Posted: 6/23/2006 3:54:08 PM EDT
|
Ok so I come home from work and I am suppose to have a crew build a new block wall on my side yard next week well I look out there and they tore about 1/5th of the wall down. The thing I dont understand is they left a note saying they will finish the rest of the demo on wednesday and then build the new wall thursday. So it leaves me with a big hole... My question is why did they even bother working on it today, its like they got excited at 2:00pm on a friday and then everyone wanted to go home at 3:00pm? I dont know it just looks funky like a mortar round hit it or something. makes me go 
|
Ding Ding Ding WINNER!!! And that's exactly why I'm getting out of the building trade ASAP. If people want their cheap labor, they can have it...along with all the fucking problems that come with it. 
|
Exactly. They had part of a day to fill out and stopped by your place early to get things started. You are lucky, because if they were raping you on the price of the job, they would not be that worried about losing a few hours. |
Really? And please edumecate those of us not in the know in your profound sense of construction principles and the way jobs are bid? I must have missed that in my years contracting jobs. But please do elaborate! |
And here you see why so many of us have bad names You know, we are not all out to make the quickest buck. But of course, with all gun owners being evil killers of children and the elderly, that brush can paint many strokes, eh? Want a beer? I am drinking beer. I'll Email you one if I can just get this stupid can into the scanner! Grrr, who designed these freaking things? |
Yup, I agree with Richard. Jump over to an existing job within a close proximity, yes. Start a new job and lose traveling time plus the amount of time it takes to familiarize yourself with the new job on a Friday in the afternoon, never. For the record, I've been an operator and now I'm an estimator for an excavation company. |
no offense intended. My wife is an attorney specializing in construction ligitigation. Specifically, surety bond defaults. Shitty contractors that don't finish what they started keep food on my table. |
No offense was taken, sir - hence the beer reference in that last portion of my post  What I would ask you to understand is that 99 out of 100 contractors out there are expected to be hacks or people with no skills looking to turn muscle into dollars. This is not the case. The majority of us out there are professionals with pride in the knowledge that affords us certain skills we combine with tools the average person does not have the experience or desire to aquire. They could learn it, of course, but why do so when we are here? One of the very reasons I petitioned this site for a DIY forum was to assist people in their confidence in skill and tools on hand - without the need to buy another $10,000 worth of "needed" equipment. But all construction is based on a bottom-line dollar figure. To most people, installing a receptacle is installing a receptacle and the less expensive it is the better deal they strike. So, in right to work states anyway, we fight an uphill battle against hacks and those that do the minimums and hire the cheapest labor. And THEY are the ones that are predominate - but through exposure alone. Are you more likely to complain about a shitty job or promote the contractor that did you a great job? One glance at this forum should answer that. So, while I did not take your comments personally, I do take a GREAT deal of pride in my reputation and ability to give my customers the very BEST job for their money. I am not as cheap as some, and I am not as good as some. But I can control my prices and there is NO job I don't think of as my own house. In that regard, I would appreciate statements such as yours remain for those who deserve it. Me? I bust my ASS every day to do a better job at a lower price. And I do it without illegal aliens, tax evasions, or corner cutting. Every single one of my employees represent me as if I were there personally. So, I am no computer programmer making triple digits a year, but I do the best I can with what I know. And I guaran-damn-well-tee you that if I do ANYTHING at your house you will be beyond satisfied. Just sucks that we are labled this way, just as teachers are when discussing th public school system or cops are when a warrant goes wrong. Again, no offense taken, but if you think the majority of us out there with little clue as to what we are doing, I think you'd be surprised at the truth. I'll still buy you that beer, of course! 
|
I really don't understand your attitude. I'm a contractor and that is how I do business, much as you do. I am not going to have an employee standing around scratching his butt when he can be making income for me during his eight hour day. I'll go start the next job. The only thing half assed I read in this threaD is the title. I would not aprerciate working for anyone who would fly off the handle like that and start badmouthing me without bothering to discuss any such issue with me first. |
Wait till your done with the first woman before moving on to the next  No, I don't think I'll let you down for it for a while 
|
Perhaps I misunderstood the OP's post? I read it as though he had no idea they were coming by. You don't contract a job and then just show up whenever to begin it. I don't, at least. I would have told the crew to take off for an early weekend. Leaving a fence that is a mess for an entire weekend in the name of production doesn't cut it in my book. If we were discussing something a job that was hidden from public view, that's different. But now a man's front yard! I dunno. I didn't mean to offend you, bro, and I am not questioning your way of doing things. But for me, I can't stand doing a little bit of work and then pulling off for days when everyone that walks by can see only a few hours of labor was involved. I think a Monday morning fresh start would have been the better way to handle it. MHO, YMMV, etc.
|
May people fall victim to the lowball bids, bro, so don't feel bad. Just remember: if the bid is considerably lower than the average, it is far from a bargain. Quality of labor and / or quality of materials has to be reduced as the dollar amount goes down. There's a rule we know as contractors: never take the first bid, and never take the lowest bid. I'm sorry you learned the hard way. I wish these jerks out there with a set of handtools and no integrity would stop giving the rest of us a bad name. |
|
no these guys seemed professional bonded/licensened I had plenty of low ball bids for guys with no papers. we will see how it goes, I can actually understand how they probably finished a job early so wanted to get a head start. Plus it gives me a cleaner field of fire 
|
My post was directed at Fish, bro, not you.
|