Masonry Magazine June 1994 Page. 39
John Meidl is a regular contributor to Masonry Magazine with a degree in Industrial Engineering. He's the founder of J. Meidl Systems, which produces quality computer based solutions for both single and multi-user business environments. He has more than twenty years experience in installing and supporting both hardware and software. He's the developer of "The Ultimate Tool," an estimating and accounting software package developed specifically for masonry contractors. His offices are located at Roswell, Georgia.
Readers are invited to send questions to Meidl, c/o Masonry Magazine, 1550 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 60521.
Construction Remains Steady
NEW CONSTRUCTION contracts in January remained at the pace of the previous month, it was reported by the F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill. Offsetting a reduced volume of housing was modest improvement in the industry's other sectors, nonresidential building and nonbuilding (public works and utilities).
The latest month's data kept the seasonally adjusted Dodge Index at 103 (1987-100), unchanged from December's revised reading. After attaining its most recent peak of 109 in October, the Index has experienced mild erosion in falling to its current level, still slightly above the average rate for 1993 as a whole.
Residential construction in January fell three percent, slipping back from the robust volume reported at the end of 1993. A five percent decline in the value of single family starts pushed the residential total downward, while improvement for the depressed multifamily side of the market offered some support. Geographically, most of the contract value decline was centered in the Northeast which plunged twenty percent; other major regions held close to their December volume.
January's nonresidential building climbed five percent, led by strengthening for the institutional structure types which were able to reverse two months of decline. Specifically, schools and public administration buildings were the primary impetus to the nonresidential upturn. Over the past two years, institutional building had lost momentum amidst growing fiscal stress at all levels of government. For the commercial categories, January witnessed a sharp gain for hotels but reduced contracting for stores, warehouses, and offices.
On an unadjusted basis, January's volume of new construction came to $17.2-billion, down one percent from the same month a year ago. Two regions started the year substantially higher than in 1993: the South Central, up eighteen percent, and the West, up ten percent. Two regions stayed close to their January 1993 performance: the Midwest, up two percent, and the South Atlantic, down one percent. Bearing the brunt of unusually cold temperatures and heavy snow snow, the Northeast in the first month of 1994 suffered a 31 percent decline relative to last year.
Subcontract Form Endorsed
IN A MOVE that's unprecedented in its unanimity, three major construction organizations-the Associated General Subcontractors (an umbrella organization of eight national associations of construction specialty contractors including the Mason Con-
Vay To The Top
A Solid Work Platform
Non-Stop towers are built from heavy gauge tubular steel and trussed every 4-6 in height. This gives our 16" wide towers incredible strength and sway-resistance. Because of this advantage, you can safely land materials on the laborers' platform, exactly where other systems tell you to never land a load. In actual on-the-job tests of free-standing Non-Stop sowers, landing a full cube of 12 blocks (2350 pounds) on the laborers' platform at 20 feet high produced a backward flex of less than one inch! This kind of strength and stability means your men will feel safe and secure on a solid working platform, And, you can safely stock ahead so free your forklift for other duties.
X-Braces Stay In Place
The x-braces are always in place for maximum safety and stability. They siem ply pass through the work platform both going up and corsing down. Non-Stop is troduced this unique design to eliminate the dangerous, time consuming chore of removing and replacing x-braces as the platform is raised. When the wall is topped out, Non-Stop can be lowered and ready to go to work again in one-third the time of scaffolding without this feature This advantage reduces your labor ers' duties to only two feeding materials to the masons, and raising the scaffold as needed.
CALL OR WRITE FOR
A FREE VIDEO & BROCHURE:
Non-Stop
SCAFFOLDING
1314 HOADLEY ST.
SHREVEPORT, LA 71104
1-800-845-0845