The Long Journey of a Belgian Block
Materials Alexandra Grossman Materials Alexandra Grossman

The Long Journey of a Belgian Block

There is a driveway entrance on a current West Coast General Building Contractors project that has been over a century in the making. The granite blocks that pave it began their journey in Belgium, crossed the Atlantic in the hulls of Dutch cargo ships as ballast weight, were offloaded onto the docks of New York, repurposed to pave its streets and commercial corridors, and were eventually salvaged — irregular, weathered, and irreplaceable — and brought to California. That provenance alone would make them remarkable.

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Construction Contingency Planning
Planning & Process Alexandra Grossman Planning & Process Alexandra Grossman

Construction Contingency Planning

As a general contractor specializing in luxury residential projects, one of the most common questions we receive during cost analysis is about the contingency account. For many clients, particularly those working under a cost-plus contract, the term raises curiosity: What exactly is contingency, and why is it necessary?
The fact is, contingency is not just a line item on a budget—it is an essential tool that makes the construction process more efficient, transparent, and seamless for everyone involved.

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