mufutau55:


Did you call the owner? If so, what was his reaction and action?

Hajji M.

Good evening Sir,

I didn't call the client since this could escalate to a family problem. But I told the first one who has been working with me all through my time on the site. He said I should please leave the tank to avoid problems.

spyder880:

Good evening Sir,
I didn't call the client since this could escalate to a family problem. But I told the first one who has been working with me all through my time on the site. He said I should please leave the tank to avoid problems.

Na wah for Naija ppl. Thanks for the reply Sir.

Hajji M.

mufutau55:


Na wah for Naija ppl. Thanks for the reply Sir.

Hajji M.

You are welcome Sir.

DedeNkem:


If my responses, especially, the one stated that "no one would hire you with that post" doesn't remind you to not go into crime, and if you NEED someone to specifically tell you to not go into crime, then you're a lost cause.

you really mean me today

waploger:



you really mean me today

Honesty is better than lie.

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spyder880:
The case of the Missing electrical cables.

On the site of one of the beautiful houses I have built in this forum, I got two electricians to wire the house for me, I had bought the very costly Cutix cables for the whole house and knowing the high cost of the cables, which makes them more prone to pilfering, I brought the cables to the site in the trunk of my car and was standing in wait, watching as the cables were being used. I wanted to see what the real cable consumption will be so I can make near accurate decisions in other sites. I had fired two of my previous electricians before hiring these two, those who were fired was because of missing items, especially electric cables.

From the start, the two electricians were not comfortable with my presence and i could see it in their attitude. They seemed to be slowing things down in the hope that i will walk away so they could "act" but I stayed put, taking notes on how many rooms the cables can run. We were working on 2.5mm single core cables.

After about 5 hours of slow work, I decided to go find something to eat, so I brought out 2 cables, and unknown to the electricians, I gave them the cables with a new wrapper, quite different from all the old ones they were using all day. I returned to site after about an hour, by that time they were calling me on phone to come back and give them more cables since they had exhausted the 3 coils I gave them before leaving. I immediately suspected foul play.

So I walked into the site and they were asking me, "is the boot open?" I replied them with "Can I see the wrapper of the cables that just finished?" Meanwhile, I was walking through the remaining rooms to see the coverage of the cables, only one additional room was wired in my absence. Something is clearly wrong here.

They went and got me the old wrappers as the ones they just used, I laughed and told them that their trap just caught a useless smelly rat today. That's how the search for the new wrapper started. Two hours, and they were still up turning everything and searching for the wrappers they just used.

They gave every reason in the book why the wrappers varnished, but I insisted that except they produce the wrappers, they are going to the nearest police station from the site. I started calling policemen in the station to come to site and make the arrest. Me and other workers all joined the search, for hidden coils of cables this time around. It took another one hour or more before one carpenter climbed into the ceiling and onto the roof, from there he found 2 brand new unopened cables, plus another 1.5mm cable all neatly hidden in the roof, away from our eyes. The electricians later admitted to hiding the cables in the ceiling. I just gave them transport money to return to Enugu same night, because I can no longer tolerate their presence in the site.

Things do happen in sites o

Good evening sir I will love to work with you. permission to take you whatsapp number sir

fabulous85:
wow am starting this stage of wiring on my building this week. The quotation I got is outrageous but I want to buy half of what he quoted. Can I get tips on how to go about this stage without getting ripped off.

As an electrician, I will advise you buy half and you will have to be in the site with them oh.

MilesLamar:


As an electrician, I will advise you buy half and you will have to be in the site with them oh.

thanks

KolaShangOne:


Sometimes these artisans take all the profit and even land contractors in debt.

You will hardly find honest ones these days.

A year ago, A man who said he's a Pastor was introduced to me on a site. So I told him to submit quote for wiring a 4 bedroom apartment in Adron Homes, OTA.

The man started by praying and I was already suspecting foul play. At the end, he brought 1 million naira.

I laughed. I spent only about 500k on wires (supplied by Topsy and I picked up in the factory).

Another method you can use to catch them is to calculate the total length through the number of pipes used for piping.

Sir some f us just want to work with our hands, and get paid, I am an electrician sir. I need help

fabulous85:
thanks

And also, the wires must be in your possession, what ever they take, you write down.

MilesLamar:


Good evening sir I will love to work with you. permission to take you whatsapp number sir

Go ahead Sir.

TO AVOID "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

We were ready to cast a decking one morning, the crew that will mix and cast this decking are a bunch of street boys who are better off in the motor parks than handling headpans and shovels. I have had reasons to raise my voice with them a couple of times that morning for trying to turn the processes upside down. But we commenced the work nevertheless.

Too much noise, too much distractions and just too many work stoppages has kept me and them busy all day. The matter still causing a problem was their refusal to pay the food vendor that they are here food, she tried to block them from working and was slapped twice, I had to intervene, and later paid the lady, telling them that i will deduct the money from their pay.

The owner of the work turned up around noon and wanted to climb the deck to inspect the work, i immediately saw trouble looming. I tried to advice the client to please not go onto the deck but he wouldn't have any of it, he insisted on going to see the work, and he had this very crisp white "agbada" traditional wear with matching cap. How can I prevent this trouble. I told the workers to wait downstairs while we went up with Oga on the shaky temporal stairs used in casting concrete. We were busy inspecting the work while Oga was asking questions

I was so shocked when it happened, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow and before I could turn and stop him, too late, this boy has thrown his full load of wet concrete on the other wet concrete on the deck, shooting off heavy splatters in every direction, Oga and his white clothes were caught in the shooting sludge and well sprayed, his left eyeglass even caught a sizeable stain from the wet concrete! Chai!

I rushed the guy, I screamed at him, nearly pushed him, but he knew what he did, and with a satisfied grin on his face, he was saying a hypothetical "sorry Sir"

I apologised to Oga, and offered to fetch water so we could scrub off the stains, but Oga said, no problems, he will head back home and change.

As I was escorting the client past the boys, they were talking among themselves, but very audible to us. They were saying that important people shouldn't be coming upstairs on a decking cast, in their words " TO AVOID, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

This lessons is worth sharing at https://www.kobocity.com/t/construction-lessons

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spyder880:
TO AVOID "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

We were ready to cast a decking one morning, the crew that will mix and cast this decking are a bunch of street boys who are better off in the motor parks than handling headpans and shovels. I have had reasons to raise my voice with them a couple of times that morning for trying to turn the processes upside down. But we commenced the work nevertheless.

Too much noise, too much distractions and just too many work stoppages has kept me and them busy all day. The matter still causing a problem was their refusal to pay the food vendor that they are here food, she tried to block them from working and was slapped twice, I had to intervene, and later paid the lady, telling them that i will deduct the money from their pay.

The owner of the work turned up around noon and wanted to climb the deck to inspect the work, i immediately saw trouble looming. I tried to advice the client to please not go onto the deck but he wouldn't have any of it, he insisted on going to see the work, and he had this very crisp white "agbada" traditional wear with matching cap. How can I prevent this trouble. I told the workers to wait downstairs while we went up with Oga on the shaky temporal stairs used in casting concrete. We were busy inspecting the work while Oga was asking questions

I was so shocked when it happened, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow and before I could turn and stop him, too late, this boy has thrown his full load of wet concrete on the other wet concrete on the deck, shooting off heavy splatters in every direction, Oga and his white clothes were caught in the shooting sludge and well sprayed, his left eyeglass even caught a sizeable stain from the wet concrete! Chai!

I rushed the guy, I screamed at him, nearly pushed him, but he knew what he did, and with a satisfied grin on his face, he was saying a hypothetical "sorry Sir"

I apologised to Oga, and offered to fetch water so we could scrub off the stains, but Oga said, no problems, he will head back home and change.

As I was escorting the client past the boys, they were talking among themselves, but very audible to us. They were saying that important people shouldn't be coming upstairs on a decking cast, in their words " TO AVOID, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

Why did you go ahead to allow those boys work at the site?
They are security risks, in the short and long term.

whirlwind7:


Why did you go ahead to allow those boys work at the site?
They are security risks, in the short and long term.

Concrete casters are basically short term workers that take sub contracts to cast for only one day sometimes, or for the days of the cast till the decking is completed. I only allowed them to continue because the turned concrete will spoil if I fire them at the spot. They completed the deck that night and left with their money.

fabulous85:
wow am starting this stage of wiring on my building this week. The quotation I got is outrageous but I want to buy half of what he quoted. Can I get tips on how to go about this stage without getting ripped off.

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spyder880:


Concrete casters are basically short term workers that take sub contracts to cast for only one day sometimes, or for the days of the cast till the decking is completed. I only allowed them to continue because the turned concrete will spoil if I fire them at the spot. They completed the deck that night and left with their money.

These are the people I hate the most of all construction workers. They are mostly made up of ex-convicts, cultists,street thugs and drug addicts.

AND THEY TORE DOWN THE DECKING..........

This story didn't happen in my site, but on a site adjacent to the one we were working on. Its the same type of concrete casting team, as tough and ruthless as they come, hired to cast a decking for an ongoing building near us.

I started hearing shouting matches, threats and accusations both from among them and later, between them and the supervisor of the other site, I knew better than to intervene. The argument was all centred on money and the conditions of the work. Maybe they agreed on something, but they started work very late, and they were delayed by the late arrival of the last trip of sand. What impressed me was the speed of their work that day, they were fast.

So they completed the work around 9pm and demanded for their money, but the owner of the work ( or is he the engineer, I dont know who that man is) has silently driven off from the site, holding their remaining balance. These guys, after completing the work started to demand for their money even before they took their bath. The supervisor was making fruitless calls to the either his Oga engineer, or to the owner of the house, I don't know which.

So they caught the supervisor and beat him up, seized his phone and still not satisfied, they went back inside the house and pulled out about 6 to 8 bamboo supports from under the freshly cast decking in the middle of the main living room, the decking sagged dangerously low, ruined. They quickly jumped the back fence and ran away into the night, only one was caught.

When I came to the site the following morning, police were everywhere searching and looking for whom to arrest. It will cost them money to remove the ruined decking in the affected areas and redo a new cast, with time wasting and the emotional stress.

Site work is war sometimes.

spyder880:
AND THEY TORE DOWN THE DECKING..........

This story didn't happen in my site, but on a site adjacent to the one we were working on. Its the same type of concrete casting team, as tough and ruthless as they come, hired to cast a decking for an ongoing building near us.

I started hearing shouting matches, threats and accusations both from among them and later, between them and the supervisor of the other site, I knew better than to intervene. The argument was all centred on money and the conditions of the work. Maybe they agreed on something, but they started work very late, and they were delayed by the late arrival of the last trip of sand. What impressed me was the speed of their work that day, they were fast.

So they completed the work around 9pm and demanded for their money, but the owner of the work ( or is he the engineer, I dont know who that man is) has silently driven off from the site, holding their remaining balance. These guys, after completing the work started to demand for their money even before they took their bath. The supervisor was making fruitless calls to the either his Oga engineer, or to the owner of the house, I don't know which.

So they caught the supervisor and beat him up, seized his phone and still not satisfied, they went back inside the house and pulled out about 6 to 8 bamboo supports from under the freshly cast decking in the middle of the main living room, the decking sagged dangerously low, ruined. They quickly jumped the back fence and ran away into the night, only one was caught.

When I came to the site the following morning, police were everywhere searching and looking for whom to arrest. It will cost them money to remove the ruined decking in the affected areas and redo a new cast, with time wasting and the emotional stress.

Site work is war sometimes.

Instead of the engineer to pay them their balance, now extra & unnecessary costs will be borne; Police, New decking and New workers to pay.

Why are human beings so greedy?

spyder880:
AND THEY TORE DOWN THE DECKING..........

This story didn't happen in my site, but on a site adjacent to the one we were working on. Its the same type of concrete casting team, as tough and ruthless as they come, hired to cast a decking for an ongoing building near us.

I started hearing shouting matches, threats and accusations both from among them and later, between them and the supervisor of the other site, I knew better than to intervene. The argument was all centred on money and the conditions of the work. Maybe they agreed on something, but they started work very late, and they were delayed by the late arrival of the last trip of sand. What impressed me was the speed of their work that day, they were fast.

So they completed the work around 9pm and demanded for their money, but the owner of the work ( or is he the engineer, I dont know who that man is) has silently driven off from the site, holding their remaining balance. These guys, after completing the work started to demand for their money even before they took their bath. The supervisor was making fruitless calls to the either his Oga engineer, or to the owner of the house, I don't know which.

So they caught the supervisor and beat him up, seized his phone and still not satisfied, they went back inside the house and pulled out about 6 to 8 bamboo supports from under the freshly cast decking in the middle of the main living room, the decking sagged dangerously low, ruined. They quickly jumped the back fence and ran away into the night, only one was caught.

When I came to the site the following morning, police were everywhere searching and looking for whom to arrest. It will cost them money to remove the ruined decking in the affected areas and redo a new cast, with time wasting and the emotional stress.

Site work is war sometimes.

now this is extreme wickedness on the part of the site owner. How can people work for you until 9pm and you decide not to pay. No be office work but energy demanding stressful work

davide470:
Instead of the engineer to pay them their balance, now extra & unnecessary costs will be borne; Police, New decking and New workers to pay.
Why are human beings so greedy?

I agreed with you. Those are labor intensive work.
I hate how they treated those laborers sometimes.
On one of my decking, I asked one of the laborers how much they are paid daily.. when he told me I was so annoyed compared to the amount I paid to the Contractor for the laborers. I had to give each of the 30 laborers N1,000 extra each, they were so happy I even felt so bad. Greediness in Naija not be small. Too many oppressors.

Hajji M.

Let drop this here..not building sites but construction and contractors generally...


it may sound funny now but it wasn't then...we lost a good capital contract and our name and that gave my father sleepless night.
We had contract to haul stones for crushed rock construction from quarry in netim(calabar) to their plant/dump site in eleme in rivers state or some times jobsite along same axis(rarely but preferably for drivers �)reasons; they don't have to get through weighbridge...paperwork just enough..
In those days eleme plant relies too much on paperwork intra weight and outra weight....always issue with the weighbridge at eleme plant so they don't use it..
Now drivers while passing through Ikot-ekpene they cut from 10 headpans upto one cubic per load and refill weight using water (they do one trip a day)...this is standard stealing ways of some drivers I am sure they still do this today...
Offcourse Crushed rock found out...recorded arrived stones don't tally with what goes out their plant..they weighed trucks for a whole week...1-2 out every 10 trucks had correct load...offcourse many lost.... they bought new weighbridge...fired contractors...engineers and staffs that
We're part of the orchestrated plan...
How could we explain we didn't know...they don't care...you are out...

Wonders shall never end.
Let me drop this one here that had emotional turn on me.
There is/was this plumber that the Client brought to site. He had been working for him way back before i met the Client. So, after working for more than two weeks, he requested me to help him with 90% of his balance so as to clear landlord matter at home. One thing i always do is having a good relationship with people i met especially lower cadre irrespective of my class.
I told him that wasnt a problem if only he will finish the work and do it well. I had to help him since he stays in the vicinity of my client and because my client had referred him several times, so i resolved to helping him and even top it up self.

The following day that i went to site, he began to tell me he need to go home that is long he saw his family. From a good heart, i told him to wait till weekend. That he will go by weekend and must return on monday morning.
When this guy left on that weekend, that was just the end of seeing him on site. He had only laid external pipes, he had not fix any fitting inside ( an apartment of 8 toilets, 4 kitchens). It was the Client that called me to ask after because he saw him gyrating on bike.
When i called him, he began to say his neighbour was hospitalised, all sorts of nonsense. I had to call another plumber who billed me afresh when the Client was on me. My Client didnt even mind checking him at home whereas i offered to help because he was a boy to him.

Now, both of them have reconciled but myself and my Client are yet to come to term.

ArcToyin:
Wonders shall never end.
Let me drop this one here that had emotional turn on me.
There is/was this plumber that the Client brought to site. He had been working for him way back before i met the Client. So, after working for more than two weeks, he requested me to help him with 90% of his balance so as to clear landlord matter at home. One thing i always do is having a good relationship with people i met especially lower cadre irrespective of my class.
I told him that wasnt a problem if only he will finish the work and do it well. I had to help him since he stays in the vicinity of my client and because my client had referred him several times, so i resolved to helping him and even top it up self.

The following day that i went to site, he began to tell me he need to go home that is long he saw his family. From a good heart, i told him to wait till weekend. That he will go by weekend and must return on monday morning.
When this guy left on that weekend, that was just the end of seeing him on site. He had only laid external pipes, he had not fix any fitting inside ( an apartment of 8 toilets, 4 kitchens). It was the Client that called me to ask after because he saw him gyrating on bike.
When i called him, he began to say his neighbour was hospitalised, all sorts of nonsense. I had to call another plumber who billed me afresh when the Client was on me. My Client didnt even mind checking him at home whereas i offered to help because he was a boy to him.

Now, both of them have reconciled but myself and my Client are yet to come to term.

Lesson learnt

topsy23:


Lesson learnt

Well, you said it right. What kill my mood was restrain in helping. So, even if it was a matter of life & death to him or any artisan, is now a lesson never to render the help. He has used his mischief to refrain others or any one who might be in dire need of help.

topsy23:


Lesson learnt

I learnt that lesson also, a very long time ago. Thanks for sharing.

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ericiland:

What's yr contact, let's talk business

WHEN FOOD SKILL AND IRRESPONSIBILITY MIX

Among the first set of my workers I started with, was this very skilled carpenter who could give you an almost perfect work on all carpentry works he did. As I was building a team newly, I added him among my supervisory workers so he can control other carpenters.

His biggest problem was his inconsistency. This carpenter could be on site and off the site at the same time. He also has a drinking problem, he doesn't just drink like the others, he abused alcohol. But since he was delivering on his work, I continued to manage his excesses. Some of the best few parapets we did were his handiwork, any design I suggested, he knew how to bring it to life.

So I took them and travelled 3 states away on a new project, that's when the problem became inflamed. This carpenter changed to what we didn't expect. By 7am when I usually came out to the site, this guy will be seen drinking at those early morning make shift joints drinking with friends. And when I call him and order him back to the site, he will come in with satchets of the drinks hidden in his work clothes, to drink when he goes up to work.

He also refused to pay his workers, or send money to his family at home. I had to be settling problems daily with him and everyone. My biggest fear is a workplace accident, should he fall from heights because of drinking, what do we do? I started to seize his due payments, and give it to his son and wife when I get to the village because he doesn'tsend any money home. I was only leaving him only some money to feed on site.

I endured this worker till the day he fought another carpenter on the top of the building, luckily nobody was wounded, the police had arrested him and had him locked up before I came in. I called the estate security and settled the case with the policemen who arrested him, then paid him off and asked the estate security to take him away, and that if he is seen in the estate again, I wont be responsible for his conduct any other time.

In another episode, you will hear what the man who replaced him did. Unending drama in the field of house construction.

spyder880:
WHEN FOOD SKILL AND IRRESPONSIBILITY MIX

Among the first set of my workers I started with, was this very skilled carpenter who could give you an almost perfect work on all carpentry works he did. As I was building a team newly, I added him among my supervisory workers so he can control other carpenters.

His biggest problem was his inconsistency. This carpenter could be on site and off the site at the same time. He also has a drinking problem, he doesn't just drink like the others, he abused alcohol. But since he was delivering on his work, I continued to manage his excesses. Some of the best few parapets we did were his handiwork, any design I suggested, he knew how to bring it to life.

So I took them and travelled 3 states away on a new project, that's when the problem became inflamed. This carpenter changed to what we didn't expect. By 7am when I usually came out to the site, this guy will be seen drinking at those early morning make shift joints drinking with friends. And when I call him and order him back to the site, he will come in with satchets of the drinks hidden in his work clothes, to drink when he goes up to work.

He also refused to pay his workers, or send money to his family at home. I had to be settling problems daily with him and everyone. My biggest fear is a workplace accident, should he fall from heights because of drinking, what do we do? I started to seize his due payments, and give it to his son and wife when I get to the village because he doesn'tsend any money home. I was only leaving him only some money to feed on site.

I endured this worker till the day he fought another carpenter on the top of the building, luckily nobody was wounded, the police had arrested him and had him locked up before I came in. I called the estate security and settled the case with the policemen who arrested him, then paid him off and asked the estate security to take him away, and that if he is seen in the estate again, I wont be responsible for his conduct any other time.

In another episode, you will hear what the man who replaced him did. Unending drama in the field of house construction.

Good morning sir. Please I need a mentor sir.....

To succeed, Every one need a mentor to follow there footsteps

I would love it if you agree to be my mentor Sir

LilSmith55:


Good morning sir. Please I need a mentor sir.....

To succeed, Every one need a mentor to follow there footsteps

I would love it if you agree to be my mentor Sir

Good morning bro. There's no problem about that.