After reading the weekend's basketful of replies to the previous thread about construction work I'd like to say a word or two.
First off, my hat is off to anybody that makes their living in that manner. I did for years. I think I still have a box of those little bottles of shampoo and rinse from the motels. And God bless Waffle Houses everywhere.
Second, I was surprised at a few of the responses that chided some folks for being unlicensed. Most of the unlicensed men and women I know that apply their talents professionally in this manner are great at what they do. Most of them can work circles around a lot of the licensed surveyors I know. I was employed for years with a large asphalt producer/ highway construction outfit. Some of the most dedicated and hard working folks I've ever met.
I found my license actually didn't mean a lot. One of the first things we use to do when a job kicked off was stake the RW. If there was ever a question about the RW's location we always consulted outside surveyors just to keep the playing field honest. I prepared a jillion cubic yards of quantity calculations also. But if there was ever a discrepancy we sought outside parties to verify my work. Probably just to keep it from looking like "the fox was watching the hen house".
I did need my license once to provide an Elevation Cert for the company owner's lake cabin...
Field engineering is a fascinating discipline. A man could spend 50 years in the field and still not see it all. I loved the work and hated the travel and learned something new everyday. I would like to salute all you surveyors out there that choose this line of work, licensed or unlicensed.
Now the tack is fixin' to break and we got trucks lined up, let's all get to work.
:good:
> I was employed for years with a large asphalt producer/ highway construction outfit.
That is what I do now. My employer has property all over the state though so I get to do some boundary work in the winter or when it's slow.
I can say that one construction company accounts for 2 million in annual billings for my company so anyone that says you can't make money in construction is flat out wrong. The key is finding the right clients and treating them right.
just reminded me of an old joke...
Q: "How do you make a million dollars in the construction business?"
A: "You first start out with five million.." 😉
> I can say that one construction company accounts for 2 million in annual billings for my company so anyone that says you can't make money in construction is flat out wrong. The key is finding the right clients and treating them right.
:good: :good:
I've been out of the beerleg loop lately and saw that extended "discussion" on pros & cons of said construction staking. No time to read all that.
Me, I've been really good at it for as long as I can remember (what did I have for lunch?...lol). Really, since mid 70's. Mostly roadwork & drainage, lots of site work & building additions with site improvements, even some apartment complexes. Small scale compared to many on this forum. Still do it now, even if that protuberance above my beltline does tend to preclude me from much bending over. Plus now its hot.
Kinda enjoyed it when I worked for other people. Never enjoyed it whilst self employed though. I sum it up as a necessary evil.
Two problems:
1) Scheduling. They want it now, or better yet yesterday. Very disruptive to my primitive lifestyle. Regardless, you juggle your schedule to accommodate theirs. Always at another jobs expense. (been solo for 25 yrs)
2) Idiots. Starting with the plan maker crowd (PE's, et al), and approving agencies. Fast forward to the underpaid stupid superintendents and seeming overpaid contractors, everybody points to the surveyor to "fix it". I've done my share of fixing things and never did like it.
Never had a problem getting paid though, and generally a good rate. I'm just tired of the rat race and dealing with putting out other peoples fires that could have been easily prevented if they had their fecal fan in place.
belated $0.02
I think some of the dislike comes from the neverending argument of why many states include construction staking within their licensure. Some unlicensed folks seem upset that much of their experience does not count towards getting a license. I think they have a good point, but the truth is that getting experience in other facets of surveying (especially boundary)could only benefit their education. In the end, the state BORs have a duty to protect the public and impose standards. We all don't have to agree with the rules, we just have to follow them.
> ... many states include construction staking within their licensure....much of their experience does not count towards getting a license.
[sarcasm]"Exclusion by inclusion..I like it!"....Hootie Johnson[/sarcasm]
Been a construction surveyor for 30 years, with a little land surveying off and on all thru that. Made 19K a year with the land surveyor and 100K a year in construction. Hmmm? Choices choices!!
-JD-
A good deal of the first 20 years of my 30+ year career, and a little bit of it since was construction surveying. Mostly highways, other roads, residential and commercial site work, with a few minor bridges and buildings tossed in.
There were a few things I really liked about it.
1) Taking designed features and applying them to the ground - ensuring that the design will work with existing conditions.
2) Troubleshooting and field adjusting to remove design errors.
3) Being able to look back at the end of a day and measure productivity by the amount of wood (or nails, etc) put in the ground.
The things I didn't like, and what eventually took the joy completely out of it for me:
1) Constant machine noise, dust everywhere, no shade except that provided by parked equipment.
2) Contractors who schedule certain work and then raise hell because you are doing that work instead of other work that wasn't asked for but is needed first.
3) Contractors who realize that something was built wrong, so they pull the stakes and then start arguing about extra charges.
4) Contractors who ask for and authorize extra staking and then refuse to pay because restaking several drainage structures for the third time should be included in the contract.
5) Contractors and engineers whose first reaction to a construction error is to blame the surveyor before ascertaining the facts.
6) Contractors and engineers who, even after the facts show that the surveyor made no mistake, continue to blame the surveyor as a basis for arguing over backcharges and/or extras because the surveyor should have foreseen that the contractor's unskilled help would misread the offsets/cuts/whatever or should have known that the sewer line as designed would intersect with an existing water line that was not shown on the plans.
7) Project managers who accept backcharges based on a survey error or delay that never occurred because it's the easiest way to not upset a client. Nevermind that the client is knowingly screwing your company to the point you are losing money on the job (just like the last 3 with the same client).
8) Project managers who think it's a great idea to slash the survey budget, making it a loss leader in order to get the engineering contract, and then later lose all memory of having slashed the budget, holding the surveyor responsible for meeting a budget that is 2/3 of what it reasonably needs to be.
Most of the best construction surveyors I've known have been licensed, but a handful of really good ones were not. Didn't matter much most of the time. Important thing was the ability to understand the plans, spot and fix problems, and stay ahead of the construction crews.
