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BOZEMAN - A Helena construction company will be the general contractor for the $30 million renovation of Bozeman High School and plans to establish a permanent office here.Dick Anderson Construction was one of four companies that competed for the contract awarded by the Bozeman School Board.Architects still are working on plans for the renovation. Selecting a general contractor early in the process may help with cost control, the school board said.Dick Anderson Construction worked on renovation of the state Capitol in Helena, and is constructing a $24 million chemistry building at Montana State University in Bozeman. .
NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Turner Construction Company, the nation's leading general builder, today announced that construction costs in the third quarter 2006 are projected to increase over the second quarter 2006. According to the Turner Building Cost Index, the third quarter 2006 index will rise to 801, showing a 1.78 percent increase over the second quarter 2006 index of 787 and a 10.33 percent increase over the third quarter 2005 index of 726. Turner has made its quarterly forecast for more than 60 years. According to Karl F. Almstead, the Turner vice president responsible for the Building Cost Index, "The frenzied market activity of the past several quarters appears to be stabilizing. Although the strain on skilled labor remains, a lower level of volatility in commodities has served as a stabilizing influence on construction costs.
MIAMI, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A 1950s-era house and two V-8 engines may help Florida scientists learn which construction materials and methods better withstand hurricane winds. Studying construction methods and materials and how they withstand hurricanes' wind and water can prevent future damage, the Miami Herald said Friday. Florida International University's International Hurricane Research Center and Laboratory for Coastal Research scientists used the V-8 engines to produce winds of 115 mph, which they trained on the condemned to learn on how older buildings fare, the Herald said. Authorities said improving building against storms stronger is the best way to corral insurance costs, the Herald said. Insurers tend to charge higher premiums on older homes, assuming the dwellings won't fare will in storms because they were built under less rigorous standards.
Minnesota's forest products industries are in a slump. Companies that produce lumber, oriented-strand board and other building materials are particularly hard hit by the sharp decline in new-home construction nationwide. Many have cut back production, and some are closing, at least temporarily, and letting workers go. Some people, including elected officials, suggest cutting the cost of trees from state-owned forests as a measure to help these companies and prevent layoffs. Others object to selling public resources to private companies for less than market value. This debate has a long history at the national level and sheds light on issues in Minnesota. Across the nation, the federal government owns large acreages used for logging or mining. It also owns petroleum deposits in the Gulf of Mexico and natural gas deposits across the West.
OUR shortcoming in building construction is nothing new. As we are always in a mood to violate building codes and try to minimise basic construction costs, hardly any building is constructed properly. These are not built keeping in mind the question of safety and security of their residents. The builders' focus always remains on decorative things so that people get attracted by eye-catching tiles, fittings, cabinet etc. But the important matters -- like proper air circulation within rooms, strong foundation, installation of fire extinguishing equipment, earthquake safety measures, making the buildings fire-proof -- are not given due importance by the builders whether they are real estate businessmen or private builders.
The common tendency in the buyers side is that they look for a well-furnished flat, which is affordable with their income or the house-building loan.
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