My company was hired to do the layout on phase 2 of a 2 phase a project. It's about 15 Acres of travel trailer lots. Phase 1 was built without any stakeout by any surveyor. Nothing is where it's supposed to be. Required manholes and cleanouts were never put in and the previous construction company was fired but nothing has been fixed on Phase 1.
I was contacted by the new construction company to layout phase 2. Each time we are contacted by the construction company, the guy tells us what he needs. I do the calculations for what is needed, then we go out to layout where they need things such as the sewer, waterlines, edge of stone, etc. need to go. Each time the site manager calls us off and won't let us stake anything out or give him just a couple stakes to work from. He said he can do the rest himself or just 'eyeball' it.
Each time I email or talk to the main manager and tell him his guy isn't having us stake enough and isn't building anything correctly. If falls on deaf ears.
Now the project is close to complete, nothing is where it's supposed to be, the site isn't even to grade still (out by a foot or more in several areas), and we were hired to stakeout the edge of stone last week only to find out the sewer service lines running to the main line were built in the wrong location all because the site manager wouldn't let us stake them out. I'm so fed up with this project.
If/when we do an as-built, it's going to be a mess. I've covered my butt with emails expressing my concerns but I don't know why these people won't let us do our job.
Anyone else run into this type of thing?
Nothing quite as drastic as yours but yes and it's so irritating. All you can do is C.Y.A. (which it sounds like you have) and hold on tight while the storm blows through.
T. Nelson - SAM
wow, that's crazy.?ÿ ?ÿDoes the dude think he's doing his boss a favor??ÿ They've agreed to your contract I assume.?ÿ ?ÿAfter the first day finding out nothing is where it should be, I think I'd call a meeting and not put another stick in the ground until I was sure of the plan.?ÿ That would be grounds to cancel the stakeout contract.?ÿ ?ÿ If they don't want to do it right, then get out of there.?ÿ ?ÿIMHO.?ÿ?ÿ
wow, that's crazy.?ÿ ?ÿDoes the dude think he's doing his boss a favor??ÿ They've agreed to your contract I assume.?ÿ ?ÿAfter the first day finding out nothing is where it should be, I think I'd call a meeting and not put another stick in the ground until I was sure of the plan.?ÿ That would be grounds to cancel the stakeout contract.?ÿ ?ÿ If they don't want to do it right, then get out of there.?ÿ ?ÿIMHO.?ÿ?ÿ
Send a certified letter resigning.?ÿ
That is one of the many reasons I do no construction staking.
It got to where they only wanted us to find the control or get control transferred to the work area.
They also only wanted to pay for actual time on project property.
Most of the local design work is done by techs not affiliated with any surveyor or engineer and when it all gets tied together someday down the road, nothing is gonna fit together because there has never been any longterm plan in effect.
There are many places they are trying to make runoff water go uphill without any success.
This is a shitty situation and I would echo the thoughts of those above in aborting the project, and absolving all responsibility based on (lack of) communications with site foreman. There??s definitely a happy medium between surveyors and construction crews, where you aren??t asked to stake every blade of grass, but are there for the major ?ÿpours and crux points. In the end you can??t control this and if you get a bunch of hacks running the project then it??s time to run far, far away. My company has been sued in a similar situation and though we don??t think we did anything wrong, when it gets to the lawyers, the truth doesn??t really count.?ÿ
Quite the job, fire yourself, fire the client, resign, whatever you want to call it do no more work there. Write a letter detailing the problems and never set foot on the property again.?ÿ
Only in my rear view mirror.
It has always bothered me that engineers design an reviewers review to the hundreth and inspectors, if they look at all, just eyeball stuff. There really should be a greater as-built component to the building process.?ÿ
I'd walk away and not look back.?ÿ The job will be a window weight for your competitor(s).
If you do stick around, this job might have a high level of litigation potential, and you will get named, rightly or wrongly, even if you CYA.
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.... It's about 15 Acres of travel trailer lots.
Just make the "houses" fit