Writing

Notes from the trade

Long-form pieces on cranes, residential construction, and the business of how a project actually gets built. Not listicles. A new post every week or two.

  1. · Cranes

    What a crane operator actually does on a pour day

    From the first radio check to the last swing-off — what an operator’s shift looks like on a high-rise pour, and the difference between “the lift” and everything around it.

  2. · Business of construction

    Why your home build is over budget by week six

    Most overruns aren’t the trades’ fault, and they aren’t bad luck. They’re a small handful of decisions made before anyone broke ground — here’s which ones.

  3. · Cranes

    The lift plan, in plain language

    Every crane lift has a plan before the hook hits the load. What goes into one, who signs off on it, and what changes when the wind picks up.

  4. · Business of construction

    Choosing a builder in Greater Vancouver: what to actually ask

    A practical list of questions for owners shopping a builder in Vancouver or Burnaby — the ones that separate a careful quote from a hopeful one.

  5. · Construction

    Foundation week: what owners don’t see

    The week your foundation goes in locks in more of your project than any other week of the build. A walk through what’s actually happening — and what to look at versus what to leave alone.