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Baronjutter posted:I can't remember if it was this thread or another but a bunch of people who worked construction were saying the owner needs to stay away and not "spy" and warn the workmen when they're coming and it was "disrespectful" and "annoying" to be snooping around. It's your own loving property you can hover there all day, specially when so many workers do awful awful work if no on else is around. If I was having a house built I'd be there multiple times a day inspecting the gently caress out of everything. I don't care if the trades like that or not, I don't want a meat-void in my house or corners cut. There's a big fat line between overseeing the work being done and being unreasonably overbearing. Dropping by at the end of the day to go over the work with your general contractor and look for deficiencies or concerns is totally reasonable. But hovering over the crew all day is going to end up costing you twice as much because you're micromanaging and nothing will ever get done. And if you think you had lovely workers before, just wait until all your skilled tradesmen say "gently caress this" and move on to another project where the homeowner isn't hovering over their shoulders and telling them how to do their jobs. If you don't trust your general contractor to manage the work and act in your best interests then you either didn't hire the right g.c., or you've signed a lovely contract that doesn't protect you in the event of completion delays / poor workmanship, or you don't have a contract at all.
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Aug 21, 2015 19:07
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I was under the impression that end of the day inspections are fine but coming more than every now and then during the workday is going to annoy the tradesmen. Besides a daily inspection should catch anything of note because it isn't like the framing, plumbing, and drywall go in on the same day. Additionally if you want to endear yourself to your future neighbors then walking around the lot and street in front with a magnetic sweeper is a great way to do it. A friend also used his nightly walkthrough to install wiring for his surround sound system the night before the drywall went in 
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Aug 21, 2015 19:59
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I'm actually sitting at home right now having taken the day off because I didn't want to leave the guys working on our wall here by themselves, partially because of security reasons but also in case they had any questions since there were some particulars about wiring that needed to be handled.
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Aug 21, 2015 20:44
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Shifty Pony posted:I was under the impression that end of the day inspections are fine but coming more than every now and then during the workday is going to annoy the tradesmen. Besides a daily inspection should catch anything of note because it isn't like the framing, plumbing, and drywall go in on the same day. Additionally if you want to endear yourself to your future neighbors then walking around the lot and street in front with a magnetic sweeper is a great way to do it. Yeah that's what I was talking about. After the work day ends and nobodys around is a great time to walk around your property and make sure everything is what you were expecting. You could come by during the day sometimes for walkthroughs or whatever but don't harass the tradesmen during the day 
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Aug 21, 2015 20:51
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When I was a kid, one of the neighbor kids got his knee hosed up and had to have surgery...because they were using a slip n' slide in the yard, and it turns out the builders just threw their beer bottles in the yard during construction. Once the dirt got softened up by all the water, the glass happened to be close enough to the surface that it just hosed him right up.
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Aug 21, 2015 21:27
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KillHour posted:I'd do this, but also bring pizza once a week around lunch time. I don't want them doing things to spite me when I'm not looking. One of my friends' fathers, through the magic of being a supervisor for a construction company + being portuguese, was able to waltz into his suburb tract home under construction during odd hours with trays of coffees and claim to be a supervisor for the developer and direct modifications from the usual plans and have nobody blink an eye or ask any questions.
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Aug 21, 2015 22:24
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taiyoko posted:When I was a kid, one of the neighbor kids got his knee hosed up and had to have surgery...because they were using a slip n' slide in the yard, and it turns out the builders just threw their beer bottles in the yard during construction. Once the dirt got softened up by all the water, the glass happened to be close enough to the surface that it just hosed him right up. Not quite as bad, but I had to help someone dig up their suburb backyard and that just happened to be the place where all the brick cutoffs n shards for the surrounding houses got dumped, and also where a ground-compacting thoroughfare for big earthmovers et al ran. Even with a big rented auger and several helpers that was still the slowest post-hole digging I've ever seen short of when they gotta do it manually with a spud bar when the ground's frozen.
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Aug 21, 2015 22:28
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Cmdr Tomalak posted:I have one of those weird switches too. There's a switch in the dining room that controls the upstairs bathroom exhaust fan. Which is...nowhere even NEAR the dining room. I can't imagine a situation in which someone in the dining room would need to turn on the upstairs bathroom fan... I have one of those too. It's beside the thermostat and my real estate agent told me to run it to circulate air out of the house. Like some sort of cheap half-assed HRV. I ripped out the switch and put a blank plate on it because gently caress that.
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Aug 22, 2015 00:21
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Ambrose Burnside posted:Not quite as bad, but I had to help someone dig up their suburb backyard and that just happened to be the place where all the brick cutoffs n shards for the surrounding houses got dumped, and also where a ground-compacting thoroughfare for big earthmovers et al ran. Even with a big rented auger and several helpers that was still the slowest post-hole digging I've ever seen short of when they gotta do it manually with a spud bar when the ground's frozen. Cry me a river. My parents house (and indeed, the entire neighborhood, as well as many others,) are built on a multi-foot-thick solid layer of crushed oolite coral rock, with maybe a foot of soil on top so stuff (weeds) will grow. Shortening their driveway and turning the soil over both involved a pickaxe and a sledge.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:01
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taiyoko posted:When I was a kid, one of the neighbor kids got his knee hosed up and had to have surgery...because they were using a slip n' slide in the yard, and it turns out the builders just threw their beer bottles in the yard during construction. Once the dirt got softened up by all the water, the glass happened to be close enough to the surface that it just hosed him right up. I'm a gardener, and while digging in my front garden to plant a new bush, I found an entire lump of plaster in the shape of the bag they're sold in. I'm guessing a builder just tossed his extras out on the dirt when they were building this place. The hole it left was so big, I had to get some more dirt to fill it in. I've also heard stories of people popping the tires on their riding mowers from nails and screws in their yard.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:03
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I planted a 5 foot tall cherry blossom tree in our backyard when we moved in and discovered a poo poo ton of broken concrete chunks. It appears that when the builders demolished the old structure (well before we moved in, we aren't the first owners) they just buried the foundation and built on top of it. I always wondered why it didn't have a basement.
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Aug 22, 2015 02:16
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when I was a wee chile we moved onto a property that had a bunch of plastic animal feeding equipment from the 70s thrown into a (massive) hole and lightly buried. my father thought it would be good to get rid of it, so he set it on fire. it burned for three days, massive black billowing smoke. kept smouldering for another few days. the fire department was kinda pissed but here wasn't anything they could do. anyway after the land was clear, dirt was hauled in & pushed around, the land was split up into lots, rezoned, and sold for a profit. and now people have homes built on a plastic graveyard. :spoopy:
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Aug 22, 2015 02:33
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Jesus a 3 day smoldering plastic fire I can't even imagine how that smelled. Actually I can imagine how that smelled after a dude who's car was filled with various plastic containers caught on fire. But 3 days? I'm imagining one of those old coal mining towns with the eternal subterranean fires, but with 70's lawn garbage instead of coal.
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Aug 22, 2015 07:28
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Shifty Pony posted:I was under the impression that end of the day inspections are fine but coming more than every now and then during the workday is going to annoy the tradesmen. Besides a daily inspection should catch anything of note because it isn't like the framing, plumbing, and drywall go in on the same day. Additionally if you want to endear yourself to your future neighbors then walking around the lot and street in front with a magnetic sweeper is a great way to do it. If I'm paying someone thousands of dollars or more they can go gently caress themselves as far as how often I show up to my own property. As long as I dont interfere with the work itself. You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide
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Aug 22, 2015 07:30
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Sylink posted:If I'm paying someone thousands of dollars or more they can go gently caress themselves as far as how often I show up to my own property. As long as I dont interfere with the work itself. And the most skilled tradesmen will say gently caress this micromanagement bullshit, and go to another job site for the sub or the gc. So, well done? As was said, end of the day inspections are cool. Hovering over the job site during the day is being a dick.
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Aug 22, 2015 13:33
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You're paying the general contractor to do that. Check on the work, not the workers, and try to avoid instructing individual contractors. Look at the end of the day, and if it's poo poo talk to the general or tear him a new one, if you want. If that doesn't fix things, fire the guy and hire a good one. If you want to be in charge of all the day to day details, hire the contractors directly and organize it yourself. Otherwise, actually respect people and let them do their jobs. You're undermining the general contractor by going around them. If you're worried about something being covered up, set inspection hold points so you can see things before they're closed.
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Aug 22, 2015 18:54
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SolidElectronics posted:I have one of those too. It's beside the thermostat and my real estate agent told me to run it to circulate air out of the house. Like some sort of cheap half-assed HRV. I ripped out the switch and put a blank plate on it because gently caress that. Are you sure it wasn't a whole house fan? Those things are amazingly effective in the right climate.
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Aug 22, 2015 19:21
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Parallel Paraplegic posted:At every single Home Depot I've been to recently they have floor displays of LED bulbs where you can look at the color temps, if there's one near you you should go check it out. I've slowly converted all my bulbs to LED, the living area ones are "warm" and stuff like the closet that I don't really give a gently caress about is the cheaper "traditional ugly blue." I'm just amazed that they cost like, $15-$30 each but are warrantied for twenty one loving years. By the time it burns out I'll be 45 and it will be the cyberpocalypse anyway. My mind can't wrap around the fact that light bulbs just... don't... burn out... anymore. Crazy Just finished mainlining the thread, and even though this is a few pages back, I still wanted to mention this  http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/there-is-a-light-that-never-goes-out/  This incandescent bulb has been lit continuously for the last 114 years. It wasn't until the 1920's that all the lightbulb manufacturers banded together and formed a cartel that fined manufacturers if their bulbs lasted more than x hours. Also, a lot of what kills incandescents is the thermal expansion/contraction from turning them off and on.
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Aug 23, 2015 17:28
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OSU_Matthew posted:This incandescent bulb has been lit continuously for the last 114 years. It wasn't until the 1920's that all the lightbulb manufacturers banded together and formed a cartel that fined manufacturers if their bulbs lasted more than x hours. There is no such thing as a free lunch. In an incandescent lamp, if you run the filament cooler, it lasts a long time, but it emits little light per watt. If you run it hotter, it’s more energy efficient, but the filament burns out comparatively quickly. That 114-year bulb is monstrously inefficient. Platystemon fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Aug 23, 2015 |
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Aug 23, 2015 18:41
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Platystemon posted:There is no such thing as a free lunch. 4000 kWh consumed in its lifetime. I have some 60W GE Reveal bulbs in my ceiling fan in my bedroom, which is hooked up to a soft-dimmer. They ramp up in brightness (over about a second) and ramp down as well. I still have the same set of bulbs from when I moved in, in 2007, and they are still just as bright. One went out when my wife knocked over a stepstool and it smacked the floor ... I'd replace it, but its the one that points at our faces while we're lying in bed, so it hasn't been a huge priority. Still, the remaining three have easily 2000 hours of life and 4000 on/off cycles on them 
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Aug 23, 2015 19:07
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OSU_Matthew posted:Just finished mainlining the thread, and even though this is a few pages back, I still wanted to mention this Though I have heard of the soviets deciding that tungsten was too scarce, so light bulbs were made with a bit more tungsten to make them last longer and thereby use less tungsten in the long run.
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Aug 23, 2015 19:18
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I think that lightbulb is old enough to have a carbon filament
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Aug 23, 2015 19:23
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Also what did that lightbulb cost in 2015 to manufacture? "Things last half as long as they used to." "But they do twice as much and cost a tenth." "Don't make em like they used to!"
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Aug 23, 2015 20:26
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Deedle posted:Isn't that just a 220v bulb being run on 110v? The guy that invented that particular bulb would travel around with a giant marquee sign stuffed with competitors lightbulbs and would demonstrate how awesome his bulbs were by gradually cranking up the amps till every other bulb blew out, one by one. Nobody really knows what it's made out of, since they can't dissect it while it's still running.
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Aug 24, 2015 03:17
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OSU_Matthew posted:The guy that invented that particular bulb would travel around with a giant marquee sign stuffed with competitors lightbulbs and would demonstrate how awesome his bulbs were by gradually cranking up the amps till every other bulb blew out, one by one. It's made of unicorn hair and fetal stem cells
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Aug 24, 2015 03:20
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My neighbors are building a new patio and it is of the highest quality. 
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Aug 24, 2015 14:08
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Sudden Infant Def Syndrome posted:My neighbors are building a new patio and it is of the highest quality. Oh sweet Jesus.
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Aug 24, 2015 14:13
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Humbug Scoolbus posted:Oh sweet Jesus. I believe the back of it is either sitting on the ground, or attached to the rickety fence, there are 4x4s that are just sitting on the ground, butt joints are just made wherever they ran out of wood and are not supported, no lag bolts anywhere, etc, etc, etc. This is in Canada too, so those cemented posts that are down 6 inches or so will be shifting the hell out of that come winter. All in all, it's wonderful 
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Aug 24, 2015 14:21
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Don't forget the random rear end spacing of those crossmembers!
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Aug 24, 2015 14:32
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The trees are my favorite part of that, don't know why.
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Aug 24, 2015 14:48
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I hope they're going to be load-bearing components, they'll probably be the best part of the deck.
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Aug 24, 2015 14:51
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Ashcans posted:I hope they're going to be load-bearing components, they'll probably be the best part of the deck.  It can work out well if you do it right!
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Aug 24, 2015 14:56
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Sudden Infant Def Syndrome posted:My neighbors are building a new patio and it is of the highest quality. At least it's only a few feet off the ground, and death isn't certain when it inevitably fails.
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Aug 24, 2015 14:56
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Why would you want to cover over half your back yard with a lovely wood platform?
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Aug 24, 2015 15:11
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Especially the part of the yard not connected to your house.
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Aug 24, 2015 15:35
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Maybe they're going to permanently install a live band on their new lovely stage? Or maybe they just want to have an easier time peeping over the back fence. Anyhow, begin countdown to them setting a hot tub on top of the deck...
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Aug 24, 2015 15:39
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Bad Munki posted:Maybe they're going to permanently install a live band on their new lovely stage? Or maybe they just want to have an easier time peeping over the back fence. Naah, they're going to just put plywood down and turn it into a home for wayward raccoons.
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Aug 24, 2015 23:56
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Oh, so like a public service, except it's more, like, against the public. Depending on their neighbors I may be able to support that, I mean we're already of at least one dude who's all peepin' over their fence taking pictures of their top secret fort of awesome 'coon collection and posting them on the internet. 
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Aug 25, 2015 00:02
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Sudden Infant Def Syndrome posted:My neighbors are building a new patio and it is of the highest quality. What are those white/pale grey things? And are they just sitting on top of the ground?
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Aug 25, 2015 14:59
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GotLag posted:What are those white/pale grey things? And are they just sitting on top of the ground? Concrete pylons, for when you need a "foundation" on the cheap. And yes, they do appear to just be sitting on the ground.
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Aug 25, 2015 15:15
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