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- Jamaica has changed Significantly!
- Who is to blame for the chaos?
- Keeping the Team Small!
- Going Green in Jamaica
- Stop the Deceit!
- What Jamaican Construction Customers want, Now!
- We need to be seen by the Rest of the World!
- Our Quick Contractor Business Tip - Changed Mind? Change Order
- 3D Presentations of your Construction
- AutoCAD in Jamaican Architectural Engineering
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Apr17Jamaica has changed Significantly!
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Has it?
Have you heard this before “in the last 10 years you will find that Jamaica has changed significantly” I am sure you have? I am a returning resident and lived here for over 6 years and I can tell you Jamaica has not changed in over 50 years. Sure most Rasta’s have a cell phone and cable TV but can we call that changes.Jamaica’s new Highways are still being built but can we also call that a change or is the Government getting outside people to help build these roads and amazing Hotels. I have to face the truth and so too have a lot of returning residents here in Jamaica, where is the change.
Third World Country!
The real problem is the fact that we are still considered a third world country and until we can get away from that fact we can never change, so why am I saying all this. My aim is to let you all know that Jamaica is still one of the most beautiful countries in the world with some of the best beaches and views you can find anywhere with sunshine all the year round, that I hope will never change.But candles are still sold here by the bucket load and the significant change you will find is mainly on the North Coast of Jamaica, where the Tourists visit and mainly stay and that is not always good for Jamaica and it’s people.
Don’t think you are going to come to Jamaica and get into Internet Marketing because PayPal, the most used money transfer on the Internet do not recognize Jamaica. We have no Zip Code here so P.O. Box has to do and you have to travel to the Post Office and stand in the queue to get your mail, just as it was 50 years ago.
As for local shops to get your groceries, no, use them for bits to see you through the week and usually at a much higher cost, you have to travel to the supermarket in the main town, no change there. You need to have transport if you are going to live here, so think hard about the swimming pool you were going to build as this could get you your transport. And also keep in mind that Jamaica is the only country that the value of a second hand motorcar goes up in value, else where in the world the moment you buy a car it goes down in value!
Do I sound Negative?
Good! You need to know the truth about Jamaica and it’s problems that will never change. (Let’s face it that is what makes Jamaica!)In most case the Chinese and the Asian Indians are making a good living here, why?
Because they know poverty in there own countries and know what is needed to fight it here and do well in Jamaica. Japanese cars are everywhere, in fact Japanese cars account for 95 percent or more of cars on the Jamaican road, so the Japanese are doing well here in Jamaica. Even the Irish with Digicel phones are making more money than the Jamaican government, so where is the change?
If you are a labourer working in the sunshine all day you can expect to earn $1500 Jamaican Dollars a day, that’s less than £11.50 pounds – US$17.00 a day and if you have traveled to Jamaica the first thing you will say is “Jamaica is very expensive”, yes it is!
The imagination of Jamaicans!
I could go on and on about the Jamaican way of life but I do not wish to prolong the ‘where is the change’ discussion any more, I just want you to see some of the ‘real Jamaican problems’ that all Jamaican has to face each month. Yet we come to Jamaica and build these amazing Villas with all the money you have and get some of the cheapest workers around, no change there!Without the imagination of Jamaicans trying to stay alive and ‘eat a little bread’ each day you would not have your Villa. How many Americans, British, Chinese and Asian Indians do you see building homes in Jamaica, very little if at all, you could not afford them. I remember going to Florida and visiting a food hall in the shopping center, I have never eaten so cheap in my life, try doing that in Jamaica!
Now, put all this together and you will find that building your home in Jamaica can be cheaper than America or the UK and the main reason for this is labour cost, material is costly here, just like anything else.
Now I am not saying you should pay more for the work, that is for the government to make that change, not you, but maybe you can buy some of the tools for the workers to use giving you a faster turn round, tools you can keep after the work is completed or sell some of the items. Small Cement mixers are cheap aboard and can easily be fitted in a container and shipped down with your other items, that alone can save you a vast amount of cost. A Gas Cooker for the workers to make a ‘pot’ of food instead of them spending what amounts to a fortune on food each week. That is what I call changes in Jamaica, believe me just those simple items will not only save you money but also give you some of the most loyal workers around.
Your work friend!
We need changes in Jamaica and Returning Resident and Overseas Owners are the people who will change Jamaica for the better, not the Government, the people are still crying out for help and changes will never come in the next 20 or 50 years unless you take responsible measures to do so. Be part of the build and do not use the workers as indispensable items but your work friend. Trust in each other ideas and you will both learn from the experience and as you know Jamaicans can be some of the most helpful people around, that will never change!For JA Projects Website GO HERE
Val Barclay
JA Projects – Keeping an eye on your Construction in Jamaica.Mar22Who is to blame for the chaos?
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It’s a while since I wrote anything in my Blog so I am here to make a point about a matter that is, I think, very important to both the contractor and the client. This matter, it appear, is a long going problem that we all need to be aware of and can be a benefit to all concerned in the construction industry as well as some very frightened and worried clients.
A complete disorder and confusion caused by overseas client sending money to Jamaican contractors to construct or repair their property. A state of order and reassurance is needed to put things right as soon as possible! The contractor and the client working as a team is all you need to do.
Do we need a Judicator?
I mean someone to watch over the funds. No, I do not think so! Contractors need to help the clients as much as they can and keep an accurate account of all transactions and the Clients need to do the same, after all it’s in everyone’s interest to get it right. Being worried about how your money is being spent has and will always be a problem here in Jamaica, why, because Jamaican contractors are not trusted by a vast amount of overseas clients. “I know someone who was ripped off by Jamaican constructors and I do not want that to happen to me”, that is the usual story. Yet some of the most beautiful Villas are built here without any problems. I do not wish to pass the blame on any one group, contractors or client, but I myself working as a Project Manager, still have problems in this area with clients and I give them pictures!Have a little trust!
I recently got involved in a repair project that has turned out to be a nightmare, why, because even though I broke the project into different stages, supply photographs etc, the client still insists on sending the money in three sometimes four payments for each stage, this cannot work! By the time the project is over you end up collecting twelve lots of payment for a simple repair job, can you imagine if I was building a Villa for this client. And if a problem occurs else where you are ask to use some of the funds from the project to do other work, crap! I am sorry to say but the contractor is put off from the work, interest in the project starts to wilt, and all confidence and enthusiasm goes out the window. Please have a little trust and follow the money, insists on pictures, evidence of the work being done and make sure your contractor can provide this before you start.Easer said than done!
Well that sounds simple; easer said than done I hear you say! Well I have to agree that it is easer said than done, but never the less it has to be done and only the Contractor or Project Manager can do it. In the real world we don’t always have trust, so funds for projects can be a nightmare to get right. The smaller builders and contractors who do not have the skills to use a computer cannot enjoy the use of programs that does it all for you. Yes, for those of you in the construction trade who did not know this you should also know that everything you could possible think of, a computer program can do it, from estimating to sourcing materials.
So, you don’t have a computer, if you can write you can do the same thing, it just takes longer.
The Clients position!
The client just wants to know that they will not be ripped off! OK I do not know how to stop the ‘contractor thieves’. But I know how to make it harder for them, follow your money.
Keep a Running Total…
Before work even starts you should have an idea of each stage of the construction, a cost for each stage and a plan of action. With this you send the money to the Contractor; keeping in mind we have not discussed why we are using this Contractor, which is a whole different chapter, who should make a record of it straight away. Anything taken from that amount must be written down and deducted from the full amount, in fact a ‘running total’. At any time you discuss with your Contractor about your project you can check how the money is being spent, simple! As long as you are getting what you paid for, to the highest standard, then you should not have a problem with your funds.The Chaos has to stop!
Sending bits of the money will not work, how can the Project Manager function with less funds, that’s how the chaos starts! It changes the plan of action for a start so the client cannot keep up, more money comes, its more than was needed for the last stage but less than the funds needed for the next stage. Chaos starts!The Project Manager position!
Keep it flowing with your Clients and it becomes easer. The long and short of it, most Contractors would very much like to have there names passed on to the clients friends so it’s not in the interest of any Contractor to mess up. By quickly filling out a simple small job tracking sheet every day (even if the job only took you a half an hour!), and at the end of the job comparing your tracking sheet expenses with your original estimate, you can quickly spot areas or trends that may be sucking dollars out of your pocket and fix them.It’s easy to lose sight when you are juggling many small jobs - all those balls in the air at once can be exhausting. But with just a simple small job tracking form, you can streamline your operations and increase your profit margins.
The wise Contractor will set up a ‘Project Fund’, where the remainder of the funds reside, but this is rare, so be careful how you send the money.
Sending Funds
As the client you have a good choice of how you send the funds, from Bank Transfer to Western Union so the sending of funds is not a problem. How you allow the Project Manager to use your funds is of utmost important to the client, so allow the Project Manager to explain the process at each stage of the work.Tip - Use JA Projects
If your Project Manager has a computer and can use a camera then you can register with us and we will give you a password and username that only YOU and your Project Manager knows. You can use the system anywhere in Jamaica, the world! Your Project Manager can upload photographs at each stage; you can both make comments etc… Try the System, click here - [DEMO]Val Barclay
JA Projects – Keeping an eye on your Construction in Jamaica.-
Build without always being in Jamaica.
"What a great way to to keep an eye on our new home in Montego Bay. We live in Massachusetts and now we feel we can build without always being there".
It works for me!
"Thank you, what a great way to save time and money, it works for me! Having already constructed the outside of our Villa/Hotel we wanted to fill it with Jamaican furniture.
We posted the style and discuss the arrangement, all through JA Projects, the database did the rest, knowing our discussion and pictures were private. It's a great way to do business!
