Wear knee pads boys! (And girls I suppose!) Especially if you’re laying flooring somewhat regularly. I promise you it will preserve your quality of life long-term.

Just got hired on to a big construction company and they did a 5 panel drug test that didn't include THC. It's legal medically in the state i'm working in (Oklahoma). I was kind of surprised because being an electrician is safety sensitive, but I've worked for companies that didn't do a drug test or only did one at the beginning and never again. They do travel work, so I'm assuming if I go to a state like TX, they might drug test for THC. Do any of you have experience with this? I stopped consuming medical marijuana back in March of this year. Would be nice to be able to use my medical card again and give up alcohol.

I know some comments are going to be judgmental, but I obviously do not use at work, nor will I ever.

Trying to expand my knowledge and have been helping one of my bosses connections with various tasks among some of his projects. I'm typically just doing residential framing, have broken up and removed slabs but this is a whole different experience.

This one I'm at a bit of a loss, I have to remove these 4 pieces of concrete and the brick behind it. The depth through the other side is roughly 11 inches, solid concrete into the brick wall on the opposing side in picture 2.

Initially I was working off a ladder with a hammer drill as it was believed there was a void somewhere in the middle but turns out it's solid

Buddy suggested grabbing his saw but there's no way in hell I'm working off a ladder with a concrete saw in a drop ceiling. Rather than telling him I can't do it, I would prefer to have some alternate options to suggest though.

Any ideas?

I’m a small GC in a new city and have a job coming up that I need help with. How do people typically find guys to help that experience in fire stopping?

People often say that wooden cow barns don't smell as bad compared to steel or concrete ones. I wonder why that is? What do you guys think?

I work for a small remodeling company and my manager is kinda starting to creep me out. I’ve definitely been trying to convince myself it’s not that weird, but it’s starting to feel pretty weird.
For context, I’m 22 and he’s in his late 60s or early 70s. He’s very belittling, micromanages the hell out of everyone, and is honestly just a shitty guy to be around.

The first weird thing happened about a month ago. I was wearing shorts on the job and he pinched the back of my upper thigh, underneath my shorts, and said “nice shorts, buddy.” It made me uncomfortable and embarrassed, but I brushed it off.

There have also been some weird comments. We were talking about Matthew McConaughey one day, and I said I liked his movies. My manager said something along the lines of “yeah, you have that pretty guy look.” I don’t remember his exact wording, but it caught me off guard. A coworker also told me that one day people were asking where I was, and the manager said, “I don’t know, probably somewhere looking pretty.” Even my coworker thought it was a weird comment.

Yesterday was when I really started questioning things. I was standing at the chop saw when he walked past with some kind of wooden stick, rubbed it along the inside of my leg, made contact with my groin, and said “sorry, did I excite you?” before walking away. I didn’t really react in the moment and initially brushed it off, but the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable it makes me.

He’s also come up behind me and grabbed both my shoulders on other occasions. I don’t know, it feels like something you’d do to a little kid to get their attention. I’m a grown man, don’t touch me.

Another thing that feels strange is that I’ve been scheduled with this manager and ONLY this manager at a particular job site. It’s basically just the two of us every day. He sits around, watches me, and tells me what to do,even when there’s not a lot of work to be done.

The problem is that this is a small company with no HR, and the manager is the owner’s father-in-law. A couple of weeks ago, this same manager told one of our brown coworkers he was going to receive “30 lashings” if he didn’t finish a job on time. The coworker reported it to the owner, and about a week later he was fired for supposedly being a “bad team player.” I have no way of knowing if those things were connected, but the timing makes me nervous about speaking up.

Honestly, if I got fired, I wouldn’t be devastated because there are plenty of other issues with this job. But I do need the money right now. Everything is expensive, the job market sucks, and I get paid decently, so quitting without a plan isn’t ideal.
I keep thinking about telling the owner, but realistically, is he going to believe me over his own father-in-law? My boss is also pretty condescending and dismissive. If you bring something up or try to explain a concern, he has a way of playing it down, making you feel dramatic or stupid, and acting like he knows better than everyone else.

I’ve worked around plenty of guys who joke around, and this doesn’t feel like normal job-site banter to me. I’m not trying to make a huge deal out of nothing, but I also don’t want to keep brushing off someone touching me inappropriately because I work in construction.
What would you do in this situation? If I quit because of this, could I potentially qualify for unemployment?
I’d appreciate honest advice, especially from anyone who’s dealt with something similar in construction or worked for a small company where management is all connected.

Edit- Yeah i was wearing shorts, i was painting a bedroom on a remodel. It’s residential, not a big deal….

Course done, LLC done. Want Class C under MSC so I can skip the specialty exam. I know it’s limited to one activity the Board approves.

Got about three years of construction experience (mostly under a licensed contractor in Florida) plus some independent work here in VA.

I do a lot of repair work — tuckpointing, masonry repair, chimney repair, painting existing surfaces, hardscape repair, concrete patching, stucco/parging, tile repair — and I’m trying to figure out which one makes the most sense to request under MSC.

If you’ve actually gotten MSC:

- What single activity did they approve for you?

- How tight did they word the restriction?

- Board hearing or just paperwork?

- How’d you document the experience (out-of-state verification work)?

- How long did it take and any headaches?

Any real examples help. Thanks.

So I REALLY want to get into the industrial field.

To fill you in on myself, i am 27 and I have worked in industrial hvac for a smaller company about 6 years ago demolishing and installing units with the main focus on running ductwork. I was young and very green to the industry and didn’t understand the opportunity for the growth I could’ve made. That being said I only did that for about 14 months before I left to be back home everyday instead of only home on the weekends. I was working in my state but it was far enough away to get per diem Monday-Friday. Since I left that job I’ve worked as a machine operator, lawn and pest technician, and currently as residential foundation repair and waterproofing of crawl spaces and basements for 3.5 years. I became a crew foreman after a year (I was being pressured for that position after only being there a few months because I’m a responsible person that honestly loves learning tricks and tips to better myself in whatever I do, but I wanted to wait it out and not jump in too fast as I haven’t held that title and responsibility before). Though I left that position and stepped down shortly after a year into the position because the pay difference wasn’t much (paid by the job not really by the hours) and I could get jobs done faster since there wasn’t a set end of the day time and could get home sooner maximizing my “hourly” rate by the math. I am very work focused and I work harder than I probably need to.

All of that said I have been wanting to go into working in industrial construction. Mainly electrical (but open to pretty much all other fields) since that is something I haven’t done and am eager to learn while also being a great career path I want to pursue. It also seems a lot less demanding on the body, so I can see myself not burning out from how my brain is kind of hardwired to work vigorously.

I have been researching but really just need the help of someone giving me real steps to take to make this switch. I cannot seem to find jobs on indeed, google, etc. that are available to someone without schooling or experience in the electrical field, though I’ve read a lot of people do find these apprenticeships without going to school. Is this a necessary step I should take? It’s pretty difficult to make as I do have a wife and kid and I’m the one working in my house (by choice, we love this lifestyle). I would really like to avoid this step and learn on the job as I am a very hands on learner. I am absolutely down to go to school for it, but I feel it would be harder for me without being able to apply what I’m learning as I go if that makes sense. I absolutely would further my knowledge with school knowing I will be using it everyday.

I really want to get into per diem jobs which seems to be the more difficult route to go without the experience but it has the pay that I know would keep me and my family from sinking as right now we are just getting by barely. It truthfully would put us in a comfortable position since we aren’t overwhelmed with ridiculous debt by trying to live outside our means. I just cannot save any money or do things with my family since it all goes into just getting us barely by.

I really appreciate any advice from anyone, and especially from someone who lives a similar experience who doesn’t mind to lift and give a hard working guy, who doesn’t get vulnerable and ask for help, some direction to be successful in giving his family a great life!

Seriously, any advice is greatly appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read this long post!

I have decided to divorce my wife and get 50 50 custody of our children. Of course my job asks me to get there at 630am and she takes them to school. I do like my job but i like my kids too. I dont have the family to help with taking them to and from school. Do i ask my boss to accommodate me? Does anyone have experience in something like this?

I’m starting in construction and looking for helpful tips on pants.

What I do:
Some office work
Apprentice to a finish carpenter
Grunt work/manual labor
Forklift operator
Some customer contact

Temps 20°-105°

Regular jeans are just “okay” but are a bit restrictive and not as many pockets as I’d like.

I’ve tried a thin pair of Wrangler pants that has an additional pocket on the hip. They’re not bad but the material doesn’t seem to be holding up. I like that they are stretchy and a good pocket.

I’m concerned we may have a void or weird settling/heaving under basement slab.

1. The prior owners had dealt with basement flooding. They were idiots and never fixed grade. We moved in and regraded in yr 1.

2. In yr 4, we decided to add bathroom in basement. Floor sunk in area so we paid to pump foam under and lift floor. That section is great now.

3. I’ve noticed some settling and odd angles creating cracks on upper floor. I think this is due to possible void at other corner.

Soooo. Would like to hire someone with the deep scanning/imaging equipment that forensic engineers use for insurance purposes. If there’s a void we can visualize and plan for a fix.

Which type of company can I hire to do such work - and propose the proper fix?

Does anyone have good experience sealing anodized aluminum window frames onto a brick wall? Both of the leak tests on my project failed today. The window subcontractor is reputable and reliable, they install these frames all the time and our company has worked with them before. Also the envelope consultant and architect were involved in choosing the sealant, and we even contacted the manufacturer before installing and they approved sealing to brick. Unsure what went wrong and it would be great to hear from someone who has dealt with the same type of condition.

I’ve had 4 foundation companies out to look at some cracks and determine options. Unfortunately, they seem to vary and I’m trying to figure out how to best determine next steps. 

The house has a crack in East wall, North wall, and West wall. The West wall seems more minor compared to the others, though it's almost the same distance from the North wall as seen on the East side. Of the dips mentioned below, none of them reached an inch. More like 1/2-3/4

2 of the companies used a laser level and measured the walls to determine shifting. One company was in the crawl and using the floor joists to measure - and the other used the laser on the main floor and used the ceiling to measure. Both of those inspections focused on a dip in one corner of the house. One company suggested helical piers and the other suggested polyfoam while also offering the option of helical piers if I wanted to lift. The company that gave the polyfoam option also gave the option of combining the two - helical piers on the East where they found the dip and then polyfoam across the back of the house and down the West wall

The other 2 companies used an argon tool to check the height from the floor. Both of these companies said they found dips in two corners of the house and suggested piers across the entire North of the house and halfway up each side

Between the 4 company estimates, I’m looking at about a $15,000 difference from cheapest to most expensive. 

I’m wondering if anyone has experience with these different methods of measuring for a dip. I'm trying to determine why two of them found a dip that the other two didn’t, and how to find out which two were correct.

Also wondering if anyone has used or knows about polyfoam. If polyfoam gets used, could there be a future concern about shifting, or is it pretty stable? If it's injected, can piers be installed at a later date (if needed) where polyfoam has already been used? 

What hard hat do you guys favor? I was looking at one of the Kleins but wanted to hear your recommendations. The ratcheting head gear is a must for me.

I have a decent pile of broken-up concrete from a backyard project (see photo), and I’m trying to figure out the easiest way to dispose of it.
I’d really prefer not to rent a dumpster or haul it to the dump.

I was considering putting a small amount in my regular trash bin each week and slowly getting rid of it over time, making sure not to overload the bin.
Is that a terrible idea? Could it damage the garbage truck, or is it generally fine in small amounts if the city allows it?

What would you guys do? Any other cheap or easy ways to get rid of this stuff?

I’m working on a renovation project and need to remove a little over 800 sq. ft. of exterior stucco.
I’m planning to tackle most of it myself and am looking for recommendations on the best tools and methods to make the job as efficient as possible.
Would you recommend a demolition hammer with a chisel attachment, rotary hammer, or something else?
For anyone who’s removed this much stucco before, what worked best for you? Any tips or things you’d do differently?

Hi I am planning on opening a hot Pilates studio for my wife. She needs infrared panels to be installed. 1800 sq feet.

Can you please provide a range of quotes ?

Also how else can you help out with the studio looking to making connections and do business.

Feel free to DM

We handle a lot of maintenance requests in a lot of old buildings and something that always astounds me is just how perfect the coverage is on clear accidents for paint

You can see a stray brush line and it's just 100% coverage, can't see through it at all.

When I'm cutting in, no matter what I need two coats minimum for good coverage, and these old guys were somehow having perfect coverage on their fuckups.

Lead paint? Is that it?

i just got hired in this company and is my first construction job as a labourer, any tips and advice for beginners?

I’m the foreman of a multi family dwelling plumbing project and the super keeps trying to pull fast ones.

Firstly for context the building is 4 floors, they haven’t started building the third floor yet there is drywall going up on the first floor hallway in a building that is not weathered in.

How he is impacting me is this is the second time he has told my apprentices that he got approval to cut a joist for each 4” stack (20 times). This joist is what runs down the hallway of each floor. The TGI’s that hold the hallway floor up hang from this joist.

I asked him about it and he said it was okay so I replied “I’m going to need that in writing before I can continue.” Turns out he never got approval and was once again lying to try and push the job forward regardless of code.

So my question is have you been in similar situations and how did you deal with it? I’m at the point where I don’t want to come in anymore to deal with this guys’ blatant bullshit.

Edit : Thanks everyone for the replies. Paper trail is the way to go. After asking for it in writing I later approached him saying “regardless if it’s approved or not I’m probably going to have to do a change order as we’ll be performing a lot of work not accounted for.” Now all of the sudden it’s up to the carpenters to solve. I gave a proposal solution to the higher ups showing we can reduce the 4” based on the stacks DFU load which would fix our issue. Think I’ve done all I can do at this point.

Hi everyone! Maybe my next client is here. 😊
I’m Kim with 5+ yrs or VA experience, a solo mom of two, currently looking for a client I can support and grow with.
I have experience in Executive Assistance, GoHighLevel (GHL), E-commerce Operations, Event Planning, and Logistics Coordination. Let’s connect.

This may be the wrong sub for this, but I thought I'd ask anyway.

A few of my friends that do well work for construction companies of sorts. Companies that bid for city contracts, usually have anywhere from 15-50 employees, and are very hard working. They have worked their way up to logistical positions and usually oversee most if not all of their crew.

A lot of these friends new someone, got hired, worked hard, and was put into supervisory positions. I'm just wondering where to look for these kinds of jobs. Does anyone for these sized companies and be able to provide some insight on where you look for potential employees?