Official Gramps' Memorial Eternal OT Thread

#31,052
#31,052
LouderVol said:
I hate contractors. Sorry marcus and Slice.

I get an RFI from the contractor (request for information), it's where the contractor asks the architect about something in the drawings.

In this case he is asking about a W14
x22 beam, detail 5.

Doesnt tell me what page number detail 5 is on.

Call the contractor to get clarification.

Go to said page and look at said detail.

There is no w14x22 in that detail. Call him again.

Oh it's actually detail 3.

Hang up because there is a W14x22 on detail 3.

After I read through it does have an elevation mentioned.

So I call the contractor again.

Oh no, it's not that sheet I just told you, it's this sheet with the canopies. This was after the first sheet dealt with elevator hoist beams. Completely unrelated so there was no reason for him to reference an elevator sheet when dealing with the canopies.

He starts getting indignant with me for leading him on a goose chase. I am the one asking what his question is.

End up getting the right drawing and I keep him on the phone this time. We go to the drawing find the piece of steel he has a question on. "Its that one that note 7 is pointing to, what's the elevation of that?"

To be fair, this piece of steel didnt have an elevation tag like the rest. So I ask "what does note 7 say?"

"I dont care what note 7 says I want the elevation"

Me reading off note 7 to myself and then outloud. "W14x22 edge beam to be mounted with a flush top surface to intersecting beams at 1064.67'.

"Wait, what elevation was that?"

"Just read note 7". Hung up.

About an hour of my time gone.

I get enough wrong to be used to owning my mistakes. Especially in these RFIs. But dont waste my time if you havent bothered reading up on it.
Click to expand...


You know what drawings look like for high rise, and even garden style apartment complexes these days. Just the structural and architectural drawings etc weigh 50lbs and probably number 100 sheets or more, not counting the supplemental drawings I have for CLP, mechanical overlays, plumbing and cabinet submittals etc. Hundreds of pages that I have to review, know, and be able to explain to guys who speak very little English. I feel your pain bud.

I can honestly say that I have only had to feel like a dumbazz like that guy once or maybe twice in the last dozen years or so. When I sent an RFI and the answer was "it's on page so and so, " I copy the GC and our office on any RFIs , so I am real careful about not looking like a dumbazz. Guess most people arent though?

I think a big part of it is many people dont know HOW to read plans. Nobody ever taught them, and they just flip pages wildly or go to the index sheet hoping to find what they need. The first thing I do when I get a set of drawings is divide them into sub sections with colored tabs. Helps save time.

Then the general rule is:

Is the info you're looking for inside or outside the building?

Outside? Elevation > cut > detail.

Inside ? Floor plan > note > detail.

That finds about 90% of what folks are looking for. The other 10% such as stairs, UL assemblies, windows and doors, etc can be found from the index sheet...if they arent already labeled.

I can generally find the exact dimension/location of ANYTHING in my drawings in 30 seconds or less. Usually less. Granted, like you, my job is to know prints.

Heres my current set. Also note how in the 2nd picture, I cover the back sheet of both my str. And arch. Drawings in Tyvek tape. So they dont get wet or super dirty...
 

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#31,053
#31,053
marcusluvsvols said:
You know what drawings look like for high rise, and even garden style apartment complexes these days. Just the structural and architectural drawings etc weigh 50lbs and probably number 100 sheets or more, not counting the supplemental drawings I have for CLP, mechanical overlays, plumbing and cabinet submittals etc. Hundreds of pages that I have to review, know, and be able to explain to guys who speak very little English. I feel your pain bud.

I can honestly say that I have only had to feel like a dumbazz like that guy once or maybe twice in the last dozen years or so. When I sent an RFI and the answer was "it's on page so and so, " I copy the GC and our office on any RFIs , so I am real careful about not looking like a dumbazz. Guess most people arent though?

I think a big part of it is many people dont know HOW to read plans. Nobody ever taught them, and they just flip pages wildly or go to the index sheet hoping to find what they need. The first thing I do when I get a set of drawings is divide them into sub sections with colored tabs. Helps save time.

Then the general rule is:

Is the info you're looking for inside or outside the building?

Outside? Elevation > cut > detail.

Inside ? Floor plan > note > detail.

That finds about 90% of what folks are looking for. The other 10% such as stairs, UL assemblies, windows and doors, etc can be found from the index sheet...if they arent already labeled.

I can generally find the exact dimension/location of ANYTHING in my drawings in 30 seconds or less. Usually less. Granted, like you, my job is to know prints.

Heres my current set. Also note how in the 2nd picture, I cover the back sheet of both my str. And arch. Drawings in Tyvek tape. So they dont get wet or super dirty...
Click to expand...
You do that for each page? I have seen it done for the set as a cover/back cover.

For the guys I deal with the first thing I typically ask is what revision are they working from? Because a lot of times they dont have the current set. Also typically for us the Arch sets the overall dimensions and the only dimensions our structure should carry are mounting/anchoring specifics. So I hate getting RFIs saying they dont see X dimension on the Structure set, when it's not supposed to be there.

I just got another lovely RFI saying we didnt have an electrical panel schedule for "Unit LW-B" only one for "LW-A". And they note the drawing number for the LWA panel. If you go look at the LWA panel schedule drawings its labeled as LWA/LWB, and the header for the schedule itself notes LWA/LWB. And our electrical guys actually made note on the LWB drawings that it used the same as LWB.

Whoever said there were no stupid questions was never asked a question where the answer was directly in the question.

The only thing I can think of is they think it's a mistake copy/paste. But since its referenced correctly beyond that it doesnt make sense.
 
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#31,055
#31,055
StarRaider said:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO dang I love Charlie. He was in Urban Cowboy that I watched the other night. I got to meet him once in Mt. Juliet, he seemed like he was 7 ft tall with that hat.
Click to expand...
I was golfing at Ravenwood CC and hit into his foursome. Didn’t know it was him at the time, my ball rolled up next to his cart. Few holes later we caught his foursome on a tee box and I apologized as we were pulling up. He said no problem son, heck of a drive. I was like holy sh!t, that’s Charlie.
 
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#31,057
#31,057
AirVol said:
I was golfing at Ravenwood CC and hit into his foursome. Didn’t know it was him at the time, my ball rolled up next to his cart. Few holes later we caught his foursome on a tee box and I apologized as we were pulling up. He said no problem son, heck of a drive. I was like holy sh!t, that’s Charlie.
Click to expand...
Did you play there very often?
 
#31,063
#31,063
LouderVol said:
You do that for each page? I have seen it done for the set as a cover/back cover.

For the guys I deal with the first thing I typically ask is what revision are they working from? Because a lot of times they dont have the current set. Also typically for us the Arch sets the overall dimensions and the only dimensions our structure should carry are mounting/anchoring specifics. So I hate getting RFIs saying they dont see X dimension on the Structure set, when it's not supposed to be there.

I just got another lovely RFI saying we didnt have an electrical panel schedule for "Unit LW-B" only one for "LW-A". And they note the drawing number for the LWA panel. If you go look at the LWA panel schedule drawings its labeled as LWA/LWB, and the header for the schedule itself notes LWA/LWB. And our electrical guys actually made note on the LWB drawings that it used the same as LWB.

Whoever said there were no stupid questions was never asked a question where the answer was directly in the question.

The only thing I can think of is they think it's a mistake copy/paste. But since its referenced correctly beyond that it doesnt make sense.
Click to expand...

Nah, I only cover the back of the last page of structural and the last page of architecturals...so if I put them down on something wet or dirty they dont get messed up. We print our own plans, but they are still expensive. 50 to $100 a set usually.

More and more jobs are going to Procore or Bluebeam now, and they want us to do everything from tablets. I hate it. My last job was Procore, I am just old school and like my paper plans. My unit drawings for instance have all the dimensions from the cabinet submittals, all the openings for HVAC or air flow , location for smart box and elect. Panel. , etc....all that info in 1 place. Same page. If I have help on a job, I will make duplicates like that for him, marked up, colors etc and get them laminated for him. So when he walks into each unit, he just has to look in the doorjamb of the entry door opening and see which unit he is in...flip to the correct unit plan...and every bit of info needed to mark up that unit and punch it out is at his fingertips. Sometimes I have an assistant, sometimes I have to markup all the units myself.

The biggest problem I have right now is that I cant get the treated lumber that I need for decks and breezeways. Everyone thats been out of work has been building decks and treated is super high right now, and very hard to get as well. 2 week lead time on everything....killing me. I could frame this 300 unit complex in 4 months if we had what we need...looks like it will take 6 months due to materials and truss delays.
 
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#31,065
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