Am I to 'knit-picky ?'

[WannaDig3687]

I don't think you are the knit-picky type or else the title of this thread would drive you nuts too.

My spelling errors drive me nuts, "tanks" to auto correct.

Davers, you're just watching out for your step- dad's best interest. Honorable.

 

[Davers]

I really don't where to start about builders, sub-contrators, contractors, blow-hearts, useless employees that are being billed out as qualified trade workers. The list is endless it seems and after doing a condo, a house, we're into our second complete make over on another house. I have been asked by many are you going to do it again? My answer is simple "NO".
Most trades have this nasty habit of just dropping it, because they have had their mother picking up after them it seems for most of their lives. It's amazing that some can go to the Johnny on the spot and still not have mommy wipe up after doing their business.
I establish one thing are they going to clean it up-and is this on the clock? Having somebody pushing a broom around and billing me out at $40-90 per hr, well I can do that one. I ask a question-please answer it instead of saying "I don't know" Nothing peeves me more when a simple question regarding an installation can't be answered by the "expert".
THINK ABOUT THE OTHER TRADES THAT HAVE TO DO WORK AFTER YOUR WORK!!! Nothing I hate worse than the selfish attitudes that some carry around that they're the only ones that matter.

If I'm buying the material and paying by the hour I don't want to hear the "Its over built, code is this or that" If I want the Minimum I'll will inform you to do it that way. By the way if I want to park a truck on my deck that's my business.
I have hired lots of trades and most are pretty good, and fired some trades when I realize that I can do a job better than what's being paid for. Time is of an essence most of the time, there's just tooo many things to do at once so we hire help. Somethings need qualified trades in, electrical, plumbing, spay foam, waterproofing, still shingle roofing, gutters, mechanical heat pumps, boilers.

Yes I have ranted, the filters come off, as my standards are high when I'm paying money out to have a job done right. Folks that feel that they can crap on us when they do a sub-standard job will get the boot.

One of the biggest things is when they think that a person is stupid and they can cut a corner or two.
It is amazing that when something gets scratched, dented, damaged "NOBODY DID IT"

I feel -ya Completely.
My Step-Dad is like a Cow 'ready to be milked'.

The main "Yes , No Problem Guy" stated to my Dad he needed to prime the new boards they put up , S-Dad Freaked & said Oh no ."Yr gonna have to buy Primer for the whole house ?" I was kinda dumb founded cause I know my S-Dad is Smarter than that.


Every time I try to tell him they are not doing something as they should , he acts like I'm a Idiot.

The contractors that the original 'Contractor ' sent out , offered to paint the house ...Cool but in NO WAY could he let the Original Contractor know they were doing the job, thought that was funny.

Well as of Friday they finished the Patch job they were originally hired to do , then pressure washed the hole house & Deck
all in 4 hours .
Funny I also knew there were some siding boards on the side of the fire place that needed replaced but they only did a few above these 3 that also needed replacing ,( they just Caulked & repainted the rotten boards , so I just pushed hard with my finger on the spots I knew were bad & my finger went right through ) so now 3 of the freshly painted boards have nice holes in them saying "Fix Me".

I'm to the point , i'm not going to say anything else but I & My Wife is sure gonna B*@#H that they did not take down the Bird feeders , some Wind Chimes before pressure washing then leaving the spray nozzles in the yard for me to have to find & blasting some of my empty plant containers & trays off to who knows where.

Fun fun fun .lol

 

[Davers]

In all fairness, the customer should really do their homework when it comes to getting stuff fixed. I've been out of the business mostly for a few years. I've done a lot or remodels, new construction and repairs on a lot of different things. I painted a 1882 church. We always try to do good work. I want to be proud of things I make, and it's cool knowing things I built are still standing after so many years. I treated everyone's home as my own, and treated the customer with respect. Some customers can really grate on you but you just shrug it off and do good work. That's all there is. I know any more it's rush rush rush do more more more. I don't operate that way. There's craftsmen out there that care and want good work. You can be picky. Get referrals, look around town see who does good work. You can find them. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

You are correct , As I have stated a few times , I'm not the one paying for this , Step Dad is & as for me... after years of Bad decisions , & Alcohol & Emotional issues , I'm just getting my Credit back in line & being the more responsible Man I should have been in the past , S-Dad is 72 & all the Home issues will be on me in the future.

I advised him not to use the same 'Wing nuts ' he used in the past & to get at-least 3 Quotes.
Home Owners would have likely covered this (as a huge pine limb fell in the 10+ inches of Wet Snow we got on the 8-9 of December. but He did not want to pay the $1.500 Co-pay, I offered to pay Half.
He is set in his ways. & pretty much thinks i'm an idiot.

Ill admit with my OCD , Anxiety , Depression i'm not your normal person.

Again at this point , i'm gonna try to let it go , & do all the repairs myself that I can in the future .

Thanks for your comments .
Davers

 

[Davers]

Hate to go against the grain but it's not your home, if your dad is footing the contractor bill, I'd give him the opportunity to be pissed and speak up. The job isn't finished so I wouldn't judge prematurely and trust me on this..lol, a gas spill never results in permanent damage this time of year and rarely anytime of year.

You are correct , it is on him.

The Gas thing even tho not a Eco-Disaster was 'just not right' heck he could have asked for a pie pan or something alike to catch the gas , it was inconsiderate & un-Cool.

I worked in and around peoples homes many times (hated it) & when I worked , I would put things that I moved back where they were.
Also when painting (using water based paint) I would ask and make sure where they wanted me to wash out my Brushes , Rollers , Paint cans . & If using Oil Based I sure would not pour the paint or Mineral Spirits in their yard or Wooded areas.

I just want folk to do the right thing, that's it.

 

[Davers]

In the renovation of a condo we hired a company that was the general also. Mistake on our part and if there was an issue it was criticising their work.
Drywall seams and corner beads cracked, so I pointed them all out to the general. He looked back and forth for a good 5 minutes and then turned to me and said " There must of been an earthquake Jim"

Years later we bought a cheap place that just had gone through renovations. First yr the shingles are blowing off, roof is sagging in one area, on inspection we found they joined two buildings ( house and carport) sheeted the roof and left two trusses out. The neighbor told me who did the roof work, so I called them up to come and have a look at house.
The owner came out and the first thing out of his mouth was " I have to tell you I had a small stroke, so I have lost my memory. I can't tell you if I have worked on a house or not" Best two stories I've got from contractors not worth their salt.

I know Drywall , & those "Earthquakes" are a real pain.

At 15 yo I started Sanding Drywall ; did that & 'Touch-up' for 9-11 years , that sanding full time got Old Quick ,especially on those $300,000 -2,000,000 homes 'Tray Clings , Arches, 6-7 high rooms many with Trays , 10 foot ceilings & closets galore.

My friends Dad owned the drywall Co, & I was getting ripped each week.

It usually started with crappy framing , then the drywall hangars were expected to cover up the frame job , then the Finishers were to cover up the drywall issues then , We the Sanders were expected to sand everything down to were it looked half good. There were many times I had to 'Hand sand' each nail spot cause of the edges left by the finishers.
Along with their other crappy work.

Ill shut up now.
Merry Christmas to all.

 

[Davers]

shoddy work from dirtbags...well that sounds like a recipe for disaster

I've been on construction crews doing contract work plenty throughout my years in the trade; there's a few things in your story make me shudder a bit
first off, it's apparent your guys aren't overly concerned about safety, and in my background, safety is number 1
spills are cleaned immediately, actually, our training insures that spills don't occur in areas that aren't safe and maintenance takes in areas that are meant for that
plus a report must made on every instance of a spill of volatile liquid or powder , that's just that part of responsibility

now the clutter , sounds like you have an unsafe site, dumpsters for debris, caution tape and site barriers should be in place, and basic safety procedures should be observed

every construction site should be able to be clearly observed by the workers AND the customer whenever they want, a clean organized site is safe for everyone
but if these basic things aren't being met I doubt that the result will be something anyone will ultimately be proud of, cutting corners at this level would cause me concern for the successful outcome of your project

even if it's your local handyman putting up a bird house or a giant company building a skyscraper...there's a right way and then there's your guys way
I get upset too when I see how slack people can be and expect to get my hard earned dollars for it when they try to pull a stunt like that
it's a shame that you have to put up with that and vent on here, it ain't right

Could not have said it better if I tried...'Good Man'.

 

[Davers]

My spelling errors drive me nuts, "tanks" to auto correct.

Davers, you're just watching out for your step- dad's best interest. Honorable.

LOL!
I give tanks for your kind reply.
Happy Birthday .....No no Frosty the Snow Man said that ....Merry Christmas.