How is industrial construction different from residential construction?

When you think of industrial construction, don't think about my driveway, or my roof or even the building of a new house up the road. Think big. Think massive. Think industrial-size like the big cans of tomato juice at Costco. Those in the industrial construction business design, install and maintain titanic structures including power plants, skyscrapers, warehouses, factories and other larger-than-life projects [source: IDS]. The work can be as varied as working on a bridge, a dam or an oil refinery.

Industrial construction is a specific form of building that requires expert training and highly experienced workers who can multi-task. Many industrial construction companies are large, multi-national firms. Projects are run by a bevy of managers, engineers and architects.

To get a better handle on what this industry's workers do, let's take a trip to the world's largest industrial construction project, the Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia. Located in the eastern part of the country, the Jubail project began in 1975 as the Saudis sought to expand their petrochemical industry [source: Betchtel].

Not only did workers build towering petrochemical and fertilizer plants, an industrial port and a steel works, they also built homes and shops for more than 100,000 people. Jubail City includes two dozen schools, 14 shopping centers and a golf course. At peak, the workforce reached 50,000 at a cost of more than $40 billion [source: Betchtel]. And it's getting bigger. Currently, the second phase of the project, Jubail II, is under construction. Workers are building 22 new industrial sites, including the world's largest desalination facility. They're also building roads, wastewater treatment plants and expanding King Fahd Industrial Port. The total cost of the second phase of the project is $3.8 billion [source: Betchtel].

Let me say it again -- industrial construction means gargantuan. And there's nothing more extreme than the tools they use. For some projects, some lucky drivers get to motor around in a 45,500-ton excavator, the largest in the world. This baby can literally move mountains [source: Technology Digest]. If you loved to play with Tonka trucks in the sandbox as a kid (I certainly did) then you'll love the T-282, the planet's largest dump truck. Empty, the T-282 weighs 465,000 pounds (210,920.42 kilograms) and stands 24 feet (7.32 meters) tall. It can carry 400 tons of material. Drivers often compare the truck to driving a four-bedroom house [source: History Channel].

Most of us, however, have little contact with industrial construction projects. Residential construction projects are another matter.

It was late in 2011, and my garage was looking, well, like a garage. Squirrels had eaten holes in the clapboard. The door jamb to the woodshop was rotted. The paint was awful. Finally, I'd had enough. I told my go-to contractors Jim and Francine that I wanted this sorry structure to have a makeover. Let's side it, I said, in barn-red clapboard.

The pair enthusiastically took the job. They did amazing work. Then I had a vision. I always have visions when it comes to home improvement. I'd wanted a small porch attached to the shop. (The shop is just a shop in name only, but let's just go with it.) I was low on cash, however. Then I had an idea. Jim's truck died the week before. I had an old 1993 Ford Ranger sitting in the driveway. It needed a new set of springs. I made a proposition: Build the porch and I'll sign over the truck. Jim and Francine finished the job in three days.

Jim and Francine are contractors, the backbone of the residential construction business. Contractors build and repair houses. Carpenters, plumbers, masons, electricians and others are all part of the residential construction trade [source: Allen and Thallon]. Some contractors won't do the work themselves. Instead, they'll hire subcontractors. That's because general contractors are the big idea people. They'll work with you from beginning to end. Subcontractors are specialists. Some are heavy equipment operators, others masons. They'll work until their particular task is finished.

Important parts of the residential industry are the builders and developers who hire the general contractors. Builders are people that coordinate a residential building project in the hopes of selling or renting the structure. A builder will buy the property and seek financing to fund the project. Builders hire the designers to sketch the project, and the contractors to put it all together. Builders can work on one property or multiple properties at the same time [source: Allen and Thallon].

Developers are builders on steroids. They'll buy large tracts and divide the property for sale as building lots. They'll make sure the roads and utilities are in place. Developers build private and public housing [source: Allen and Thallon].

The residential construct industry is an important part of the U.S. economy. The building industry as a whole suffered enormously during the Great Recession. Fortunately, in 2011, the industry added nearly 100,000 jobs. In February 2012, spending for private residential construction was $253 billion, nearly the same as January [source: U.S. Census Bureau].

I like to think I did my part to contribute to that figure. In fact, as I look out my garret again, I see the garage needs a roof. Let's make it hunter green, just like the new one on the house.

I've learned over the years that contractors are a lot like freelance writers. If business is slow, and they need the work, they'll give you a good price. But if they're busy ... ka-ching. Oh yeah, sometimes you have to pester them to make deadlines.

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