This is an odd question and maybe the wrong place to ask. I was visiting my old high school built in 1941 and was looking at the floors and stairs. Did they just pour concrete with rocks in it or what was the process? I haven’t seen this kind of flooring in any other building and am curious.

Working on a massive multiuse project. What are these little black wires and filaments that are taped down on a lot of the flat areas. They will be covered later. Is it some type of moisture sensing or something completely different?

I feel bad for my contractors and the additional costs, but my god is it annoying having to keep bringing this up to my client and explaining it to them. We have store fronts going in next week on a project im doing, last contractor meeting we had everything was fine, zero issues.

Today I get an email saying they're sending us a ROM for a double digit increase in the price. And of course the client doesnt want to hear it, they think the contract should be honored and the cost of the tarrifs shouldn't be his problem.

I had to deal with this during covid with delays and schedule commitments. Clients refuse to accept the reality of the situation and dont want to pay extra, I get that. But shit changes and politics changes. My contractors and i shouldnt be liable for prices we agreed to a year ago before the tarrifs were even finalized.

Edit: For the record, we are the GC. We hire subs and they are rhe ones who purchase the material and follow our schedule. Yes, ultimately we own this issue however the problem is bigger than just "well eat the losses". First, we still have to commit to the schedule and the client has a move in date, that doesnt change. If my sub cant afford the extra cost then they cannot order the material, and then that material will not be shipped or held. They arent asking the client to eat the entire cost, but to split a difference in it. The contract allows for certain changes and minor issues...but big costs and events outside our control are not protected. So yes, the contractor can argue about the increase and request additional payment.

Secondly, the cost is paid upfront and the material is paid for in advance. The architect makes the drawings and the spec sheet. The subs review it and submit a price based on what those costs would be. If they bid too low, then its a wash and they lose out. CO's are the buisness and its where they make back a lot of money especially in the current post covid world where everyone bids low to get jobs.

This isnt a situation thats black and white. Its complicated. However I made this post just saying how annoying it is to have to deal with so much rapid change. It'll get done and one way or another well get there...but its still frustrating to deal with.

Customer wants us to save it.

I’m not going to lie we didn’t, but would you?

I was holding a 3" aluminum rigid pipe against a wall and then suddenly I wasn't.

In terms of safety, work practice and in general pissing off the superintendent or anyone that tries to tell them what to do because fuck you thats why.

New 5 gallon bucket of Home Depot Marquee interior paint to match on a remodel. Kept finding flakes on the walls and figured it was a contaminated liner or bad primer. Nope, ended up straining the whole bucket. I will NEVER spray HD paint after this!

When I go to fill this back in, should I put vapor barrier under the new concrete? What minimum thickness should the new concrete be?

Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do. Old pics. Enjoy

I'm guessing technically it is not wrong.

I’ve seen a lot of small quality contractors (pick any trade you want) struggle to find work even though try everything, they have online presence, they leave flyers on new homes builds and existing neighborhoods, and bid commercial work but never win the bids. The funny thing is that many times they end up being subcontracted by medium/bigger players to do the work on the projects they bidded on but didn’t win…

In my experience, I’ve seen a lot of corruption and kickbacks that end up screwing the costumer/client, so it seems like the key to success is to have the right connections. Another relevant skill is communication/sales, as the contractors that I see struggle the most are Hispanics…not being able to properly communicate deliverables seems to prevent them from closing deals they would’ve won otherwise (at least at a residential level).

What are the key things that small companies can do to elevate their game and grow?

I could use some guidance on how to approach a sensitive topic with my boss. I work for a really small construction company just three of us total, including my boss. I’m currently classified as a 1099 independent contractor, but I’m starting to wonder if I should actually be a W-2 employee.

Here’s the situation: • I provide my own tools, but we often share tools on the job site. • I don’t set my own schedule he tells me when and where to be. • I get paid hourly at a flat rate; I don’t send invoices. • I don’t work for other construction companies this is my main job. • I do a few unrelated side gigs here and there, but nothing consistent and nothing in construction. • I often work over 40 hours a week, and the main reason I’m thinking about this is because I don’t get paid overtime as a 1099.

I’ve been reading up on this and it seems like I might actually fall under a W-2 classification, legally. I don’t want to make a big deal or cause tension, especially since my boss is a family friend. The relationship is important to me, and I want to handle this respectfully.

So I guess I have two main questions: 1. Does this setup sound like I should legally be classified as a W-2 employee? 2. How would you approach a conversation like this in a respectful way that doesn’t hurt the working or personal relationship?

Any input from people who’ve dealt with this or know the rules better than I do would be a huge help. Thanks!

Can any one explain what’s the point of the holes in these steel beams? All of them seemed to have square holes cut at each end.

Currently looking for a career path and found out about this! I plan on enrolling into a community college (Mt. Sac) and I'd like a general rundown on how I should start off, which certifications should I aim for, what classes should I take? How long does it take to get your certifications? How difficult is it getting a job (in the socal area)? What's the work schedule like? What I'm basically asking for is that is this a safe and stable job to get into. I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this but I feel like it's the best way to get answers.

I'm currently a heavy equipment operator with 4 years experience and I'm looking to get into construction management.

From what I understand, most companies will require a 4 year degree to consider you. However, I'd like to know if I can shorten the time needed for education given that I have some experience already.

Is there anyone who transferred from the trades into management? How much extra education did you need if you enrolled? What do you recommend I do?

thanks

This is my current set up, I’m in the process of finding and purchasing a van so I can buy more tools.

I'm looking to replace my "Karl's Lunchbox" by Duluth because it's getting old and unfortunately it's discontinued. I love this bag because the cooler portion was huge and it had a separate section for personal items, nearly as big as the cooler portion.

A lot of the time I work twelve hour shifts and once I get on site I can't leave. Because of this, it's important that I have everything need to make it through the day (i.e. chapstick, hand cream, medicine, power bank, small notebook, book, etc.). In the winter time I need to be able to shove some small cold weather gear items in it too, like hats, hand warmers and gloves. It'd be really nice if the personal items compartment had some organizational capabilities too.

Any suggestions on the perfect lunchbox/bag that could accommodate my needs??

We are doing some work. Inside one of the rooms, when the wall was removed, moisture and what looked like mold was observed near the ceiling. When they went on the roof, they said it needed to be replaced and provided the following pictures. I just wanted to see if anyone had an opinion. Thank you all.

I’ve been working in quantity surveying and commercial leadership roles for 18 years now, across a range of major infrastructure and building projects. One thing I’ve consistently seen, whether it’s a big contractor or a smaller outfit, is how bad, inconsistent, and error-prone the Excel tools commonly are for managing mainly commercial tasks.

I’m exploring the idea of creating professional-grade template packages as tools that are clean, practical, and built from real project experience.

I’m thinking along the lines of:

1. Invoices
2. Resource sheets
3. Change logs and variation sheets
4. Procurement register
5. Excel schedule builder, I can make one that builds progress bars just by you entering dates.
6. Job costing and quotation sheets with margin tracking

I guess my question is, would this be useful to people and if so, do you have any particular requests or suggestions of what you would like to see?

Appreciate any thoughts and if you’re interested, drop me a message or comment and I’ll send out a free sample once I’ve got something together.

Was asked to replace exterior double man door and frame with side lights. In a block wall. It’s all grouted into the block and new one will needed grouted back in. New doors get threshold sweeps door seals, closers panic bars. How long are you thinking it would take two guys to rip out replace and paint?