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An average day
- Thread starter ICE
- Start date
tmurray
SAWHORSE
ICE
Oh Well
A thread about roof sheathing reminded me of one of the darkest days of my life:
What seems like forever ago, I found myself on a construction crew building a farm store in rural Iowa. The frame was all steel. The roof was first layered with 4’x12’ Styrofoam panels. Then came ribbed steel sheets that were 2’ or 3’ wide…I can’t remember exactly but that does not matter for this story.
The crew was made up of farm kids. I was one of the few people there with any construction experience … I was therefor a leader at the ripe old age of 19. As myself and four other young men were laying down the roof, I would walk out on the Styrofoam panels in order to set the next row. I walked where I knew there was a framing support under the Styrofoam. I wasn’t hard to do as the supports followed a straight line.
I took a day off. One of the farm boys tried to be me and stepped at the wrong place and fell to the concrete slab below. He died that day. When I returned there was a rolling scaffold placed below the workers on the roof. The scaffold would limit a fall to about four feet.
I was blamed for the death of the young man because I had been walking the Styrofoam. I should point out that as I was doing so I saw others starting to step out and I stopped them with a stern warning to not do as I do. I didn’t go back to work there after that kid died.
What seems like forever ago, I found myself on a construction crew building a farm store in rural Iowa. The frame was all steel. The roof was first layered with 4’x12’ Styrofoam panels. Then came ribbed steel sheets that were 2’ or 3’ wide…I can’t remember exactly but that does not matter for this story.
The crew was made up of farm kids. I was one of the few people there with any construction experience … I was therefor a leader at the ripe old age of 19. As myself and four other young men were laying down the roof, I would walk out on the Styrofoam panels in order to set the next row. I walked where I knew there was a framing support under the Styrofoam. I wasn’t hard to do as the supports followed a straight line.
I took a day off. One of the farm boys tried to be me and stepped at the wrong place and fell to the concrete slab below. He died that day. When I returned there was a rolling scaffold placed below the workers on the roof. The scaffold would limit a fall to about four feet.
I was blamed for the death of the young man because I had been walking the Styrofoam. I should point out that as I was doing so I saw others starting to step out and I stopped them with a stern warning to not do as I do. I didn’t go back to work there after that kid died.
fatboy
Administrator
Inspector Gadget
Registered User
Exactly. Even on an engineer-designed buildings, I'm not going to pull a hissyfit if the engineer said "two-ply 2x8" and the builder went with a three-ply 2x10.
ICE
Oh Well
Many plans for PV projects are boilerplate. They call out 2”x4” at 24” o/c. because that’s the least possible acceptable construction. It is also common for the area to find 2”x4” at 16”o/c.
The state legislature has decided that plan checking PV plans is an unacceptable hurdle and now there is no plan check being done. The inspector is supposed to perform a plan check at the final inspection…as stupid as that sounds, it is a step in the right direction.
The state legislature has decided that plan checking PV plans is an unacceptable hurdle and now there is no plan check being done. The inspector is supposed to perform a plan check at the final inspection…as stupid as that sounds, it is a step in the right direction.
ICE
Oh Well
Service panel upgrade. Contractor argues that the grounding is existing and therefore legal. When told that the rod isn’t in contact with the Earth for eight feet he says they this is a ufer.
steveray
SAWHORSE
steveray
SAWHORSE
Funny....We don't really have a definition of existing elements, just buildings and structures really.....I guess the "portion" may cover it...
[A] EXISTING BUILDING. A building or structure, or portion thereof, erected in whole or in part, for which a legal building permit and a certificate of occupancy has been issued. Buildings or structures or portions thereof erected prior to October 1, 1970 shall be deemed existing buildings regardless of the existence of a legal permit or a certificate of occupancy.
ICE
Oh Well
I used to commute between Oroville Ca. and Sacramento Ca. Passing through Marysville one afternoon I noticed a banner sign on the back of a strip mall advertising the grand opening of a tool store. That is irresistible to a guy like me; I made a detour to see what new and interesting tools I could find.
The store was a combination of car parts and tools. There was a display rack with Milwaukee sawzall blades. There was well over a hundred packages of five blades each. The price tags were around $2.00. Even though this was thirty-five years ago that was extremely inexpensive. My first reaction was that the blades might be counterfeit.
I took a package to the parts counter and asked if they were genuine Milwaukee blades and is the price correct. The kid behind the counter took a few minutes to verify that the blades were in fact genuine and the price was valid.
I bought all of the blades. I even tried to buy the display rack. Well allow me to back up here, I didn’t take the blades that were meant for cutting Coke bottles. I didn’t know they made such blades. It is things like this that cause me to always have plenty of cash … you just never know when a deal will fall in your lap.
Fast forward a few months. I made the detour again. I found the rack empty…oh but the glass cutting blades were still there. I asked the man working the store when they will restock the Milwaukee sawzall blades. He said, “So you are the one.” I said. “One what?” He said, “The one that bought all of the blades.”
He went on to explain that the packages had been priced wrong. It turns out that the $2.00 was his cost for one blade and a package of five blades should have been marked closer to $16.00. Clearly the lesson he learned was a stiff one for his fledgling enterprise. I immediately offered to return the pile. He reluctantly exclaimed that I had not done anything underhanded and in fact, my asking about the price at the parts counter was proof of that.
Alrighty then… a week or so later I brought the blades back to the store for a refund. After completing the transaction the store owner asked for my address. He wanted to send me a gift card as a reward for doing the right thing. I‘ll be damned if I didn’t have to fess up to doing a bad thing. The day that I bought the blades I knew there was an injustice going down and I rode it to the bottom anyway. I hate when that happens.
Getting detoured can be an adventure. My father used to get us lost on purpose.
These steps were $50.00 off. They are especially handy when rolling tall trusses. If you find them, make sure to not place the spring loaded pin on a knot.
That's right, California now has Arabic license plates... for fee of course.
The green paint is me. I painted all of my tools green. If you had a green tool…it was mine. Guys wouldn't believe me when I told them that I had a ladder that i could hide in my bags.
These steps were on the market during a time when the world was not so complicated. The liability insurance that a manufacturer would need today puts stuff like this out of reach.
The store was a combination of car parts and tools. There was a display rack with Milwaukee sawzall blades. There was well over a hundred packages of five blades each. The price tags were around $2.00. Even though this was thirty-five years ago that was extremely inexpensive. My first reaction was that the blades might be counterfeit.
I took a package to the parts counter and asked if they were genuine Milwaukee blades and is the price correct. The kid behind the counter took a few minutes to verify that the blades were in fact genuine and the price was valid.
I bought all of the blades. I even tried to buy the display rack. Well allow me to back up here, I didn’t take the blades that were meant for cutting Coke bottles. I didn’t know they made such blades. It is things like this that cause me to always have plenty of cash … you just never know when a deal will fall in your lap.
Fast forward a few months. I made the detour again. I found the rack empty…oh but the glass cutting blades were still there. I asked the man working the store when they will restock the Milwaukee sawzall blades. He said, “So you are the one.” I said. “One what?” He said, “The one that bought all of the blades.”
He went on to explain that the packages had been priced wrong. It turns out that the $2.00 was his cost for one blade and a package of five blades should have been marked closer to $16.00. Clearly the lesson he learned was a stiff one for his fledgling enterprise. I immediately offered to return the pile. He reluctantly exclaimed that I had not done anything underhanded and in fact, my asking about the price at the parts counter was proof of that.
Alrighty then… a week or so later I brought the blades back to the store for a refund. After completing the transaction the store owner asked for my address. He wanted to send me a gift card as a reward for doing the right thing. I‘ll be damned if I didn’t have to fess up to doing a bad thing. The day that I bought the blades I knew there was an injustice going down and I rode it to the bottom anyway. I hate when that happens.
Getting detoured can be an adventure. My father used to get us lost on purpose.
These steps were $50.00 off. They are especially handy when rolling tall trusses. If you find them, make sure to not place the spring loaded pin on a knot.
That's right, California now has Arabic license plates... for fee of course.
The green paint is me. I painted all of my tools green. If you had a green tool…it was mine. Guys wouldn't believe me when I told them that I had a ladder that i could hide in my bags.
These steps were on the market during a time when the world was not so complicated. The liability insurance that a manufacturer would need today puts stuff like this out of reach.
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bill1952
SAWHORSE
Just for fun. Love the bare neutral. Building reported constructed 19 years ago.
steveray
SAWHORSE
I don't see anything grounded there....
What is the small set screw just above the hand?
One of my first jobs was with a company that built utility power plants. Like a poco generating station. During construction they had a man-lift that was like a vertical conveyor belt, with a step and hand hold about every 8 ft. You walked up tomit, grabbed the handle as it passed by and stepped onto the step. One side was going up, other side was going down. Very efficient and much faster & easier than stairs. That practice stopped when the belt broke while fully loaded with workers.
ICE
Oh Well
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Vertical conveyers. They are still around, but cannot be used for personnel.
ICE
Oh Well
Over the years I became friends with a few contractors. One stands out as interested in improving his game. Now that I am not working as much, I have been inspecting his work prior to the AHJ's stab at it. His desire to improve is not supported by the usual inspector that doesn't bother with a competent inspection.
He has a tendency to overcompensate when he gets a correction. For example, yesterday I inspected an ADU that's in the rough stage. The picture shows horizontal blocking between studs at 4' above the floor. Unfortunately I didn't get a better picture but it shows fire-block foam in an abandoned hole at the block and top plate.
Every wall has blocking. All of the blocking throughout the building has foam at every pipe and cable. I told him that the foam is not required as the block is not a fire block. He stated that an inspector had written a correction to seal the penetrations. I then told him that the horizontal blocking is not required and he stated that an inspector wrote a correction that required the horizontal blocking.
He has been installing the blocking and fire foam ever since.
I made it clear that I can do away with bogus corrections but....he is worried about pissing off the inspectors if I piss on the inspector. I told him that I would be tactful and aim low.
Here is a pair of details that I found in the plans:
These were just a few of the odd things that I found. I have asked him to send me the plans prior to submitting to the jurisdiction.
If I can remember, there is another story with this same contractor.
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north star
Sawhorse
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2009
- Messages
- 4,596
$ ~ $
When there is blocking installed at the 4 ft. height, is this
blocking used to have the sheetrock attached to it, ...in a
horizontal fastening pattern ?.......It is typical around these
parts to perform this when installing sheetrock screws.
Just sayin'...
It sounds as though you could really help the contractors
community out by performing some plan reviews and
inspections...........Maybe even earn a few dollars doing it !
$ ~ $
When there is blocking installed at the 4 ft. height, is this
blocking used to have the sheetrock attached to it, ...in a
horizontal fastening pattern ?.......It is typical around these
parts to perform this when installing sheetrock screws.
Just sayin'...
It sounds as though you could really help the contractors
community out by performing some plan reviews and
inspections...........Maybe even earn a few dollars doing it !
$ ~ $
ICE
Oh Well
Eduardo
In my twenty-first year as an inspector I met Eduardo. A tall soft spoken man living the good life. His hacienda is ten acres with a vintage mansion, swimming pool and hundreds of fruit trees.The project was an addition of a wine tasting room. Eduardo’s favorite alcohol is tequila but his doctors have him on a wine diet.
Well I wrote a few corrections and in the course of friendly conversation I asked him what occupation he held before he retired. Truck driver he replied. Like I said, the man is quiet. I found out later that he was a cotton picking truck driver.
Eduardo's story began in Mexico. He grew up on a ranch in a dirt floored shack with no electricity, running water or plumbing. He came to Texas to pick cotton and never looked back. With hard work and determination Eduardo built a business dealing with specialized hazardous waste remediation. Several hundred employees and enough machinery to need a dozen mechanics.
Somewhere along the line we started meeting for lunches and swapping stories. Then there was a day that he asked for names of contractors that I trust. He wanted to add an 800 sq.ft. entry to the front of the house. He chose Tito.
I have known Tito for decades. Many months later I got a call from Tito. He wanted my help getting a permit. The bureaucratic delays came from several departments with the most onerous being Reuse And Recycle. No department would even accept the plans for review until the Fire Dept approved the project but the fire department wanted the house torn apart to install sprinklers due to a failed flow test. I suggested that they test it again at 1:00AM and it passed. It was during Covid shutdown and the project languished.
I made phone calls. The office manager made phone calls. Everyone was eager to not help....some don't accept phone calls and I'm not convinced that they all have computers. Eduardo is seemingly the only person that is aware of the time he has left. I propose a rule that anyone over the age of eighty-five goes to the front of the line with expedited reviews.
I waited another month and when there was no progress, I told Tito to start building. I did the inspections. The project is a technical achievement with a stained glass dome. It took less time to build it than it did to get a permit. The entry was done and we were at lunch when Eduardo showed me a permit. It had been issued a week earlier. A few months after that I signed the final inspection on the permit. I made the turkey list and once a month we get together at Eduardo's patio to enjoy gourmet meals and swap stories.
Eduardo is fond of serving lamb. As a young man the family was too poor to taste the lamb that they raised. I suspect that there wasn't much fruit on the table either.
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I renovated a ranch house (200 acres, cows and horses) for a gastro-doctor in the san antonio area. He grew up in the valley (somewhere near brownsville) in a dirt floor shack, worked his way up to be head of a 10-doc practice. Very nice guy. His wife worked hard at spending his money.
ICE
Oh Well
This wouldn't be a good idea anywhere on planet Earth.
steveray
SAWHORSE
TheCommish
Registered User
Why is this a bad idea, providing the adhesive foam is compatible with the roofing material, stand off and has the sufficient uplift strength.
Lightning arresting system are use adhesive to attach the system to the roof, walk mats are done the same. Trim on cars used double side tape, we hang art on the wall with command strips.
Lightning arresting system are use adhesive to attach the system to the roof, walk mats are done the same. Trim on cars used double side tape, we hang art on the wall with command strips.
ICE
Oh Well
I'll be honest and admit that I have no first hand experience with that racking manufacturer and they have a Certificate Of Compliance. And apparently approved in hurricane territory. (Miami-Dade NOA)
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The installation instructions are bare bones.
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ICE
Oh Well
Would you suggest that the GEC should be secured to the building?
