Construction Staking on Unprepared Ground

I store every point I set and I just talk with whoever about my feelings on if it's the right time or not to be doing what I'm doing. If they want it done I'll go ahead, and usually I'm just back to do it again later.... I don't worry to much about the liability of them using stakes/hubs/pins that got disturbed. I have a record of where I set it and site conditions aren't my responsibility.

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I feel the same way. As long as you let whoever needs to know what is going on, and you have the stored points you or your guys should be in the clear.

Brian McEachern, post: 423404, member: 9299 wrote: We were recently hired to do the boundary and construction staking for a new mini-mansion on the water. This house is for the owner of a local well known shell company that does multi-million dollar homes all over the county. There was a house on the lot that was to be torn down and the foundation to be removed from the ground. The boundary survey was done and the house was torn down. The new building foundation called for helical piles, roughly 75, and also a new site wall around the property that called for roughly another 70 piles. I knew this site was going to be an ongoing headache when we showed up to lay out the piles. The guys had excavators, dumpster haulers, and the rest still going when we showed up to start staking. Clearly the site was not ready and I spoke with the head honcho on site and let him know that we needed the ground prepped and ready to do what we had to do and with no issues they told us that the next day it would be ready for sure. We showed up and there was not a soul in sight and all seemed well, surprisingly. We laid out all of the piles without a problem, checked them all and left. Fast forward to yesterday. It was now time to stake the building around the piles along with the site wall around the property. Half of the points were fine and the ground was ready, but the other half however, were definitely questionable. I suppose with the right amount of experience and skill a guy can use our "pins" to layout a building correctly despite unsuitable ground conditions. I know it is our call to layout or not to layout depending on these types of conditions but if schedules have been made, and everyone including the office is pushing to have this stakeout done, the field crew has only one choice, stake the damn thing gnats ass and let the folks know that if they don't jump on it they'll put it in wrong. How do you guys handle tight scheduling, stubborn builders, and unprepared ground? I've been thinking about trying to establish some type of "Loose Dirt Liability" form for the builders to sign off on stating that if you hire us to stake it and demand it to be done without being totally ready, we are not held accountable for any errors made with use of "pins". Should be common sense, but you all know who is to blame when something goes wrong... The guy who laid it out, no matter how many people run over the hubs. Is there a standard you guys have for how far along a project must be before proceeding with staking?

The lath in the photo are marking hub and tacks for the mini-mansion. Towards the rear of the photo there was a smaller excavator removing large pieces of concrete debris from the trench and building box both, which were being carried away by a large bobcat and claw type blade. The excavator had just lost a track or it would have been in the photo also....

I would be looking to put these building corners on offsets until the foundation was poured at least. Maybe the contractor will do that himself. A skilled small operator would. Maybe not the kind of operation you are dealing with.

squowse, post: 423408, member: 7109 wrote: I would be looking to put these building corners on offsets until the foundation was poured at least. Maybe the contractor will do that himself. A skilled small operator would. Maybe not the kind of operation you are dealing with.

Offsets at an even foot at each corner. The interior points had no offset.

The contractors that finish the interiors and exteriors can make a porker look like a palace.
As long as the water turns on and drains and the lights and air controls work and doors open and close smoothly all is well.
Just hope nothing rolls across the floor by itself.

I always make a plan with the Points stakes out. Reference to the plan used and if they want me return because some idiot has driven through the stakes i'll do it as long as they pay for half a days work (standard time for construction companies)

Brian McEachern, post: 423409, member: 9299 wrote: Offsets at an even foot at each corner. The interior points had no offset.

Offset them out of the dig I mean. Or if they are putting in concrete blinding then wait for that and put nails in it. Which is what you are saying, that they called you in too early.

No win situation for you. When I did construction staking, and I don't anymore because that's a young mans job, I wouldn't set up my instrument on a site where machinery was moving around. Especially a residential lot. Usually we would schedule our site visit for later in the day after the workers had gone home.
Approach the "honcho" and tell them that re-staking will be billed at the regular rate plus one case of beer (remember it's late in the day). Subsequent re-staking your rates increase exponentially.

Revisited the site today to answer a couple questions and stake the property line and the house was being formed and checked during staking. All checked well and applause to the crew doing the work for being able to work with what they got.

I had just tore down and climbed into the truck yesterday when the grader showed up. I had mud to my knees and about lost a boot a time or two when had asked me if I set hubs. I said a hub would disappear and that I marked of the top of stake. He said man we need a hub in case the stake gets gone. I said it's soup out there and hubs aren't happening. Dry it out, I set you some hubs.

I just staked a condo building a few weeks back. Of course after rock chipping only a couple remained and he had me back.

The front offsets were in but the rears were gone. He asked for one spray paint mark on the ledge rock wall in the rear left side for line and he would do the rest.

I explained to him that each side of the building was on the required set back and if he used said spray paint mark, for sure he wouldn't be within the setbacks.

I couldn't really get much in the rock as it was very rough and full of water so I told him the best way to proceed was a paint mark as asked and only use that for his footings. Once the footings were in I would come put a nail in all four corners of the footing where the corners are. He agreed.

I went to the office after, invoiced him, and reiterated in the email what the plan was and in bold wrote DO NOT LAY OUT FOUNDATION WALLS WITH THESE MARKS.

Now I'm waiting to see if he obliges. He should and I'm sure he will.

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