Troubleshooting Common Skateboard Problems

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Not getting the performance you want out of your skateboard? Chances are that there’s something wrong with it. The good news is that in most cases, you don’t necessarily have to replace parts of your skateboard. Usually, a little cleaning, or a little tightening will help do the trick, and your skateboard will feel brand new once more.

In this article, we’ll talk about troubleshooting common skateboard problems. Why do you want to do this? For one, you’ll save a lot of money doing the simple stuff yourself rather than having a pro repairman do it for you, or even replace parts that still work perfectly well.

If you’re ready to solve the common problems with your skateboard, then read on.

1. Skateboard wheels don’t spin freely. This sounds like a case of dirty skateboard bearings. You see, the bearings help your wheels turn smoothly. However, dirt accumulates in your bearings over time, making for a rough ride.

Usually, all you need to do is clean your bearings. Just pull them out of your wheels and apply a cleaner, and re-lubricate. However, if your bearings are around 1-2 years old, then, chances are that the bearings have already worn down. In that case, no amount of cleaning will make them spin freely anymore. You’ll, then, have to buy a fresh set of bearings.

2. Wheel bite. A wheel bite occurs when your wheels grind against your deck, either because of a hard landing, or if you make a difficult turn on your board. Wheel bites can be a serious matter if you ride often. They could cause your wheels to suddenly stop turning and throw you off your board.

To prevent a wheel bite, you can either use smaller wheels or put risers on your trucks. Doing either of these options provide more clearance for your wheels to move, and thus prevent them from grinding against the board.

3. Something feels ‘loose’ with your skateboard wheels. If you feel that something’s about to come loose off your skateboard, or if riding your board feels rickety, then something probably is indeed coming loose. It’s, therefore, important that you check the screws and the nuts on your board before riding it. If there are loose nuts and screws, tighten them first. It can be pretty embarrassing-and downright dangerous-to ride a board that’s falling apart.

Learning how to troubleshoot common skateboard problems helps you save money by doing easy repairs yourself. However, if you are not confident about your repair skills, it would be a better idea to leave it to the hands of an expert skateboard repairman. It costs money, but not as much as you would spend on new parts if you break them due to your unsuccessful attempt at repairing your board.

More importantly, check your board regularly. Have a close look at every nook and cranny before riding it. Doing so would ensure that your board is in good shape and would last longer. Some people call it preventive maintenance, and you’ll be doing yourself and your board a favor by doing it.

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Source by Andrew Heathercole

Homeless Tips: Surviving the Streets – What To Know And What Not To Do

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Homeless tip 1: Know the difference between being a bum and being homeless! I’m homeless but not a bum! I have drive, ambition, dreams, and determination! A bum has none of these things. A bum has settled into his life on the street and is fine with it. A bum is the same guy you see every morning sleeping in the same bus stop day after day…… because he doesn’t move far. A bum might even have a house and job! Anyway you slice it… if you are on the street know what you are. Are you homeless? Or are you a flat out bum? Knowing that difference is important.

Homeless tip 2: Do not buddy up! Very bad idea. And stay away from other homeless people. Do not look for skid-rows, homeless camps or any other place where homeless people “squat”! The only time you should ever be around anyone homeless is when you are in line at the soup-kitchen. THAT’S IT! The reasons are simple…… Its a quick way to get hurt or stolen from. Not to mention that these people will do nothing but hold you down and pull you back. They don’t want to see you make it and will do anything to hold you back and slow you down. You are on your own and you MUST stay that way. Don’t let anyone get in your way. Its never fun being homeless and lonely but this is not time in your life to be trying to make friends. And simply put a friendship of this mature will never work for you. Just stay away from them. you are better off!

Homeless tip 3: Travel light! You wouldn’t believe how many homeless people I’ve seen with everything they own it seems. Having lots of stuff is not worth it on the streets when you have no home. I once meet a couple. A husband and wife team. The story they has was that he was a truck driver and she lived in the truck with him. They lived like that for some time over a full year. The whole time they spent money on crap they didn’t really need in the first place (“what-nots” I call them). So they had no money. One day after a truck run that ended in Santa Anna, California the husband was fired and told to leave the truck where it was. I don’t know how that’s legal but they where stuck. And they had everything from that truck with then. Makeup, cloths, books, and a whole bunch of other stuff. These two seemed to have bag after bag of stuff. When you are on the streets you need as little as possible. Think 50 pounds in weight. This is what you absolutely need: – clean clothing -hygiene products -a phone (even if it is shut off) -a resume (because you never know) -2 or 3 garbage bags -and if you like to read……. the Bible!

Homeless tip 4: If you are caught in the rain and have one one garbage bag do not but holes in it and where it like a rain coat. Instead, cover your shoes and feet! If you can keep your shoes and feet dry when use it as a rain coat. Any homeless person will tell you this: when you are homeless the most important part of your body is your feet. Wet shoes and feet do not mix. If your walking around with wet shoes you will get blisters and sores. It will be the worst pain you feet have ever felt do to rain. Every step you take will be a nightmare waiting for you. Besides, rain will rot your shoes faster. And the last thing you need is to be homeless, with blistered feet, and no shoes. If you do get cough with wet shoes get them off ASAP and dry them out. Like I said…. any homeless person will tell you this, that I promise!

Homeless tip 5: Stay clean!!!! As much as possible! Its not easy but you must! Staying clean gives you access to things you will need and trust me when I say…. you will need! I know its not easy tho! My advise is to take full advantage of every public bathroom you can, to the fullest. Use the sinks and soap. brush your teeth and wash your hair. The trick here is to be fast and unnoticed (so you can use it again). Try not to make a lot of noise. Wash the parts of your body that need it the most first (armpits, feet, private parts) and wash everything else after if you have the time. Do this as often as possible. A clean pan-handler with make more then a dirty one (I’m not down for panning, that’s just a good way to make my point on this). And remember the more private the bathroom the better, look for locks and cracks on the door. A solid door, one person bathroom, with a lock is the bast. Just be fast about it.

Homeless tip 6: Outlets…… find them! Remember I said you need your phone with you? You need it rather it has minuets or not. Your phone is very handy. It has all your friends numbers in it, you can also store new number if you need to, its an alarm clock (which you will need), its your calender, and your clock is always handy. Your phone is a must have, dead or alive! But you must keep it charged. Find outlets! They are everywhere, just look for them. You can find a lot of them in front of stores, around phone booth, and other random places. When possible use then in fast food restaurants like McDs or Burger King. If you have the money bye one item off the dollar menu and spend a long time eating as you charge your phone. Try no to just go into a place just to do it. And avoid sitting right in front of the workers. Usually they wont bother you anyways, but no need to draw attention. If you are using an outside outlet just try not to get cough. Sit in front of it and do your best to make like you actually have a reasion to be there. Do what ever you can to keep powered up. My I power my phone and computer mostly at McDs. They know people are gonna use the free WiFi here. I buy one double cheese burger and a drink and spend a few hours charging my phone while I blog and do other things that I hope will get me off the streets. Stay charged any way possible!!!

Homeless tip 7: Reorganize often! Once every 3 days or so I take 30minuts out to go through all my stuff and reorganize. It helps keep me sharp, fast, and feeling better about my living condition’s. Even homeless people collect garbage over time. Get rid of it! You don’t need it! I have about mmmmmmmmm 12 pockets on my backpack. I know whats in every single one. If I need my chap stick….. there it is. You never want to have to shuffle around and take out your stuff to get what you need, ever! Its embarrassing and it lets everyone know what you have and how you are (someone living out of a bag). So, keep it clear and keep it light.

Homeless tip 8: “The homeless credit card”! What? LOL, let me tell you1 One night a few years ago I was scoping out a “spot to squat” (that also is another tip). It was kinda dark out and I was very tired. I keep noticing this woman watching the same spot. After some time she came over. She know I was homeless…. because she was to. And she know we where both doing the same thing. We got talking a little and decided to share the same spot for the night. Usually I wouldn’t do this but I gave in this time, we where both in need and she seemed nice. We did not have sex or do anything like that. We just both needed the same place for the night. We shacked up for the night! Inside the spot she told me her story. She was a bum! She had been on the street for about 20 years or so and had no drive or ambition to to leave. She was kind of a hippie I remember thinking to. NOT that being a hippie had anything to do with it. Well, being a bum and surviving 20 years on the streets you can believe she was a wealth of knowledge. After she told me a story about how she once ran into Will Smith and his son she told me about “The homeless credit card”. “The homeless credit card” consist of two things. A black sharpy, and I piece of cardboard. I know what your thinking “I’ve seen this several times”. I’m sure you have. But I doughty you have seen as many as the kind she had. She had an approach. What she would do was write on the cardboard EXACTLY what she needed. She NNNNNNNEEEEVVVVVEEERRRR asked for money. Why? because she didn’t need it. What she did need…. toothpaste. A sleeping bag, a hair brush, shampoo, even a cheeseburger. And she always got what she asked for. Every time! People are feed up with the homeless asking for money all the time. With this recession things are ever worse and people are even tighter with money. But, people are kind hearted (I believe that very much) and are willing to help someone in need out. They just don’t want to toss away there money. As a homeless person you just have to understand that, understand that quickly, and move on. No one is going to hand you a woad of cash (unless you get very lucky, don’t hold your breath).

My friend for the night understood that. And on every card she made she was very specific about what she needed. If your in need you should be to. People will help!

I never saw her again. Through out the night I seemed to grow on her and I think she was starting to like me a little. The next morning she asked me to wait for her while she want across the street to a hotel and got us some free coffee. Me, following one of my major rules……. left!

Homeless tip 9: Know your surroundings. When you are homeless and on the move it is very easy to wind up in the wrong neighborhood. Always be aware. If someplace you just walked into makes you feel unsafe…. get out! trust your gut and avoid the risks. I didn’t always follow this tip myself. And I had to learn to trust my gut a little bit. But now I know. I once had a friend that lived in a very bad neighborhood. She was new there herself and told me several times it was bad. However she was helping me. I wound up going through this place about 5 times. Three of those times was in the day. During the day it wasn’t so bad but I still had a bad feeling about it. But the two times at night I was scared out of my mind. People where everywhere. And by “people” I mean drug dealers and gang bangers. I’m a white, and I was clearly in a place where white people weren’t living. I’m not resist by the way but safe is safe…. and I was not safe! Now, the last time I want through I got stopped….. by about 5 cops! They where just standing around on the side of the road. They stopped me when I walked bast them. They patted me down (with my hands behind my head), got my i.d and other info, want through my stuff, and let me go! They where asking me questions like what I was doing there and had I been “taxed”. I had to ask him what that meant because I told him “yes”, “I get taxed every day”, LOL! These cops where the only ones that gave me any hard time at all. Now, I never want back there because they told me not to (at least not at night) and after I left and had a second to think about it all I figured they where right and I shouldn’t. Not because of the gangs on the street, but because those cops exposed me. You see, when I was walking through this place no one messed with me. The reason was because they didn’t know me and didn’t know what I was doing there. I just walked straight through and got to where I needed to go. Without relieving what I was doing….. I tricked them. I didn’t act scared. I didn’t “eyeball” anyone. I simply want about my business. And that’s what you should do in this situation. If you find yourself in a bad spot do NOT panic. Do not talk to anyone, that will expose you. Simple walk out! The cops exposed me. Had me standing on the corner,in front of everyone, and let me go. What that told the people of those streets was that I was a guy that was not into trouble, had nothing to hide, and didn’t belong there. I asked myself what I would have done if I had been stopped by someone out there. What I would do is this: quickly ask him (or her) where I could get 300$ worth of crack, and ask him (or her) if they could meet me there in 30 minuets while I ran home (around the corner and down the street I don’t know because I’m new there) and got some money together. I would then ask for a phone number (in case I get lost on the way back) and walk away like I’m on a new mission in life.

Homeless tip 10: Scope out your spots. Do this from a distance and make sure no one knows what you are doing. Watch for people going in or around the spot. Watch for cops. Watch for anything that gives you any idea about how early you need to be up in the morning. Look for resources that you might be able to use around the spot (sink, charger, things of that nature). Find security in the spot. How well lit is it? Will anyone see me? Is there any kind of lock? Will I be safe? will I be worm? Ask yourself these questions. Sometimes you might get a good spot. Sometimes you might have a bad spot. Safety should always be your first concern. Scope it out and ask yourself these questions then make a decision. And remember, have more then one spot! Intel you actually win the fight you will need as many spots as you can! Homelessness is not an easy life!

Homeless tip 11: I tell you all the time the image is everything when you are homeless. And I also tell you all the time to stay away from other homeless people (unless you are pumping them for info, homeless people are a wealth of information about resources). But somethings you just plain run into homeless people that know you are homeless. DO NOT BEFRIEND THEM. But its OK to be cool with them for a minute or two in passing. Its kind of good for you. It keeps you on a train of thought that says “hey, your not the only one”. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one. Its easy to stand on a street corner watching the cars go by and say to yourself “why me”. That will bring you down and as a homeless person you cant afford to think like that. And besides “who cares” “why you”? It happened and that’s all there is to it. Just remember that you are not the only one out there on the streets. I still stay stick to yourself. I’m heavy about that. That’s for survival reasons. But there is no shame in lifting someone else’s spirits and saying “ya man, I’m like you! Just trying to get bye. You are not alone”.

Homeless tip 12: Don’t take what you don’t need! This woman in the blazer was not gonna give me money. But she know I wasn’t going to take it as well. This whole thing was about a minute long. Inside that one minute I earned her respect and possible changed her view on homeless people. “How could a homeless person not except what he and I both know he wants, rather he needs it or not”? Truth be told, I did want money! But I had some and know that nothing she gave me was gonna make my night better. That’s why I wasn’t going to take it if offered. The respect I earned from her was priceless anyways! Respect will probably not get you off the streets. But the affects of being respected by others is worth wild.

I don’t talk about being homeless. Ive gone long periods of time being homeless with large groups of friend that never know. I hide it very well. I’d rather do things the hard way. How can I maintain something that was given to me when I couldn’t maintain the same thing when I earned it before by myself?

So, Don’t take what you don’t need just because you can. And earn respect! This will help you feel better about being homeless. Homeless people often feel they are being looked down on. I don’t feel that way. I will be respected! I will stay focused!

Homeless tip 13: Never invite another homeless person into your spot. As much as I’d love to say “hey man, I know a better place! Come check this out” I know that will only lead to trouble. Every time I leave a spot I clean up my stuff. I do this because I don’t want anyone to know I was there. I check and check and check to make sure that my time there is erased completely. I leave nothing behind. When you invite another homeless person into your spot basically have to tell him (her) the house rules. And watch over them. Now you have to double check they didn’t leave anything behind. I”d set some rules like this:

1) Don’t go there before 10:00 pm!

2) Don’t smoke!

3) Don’t tell anyone!

4) Be gone by 5:20 am!

5) pick up your stuff

Simple, however I can promise you that within two week you have this: You show up at 10:00 pm on the dot and there is already 3 other people there. They are all drinking and smoking. Its like a little homeless party. The place is trashed with spilt beer and ash. You friend you told first doesn’t know what to say to you. No one is listening to you. It smell, and you knows that not just a cigarette they are smoking. Now you see flashing lights. Now you are all arrested and going to jail. You lost the spot. Never invite anyone into your spot. Its one thing for you to get into trouble on your own. But its another for you to get into trouble because of a bunch of other homeless people!

Homeless tip 14: Have fun in your down time. I know this sounds funny but I do believe it is something you must do. Time for homeless people is a little different then the time of an average person. However, homeless people to wind up with free time (usually on the weekends). And I say there is no harm in doing something for you as long as its not going to make your situation worse. Read a book! Go to church! Maybe see a friend or family member if you can! Make a phone call to a loved one! Hit the beach if possible! What ever it take to free your mind from the stresses of being homeless and makes your free time go faster for you.

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Source by Robert J Rashford

How to Get the Best Gas Mileage by Becoming a Hypermiller – Top Tips to Get the Best Gas Mileage

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Have you heard of the latest craze to get the best gas mileage from your car or truck, its called “Hypermilling”? To be a hypermiller involves the use of any tip or trick, (and sometimes even a complete change in driving style) to squeeze every last MPG out of your vehicle. And not surprisingly with the ever increasing gas prices, it’s catching on in a big way.

Hypermillers have certainly been the subject of discussion in car and driver forums across the internet, and they have had a fair amount of publicity in the media. So is this Hypermilling a new idea to get gas mileage improvements, or is it just a re-hash of all the old tricks for saving on gas we have all heard before.

Well it seems that a lot of these tips go way back to the 40s and 50s when gas was in short supply and being rationed due to the effects of a world war. Some of those tips and techniques that were tried back then are now standard ways to make gas mileage improvements and have become well established, and a lot of these tips are now just common sense.

For instance a heavy car that is loaded down with excess weight is going to use more gas than one that is running lighter. With the minimum amount of weight being carried around in the form of useless baggage the gas mileage improvements can be considerable. Even by removing things that you will not need on a daily basis such as a heavy bag of golf clubs from your trunk could save you a few cents a gallon.

If your car has cruise control then use it, as this is another way to improve your fuel economy. A 2005 study carried out by the Automotive Website Edmunds.com showed that using cruise control at highway speeds could give you on average a fuel economy saving of 7%.

If you are a fast driver or one that accelerates quickly and then has to break just as quickly then you are going to use a lot more gas than a driver who is a steady Eddie. Keep to the speed limit, accelerate and break smoothly and don’t rev your engine while stationary (at red lights etc) just letting it idle as it should will save you gas.

Keeping your car well maintained and in a good running condition will also give you good gas mileage improvements. Have your car serviced at the recommended intervals as an engine that is running in tip top condition will use far less fuel than one that is coughing and spluttering just because it is in need of a simple inexpensive tune up.

Other thing are just a matter of common sense, things like making sure that your tires are properly inflated will not only save you gas, but will also give you a safer ride, as under inflated tires are a safety hazard.

These are just some of the tips and tricks that you should be using to be a hypermiller and get the best gas mileage from your car, added together they will give you some definite fuel savings.

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Source by Mike Legg

Pintail Longboards – Advantages and Disadvantages

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A pintail longboard is a longboard design that is quite popular with beginners. The pintail name is given to a board that sweeps toward a single ‘pin point’ at the tail. It is a classical longboard shape that has been around since the beginning of the sport.

What Are the Benefits of a Pintail Longboard

The pintail shape is popular with beginners for two main reasons: stability and cost. Their wheelbase is very long, and therefore very stable. For learning how to push and cruise, a pintail is optimal. Its potential beyond that is quite limited, but for people only wanting a board to commute on, it is a comfortable and suitable design.

Pintails are much cheaper designs to create due to their simplicity and commonality. Any design that is made en masse will be cheaper to produce from a cost-effectiveness perspective. A pintail does not contain any form of bell or whistle like other shapes of longboards might, and is therefore easy to make.

Other benefits include the complete immunity to wheelbite. Any set up will do with a pintail longboard, as the narrow end will not bite with any truck and wheel combination.

The Downsides of a Pintail Longboard

The longer wheelbase (distance between the trucks) on a pintail design will result in less ‘twitchiness’ and more stability. Freestyle tricks are much harder with a pintail design owing to the lack of kicks, and sliding is arguably more difficult too.

Pintails longboards are obviously not bi-directional. Any type of 180 degree maneuver, such as a coleman, will result in you riding the wrong way. Not all decks are bi-directional anyway, but a pintail certainly doesn’t disguise that its intended for riding one way only.

Pintail Longboard Recommendations

Motion Bigfish

Subsonic Dart

Fibreflex Pintail

Or whatever feels right to you. There’s not much fancy design work going on with pintails, so get whatever suits your stance/height/weight/preferences.

Conclusion

Pintails are superb beginner longboards due to their affordability and stability. You can save $100 buying a pintail design, and they will be forgiving while you learn the basics of skating. After you have that mastered, if you want to get a bit more dynamic with your longboarding you may need to buy a different board. Whilst exceedingly comfortable for cruising, most pintail longboards aren’t stiff enough for downhill, are too long to slide really well and difficult to trick. If you have no aspirations of doing any of the above, then a pintail longboard design comes recommended for beginners.

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Source by Lawrie Blood

Choosing the Right Tractor Tire Chains

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Tractor tire chains come in many of the same models, styles, and designs as other tire chains. Depending on the size and brand of the tractor and tractor wheel, a variety of tire chains can be found.

Like most other types of tire chains, there are many different options available in tractor tire chains. The most popular choice, and the most widely recommended, is two-link spacing with an optional V-Bar. Two link spacing means that there is a cross chain every second side chain link. Basically, it has twice as many cross chains as the four-link spacing, which only has a cross chain every fourth side chain link. The extra chains provide for a more steady, smooth ride and more steering control. The optional V-Bar chains are extremely helpful on ice, hills, and other hard-packed conditions. While V-Bar chains are available in both two- and four-link spacing, they should not be used on pavement since they can damage the surface of the road.

Kubota Tractor tire chains are available in the basic two- and four-link chains. Kubota recommends using tire chains and wheel weights in icy conditions. Even when using tire chains, drivers should still drive at a speed slow enough to maintain complete control of the tractor at all times.

For farm tractors, dealers recommend duo-group cross tire chains. These chains are not connected in the middle, so the pattern does not fall between the tread bars. Duo-group cross chains are recommended for field work, deep tread, off road use, and hilly conditions, making them the perfect choice for farm tractor tire chains.

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Source by Elizabeth Morgan

How to Build a Cheap Guardrail for Your Driveway

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Many driveways have an area that require some type of safety guard rail to prevent vehicles from sliding off the driveway in inclement weather or maybe just a driver error. Metal guard rails can be quite expensive and require a pounder (Sterling) truck to set the guardrail posts. With some sweat and a lot of effort you can construct a guardrail for almost no money. Power and telephone companies continually replace their poles on a regular basis. This may be simply an upgrade to a pole to carry new transformers or to raise a section of wires for vehicle traffic and so on.

These companies need to pay to have these old poles disposed of and that’s where you step in. Contact your local power or telephone company and ask where they store the damaged or old poles and tell them you would like to have a few. They will in almost all cases be glad to get rid of them. It saves them money. You of course cannot carry full sized poles so you will need a chain saw with some old worn chains to cut the poles into manageable six foot long sections. Please notice I said old worn chains for your saw. Sharpen them before you cut but be prepared to discard them when your done cutting the poles. Power poles are usually full of hidden nails from your neighbors posting their garage sale signs but are also littered with screws, pins and all kinds of metallic items. Each and every metal piece is death to a chain saw chain. You can or course visually scan for these items before you cut but the concealed ones are the problem. Make sure you wear heavy work gloves when handling these poles as there will be splinters galore and any sharp objects will tend not to cut or stab you as easily. Be careful while you work and always wear eye and ear protection well.

A guardrail will need a post every six or eight feet and of course at any point where the guardrail turns a corner. A straight twenty four foot guardrail with post at six foot centers would need five posts. Also a reminder that power poles are coated with creosote so wear old clothes when handling them. You will also need the longest pieces you can handle for a top rail. A top rail will provide much better protection but just plain posts close enough together can also provide very good protection. With all the pole and rail pieces now at home, lay out the centers of each post. Remember to measure from the starting edge of the first post and not the center line. Intermediate posts are measured to center line and the last post is the far edge away from the first post.

Here’s where you need to decide if you want to dig the holes for the poles yourself or hire someone with a auger truck to do it for you. Your labor is free but very time consuming, the auger truck is quick and easy but costs some cash. If your short on time or help, the auger truck may be a good investment. With the holes dug, set your starting post. Once in the correct position check to assure the post sticks a minimum of two feet above finished grade. Back fill the post tamping the material in place as you go. Now move on to the rest of the posts making sure each one is on the proper center line and height.

A good trick here is if your guardrail is in a straight line, set the first and last posts first. Place a nail in the center of these two posts and string a line between them. You now have a quick guide to both center lines and heights of all the intermediate posts without having to measure each one. Once all the posts are in place let them sit for a few days and hopefully some rainfall will come to further settle the soil around the posts. If you have a water source close by, a good soaking of the back fill soils will hasten the settlement process along nicely. Cleanup around your posts removing all rocks and excess spoils and perhaps toss down some grass seed to restore the area. It is much easier to do this before the top rail is placed. Raking under the rail and climbing back and forth over it wears out really quickly.

Once ready for your top rail, place the top rail alongside the posts on the ground with one end over hanging the first post a few inches. Mark the top tail for both sides of the all the post locations. Once marked, you must carefully notch out a two inch deep slot to receive the post top once the rail is set on top of the posts. Try to be as neat as you can but you are cutting with chainsaw. A half inch wider notch is no big deal. Place the cut top rail onto the posts. I use sixty penny galvanized landscaping spikes to fasten the to rail to the posts. You may want to pre-drill the holes in the top rail and you will need at least a five pound lump hammer. Two spikes in each post should be sufficient. Once all the rail is in place you can either simply let it weather naturally or add a new coat of stain or sealant.

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Source by Peter Ackerson

How to Start a Foreclosure Cleanup and Property Preservation Company

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A new article on June 3, 2009 from MSN Money writer Michael Brush indicates that there is a third wave of foreclosures still to come from prime borrowers (i.e. those previously “safe-borrowers” with sound credit and fixed-rate mortgages) as a result of job losses thanks to the worsening economy (“Coming: A 3rd Wave of Foreclosures”).

The article states that “In the first quarter, the percentage of these borrowers who were behind on their mortgages or in foreclosure had doubled from a year earlier, to nearly 6%” and goes on to say that “Credit Suisseanalyst Rod Dubitsky predicted last week that 8.1 million mortgages, or 16% of all mortgages, will go into foreclosure over the next four years. A weak economy, continued declines in home prices and rising delinquencies among prime borrowers all but ensure that foreclosures “will march steadily higher,” he says.” Not such great news for the economy, but good news indeed for entrepreneurs interested in starting a foreclosure cleanup business to clean and repair foreclosed homes for the banks.

To put this in perspective, this means that there will be over 2 million foreclosures a year and more than $2,025,000,000 up for grabs in money that will be spent on cleaning up these foreclosed properties (since the average bill is $1000+ to clean up one of these properties).

Let’s take a look at how you can position yourself to capitalize on this coming foreclosure movement

Set Up Your Company Properly

If you want to be hired for cleanup or preservation work, you’ll need to operate your business as a professional company. The good news is that you can set up a business quickly and inexpensively, and usually on your own. Many people decide to set up an LLC (Limited Liability Company) because of how quickly and easily it can be done but you’ll want to check with your accountant or other business professional to select the type of business entity that’s right for your personal situation.

If you do decide to start an LLC, you can usually find all of the documents you need online from your state’s government website. Usually the branch you’re looking for will be called the “Industrial Commission” or “Corporation Commission” or similar. Try typing in “start a business + ______ (your state)”. Anything ending in “.gov” is usually a good place to start as it indicates a government site.

Once your business is set up, you’ll need an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is like a SSN for your business. You can register for one online: type in “IRS” & “EIN” into a search engine to find the online registration link.

As soon as you have your EIN (which you can usually get immediately online), you can open up a business bank account for your company. This step is very, very important. In the excitement of things, many people get caught up in the day-to-day dealings of running a business and use their personal accounts to pay for business expenses. Not only does this present an accounting nightmare at the end of the year, but it could present problems for you with the IRS if you don’t keep your personal and business finances separate.

Once you legally set up your business, you may be required to register your business with your county or city in order to get a business license to operate. You can start by calling City Hall or the Office of the County Clerk to inquire as to whether or not you need a city/county/state business license and if so, how to get one.

So to recap:

1. Legally set up your business

2. Get your EIN # and set up a business bank account

3. Apply for a business license

4. If you want to do preservation work, determine whether or not you need a contractors’ license

Get Insurance

You absolutely must have a Commercial Liability Insurance policy and Workers’ Compensation Insurance in order to run your business. Not only is insurance essential for protecting yourself from liability and protecting those that work for you in the event of a work-related injury, but many asset management companies will not do business with you if you do not meet their minimum insurance requirements.

Insurance will likely be one of your largest start-up costs, however, most insurance companies allow you to pay the premium on a monthly (rather than yearly) basis, which definitely makes this expense more affordable.

General Liability Insurance policies can cover the following: bodily injury, property damage, contractual liability, personal and advertising injury, professional liability (also known as Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance, this coverage protects you and your business from litigation caused by charges of professional neglect or failure to perform your professional duties), hired auto and non-auto liability and umbrella liability.

You’ll want to speak directly with your insurance agent to get a better idea of the extent of the coverage provided by their particular policy and one that is best suited for your individual needs

Workers’ Compensation Insurance is required in most states when you have W2 employees, and some states also require your insurance to cover your 1099 contractors also. Workers’ Compensation (“Workers’ Comp”) covers your employees’ medical and disability expenses related to work-related illness and on-the-job injuries.

In the states where you are not required to cover your 1099 contractors you would need them to provide proof that they carry their own Workers’ Compensation insurance. Although tempting to shift the financial burden of maintaining a policy onto your 1099 contractors, in all reality, you are probably better off to take on the cost of all staff Workers’ Compensation (all W2 employees and 1099 contractors). The reason is that it’s difficult to find only independent contractors that have their own policy. In addition, this industry has such high turnover that if you put this restriction on your independent contractors, you’ll waste valuable time and lost revenues trying to find replacements in a hurry.

Here’s a great tip: sometimes you can get “pay-as-you-go” insurance where your workers’ compensation insurance premiums are based on your actual payroll, rather than an estimated amount. This is great for companies that are just starting out or have a fluctuating workload. Type in “pay as you go workers comp” into a search engine for results in your area.

As a second tip, we’ve used Farmers Insurance for years and have always had excellent customer service and great rates. Just Google “Farmers Insurance” for an agent in your area.

Foreclosure Cleanup v.s. Property Preservation Services

As the name suggests as a Foreclosure Cleanup Company, you’ll be cleaning out all of the junk in the house (also called a “trashout or a “junk out”), as well as cleaning the interior of the home. You may also be required to remove vehicles on the property. Usually foreclosure cleanup companies are also responsible for doing a basic landscape cleanup which includes hauling out any junk from the front/back yards, cutting the grass and trimming trees/bushes.

Cleaning up the property is the extent of services offered by a Foreclosure Cleanup Company, whereas a Property Preservation Company is also involved in the “securing” of the property and the “preserving” of the property.

Here are some of the services that a preservation company may offer (note that a Property Preservation Company will generally also offer cleanup services):

Securing the Property

o Initial vacant property inspection

o Lock changes

o Boarding of windows and doors

o Temporary roof repair

o Securing swimming pools

Preserving the Property

o Exterior Debris removal

o Abandoned vehicle removal (cars, boats, etc.)

o Interior Debris removal (junk-out)

o Hazardous waste removal

o Interior cleaning services including carpet cleaning

o Window washing/graffiti removal

o Window replacement

o Pool services (draining, acid washing, maintaining, etc.)

o Pest control services

o Yard maintenance/landscaping

o Snow removal

o Winterization

o Gutter cleaning

o Pressure washing

o Carpet removal & replacement

o Tile/Floor repairs

o Painting

o Sheetrock/drywall repairs

o Carpentry repairs

o Plumbing fixtures repairs & replacements

o Fire & mold remediation

o Fence repair

Here are a few things to consider when determining the extent of the services you want to offer:

A Contractors’ License is generally not required for Foreclosure Cleanup Company but is likely required for preservation companies doing work over a certain dollar value (usually $500 – $1000+). Sometimes this license can be obtained by attending a course and successfully passing a test whereas other states require previous, verifiable industry experience.

The insurance premiums tend to be higher on companies that offer preservation services as they are considered to be a “general contractor”. However, the revenue potential is much higher as preservation services tend to run from a few thousand dollars upwards instead of $800 – $1500 for each cleanout.

Usually what people do is start out initially offering just the foreclosure cleanup services and then when things pick up, they’ll add preservation items to the list of services they offer. This let’s them get their foot in the door without having to spend a whole lot of money upfront when setting up their company.

Source the Right Equipment & Tools

The great thing about starting a foreclosure cleanup company is that the initial expenses are quite low as much of the equipment and tools needed for cleaning foreclosures can likely be found in your own garage:

o Cleaning chemicals (i.e. all purpose cleaner, disinfectant, toilet bowl cleaner, window cleaner)

o Cleaning supplies (broom, mop, scrub pads)

o Vacuum cleaner

o Garbage bags and shovels

o Work gloves and disposable plastic gloves

o Lawn mowers & lawn tools

o Wheelbarrow

For the smaller items you don’t have on hand, check your local dollar store. Their prices can’t be beat and they usually have the same chemicals and cleaning supplies as the other retailers. Once you start doing some volume, consider shopping for your supplies at Sam’s Club or Costco to keep your expenses low.

You can also find used equipment in great shape (such as vacuums) by going around to your local Saturday morning garage/yard sales. If you have a “Re-Use” center or a Salvation Army, you may consider checking there also as they often have vacuums and other small equipment or yard tools for sale.

For hauling junk, you’ll need some sort of trailer and a vehicle large enough to pull it. If you don’t have a truck and a trailer, you can always borrow a friend’s truck and rent a trailer from U-Haul or just go ahead and rent a moving truck from U-Haul. (Remember though, that you’ll be charged a daily rate plus a per-mile rate when you rent a moving truck whereas if you use your own truck and just rent the pull-trailer, you’ll only incur the daily rental rate for the trailer.)

Sometimes you’ll be required to clean a property that doesn’t have electricity or water. In the event that there’s no electricity, you’ll need a generator to operate the vacuum cleaners and other electrical equipment. These can be rented at Lowe’s or Home Depot and is a much better alternative to purchasing one outright unless you’re going to use it on a regular basis (a new one will run you about $500+).

To save on expenses, it’s best to rent equipment in the beginning.

Once you get up and going, it may be worth looking into purchasing equipment of your own. Check the online classifieds ads (such as Craigslist, Kijiji and Backpage) for used trailers, generators, etc. You should also check with U-Haul as they have been selling some of their excess trucks as of late.

Stay Safe on the Job

As a business owner, you’re responsible for keeping your staff safe while working on the job. Working safely is paramount to the health of your staff and the reputation of your business (and also keeps your insurance premiums low). It’s imperative that you review safety issues prior to allowing anyone to work on the job – you must provide both classroom and on-the-job safety training to all new hires.

Now, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy; you can spend 20 – 30 minutes reviewing safety policies, safe working practices and answering any questions and then you’ll be done! Make sure you have people sign in and out of the meeting and that you document that a safety meeting took place.

It’s also very important that you become familiar with OSHA and Safety Standards as well as the health & safety hazards associated with this industry so that you can keep your staff safe, avoid accidents and costly fines. You can find the OSHA Pocket Guide to Construction Safety (it’s a short and an easy read) at the main website (OSHA DOT gov) by searching for the report name.

Another way to protect your staff and your business is to make sure that you check references before you hire someone. Insist that they list non-related references (i.e. not mother, sister or best friend) and instead list references of previous employers or someone they know in a professional capacity. We also do drug testing and background checks – it might sound paranoid to some, but the safety of our staff, our customers’ property and our company’s reputation is far too important to risk not spending $20 on a background check or drug test.

Price Your Services Right

In this industry, the lowest price always wins the bid (unless, of course, the lowest bidder has a terrible track record of not completing work and is utterly irresponsible and unprofessional, in which case the company has just committed “reputation-suicide” and will never be hired again). Lenders don’t want to spend any more than they have to on these properties so you want to make sure you price your services comparable with the going market rates (but at the same time, priced so that you still make a great profit and don’t leave any money on the table).

For cleaning out foreclosures, most banks expect to spend anywhere from $500 – $1500 for a cleanout (trashout, interior clean and initial landscape cleanup), but it could be a bit more or a bit less, depending on your area. It’s important to know that most lenders have prescribed “price caps” for the maximum amounts that they’ll pay for services.

If you’re also providing preservation services, a great site that we’ve used before to determine our prices for doing repairs is www.CostEstimator.com for getting the market rates for construction costs – you can get a free 30 day trial (no need to enter credit card – it really is free!). There are over 3,000 cost items adjusted for over 210 local, geographic regions to create your bid and you can add as many others as needed. If you want to sign up after the trial, it’s only $15/month.

Market Your Services

It’s true – “nothing happens until somebody sells something”… and you’ll need to get out there and sell, sell, sell your business. Once you’ve done a few jobs, you’ll find that word of mouth advertising and referrals will provide a large pool of new jobs for you, but in the meantime, you do need to do everything possible to let customers know you exist.

A large portion of work will come from the relationships that you build with Real Estate Agents (“Realtors”) who list bank-owned homes (often referred to as REO listings). They are often given the task of bidding out the cleaning and repairs of new listings by the asset management company so you’ll want to make sure the agents in your area know your company handles this type of work.

A great way to find out which Realtors in your area list REOs is to go online to the major bank’s REO websites and “data mine” the contact information for the listing agents (name, email, phone numbers). It can be painstaking work, but definitely worth it.

Here’s an example of a bank REO sites to get you started collecting Realtor information

WELLS FARGO (Properties managed by Premier Asset Services): pasreo.com/pasreo/images/pas_logo.jpg

NOTE: In order to access agent information, select the state and click search. Then, individually select each listing and click on “Print Property Report CVS”. Each listing and corresponding information (such as agent name, phone # and email) will be created in an Excel spreadsheet. You can access the page

Remember to follow up with a phone call a few days later. Don’t be shy about asking the Realtor if he/she has any jobs for you to bid, either – most of them are very accommodating and willing to give a new company the opportunity to provide estimates.

The other way jobs are bid out is through large Asset Management Companies (also referred to as Marketing & Management Companies, REO Field Service Companies and Property Management Companies). Essentially, the lender says, “ok – I have thousands of properties to get rid of. Here, national ABC Asset Management Company: clean, fix and sell these properties for us”. And the national Asset Management Company will then subcontract out the work to local foreclosure cleanup and property preservation companies. In order to work for these companies, you usually need to sign up your company as a potential vendor. Many times this can be done online.

There are both positives and negatives associated with working for the larger companies. On the positive side, you will probably be given a few projects to work on at a time so you will be kept relatively busy. On the negative side, they usually want you to offer ‘wholesale pricing’ and don’t pay until 30 – 60 days after you invoice them for the work. Working for one of these companies, however, will give you the experience you need to go after more work.

Other possible customers include wholesale property investors (groups of investors that purchase foreclosed homes at the auctions and then sell them to smaller investors at a wholesale price), investors, landlords, property management companies, Realtors and so on.

You should also consider attending your local networking events such as the Chamber of Commerce meetings and any local investor meetings in order to hand out your card and network with potential customers. The more you get out there, the better chance you’ll have of securing some great, long-term customers!

This is definitely an exciting industry and a very profitable one for those of you who don’t mind getting your hands a bit dirty! Good luck!

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Source by Les Tyler

Serious And Funny Construction Definitions Contractors Enjoy Reading

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Over The Past 30+ Years -I have accumulated a variety of terms to describe the construction industry. Some of them are intended to be funny, some are serious and the rest are entertaining. Please feel free to share them with your friends, relatives and most importantly contractors as they will appreciate the humor and perhaps find value in the words of wisdom we are sharing.

If You Have Any Others You Would Like To Be Added Please Leave A Comment On The Right

80/20 Rule – of a contractor’s wealth and wellbeing comes from 20% of their activities

24 Hour Bookkeeper – Bookkeeper that sits in your office quietly, no watering, no feeding, available to work around the clock, never wastes company time surfing the web or chatting on cell phone

Aggravation Box – Computer with construction accounting software operated by a trainee

Auction – End result of working in the business, focusing on the wrong stuff and bad financial reports

Auditor – Person who goes in after the war is lost and bayonets the wounded

Assets of Company – Cash / Receivables – Payables / Trucks / Tools / Equipment / Material

Assets of Firm – Cash / Business Process / Sales Process / Client List / Predictable Cash Flow

Bad Bookkeeper – Wealth prevention tool keeping contractors from earning more than bookkeepers

Bad Bookkeeper Thinking Patterns – Some of the reasons they do what they do to drive contractors crazy

Bad Bookkeeping – Saving money in the wrong place and making decisions on garbage reports

Bad Numbers – Lead to bad decisions / cash shrinks / business unstable / bankruptcy or failure

Bankruptcy – Result of saving money on bookkeeping and making decisions on garbage reports

BCA Business Coach – Someone who helps you raise your level of thinking and income

BCA Staff Member – Cheerful, well paid, thinking, responsible adult, Mastermind Team member

BCG Matrix – Graphical representation of Cash Cows / Rising Stars / Question Marks / Dogs

Belly Button Accountability – The one person who is responsible for a deliverable on a construction project

Bid – A wild guess carried out to two decimal places

Bid Collector – Customer looking for cheap contractor

Bid Opening – A poker game in which the losing hand wins

Black Box – Computer with construction accounting software operated by a trainee

Bookkeeper Training Contractor – Bookkeepers, who train the boss to let them come in late, leave early, call friends and relatives, take long breaks, get paid more and do less and less.

BPM – Business Process Management for construction company owners to grow passive income streams

Budget Bookkeeping – Listing all deposits from the bank statement as sales income and leads to contractor paying too much in taxes.

Business Failure – No meaningful financial and project management records in the calendar quarter preceding the failure

Business Life Cycle – Start small / grow big / lose shirt / shrink back to small business

Business Plan – A plan to have accurate financial reports to base long and short term decisions on

Business Process Management – Develop a construction business that generates passive income

Business Roundtable – Little round table in tavern with pitcher of beer and four contractors strategizing

C.P.A. – Someone who is qualified to do tax returns and we refer a lot of business to the ones that only do tax returns.

C.P.A. Construction Consultant – Someone who has seen a bunch of tax returns and thinks they know how to run a construction business. They are generally more dangerous to the contractor’s financial health than a drunken car salesman on a backhoe at a gas station, in the dark, digging up live fuel lines.

C.P.A. Involved In Construction Bookkeeping – QuickBooks setup to make doing tax returns easy while greasing the rails for the contractor to go down the tube and go broke by focusing only on making the C.P.A’s job easier and not on increasing cash flow and profitable jobs.

Change – The only people who want change are wet babies! Everyone else hates change!

Cheap – Not enough time or money to do it right first time; but plenty of time and money to do it over

Chaos – Always on the dollars coming in; never on the money going out

Client – Someone who buys construction services and is more concerned about quality than price

Comfort Zone – Success you have now since that is what you feel you deserve no more / no less

Company Bookkeeper – Expensive luxury for construction companies that do not know about outsourced contractor bookkeeping

Completion Date – The point at which liquidated damages begin

Contractor Not A Banker – Student of Business Consulting And Accounting who has mastered the art of managing cash flow properly

Contractors – The people who makes civilization possible by building and maintaining structures

Contractor Gambling – One project away from making it big or going broke

Contractor Chaos – Contractor netting <$100K doing everything his way; especially the bookkeeping

Contractor Cheap – Amateur with customers from Hell and host of the game show “Low Price Leader”

Contractor Income – The average income of the six people they spend the most time with

Contractor Rich – BCA client earning $100K-$200K by building a client base to sell and service

Contractor Student – BCA client net <$100K learning how to get Rich then Wealthy

Contractor Successful – Contractor using timely accurate financial reports to base their decisions upon

Contractor Volume – Loses money on every sale and tries to make it up with a volume of new work

Contractor Wealthy – BCA Client earning $200K + Investing 50K with 100 clients to service

Construction Accountant – Someone who turns piles of numbers into meaningful trends

Construction Accounting – System that combines construction bookkeeping with Quarterly Tax preparation and payroll processing and presents the annual tax preparer with the information for them to prepare the annual income tax return. Construction accounting does not prepare annual tax returns as that is a profession and specialty of its own

Construction Bookkeeping – System for setup and maintaining construction bookkeeping

Construction Bookkeeping And Accounting – System for setup and maintaining construction bookkeeping and accounting together in order to develop and maintain the Key Performance Indicators that when viewed daily and understood leads contractors to accumulate wealth

Construction Worker Thinking Patterns – Insights into the mind of a typical construction worker

Construction Worker Fully Burdened Labor Cost – Cost of having construction workers on your payroll

Critical Path Method – A management technique for losing your shirt under perfect control

Customer – Someone who buys construction services and is more concerned about price than quality

Delayed Payment – A tourniquet applied at the bank balance of any contractor who will allow it

Delusional – Contractor going to learn to use QuickBooks effectively in a few months

Developer – Company looking for a few, good, low priced, high volume contractors they can school

Displaced Aggression – Being angry at someone because of past events or circumstances which are resulting in ongoing issues. In some cases contractors have hired cheap or bad bookkeepers without realizing the consequences of not having useful financial and job cost reports

Dog And Pickup Truck – Contractor with a dog and a pickup truck one of the four types of contractors

Emergency Accounting – When taxes, payroll or paperwork piling up causes contractor to seek help from someone to get the “books” caught up, tax reports prepared, payroll processed or other issues

Emergency Bookkeeping – When taxes, payroll or paperwork piling up causes contractor to seek help from someone to get the “books” caught up, tax reports prepared, payroll processed or other issues

Emerging Contractor – Someone who is moving to a little less hands-on role in their contracting company you could be an Emerging Contractor.

Engineer’s Estimate – The cost of construction in heaven

Expensive – Goods or services that no matter how cheap they are; do not work

Experience – What you get, when you get, what you don’t want

Failure – A few errors in judgment repeated everyday

Fear – What initiates change or stops progress

Five For Five At Five – The five reports at five o’clock for five minutes that tells you how your business is doing

Fifteen Minutes Too Late – If you think you should fire somebody, you’re already 15 minutes too late

Fully Burdened Rate -Includes all the costs of keeping an employee on the payroll, not just wages

Hard Work – Expressway to Retired

Hustle – The expectation of getting 40 hour of work done in 20 hours

Income – Working for daily money

Insanity – Hiring and firing cheap in-house bookkeepers over and over and over expecting useful reports

Inexpensive – Goods or services that do work beyond the warranty period

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) – Reports if viewed daily and understood leads to wealth

Lawyer – Person who goes in after the auditors to strip the bodies

Leveling – When two or more people spend time together the group will level to the strongest personality

Listening – Contractor who asks their client what materials and results they want and give it to them

Little Leaks – Sink the construction business because they are easy to ignore

Liquidated Damages – A penalty for failing to achieve the impossible

Low Bidder – A contractor who is wondering what he left out

Mastermind Team – BCA Staff and Clients who mentor BCA contractor clients

MAP – Marketing / Accounting / Production / formula for success

Maximize – The process of building and running your construction business to generate highest possible profits for short run so you can spend it all quickly and go broke. Similar to running your pickup truck on the race track as fast as it will go without proper maintenance so it lasts for about ten hours and 1,000 miles before it is destroyed

MR>MC – Wherever marginal revenue exceeds marginal cost do the job

No Financial Reports – Driving on the highway, at night, windows blacked out and being surprised by the crash

Non-Construction Accountant – Dim-bulb want-to-be bookkeeper without any construction bookkeeping skills trying to jam retail accounting methods into construction accounting

Not Listening – Contractor who gives their clients what the contractor likes not what the client wants

Optimize – The process of building and running your construction business to generate normal and economic profits for the long haul and provide you with a substantial income for current living expenses and a comfortable retirement. Similar to running your pickup truck on the roads and highways at normal safe speeds with proper maintenance so it lasts for ten years and 200,000 miles or more

OSHA – A protective coating made by half-baking a mixture of fine print, red tape, split hairs and baloney

PAM – Production / Accounting after checks bounce and letters for back taxes / Marketing word of mouth

Personal Assistant – Someone who works part time with big red “S” on back of their cape (Superman / Superwoman) able to run personal and business errands, answer phones, make deliveries, clean restrooms, take messages, memorize a verbal list of to-do items from contractor without writing any of them down, schedule jobs, listen to customer and staff complaints, babysit children and pets, wipe runny noses, clean up spills, make and serve coffee, pay bills, open the mail, go make bank deposits, work on tiny desk, no air conditioning in summer, limited heat in winter, bad lighting, fix broken computers and printers and do the bookkeeping for multiple companies

Pioneer – Contractor with flaming arrows in the back from asking the construction bookkeeper for accurate reports

Poor Contractors – Have hundred dollar conversations with their mentors and attend the business round table

Process – Part of a system to produce predicable quality results and reap dividends for the owners

Process Development – Do it, Document it, and Delegate it

Professional Contractor – Serious construction business owner with construction strategy and definitely in construction business to earn a worthwhile profit. One of the Four Types of Contractors

Purpose Of Your Construction Company – Acquire clients, satisfy their needs and repeat as often as possible to increase cash flow and profits.

Project Manager – The conductor of an orchestra in which every musician is in a different union

Project Management – Combination of skills and construction project software

QuickBooks For Contractors – Accounting software for construction companies

Rain Maker – The person in the contractors firm that acquires new clients

Remodel House Process – Forming (Honeymoon), Storming (demolition), Norming (Rough-In), Performing (Paint)

Retail Bookkeeper – Worked at store somewhere, thinks all accounting is the same, expensive lesson for contractors

Retired – Means you got tired of them, or they got tired of you

Rich – Income exceeds outgo

ROI – Risk of Incarceration; in most cases the business owner is responsible for unfiled taxes and missed payments, not the bad bookkeeper

Salt Of The Earth Contractor – Has up to three employees and is one of the Four Types of Contractors

Salesperson – Amateur sorter

Sales Process – Documented system for acquiring new clients for the Firm

Solution – Properly setup and maintained QuickBooks For Contractors file

Sorter – Professional Rain Maker

Strategic Bookkeeping Services – Bookkeeping services for construction that understands and applies principles of profit and growth strategies

Strike – An effort to increase egg production by strangling the chicken

Success – A few simple disciplines practiced everyday

SWOT – Knowing the company’s Strengths / Weaknesses / Opportunities / Threats and what to do about it

Tax Preparer Doing Construction Bookkeeping – QuickBooks setup to make doing tax returns easy while greasing the rails for the contractor to go broke focusing only on reducing taxes not cash flow and profitable jobs.

Tenant Improvement – Bid, award contract, work day and night, pressure, pressure, pressure, done

The Contractors Cash Management Mentor – Shares keys to peace of mind by showing you how to optimize your cash flow by properly managing receivables, payables, payroll, payroll tax reports, 941 quarterly returns, 940 annual returns, W-2 and W-3 returns in your construction business regardless of the economy, Sharie DeHart

The Contractors Profit And Growth Accountant – Shares the keys peace of mind by showing you how to optimize your bottom line profits by spending five minutes a day reviewing the Five Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of your construction business performance. And by regular phone and/or in person strategic consulting sessions where we focus on what your company needs to do to help you achieve your definition of success, Randal DeHart

Unlicensed Contractor – Someone who thinks they can save their customer money by scamming the system with supposedly lower overhead than likened contractors. All too often they provide FREE labor and material because they cannot sue customers for payment.

Warranty Work – The project that never ends

Wealthy Contractors – Work on building relationships and innovating (faster/better/cheaper)

Wealthy Contractors – Have million dollar conversations with their mentors

Wealth – Not working because you have enough cash to live the rest of your life

Working On Wrong Stuff – You can’t get rich with your head in the ditch

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Source by Randal L DeHart

Your New Portable Kitchen – 12 Volt Travel Appliances

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Now it’s easier than ever to prepare a fresh hot healthy meal in your car, truck, RV or anywhere you can find a 12V power source.

Folks have been using their 12 volt coolers as portable refrigerators for quite some time. There are many factors to consider when choosing a cooler/warmer that’s right for you. I say cooler/warmer because many 12 volt coolers can also keep stuff warm. The most common use has been mentioned, a portable refrigerator. Many of these coolers are intended to stand on end just like a real refrigerator and are capable of cooling up to 40 degrees below the ambient temperature. This means that you can be comfortable in your vehicle and not have to worry that your food might spoil. There are many sizes and styles available to choose from. You may also be considering a 12 volt rechargeable cooler. That’s a great choice for those who enjoy a day picnic or hiking trip. You may decide to purchase an AC to DC converter so that you may charge your cooler over the night before your trip in your house. Charging can take up to 5 hours depending on the model of cooler you choose.

I can’t start my day without a fresh hot cup of coffee and I do not like instant. Yuk! I’m a die hard perker so when I take a trip I’m sure to have my 12 volt coffee maker with me. There’s nothing to it. Just like a normal coffee maker in your kitchen, add water and coffee grounds and turn it on. These coffee makers plug directly into your 12 volt cigar lighter socket. There are many 12 volt coffee makers to choose from. I do not recommend using your coffee maker while operating your vehicle or while in a vehicle that’s in motion. Full hot pots of coffee at high speeds is never a great idea.

Are you a fresh fruit and vegetable drink fanatic? This can be just as rewarding as a big breakfast and a strong cup of coffee. Not the breakfast type? A power lunch might be on your menu once you begin looking at 12 volt blenders. Great for all of your common blender uses when preparing a meal or snack, the 12 volt blender is a great addition to your mobile kitchen. While you may not get the super fine juicing results of a real fruit/veggie juicer it is the next best thing. Home juicer owners may consider a 12V DC to 110V AC power inverter to opperate your juicer while traveling.

What’s next? Ahhh yes, time to cook up some of that great food you have been keeping cool in your 12 volt cooler. Once again there are many options and many factors to consider when choosing the 12 volt cooking accessories that are right for you. There are 12 volt frying pans w/lid, 12 volt sauce/popcorn pans w/lid, 12 volt stoves, 12 volt ovens and 12 volt slow cookers. There are even aluminum pans made just for use with the 12 volt ovens.

There are many 12 volt cigar lighter socket multipliers/multiplexers to choose from so you can have a socket for every one of your 12 volt kitchen items. Something that many people don’t think about or maybe they just don’t know about is power supply and safety. If you aren’t careful when hooking up all of your 12 volt stuff you could very well end up with a big problem. You must take into consideration the power requirements of each item you intend to power up. Most vehicle wiring is only rated for 20-30 amps. What does this mean for you? Well if you plug a few things in and blow a fuse when you turn them on you need more power. Installing a larger fuse may work but it may also help you to create a vehicle fire. You must ensure that the wire leading to and from the fuse can handle the power you will now be putting through it.

12 volt power recommendations. This is just a brief description about installing more 12 volt power options in your car, truck or RV. Some mechanical skills are required to perform this work. You should install a new 12 volt outlet for each appliance or device you intend to operate. This is a very simple task for most truckers and car travelers, RVs are just as easy but running your new wire may be a bit more time consuming. If you plan to install several new 12 volt power outlets in the same general area you may consider picking up a small automotive fuse block. In most cases running (from your vehicles positive battery terminal) a length of 8 gauge power wire. A car amplifier installation kit is a great way to pick up the desired 8 gauge wire. Do not connect the wire to the battery until EVERYTHING else is done. Run your new wire from the battery compartment to the area where you will install your new fuse block. Once your fuse block is all wired up and your new 12 volt sockets are installed and properly connected to your fuse block you can hook up your new power wire to your vehicle battery.

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Source by JJ Martin

Tarps For Covering Roofs

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Since their invention, people have been using tarps for covering roofs. They are an indispensable emergency tool when bad weather causes roof damage. Weekend projects, such as building a small potting shed, can be covered and put on hold when budget or time constraints occur. Architectural projects, such as the building of a new home or business, can be protected from the elements by securing a tarp over the open areas. Mobile homes, camping trailers, RV’s, and even buses have had their roofs covered and protected by tarps.

Relatively inexpensive budget tarps can be found at virtually any grocery store, discount chain, or retail outlet. These tarps, which are typically blue, provide a quick solution to an otherwise bad situation. Consumers choose budget tarps for covering roofs of sheds, weekend projects, damaged areas on their homes, and many others. These tarps are designed to work for a short period of time, for specific projects, or for periodic protection.

Industrial grade, heavy duty tarps, on the other hand, are sturdy and quite durable. They work best for long-term projects, not-so-temporary emergencies, and in areas where protection is of upmost importance. While they are more expensive, heavy duty tarps for covering roofs provides the consumer with greater peace of mind. These tarps are also used to protect semi-trucks and their cargo, which further testifies to the durability of the industrial grade variety.

Tarps come in all shapes and sizes, from the long rectangle to the table-top square. No other product on the market today can provide the same level of protection than a tarp. From the smallest weekend storage shed project to the largest manufacturing plant, structures have been covered and protected from water damage for decades thanks to the tarp.

It is a great quick-fix idea to use tarps for covering roofs, but they can also be used for many other reasons. For example, some truck owners keep a tarp folded up and stored behind their seat for use on rainy days or to cover precious cargo. Other consumers use tarps to cover motorcycles, boats, RV’s, farm equipment, or other machinery. Some ranch owners keep a supply of tarps in case weather causes damage to their barns or livestock buildings. Gardeners find that tarps are one of the best mulching tools available, especially in the aisles between plant rows. And, while the uses of tarps continue to grow every day, the fact still remains that their best use involves covering roofs of all shapes and sizes

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Source by Robert Page