https://t.co/9jYH4BDZkj thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) November 7, 2016
https://t.co/qYNu6TJWyK thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) November 7, 2016
https://t.co/yEHHRKcZiZ thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) November 4, 2016
https://t.co/1T3MoT06nU thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) November 3, 2016
https://t.co/tty2OcchoO thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) November 3, 2016
Winners of Considerate Constructors Scheme 2016 National Awards to be revealed
London, United Kingdom, 1 November 2016: The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the national scheme established by the construction industry to improve its image – is getting ready to reveal the UK’s most considerate companies and suppliers of 2016.
The Scheme, which has registered around 900 companies and suppliers in the past 12 months, will be hosting the 2016 National Awards on 10th and 11th November, at the luxurious Four Seasons hotel on Park Lane.
Supplier Registration was introduced in 2014 and this year’s awards mark the first year that suppliers will be eligible to win a National Award.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders, and Liz Male, Chairman of TrustMark will be announcing whether each winning company has received a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award for their achievements. There will also be Runner-up Awards and winners for the coveted ‘Most Considerate Company’ and ‘Most Considerate Supplier’ Awards.
Considerate Constructors Scheme Executive Chairman Isabel Martinson said: “The Awards celebrate the phenomenal efforts being made to improve the image of the industry for the benefit of the public, the workforce and the environment.
“It is particularly exciting this year to be awarding, for the first time, the significant contribution that suppliers are making. As the industry knows, suppliers perform a vital role in the construction process, and have a significant responsibility to behave in a considerate manner at all times to ensure they portray a positive image of the industry they represent.”
Follow the awards on Twitter at @CCScheme #ccsawards.
Since 1941, we have had a great team of decided professionals providing asphalt-paving services to the Milwaukee, Waukesha and Madison areas.
This year, we are thankful for many things, so please join us for #30DaysofThanks!
This year is especially significant to our team at Wolf Paving because we are celebrating our 75th Anniversary. Our success over such a long period of time is due to the exceptional employees who have been with our company over the years.
Asphalt paving success starts with having a great team out on the job site and behind the scenes. From human resources to our team out in the field each day, to our great customer service and sales representatives -- we are so thankful to our staff for working with our wonderful customers.
Thank you to our customers for choosing to work with Wolf Paving and our great team of asphalt paving contractors. When you choose Wolf Paving to help you with your new asphalt surface, you are building a relationship with our team, and we hope you value that relationship as much as we do..
Thank you to all of the decided professionals in the asphalt paving industry, from city to city here in Wisconsin and from coast to coast across the country. We all work hard to provide exceptional asphalt products to our clients and collectively, we should all be proud of the work we do!
At Wolf Paving, we are proud to be a part of the infrastructure of our communities, from helping small business grow with new asphalt surfaces to paving roads and highways for municipalities. Our role is more than just that of a contractor or supplier, we are all valued partners and we are all responsible for improving the daily lives of those in our communities using a sustainable product.
From its use in green infrastructure to the benefits of providing functional recreational spaces, asphalt is a versatile, environmentally friendly paving solution and we are proud to be in the business! So thank you asphalt industry for your support!
Follow along with us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #30DaysofThanks.
With 75 years of asphalt paving experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your asphalt paving needs.
For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free estimate for your next paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.
https://t.co/7kKetz2tzn thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) November 1, 2016
Faltering commercial workloads will be offset by strong growth in infrastructure and school spending over the next two years, according to the latest major industry forecast.
The latest forecast is a sharp revision to the 3.6% predicted for 2017 and 2018 before the EU referendum.
While commercial office building is expected to be worst hit, strong growth is expected in infrastructure and education as the Government pulls the levers to keep the economy running.
Noble Francis, economics director at the CPA, said: “Surveys across the industry highlight that activity in the construction sector has been sustained post-referendum, primarily based upon work on projects that were signed in the 12-18 months before the referendum.
“Looking forward, projects in the pipeline mean that construction activity is likely to continue throughout the rest of 2016 and the first half of 2017, ” he said.
“From the second half of 2017, however, there is likely to be a clear division between the fortunes of privately-funded construction sectors where the current uncertainty is likely to have a major impact, and those that are largely unaffected by post-referendum uncertainty – such as infrastructure and education – which are either publicly-funded or in regulated sectors.”
Francis added that offices output is expected to decline 3% in 2017 and a further 10% in 2018. Industrial construction is also expected to fall 11.6% between 2015 and 2018 as renewal and refurbishment of existing factories continues but large manufacturers make fewer new major investments.
But major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the Thames Tideway Tunnel are anticipated to provide growth of 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018.
Within education construction, activity is expected to rise 5.8% by 2018 due to public sector capital investment in the Priority School Building Programme and private sector investment in universities, including £1bn programmes at Manchester, Cambridge and Glasgow.
“Outside of these sectors, private house building has not been affected by the uncertainty so far and is expected to rise by 2.0% in 2016. It is anticipated to remain flat in 2017 before a 2.0% fall in 2018 due to slower demand as UK economic growth and real wage growth both weaken considerably next year.
“However, private house building could be boosted by new measures in the government’s Autumn Statement on 23 November. The slower real wage growth in 2017, driven by higher inflation due to the recent falls in Sterling, is also expected to lead to a decline in retail construction of 4% in 2017 and 2% in 2018. This in a sector already hit by the shift away from traditional retail towards online shopping.
“With an upcoming Autumn Statement, it is vital that the Chancellor focuses on reducing uncertainty for the private sector, sustaining the housing sector and ensuring delivery of education construction and major infrastructure projects already in the pipeline.”
Anyone who’s ever had a rodent infestation at home will understand the headache it causes – but if you thought that was bad enough, imagine facing an invasion from rats at your construction site.
It’s a nightmare situation all too familiar to the Belgian officials responsible for opening new road tunnels in Brussels. Earlier this year, they claimed progress had been halted after rats ate construction plans.
Whilst this does sound like a very extreme and public use of the classic ‘sorry, the dog ate my homework’ excuse, it also accurately points out one of the biggest issues that arises from pest control problems on a building site – namely, delays.
As rats and mice struggle to find shelter and food, they’ll happily gnaw their way through woodwork or burrow between joints, leaving heaps of expensive damage in their wake, as well as completely disrupting your schedule.
And, as Belgian officials discovered, it’s a complication investors aren’t likely to be sympathetic towards, particularly because it can be easily avoided with a few simple actions.
Here’s our top advice for minimising the impact of pests on your construction site.
#1: Deal with any current problems
If you’re working on a brownfield or a greenfield site, you may have already disturbed a population of rats or mice. In that case, it’s important to keep an eye out for signs of an infestation. Chewed electrical cables – in fact, chewed anything – will be one of the most obvious indicators.
If you’re too late and they’ve already got a stronghold at your site, your only sure-fire tactic of getting rid of them is to hire an established rodent control company – they’ll also keep you on the right side of the law when it comes to dealing with protected species like bats.
#2: Protect your staff
Everyone knows that rats spread diseases, but did you also know that their germs can linger even after the pests have been eradicated? That means your employees could still be at risk of contracting potentially lethal infections, especially if stagnant water is nearby.
Limit the possible health and safety consequences by providing protective gloves to all construction workers, and promote good hand hygiene with adequate washing facilities.
#3: Stop future complications
Prevention is far easier and more effective than curing an infestation. Protect your building from future invasions from pests and rodents by incorporating preventative measures into initial construction stages.
Your biggest task will be blocking all conceivable points of entry, including gaps around drain pipes and air vents. A fine mesh should do the trick, and future human inhabitants will be forever thankful for your efforts.
So you never have to utter the shaming words ‘Rats ate my construction plans’ like those hapless Belgian officials, stick to these three steps for stopping rodent problems from disrupting your building site.
https://t.co/r8VvaEXtYe thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) October 22, 2016
Taking the time to asses the condition of your parking lot, roads and walkways will allow you to create a preventative maintenance plan. Putting this plan into action with the help of your municipal asphalt paving contractors will make your life easier this winter, and provide cost savings for years to come.
To help you get started, here are three resources that explain how end-of-season asphalt repairs can save your municipality money.
With 75 years of asphalt paving experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your fall repairs and Milwaukee asphalt paving needs.
For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free quote for your next paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For Madison asphalt paving help, call us at 608-249-7931.
Clients could face a tax of 0.5% of construction costs if they choose contractors who don’t invest in research and development or skills training.
That is one of the ideas in a radical review of the construction industry currently being pored over by Government ministers who commissioned it.
The Farmer Review of the UK Construction Labour Model warns the industry faces “inexorable decline” unless major changes are made.
It highlights construction’s “dysfunctional training model”, lack of innovation and collaboration and “non-existent research and development culture.”
Author and consultant Mark Farmer said the needs of construction firms and the clients who hire them are out of step.
He said: “If you buy a new car, you expect it to have been built in a factory to exacting standards, to be delivered on time, to an agreed price and to a predetermined quality.
“This needs to happen more in construction, so that the investors, developers or building owners hiring construction firms increasingly dictate the use of modern methods of delivery and invest appropriately in the skills agenda to grow this part of the industry.
“There are more similarities between manufacturing and construction than many people are led to believe and this perception needs to change, starting in the housing market”
One recommendation set out for the medium term is a “carrier bag charge” style behavioural deterrent scheme.
This would levy a tax on businesses who buy construction work in a way that doesn’t support industry innovation or skills development.
Clients could face paying a suggested levy equal to 0.5% of a scheme’s construction cost but would avoid paying this tax completely by commissioning construction in a more responsible way.
Farmer said: “The construction industry is in dire need of change.
“What is clear to me following the nine months spent conducting this review is that carrying on as we are is simply not an option.
“With digital technology advancements pushing ahead in almost every other industry and with the construction labour pool coming under serious pressure, the time has come for action.
“Unless we find some way of promoting innovation in construction and making the work less labour intensive and more attractive to new entrants, there’s a very real danger of the construction sector going into an inexorable decline over the next few years.
“I hope this review generates some debate in the sector and all involved can consider their role in safeguarding the industry’s long term health.”
Ray O’Rourke, chairman and chief executive at Laing O’Rourke, said: “Laing O’Rourke has invested heavily in innovation and continuous improvement, and therefore I welcome many of the findings and recommendations of the Farmer review.
“The report shines a light on the serious and systemic issues in UK house building and the wider construction industry, and we cannot afford to ignore them any longer.”
“There is significant scope for radical transformation through the adoption of new technologies and advanced manufacturing approaches.
“This will deliver the quality housing stock the UK urgently requires and directly address the acute skills gap that threatens our very future.
“Government, developers and deliverers need to invest collectively to achieve these shared goals and future-proof the industry.”
Ten main recommendations of the Farmer Review
1. Construction Leadership Council should have strategic oversight of the implementation of these recommendations and evolve itself appropriately to coordinate and drive the process of delivering the required industry change programme set out in this review.
2. CITB should be comprehensively reviewed and a reform programme instituted.
3. Industry, clients and government should work together leveraging CLC’s Business Modelsworking party activity, to improve relationships and increase levels of investment in R&D and innovation in construction by changing commissioning trends from traditional to pre-manufactured approaches. The housing sector (spanning all tenures) should be used as a scalable pilot programme for this more integrated approach.
4. Industry, government and clients, supported by academic expertise and leveraging CLC’s current Innovation work stream activity, should organise to deliver a comprehensive innovation programme. This should be fully aligned to market, benefits case led and generate a new shape of demand across industry, with a priority on residential construction. It should quickly define key measures of progress and report regularly against these as a check on the possible need for more radical measures. It should in turn also help shape CITB reform proposals in relation to technology and innovation grant funding initiatives.
5. A reformed CITB should look to reorganise its grant-funding model for skills and training aligned to what a future modernised industry will need. Industry bodies and professional institutions should also take a more active role in ensuring that training courses are producing talent which is appropriate for a digitally enabled world, ensuring that the right business models are evolved with appropriate contractual frameworks.
6. The government has recently reaffirmed its commitment to having a strong industrial strategy. The government should recognise the value of the construction sector and be willing to intervene by way of appropriate further education, planning and tax / employment policies to help establish and maintain appropriate skills capacity.
7. A reformed CITB or stand-alone body should be challenged and empowered to deliver a more powerful public facing story and image for the holistic ‘built environment’ process, of which construction forms part. This responsibility should include an outreach programme to schools and should position industry exemplars and the target future state rather than just ‘business as usual’.
8. Government should act to provide an ‘initiation’ stimulus to innovation in the housing sector by promoting the use of pre-manufactured solutions through policy measures. This should be prioritised either through the conditional incentivisation of institutional development and investment in the private rented sector; the promotion of more pre-manufactured social house building through registered providers; direct commissioning of pre-manufactured housing; or a combination of any of the above. It should also consider planning breaks for pre-manufactured approaches.
9. Government, as part of its housing policy planning, should work with industry to assemble and publish a comprehensive pipeline of demand in the new build housing sector, on the same lines as the National Infrastructure Pipeline, seeking to bring private developers and investors into this as far as possible to assist with longer term innovation and skills investment planning.
10. In the medium to longer term, and in particular if a voluntary approach does not achieve the step change necessary, government should consider introducing a charge on business clients of the construction industry to further influence commissioning behaviour and to supplement funding for skills and innovation at a level commensurate with the size of the industry. If such a charge is introduced, it should be set at no more than 0.5% of construction value, with a clear implementation timetable. Clients should be able to offset their contribution by demonstrating how they are contributing to industry capacity building and modernisation by directly or indirectly investing in skills development, pre-manufacturing facilities, or other forms of innovation and R&D.
From Madison to Waukesha, street sweeping ensures that the fall leaves and debris are completely removed in order to protect your paved surfaced and make winter snow removal safe and easy.
If you are looking for a street sweeping service near you, here is how to find the right partner that will help you protect your property and your asphalt investment.
Street sweeping vehicles use jets of water and specialized bristled brushes to remove dirt, debris and garbage from your asphalt pavement. Street sweeping should be done at least once a year, and fall is one of the best times to do it. Making an investment in scheduled street sweeping services will pay off, helping your asphalt pavement surface last longer.
Regular street sweeping will:
If you are ready to hire a street sweeping service, you should treat it just like searching for any other contractor.
The right street sweeping service will do a lot more than pick up your fall leaves. They will serve as an expert partner who can help you maintain your unique property, and alert you to any small problems that require preventative maintenance before they become big issues.
An expert street sweeping service is an essential partner, but there are some stain removal techniques you can try on your own in order to keep your asphalt pavement looking great. Here is our DIY guide to removing common stains from asphalt pavement.
Oil Spills and Stains: In parking lots, oil is a common stain that requires a special cleaning method. Fortunately, inexpensive old-fashioned non-clumping cat litter works well as a first step. Clean up any excess oil and then pour the litter over the stain. In order to make sure the cat litter gets into any cracks, stomp it down on the asphalt surface. Let the cat litter sit on the stain overnight. Use a broom the next day to sweep up the litter and then spray the surface with a hose.
With 75 years of asphalt paving and maintenance experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your street sweeping needs.
For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free estimate for your next street sweeping or paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Waukesha areas, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.
https://t.co/zkd48VM2XB thanks for following us! Have a great day :) #driveways #pavingcontractor
— Wiltshire Driveways (@drivewaysuk) October 12, 2016
