Construction Brothers

How far up do you own?

00:58 - Intro
We chat about the naming of winter storms and make some subtle alternative music allusions. Eddie shares about how to increase your perceived IQ.

03:30 - Bold projects
Today we’re talking about two really ambitious projects: Big Bend, which is not currently underway, and The Line, which is.

First, Big Bend: Eddie describes the shape of this unusual concept. The design was completed in 2017. The design seeks to sidestep the floor-area ratio limits of New York’s building code.

Eddie raises the interesting philosophical question of how far into the sky a building’s ownership reaches. If an arched building spans over another building… How does that work?

This leads to useful references to both the Bible and The Simpsons.

We discuss what could happen if the issues of upward ownership could be resolved and buildings could begin to weave around over one another.

We make a shout-out to Business Movers, one of our favorite podcasts.

15:50 - The Line
We shift our focus to an even more ambitious project that is underway in Saudi Arabia: The Line.

The Line is a mega city that aims to reach 110 miles long (170 km), 660 ft wide, and 1,600 ft tall.

The target population for this structure is 450,000 people by 2026, 2 million people by 2030, and 9 million people by 2045.

24:28 - Desalination, workforce, administrative issues
We discuss the logistical concerns and resource issues related with a project of this scale in a somewhat inhospitable environment.

The work crew for this project is currently right around 60,000. NEOM, the coordinating entity, claims that they’re investing heavily in safe, desirable work conditions. We explore the fact that the usual roadblocks disappear when a project is being sponsored by a monarchy and constructed in a remote location.

We discuss the possible peripheral benefits that might spring from this project even if it’s not ever completed.

We wrap up with a book recommendation: The Martian (the book rather than the movie). Track down the audiobook and listen to it while you work here on Earth.Links related to The Line:
-Neom’s official site
-A 30-minute Discovery Channel UK documentary
-Articles:
-DesignBoom The Line project update
-Critical Popular Mechanics article
-DesignBoom review of all Neom projects

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

In this, our third week focused on resolutions, Eddie encourages you to seek an opportunity to learn. You probably already have in mind someone whose work or career you admire.

Don’t make it weird. Just ask a couple questions about the things you’ve observed in their work lives. Then shut up and listen.

If this person becomes a long-term mentor, great. If this just ends up being one session of learning for you, also great. Either way, you’ll come out of the situation with some insights that position you for greater success.

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for li

We've reached our bicent...episodial?!

01:58 - Reminiscing
Today we’re looking back over more than three years of producing the CBP. Here are some our initial thoughts:

-Our intro is still rocking a 2019 vibe.

-Mom is usually pretty supportive, but… There’s an episode out there somewhere from those very first episodes, and we would really love for them to stay buried deep in whatever pile of digital debris. Tyler poses a challenge: If we get to 100 ratings on Apple Podcasts within two months of today’s episode, he’ll share this embarrassment.

-Tyler flashes back to the studio setup for those earliest episodes: Just a couple dudes and a big-screen TV.

-Eddie recalls and early episodes with Pete DuMont, Clifton Harness, and more.

09:08 - Whitey Tighties, Pete Rose and Cannibalistic Hamsters
Eddie gives a shout-out to his favorite episode title. Our middle brother, Andy, joined us for this episode, which consisted of brotherly recollections. Poor guy passed out quite often.

We cringe as we look back at our early rhythms and quirks. Tough stuff.

11:48 - Favorite episodes
Here are a few that we look back on most fondly:

-Going Analog in a Digital World - (feat. Eric Reinholdt of the 30x40 Design Workshop on Youtube)
-Eric Anderson and his leg lamp
-Todd Dawalt (who has his own podcast, Construction Leading Edge) and our discussion about the labor shortage as we headed into the pandemic
-David Smigel and an early conversation about Starlink on jobsites
-Roy Underhill of The Woodwright’s Shop
-Lego episode
-The House that Sears Built
-The RFI Blockchain
-Matt Byrd of the Reality Capture Network
-Donnie Williams and our conversation about supply chains

19:15 - Surprise lessons
We spend some time exploring what we’ve learned.

Eddie shares that he’d thought he had the solutions that the construction industry needs. He has seen his understanding expand and has gained empathy.

Tyler discusses leadership and the constraints that make it hard for higher-ups to do things the way that younger, less-experienced people think things ought to be done.

We express our appreciation for the sometimes contentious discussions. We’ve seen growth result from the open exploration of points of disagreement.

28:00 - Echo chambers
Tyler dumps some thoughts about people pitching themselves as guests in order to discuss the fact that the industry is slow to accept technology. He disagrees.

Eddie lists technologies that have been readily adopted because they increase our productivity and make us look more competent. He acknowledges that he’d look like an old man if he’d step back onto a residential-construction jobsite today with tools that didn’t exist when he was working in that world.

We discuss the program features and the types of content that we’ve chosen to leave behind.

39:43 - Megaphone message
We share our thoughts for the industry. They’re simple:
-Eddie: Treat others the way you’d like them to treat you.
-Tyler: Say thanks.

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

This week Eddie encourages us to look up and look down.

Engage in a conversation to see what is required for the people “above” and “below” you to succeed.

Tyler shares an example about his daughter’s perpetual curiosity and encourages us to demonstrate that with those around us.

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

00:47 - Introduction - Melanie’s backstory
Melanie Ford is the Senior Director of Construction for the University of Georgia Office of the University Architects. Before her move to the university, she worked for 20 years as a contractor and a Vice President of Whitsel Construction Services. She’s the Georgia Chapter President for the Construction Owners of America and one of the co-founders and current President of Athens Area Women in Construction.

Melanie shares about how a stressful project in an architecture class drove her into building science. She shares about how the dean of a professor told her that a woman wouldn’t be able to tell “some 50-year-old, hard-hat-wearing man where the hell he can put his steel.”

She shares about the challenges of finding a position in construction when she graduated, but a couple decades later, she is still happy with her choice to go into construction. She then tells us a bit about her family’s move to Athens, Georgia.

10:37 - Melanie’s work at UGA
Melanie explains what it is that she does at the University of Georgia. She oversees all construction on campus, including major capital projects and major renovations. She and her department are responsible for ensuring architectural and construction continuity across campus.

She tells us a bit about the significant increase in sports-related construction, including large softball and tennis stadium projects. In addition to that, there are the ongoing renovations of buildings constructed in the 1950s.

Eddie asks about how the challenges differ between different types of projects. Melanie talks about a few of her favorite projects.

19:25 - Project Managers
Eddie asks Melanie to provide feedback to project managers from an owner’s perspective. She starts with thoughts about the importance of doing your research ahead of time in order to be aware of current conditions in a building set for renovation. She talks about timelines that were unnecessarily extended due to school-year schedules.

She points out that many PMs tend to keep information and problems to themselves. This can be frustrating to people in positions like Melanie’s because they often have resources and connections to solve those problems.

Eddie asks about the bidding process in the university domain, which leads to a conversation about task-order contracting. She explains how this approach works with smaller contracts and lists of pre-approved contractors. We explore the ins and outs of the approval process for this group of contractors and how it is used by various governmental entities. Melanie says that owner-contractor relationships result in task-order projects being completed on time more often than hard-bid projects.

Melanie discusses the types of feedback she provides to contractors who ask what changes they could make in order to increase their chances of future work with the university.

32:54 - Project initiation and design-build
Eddie asks about the process a project goes through from the point of conception to completion. Melanie talks us through the process that sometimes involves legislators, wealthy donors. She gives an example of an unexpected connection between botanical gardens and a porcelain collection. She then walks us through the steps of a hypothetical project.

Eddie asks Melanie for her opinion on design-build. She explains that she’s not a huge fan of this approach in most cases. She says that she feels like the owner loses a certain amount of control because of the chain of command that results. She prefers for the builder, the designer, and the owner to perceive one another as peers. She also mentions that the historical character of campus architecture can suffer as a result of design-build dynamics.

Eddie shares about a complicated, somewhat messy arrangement he experienced in a project a few years ago and asks Melanie for her thoughts. She shares her insights about the vision-setting, information exchange, and communication complications that can arise with unusual arrangements. Melanie shares a humorous story about how she was introduced to Bluebeam. Eddie shares some thoughts about the importance of old-school communication: actual talking. We discuss the different outcomes of different forms of communication–email vs. actual voice conversations.

58:26 - Megaphone message
We’re all on the same team. It’s all about taking a team approach. If you have your best intentions, we don’t have to have adversarial relationships. Also, support each other. Melanie shares about the importance of mentorship, especially for women in construction.

1:02:53 - Bonus content
Eddie shares some crazy facts about university protectionism regarding mascots and rivalries.

Find Melanie Online: LinkedIn, Construction Owners of America

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Happy New Year! Let’s talk about resolutions.

Each week this month we’ll be focusing on one way to improve the way you do your job.

This week’s resolution: Communicate. Be clearer and more deliberate in your emails, phone calls, texts, and conversations.

Be self-aware. Take an honest look at your communication patterns. If you talk too much, consider trying to be more concise. If you tend to hide behind typed words when phone calls would be better, make more calls.

Resolve to be just a little bit better in this respect as we head into this new year.

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Andrew and David brought us gifts! Chocolate and buckets full of Bluebeam tips! 

01:00 - Chocolate Letters and Alaskan Trout
We start out today with some float-plane talk. Eddie shares about one of his trips to Alaska. Then we fess up to our lack of gift-giving etiquette and Tyler’s inability to wait when it comes to chocolate.

Finally, we get into a few distinct buckets of Bluebeam tips.

04:55 - Tips for Take-offs and Estimation
David discusses the process of taking a Google Maps screenshot and pasting it into a blank Bluebeam PDF. Once it’s in there, you can calibrate and scale the image for use within your designs.

He also talks us through photo- and map-overlay options that resemble augmented reality. Andrew shares about the Dynamic Fill feature, which allows users to do a take-off of an irregular shape. This tool allows you to easily apply custom measurement tools for dimensions including volume, which means that you can tag the area with fill materials, such as gravel in the case of a landscaping application.

David mentions the Visual Search feature, which can identify every light fixture, doorknob, or anything else that might otherwise need to be counted manually. This can be applied on multiple files.Andrew describes some Excel-integration features that could save tremendous amounts of time.

Tyler and Eddie mention a few ways they’ve used the simpler search and count features.

25:19 - 1+1=10 (Features That Combine To Be More Than the Sum of Their Parts)
Although Tyler detests the word “synergy,” he was excited to hear the list of value-added combos such as these:

• Compare Documents + Overlay Pages + Cloud Markups
• Custom Statuses + Studio Sessions + Scripts
• Cover Pages + Custom Columns + Custom Tool Sets + Custom Statuses
• Snapshot Tool + Change Colors + Custom Tool Sets + Scaling

43:44 - Delightful Little Tips
Andrew and David share a few standalone operations that he’s noticed people really appreciate:

• Add a Leader Line
• Align/Straighten
• Create a Category
• Auto-mark/Page Labels
• Multiply

Eddie suggests that users experiment occasionally by just right-clicking on everything you can in order to see what options await you there.

56:25 - Megaphone Message
David points out the need for everyone within the construction industry to take the initiative to mentor young people entering the industry. Don’t just watch them from a distance and hope they figure out how things work. Andrew builds on this by suggesting that everyone check in periodically with your peers to make sure they’re doing okay. He closes with a specific call for veterans to encourage young women who are entering the industry.


Video and Help Links:
Compare with Overlay:
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aX7NVjI81Y
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RESsnjNmOnE

Custom Statuses via Scripting:
-https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Document/Script/Using-Scripts.htm

Cover Page: https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Tools/Attachments/Attachment--MV.htm

-Dynamic Tool Set Scaler: https://youtu.be/tM7xksl0Uio?si=ZiOsUMwPTag3r2Ep

Auto Page Labels: https://youtu.be/uA_SrgH-afE?si=JCbg7-8iG_2VVHogPinned Files/

Documents via Categories: https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Window/Panels/File-Access/File-Access-Tab-in-Recent-Files-Mode--TV.htm

Get Line – fix skewed drawings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFP7SdJa8C4 (Old interface but the steps are still the same)

Import Markups: https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Window/Panels/Markups/Markups-List--MTV.htm

Multiply: https://youtu.be/vdmB3J-dGj4?si=cdx3LtRpO6-h_PgP

Find David Online: LinkedIN, Bluebeam

Find Andrew Online: LinkedIN, Bluebeam

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Today we encourage you to face the tough choices.

Every single day, we have numerous opportunities to show integrity or take the easy way out.

There are easy ways to back out of commitments. It’s always possible to think about an excuse.

When you opt for the excuse, though, you slowly erode your reputation. Trust decays unless you actively maintain it by following through and keeping your word.

Take pride in your work. Know why you do what you do. In the long run, you’ll be thankful that you did.

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

What if Santa decided to expand his operation?

NOTE: If you’re interested in construction in extreme conditions, explore the links at the end of these show notes.

00:40 - Intro
We are dressed to the 9s and ready to help the Big Guy. Today we’re discussing what Santa would need to do to build a second headquarters at the South Pole in order to cut down on delivery times.

As our template, we’re using the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station as our model. Here are some facts about that structure:

• It sits on a sheet of ice that is 9,000 feet thick.
• The temperatures range from -117 degrees to +7.52 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The ice sheet on which it sits shifts roughly 33 feet per year.
• The project cost $175 million. In our Santa plans, we made some adjustments for inflation and settled on roughly $2,600 per square foot, which would put the total cost at roughly $3.14 billion.
• The center has 45 10,000-gallon fuel tanks for heating and vehicles.

07:36 - Labor Costs and Complications
Eddie rails against the millennial elves–their lack of motivation, lack of skills. It’s shameful. This is complicated by the fact that construction workers at the South Pole are able to work outdoors for only 15 minutes at a time due to the extreme cold.

We discuss what infrastructure employee-relations efforts would be needed for the elves to work through the 110-day outdoor construction season.

14:20 - Materials and Transportation
Again using the Amundsen-Scott Research Center as a guide, we discuss what it would take to ship all of the construction materials needed. 25 million pounds of cargo was hauled to the build site at 26,000 pounds per trip over 12 seasons on an Air Force LC130 plane.

20:52 - Other Facts about Antarctica and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
We review some political facts about Antarctica as well as the research done there. This research includes glaciology, geophysics and seismology, ocean and climate systems, astrophysics, astronomy, and biology.

We discuss the complications of hiring people to work in an extreme environment like this.

The structure is mounted on 32 vertical columns that are each six feet into the snow and designed to be able to be added to as the snow pack increases. These columns are mounted on a floating footing made of 2x12 members boxed with ¾” plywood.

If you’re interested in learning more about real South Pole structures, explore these links:

• The B1M video Eddie mentioned about construction in Antarctica
• A video of Jerry Marty, NSF project manager, discussing the construction of the Amundsen-Scott Research Center.
• The official NSF site
• A 3-part Tour of the Facility (Link is to part 1)
• NatGeo video about construction at the South Pole
• Article about Antarctic buildings and bases

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Yes, you’ve probably heard this story before. It’s one that’s worth hearing again. Here’s a link to the text in case you’re interested in following along or reading it again later.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Check out the partners that make our show possible.

Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!