Builders....is it just me ????

[Theorysparky]

Im on my second job for a builder........

Can i go and quote for utility room electrics and other stuff.

yep of i go...customer has a list of stuff she wants doing and i ask for a plan of the utility room and what she wants where,,,,not got one the builer is sorting it out.

When is this going ahead... Bank holiday monday not with me its not,,Tuesday start

Builder on site with plan...but a door going into the alleyway instead of into the house......stud wall is now full no door to the front of the garage,so no need for the 2way lighting i had discussed with her.

2 new lights were to be put in the lounge after the decorative beams had been removed and the ceiling replaced,,,,,nope the beams came down, ceiling is only to be skimmed now. What about my ffffing light routes ??

I said its going to be from above now shock on their faces.

can i also provide a fcu for a new wall mounted electric fire !!!

last but best the builder has arranged for all the other contractors,,plumber, plasterer to come on set days but never bothered to ask me if it fits in with me.

priced it up for 4 days including cu change

i have already put

 

[a1]

Not just you mate.

 

[Andy™]

happens all the time. surprisingly though, the builder is arranging other trades to do the work, rather than him turn up as plumber mon, spark tue, plasterer wed, chippy thu etc

 

[Evans Electric]

Typical builder Theo, no its not just you, I've only come across the odd one or two who are capable of organising even a small domestic job. Most of 'em think you are sitting on the shelf waiting for him to phone, typical builder phones on Monday, "Can you be here tomorrow, the plasterers are coming Wednesday"( and we mustn't hold them up ,must we ????)

 

[Theorysparky]

Typical builder Theo, no its not just you, I've only come across the odd one or two who are capable of organising even a small domestic job. Most of 'em think you are sitting on the shelf waiting for him to phone, typical builder phones on Monday, "Can you be here tomorrow, the plasterers are coming Wednesday"( and we mustn't hold them up ,must we ????)

and why do plasters come before us ,,,,no point getting the plasterer in until weve finished !!!!!

i could have organised it better myself

 

[Evans Electric]

To get me on site quickly I've had them say if you don't get out here it will all be plastered . To which I answer , well are you telling the client the electrics are now surface or what ?.

I despair of some of them. Another builder's trick is , you are working in a small toilet,say, and are joined by the chippy, painter and plumber !!!

 

[batty]

Be careful Theory make sure you get your extras try to get something on paper or you may get caught.

Batty

 

[Theorysparky]

Be careful Theory make sure you get your extras try to get something on paper or you may get caught.Batty

cheers for the reminder,,,,the customer is aware and has told me to bill it but i think a list is in order

 

[green-hornet]

I walked off a job because the plasterer wanted to board up before I had put the cables in, the builder said I had to be quick if I wanted cables behind the boards because the platerer was only available those days.

Two days later I went back with my trusty lump hammer and bashed holes you could fit a mini through.

Builder was not amused, plasterer almost came to fighting, customer was on my side so they had to repair all the damage.

Moral of the story if the plumber was allowed time to first fix then why not the electrician? Answer because you all know we are not just electricians we are magicians as well

 

[Theorysparky]

i was on the said job 2day as normal; change of plan

can i change that single socket to a double while chasing for a new double and the new fire fcu where im not told where it is to go.

plasterer went loopy when i dissed the power to remove the single back box and chase the double in

mix the plaster by hand boys !!!!!!!

back monday to 2nd fix the utility room for the plumber

cant wait for his little gems........

 

[Andy™]

i leave the power on as much as possible... but the power available depends more on how nice/not the other trades are. Always have power for myself though

 

[wally]

I haven't done work for builders for many years, I found it was just not worth the hassle. They would ring me & say, we need you on that job tomorrow, the one we talked about a while back. I said, its news to me. Meant I had to rearrange my planned work. Another time a loft conversion, never again, 7 of us working in the loft at the same time.

 

[Evans Electric]

I walked off a job because the plasterer wanted to board up before I had put the cables in, the builder said I had to be quick if I wanted cables behind the boards because the platerer was only available those days.That is typical !! Its gone on for years , we are all supposed to jump through hoops to allow the mighty plasterer a clear run, have you noticed that they can't possibly come back later for anything , it all has to be ready for them !!

I've been told to work at 100 MPH or they will board up anyway, so these days I just tell them to get on with it , the client has the last say , so they usually back down. My regular builder is fine , he knows we all need to slot in at the right time to keep the job moving.

 

[NozSpark]

cant wait for his little gems........

Yeh,,,, all you backboxes will be full and absolutley flush with no indication of where they are:^O:^O:^O:^O:^O

 

[green-hornet]

Yeh,,,, all you backboxes will be full and absolutley flush with no indication of where they are:^O:^O:^O:^O:^O

LOL or

The best part of experiance is I always know where my back boxes are.

I did a kitchen refurb and was told that the kitchen walls where going to be tanked for the ongoing damp problem.

No worries, cables in, back boxes perfectly lined up.

When I next visited every back box was covered, not in plaster, but sand and cement!

The cutomer was very worried because the plasterers had left no indication of where any of the wiring points where.They just filled everything with cement.

I found every backbox within a tolerance of 20mm.

When I met the plasterer he asked how the F... did you do that?

I answered I am a proper electrician who knows platerers are W.....!

 

[Andy™]

there are a few jobs where i have made a note to where everything is just for when plasterer does something stupid like that. depending on job, havent been so lucky and plasterer has had to return to make good

 

[Evans Electric]

We upset an old plasterer last year who always managed to fill in our boxes. We filled a twin KO box with plaster on the previous job, then presented it to him on arrival, saying we were now buying them ready filled to save him time !!!!

Turned out he'd had his sense of humour removed !

However , he stopped filling in our boxes, so , RESULT!!!

 

[dougal]

I use a digital camera to take a photo after first fix and use that as a guide to find back boxes.

 

[Apache]

We upset an old plasterer last year who always managed to fill in our boxes. We filled a twin KO box with plaster on the previous job, then presented it to him on arrival, saying we were now buying them ready filled to save him time !!!! Turned out he'd had his sense of humour removed !

However , he stopped filling in our boxes, so , RESULT!!!

Yes Sandra - now he puts a couple of nails through your cables and plasters over

 

[Evans Electric]

That would'nt surprise me , Patch !