With total U.S. construction starts projected to rise by 6 percent in 2016, the construction industry continues on its steady rise. Its expansion is contributing to an increase in corporate projects and profits. To make the most of the upturn, construction companies are having to focus on keeping costs low, working to allocate resources in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
As commercial and institutional building starts increase, it is essential to keep your company’s current projects on time and on budget, all while pursuing the market’s wealth of new leads. One way this challenge can be met is by exploring options that avoid investing time and money into purchasing and managing permanent assets.
There are many benefits to renting instead of purchasing assets for a construction site. Construction sites are dynamic, ever changing and require temporary workspaces to get the job done. Instead of purchasing resources to fill these transitory spaces, renting or leasing equipment that is needed for only the duration of the project can often reduce your company’s capital expenditures. Rental helps to ensure that your time and money is spent managing the projects, not the assets. Several kinds of on-site resources can be leased with these benefits.
For example, furniture rental is a viable alternative to purchasing permanent assets. Furniture rental eliminates the costs of storing on-site furniture between projects, making it an even more financially sound option. Its flexible nature allows you to avoid being stuck with outdated assets. As the needs of the construction site change, rented assets can easily be added or removed to match your company’s current situation, without jeopardizing your time or budget.
One of the greatest benefits of leasing over purchase is the reduced amount of time you are required to spend managing it. Its adaptable nature is designed to help you keep up with the fluctuating lifecycle of construction starts, without wasting your time.
Managing projects and budget is crucial to the success of construction companies. To learn more about how furniture rental can help on your next project, visit CORT.com.
Related Stories
| Jan 25, 2011
Bloomberg launches NYC Urban Tech Innovation Center
To promote the development and commercialization of green building technologies in New York City, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has launched the NYC Urban Technology Innovation Center. This initiative will connect academic institutions conducting underlying research, companies creating the associated products, and building owners who will use those technologies.
| Jan 25, 2011
Top 10 rules of green project finance
Since the bottom fell out of the economy, finding investors and financial institutions willing to fund building projects—sustainable or otherwise—has been close to impossible. Real estate finance prognosticators, however, indicate that 2011 will be a year to buy back into the real estate market.
| Jan 25, 2011
Construction firms planning to hire, not fire in 2011, reports AGC
More construction firms are planning to hire workers this year than are planning to make layoffs, according to the results of an industry-wide survey by the Associated General Contractors of America and Navigant. The survey, conducted as part of the Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, shows the industry may finally be emerging from a severe downturn that has left millions of skilled workers unemployed.
| Jan 25, 2011
AIA reports: Hotels, retail to lead U.S. construction recovery
U.S. nonresidential construction activity will decline this year but recover in 2012, led by hotel and retail sectors, according to a twice-yearly forecast by the American Institute of Architects. Overall nonresidential construction spending is expected to fall by 2% this year before rising by 5% in 2012, adjusted for inflation. The projected decline marks a deteriorating outlook compared to the prior survey in July 2010, when a 2011 recovery was expected.
| Jan 21, 2011
Combination credit union and USO center earns LEED Silver
After the Army announced plans to expand Fort Bliss, in Texas, by up to 30,000 troops, FirstLight Federal Credit Union contracted NewGround (as CM) to build a new 16,000-sf facility, allocating 6,000 sf for a USO center with an Internet café, gaming stations, and theater.
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 21, 2011
Primate research facility at Duke improves life for lemurs
Dozens of lemurs have new homes in two new facilities at the Duke Lemur Center in Raleigh, N.C. The Releasable Building connects to a 69-acre fenced forest for free-ranging lemurs, while the Semi-Releasable Building is for lemurs with limited-range privileges.
| Jan 21, 2011
Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
Harlem is one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to combine retail with assisted living. The six-story, 50,000-sf building provides assisted living for residents with disabilities and a nonprofit group offering services to minority groups, plus retail and office space.
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
