CM Contract for RCS in Lenoir City
Town Creek Center is located between Interstate 75 and Highway 321, just west of Town Creek Road in Lenoir City, TN. This proposed mixed-use developed is owned and managed by The Tetra Companies of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Shawn Van Dyke, Chief Manager of RCS, LLC, has been brought on board to manage this project for The Tetra Companies.
Construction has started on the Infrastructure Phase of the project, with the site prep and vertical construction phases to follow.
Town Creek Center will feature Big Box and Life Style retail areas, Medical Offices, Senior Living communities, Neighborhood Commercial, General Commercial, and Multi-Family components.
REDBUD Construction Services is honored to have been chosen to manage this project for such an outstanding development firm as The Tetra Companies. To find out about The Tetra Companies Philosophy of Development and other real estate investment opportunities, visit their blog.
REDBUD Construction Services featured in Industry-Leading Blog
REDBUD Construction Services’ advice has been featured in a post this week on the Mark Up and Profit blog. Thanks to Michael Stone and his staff for teaching RCS how to serve their clients and we hope that our example can help others in the industry.
What Type of Contractor Do You Want to Hire?
Michael Stone describes the 4 different types of contractors in this post.
In my experience, there are four kinds of contractors.
“A” contractors run their business like a business and make good money.
“B” contractors run their business like a business most of the time and make a living most of the time.
“C” contractors run their business like a hobby, make a living some of the time, but often (like today’s market) take a second job so they can keep their bills paid. If they are married, their wife’s income is usually the primary means of support.
“D” contractors are the ones we hear the most about even though I believe they are the smallest group. They are either con artists or complete flakes, the guys that cause over 90 percent of all the problems in this business.
As a client or owner of a project, ask yourself, “What type of contractor do you want to hire?”
And then ask yourself, “What kind of client do I want to be?”
The answer: an educated or teachable client.
Beware of Free Estimates
This article is a perfect example of why contractors should not give “free estimates” without drawings and/or specifications.
The contractor presented a design agreement to his potential client, with a $3,000 fee to design the job, 1/2 of the fee would be credited back when a contract was signed for the final job.
If you want your contractor to be professional, you should expect him to be, and the above is a perfect example of a contractor treating the owners of a project with total professionalism. If you don’t work for free, then you can stay in business to provide your services.
The Design Team
You have performed your Due Diligence, Planned the project with all the available information, and now it is time for the professionals to join the effort in making your project a reality.
Your team of design professionals included, but are not limited to the following:
Architects, Engineers, Planners, Contractors and Construction Managers
The three things to consider when hiring design professionals are:
- Competency
- Trust
- Responsiveness
No. 1: Competency. Can they perform the design work required to ensure a safe project that meets all state and local codes and accomplishes the goals of the owner? What is their experience with projects like yours? Do they have adequate staff to dedicate to your project, what effort do they estimate will be required to complete this project? Do they have the ability/willingness to try something new or search for new design if the project or owner requires it?
In summary, Competency boils down to education, experience, and creativity. A design professional that can demonstrate all three of these is almost always worth their fees.
No. 2: Trust. You should never hire a design professional that you do not trust. It is the duty of the design professional to explain EXACTLY what you are getting for your money. If you do not understand the scope of work for what you are hiring a design professional, then you ask them to explain it to you so that you understand. You do not necessarily need to know all the particular details (unless you just want to…that is why you are paying them), but you should be able to understand where one consultant’s work stops and another’s starts. If you have a design professional that is willing to ensure that you understand his/her scope of work, then most likely you have a design professional that you can trust.
Trust plays a critical role in the life of a project. You have to trust that the design consultant has your best interests in mind. If mistakes happen (and they do!!!) you have to trust that the design professional will bring those mistakes out in the open and work diligently to solve them, no matter where the fault lies. You have to trust that your design professional will try to save you time, money, risk, or all of these things when given the opportunity. And most importantly, your design professionals must trust that you will allow them to perform the duties assigned without questioning their abilities or experience. (That’s why establishing No. 1 is important.)
No. 3: Responsiveness. You may have found a competent and trustworthy design professional that really works hard on your project and meets all the goals set for him/her, but you can not get him/her to call you back. You need to make changes in the size or scope of the project, but you can not meet with the managers in a timely manner to implement these changes. You have sent three e-mails asking a question about a certain area of design and no response. How do you avoid this situation? Determine how or when the design professional(s) will be able to respond to you in a timely manner. Most competent, trustworthy design professionals are very busy, but the ones you want to hire place an emphasis on interacting with the owner. Voice mails are returned within a day, and e-mails and other correspondence are organized and distributed efficiently.
A word on Responsiveness for the small project or the small developer…
You can be sure that you have a quality design professional when he/she makes you feel like you are one of the Big Boys. One sure sign of a high quality design firm/professional…someone returns your call the same day. They may not be able to respond to that need that day, but they place an emphasis on communication and letting you know that you and your project are important.
If you find a design professional with the three qualities above, you will probably find fees that are slightly higher than other consultants, but you should recover those costs throughout the life of the project because of fewer changes, faster response, and a safer and higher quality project.
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