Follow this link to get there.

The list of photovoltaic power stations shows that Europe is far ahead of America in solar installations. The recent tax law changes in America, however, seem to be creating a boom of solar planning and installations soon to be built.

The states that have legislated a certain percentage of electricity be produced from renewable energy seem to be leading the boom. For example, California now requires 20% renewable energy electricity and increases that requirement to 33% by 2020. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, will require about 80 times more solar energy in the grid from 2009 to 2020. These are huge investments that will need to be made.

If you think this market may suit you, hop on the internet and start researching. Remember, where you are 5 years from now depends partly on the decisions you make today.

Post subject: Soil Modification/Stabilization by Panzrule

I have been working on a site project that began in early October of 2009. If you can remember this winter here in Pennsylvania, we had a record winter in terms of snowfall. In conjunction with the snowfall we had what I would consider a cold winter. Now this is coming from a guy who spent the last 11 years working in an office who now was the acting site project superintendent, project manager and occassional equipment operator. So needless to say my opinion may be slightly skewed due to the time spent in the office becoming soft.

Because of the wet & frozen soil conditions throughout the winter and the owner’s need to maintain the project schedule soil modification was used. To be totally honest, I was skeptical of the process. I had never seen this process used and by the prices that I recieved for purchasing the material, I was petrified!

We applied a blend of hydrated lime and lime kiln dust. The amount of this product varied depending on the moisture content of the soil. The product is added by percentage of weight of the soil (soil proctor value) and how much moisture you are trying to reduce. Depending on the soils, for every 1% of hydrated lime added to the soil will reduce the moisture by 1-3%. If by spec you are only allowed to be 2% over optimum for moisture and the virgin ground being cut is 10% over in January, you probably won’t be able to make it without some type of modification to the soils.

On previous projects in the past if schedule had to be kept in these situations either stone was place in lieu of fill or stone was mixed with fill. This works fine except if the site balances for every yard of stone imported you will have an equal yardage of fill to haul away. As it turns out here locally the cost to modify a cubic yard of soil on this site was about half the cost of purchasing stone. Let alone what it may have cost to export that same volume of earth.

I was amazed how this product melted 20″ of frost and was compactable in about 2 hours. There were also soils that I would classify as pus. You know the kind that almost level themselves when dumped. Treat that stuff with about 5% hydrated lime and now you have something to work with.

Needless to say I am no longer skeptical about the product or the process. It made a believer out of me. I would love to try using a type 2 or 3 portland cement and mix with soils. From what I am told you have about a 3 hour working time before it becomes rock hard. In some cases I am told that if excavation is required after soil is treated with portland you may have to sawcut the treated soils so you are able to dig through it. I am also told that if the subgrade is treated using portland beneath paved areas, the sectional thickness of stone and asphalt could be reduced. This would be beneficial if the cost of asphalt continues to rise and would help reduce the use of our natural resources.

So if you have a few thousand yards of wet fill to place and natural air drying is not an option give soil modification a shot. Once you get past the sticker shock you won’t be dissappointed.

There was lots I liked about this letter.

1. A busy, influential architect took the time and effort to write it to a kid.
2. He mixes the practical and the creative, acknowledging the place of both.
3. He ties the work to a higher purpose…the requirement to love truth and beauty.
4. Imagination gets called out as the quality of creativity.
5. He challenges to live beyond the office, to read Walden.
6. Efficiency and integrity are foundational.

You may not be an architect, yet your job (and your life) will improve with attention to these concepts. I challenge you to consider and value your imagination. Do things that feed that imagination, building your capacity for creative problem solving. It’s fun and it gets noticed.

Unleashing your creativity won’t only help your work life, your level of happiness will also surge. I recently read an excerpt of The Happiness Project that noted that the things we enjoyed doing at 10 years old will likely still be the things that bring us joy. We tend to forget and we benefit if we try to remember. This Happiness Project Toolbox also had some great insights.

So take some time to re-engage in a hobby, read something out of your norm, focus on living a creative and joyful life.

This blog gets from 2,000 to 3,000 unique visitors a month. So lots of folks are looking. I continue to be surprised, though, that so few people are talking. I get an occasional comment on blog post, usually from one of a few people. The Construction Knowledge Forum has some occasional postings.

Both these venues provide you the opportunity to ask questions, rant about things that move you, or just engage in discussions with others in this great construction industry. I encourage you to consider posting something in the Forum or the Blog comments. It may be a new experience for you, but hey, get out of your comfort zone. As W.C. Fields said, “It’s time to take the bull by the tail and face the situation.” Happy postings.

You are probably sick of reading about the new health care law, regardless of which side you’re on. Did you know that the construction industry has a special status in the new law? For every company in America, except construction companies, 50 full time workers tips the firm into the requirement to provide health care to employees. The law currently states that construction companies must provide health care with 5 employees or $250,000 in payroll. The penalty is $750 per employee per year.

Supposedly, the Reconciliation package will eliminate this special treatment of the construction industry. As you’d expect, vocal proponents are politicking on either side of the issue. Construction business groups wonder about the hardest hit industry of the Great Recession taking another shot. Union leaders want the 5 employee rule to stand.

The unemployment rate in construction dropped from 27% to 25%, which I guess is good news. Though an industry with a 1 out of 4 people out of work really can’t celebrate. Firms I’m talking with are starting to see some work moving in mid-2010, though most don’t see much improvement till 2011. The forecast seems to vary widely depending on the types of buildings.

Most of my work seems to be designing and constructing apartment buildings, churches and solar farms. A decade or two ago, it was factories and office buildings. I’m not sure what that says about America, but I’m thinking it isn’t so good.

Something that is good, though, is the cover story in ENR about an innovative apartment building now being constructed in Manhattan. Designed by architect Frank Gehry (think the curvy metal of the Disney Theater in LA or the Guggenheim Museum in Spain), this 70 story building is on time and budget. Nadine Post writes yet another wonderful article outlining how the various players work together to design and build this complex project. She also makes the astute observation that the cooperative design-build team kept much of the project simple (to control cost) and only added the curves and complexity where it showed.

Here’s a photo a friend sent me that should inspire us all…though I’m not sure to what.

Hope you have a great Easter week-end.

My pal builds to an amazing quality level. He has an artist’s eye and gets decent production as well. Whether winning awards for his finish carpentry work on a local college project or building beautiful built-in furniture, he’s an amazing tradesman. Admittedly, he probably shouldn’t have his own business. Too quick to empathize with his customer’s point of view, he lacked the attribute to protect himself. He didn’t ever charge enough, always worried that he’d lose the work or that he wasn’t being fair.

So what’s he going to do? He’s going Aborigine. Moving to the Appalachian Mountains, he’ll live with a group of people that teach others how our ancestors lived…no electricity, making tools for building, hunting or harvesting for food and all that goes with a primitive lifestyle.

All his tools are sold. Most of his other possessions he hauled to the Penryn Mud Sale and sold at auction. I took some stuff to that sale as well. Below is a photo of some Amish kids having a great time playing on an old air hockey table we wanted to get rid of.

As I was walking around the sale, I saw an Amish framer I work with often. Elam was there with his twin 3 year old sons, who had to be the cutest little guys I’ve ever seen. He and his wife got there in their horse and buggy, yet his crews frame with air nailers and electric drills and have cell phones.

I’ve lived around the Amish my entire life and have a basic understanding of how and why they stay Amish. For most, it’s just how they were raised. Everyone’s upbringing seems normal to them.

When I look to my friend moving to the woods, though, I’m intrigued. The writing about the camp gives more detail, “We orient to the basic foundation of where things come from and where things go. We plant and harvest in our gardens, milk goats, make butter, soap, bowls, spoons and tools of all size and description. We hunt and gather wild foods and medicines and natural resources abounding in our huge natural preserve. We cook on a fire, gathering our own wood.”

Sounds like a great adventure doesn’t it? Perhaps we have much to learn by looking back? Would you be ready to step back in time?

This week our daughter Anna gave birth to our first born grandchild. They named him Levin. Our son-in-law brought his 8 year old son Clay (whom I love dearly) into the marriage, so I have some experience with being Poppy. I’m fascinated, though, how different the birth experience is for a grandparent than a parent. My best analogy relates to wrestling. When I was preparing to go out for a match, I had some of the most intense feelings of my life…a combination of excitement and dread. When I watched my son go out for a match, on the other hand, my emotions were so much calmer, everything seemed more in perspective.

The photo below shows our other daughter, son and me hanging out in the waiting room. We were relaxed, and no, I wasn’t picking my nose, though I can’t vouch similarly for Tessa.

We had a relaxed day, hearing the updates about the progression of labor. I can’t resist throwing in a photo of Anna in the early stages of labor, as she looked so beautiful and radiant.

She went through the labor and delivery process mostly keeping that smile. She’s an athlete with a great positive attitude and was sure she’d be fine with this birthing thing. She once ran a marathon without any preparation and that’s mostly the way she approached having Levin. It seems to work for her.

As I recall, the first few months with a new baby present a different sort of challenge. Anne Lamott, one of my favorite writers, says, “Bringing a new baby home is like getting the world’s worst roommate. It’s like Janis Joplin with a hangover and PMS.”

So Anna, Chris, Clay and Levin will be in the muddle of that living and learning. In a way, I’m on the other side of it. I still have a full and joyful life, yet age seems to level the peaks and valleys a bit. Nothing seems quite as scary as it once did. No matter what happens, life continues and we get through…until we don’t. And it’s all good. Especially holding a little newborn and realizing that this amazing cycle starts anew.

A buddy of mine since 7th grade heard about Levin and advised me to take some time to reflect, to think about the things that count in the long run. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve taken his advice here and decided to share with you.

Years ago a friend said, “If you’re going to be more than 2 or 3 minutes late to a meeting, give a courtesy call and let them know your status. Excuses should be avoided, though, because most of the time the reason you’re late is that you didn’t care enough about getting there on time.”

I’d like to hear an honest appraisal, sometime, when someone walks in late to a meeting. “I’m sorry I’m late, but you all just didn’t matter enough to me to put in the effort to be on time.”

Of course, all this leads up to me making an excuse for not posting this week…my internet service (for about 1000 of us in this area) was down almost all week. Sorry.

As I was thinking about excuses, my son Lex sent me this wonderful short video that encourages and motivates. Please take a few minutes to watch it, I think you’ll be glad you did.

He doesn’t make excuses and he doesn’t waste time worrying. He lives all it.

I’ve got some good posts in me for next week, so check back.

As I thought more about Facebook and marketing in general, I remembered an “Ah Ha” moment I had 20 years ago. I was running a General Contracting firm with about 80 people. A past customer started a project with another GC. Our sales guy called on the past customer to find why he hadn’t come back to us. Had we done something wrong that we didn’t know? Had there been problems with the last project that he never told us?

The customer answered, “No, you guys did a great job, but it was a few years ago. When I started thinking about this new project, I just didn’t think about you. I’d been hearing things about this other firm and just gave them a call. Things went from there.”

We need marketing becuase customers forget. They have their busy lives and don’t think about us much. So whether you run a business or your own career (and I’m convinced there isn’t much difference between the two), you need to remind possible clients or bosses of your existence.

Imagine setting up a Facebook account and friending most of the people in your email directory. Only the ones currently on Facebook get notified, and most of them will probably accept your friend request. Now you have some people who see your posts. You may post on your wall that you’ve been calling around for work, never having seen it quite this bad before. Not whining or begging, just commenting on what you are doing and thinking.

A potential customer (or boss) may see that post and be spurred to action. Lots of projects are happening right now because the customers have been thinking about the project for years, but no one expressed much interest in taking them on. Now the call requesting a quote gets promptly answered and the bid given. The starting time becomes as soon as the permit clears.

Besides getting you remembered, marketing motivates customers to take action. Wendy’s doesn’t advertise because they’ve got money to waste. They spend all those dollars on ads because the ads encourage customers to act in ways they wouldn’t have. Adding some offices differs from buying a Frosty, but the advertising works the same.

So, as you manage your career or your business, think about marketing as a way to make customers remember who you are and what you could do for them. Make the time and take the risk.

Any time a video clip ends with “Dude, are you all right?” you know it can’t be good.

So why should those of us in construction care about internet social media? Well, the construction world, along with the rest of the world, becomes more interconnected and complicated every year.

Being great at what you do is still the best insurance policy for success in hard times. Yet, that competence may not be enough. Some self-promotion and networking just may be required for you to keep working in these challenging times.

I don’t particularly like it, but that’s the way it is. So you would be wise to stay somewhat current with these social networking trends. Do you have a Facebook account? If not, I encourage you to sign up for one.

The process is simple. You can go to the “find friends” screen and let Facebook access your email. Then anyone who you have emailed who is on Facebook will come up as a possible friend. That attribute makes it easy to find people. Maybe one of those people will play a part in hooking you up with your next job.

Go to HubSpot if you want to better understand web traffic and analytics.

Similarly, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) moved us toward accessible design, but was terrible to work under until the ANSI/ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities was produced. As an example, the ADA required the toilet center-line be 18″ from the wall. We had inspectors conclude they weren’t authorized to allow 17 7/8″. When A117 came out with that requirement clarified to be 16″ to 18″, we all knew we were working with a tolerance that was achievable.

So, if you are interested in sustainable building design and construction, download the public comment version of the International Green Construction Code and study through it. You will make yourself a more valuable industry asset and learn a few things in the process. If you have some extra time available due to the economy, use it to learn. Celebrate your interest and aptitude for learning…it’s one of life’s great joys.

As always, don’t try this at home.

Imagine the guys that built those smoke stacks…assembling the scaffolding (probably all wooden), laying brick day after day for weeks, and showing their families what they built when completed. Now, in five seconds, those stacks become a pile of rubble. The circle of life continues.

By the way, this is the first YouTube video I noticed that Google put a related advertisement at the bottom. What will those Googlers monetize next?

The deck entrance combines the simple wood and high tech plane in a beautiful way.

Doesn’t the bedroom look like a place you’d feel comfortable?

On the other hand, this Boeing 727 in Mississippi is cool but just doesn’t have the same flair.

You can see more plane conversion photos if you’ve liked these.

The architects state in the video below that humans move in curves and the architectural form created here follows that concept. They also note that artists and scientists both need to be creative. They have the common task to discover something interesting. If you have a few minutes, watch this fascinating video about this newest Institute of Technology.

In construction, we get to pull from both the artist and the scientist within. Do you strive to discover something interesting? I challenge you to take your day, your week, your year to a higher purpose. Don’t just go through the motions to get a paycheck. Don’t sleepwalk through life to get to death safely.

Strive today to discover something interesting.

We saw The Blind Side last night and loved it. It’s the story of Michael Orr, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. As a brief summation, a privileged (and gorgeous) woman takes in a homeless kid. The trailer below gives the flavor of the movie.

The movie encourages me to look beyond what I think I see. I’m challenged, as Goethe said, to treat people not as they are, but as they are capable of becoming.

Last week, TBW and I watched Precious, another amazing movie that inspires and illuminates.

If you get a chance to see these movies, I hope you also are moved to be the best you. The place to start those changes, then, will be in your relationships. I ask you to think deeply about how you could help someone you know. Perhaps it’s a young pipe layer struggling with staying married. Maybe it’s a two time drug loser who’s begging you for one last chance to be the foreman you know he could be.

Those two examples came to mind because two Construction Superintendent pals of mine encountered those exact situations a few years ago and put in the effort to get involved and take a chance. All the lives involved were enriched by their actions. So go ahead, put in the time and take a risk. It’s worth the effort.

If you have a few more minutes, brush up on the helpful concepts on electricity available at ConstructionKnowledge.net.

Since then, I’ve always wanted to give everything I’ve had, whatever the endeavor. It’s a great way to live. No excuses, no regrets.

I remember one night after his show we were loading the trucks and his tour bus had some mechanical problem, so they couldn’t leave yet. He and the band came piling off the bus as he announced they were all heading up to a strip bar about a block away. Miami Steve VanZandt yelled as they were walking away, “That’s why he’s the Boss!”

Bruce helped others often, sometimes giving, sometimes going onstage and playing with local bands in a bar. He seemed to live in the moment and try to do the right thing as it came up. The video below shows him playing guitar with some kid in Copenhagen. I can imagine him being recognized, the kid asking him to play and someone just catching it on video.

If you have a few minutes, watch the video and listen to the words. The story is about a construction worker enduring hard times, financially and emotionally. Does that sound familiar?

Let me challenge you right now. If you are suffering through this economy, take the initiative to get to know yourself better and map out a great future life. My book Joyful Living: Build Yourself a Great Life! can be downloaded free and has some more funny Bruce Springsteen stories in it. Or use some other resource to examine where you are and where you want to go.

On the other hand, if you are prospering through these times, take a clue from The Boss, reach out and help others. Don’t do it in some grand fashion, just pay attention and learn to feel where the spirit moves you. Learn to spot opportunities to do some good without making it a big deal. Sometimes, it becomes a big deal for others.