AIA Consensus Construction Forecast: 2018

Posted on 02/15/201802/15/2018 by Arte Design & Marketing

Regardless of rising interest rates, labor shortages, and construction materials, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) projected nonresidential construction spending to increase by 4% this year and continue through 2019.

The AIA conducts a semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast and the latest release indicates that the commercial construction sectors will lead growth this year. However, the industrial and institutional sectors will likely command the projected construction growth by 2019.

The AIA makes five key points in their forecast:

Rebuilding and repairs from natural disasters
Tax reform implications for construction
Possibility of an infrastructure package
Strong consumer and business confidence levels
Leading economic indicators for the construction sector

To read the full report, follow this link.

Co-Branded Marriott Hotel Construction in San Jose

Posted on 01/11/201806/16/2020 by Arte Design & Marketing

Last summer, we started construction on a very exciting project: A co-branded Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in San Jose, CA. This project includes a 147-room Residence Inn and a 114-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.

The hotel will be on America Center Court, near the America Center Office Park in the Golden Triangle area of Silicon Valley. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, one of the strongest hospitality markets in the country, the project will benefit from the surrounding tech companies such as Oracle, Cisco, and Adobe. The project is also located within one mile of the Levi Stadium and Great America Theme Park.

The-branded hotel will be 166,340 square feet and will include an outdoor pool and patio with a fire pit, a fitness center, a bar, a complimentary breakfast area, guest laundry facilities, meeting space and a business center. The Residence Inn will contain 124 king studios, 19 one-bedroom suites, and four two-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens, separate dressing areas, and a six-foot walk-in shower. The Fairfield Inn & Suites will offer 30 king rooms, 34 king suites and 50 double queen rooms with mobile desks and ergonomic chairs, refrigerators, microwaves, and coffee makers.

The project is led by our Project Manager Larry Nelson, Senior Superintendent Tim Bughi, Superintendent Guy Hacker, and Project Engineer Jesus Sanchez. We have a strong team building this project and we are excited to see their progress.

You can keep up with the project by visiting its project page here: http://www.huffcon.com/projects/fairfield-residence-inn/

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7 Benefits of Design-Build Construction

Posted on 12/21/201702/22/2018 by Arte Design & Marketing

If you’re considering a building project, you’ve probably heard of design-build project delivery. One of the frequent questions we are asked is, “What are the advantages of the design-build delivery method over the traditional design-bid-build method?” As an experienced design-build contractor, we have built over 40 projects through our design-build delivery method. We put together 7 benefits of design-build construction. You can check them out below:

Here are 7 benefits of design-build construction.

Teamwork: Everybody involved in the project works together. We all share the same goal, to build a project that meets or exceeds the owner’s expectations. Since everybody is on the same team, everybody works together to form solutions to any problem.
Accountability: The design-builder is held accountable, including the finished building, total cost, and the entire process. Through the design-build delivery method, the design-builder pays more attention to scheduling and pricing during the design phase.
Efficiency: The design-build firm is involved in the project from start to finish which creates an efficient and effective process. There is a huge advantage when the builder and designer are a part of the same team creating a more collaborative environment.
Involvement: For owners that want to be an active participant in the design and construction of their building, the design-build process is the way to go. By being actively involved in their project, they are guaranteed that the outcome of the project will meet or exceed their expectations. Being a part of the entire process also gives the building owner a strong sense of pride to their building.
Communication: The design-build process is transparent because clients are a part of the project from the design to completion. Having clear communication also means that the budget is defined early in the design process which provides a guideline for construction and an agreement throughout the project.
Time-Saving: Design-build projects can be completed in a shorter amount of time because scheduling for the project can begin before the design is finalized, and potential problems are uncovered early. Enhanced communication also keeps everything progressing in a fluid process. The design-build process is adaptive and responsive in the field which means construction decisions can be made without change orders and sometimes without additional fees.
Cost Savings: According to the Design-Build Institute of America, choosing the design-build delivery method means owners can save approximately 6% of total project costs. With fewer change orders and a faster delivery, the savings are impressive.

In short, our design-build delivery method offers peace of mind, cost-effective design, and construction and the ability to open for business more quickly than any other delivery method. Interested in learning more? Contact us today for more detailed information.

See Our Design Build Projects

Winter Safety in Construction

Posted on 11/13/201711/14/2017 by Arte Design & Marketing

Safety First

Winter is coming and with it brings unique challenges. Safety is always our top priority and during winter months, we take specific precautions to keep our employees safe.

Wet Conditions

Rain can cause safety hazards such as slippery surfaces and poor visibility. When slippery surfaces are present, it is important for employees to move more slowly to reduce the chance of any slips or falls. If any power tools need to be used, they need to be rated for use in outdoor/wet conditions. All employees must also be wearing hi-vis clothing that is ANSI approved. Working in wet/winter conditions can also cause Cold Stress which is a major safety concern in cold climates.

What is Cold Stress?

Temperature, wind speed and body precipitation are main contributors to cold stress. Other contributors include current health condition, poor physical conditioning, and improper attire. Cold stress occurs when the skin temperature is driven down by said factors which as a result, reduces the internal body temperature. It can happen in temperatures as high as 50° F. After prolonged exposure, the body will be unable to keep itself warm and cold related illnesses and injuries may occur. An example of these include trench foot, frostbite and hypothermia.

How Cold Stress Can Be Prevented

Anybody exposed to cold temperatures for a prolonged period of time without taking proper precautions and preparation is at risk of experiencing cold stress. One of the greatest ways of preventing cold stress is recognizing workplace conditions that can lead to cold stress. Employees should also know the symptoms, how to treat it, and how to prepare for cold, wet, and windy conditions. All superintendents and project managers should also schedule breaks in warm areas, schedule work according to the weather, have employees work in groups or pairs, and provide warm beverages and heaters.

More Considerations for Winter Construction

Snow, ice and low temperatures require increased attention to job site safety. Another important safety topic during winter weather is preventing any slip and fall hazards. Ice can form very quickly in subzero temperatures and should be taken care of immediately. Careful planning is also important for safety and the overall project schedule. While the weather is unpredictable, it’s important to recognize the decrease in productivity that goes hand in hand during winter weather.

Cold Weather Safety Information

Safety should always be everybody’s number one priority. If you’d like more information about keeping employees safe during the upcoming cold winter months, we encourage you to visit OSHA’s website or giving your local OSHA office a call.

3 Tips to Prevent Serious Roof Damage

Posted on 11/01/201703/12/2018 by Arte Design & Marketing

Preventing serious roof damage can be easy but you need to act before any damage gets worse! During certain times of the year, wind gusts, storms and other types of inclement weather can escalate and cause havoc on your roof. The damages both big and small, if left unchecked, can cause serious damage to your roof, attic, and even the inside of your home. The process of handling storm and water damage can be time-consuming and costly.

To help prevent this kind of weather from destroying your roof, there are a couple steps you can take to protect your home:

If you think you may have damages, hire a roofing professional to inspect your roof. They can spot those small damages and help you get them fixed before they turn into larger problems. Older roofing materials can eventually become loose over time. Small issues are usually a quick and inexpensive repair but they can end up causing a lot of damage in the event of a storm.
From there, see a restoration company about fixing your roof and any other damages that it caused. If there are no damages, ask about having your roof replaced. Every so often, it’s good to have your roof replaced for
peace of mind and also to avoid wear and tear.
Have professional tree removal service come and survey your property to determine if any trees will put your roof at risk. Simply removing large branches may be all it takes to prevent storms from causing them to fall and cause problems.

The time you spend maintaining your roof before disaster strikes can save you from spending thousands on interior and exterior damage. When you need restoration work due to roof and weather-related causes, call Huff Restoration to see how we can help you.

Turlock Christian Elementary School – AIA Design Excellence Award

Posted on 10/02/201710/18/2017 by Arte Design & Marketing

Huff Construction is proud to announce that Pires, Lipomi and Navarro Architects won the AIA Sierra Valley Design Excellence Award for Turlock Christian Elementary School. Huff Construction is honored to have been the general contractor for this project. We’d also like to thank and recognize our employees Larry Nelson who served as the Project Manager and Miguel Lopes who served as the Superintendent for this project.

Turlock Christian Elementary School was originally a 34,000 square foot corporate office building on a 6-acre site which was converted into a new 42,000 square foot private K-6 elementary school campus. The school was designed to have state of the art technology and classrooms. The school’s 12 classrooms all include an array of modernized interior furniture creating a collaborative learning environment. Additional campus features are a multi-purpose room, computer lab, science lab, a green screen media room, robotics and fine arts lab, music room, library, and support spaces.

The school’s modern and innovative technology furniture allows it to have multiple uses. Unlike most schools, you won’t find a standard desk at Turlock Christian Elementary. In these classrooms, there are standing desks with stools, stationary bikes, rolling desks, and collaborative design. Seat flexibility allows students to choose their own learning environment.

The students have easy accessibility to store and organize their school supplies in tall mobile storage units which consist of a desk drawer and fitted trays. Teachers have desks that are mobile and freestanding to create effortless changes to the design and atmosphere of the classroom upon each lesson.

Turlock Christian Elementary School was inspired behind a design concept that would encourage students to engage and adapt to change, to prepare them for their future careers working in a community. This award amplifies the hard work, time and effort put into this project creating the most innovative and modern school in the Central Valley. Building excellence is the Huff way and we are honored to have worked with Pires, Lipomi and Navarro Architects and subcontractors to build Turlock Christian Elementary School.

Turlock Christian Elementary School AIA Design Excellence Award

Building in Truckee-Tahoe Region

Posted on 09/07/201711/15/2019 by Arte Design & Marketing

Huff Construction is proud to announce the opening of our new office in Truckee, CA. The new office enables us to better serve our customers in the Truckee-Tahoe region by allowing us to have a focused presence in the growing market. Our new office is located at 12277 Soaring Way, Suite 105 and is conveniently located a minute away from the Truckee airport and the Truckee Building Department. Our Truckee construction team includes Project Managers Chris Creedon and Bruce Carrade, Superintendent Rick Mayer, and Project Engineer Ryan Gardner.

With the new office, brings new commercial construction projects and Huff is honored to be building the Mountain Lodges in Schaffer’s Mill. The Mountain Lodges are three to four bedrooms and have ample space for family time as they range in size from 2,000 to 3,100 square feet. The lodges have serene views overlooking the golf course and mountain terrain. All buildings have the latest smart technology including thermostat controls, locks, and interior lighting. Schaffer’s Mill is an incredible four-season family community set in the beautiful Martis Valley, between Northstar and Truckee. It’s a place where families gather, celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. You can stay up to date with the progress of the Schaffer’s Mill Mountain Lodges by visiting its project page or by signing up to our monthly newsletter which you can do below.

We are pleased to be building in the Truckee-Tahoe region and we are excited to continue “Building Excellence.”

Concrete Construction: Concrete Tilt-Up & Masonry Block

Posted on 08/16/201708/17/2017 by Arte Design & Marketing

Concrete construction is versatile and comes with many advantages. Concrete buildings resist fire, withstand tornadoes and hurricanes, and even take on earthquakes. These buildings are also flexible with their design and are built to last. When we build with concrete, there are two types of processes that we use which are masonry block and concrete tilt.

The building cost, time, and practicality for masonry and concrete tilt depend on a few factors. Masonry construction can be more affordable in areas where there isn’t a lot of expertise in concrete tilt construction and also where there is an abundant masonry labor source. Another factor is building size. For buildings smaller than 10,000 square feet, masonry construction is most likely a preferable choice. This is because the floor space may not be enough to cast panels and the expense for the crane to tilt the panels may not be economical. The size of the building also applies to the height. For buildings over 24 feet, tilt-up is more economical and practical as the depth of the walls only need to be slightly larger while masonry requires larger block units.

When constructing with masonry block, the block is usually joined together by a mortar that is a mixture typically made of sand, cement, and water. Brick by brick, masonry block construction stacks up to be very popular for retail buildings and shopping centers. An advantage of masonry construction is that it is easier to set over uneven grades than tilt-up panels. Tilt-up generally needs an even graded slab to stand the panels upright.

In concrete tilt-up construction, the building’s walls are created at the job site by pouring concrete into horizontal wood forms to create panels. After about a week, the concrete gains sufficient strength for lifting and the forms are removed. When ready to lift the panels, cables are attached to inserts and a crane lifts each panel in a sequence until all exterior panels are set into their desired position. Today, concrete tilt construction is very popular for warehouses, distribution centers, offices, shopping centers, schools, and other types of industrial/commercial facilities.

A variation of tilt-up construction is using precast concrete walls. In this process, the concrete panels are not created at the job site. Instead, these panels are cast in a manufacturing facility and shipped to the job site. After the panels arrive at the job site, the process of lifting/tilting the walls is the same. This construction process provides a huge advantage in cold climates because it can be expensive and difficult to cast concrete panels when the temperature drops below freezing. A disadvantage of having precast panels is that their size will be limited because they have to be transported to the site.

Two of our projects that are currently under construction are concrete tilt buildings. The first project is the new Jelly Belly Warehouse which is over 100,000 square feet. We recently did a time-lapse video of a huge concrete pour and tilt-up process. You can check out the latest video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQJkW6uNlUg. The second project is a new Lucky California Grocery Store in Dublin, CA which uses precast concrete panels. Overall, concrete construction is versatile and can be used for any type of building. We have built grocery stores, retail stores, warehouses, offices, a car dealership, and even a clubhouse for a country club with concrete construction processes.

If you have any questions or if you’re interested in building in the future, please give us a call or email. We hope you’ll consider Huff Construction for your next project. Let’s build excellence together.

The Huff Commitment to Safety

Posted on 07/12/201707/13/2017 by Arte Design & Marketing

Commitment to Safety

At Huff Construction, we recognize the need for a comprehensive safety program and we believe our commitment to safety benefits both our employees and our clients. I am thrilled to be back at Huff, after a short tenure away in health care. As our Safety Manager, I bring my 20+ years of experience to the table. My job is to make sure we have the right safety program implemented to ensure we are performing at a high level of safety that we always expect.

I think Gary Huff, our CEO, said it best, “Safety and health are a top priority at Huff Construction and are every bit as important as productivity and quality. In fact, they go hand in hand. We want our employees to observe our safety program to stay safe, healthy and able to work, play and enjoy life to its fullest.”

Over the years, I have learned that safety can only be achieved as a team, and my job as our Safety Manager is to put the ingredients in place to help make our team successful, to create individual accountability and then to cheer on our successes.

Here are some of the key areas we focus on at Huff, when it comes to safety:

Communication

In my experience, every successful safety program I have seen has included a strong communication system, meaning every employee must know how we are doing when it comes to safety. This communication can be as simple as sending out an update on how many days we have gone accident free, celebrating when we reach milestones like 50 days/100 days/150 days accident free, and posting updates on job sites and at the office or on our intranet site.

Communication should also be encouraged back from employees to management. As our Huff Safety Policy states: Safety demands cooperation on everyone’s part. Thus, it is important that communication is kept open at all times between management and employees. Workers who notice hazards or potential safety problems, or feel that they need additional training must notify their supervisor.

Safety Committee

The commitment to safety must come from the highest levels of the company. Our Safety Committee is comprised of our Executive Team, a couple of key field members and myself. We meet regularly to discuss our Safety Program and policies, any injuries, any on-site issues, any upcoming training and more. As the Committee’s Charter states: The primary objective of the Safety Committee is to provide support to enhance the Company’s Safety Program. In addition to this primary mission, the Safety Committee encourages Employees to participate in the safety process for the betterment of all concerned.

Safety Inspections

Safety inspections at our project sites with appropriate documentation and follow-ups are an ongoing part of our Safety Program. These inspections can be carried out by on-site personnel, Executive Team members, myself or outside resources.

Safety Meetings

There are several meetings that are part of our Safety Program including but not limited to our safety tailgate meeting which happens once a week with a different topic and our quarterly safety meetings. Our quarterly meetings give us the opportunity to bring our employees together to discuss a specific topic in depth and give an update on our current safety program results.

Individual Accountability

At Huff, we know that the entire team must be committed to safety for our safety program to succeed. At the same time, we also recognize the need for individual accountability. As our Safety Policy states: Everyone is obligated to be knowledgeable of the standards applicable to their area or job, and just as important, to abide by them… It is the duty of all employees to perform their work with maximum regard for the safety of themselves and co-workers.

To recognize the need for teamwork and individual accountability in order to reach our safety goals, we have built in celebrations at key milestones so that we can honor the hard work put in to stay accident free for 100/150/or more consecutive days. It is always our pleasure to reward our employees for a job well done, safely.

When I think about our Safety Program at Huff, I am proud to see how the hard work that goes into it benefits both our employees and our clients. As our President, Brad Ardis says, “Huff is committed to providing a safe, accident-free and healthy work environment for everyone. Safe, healthy working conditions do not occur by chance. They are the result of diligent work and careful attention to all company policies by each Huff employee. That’s why our clients can count on Huff when they are looking for a quality commercial contractor to build their next project.”

To find out more about Huff Construction or our Safety Program contact us today!

The Huff Commitment to Safety
By Larry Gilbert, HR & Safety Manager

Huff Construction Company, Inc.

Author: Arte Design & Marketing