Tag: florida contractor

Mobile Apps for Contractors Part 3

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Contractors use mobile apps these days more than you think. Mobile apps are great for contractors and their companies because people are able to communicate offline and in the field. From time tracking to project sharing, these mobile apps are making contractors communicate with their team and clients easier.

We wanted to share with you some of the newest and best mobile apps out there that you’ll want to download. There’s an app for almost every aspect of the business these days!

Photo Measures – This app allows contractors to take photos and write dimensions directly onto the photo; people can export these photos or save them to a library.

TRUCKAST – This app allows contractors to set up ready-mix concreate order from a mobile device; it allows you o track delivery times, as well as real-time info about a pour job.

PENTA Mobile Field Inspections – This app is good for field inspectors so they don’t need to use paper.

Fall Safety – For those contractors who work at taller heights, this app provide fall detection and can detect falls. If the app thinks there is a fall, it will sound an alarm for 30 seconds then alert your emergency contacts through email, text, and voicemail.

Corecon Mobile – This lets contractors share punch lists, project dynamics, administration, and daily logs.

iHandy Carpenter – This app helps carpenters by acting as a tool for such things as measuring and leveling.

iSafe Inspections – This app helps construction teams save money while managing their safety programs; contractors can automate the type of inspection (safety audits, work orders, property assessments, asset management, service management, and custom forms.

PlanGrid – This app allows contractors and architects to collaborate on project plans, specs and photos.

Looking for a job in contracting and need to get your Florida contractor’s license? Let us help you. We are a contractor licensing company in Southwest Florida. To get your Florida contractor’s license process started, click here of call 239-777-1028.

Mobile Apps for Contractors Part 2

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Mobile apps make people’s lives easier, even in the workplace. Information is faster to retrieve and communication happens faster. Mobile apps aren’t just for games anymore. Employeers can use these apps to track time, share projects, research information and more. As a contractor, you can use many mobile apps out there whether you’re in the field or in an office. And, many of these apps work offline, so you’re able to record or access information even in a remote, offline area.

Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular in the contracting community. Here is a few quick statistics: 48 percent of construction companies use mobile technology to get customer and job info, and 47 percent of construction companies use mobile apps for drawings, schedules, photos, and documents.

Below, we wanted to share with you some of the newest mobile apps out there for you to use in your daily life on the job.

BlueVue Plans – This app gives contractors quick and easy access to construction plans and revisions.

FTQ360 – This app helps contractors focus on tracking and improving quality, safety and subcontractor performance. There are more than 150 quality control checklists.

Estimate Rocket – This app helps contractors with estimating, invoicing, scheduling, project tracking and CRM; contractors can create and send digital estimates and invoices from the field.

Autodesk BIM 360 – This app helps an employer keep employees up-to-date with documents, plans, and models. This is a document management software.

Safety Meeting – This app covers 34 different trades and meets OSHA’s required meeting laws; it stores records electronically.

Fast Concrete Pad Calculator – This app calculates quantities of concrete and rebar required for a concrete-pad project. It also calculates cost, waste, and allows people to email estimates.

Looking to get your Florida contractor’s license? You want to make sure you’re licensed, so you don’t get in trouble for practicing illegally. If you’re looking to get a contractor license, let our team help you. We are a contractor licensing team in Southwest Florida. To get the process started, click here or call 239-777-1028.

Mobile Apps for Contractors

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Mobile apps are here to stay. Whether for work or pleasure, people are using mobile apps for everything and anything in their daily lives. All industries these days have their own mobile apps to make life easier for workers. Technology can help people get their jobs done, including professionals in the contracting industry. Contractors are using mobile apps both in the field and in the office. 48 percent of construction companies use mobile technology to get customer and job info; 47 percent of construction companies use mobile apps for drawings, schedules, photos, and documents; 38 percent of construction companies use mobile apps for daily reports; 36 percent of construction companies use mobile apps for cost and project reports; and 30 percent of construction companies use mobile apps to keep time. (These statistics came from Sage Software).

Here are some great contractor apps you should check out:

Timesheet Mobile – This app is free and employees can track their time spent at job sites, with customers, along with writing notes and mileage down. This app also alerts workers to clock in and out.

SmartBidNet – This app allows a person to create and track the bid process and it also allows people to build custom prequalification forms to ID the qualifications and risk level for subcontractors before invited on a bid.

JobFLEX – This app can be used connected to the internet or offline. This app allows contractors to create estimate quick and easy. This app can create estimate for up to 50 customers in one account.

ClockShark – This app allows employeers to track the time and GPS location of employees; no more paperwork needed.

Harmon.ie – This app gives contractors access to documents, emails, and the ability to collaborate; this works off and online.

 

These apps are pretty awesome, but there’s no point in using them if you’re not properly licensed. Looking to get your Florida contractor’s license? We can help you. We are a contractor licensing company in Florida. We make the process easy and simple. Click here or call us at 239-777-1028 to start the process today.

 

Contractor Products Worth Checking Out Part 2

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We live in a high-tech world; people need answers fast and are working more efficiently than ever due to new and improved technological advancements. We wanted to share with our contracting community some new and useful construction products that are currently on the market.

CYBERWATCH SAT – this is a satellite, wireless alarm and location meter, specifically designed for remote locations. In a remote location, a contractor can connect his or her phone to the device mounted on a piece of equipment. With this device, a person can send an email or text.

New Book – “A Guide to Building Natural Swimming Pools” by Schiffer Publishing covers management, excavation, lining, walling, plumbing, electrical. Planting, structure, maintenance and more.

ThermalTech – This company has released a solar-powered smart fabric. It is made from stainless steel yarn, is lightweight, and keeps the body warm even at night. This fabric is not bulky and more fashionable looking.

Starlock Multi-Tool System – This system gives a person a quick-change blades with a color code system so a person chooses the correct blade for the job at hand.

Paperlight – PaperLight is a projection display that is touch enabled; it connects to a computer so a person can view and share full-size drawings digitally.

Live streaming – TrueLook, which produces camera systems for construction project monitoring and time-lapsing, now offer a live-streaming option. Employers and managers can watch a live stream of any job site through a web app.

MyServiceWhale – This is a widget that business owners and contractors can install on their websites to give potential clients accurate quotes.

Liquid Nanotint – This product can reduce radiant and conductive heat from windows, making them more energy efficient. You can paint this product on.

New technologies in the contracting business is exciting, but only if you’re a licensed contractor! Otherwise, it’s illegal for you to be working a job. If you’re interested in becoming a contractor, you’ll want to get your Florida contractor’s license. We are a contractor licensing company. We also help people get their Georgia contractor’s license. To get started on the licensing process, click here or call 239-777-1028.

Contractor Products Worth Checking Out

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If you’re a construction contractor, you want to be on top of the latest construction products on the market. New products can help you do work faster, more efficiently, and have clients know you’re on top of the latest and greatest thing in the field. New products show that you’re a forward thinker. Below, we wanted to share some new construction products out there that you may be interested in purchasing for your contracting business.

Cat and NoteVault – Cat and Notevault came together to increase productivity by combining smartphones and technology. All purchases of Cat smartphones will come with 4 months of a Notevault account for free.

Airhome – Airhome is an in-room audio feature for a client’s home or commercial building. Airhome is a multi-room, built-in home audio system that operates on Wi-Fi. This can work with in-wall or in-ceiling speaker so the home will not have a cluttered effect with boxy speakers laying around or wires everywhere.

Houdini glass – Bendheim Wall Systems is offering this specialty architectural glass; it allows both privacy and daylight. It is translucent, u-shaped, and machine rolled.

Surface armor – Urban Armor has created a case that protects devices while being slim, form-fitting and hard and protective all at the same time.

Concept – Concept by US is a Powerstation, This is a new turnkey, solar energy storage system that gives steady, reliable energy to off-grid people in daylight and nighttime.

Scala – Scala Architectural and Engineering Scale is a new app that gives a new way to measure printed drawings anywhere. It includes standard imperial architectural, metric architectural and engineering scales.

Qvarn – Qvarn offers open source identity management software that helps an organization manage a secure database of workers’ data; this system helps protect personal and private identification of the workers.

The contracting industry is constantly improving with new technology. If you are looking to get your Florida contractor’s license and are looking to get into this industry, contact us today and let us help you. We are a contractor licensing company in Florida. Click here or call 239-777-1028 to contact us today.

 

GEORGIA ANNUAL REGISTRATION SEASON IS OPEN

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Georgia’s annual registration season for 2017 is from January 1 to April 1 2017. If your annual registration and payment are not postmarked by April 1, you will be fined a $25 filing penalty fee.

This website allows you to file your annual registration without a username and password on the website The Express Annual Registration section allows you to make changes to your entity. The One Click Annual Registration section allows you to pay the annual registration quickly if there are no changes to the entity.

You can file your annual registration with or without making changes after logging into eCorp.sos.ga.gov Annual registration fees are: $50 for profit corporations, LLCs, and LPs; $30 for nonprofit corporations; and $25 for foreign LLPs. If the amount listed for your entity is larger than expected, then the total reflects amounts due from previous years and any late fees.

To keep your entity in “good standing” with the Office of Secretary of State, you should file your annual registration online with a credit card.  You can also file by mail and require a printed annual registration form and payment with a check, certified bank check or money order. Feels can be mailed with your completed annual registration form to: Office of Secretary of State, Annual Registration Filings, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., 313 West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334.

A paper registration form can be printed from here https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov. All checks must be pre-printed with a complete address in order to be accepted. Cash is not accepted.

Any person authorized by the entity may sign and file an annual registration.

The Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State created a how-to guide to help people through the annual registration process. The guide is here: http://sos.ga.gov/Corporations.

For more help, reach out to the Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State  at corporationswebmail@sos.ga.gov, at 404-656-2817 or toll-free at 844-753-7825.

If you’re looking for help getting a Georgia Contractor’s License or a Florida Contractor’s Licenses, our team can help you with the process. Click here or call 239-777-1028 to contact us.

 

What is a specialty structure contractor?

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In the world of contracting, there are a lot of different specialties a person can choose from. For this post, we wanted to share with you one in particular: a Florida Specialty Structure Contractor. In the state of Florida, a specialty structure contractor fabricates, assembles, handles, erects, installs, replaces, dismantles, adjusts, alters, repairs, services, and designs work in accordance with accepted engineering data to manufacturers specifications. This would be done in metal, canvas, vinyl, fiberglass screening, doors, windows, hurricane-protection devices and construction materials.

As a specialty structure contractor, they work with: fabric coverings, metal substructures, screened porches, pool and screened enclosures, preformed panel-post and beam roofs, manufactured housing roof-overs, guardrails, handrails, vinyl and aluminum fences, residential glass window and door enclosures, sunrooms, siding, gutters, and a few other items.

Applicants for a specialty structure contract must have experience in concrete in siding, soffit, fascias, gutters, downspouts, corner cables, rigid bracing, post and beam structures, vinyl and glass windows, screen roofs, screen walls, framed solid panel walls, screen and storm doors, composite metal panel walls, concrete slabs, CMU kneewalls, excavating, laying out, forming and placing pier-type post footings.

These contractors cannot perform work that alters the structural integrity of a building including working with roof trusses, lintels, load-bearing walls and foundations. When it comes to masonry concrete work, these contractors’ work is limited to foundations, slabs, and block kneewalls.

Want to get your Florida contractor’s license and become a specialty structure contractor? Our team of experienced professionals are here to help answer all your questions and get you your license. We have help thousands of contractors get their license. We have been a company since 2007. And around 95 percent of our Florida contractor licensing packages get approved the first time with no issues. To learn more about us click here. To get started on your Florida contractor’s license, click here or call 239-777-1028.

 

What is a Residential Contractor?

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Ever thought of a career in contracting? Like building things? Working with your hands? Thinking critically? Solving problems? If you said yes to all of these things, you may want to look into being a contractor. A contractor is a rewarding career. You get to work on a project and see the fruits of your labor. Hard work pays off in this industry. Plus, you’ll most likely stay in great physical shape because of it. There are also a number of different specialties in the contracting community. One of the biggest contracting specialties is a residential contractor. A residential contractor must obtain a license in the state of Florida to work.

What does a residential contractor do? A residential contractor constructs, remodels, repairs or improves homes (single, two-family, three-family etc) that do not go above two stories. If you want to work on buildings more than three stories, you must get another license, a Florida building contractor’s license. Or, if you want less restrictions on what t=you can build or work on, a general contractor’s license would be your best bet.

Before getting a license, a person must take three different exams: the Residential Contract Administration exam; the Residential Project Management Exam; and the Business and Finance Exam. The Residential Contract Administration Exam is 45 questions long, open book and lasts 4 hours and 45 minutes. The subjects on the exam include: pre-construction activities, project contracts, obtaining licenses, permits and approvals, construction procedures and operations. The Residential Project Management Exam is 60 questions, open book and lasts 4 hours and 45 minutes. Subjects in the test include: construction methods, materials, tools, equipment, safety, reading plans and specifications. The Business and Finance Exam is 120 questions is 6 hours and 30 minutes. Subjects on this test include: establishing contracting business, managing admin duties, managing trade operations, conducting accounting functions, managing human resources, and complying with government regulations.

If you have taken the exams and are ready to apply for a Florida contractor’s license, let us help you. The process can be confusing, and often times, people fail to get their license if things are missing or filled out incorrectly. We are an experienced team of professionals who have helped thousands of people get their contractor’s license. Click here to get your license process started today or call 239-777-1028.

Is a carpenter a contractor?

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Is a carpenter a contractor? Usually, a carpenter is not a contractor, but is usually employed by one. In essence, they are a sub-contractor. However, a carpenter can be a contractor. Contractors provide carpenters, and other workers, with jobs to do and instructions.

Often, many carpenters do not have an education beyond high school,  and can be both skilled and unskilled; they work with materials and tools to build a new or unfinished project. They are a laborer designated for construction tasks.

Carpenter construct, install and repairs structures from wood and other materials; they work on homes, buildings, kitchens, bridges, highways, and more. A carpenter’s skills can be huge. Some carpenters know how to frame walls, put in doors, put in windows, build stairs, install molding, install cabinets, build tunnel bracing, build concrete tunnels, replace glass, replace tiles, repair furniture, change locks, move machinery and more.

This job is a good 40 hours a week, and it is a very physically demanding job. Carpenters do a lot of heavy lifting, standing, bending, kneeling, climbing, and more. They work with a lot of sharp, heavy, and rough materials so safety is a concern.

After high school, many people interested in becoming a carpenter work with a carpenter or attend a trade or vocational school. Some companies offer apprenticeships to people to learn the craft of carpentry; these apprenticeships combine classroom studies with on-the-job training. These programs are usually three to four years.

Skills needed and required of a carpenter include: good hand-eye coordination, physical fitness, manual dexterity, balance, good at math, and more.

If your state requires a license to be a carpenter, it’s essential you get one, or else you will be working illegally. By being licensed, this shows you have experience, that you’ve passed certain tests, and you know the laws.

If you’re looking to get a Florida contractor’s license, let us help! We are a team of professionals who has helped thousands of contractors get their license so they are able to work. We make the process easy and fast for you. To learn more, click here or call 239-777-1028.

What is an Irrigation Contractor?

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Contracting is a huge industry. When a person things of contracting, often times, construction or electrical industries, come to mind. However, there are so many specialties in the world of contracting. Whether you like working with pipes or wood or windows, there is a type of contracting out there to suit a person’s interests and skill set. For this particular article, we wanted to focus on: a irrigation contractor.

A Florida Irrigation contractor maintains, repairs, alters, extends, manages, monitors, audits and designs irrigation systems, including excavation work. Irrigation systems including piping, fittings, sprinklers, drip irrigation products, valves, irrigation controllers, control wiring, water pumps, rain sensors, water conservation devices, water harvesting systems, irrigation main lines, utility alternative water supply distribution lines, and dedicated backflow prevention devices.

To become an irrigation contractor in the state of Florida, a person must take and pass two state certification exams. The Irrigation exam and the Business & Law exam. The Irrigation exam is an open-book test consisting of 80 questions and people are tested on the topics of: pre-construction, construction, maintenance and repair, scheduling and water conservation, rules, laws, and codes. The Business and Finance exam last 6.5 hours and is 120 questions. Topics on the test include: establishing the contracting business, managing administrative duties, managing trade operations, conducting accounting functions, managing HR, and complying with government regulations.

People can take classes to prepare and pass for the two exams. If a person does not take the exams, he or she cannot apply for a license.  In-person classes for these exams are not mandatory; there are also online classes. There are also a variety of books available that can prepare a person for these exams.

Thinking about getting a Florida contractor’s license? In irrigation? Or any other contracting specialty? Our team of professionals can help you. We work with our clients to help them get through the contracting process fast and easy. We do in-depth reviews of licenses packages to ensure everything is exactly right and everything is included. Contact us today. To learn more or start the process, click here or call 239-777-1028.