The job nobody explains

Most supers get the job before anyone shows them how to do it. I did. I started on sites at 14 under my father, a lead hand and superintendent, ran my own contracting company for 25 years, and I’m back running sites today.

This book is the practical stuff I learned along the way: how to take over a site, run the day, keep trades moving, pass inspections, handle changes, and run the days that can hurt somebody. It’s the kind of thing my father would have told you on the tailgate.

What’s inside

Part 1: Taking the Site. Your first 30 days, and reading the schedule you inherited.

Part 2: Running the Day. The morning huddle, the three-week look-ahead, deliveries, laydown and access.

Part 3: Trades, Inspections and Changes. Mobilizing a trade, inspections, verbal direction, field to office, and Don’t Bury It.

Part 4: The Days That Can Hurt Someone. Safety-critical work, crane and prefab days, Friday reset, and zero-punch closeout.

Every chapter ends with a form you can use on site the next morning. All 18 are in the appendix.

Already have the book?

Get all 18 forms as full-size 8.5 × 11 printable sheets: kinneecontracting.com/forms

Who it’s for

New and assistant superintendents, foremen stepping up, project managers who want to know what the field needs, and construction management students and instructors.

Thinking about it for a course or a training program? Get in touch through the contact form.

About the author

Matt Kinnee has been building for 30 years. He spent five years building spec homes and several more on high-rise and commercial work, founded Kinnee Contracting in 2001 and ran it for 25 years, delivering multi-million-dollar projects every year. Today he works as a site superintendent in Victoria, British Columbia.

This book shares one superintendent’s experience. It does not replace your company’s safety program, WorkSafeBC, OSHA or other local requirements.