Builders News

5 Tips to Build Trust with Customers

Customers who trust your business will be loyal customers. Establishing trust with your customers provides you the opportunity to build lifelong relationships with your clientele, which will give you a sense of job security as well as the satisfaction of a job well done. Read More

The Language of Manufactured Homes

A manufactured home has been called many things over the years. The list includes mobile home, trailer, double wide, modular home, pre-manufactured home, pre-fab home, tiny houses, and even a park model. Did you know that none of the terms on this list are correct to use? It is important to call a manufactured home by what it is, manufactured housing. When using the other terms, you are misleading a consumer, perpetuating a myth or misunderstanding regarding the quality of the product, and adding confusion for building officials and licensing. Read More

Massachusetts Energy Efficiency- Terms and Legislation

The commonwealth of Massachusetts has led the nation over the last decade on energy efficiency. Part of this legacy is due to signing into law the Massachusetts Global Warming Solution Acts (GWSA) in August of 2008. The law requires a Green House Gas (GHG) reduction to happen below 1990 levels with a goal of 80% reduction by 2050. Part of this legislation involved the net-zero stretch code, which was established within the building code appendix over a decade ago and since has been adopted by the majority of Massachusetts municipalities. Yet a decade later, the terms involved with these policies, such as net-zero, are often misused. Read More

2019 Top 10 OSHA Violations

OSHA released the Top 10 OSHA violations of 2019 at the NSC Congress & Expo in San Diego. Since 2018 violations have dropped by 15% but Fall Protection remains the #1 OSHA violation. Read More

Tips and Tricks to Pass Your Contractor Exam

If you are like me, deciding to get your contractor license is a big deal. You’ve spent time looking for the best exam prep course for the best price and now you’re signed up to take your exam. You’ve circled the date on your calendar and the pre-test jitters are setting in. You have questions like “how much should I study? and "what should I study?” Every state's exam may be slightly different but the test taking skills you will need are universal. Here are some of the best exam taking tips to help you pass your exam. Read More

5 Construction Technology Trends to Watch in 2020

Many construction companies have been hesitant to embrace new technology because they view it as an expense rather than a method to improve efficiency and cut costs overall. Companies that have been early to the new technology game have reaped the benefits of lower employee turnover, increased productivity, and less workplace accidents. Here are a few new technologies that began to take hold in 2019 and are expected to take off in 2020. Read More

Big Blue Nation Building Codes

At the start of 2019, binding alterations to the Kentucky Building and Residential Code (now in its 2nd edition) took effect. The code, established under legislation and applied by the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction (DHBC) and the Department for Energy Development and Independence (DEDI), is the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) with state-specific amendments. Additionally, the state adopted both the Kentucky Building and Residential Code as a mini/maxi code. A mini/maxi system means that it is a statewide, uniform, mandatory building code, and local governments must not adopt or enforce any other building code governing commercial construction.  The DHBC & DEDI also established the mini/maxi code requirements in the residential code for detached single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, and townhouses. Local governments should not adopt or enforce any other building code on these units. The law and changes are vital knowledge for tradespeople to have to ensure a prosperous future for Kentucky. Read More

November Scholarship Recipient!

Builders License Training Institute has chosen a new scholarship winner! Ty G. Heiss applied for our Military Pre-Licensure Training Scholarship, and we are excited to announce this 4-year Army Veteran and Army Commendation Medal recipient as a new student in our Michigan 60-hour pre-license course. Read More

How Single Buyers Are Affecting The Construction Industry

The 2017 Census Bureau found that more than 120 million U.S. citizens, 48% of adults 18 and older, are divorced, widowed, or never married. That is a huge change from 1970 when 39 million adults, only 29%, were single. Baby boomers divorced at nearly double the rate of previous generations between 1990 & 2015. Perhaps as a result of the older generation's divorce rate, Gen Xers and millennials are forgoing marriage altogether. Only about 20% of 18-29 year olds are married compared to 60% of the same age group in 1960. Experts believe the single home buyer trend will continue to grow over the coming years.  Read More

New Program for Ethics in Construction!

When considering a construction project, choosing a contractor is possibly the most important decision that is made in the whole project. It can be extremely difficult to distinguish between a high quality, competent and experienced professional compared to someone who is posing as such. Often by the time their true colors are shown it can be too late. Read More