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Homeowner Forum / Construction / August 2005Contractor Hate on This Site!!!
I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of my specialty. I have had alot of joy from hearing from homeowners who I have helped in various ways. I am really concerned about the construction consumer. The industry is rapidly becoming a hole for contractors to screw people over. I have had several hostil responses from contractors on this site when I have tried to inform the homeowner of what professional protocol is. Basiclly the contractor doesn't want the home owner to know ther rights. Do you know how many contractors are in Florida? The government uses standard protocol for there contracts and billing. They for the most part use a system that keeps the contractor honest and ensures the owner is aware of all aspects and issues. There are only about 50 contractors that are respectable enough to do these projects and in alot of areas it is worse and that is why you hear about projects millions over budget and years behind. Just take what alot of the people on here say with a grain of salt. Read what they say, but then research that. I try to leave references for people to use. I also state my thoughts as MY OPINION, but try to keep it as factual as possible. I am a Christian, American, and A Marine...If you wish to question my values. WHAT ARE THESE OTHER GUYS PROBLEM. In the industry it is constantly being said that " Just because a guy has a hammer an a truck doesn't mean he knows how to use 'em" Just Beware, Andy W. Superintendent TLC DIV., Inc. >I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions >at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of my [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >Superintendent >TLC DIV., Inc. Hello, Time to call the: Labor Ready: http://www.laborready.com/home/common/homemain.asp http://www.laborfinders.com/ http://www.hoovers.com/free/co/factsheet.xhtml?COID=51654&cm_ven=PAID&cm_cat=OVR &cm_pla=CO3&cm_ite=labor_ready just like the "contractors" do . . . Go out there to one of those places about 6 AM, and youwill see them all lined up . . . > I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions > at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of my [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > WHAT ARE THESE OTHER GUYS PROBLEM. Their problem is idiocy to core levels, that spawns the abuse and corruption. and yes its rampant, florida is the worst by a wide margin. LA is getting bad fast. Homes wired by illegals with lamp cord and inspects apparently helpless due the volume of this stuff. and a US corporate management structure that considers blue collar and trades work as nearly worthless and management, mostly corrupt and illiterate and rip off management as the pinacle of human endeavor... they drive rates down by hiring the low end... and by taking kick backs...in some areas the rate is 10 to 20% of the gross project goes to kickbacks to management..one recently wanted me to quote 37k on a 17k job and kick back 20,000 dollars to him. So the talent leaves.... as the culture supports crime from the top. you see. Very well done though on your own integrity...you will live long and strong and happy as these others go down the tubes with their health and ill temper. Phil Scott > In the industry it is constantly being said that " Just because a guy has a > hammer an a truck doesn't mean he knows how to use 'em" [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Superintendent > TLC DIV., Inc. Nice post Phil. But don't forget the greedy, ignorant, or complicit homeowner, who ultimately rewards the lowest common denominator. Not all, but too many. >> I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also > has questions [quoted text clipped - 75 lines] >> Superintendent >> TLC DIV., Inc. > Nice post Phil. > But don't forget the greedy, ignorant, or complicit homeowner, who > ultimately rewards the lowest common denominator. Not all, but too many. Yes of course...and those are often pressed into that position by being taxed to death.. they end up fighting for every nickel then buying the cheapest...of which I and many others who buy chinese are equally guilty. The net tax rate regardless of how some say they can avoid taxes is well above viable levels for most people...even a person that evades say all income tax must deal with doctors and plumbers and vendors who cannot and through their high rates (due to net taxation) pay through the nose. But yes many of the very well off chizzle and end up driving the talent off... I have a long term view of that mess...increasingly you hear management speak of themselves as the real value or asset a company has, and its engineers and even scientists as surfs..and this is now even with middle management going to the extremes...with liberal arts majors getting 150 running personnel depts .. Dilbert cartoons are very accurate on this range of issues. So the talent is getting scarce...whats left gets underpaid in many but not all cases... in the blue collar area these are earning at least 50% less than in the early 80's as wages have stayed level on a dollar basis but the dollar has become worth much less...rents have gone up 10x... a tax as far as the middle class is concerned. Phil Scott > >> I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also > > has questions [quoted text clipped - 75 lines] > >> Superintendent > >> TLC DIV., Inc. No names, but this happened in Florida, where we are doubly cursed. We have the nice weather so we attract all of the college guys in the upper level (Eng.,PM...). These guys come with 0 experience and in my experience far less common sense. We then have the tradesman who are either immigrants from our job thieves, I mean friends to the south, or the crust of the industry. They thought that since it was warmer here or something that they might get off their a.s. They don't and when they do they are still drunk or high. Don't genralize there are talented individuals here, but as anywhere and as most large companies do get references, CHECK references, and always try to get 3 quotes on materials and contractors. Have contractors break down their price so you can see what the differences are between each, and have the material vendor on key items send specs, samples, or MSDS sheets (msds isnt really that usefull except for dangers). That is the way large companies like US Homes or Pultte and the government agencies do it. Why shouldn't the average consumer? > > Nice post Phil. > > But don't forget the greedy, ignorant, or complicit [quoted text clipped - 134 lines] > > >> Superintendent > > >> TLC DIV., Inc. >I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions > at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > I am a Christian, American, and A Marine Andy, Thank you for your service to our country. Ken (MI) Hi Andy, I read you comments and couldn't agree more. I am hearing story after story of clients giving huge deposits to try and secure a Contractor only to have the money and the Contractot disappear.It is a big problem in CA right now as well as shoddy framing. I had one client fire 3 framing crews due to incompetence and showing up for 3-4 days then never coming back for a couple of weeks. I think the biggest problem is Contractors/Builders are taking on more than they can handle just to try and secure clients and make sure their competitors don't get the jobs. Unfortunately, I don't see a solution on the horizon. Customers should do their due dilgence before hiring. These posts are a great start!! Best Regards, Larry J. Clark President www.abshomes.com Yes, the biggest problem is greed and the solution is the coming burst of the "bubble." We all know it's coming and the banks and unscrupulous builders are grabbing for all they can get. Licensed framing contractors? No such thing exist in Palm Coast, Florida. Builders like Seagate Homes hire unlicensed "contractors" and the result is BIG money for the builder and crap houses for their customers. Illegals smoking pot in the truck in the morning before roofing a house? Yep. Performing structural modifications to a house without first obtaining a building permit? Not a problem - they do that too. Allowing their electrical sub to get away with NOT connecting the ground to snap switches in violation of the NEC? That too. Florida, ah the Sunshine State! > Hi Andy, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Larry J. Clark President www.abshomes.com FYI: The State of Florida doesn't even have a department of Labor anymore. Just a professional occupational licensing group. The same group that gives every other business that requires certification their certs and governs them. Q: How does some girl in the States office have enough knowledge to bounce from Construction to Medical to Massage to Engineering and know all of that info? AW > Yes, the biggest problem is greed and the solution is the coming burst of > the "bubble." We all know it's coming and the banks and unscrupulous [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > > > Larry J. Clark President www.abshomes.com Perfect example: I sent a request to the DBPR last week asking if Florida requires framers to be licensed. Her response: To become licensed please complete the attached forms and... Hell, these peole can't even comprehend the written word much less know it "all." > FYI: The State of Florida doesn't even have a department of Labor anymore. > Just a professional occupational licensing group. The same group that gives [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > > > > > Larry J. Clark President www.abshomes.com I'm in Miami with a termites in the trusses and joists ( 2 story salt and pepper ). My house. I'm nervous of code enforcement ( lieing bastards! ) and contractors. Not much money so I'm contemplating doing it myself, but first I must learn to be more and more crooked to deal with the crooks. But then again maybe SIPs like insulspan. But yes things are rather peculiar with immigrants taking the place of the babyboombust. Has anyone seen this jack a.s Joe and his two buddies running people down. People like that make this site so unbearable. Is ther anything that can be done? This is my first time here, so my question is is there anyway to block people? > I'm in Miami with a termites in the trusses and joists ( 2 story salt > and pepper ). My house. I'm nervous of code enforcement ( lieing [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > But yes things are rather peculiar with immigrants taking the place of > the babyboombust. > Has anyone seen this jack a.s Joe and his two buddies running people down. > People like that make this site so unbearable. Is ther anything that can > be > done? This is my first time here, so my question is is there anyway to > block > people? You can not block who posts to the group but you can blocking seeing posts from specific senders in most news readers. For example, in Outlook Express go to Message->Block Sender and Message Rules->Blocked Senders List. It's easier to just highlight the post, click on "Message" (at the top) On the dropdown click "Block Sender". You will get another screen, click yes and you are all done. You will never see another post by him/her.  SignatureJoe You can not block who posts to the group but you can blocking seeing posts from specific senders in most news readers. For example, in Outlook Express go to Message->Block Sender and Message Rules->Blocked Senders List. > Has anyone seen this jack a.s Joe and his two buddies > running people down. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > anyway to block > people? Oh yes... cut their NG address from the 'newsgroups' address bar when you reply...in this case it seems you have already. the hard core slime seems to be concentrated in Florida and posting from Alt.HVAC and some other HVAC news groups. ..and not doing the industry any good either. Phil Scott >> I'm in Miami with a termites in the trusses and joists ( 2 >> story salt [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> the place of >> the babyboombust. > I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions > at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of my [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Superintendent > TLC DIV., Inc. The biggest sticky point for the consumer is his/her lack of knowledge on how to deal with the contractor. Lot of hearsay from friends and neighbors, innuendo, false verbals from some contractors. A Floridian-based corp that builds houses, recently finished a home here in S. Texas. There is a Texas law that indicates that the builder must provide of list of unpaid subs and material providers after tendering the house. This took two months to get after the house was tendered. And, was modified from no unpaids, to two unpaids a month later. During the course of attempting to get this affidavit, found the corp personnel were entirely unfamiliar with this law. And a consumer note, those that had heard of this law said no one ever asked for such an affidavit. This problem runs thick throughout the industry. ALL PROPERTY OWNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING SUBS, VENDORS, AND LABOR ARE PAID...IN ALL STATES. Furthermore the owner is also responsible for any accidents or incidents. THE MORAL: Get "Lein Waivers" Signed from Vendors and Subs befor any payment to the Contractor. THis makes sure the contractor has paid his bills. Check to make sure they are bonded and insured. (Workman's Comp Cert. Is required in all states with the exception of sole proprietorships with only family as labor) Andy W. > > I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions > > at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > unfamiliar with this law. And a consumer note, those that had heard of this > law said no one ever asked for such an affidavit. To proove my point look up in the posts to where it Asks how you can tell if your contractor is good. Look at the attacks on me personaly just because of my age. I guess my smart a.s nature leaves me going back to defend myself and expose these two idiots alittle farther. I never claimed to know everything or even part of everything. That is why I only answer questions which I have extensive knowledge and try to give references when available. These two guys never once argued my point or even questioned it they just think they know everthing because they are old. Andy W. > I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions > at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of my [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Superintendent > TLC DIV., Inc. what are you lot talking about??? All, Due to the wide and growing overlap and convergence of IT with the Physical Environment, I am doing a project on the physical aspects of security in a comparative analysis between the United States and Scandinavia. I am in need of approximately 20 books for a research project on designing with security in mind. I am comparing United States Architecture with Scandinavian Architecture with regards to security. The following books I have in my possession. Security - Planning & Design - A Guide for Architects and Building Design Professionals, AIA (2004) Effective Physical Security - Third Edition, Lawrence J. Fennelly (2004 Building Security (Red Book) - Handbook for Architectural Planning and Design. Nadel (2004) Creating Defensible Space - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1996) History of the United States Capital - A chronicle of design, construction and politics, William C. Allen (2001) Computer Security Handbook (Chapter 14 only) - 4th Edition (2002) If someone could help me with about 14/15 more books, including any emphasizing security techniques in Scandinavia as well, I would appreciate it. I would like to break down these 20 books into 5 segments of 4 books to span a study period of approximately 6 months. Concepts that I'd like more information on are * Security by Obscurity * Transparent Security * Minimalist Architecture being analogous to the Physical Security Requirements of today. I eagerly look forward to any suggestions for materials you could provide. Best Regards, I have found a ton of "out of print" books to research/learn about a different subject I was working on. So for the particular subject I was researching, current books in print numbered around 20 to 30, but there were over 400 out of print books on the subject! (This was not security related.) Anyway for finding out of print books, go to addall.com. Then find as many different words you can think of which are security related, then search for just one of those words at a time in the book title field. Next try just that word in the keyword field. Keyword will search the description of the book as well as the title and author fields. You can go to the bottom of the search results and add words to narrow the search. For example when searching for security, books on social security come up. So add the word "social" to the exclude title field at the bottom and then you will have four fewer pages of search results. amazon.com books are not included in the addall.com search, so also search amazon.com. This web site includes new and used books. Then if you know any foreign languages, search for the security related words in those languages. Lastly, search google.com for the word book and a security related word. You can use minus (-) in front of a word to eliminate web sites which contain that word. Example search... book security -social Using the -social narrows the search results by 25 million... If you are located in the U.S., note that when ordering books from the U.K., it can take up to 4 weeks to receive them. This is due to U.S. customs delays I am told. "Saab Guy" wrote in message > All, > > Due to the wide and growing overlap and convergence of IT with the Physical Environment, I am doing a project on the physical aspects of security in a comparative analysis between the United States and Scandinavia. > I am in need of approximately 20 books for a research project on designing with security in mind. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > If someone could help me with about 14/15 more books, including any emphasizing security techniques in Scandinavia as well, I would appreciate it. > I would like to break down these 20 books into 5 segments of 4 books to span a study period of approximately 6 months. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Best Regards, > I am a Public Works Project Management professional who also has questions > at times , but mostly come to this site to see if I can help on topics of my [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > to use. I also state my thoughts as MY OPINION, but try to keep it as > factual as possible. I think it's not appropriate indicate that you are part of A) a certain religion, and B) part of the military nowadays, Please refrain from doing so in future posts. It is 2005, not the fiftees when "everyone" finds these "good" traits. There are those that may object, so please be considerate and not the "typical american", because you're aiding in the perpetuation of others hating us americans here. > I am a Christian, American, and A Marine...If you wish to question my > values. |
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