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Benefits of Maintaining your Parking Lot Paving

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, November 29, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Parking Lot Paving

Your parking lot is the first thing customers and potential customers see when driving by or approaching your business. A well-maintained parking lot makes a great first impression, which can add to your brand, reputation, and image. But, a clean, crisp, and smooth parking lot also keeps customers and employees safe.

Benefits of a Well-Maintained Parking Lot

  • Give a lasting first impression to customers
  • Improves resale value of your property
  • Minimizes tenant turnover in commercial properties
  • Give pride to employees
  • Avoid accidents and falls caused by pot-holes and pavement cracks
  • Ensure code compliance for fire and ADA regulations

Asphalt in parking lots is weakened by sun and water, vehicle weight, temperature changes, and flexibility in the pavement. But, as business or property owners there are things you can do to prolong the life of your parking lot and your investment. A couple of important maintenance steps include: removing leaves, branches and other debris from the pavement to prevent moss growth which can break through and weaken pavement; and regularly filing cracks and sealcoating.

For more information on repaving or resurfacing a parking lot for a business, apartment complex, or school, contact Morse Engineering and Construction.


Happy Thanksgiving to Our Customers, Family, and Friends

Joseph Coupal - Monday, November 19, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Septic System Construction

It is once again time to give thanks. If you have done business with us or are going to do business with us in 2019, it means a lot to us. The primary reason for this blog each week is to educate and inform our readers; as an ongoing act of giving thanks for the privilege of earning your continued trust and continued professional partnerships. So we're glad you're here.

We reflect today on the blessings that so many of you bring to both our personal and professional lives. Over the course of the last year, we hope that we have made a difference in both personal and professional lives as well. This is the true essence and a key measure of professional reward and business success.

It is our sincerest wish that all of you bask in the joy of reflection and thanks within the warm confines of family and friends this Thanksgiving Holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- from all of us here at Morse Engineering and Construction.


Reasons to Start Your Construction Project in Winter

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, November 15, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Septic System Construction

Winter is fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean you need to put your construction plans on hold until the spring. Although winter construction does pose a few challenges, most can be overcome (or planned around). And there are many advantages to starting work now.

1. Better availability of general and subcontractors

The most important and significant advantage to starting work in January or February is that, quite frankly, many think of construction as something that must be done in warmer temperatures. That means general contractors and subcontractors are more available to do your work, setting off a slew of related benefits.

2. Less downtime due to scheduling conflicts

Scheduling conflicts with subcontractors are a top reason projects miss deadlines. It takes a lot of strategizing and careful planning to make all the pieces of a project fall into place, and project managers build time into production schedules assuming there will be delays at some point. We all know that if one element of a project is delayed, there is a domino effect on all the work that follows. With less work typically being done in winter, there is less competition for subcontractors’ time. That makes it easier to keep your project on schedule. It may even mean your project will be completed more quickly due to less downtime.

3. Quicker permits/approvals

Because less construction is going on in winter, there are fewer permit submittals. That translates to quicker approval by municipalities. Many cities and townships are still understaffed due to the recession of 2008, and they can get overwhelmed with building requests during the busy construction season. Depending on the size of your project and the amount of permits, licenses and inspections needed, delays with municipalities can add significant time to your project. Submitting your requests and completing your work during “off” months can shave weeks off approval times.

4. Union rates haven’t been hiked yet

Unions standardly increase their rates in June, just as the heavy construction season is gearing up. Starting and completing your project before then can save you money.

5. Advance planning for larger projects locks in subcontractors

If you are planning a ground-up project for 2018, you can realize some of these benefits by starting your project timeline now. Locking in subcontractors for future work now will help you avoid delays later.

Of course there are certain construction projects that lend themselves to being performed more easily in winter. However, advancements in equipment and careful planning can make even outdoor winter construction feasible.

For more information, contact Morse Engineering and Construction.

Source: pschwabe.com


Can Home Construction Be Started in the Winter?

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, November 08, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Septic System Repair

YES, you can start a construction project in the winter under the right circumstances. There are even some advantages to starting a project in the winter. Here are the pros and cons of starting a project in the winter months:

PROS:

The subcontractors still need to work during the winter so you may be able to get a better price during the winter.

The subcontractors are less busy so they are more likely to meet your schedule.

By starting in the winter you will be off season of a typical construction schedule and therefore the subcontractors and suppliers may be less busy throughout your project. Example: lining up a foundation company is easier during the winter than in the spring or early summer, and finding a framing crew is easier during the winter than during the summer.

Subcontractors can continue to work while it snows verses rain.

The government agencies will be less busy so you can get your permits quicker.

CONS:

Site work companies will need to be very conscientious about not letting frost get into the ground after the excavation is done and before the foundation is completed. This involves watching the weather very closely and covering the ground with thermal blankets if needed.

The days are shorter and colder and therefore the subcontractors have to work shorter days.

There could be more weather delays.

The site may have to be plowed and shoveled, which could incur some extra cost.

It can be harder to get large trucks in and out of your project.

You may need to use temporary heat to heat your home, the workers themselves, or some of the ground so you can dig.

Suggestions for starting a project in the winter months:

If your site gets a lot of sun you will have an easier time of starting a project in the winter.

If your building site gets very little sun or no sun at all, it is probably best not to start a project after the ground has frozen.

Cut some trees down to get more sun on your building site.

Make sure you have your excavation and foundation companies scheduled very close together so you have less chance of frost getting into the soil under the foundation.

Once the foundation and concrete floors are in, the major obstacles of starting in the winter are over. Sometimes the concrete floors can be poured after the house has been framed and temporary heat can be added to the area.

For more information, contact Morse Engineering and Construction.

Source: ubuildit.com


Other Types of Septic System Inspections

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, November 01, 2018
Morse Engineering and Construction Industries - Septic System Inspections, Fiskdale, Sturbridge, MA

New Construction and Upgrades

A new or upgraded system does not require inspection. These systems receive a Certificate of Compliance from the local Board of Health. This certification exempts the system from the inspection requirement for any transfer of title within the next 2 years. This exemption continues up to 3 years, provided that system pumping records demonstrate that the system was pumped at least once during the third year.

Condominiums and Large Systems

The condominium association is responsible for the inspection, maintenance and upgrade of the system or systems serving the units, unless the association’s governing documents provide otherwise.

Condominium systems should be inspected once every 3 years. Condominium developments with 4 or fewer units should also have their system inspected every 3 years, or within 2 years prior to the sale of one of the units.

Large systems serve a facility with a design flow of 10,000 to 15,000 gallons per day. Large systems must be inspected on the basin schedule shown in 310 CMR 15.301(6), and then every five years afterward.

Changes of Use and Increases in Flow

These situations require a system inspection only if the modification requires a building permit or occupancy permit. For example:

  • adding a bedroom to a house
  • adding seats to a restaurant
  • changing the type of business operating at a commercial location.
  • Check with your Building Department or Board of Health to find out if your modification meets these requirements.

Any change in the footprint of a building also requires an inspection to determine the location of the system, to ensure that construction will not be located on top of any system components or on the reserve area. Check with your local Board of Health.

State and Federal Facilities

Title 5 applies to state and federal facilities as well as homes and businesses. MassDEP is the approving authority for state and federal facilities, so the inspection forms are submitted to MassDEP (310 CMR 15.003).

Cross-State Ownership

If a property is located in two states, with the house in one state but the septic system in another state, the state where the septic system is located has jurisdiction and the owner must follow the regulations for that state. For example, if the septic system is located in New York, but the house is in Massachusetts, the property is subject to New York's laws and regulations.

Voluntary inspections

A system owner may choose voluntarily to have an assessment of the condition of the system even if there is no requirement for an inspection. Results of these voluntary assessments are solely for the use of the owner, and do not need to be submitted to local Boards of Health or MassDEP.

For more information on septic tank inspections, contact Morse Engineering and Construction.

Source: mass.gov