don't think I could study hotel construction management for 4 years and have an equal resource and education.
Typically, the large tract home builders in Houston will pay a non-college man with 5 years of actual home construction experience better than a construction degree graduate with no actual experience, and for good reasons.
A degree from the school of hard knocks, also known as Hay U. is very valuable.