I am wiring a taco bell. On Tueseday of last week, my project manager handed me prints for a taco bell. Has anyone else here had experience on these projects that could give me a few tips to make the job run smoothly? I have had a crew of 4 guys for 3 days, and had 8 on Saturday. So far we have pretty much gotten out of the walls with the line voltage stuff. The low voltage is next, and ultimately the service. The GC is breathing down my neck because he says he's already a week behind schedule, but I am assuming I had nothing to do with it seeing as I only arrived on the scene this past Tueseday. Ran into a few problems already(what else is new right?). It seems as though our guys/the concrete guys didn't run pipe in the slab prior to pouring. Looks as though I'm gonna be going overhead for the lighting contactor(it's located on the opposite wall from the lighting panel on the print), and the voice/data feeder conduits. Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted on how things are progressing, and like I said....if anyone here has had experience with a similar project, let me know...thanks...

Nick

Check your prints and contract real carefully! Such chain places are typically very detailed, telling you exactly where each and every wire will be run. You do not get to vary from them. If the GC dropped the ball .... don't let him off the hook. CYA.

Everything Reno said, plus not only are they picky but an owners rep will be inspecting it.

Also look for anything that has to go in the slap like a floor box or a feeder to an island, if there is the GC needs to sawcut the floor for you.

BTW not to discourage you but I HATE restaurants they are full of MEP all competing for the same space.

One more thing I have never met a GC who was not behind schedule, don't let him rattle your cage too much.

Topic is two years old. I sure he is finished by now.

the date on the post is 8/26/07 ??

devlin if from the future:D

DOH.
I looked the registration date instead of the post date.

well, you best go find out who's gonna win this years NBA finals, World Series and SuperBowl...all day I've been telling people I know someone from the future...there's a lot of money riding on this:D

Thanks for the input.

Yeah...the GC has been telling me he's behind schedule. I told him I can only go as fast as I can. Fortunately I have a great crew of guys on my side. So far the office has been very supportive. This is my first time running work, and let me tell you, my head is spinning.
We passed the wall inspection yesterday, although I still had to get some pipes outside for the parking lot lights, and informed the inspecter. He seemed unphased by this. My guys made sure everything was nice and neat which helped out a lot. So far I have been giving them "options" on what task they would like to do next, and this technique seems to be working out just fine. Are there any managerial techniques anyone can suggest? I really enjoy making the rounds and seeing the project come together. I still keep a fully loaded tool belt on at all times though, so when I see the guys needing help I jump right in. At the end of the day today, I unwound a bit, by chizling out some of the foundation for some pipes. It was nice not to think for a little while.

Thanks again for the input

Nick

I used to do a good deal of resturant buildouts (chains) and one thing I remember is that it is a good idea to get an extra conduit or two stubbed up from the panels into the ceiling, cause there is always something that the prints leave out, and your company will be the first one they call in for the extra stuff they want installed in the coming months. So now you will be halfway there and won't have to fish down into the panels.

Thanks, macmikeman! I definately will! Already there have been a couple of extras, and changes, so I cant' emagine what else they might have in store for me. Thanks again!

nick

Ask the GC for a copy of the schedule (Gantt Chart...sp???).

If they say the infamous "We do not have a Schedule", ask that person "How can anyone be behind schedule if no schedule exists?"

Guaranteed to get some highly unordinary remarks with that one!

Seriously, get a copy of the Schedule, so you know:
* who is doing
* what
and
* When

Like when vendors / Equipment Suppliers are scheduled to install cooking equipment.

This document also gives you an idea of where some Project Managers have decided the work "should be at by a certain date" - giving you an idea of:
* Who is behind schedule
and
* Why.

As pointed out previously by others;
most GCs / Superintendents (typically "Stupid-Intendents") will cry "Behind Schedule" as a default statement, so try not to let it get to you.

Scott

The GC is behind schedule, I don't know how many times I've heard that line, it seems to be a default with these clowns.
Bear in mind, it's not YOUR fault, that the GC can't organise a shout in a brewery.
I've been in places where the Electrician on the job has been panicking to get the power connected, mainly because of pressure from the GC.
All I can say is don't sweat it, your GC will get his sweet power.
Just make sure you charge plenty for the privelidge, I do and the GC pays, otherwise the power gets cut again.

Those in the chat will remember my last restaurant's job - and its' aggravations. Those aggravations all were defined by one word: Schedule.

The day I first arrived, the GC and the customer insisted the place would be open in two weeks. I said "no way," that there was at least two month more work to be done. I was informed in no uncertain terms as to how wrong I was.
Well, for the next two months ... all I heard was the 'two weeks' pressure. Rush, rush, rush.

Guess what happened? They opened two days shy of two months .... all MY stuff was ready, and working ... and the GC spent another two weeks completing his stuff.

This job progressed fairly smoothly, with minimal delays caused by waits for other trades, or equipment deliveries. If there were any avoidable delays, they were caused by attempts to 'hurry things along' by doing work out of sequence. (For example, my wiring the kitchen was slowed by the customer insisting on using the kitchen as a store-room ... and the GC hanging the drop ceiling grid before anyone's pipes were run).

I came away convinced that the 'time pressure' is an artificial issue, created in the belief that giving you an impossible target will somehow inspire you to herculean efforts. It's just another game, another version of 'more, more .. faster, faster ... cheaper, cheaper."


A second job had an enormous time pressure applied to it. In that instance, the CUSStomer had a complete set of plans approved in January ... then, when I show up in March I was presented with a set of unapproved plans that bore NO resemblance to the original set. The customer was delayed, simply because they tried to short-cut the plan approval process.

This customer was clever, though .... his rep was a sweet, lovable lady, who managed to inspire everyone to really, really want to make her happy. ANYTHING to please her ... if that meant assuring her that winter concrete could set in 15 minutes ... she got the promise. (Then the concrete guys were blamed when it took longer).

Only later did it become clear that her only purpose was to adhere to the original schedule ... in essence, making all the contractors 'eat' the lost two months. The reason: they simply didn't want to pay more rent. As soon as they moved in, the niceness and charm disappeared.

We really should have noticed that she rode to work on a Nimbus 2000

I've bored you with these tales to make one point: "Schedules" are most often tools for fictional management, and not really schedules at all. Times and dates are pulled out of thin air. Don't let them bother you. As I told that lady: you can turn up the oven all you want; the cake won't bake any faster!

Here is something I found a while back, which is a sadistic look at Construction Management.
I think everyone will like this stuff:



Needs a few more items in there - such as:

Schedule: Printed tool to increase production via extortion.

Submittals: Documents which place your payments in a locked safe, while the persons required to approve them take off to Tahiti for 2 Months on the day of submission, then do not review said documents for an additional 6 weeks after returning to work.

RFI: A written plead for an answer, which gets placed into the Black Hole on someone's desk - never to be replied upon, until the 3rd copy gets E-mailed to everyone possible.

FWO: The beginning of free work!

Lead-Time: The time it takes to get anything, which makes sense to you, but not to the people who must approve submittals.

I'll come up with some others later.

Scott

All GCs are liars, no exceptions.

Many would say the same about all sub contractors.

Yeah like anyone would believe a GC.

LMAO

I really did not mean GCs I meant anyone that hires sub contrators....but that was pretty funny.

LOL...my mouth sometimes gets me in trouble.

schedule?I did a project about 2 years ago consisting of 4 double ended 13KV unit subs 2000' of 5" grs conduit with 3 500 mcm 15KV cables each all in one room.Gc started day one about being behind I asked him to show me his schedule.The time line he showed me gave me 3 weeks to complete this work.I mumbled something about a dreamworld and walked away

Be careful of asking for a job schedule and getting the "three week" look ahead screw you over schedule.

Basically instead of scheduling all the work incorrectly they just do it three weeks out at a time so they can keep getting it wrong and doing it over and over ever week.

My back hurts just reading that.

Hope your tugger lasted through the job. Hate to have to pull that by hand.

hey, been away for a few days(offline). The job is comming along great. we are putting the final touches on the interior lights now, and are about to start plugging, and switching...ha ha ha...swiching...there are literally only two 20A SPST switches in the whole place...everything is either constantly fed, or is switched by a contactor or time clock/photo cell. I have yet to lay my eyes on an ansel system, which should be here any day now. The site guys are busy trenching for my lot lights(20 footers) all I have to do is run the conduit, and pull the wires, and prefab up the heads on the poles, the GC is taking care of setting the lights....luckilly our shop has a crane for this stuff if it was up to me to set the poles(gotta get that CDL ASAP!!!)
As far as surprises go, I have only had one...a light in the wall of the cabinet where you line up to order was not on the prints....and I have no lighting circuit under there....I probably should have added a spare pipe for this but hey, I guess "next time" will have to be sufficient. I told the GC about this situation, and he didn't see anything wrong with having the light on all the time....problem solved!! Thanks again for all the input, I really appreciate it!!

nick.