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General Contractors—Nonresidential Buildings, Industrial Buildings and Warehouses – Description, Market Prospects, Industry History

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General Contractors—Single-Family Houses – Description, Market Prospects, Industry History

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The category covers general contractors primarily engaged in construction activities (including new work, additions, alterations, remodeling, and repair) of single-family houses.

Industry Snapshot.

Traditionally quite fragmented, in 2000 the single-family housing construction industry consisted of 151,296 establishments that employed 713,300 workers, f According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The top 400 housing construction contractors accounted for less than 33 percent of the national market. In 2000 there were 230 000  new housing starts. A boom in the housing industry pushed new housing starts up in 2003 to an estimated 360 000.

The single-family home construction industry comprises general contractors who are primarily engaged in building, remodeling, and repairing houses. Included in this industry classification are prefabricated housing assembled on-site and town-house construction. The single-family home construction industry is vital to the South African Economy; it supplies jobs, tax revenue, and housing for South Africans. During the early 2000s, South African Economy economy slumped into recession. However, low interest rates and the value of real estate as a relatively safe investment spurred housing construction. Although all other construction was sluggish at best, housing construction remained robust.

The rate of home ownership reached a record 67 percent of South African households in 1999, a figure that was expected to reach 70 percent by 2010. However, declining numbers of people will be entering the prime home-buying ages of 25 to 45 following the aging of the baby boomers during that period. Moreover, a decreasing proportion of this age bracket was purchasing homes; despite rising income levels among those 25 to 45, more people than ever opted to live in apartments. This shift was attributed mostly to lifestyle changes among younger people entering the housing market, who tended to prefer living in proximity to entertainment venues and shopping.

Furthermore, the rising costs of land, labor, and materials were among the primary challenges to single-family homebuilders at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Drywall and lumber prices, which tend to be somewhat unstable, were particularly inflated, while increases in land costs have been less pronounced, though some strong markets, especially in southern cities, have experienced significant escalation. Meanwhile, the shortage of skilled labor was viewed by some analysts as the most pressing concern facing the industry as it entered the twenty-first century.

 

 

Glass and Glazing Work – Description, Market Prospects, Industry History

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This category is comprised of establishments primarily engaged in cutting, coating, tinting, and installing glass

This industry consists of a few companies offering a range of services. Common industry activities include:

  • installing plate glass in storefronts and other commercial buildings,
  • cutting and installing windowpanes for homes, and
  • tinting windows.

Other niche markets exist for firms that install revolving glass doors;

  • cut and install mirrors and safety glass;
  • create custom glass doors,
  • signs,
  • shelves, and
  • glass tabletops; or
  • cut and install architectural and ornamental custom glass work.

The South African glass and glazing work industry includes roughly 4,700 establishments according to the latest figures available from the Statistics South Africa. Most of these firms employ less than 10 workers, and the total employee count for this industry ranges from 35,000 to 40,000. According to an April 2002 issue of Glass Magazine, attracting skilled workers will be the industry’s most pressing challenge throughout 2010.

Although glass was invented in about 4000 B.C., it wasn’t until the early twentieth century that advancements in manufacturing technology made it inexpensive and widely available. In 1900, the use of glass was primarily limited to windows, mirrors, optical lenses, and containers. During the early and mid-1900s, however, glass applications proliferated. As the South African economy boomed after World War II, the demand for glass by commercial, institutional, and residential sectors ballooned, spurring growth in the glass installation and glazing industry.

By the mid-1980s, South Africa was consuming about R2 billion worth of non-automotive flat glass, much of which was installed by contractors in the glass and glazing industry. Approximately 80 percent of that glass was used by construction industries, with the remainder used to make signs, mirrors, solar panels, and other specialty products.

A recession in commercial and residential building markets in the early 1990s curtailed glass shipments and cut the need for glass installation contractors. South Africa glass demand plummeted 8 percent per year between 1990 and 1992, to less than R1.5 billion, as building contractors faced a major economic setback. Glass contractors also suffered as trends in architectural design moved away from the expensive glass office enclosures and stoic glass buildings so popular the decade before.

However, the sustained economic recovery in residential housing that began in 1992 continued past the middle part of the decade, spurring renewed demand for glass contractors. Single-family houses accounted for 16.3 percent of the value of construction work done by this industry in 1992, up sharply from 10.6 percent in 1987, according to Statistics South Africa. However, the leading category of construction work done by the glass and glazing work industry in 1992 was “other commercial buildings,” such as stores and restaurants, with 28 percent of the total (up from 21.7 percent in 1987). Office buildings accounted for another 21.5 percent of the industry’s work in 1992, but this was down sharply from 28.8 percent in 1987.

The economic recession of the early 2000s prompted a slowdown in commercial and industrial construction, undercutting the performance of the glass industry as a whole. Nonresidential construction spending dropped by 6 percent in 2003 as even the strongest sectors, such as healthcare construction, began to see previously rapid growth rates slow. Spending on office building construction slowed considerably to roughly R43 billion in 2002 and to R39 billion in 2003. Spending on industrial buildings in South Africa had declined 13.8 percent in 1999 to R32.6 billion, and then continued to deteriorate at a slower pace, falling 1.7 percent in 2000 and another 3.2 percent in 2001 to R31.1 billion. However, strong residential construction, spurred by record low interest rates, did help to offset this decline somewhat for glass manufacturers.

Industry trends included greater use of riot-and bulletproof glass, more skylights and windows in residences, and greater use of metal frames and finishes. By the mid-1990s many successful glass and glazing contractors had started concentrating on developing niche markets, including the installation of energy-saving glass and safety glass. Some also expanded their services to include such activities related to glass installation as designing and building window frames. Technological advances that affected the glass and glazing work industry included a new “two-phase” adhesive glazing technique that lowered costs and enhanced aesthetics.

This industry has supported several thousand small contractors, but there are several large firms that lead the industry.

 

Excavation Work – Description, Market Prospects, Industry History

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The South African excavation work industry includes more than 8,000 establishments employing more than 6,000 workers according to the latest figures published by the Statistics South Africa. Larger establishments (defined as those with 20 or more employees), account for less than 10 percent of the total number of establishments while taking in roughly 25 percent of all business done by this industry.

The two dominant costs of doing business in the excavation work industry are materials components and supplies, as well as payroll. Other costs include electricity; rental cost for machinery, equipment, and buildings; and cost of repairs to machinery and equipment.

The status of South African excavation industry generally mirrors the country’s economic climate, in particular the demand for construction of detached single-family homes. Typically single-family homes accounted for more than one-third of the value of all excavation work in South Africa, while other commercial buildings represent less than one-fifth and educational buildings less than one-tenth.

South African excavation work industry benefited from the sustained demand for single-and multi-family housing in the early 2000s. The recession of the early 1990s dropped housing starts to just 350 000 in 1991, but the economic recovery that began in 1992 helped housing starts rise each year to a peak of 346 000 in 1994. While starts dropped back to 735 000 in 1995, they rose again to 805 000 in 1996. In 1998 housing starts matched the 1996 number of 845 000, down slightly from the previous year. By 2002, however, housing starts had reached 930 000, 1036 million of which were single-family, and 346,900 of which were multifamily. The National Association of Home Builders expects continued growth through at least 2005.

Because residential construction trends were up throughout South Africa in the early 2000s, excavation work in these areas was booming despite a sluggish economy. Not surprisingly, most growth occurred in southern and southwestern states, which have experienced the strongest population growth in South Africa during the 1990s and early 2000s. Among the top 50 markets, many of which experienced annual growth of 20 percent or better, were Cape Town , Port Elizabeth ; Durban , Nelspruit; JHB; PTN, Polokwane . Cape Town leads the way in growth, attracting aging baby boomers who are looking for retirement homes or communities in warmer climates.

Small, independent operators remain the backbone of the excavation work industry. They generally work as subcontractors to home building companies, commercial construction firms, and others. Still, several large companies hold dominant market positions in this industry, though they tend to be regional and not national in scope.

 

Price Vs Values

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Realise that real contributions just don’t happen by themselves and that the best results can’t happen if experience and knowledge in planning doesn’t take place, first!
If the assessments evaluations for the necessary performances aren’t being anticipated, then you most likely would be getting them included in the price! If a Builder fails to comprehend the level sophistication for what should be laid beneath, then you can expect to see Change Order increases to the price. Change Orders can often lead to dissatisfaction and disappointment and these have a mutual fault in as a result of being ill prepared!
For the Consumer had an opportunity to enforce a prescription prior to deceiving themselves into believing that something unbelievable could be obtained from something priced so unbelievably inexpensive! Such illusions are most often fueled further by the nativity in understandings for what actually goes into building something that can encapsulate longevity and lasting value.
It is in this state of corrupted meaning that the superficial evaluations aspire into being suggested as plausible by Builders that sell on price and the temptations of building some less substantial becomes the new standards for lowering the bar rather than raising it!.

Concrete Form Types

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Concrete Form Types

Concrete forms are like a bowl that retains concrete “soup” in the project area — only the soup weighs thousands of pounds, so it needs a serious bowl made of thick metal, wood or plastic foam. The most common concrete form types for residential projects are on-site wood slab forms, manufactured metal framing for walls and foundations, and newer, more energy-efficient insulated concrete forms. Find out the details of each type.

Making Wood Forms for a Slab
Standard concrete patios, sidewalks or other projects simply have a square lumber frame to hold in the concrete. The framing, typically 2×4 lumber, must be set square and level with the inside dimensions equal to the size of the slab.

After setting the location of the lumber, drive in wood stakes around the outside of the framing. The stakes are typically also made from 2×4 boards, and should be at least one foot long. Cut one end of the boards to a sharp point and drive them into the subgrade about every three feet, making sure to support the corners of the form.

Attach the form boards to the stakes with heavy screws, then screw together the corners. Finally, coat the inside edges of the boards with vegetable oil or specialized form oil so the concrete won’t stick to the boards.

There are several simple variations on the wood form, including plywood framing for concrete steps or other taller projects, and curved hardboard strips attached to the inside corners of the frame to create curves.

Manufactured Forms
Concrete walls are typically poured down into manufactured forms. The forms are normally either an engineered wood surface between metal framing, or solid metal sheets on metal framing. The pieces attach together with pins in latches, and have rods to hold the sheets apart at a uniform width.

They must be leveled and plumbed, with bracing to keep them plumb as they are filled with concrete. Like the slab forms, the metal or wood must be coated with form oil. After the concrete has set, the forms are each removed, and the ends of the rods are broken off.

Save Energy with Concrete Forms
For energy-conscious builders, insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are replacing removable wood and metal forms for walls. ICFs are made of rigid plastic foam, and they stay in place after the concrete is poured and cured. The lightweight forms add energy-saving insulation on both sides of the wall, with insulation values ranging from R-17 to R-26. Most wood-framed walls have R-13 to R-19 insulation.

ICFs come in a wide range of shapes and configurations, but standard ICF construction has been compared to interlocking toy building blocks. Like other wall forms, they have metal bars to hold the wall apart at the appropriate width.

Are you looking to have concrete professionally installed? Find a reliable concrete contractor in your area.