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CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 29, 2008

Men's Restroom Etiquette
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

We went to a multiplex movie theater yesterday, as I walked into the toilet I remembered this funny video on Men’s Restroom Etiquette. It expounds on the social contract of male restroom use. Men are praised for their efficiency compared to woman, but warned of several rules to never break. For example, we are told that speech is our enemy and to never, ever say a single word within the Men’s Room.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzO1mCAVyMw]

Since most of us build toilet facilities in our buildings, I thought you would benefit from knowing the rules about how to use those facilities. You may want to forward this instructional video to Building Owners prior to beneficial occupancy. You may even want to insert this video in the Plumbing Operation and Maintenance manuals. I’m just saying…

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 27, 2008

Gotta Love that Construction Supervisor Sangfroid
Filed under: Construction Superintendents — Tags: — nedpelger

In Bridgeport, CT a bunch of contractors agreed to build a house quickly for the Habitat for Humanity Builder’s Blitz. The boss thought five days should be adequate.

“I sat down with my subcontractors and handed them the schedule and for three minutes nobody said a word,” recalled Glenn Tatangelo, a principal in Connecticut Realty Investment Group LLC and a board member of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County.

“Then Jay said I think we can do this in four days,” Tatangelo said of the ambitious schedule set by the home-building charity.

Jay Borkowski, construction supervisor for the investment group, said, “I saw gaps in the schedule where we could buy time. I looked at is as a 24-hour day instead of an 8-hour day.”

They started at dawn on Monday morning. Sure enough, they were done by Thursday evening. That’s some impressive construction supervision!

By the way, sanfroid (pronounced san-frwa’) is one of my new favorite words and means coolness and composure under trying circumstances. Have you got it?

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 26, 2008

Building Green with Common Sense
Filed under: Design — Tags: — nedpelger

Did you ever notice how a discussion about green buildings usually includes roof gardens? People seem to love that concept of growing plants on the roof. The reality, though, includes lots of extra costs for few actual environmental benefits. A few inches of soil on the roof adds almost no insulation value or lag time benefits, retains only modest sized rain storms and actually has to be watered in most cases.

On the other hand, a white roof with a rain water harvesting system can save 5% on the energy costs due to lower heat absorption, greatly reduce water use for landscape irrigation and retain a much larger rainfall. And the rainwater/white roof strategy costs much less than the roof gardens…but most buildings still go with the roof gardens.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) produces a magazine about sustainable building practices called High Performing Buildings which you can view free online. The current copy has an excellent article entitled Green on a Budget that lists 50 sustainable strategies that cost the same or less than conventional, unsustainable designs.  The article is definitely worth a read.

I liked the concept that one should start with some basic goals: saving energy, saving water, improving the indoor environment, saving resources in the construction, etc. Then the various green strategies can then be evaluated from a reasoned cost/benefit analysis. This common sense approach often doesn’t get used when making design decisions.

If you’re currently building a project and get an idea from the article above, suggest it to the Owner or Architect. The worst they are likely to do is laugh at you and tell you to shut up and don’t worry your pretty little head about such things. In the best case, though, they will look at you with admiration and wonder and demand you be given a substantial bonus for your caring and creativity.

If you think any of the 50 ideas could work on your project, post a note in the comments section here. I’m curious how practical the suggestions seem to you.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 24, 2008

What's the Past, Present and Future of the Facility You're Building?
Filed under: Cool Projects — Tags: — nedpelger

If you were driving down the road and saw this

what would you think? Some kind of odd farm building, perhaps, or maybe an architect with a huge sense of insecurity about his naughty parts? You probably wouldn’t think “Air raid shelter”, but that’s the purpose for this odd building. The Germans in World War II built many of these silo like structures, many designed for up to 500 people to inhabit during times of bombing.

Since bombs dropped mostly vertically, most bombs would bounce off the steep sidewalls and explode at the heavily reinforced base. The small footprint also made a much more difficult target for bombardiers. Finally, the low cost of building up instead of excavating down made the design even more appealing for the government. In fact, Germany built 98 of these structures during WWII.

Today these structures present a challenge. They don’t provide much protection from the economic bombs that seem to be the biggest fear of the day. So what do communities do with these historical, if unsightly, structures?

Many just sit empty. Some get used for funky town museums or bus stops. Of course, the creative element sometimes has its way.

Do you ever think about what will be the history of the building you are now working on? When I’m involved with renovating an old structure (I’m doing one now built in 1755 and 1862) I think about the guys that worked on it. How did they decide how to proceed? What did they talk about at lunch? How did they live and what mattered to them?

Part of the green building process involves thought about how buildings get both commissioned and de-commissioned. For example, carpet tiles have gained popularity partly because they are easily removed and shipped back to the factory for recycling. When you build, do you think about who will be renovating your work, do you try to make it easier for them? Or for yourself, if you get to add to your previously built buildings. Think about what you build. Think how it will be used, renovated, added to and demolished.

By the way, if you want read more about those odd German air raid shelters, check out Strange Towers of the Third Reich.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 23, 2008

Visions of Safety
Filed under: safety — Tags: — nedpelger

Yesterday I walked through a doorway and almost got speared by a skid loader. The operator was spreading stone and had the bucket at his eye level, so he couldn’t see me. You would have laughed if you saw me leap back through that door I had just sauntered through a second before.

The funny thing is that I was thinking about safety as I was walking around the jobsite. I had just crawled up a ladder that wasn’t properly tied off and I wasn’t satisfied with the level of fall protection on the mezzanines. Of course it wasn’t the skid loader operator’s fault that I was daydreaming on the job. It was just a real time reminder that construction sites, no matter how comfortable we get on them, remain dangerous places.

When I got back to the office, a friend, Bob Swords, sent me some photos (I don’t know who took them so I can’t properly credit them) that made me laugh. This is from the “At least we’re not as bad as that” school of thinking.

SaranWrap Goggles

SaranWrap Goggles

Unique Fall Protection System

Unique Fall Protection System

Foam Hardhats

Foam Hardhats

Just needs a bit more of a lift...

Just needs a bit more of a lift...

Bracing a ladder

Bracing a ladder

So as you hurry around on your jobsite today, thinking of too many things at once, stop, take a breath. Remember that you don’t want this to be somebody’s last day alive because you were too busy to think. Don’t compromise on safety.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 19, 2008

And the Winner is…
Filed under: Construction Superintendents — Tags: — nedpelger

The results for the ConstructionKnowledge.net Construction Forum contest show the following winning entries:

What is your favorite saying? Preconman said when things aren’t going well on the jobsite he says, “Great, all we need now are some monkeys and a football.”

The three words every Construction Supervisor wants to hear? “What’s next, boss?” said before you expect it, responded Doublehead.

My favorite story involved a Port-A-Potty (no surprise to anyone that knows me) and was submitted by Cliffjumper.

It was on a jobsite that was 1.5 hours away. After my uncle got there in the morning, he would do his daily ritual in the john. But for some reason one of the other workers had an urge to get to the job early and do his business on top of the closed seat lid (the unknown person would actually stand up on the seat ledge because you could see the shoe prints). My uncle always was the guy who found the fresh offering on top of the toilet lid.

So after a few days of this happening my uncle shows up the jobsite 2 hours early. He proceeds to cut every rivet that holds the seat part to the john walls and then waited. An hour goes by and the prankster shows up and heads to the john and closes the door, the next thing my uncle saw was the guy falling out through the door with his pant around his ankles and blue john water up to his knees. Needless to say the guy never left any more “presents” on the john seat.

Best Question (or Answer) posted in the Super to Super Discussion Forum goes to Panzrule for his discussion and comments about the high price of bituminous paving and if roller compacted concrete paving may soon be another option.

Finally, the Randomly selected prize goes to Metalmike for his safety director story.

I’ll be contacting these folks and sending them each a check for $100. We had 23 entries in the contest, which I suppose isn’t a bad start. I enjoyed all the entries and had lots of good laughs. JMLEB13 definitely gets an honorable mention for describing the fantasy safety director Marine Corps ass-whuppin.  This was fun, we’ll do it again.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 16, 2008

Who's Lying?
Filed under: People Skills — Tags: — nedpelger

I’m dealing with a situation on a jobsite right now where some extra work has come into dispute. Both parties will tell their side of the story at an upcoming meeting. So who’s lying?

We have to deal with that question in our work and personal lives on a regular (hopefully not too often) basis. Since body language often gives us a clue about liars. An article titled How to Detect Lies gives some useful information which I’ll summarize here.

A liar usually limits his or her physical expressiveness, keeping hand and arm motions controlled, appearing to become smaller, rather than larger. Hands touching the face, throat or ears are also a classic signal (beware, of course, that sometimes a person will just have an itch).

I think the most useful tip regards the timing and duration of emotional gestures. The laugh, the smile, the shocked look, the painful expression don’t look natural. For example, the forced smile shows a smile in the mouth but not in the eyes. Or the emotional gesture starts or ends abruptly, indicating it’s being considered and staged by the conscious brain, not just happening naturally.

Liars tend to avoid eye contact (or force it if they know this tell) and often speak in a monotonous tone without using pronouns.

As I probe around this jobsite dispute, I’ll be paying attention to these clues. After I determine a person lies, I’ll continue to see that person as a liar in every future interaction. Be careful to guard your reputation carefully. That lie that may roll off your tongue in some stressful situation can easily affect the way you are perceived for the rest of your life.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 15, 2008

Chump Change
Filed under: Construction Superintendents — Tags: — nedpelger

Since when did $100 become Chump Change? I’m having a contest at the Discusion Forum at ConstructionKnowledge.net where I’m giving away five cash prizes of $100 on 9/17/08. One of the contests simply asks for your favorite jobsite saying and another one for three words you like to hear on the jobsite.

After almost three weeks, I barely have as many people entered as prizes I’m going to give out. In fact, I have no entries at all in the category of Best Question (or Answer) posted in the Super to Super Discussion Forum. I know thousands of people have perused the Discussion Forum and hundreds have seen these various blog posts. So what gives? Doesn’t $100 motivate any action?

I remember a kid in high school who drank a whole big glass of tobacco juice spit, hocked up loogeys and other disgusting fluids to win $20. Yes, gasoline was $0.60 a gallon then, but I’m not asking you to chug spit either.

You have till 9/17/08 to post some entries.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 13, 2008

What's Your Mindset?
Filed under: People Skills — Tags: — nedpelger

I’m studying Mindset: The New Pschology of Success. Dr Carol Dweck wrote the book based on her exhaustive scientific studies. Her professional psychology studies are the most cited in the world, making her a source worth listening to.

I’ve read oodles of self-help books over the years, and even wrote one, but have rarely encountered such strongly useful information so simply explained. I’ve covered the basics of the growth mindset in my Construction Knowledge People Skills, but would like to provide better on this mindset concept.

Therefore, I’m preparing to teach a course on Mindsets that I’ll video tape and post on this site. It will be free and I hope you find it useful. If you do, I’ll cover more topics that way.

On another subject, Beautiful Wife and I went to see Burn After Reading last night, the new Coen Brothers movie that’s just been released. BW and I loved the movie, laughing our way through all the weirdness and unexpected turns. If you want to go out and laugh and not think too much, go see it. We give two thumbs up.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

September 12, 2008

What I'm Trying to Do with this Site
Filed under: Construction Superintendents — Tags: — nedpelger

I love being on the jobsite and helping a Construction Supervisor or lead person. We may discuss a structural issue or a water pressure situation or how to deal with some personnel aggravation.  I enjoy learning and teaching. Both happen often when I’m on the jobsite.

My purpose for ConstuctionKnowledge.net is to expand this learning and teaching to a world-wide community of Construction Supervisors. The Knowledge Database took me a couple of years to develop and provides useful information for anyone that builds things. But I’d like to go beyond a website that has lots of practical, reference data. I’d like to get interaction between Construction Supervisors and others in this amazing business of construction. The Discussion Forum can accomplish that goal.

Nurses, mechanics and lots of other interest groups have great Fourms where they ask and answer questions, vent and have some fun. There is no place like that for the Construction Industry.

I’m trying to make that place.

If you’d like a place like that as well, please register on the Discussion Forum and post something. I know it’s out of the comfort zone for most of you, but most of the fun in life comes when we’re out of our comfort zone.

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