July 2009

Contractors: How to Avoid Do-It-Yourself Mistakes

We have all been “penny-wise and pound-foolish.”  Meaning, we try to save a little money by doing a job ourselves, with unskilled labor, instead of spending a little more for professional labor.  We later find out  that we have used more materials (unskilled labor makes mistakes that have to be re-done); taken more time (unskilled labor doesn’t have a methodology developed, and so they are slower); had more injuries (unskilled labor is more accident prone); and spent more money (because all of the foregoing drain the cash very quickly). 

Professional installers like Houston Acoustics & Drywall will use less construction materials; we will do the job faster; we will be safer because our workforce is trained; we will be safer because we have regular safety training; and having less injuries means more up-time on the job.  Specialized installers like us use specialized equipment, like lasers and our own scaffolding.  This brings up the question of your increased liability on the project when the do-it-yourself approach is chosen.  Unskilled installers are unschooled in the safety courses that a team of professional installers will be exposed to– especially in firms like ours.  In today’s lawsuit-prone society, it’s not good business to increase the risk of an accident by compromising safety standards to be “penny-wise.”

Houston Acoustics & Drywall would like to be your team of professional installers of your acoustical ceilings and  drywall installations.  Whether remodeling or doing a site construction job, we can save you money over the do-it-yourself approach, and we offer service after the sale!  Oh, and did we mention we’re easy to work with?

———-David Tyson, Director of Safety & Training

How to Submit a Request for Quote

It’s easy to get the ball rolling with us.  We’d like to know about the projects you are working on, where you need ceilings and/or drywall installaton.  Just send us a fax or email and give us the following information:

Job name, Job Address, type of construction (new or remodel); approximate square feet; General Description of the job to be done, Date and Time when the bid is due; Site-Visit Instructions; Location and Time of the Pre-Bid Meeting (when the Architect convenes the meeting for the invited contractors). 

Want to access our handy Bid Form?  Click here for  Houston Acoustics & Drywall Bid Form. When you are ready, submit the Bid to the following FAX:  281-346-1425.

Worley Parsons Project ~ Houston, Texas

 

The Gulf States Toyota Project ~ Houston, Texas

We were delighted to be selected to participate in this landmark project for Gulf States Toyota!  Our role involved the full acoustical ceiling installation for the 10-story tower, he 6-story tower, and the smaller 2-story connector building, including the amazing new Technical Training Center, all on the beautiful campus of the new Gulf States Corporate Headquarters.

Gulf States Toyota is one of only two US Toyota distributors not owned by Toyota Motor Sales.  GST distributes Toyota, Lexus, and Scion brand cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles in a 5-state region including Texas.  GST has expanded its vehicle processing center in Houston to handle Toyota Tundra pickup trucks built in nearby San Antonio. Founded in 1969 by its Chairman Thomas Friedkin, GST distributes new Toyotas, parts, and accessories to around 155 dealers in Texas and other states in the region. This building is GST’s new headquarters in west Houston.

The Chase Bank Projects ~ Houston, Texas

We were pleased to be selected by O’Donnell/Snider to remodel and name-brand change a total of five former Washington Mutual branch banks, turning them into the Chase Bank after the acquisition of WAMU by Chase.

We also agreed to a very rigorous schedule— we promised to have all five branches completely remodeled (including some demolition) and name-branded within 21 days. Our full-time professional installers and office staff worked nights and weekends to make that happen, and we did. We’re grateful for the opportunity to show what we can do, to work with our valued industry customer O’Donnel/Snider, and to serve the needs of Chase Bank and its customers.

Our H.A.D. Interiors/Houston Acoustics & Drywall Corporate Offices ~ Houston, Texas

 

Our new Corporate offices are located at 4927 Cranswick Drive in Houston, Texas.  We moved in during the month of February, 2009, after our 6-month construction project.  The facility’s exterior was designed by the architectural firm of Dang La, Inc., and the interior was designed by Story Architects in Houston.  The folks at Gildart Construction did the buildout of the interior; however, we also took advantage of the interior design expertise of  Donna Jarnigan of Lacy Boone Interiors, as well as input from Kristy Maniscalco– and assorted family and friends were always there with great advice!  We have a state of the art training room for safety training; a large conference room; and offices for our Acoustical Superindentent, Human Resources and Safety Director.  Other support staff are housed here as well.