Tips to help East Valley homebuilders improve job-site security, protect equipment

Bill Herzog

Joey Hancock of Split One Technologies

Building real estate in the East Valley is expensive and the cost of construction is unlikely to decrease anytime soon. Labor and material costs are up and increasing costs are even more of a concern in the wake of a cooling real estate market. Homebuilders in the East Valley are paying more to build homes, but they are having fewer people willing to buy them. The current market means homebuilders can’t make mistakes that will unnecessarily increase the cost and completion time of a project.

One of the most significant ways builders lose money is via mismanaging their equipment and security plans. Stolen and damaged property, as well as emergency equipment repairs, can cost home builders hundreds of thousands of dollars. Builders must create and follow proper security and maintenance procedures to avoid wasting money on increasingly expensive homebuilding projects.

Do your research to form a security plan

Every area you build in has unique security needs, which is why it is essential to do your research on the area and use the data to implement an effective security plan for your job site. Crime rates vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, so figure out what crimes are prevalent in the area you are building and protect your property from them.

Wayne Funk, owner of Mesa home building company Bellago Homes, said you must know your job site’s security needs before you start building homes.

“Know where you are building,” Funk said. “If you are building in a neighborhood with high property crime, then you need to account for that.”

In-depth security research requires builders or their security teams to examine crime rates in the area and consult with law enforcement to discuss the issues they are observing. Areas with low rates of theft and property crime will not require a substantial investment in security equipment or physical security teams.

However, if you are building in areas with high rates of property crime, then you will need to make those investments. This involves purchasing fencing, alarms, cameras and other physical security measures. Building in areas with higher crime rates will require you to have physical security monitoring the area at night, fencing around the perimeter of the job site and construction site security cameras.

Create and implement a security plan for your job site before commencing home building.

Invest in the right tech

Proper security on a job site means having an eye on every essential part of the job site and quickly communicating when those areas are at risk. The right tech is critical to achieving this security goal.

Jason Fischbeck, owner of Automated Environments, a smart technology and security equipment installer in Mesa, said security cameras are an essential tool for job-site security.

“Cameras on your job site are the only way to record visual evidence of a property crime on your property,” Fischbeck said. “Every homebuilder should invest in security cameras because they are the best way to catch and record a crime on your job site.”

Security cameras should be placed at all parts of a job site where your most valuable assets are. Cameras should be recording the homes, materials and construction equipment.

Job sites with physical security also need the tools to communicate and do their jobs effectively. Proper communication between your security team could be the difference between no damages and $100,000 worth of damages.

Stewart McClintic, a two-way radio retailer and the owner of HQ98.com in Scottsdale, said two-way radios are vital for home builders’ security teams.

“Two-way radios provide instant communication to security teams, which means they can quickly alert team members to potential trespassing and property crimes,” McClintic said. “When one security guard detects an issue, they can instantly communicate with the rest of the security team, who can contact law enforcement.”

Two-way radios are also essential for the safety of the security team, as a team member can radio in an issue without having to engage directly with someone on the property.

Invest in the proper security equipment to avoid wasting money recovering stolen or damaged assets.

Maintain your job-site vehicles

Building homes requires the use of construction vehicles. When construction equipment breaks down, builders must spend money on expensive repairs and incur additional costs due to job delays.

Sara VanFleet, the owner of DB Trucks, works extensively helping builders repair construction vehicles such as water trucks. She said poor treatment of construction vehicles is costing home builders lots of money.

“Do not neglect routine maintenance, “VanFleet said. “The extreme heat, dust and use of construction vehicles in Arizona make them more likely to break down without the proper care.”

Builders can save a significant amount of money by performing routine maintenance on their construction vehicles. Routine maintenance can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 per year, while a major repair can cost you hundreds of thousands per year. Performing routine maintenance and operating construction vehicles safely will help you avoid costly repairs and potentially more expensive job delays.

Improper security and neglectful equipment maintenance are costing builders money. Create a security plan for your job site, hire the right security team if necessary and maintain the construction vehicles you have invested in. Many factors beyond your control influence the cost of building; don’t let the things you can control get in your way.

Lionheart Security Services, https://www.lionheartsecurityservices.com/, is a physical security company in Tempe. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.