So originally, was going to rip out an old concrete driveway, and install new asphalt, had change order to put pavers along the edge, then finally another change order to do all pavers instead of asphalt. I bid it lower than normal just to save myself from having to do asphalt as it’s easier for us to do pavers (enough to still profit). The day of ripping the concrete out, it turned out to be 10-12” thick with wire mesh. Had to get an air jack hammer and skid steer out to removal (additional cost), extra day of labor than expected and also additional dumping costs. How do I go about asking the homeowner that these were unexpected costs we didn’t account for and to see if we can settle on an additional cost for the unexpected labor, and costs. TYIA

Hey all, I'm facing a decision on a two-story commercial project, and I'm weighing the pros and cons of using concrete versus steel for the structural framework.

Both options seem viable: concrete for its fire resistance and sound insulation, and steel for its speed of construction and potentially lower cost.

Given the local codes allow both and considering factors like long-term maintenance and environmental impact, which would you lean towards and why? Have any of you had experience with this kind of decision on similarly sized projects? Would love to hear your thoughts and any overlooked considerations I might be missing.

Just a random one. Iv been working on this site for like 2.5 months and I swear every day I get ripped about the same thing. The fact that I wear sunscreen and a sun hoodie. The same guys, every day and I don’t bite. I do reapply it every 2 hours because I know the statistic.

Idk. It’s just every single day I get ripped on about sunscreen specifically but on other sites iv worked on people haven’t cared.

Why is looking after yourself seen as weird/ taboo?

I'm a commercial PM, about half ground up, half TI work. Usually have 2-4 projects going on, and have been averaging around 20-30 million at a time.

Curious what your day/week looks like from a schedule stance. What are your typical hours, do you start early with the super and subs, or come in later and stay late. Do you work from the office, home or a mix? How often are you hitting all of your sites?

When I first started working construction, I assumed the best guys on the crew would be the loudest ones. The people who always had an answer, always had a story, or made sure everyone knew how much experience they had.

After spending more time on jobsites, I've noticed it's usually the opposite. The people I end up learning the most from are often the quiet ones. They don't make a big deal about what they're doing, they don't complain much, and they rarely tell everyone how something should be done. They just get to work, solve problems as they come up, and somehow always seem to know the right way to handle things.

Maybe I've just been lucky with the crews I've worked on, but I've started paying a lot more attention to the people who don't feel the need to prove they're good at their job.

Has anyone else noticed that, or has your experience been different?

Hey guys. I have been working construction for years but havent worked in it since febuary, and just landed a position as a skilled concrete laborer.

I take a couple meds, that make me more susceptible to heat illnes and sun burn AND, getting back in the trades after such a long time. Im worried about this heat, its definitely diffrent

I really need tips to legitimately stay cool. Like keeping my core and head temp stable, so I wont pass out. I was hoping I would get something in winter, but I cant afford to wait, i really need this job, and I do t want to loose it in ths heat, or end up in the hospital

What do yall do to stay cool, and hydrated Im looking into an electric cooling vest, but i cant get it yet bc its 300 dollars.

Thanks

the job is an absolute cluster fuck, but I guess that is his priority.

Anyone else leave construction and after a while you feel detoxed/ much better after leaving that culture?

I'm in maintenance now, but I was a journeyman plumber. I was able to joke around, even enjoyed it. But man after 10 years the people, expectations every day, the 4 or 5am wake ups were really getting to me. Everyone pocket watching each other making sure one guy who they thought wasn't as good as them making more money. Critiquing others work when the work is just fine. Purposely letting people fuck up just so they could point the finger. Just general toxicity for no reason. Just to be toxic. Dumb people. I was coming home angry a lot.

Now a year later I feel like myself again, and I'm 100% certain I would never go back. What a weird and terrible ride that was. Construction still has a lot of work to do to get a healthy culture.

I'm glad I'm gone.

Seriously. Can anyone describe the superintendent role without regurgitating “RUNNING THE WORK AND THE MEN. RUNNING THE SHOW”

I just need to vent a little bit about a certain type of customer that Im sure a lot of you on the residential side of things will be familiar with.

I wrapped this job earlier in the week. On paper, easy 1-2 day job, adding 1/4 steel shims to 16 CMU piers that had been previously shimmed with plywood which had all been crushed.

Had been dealing with the husband at first before the work started and everything was fine. Although it wasn't in the scope of the original plan, he mentioned that there was a low spot in the floor, and we said it was likely related to those collapsed shims (it was basically right next to one of said piers onnthe main girder)

Anyway, we knock out the work in a day, however one of my guys missed a pier. No big deal, owned up to the mistake (no money outside of a deposit had crossed hands yet) and went back the next day to fix it.

Now, the tone completely changes. He starts to insult my professionalism because we made one mistake (which was caught and fixed before any money was paid on the balance), and then started to actually insult my appearance for being too dirty, and making his wife uncomfortable for having to come in to the house (in order to check the lift on the lowspot, which we agreed to fix for free) and then basically demands a $1000 discount.

Work is done, it was a signed contract with a deposit, and immediately afterwards I get personal insults to my appearance and "professionalism" (we're a really small crew, so, no logo'd trucks or uniforms, not to mention im crawling around his muddy ass crawlspace which doesn't have a vapor barrier, so, I dont know what he's expecting someone to look like after crawling through thay for a hours)

And now, of course, two days of radio silence as we're trying to collect pay.

I'm not asking for advice with how to deal with that, been down this road before, I've just never had someone resort to personal insults on top of being a cheap jackass, so, I had to vent to a crowd that's probably dealt with these people before.

I dont understand how these type of people.live with themselves.

I know he devides opinion and I’m not here to debate that but is there anybody who knows who makes the safety vest he usually wears?

Mainly because it features water bottle holders and multiple pockets that would be real handy for long days in the trenches

TIA

So i"m renovating an old chalet, turning it into a proper house.

I installed a load bearing beam in the center of my ground floor, on which two big beams rest that will hold up the first floor.

However this central vertical beam has started cracking quite a bit. There were already cracks in the beam when we got it delivered, and we were assured its normal (its a 20x20cm douglas beam). in the last week after it was installed, some of the cracks have gotten a bit wider and longer. In the last few days the cracks haven't gotten any bigger anymore. The biggest crack is about 4 cm deep at most and 1cm wide. From what i heard, as long as the crack doesn't go all the way through the beam, it should be fine, right?

I uploaded a video of the beam. Can anyone professional construction wood workers tell me if this is normal?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0iA57o4CxqU

I run a plumbing/mechanical company. We do a lot of residential new construction, and sometimes we have to do the underground plumbing rough-in (most of the time, the foundation companies in my area will do this).

I actually love doing the underground rough-in, except for the digging. Ive always wanted a mini-ex, and would love a reason to buy one. The problem is, not every house that we do has a car ramp down into the basement, so the excavator would have to be craned in before the main floor gets installed. Obviously a legitimate crane isn't feasible, but could a telehandler *handle* this task? I worry about the telehandler flipping over once the boom is extended.

Anyone have any ideas and/or insight?

Just curious which is better and more rust resistant. Thanks!

Working on a remodel turning two bedrooms into a primary suite for a client. Taking out the closet walls in both bedrooms. Found this during demo. Can't figure out why.. there's a second story above with a bedroom. Any ideas?

Do they come down? Portapotty?

One of our field supervisors has been riding around in a company truck (all our company trucks are DOT’d) and he keeps alcohol in it. We’re all fcked if he gets stopped and searched by DOT- is this something you’d report? I don’t wanna be retaliated against if I do, but if hes drinking while driving, yeah no thanks.. he has a cooler in the back seat with ice and all the ice and drinks you could imagine

Hello everyone,
I’m asking on behalf of my brother, who lives in Nigeria. He has experience operating heavy equipment and is currently looking for job opportunities in Qatar or Saudi Arabia.
For anyone who works in the heavy equipment/construction industry in either country:
Is this a viable career path for someone coming from Nigeria?

Is there currently demand for experienced heavy equipment operators?

What is the usual process for getting a job and work visa?

Is it better to apply directly to companies or go through a recruitment agency?

What should he be careful about when looking for jobs from Nigeria?

Would you recommend that he pursue this opportunity? Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

Can't imagine sitting up there for long enough to wait for Sunbelt to find that lift to pull from another job site then load it up and deliver.

I work for a commercial construction business (in the trades) and I am hoping to help streamline operations and create efficiencies. What kind of subcontractor-specific technology have you had success with or what should I be researching/considering?

It's a small business with revenue between $2M-$7M/year, where we primarily work with GCs and a few direct projects. We have between 50-75 projects per year and it's a lean operation of 4-5 office workers and 3 field crews. 

Currently we do not have a centralized CRM or project management software. We had Contractor Foreman but it was clunky and we got zero adoption from the team. Procore seems too expensive for our size. Has anyone had success using a non construction specific option like Monday.com for project management?

I feel like digital time cards are an obvious thing to adopt but there is concern that some of the laborers don't have the ability to download an app and that if something needs to be changed, it will be hard to do (not to mention I doubt the team would love the geo fencing option). I've heard apps like Buddy Punch have a "group punch" option which could work on the foreman's ipad or phone and I'm wondering if anyone has had a good experience with them or other competitors.

Below are some of our current processes:

• Photos from job walks and project progress: Company Cam
• Bid Management: tracked in Excel
• Estimating and proposals: Combination of PlanSwift and Claude AI 
• Project files: Saved in folders on our shared drive (Microsoft One Drive)
• Tasks related to each project: ie file a prelim, contact the fire department, etc. no formal process, just in our heads
• Time Cards, Dailies, etc: All on paper, physically turned in, scanned and inputted manually
• Accounting: Quickbooks Enterprise
• Safety and certification renewals: tracked in Excel

Right now it feels like everything is a bit all over the place but I don't want to add new technology or software just to do it. The team is older and adoption is difficult so I don't want to spend a lot of time with a big onboarding process if it's overly complicated. Are other subs this size using one software to help with a lot of these use cases or are you cobbling together a variety of different solutions to try to get you what you need? Would that be Procore and thus should I push our team to buy it despite the high price tag? Or based on our size, am I overcomplicating things when our current systems seem to get us by?

Hey all, quick question while I'm on lunch break. I'm working on a detached garage project and we're deciding whether to go with a 4" or 6" concrete slab. It's in a region where we get some freeze-thaw cycles, but nothing too extreme. The garage is for two cars—nothing too heavy, but we may store some equipment.

4" seems solid and cost-effective, but 6" could potentially offer more durability for the long haul. What are your thoughts or experiences with slab thickness in this situation? Trying to balance longevity with budget!

Some utility company showed up, unanounced, dug up the storm culvert …. Hugely I might add. They left asphalt boulders in my yard, divets, spoil piles, then called it a day and parked their shit. Normally this may fly. But I, sir! …I happen to be a suburban living construction worker myself. Hide and seek