Random Thoughts.....

[CasterTroy]

That's funny cuz my company just built a building with all this open office bullshit...

MOST spaces are just now wrapping up construction.

It's like program directors and facilities planners all went to Vegas in late 2015 and were hypnotized and collaborative spaces and movable walls were implanted in their head.

 

[RatLabGuy]

That shit is starting to infiltrate our buildings.
Yeah, having a lounge or an area where people can hang out... ok, that's cool, good idea.
Bunch of scientists... yeah, we need places to just sit around and shoot the shit occasionally, draw on the walls, ok.
But then... making that your primary workspace? Worst idea ever.
You know how scientists work? They either (1) talk about anything and everything with their team, or (2) want to be left the f*ck alone to think, and work. Bust ass alone. Until the next moment they want to talk to their team mates. Which means its it really loud and obnoxious for everybody to have a bunch of us working in the same open air space.

Then, the movable wall BS. Riiiight. OK, so you're going to have me set up a half $million materials processing lab, in a room that doesn't have its own ventilation, and is just part of a bigger room... and the walls aren't load bearing, and don't even have power in them?
Then bitch when I have to remove the carpet to put in a tile floor... required by Safety... b/c "in case we ever move the wall, it won't match the carpet"?

Although, I do gotta say it was kinda convenient when I decided I needed to steel 4 feet from the neighboring lab, and we just came in and moved the wall over the weekend, so they got a nice surprise on Monday.... lol. My space now!

 

[JSJJ388]

"Collaborative spaces" have wasted more public and private funding since 2016 than anyone will ever admit too. Even worse, it will continue to be an endless suck of funding long after the "trendy" feel of the word dies an obscure death because now we're stuck having to deal with the structure that supports all these "movable walls" and bullshit "spaces". Only to put everything back to how we've always done things. So now you'll get 8ft ceilings everywhere because there's no way to run all the ductwork and place additional units to condition the new compartmentalized spaces created from ELIMINATING the "Collaborative spaces" that never were utilized the way they were imagined

Was on a jobsite a few years ago and saw one of these rooms in durham. Thought it was pretty dumb. They had "writable windows" little wheeled partition walls. Worst part was the "desks". Looked like eggs with a tray. Uncomfortable and only had room for a laptop. Clearly the people who designed them dont actually do anything that requires thinking, computing, or figuring.

 

[CasterTroy]

the walls aren't load bearing, and don't even have power in them?

Well, that's where part of the expense lies. Not only do you now have to span the entire room because there's no load bearing, but we can't deny them access to power and communications. So the movable walls I've been dealing with have to have electricity and date ran into each panel separately, then flex connected to an approved juction box that can be connected or abandoned depending on where the wall may be relocated. Which is a new one for electricians and inspectors.
This makes it even MORE fun for contractors, because I show wiring these devices on my electrical drawings, but the electrician ASSUMES the movable wall mfg will prewire the panels. The GC ASSUMES the EC has wiring covered (since it's on his drawings) and orders the panels without prewiring, and they get installed. I do my above ceiling punch, and notice there's NO wiring going to these panels...and no outlets ON the panels. So now the GC is forced to tear off the face of these factory panels and pay the EC to run wiring, and cut openings in these panels for boxes.

It's just complete chaos all around

 

[No fries]

Sounds similar to a situation but worse, I had where (23) exam lights were supported by unistrut, (structural drawing included) EC wouldn't touch it, GC asked me to price it and ate $7K because EC said he doesn't do structural work. Each light had about 4 sticks plus a bunch of non stock barakets and braces. I had to install AFTER all overhead was done, no consideration for light location when MEP was installed.

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[RatLabGuy]

Well, that's where part of the expense lies. Not only do you now have to span the entire room because there's no load bearing, but we can't deny them access to power and communications. So the movable walls I've been dealing with have to have electricity and date ran into each panel separately, then flex connected to an approved juction box that can be connected or abandoned depending on where the wall may be relocated. Which is a new one for electricians and inspectors.
This makes it even MORE fun for contractors, because I show wiring these devices on my electrical drawings, but the electrician ASSUMES the movable wall mfg will prewire the panels. The GC ASSUMES the EC has wiring covered (since it's on his drawings) and orders the panels without prewiring, and they get installed. I do my above ceiling punch, and notice there's NO wiring going to these panels...and no outlets ON the panels. So now the GC is forced to tear off the face of these factory panels and pay the EC to run wiring, and cut openings in these panels for boxes.

It's just complete chaos all around

We got around all that by just running surface mounted wire runs and boxes stuck to the walls. Looks like shit, but got the job done.

 

[Loganwayne]

Well, that's where part of the expense lies. Not only do you now have to span the entire room because there's no load bearing, but we can't deny them access to power and communications. So the movable walls I've been dealing with have to have electricity and date ran into each panel separately, then flex connected to an approved juction box that can be connected or abandoned depending on where the wall may be relocated. Which is a new one for electricians and inspectors.
This makes it even MORE fun for contractors, because I show wiring these devices on my electrical drawings, but the electrician ASSUMES the movable wall mfg will prewire the panels. The GC ASSUMES the EC has wiring covered (since it's on his drawings) and orders the panels without prewiring, and they get installed. I do my above ceiling punch, and notice there's NO wiring going to these panels...and no outlets ON the panels. So now the GC is forced to tear off the face of these factory panels and pay the EC to run wiring, and cut openings in these panels for boxes.

It's just complete chaos all around

well thats what they get for not reading the specs and asking the architect and subcontractors questions.

i cant tell you the number of jobs ive bid and been the only person to turn in an RFI before the bid.

 

[JSJJ388]

well thats what they get for not reading the specs and asking the architect and subcontractors questions.

i cant tell you the number of jobs ive bid and been the only person to turn in an RFI before the bid.

Its hard to submit RFIs when you dont get the invite until after the last day for questions.

 

[Loganwayne]

Its hard to submit RFIs when you dont open the invite until after the last day for questions.

edited that for you.

i send out invites the day i find out about a job we are bidding. usually i wont bid a job unless i have 2 full weeks before it to bid. that usually give me and subs a week to ask questions. we prefer to have 4 weeks for bigger jobs.

 

[CasterTroy]

e we prefer to have 4 weeks for bigger jobs.

Ours are traditionally 30 days from advertisement for bids until bid day. Most come with a mandatory pre-bid meeting 2 weeks prior for single prime large jobs. Especially if it's a renovation (see also nightmare) then the pre-bid also includes a walk-thru so there's an understanding of the scope (see also unknown nightmare you're about to dive into)

The trickle-down to from GC to subs is usually where communication is lost. Then from subs to suppliers...the suppliers are lucky to have a few hours to price a few $100k of material (OH...BTW, it's a 30 month job so HOLD that price)

It's not uncommon for us to open bids at 2pm and have 10 GC's on the phone with pen in hand writing their numbers down at 1:59:30 and sealing that envelope at 1:59:58 so it hits our desk at 2:00:00

 

[Loganwayne]

Ours are traditionally 30 days from advertisement for bids until bid day. Most come with a mandatory pre-bid meeting 2 weeks prior for single prime large jobs. Especially if it's a renovation (see also nightmare) then the pre-bid also includes a walk-thru so there's an understanding of the scope (see also unknown nightmare you're about to dive into)

The trickle-down to from GC to subs is usually where communication is lost. Then from subs to suppliers...the suppliers are lucky to have a few hours to price a few $100k of material (OH...BTW, it's a 30 month job so HOLD that price)

It's not uncommon for us to open bids at 2pm and have 10 GC's on the phone with pen in hand writing their numbers down at 1:59:30 and sealing that envelope at 1:59:58 so it hits our desk at 2:00:00

I’ve filled in a bid form from a phone call
Before.

A lot of the subs that we use daily tell us the suppliers won’t release numbers until the last minute so they can’t shop the price.


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[CasterTroy]

A lot of the subs that we use daily tell us the suppliers won’t release numbers until the last minute so they can’t shop the price.

Absolutely. When I was in contracting at a plumbing and mechanical outfit here in town, we wouldn't give the GC our number until a few minutes before 2:00 because they'd have another plumber/mechanical in the other hand ready to undercut us by dollars. So when I came back to this side, we started making the bid forms break out who the GC intended to use for EVERY sub. Try and cut down on that underhanded greedy bullshit. Of course it pops back up elsewhere..but you do what you can with what you see

 

[Loganwayne]

Absolutely. When I was in contracting at a plumbing and mechanical outfit here in town, we wouldn't give the GC our number until a few minutes before 2:00 because they'd have another plumber/mechanical in the other hand ready to undercut us by dollars. So when I came back to this side, we started making the bid forms break out who the GC intended to use for EVERY sub. Try and cut down on that underhanded greedy bullshit. Of course it pops back up elsewhere..but you do what you can with what you see

Personally I like when the architect or whoever is holding the bid gives out a bid tab and it has mechanical, electrical, plumbing subs listed.
It helps those subs get additional work helps me get new subs. And you can usually figure out if you didn’t use a sub that was stupid low and you didn’t use them and they did that there is gonna be a big fight over a big change order sooner or later.


We lost a job by a couple grand and I knew the guy that got the job used a different door supplier than us, I also know you can’t get a solid wood door with glass inlay panic hardware and electronic access with a knockdown frame for 500 that will meet their specs


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[JSJJ388]

edited that for you.

i send out invites the day i find out about a job we are bidding. usually i wont bid a job unless i have 2 full weeks before it to bid. that usually give me and subs a week to ask questions. we prefer to have 4 weeks for bigger jobs.

I wish. I finished a job friday that bids today. I got it wednesday.

Ours are traditionally 30 days from advertisement for bids until bid day. Most come with a mandatory pre-bid meeting 2 weeks prior for single prime large jobs. Especially if it's a renovation (see also nightmare) then the pre-bid also includes a walk-thru so there's an understanding of the scope (see also unknown nightmare you're about to dive into)

The trickle-down to from GC to subs is usually where communication is lost. Then from subs to suppliers...the suppliers are lucky to have a few hours to price a few $100k of material (OH...BTW, it's a 30 month job so HOLD that price)

It's not uncommon for us to open bids at 2pm and have 10 GC's on the phone with pen in hand writing their numbers down at 1:59:30 and sealing that envelope at 1:59:58 so it hits our desk at 2:00:00

Sounds about right. I usually get the job within a week of the bid date. I try to get my numbers in by the day before. All too often Im sending takeoffs to be run the day of the bid, because we got the drawings the day before.

Customer sends out that they want a price, GC gets it and holds on to for a week while they look it over, then they send it out to subs (typically our parent company, occasionally us for a direct job), our parent company gets it and debates what they want to do with it for a week or two, then pass it on to our sales manager, who eventually sends it to one of us. Then they fuss when its too high because theres no time to ask questions or clarify things.

 

[kaiser715]

Not everyone who stands up to defend their country dies in a blaze of glory.
Many perish doing mundane everyday tasks.
All of them deserve to be remembered.

 

[CasterTroy]

If you delete the muffler on your cummings but still have the stock pipe, when you "hammer down" on the hiway, you sound like a civic that's dropped a cylinder

 

[jeepinmatt]

If you delete the muffler on your cummings but still have the stock pipe, when you "hammer down" on the hiway, you sound like a civic that's dropped a cylinder

Yeah, but rollo del coalo!

 

[GotWood]

If you delete the muffler on your cummings but still have the stock pipe, when you "hammer down" on the hiway, you sound like a civic that's dropped a cylinder

What about my Power Stroke? It helps me get 45mpg when towing.

 

[UTfball68]

I guess it's time to be more cognizant of what's playing on the tv. Daughter is an animal fanatic, she doesn't watch much tv unless she sees animals, flipped across Ace Ventura, so she wanted to watch, I thought I remembered the movie being harmless. Last night after a nice 3-4hr anniversary dinner with no kids, we get home...my oldest immediately bends over, puts her butt right in my wife's face and says 'Hello mommy, it's Charleigh'. Conflicted parenting, I laughed my ass off internally, while telling her that's not appropriate behavior. I'm coming to learn that parenting is probably the biggest act of hypocrisy on the planet.

 

[GotWood]

I guess it's time to be more cognizant of what's playing on the tv. Daughter is an animal fanatic, she doesn't watch much tv unless she sees animals, flipped across Ace Ventura, so she wanted to watch, I thought I remembered the movie being harmless. Last night after a nice 3-4hr anniversary dinner with no kids, we get home...my oldest immediately bends over, puts her butt right in my wife's face and says 'Hello mommy, it's Charleigh'. Conflicted parenting, I laughed my ass off internally, while telling her that's not appropriate behavior. I'm coming to learn that parenting is probably the biggest act of hypocrisy on the planet.

She just wanted to "Ass you a few questions"

Speaking of that movie, the scene where he runs back and forth into the pet store to save the animals but keeps looking at the snakes as he runs by remind me of the way I look at the my dad's baby grand piano every time we make trips into the house for his move. I guess this weekend is The Weeknd it has to come out.

 

[sawdoff]

I need a sarcasm font.

 

[Loudmouthbass]

I need a sarcasm font.

The cursive style font was designed by Apple’s Jonathan Ive and can be enacted by users in their online communications on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp and a host of other platforms by adding ‘/sarc/’ at the beginning and end of each sarcastic word, sentence or phrase.

 

[sawdoff]

Is it just me or does King Ranch sound like a chicken sandwich on the value menu?

 

[jeepinmatt]

Is it just me or does King Ranch sound like a chicken sandwich on the value menu?

And Lariat sounds like the name of a half french, half Italian hottie in a maid costume.

 

[Lankford]

The cursive style font was designed by Apple’s Jonathan Ive and can be enacted by users in their online communications on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp and a host of other platforms by adding ‘/sarc/’ at the beginning and end of each sarcastic word, sentence or phrase.

I have a GC we work with a lot where our standing agreement is using italics for sarcasm. Maybe it will catch on here.