Ring Ring - New gray hairs

How do you bill for the "x" number of days, weeks, or maybe even months the adrenalin and stress has just reduced your lifespan? Too bad you can't call and pretend to be his workman's comp provider telling him that a previous employee has filed a disability claim caused by his negligence and that they are cancelling his WC effective immediately.

Some contactors can be hard to believe. I'm learning not to get too stressed out by them until I find an actual problem. I don't know how many times I've been called by contractors claiming I staked something wrong when I didn't. I always check them out immediately, but I don't get too worried until I have something to worry about.

I had a contractor once call us back to a job saying the building layout was blown, nothing was adding up, the steal for the roof wasn't going to fit, etc ...

Panic mode ... head to job site, set up, the walls built up to about 4 feet high, but the offsets are still in place, we shot everything, it checks near perfect for the length and width. I feel relief.

This building is about 500' long, So, client gets out a 200' fiberglass tape, and measures it in three segments right in front of me, adds up the numbers ... he's right, they don't add up.

So, I'm thinking his tape is stretched, and I get mine out, do the same thing, and mine adds up with a couple hundredths.

So we stretched the two tapes out side by side to see if his is stretched ... it's not.

Now we are both really confused.

He starts measuring again, and this time I look over his shoulder to verify the readings ...

Now, I see he's calling out the numbers "175 feet, 8 and 1/2 inches ...."

One problem, he's got a surveyor's tape graduated in decimal feet.

I told him, "those are not inches" .... "what, of course they are" ... "no, look at the tape, there are only 10 divisions per foot" .... "oh, sh@t1"

He had laid the building out using this tape and blew many of the ins and outs on the outside walls, but I heard later was able to make the steal fit.

It always amazes me that "the steel isn't going to work" or what ever, if the contract thinks it's our fault but they will some how get it to work if it's their f'up.

Was laying out a Wally Worl addition and found out the survey crew who had located the building did it by locating two corners then throughing design dimensions on the drawing. Bad part is a wind storm came up while the block was a third of the way up and blow it down. Building ended up six inches out of square. Talked to the super, he said to square it up. He's get the steel built right for it. We stake it with one end being six inches shorter than the other for the footer. Couple weeks goes by and he's having a cow that we screwed something up and his steel that's arriving tomorrow won't work. We stop by locate our offset, right where we put them then stop in at his office and he starts in. We pull out our daily log that he signed off on telling us to correct the problem and he just gets a blank stare. He'd forgot. Didn't know it then but he was in the middle of a nervous break down. I'm supprised more supers don't have them the way their employers work them.

Thanks Andy. This thread is making me feel better about my current RED TAPE GRIEF.

I prefer to be left alone out there doing my simple solo dirt surveyin'

panic? pffffttt...

Give it 30 years Andy. Contractors ("crisis hoes" at our office) are a dime a dozen. Takes a lot more than a phone call to get me worried.

BUT...

the trick is to document every bit of info that you receive for a staking job. Scour the prints for hours and find out specifically who wants what offsets and grades, and when. Make sure the boundary fits and the elevations are good.

If you've done your homework you're good. That way when some numbnuts hollers and screams on the phone you almost know for a fact he's fulla crap.

Remember, concrete is a lot easier to move when it's wet and in the truck.;-)

panic? pffffttt...

I have a new phrase to go with "It ain't a mistake until it's poured in concrete."!

Now I can add "Concrete is easier to move when it's wet and in the truck."!

panic? pffffttt...

:good:

great you got me all stressed just by reading your post...I'm calling my attorney!!;-)

Avioding - New gray hairs

Thread reminds me of a job over 25 years ago. Had just changed jobs and took over layout of strip mall. Instrument man had been on job from day one with different crew chief. I started by laying out parking area for fast food building on outskirts of property. One area showed 3 ft. fill to top of 6 inch asphalt curb.

Returned the next day to see paving company unloading equipment. Told I-man I was going to talk to super and make sure he knew about the fill. I-man warned me the super gets real mad at anyone telling him how to run job. Said OK you tag along and listen.

Walked into construction office in half finished store front. Asked super if the guy passing lumber into the fast food building was one of his employees?

His response "Yes what about it?"

Me "Well the window sill is about even with his shoulder and he is about 6 ft. tall right?"

Him "Yes and again what about it?"

Me "You do realize that is the drive through window?"

We then jointly decided to review the grading plan and go look at the cut stakes. Paving company made a few quick runs to the local stone plant and regraded the drive through lane while paving the lot on the other side of the building.

I had one

where I had laid out the footings and anchor bolts for a building in a paper mill. All goes well until they start placing beams on the second floor. I get a call over the radio that "You screwed up the layout". CRAPPP!! I go check out the locations and everything fits. The erection foreman doesn't believe me and goes to the superintendent. I show him all my work and tell him I don't know what's happening. An hour or so later I get a call from the foreman. He's standing there shaking his head and looking all down. It seems his crew can't read the writing on the beams,, or don't know north from south. They had approximately 2/3 of the beams up with the north on the south and vice versa. After that we got along REALLY well.

Andy

I had one

I got out of the construction staking business 20 years ago, but just reading about those "you screwed up" calls immediately raised my blood pressure. I was kind of bummed about having to work a tedious topo this morning, but now I'm looking forward to it.

I did a building here in town where the engineer designed the building over a sewer easement and line. I called him about it when I got the CAD file and he said for me to move it. Uh, no, you move it and resend out new plans.

So a day or so later I got a new cad file and set of plans. I went to the site and met the GC and we laid out the building and offsets and I asked if he wanted cuts/fills on the offsets or building corners. (He was a real jerk right up to now). He said of course I want them. I said no problem and told him the finished floor elevation.

He went through the roof saying that I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and that he had plans with a finished floor different. Before I could talk, he literally threw his plans down on the ground and stomped them saying that his was right. I calmly asked him what the date of the plans were and he said "See right here, one week ago &*#@*@#$&@#$". I then began talking calmly but crescendo up to a loud roar as I drove the new plans up his *&& and showed him the new finished floor on the plans dated one day prior and told him this wasn't my first rodeo, but evidently it was his as his plans were stamped not for construction and mine were stamped for construction and for him to kiss my @&&. He had the architect and engineer on speaker phone the whole time and when I finished they were laughing hysterically at what I'd said.

Evidently the GC had been giving them problems and they were just too nice to say what I did. As Flemming said, subtlety ain't my strong suit. 🙂 Still, it makes you pucker when anyone questions a layout.

FWIW, I don't recommend this as I really thought me and the GC were about to go to ground right there and then. He was big enough he was gonna be a chore, but one I could finish nonetheless. 🙂

I had one

I don't do construction surveying any more for all of the above reasons.

I am a LAND surveyor, and I love it!B-)

Attaboy!

Good one! :good: