Message from Doug

I am an avid reader of non-fiction books, books about management, marketing and self-improvement.  I also enjoy biographies and autobiographies of great leaders and business people.  Biographies and autobiographies will often reveal the specific steps that a particular person took to achieve success.  These stories can be very informative and inspirational.

“Is this Great Recession that we find ourselves in our own ‘catastrophic setback’ that is so common in most stories of success?”

I am wrapping up Conrad Hilton’s autobiography “Be My Guest” (available for free at any Hilton hotel).  He made the biggest investment of his early career by breaking ground on a huge hotel on the eve of the Great Depression.  On multiple occasions during the following years of the Depression, he was on his last dime.  There were many instances where defeat was almost a certainty.  But through it all, he kept fighting – kept working hard and searching for ways that he, and his hotels, could succeed. 

The common theme in all of the great biographies and autobiographies is:

1. Early success,
2. Catastrophic setback,
3. Dogged determination to persevere, then
4. Greater success. 

The “Greater success” is usually much larger than the “Early success.”
You can see this theme in many successful men and women throughout history.  Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Walt Disney faced adversity and persevered.  Lance Armstrong and Donald Trump are popular contemporary examples.  You can find other stories of success – not so famous but just as inspirational – right in your own neighborhood.

Is this Great Recession that we find ourselves in our own “catastrophic setback” that is so common in most stories of success?  If it is, are you putting forth a “dogged determination to persevere?”

If you find yourself – like Conrad Hilton did – on the brink of defeat, don’t give up.  There are always other ways to make it work; something else that can be done.  The successes in life, whether famous or the person next door, are the ones that didn’t give up when things were bleak.  They got up, worked hard, and had patience to see it through.

On a happier subject: It’s Christmas time!  Be sure to take this opportunity to celebrate and cherish your time with your family and friends.  Spend time laughing and enjoying the positive things in our lives.

Let the Holidays be your brief recess from your “catastrophic setback”.  Then, after the New Year, get back to work with your “dogged determination to persevere.”  After all, your “greater success” is waiting for you.

Merry Christmas,

“With soils and foundations being the most difficult part of my job, I need a professional company that knows what they are doing.  Herbert Construction Company is the most professional foundation contractor I have worked with.”  Charlie Borg, Project Manager, Traton Homes

Recent Referrals

The sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer states that the definition of “Referral” is Risk.  When someone refers a company to another individual, they are risking their personal reputation on the performance of that referred company. 

We agree with that explanation.  And, we keep that in mind every time we get referred.  We appreciate the confidence placed in us each time our clients and friends refer our company to others.

Thank you to the following outstanding people that have referred our company:
Dale Peek of Peek Design Group – Architect, www.PeekDesign.com
Tony Bondhus of Bauhaus Design Build – Builder, www.BauhausDesignBuild.com
Roman Fortin of Fortin Properties, Atlanta

 

“Herbert Construction Company’s turn-key approach saves me time because I don’t have to pull all of the pieces together.  That is very important for me when I am handling every aspect of the home construction.” Kyle Henry, Kyle V. Henry, Inc.

Better Building Practices

Throughout the past 32 years we’ve constructed more than 6,290 foundations.  When it comes to foundation design and construction, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

We also see many areas in new house construction that can be improved with a slight change in the construction method.  These changes can have a huge impact on the constructability and performance of the building structure.

“In this issue, we’ll talk about the best method for front porch design and construction.  Builders and architects can improve their homes with this simple, but highly effective, modification.”

The Problem
The house foundation wall that also supports the front porch is often designed and constructed in a way that is susceptible to water problems.  The top of the foundation wall is

Water leaks caused by typical front porch construction.

flat.  The 2”x6” sill plate and the porch slab both sit on the same top of wall area.
The porch slab is often poured at the same time as the basement and garage slabs.  Next, the framing is completed.  Then the brick or stone façade is placed on top of the porch slab. 

The problem occurs when the moisture barrier (house wrap) is not brought down from the framing and bent to lay flat on top of the porch slab.  Any rain water that is behind the brick/stone goes directly to the top of the porch slab.  Rain that gets onto the porch slab can find its way between the slab and brick/stone.  Once that water is behind the brick/stone and on top of the porch slab, it will flow down to the sill plate, then onto the top of the concrete wall and into the basement.

Even if the original intent was for the moisture barrier to come down from the framing and then bend to lay flat on the porch slab, it doesn’t get done that way in the field.  It isn’t constructed correctly.  The moisture barrier starts just above the porch slab, which allows the water to get back behind the porch slab.

This is one of those areas that is very, very difficult to remedy once there is a problem.  Builders have a hard time actually pinpointing where the water is coming from – and an even harder time fixing the problem.

Homeowners will usually call on particular rain days where the storms drive the rain onto the porch from the side (gable end) of the porch.  The rain falls onto the porch and wind blows it back against - and under - the brick/stone façade.

It can take a lot of time, effort and headaches to fix this problem.  And, your homeowner can get increasingly aggravated every time it rains and the problem isn’t solved.

The Solution   

The solution is to stop hoping that the moisture barrier will get installed correctly and to create the jobsite conditions that allow it to work effectively.

Modified porch design eliminates water issues.

The goal is to keep the water away from the top of the concrete wall, where it could then get into the basement.

At the top of the basement wall, create a 4” wide x 4” tall brickledge that the porch slab will rest on.  The moisture barrier then extends down against the brickledge, past the top of concrete wall and sill plate.  The porch slab is placed against the moisture barrier after the framing and moisture barrier have been completed.

The rain water can still get behind the brick/stone and travel down to the porch slab.  And, it can still travel between the porch slab and the brick/stone.  However, it will now travel past the top of the concrete wall and continue down to the inside of the porch.

 

We have been promoting this method of design and construction for many years and it has eliminated water problems in this area of the home.

Sometimes it's not a matter of how many problems like this you have with your houses, it's a matter of how difficult it can be to fix it when there is a problem.  This simple design and construction change is an easy insurance policy against a water problem in this area of the house.

 

 

One Critical Item
There is one more important thing that must be done to make this system work.  Be sure to continue the 4” x 4” brick/slab ledge through the areas where the porch foundation walls meet the basement foundation walls.  Be sure this intersection is “notched out” to provide a break in the porch wall. 

This will allow the moisture barrier to continue through this area – instead of jumping up over the porch foundation wall.  If you run the porch foundation wall directly into the house foundation wall, then the moisture barrier will deposit the water on top of the house foundation wall in that area. 

Raised porch foundation walls allow for efficient porch construction.

Additional Tip
To reduce the height of the slab turndown at the front of the porch, raise the height of the porch wall 8”.  If the basement walls are 9’-0”, then construct the porch walls at 9’-8”.  This will make it easier to form the front face of the porch slab.  It will also keep the formed edge straight and free from bowing.

Questions?
If you have questions or would like further explanation about this method, give us a call.  Or, if you believe your construction sequence won’t allow you to construct your porch foundation this way, call us.  We’ve got the answers on how to make this system work in any situation.

"Since Herbert Construction Company has been constructing our porches with this method, we haven't had any water problems in this area." Rick Foster, Vice President of Construction, Traton Homes

Turkey Giveaway Winners

In our November Newsletter we offered four free turkeys as a way of expressing our Thankfulness to our clients and Newsletter readers.  We offered a free frozen turkey to the first four people to call Doug.  The response to the turkey giveaway was amazing.  It created quite a lot of interest and we received many comments from our readers.

Pictured here are two of the fast-acting free frozen turkey recipients.  We are happy that they received the turkeys and had a lot of fun delivering them.

 

Mike Miller at the friendly offices of Consulting Enterprises Corp. receives a big ‘ol turkey from Doug Herbert.

 

 

 

 

Doug delivers a turkey to Bill Eason of Eason Construction Services, Inc.  Bill’s adorable children Ellie and Thomas are there for the hand-off.  (Thanks to the Eason family for the delicious scuppernong jelly.)

Survival Strategies for Atlanta Home Building Professionals

Special Report Reveals More than 57 Tips for Reducing Costs and Making It Through This Recession

Would you like to know the many steps that Atlanta area Builders, Architects and Trade Contractors have taken to reduce their costs and position themselves in this Recession?

How are they coping during this recession? 
What are the changes (both small and large) that they have made to reduce their costs? 
What have others in the building industry done to try to SURVIVE? 

We have been posing those and other questions to our clients and friends.  We have learned of many valuable tactics that have been used to cope with the recession. 

I am putting the finishing touches on a Special Report that shares this information.  If you would like a FREE copy once the Report is finished, send me an email and let me know.  My email address is: Doug@HerbertConstruction.com

Be sure to include your current contact information and I’ll add you to the list to receive the Special Report.

Luxury Item – Just in time for Christmas

The “Wish List” item for the guy with multiple cars and not enough garage space.

Have you seen the vehicle lifts for residential applications?  The four post hydraulic lift is a less expensive alternative to the traditional scissor lift.  The big advantage with this system  is that it lowers one car into a lower level, allowing another car to be parked on top of the lift’s canopy (which now serves as the floor of the garage). Prices start at around $25,000.

While this would never be practical in suburban subdivisions, there are specific applications for it here in Atlanta, such as:

• At intown locations where square footage and garage space is at a premium.
• At teardowns inside the perimeter with narrow lots that make multi-car garages impossible.
• Where the grade at the garage slopes away quickly requiring tall garage foundation walls.  Instead of backfilling that garage foundation, a lower level can be created for additional vehicle storage.
• To create a “Man Cave” in a lower level where collector cars, motorcycles, jet skis, etc. can be stored, worked on and displayed.

We can work with you to design and construct a vehicle lift for your client.  We also will assemble and install the lift in place. 

The photos are from www.Vasari-Lifts.com.