File Photo Workers make progress in the construction of the Ward County jail expansion Feb. 8.

Commercial construction activity can be cyclical, and the Minot region is seeing that cycle change as it comes off boom times to settle into a slower pace.

But that makes it a good time for businesses thinking about projects to take a serious look, said Jason Sanders, president of Rolac Contracting, Minot.

“It’s a fantastic time for businesses to be looking at remodeling or additions or new construction. There’s lots of companies looking for work right now so you are going to get a good bid. You are going to get attention,” he said.

Sanders said the slowdown in activity will mean fewer out-of-state companies remaining in the area, but the industry will remain competitive.

“I think you are going to see prices come down and competition get a little tighter,” he said. “But business is still going to keep moving. Businesses are still going to keep developing. You are still going to see construction.”

Jerome Gruenberg, project manager at Mattson Construction, is a veteran of the industry and can recall extreme swings from the recent boom times to years when no appreciable building was going on. Slower periods mean taking on smaller projects and reaching out to more of the rural areas, he said.

The industry is always advancing and changing, though, Gruenberg and Sanders said.

An industry change that may be having the most impact on contractors is the speed at which projects must move today, Gruenberg said.

“Years ago we would get a job and there would be a year to 18 months to do it. Today, they want you to bid and put up the building and turn over the keys in weeks or months. They want immediate use of the building because they have a big investment and they want some return. They don’t want to wait to start collecting the rent or selling the products,” Gruenberg said. “We have to find more efficient ways of doing things.”

The result is architects and designers incorporating features that can be built more quickly and easily, he said. Contractors are putting on more workers to get more done faster. Better tools and heavy equipment also add to the efficiency of the work.

Sanders agrees the speed required on projects has changed the industry, and the technology advances have helped make that speed possible. Like any industry, technology is providing new tools and equipment that impact the worksite, he said.

Advances also offer new types of exterior finishes, Gruenberg said. The majority of buildings once were plaster, stucco or metal and now one sees imitation panels and new types of exterior insulation and finish systems using a composite materials.

Gruenberg added that Minot’s building requirements seek to ensure aesthetics and character, which rules out the steel or plain buildings of the past. However, today’s metal siding no longer is plain, with colors and a mix of horizontal and vertical lines in building designs, he said.

Specialization also has added to efficiency for builders.

Gruenberg recalled the days when general contractors brought in their own workers to do nearly all aspects of the work other than electrical and plumbing, which were subcontracted. Now, much of the work, from erecting metal studs to installing sheet rock, is specialty work done by subcontractors.

“We used to have carpenters and laborers and brick layers and operators and other union workers – all these trades under our umbrella. Today, they are all separate,” Gruenberg said.

Large projects may involve 15 to 20 subcontactors and may be under the charge of construction managers rather than general contractors. Large projects, particularly public projects, typically involve construction managers, Sanders said.

Another change more noticeable by the public is the amount of year-round construction.

“We are seeing a lot of year-round construction now, primarily because of sheltering. It’s so much easier today with the things that we have and the things that are available to us to shelter and heat a building,” Gruenberg said. “It’s not unusual to do an outside job. We are pouring concrete in the cold.”

Sanders noted the cost of sheltering makes year-round construction less affordable, though. During the boom, that was less of an issue in Minot, but as the economy changes, there may be less of the year-round, outdoor work, he said.