Looking at a pretty straightforward staking job, a building being added onto an existing building (at a place we have done work before).
At first glance I figured I would bid to layout footers, pilings, some grades, pretty simple stuff. But reading the specs, the surveyor has to certify each element of construction. Each beam, each footer, each wall has to be certified to 4mm (xyz) before construction can proceed. In other words, you would need to be there almost every day, and take all the liability for the job on.
Talking to the construction company, that's just what they want. I told him he couldn't afford me for what they are asking to be done (what I really mean is that when I actually bid what they actually require I will spend hours and someone will take it for 1/2 anyway; not realizing what the specs really mean).
MightyMoe, post: 421325, member: 700 wrote: Looking at a pretty straightforward staking job, a building being added onto an existing building (at a place we have done work before).
At first glance I figured I would bid to layout footers, pilings, some grades, pretty simple stuff. But reading the specs, the surveyor has to certify each element of construction. Each beam, each footer, each wall has to be certified to 4mm (xyz) before construction can proceed. In other words, you would need to be there almost every day, and take all the liability for the job on.
Talking to the construction company, that's just what they want. I told him he couldn't afford me for what they are asking to be done (what I really mean is that when I actually bid what they actually require I will spend hours and someone will take it for 1/2 anyway; not realizing what the specs really mean).
I have to wonder what the specifications for building construction actually say. I assume that they contain more or less normal horizontal tolerances. I'd also bet that the vertical tolerance is critical only in the vicinity of where the addition connects to the existing building and would think that the contractor would agree.
We just wrapped up a multilevel structure with over 400 columns and combined waffle slab and steel beam floors. We used a 1 second S7 and nodal prisms. Shorty poles were trued every day and shot reciprocal. We didn't meet 4mm. Temperatures introduced that much.
thebionicman, post: 421353, member: 8136 wrote: We just wrapped up a multilevel structure with over 400 columns and combined waffle slab and steel beam floors. We used a 1 second S7 and nodal prisms. Shorty poles were trued every day and shot reciprocal. We didn't meet 4mm. Temperatures introduced that much.
No doubt someone who didn't understand what he was talking about wrote the spec. However, I felt it wasn't worth it to deal with the issue. Certifying to such a thing doesn't sound like good business practice.
I guess that way if the contractor makes a 1/2 ft mistake he can still blame survey if the staking is 1/4 inch off.
Is it the contractors responsibility to meet the 4mm and for you just to certify they've met it? If so, it seems like those guys would be there forever making minute adjustments. Wait 2 hours for the sun to move and adjust again.
I had an antenna alignment to the nearest 6 minutes or something easy. After certifying I told the client we were much closer and he asked me to revise my cert to the standard I know I met. I asked why? We meet the spec and I don't need liability for something that could blow around in the wind, be relocated with routine maintenance or anything else.
4mm sounds impressive to the boys upstairs and the sales reps will state their equipment can do it... too bad we all know what they can really do.
The antenna alignments I've done are a little nerve-wracking. I provide the tower position and orientation, then the engineers design the antenna, then the tower monkeys bolt it in place, then I check it for alignment. There's little if any adjustment in the mount, so all tasks in the process have to be right. Checking day isn't much fun until the orientation is verified.
Sounds like a robotic telescope mount. We get five degrees azimuth of wiggle room.
MightyMoe, post: 421325, member: 700 wrote: Each beam, each footer, each wall has to be certified to 4mm (xyz) before construction can proceed. In other words, you would need to be there almost every day, and take all the liability for the job on.
I wouldn't touch it! 😎 (for any price)
astrodanco, post: 421458, member: 7558 wrote: Sounds like a robotic telescope mount. We get five degrees azimuth of wiggle room.
I worked on one of those back in the 70's for a U.S. Naval Observatory Transit Telescope. Two of us stood on opposite sides of a 1-1/2" thick aluminum bolt template on the top of the forms for the two pier mounts during a 12-hour long continuous pour. Every 15 minutes or so one of us would sight a target - the other would flop the instrument and tell the contractor how far we were missing the other target. the contractor would then beat/twist the template over. We would reset/level the instrument over the centerpoint on the template and repeat. We got to get off one time each to go to the bathroom. Was probably the longest work day I've ever had, but we got a letter about 6 months later from the Navy expressing their thanks for the excellent work. Made it all worthwhile...
Actually got a call from one of the contractors "wondering" why they didn't get my bid.
This is two weeks after closing,,,,,,,,,,,,
It was a quick conversation; basically saying I wasn't interested cause of the specs.
My guess is that it was shocking how high the bids for a little project came in for the surveying and there was some searching for something "lower".
