Category: Work

Please stay off the stairs!

Post author By Wolfbernz
Post date August 27, 2013
3 Comments on Please stay off the stairs!

This year, like some years in the past, we are doing more stairs. I don’t mind it, when we get finished it it very satisfying. This week we are finishing a set of them. Trina and I were talking how the home owner is your worst enemy when it comes to someone walking on the stairs before they are done and leaving footprints. About the same time the owner came into the new house. We both explained how important it was to stay off of them.
My first thought was “this guy understands and will stay off of them”.

I think new stairs attract people to them like a magnet. They walk in and must say to themselves, “how nice, they look dry to me” and up the stairs the go walking on the cardboard sign as they go up.
Well it happened again….. Yes there was a sign and all precautions were taken. This is when we left:

Small bare feet and tennis shoes, I should say sweaty bare feet the worst kind to be walking on the stairs before a seal coat is applied. This is what we came back to:

My second thought is there is no way to stop this from happening, so I try to get the prints out even going as far as faux painting the grain over the prints. For the most part they can’t be seen but I know where to look so I see them anyway.

The new home owner is a police man. I showed him the photos and he wanted a copy so he could watch people’s footprints. I’m kinda glad I’m the one doing the stairs and not the one being tracked down!

Have a great Tuesday
Wolfbernz

PS: My Third thought today, this picture explains it all – Will Smith and Family watching Miley Cyrus at the VMA’s

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Tags Work

New post Work

Accepting Responacbility

Is craftsmanship a dying trade? It seems as though now-a-days we just go buy what we need, we don’t have one made. Is it simplicity or craftsmanship?

I have had the opportunity to go through and have to fix a 3500 sq ft house. The Sheetrock was a mess, the paint was everywhere- runs, paint splatter on trim, paint on the new hardwood floor, roller lines across the corners of one color to the next. The wood was not flush everywhere and some of the painted pieces had no caulk. Doors trim left with holes unfilled.

This was an incredible thing to accomplish… An upset new home owner and a builder that says she wants no one back but you and Trina, can you fix the whole house and make her happy.
Ha ha I said “she will love me when I’m gone…” You know I think that might be a song.

My first thought was holy crap I have to deliver, this house has twenty or so foot high ceilings! Dormers and light from every direction! And it’s a mess to boot!!!

So here it is 8 days later and I get a text, she loves the job praises us. I sent a winky face back hehehe
My second thought is what the heck it’s not that hard to care and do a good job, I was told the others tried five times… As far as I know there are few younger guys that seem to try hard and want to learn, most others have a that’s good enough attitude.

I can’t imagine trying to run a cabinet shop again and full time home building business. I believe it would be hard to fill with qualified people. Or should I say qualified that care about their work.
The worst thing about this job is every trade blamed the other for the mess no one would take responsibility, shameless!

Have a great Tuesday
Wolfbernz

Tags Life, Work

New post Work

Work Ethics

Since I have been home among the other things we do, we work for a home builder doing the final punch list. Or whatever he needs done to finish the house and go to closing.

I noticed we get there around seven thirty or eight on the job. We roll out get set up and start working. About ten thirty here come all the trades to work… Really?

As the day progresses noon comes along and they all sit down to lunch!

At three in the afternoon they all pack up and they are done for the day.

On one of the jobs the home owner was complaining they were months behind. My first thought was yea no workers on the job for more than five or six hours and they all talk all day no wonder.

I don’t know if I mentioned that I finished a very beautiful set of stairs a couple weeks back.

Since then the poor lady of this house has had to tell everyone else to “please just get your job done.” She went as far as to put blue tape on all the spots she thought needed touching up. That’s ok on a wall, paint is easy. Well…. I told them to stay off the stairs for three days. Trina said you worry too much they will be fine there is a sign that says keep off. I explained the home owner is our worst enemy now, they feel it’s their house and if it feels dry they will walk on it.

We finished on a Friday no body should have even been there, but NO the home owner said it felt dry so they walked all over it and put blue tape where they thought there was a spot. ( not cured yet) so the house clean up crew went through pulled up the tape and the finish with it.

I was on my way home from another house that I would be embarrassed of if I built. The workers were the same show up at 11 leave at 3:30 and man does it show. I spent four days fixing the mess as best as possible. Doesn’t anybody care about the work they do and have some pride left?

So we are on our way home, I had fixed the stairs to what I thought was fine. The owner decided she wanted it to look like it never happened. This is in the middle of the floor on the main landing. I said ok I will stop by… I sanded took out the obvious tape mark Down to bare wood right in the middle of the floor, the whole time thinking man I hope you’re good enough! Some how after about an hour or so I had stained and faux painted the grain back in place, I brushed it with the clear a few times and thank The Lord it was perfect.

I told the home owners, they were both there… The floor is wet in spots mainly the one in the middle. They told me no one was going up there it’s Friday, no more than did I get a half mile down the road and the owner took the air conditioning guy up stairs and the owner walked in the finish.

They wanted me to turn around and come fix it. My second thought is I have to go there today hopefully for last time. It’s no fun on this job, the home owner keeps asking all upset, does anyone work anymore I just want to move in. The workers think she is a bitch and complainer. One guy said “she wants to move in but keeps adding on” I replied I don’t see any extras just your work that needs to be finished, I don’t think that’s much to ask.

Have a great Tuesday
Wolfbernz

Tags Life, Work