Jamal said "these contracts alone have built my confidence factor because I can put out good contracts, my numbers are tight, and, I can get it done on time." - Now that's a win-win all around.
"The great thing about ConstructionSuite is that it's an educational tool as well as project management software," said Jamal, "The number of times I've gone back to my manual and figured out, "oh, this is how this works... and this is WHY it works that way," is countless. It's an entire education for me and it makes my business run better."
"ConstructionSuite is an awesome product. Period," said Jamal.
Waste Not, Want Not - A Simple yet Important Focus of Green Building
Jamal also has a passion for green building, which has prompted him to work green elements into every project, and he does so by being smart and working within the same budget. Working within the same budget of $200,000, JAMSHAR was able build a 2,000+ SF Green & Sustainable home in Westhampton, NJ and used low VOC paints, adhesives and materials, and whisper quiet mechanical house ventilation system for controlled fresh air exchange.
Overall, the project prevented 5,813 pounds of CO2 emissions annually, saved almost 3,000 pounds of coal, among other green benefits. This project earned JAMSHAR, a second Annual Excellence Award by Walls & Ceiling's (www.wconline.com). JAMSHAR was first awarded in 2004 as an Annual Excellence Award recipient, and was been chosen for a second time as the 2010 Award Recipient of the Annual Excellence Award - Drywall Division.
Humanitarian aid work that Jamal has done is an attributing factor to his drive to do green and sustainable building on every project. He explains, "When doing humanitarian work, you see the effects of mankind's decisions, and construction has one of the largest effects on the planet. Once you have seen a degree of destruction that is truly indescribable, you start seeing a focus on building safer, but also in a way that protects life and safety," explains Jamal.
"For me, I hated going to the dump, because I would see these things that we could use on the next project, instead of putting it in a hole and covering it up," Jamal explained. "This is where you can see the global impact construction has on communities. It makes me want to do better, and be better."
ConstructionSuite - Winning Bids & Saving Marriages
ConstructionSuite has also helped JAMSHAR win bids on multiple occasions. Jamal explains, "I've had clients shop around for pricing, and they basically give my contracts to other people, and they take a look at it and say "I can beat that...Then I ask my client - Did they provide you with a document outlining the material selection, or the time frame of the scheduling with the work? If I'm putting this much detail into a document, how much detail do you think I will put into the project? That has won me contracts."
ConstructionSuite Schedules even saves marriages, at least in JAMSHAR's experiences. "For my projects, I'll have a sample schedule put together, and send all my clients a copy of their generalized schedule. It shows them how if they work with me, it will reduce the time they don't have a kitchen. The fights that I've been in the middle of between couples - I send this to them and say this is how we keep you guys happily married."
Dealing with happy clients are exactly the kind Jamal likes to deal with, particularly when renovating kitchens. He explains "there are a lot of clients that have always wanted to have a new kitchen. When you come in, you're the guy who is going to make it happen."
"For me, it's such a rush because it's like a gift that is unfolding in slow motion before their eyes. It starts off really dirty, and you're destroying their house, but then five days later they see their dream in front of them. It's fun," said Jamal.
Even more so, there's an intimacy that comes to kitchens that Jamal truly enjoys. Jamal had a particularly memorable client whose kitchen was remodeled. "One client of mine was an elderly woman whose husband had recently passed. She and her husband had moved into a home and had been married for 45 or 50 years. This was just a wonderful place. You walk and see all the pictures of the kids."
"As we were getting started, I asked her about the project. Is this your first new kitchen? Yes it is. Her husband had died a year ago, and this was his final gift to her, he was buying this for her. This was so emotional for me because she told me that every ten years she would tell him 'I need a new kitchen' and he would run out and buy new hardware, or paint the cabinets, or get new doors for the cabinets, and so on. For 50 years, this man had renovated these cabinets to keep his wife happy, but he never wanted to get new cabinets."
"Now that he's passed, some of the money was set aside so that she could finally have her new cabinets. Every day she would come from work, take her stool, and just sit there and look. She would sit there for an hour, and I would still be working, and he would ask her if she was alright. She'd say 'Oh yeah honey, I'm fine, just keep working... Don't mind me.' You could see the tears welling up in her eyes, and she was thinking 'He finally got me my new kitchen.' I did everything possible to make sure that was one of the best kitchens I'd ever done, because it was someone that truly appreciated the work," said Jamal - and that's why kitchens hold a special place in his heart.
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