Hi all started on site work today and really nift off, first off the company i work for is called calibre i said to the guy where is the primer for the walls, he said we don't prime walls no need too. The i get given a kitchen 5sqm with 10 sockets and a window to tile around in brick bond. set all the job out and started tiling and low and behold there was no power so the guy said there is a plot up the road we will be tiling later which has power on you will have to mark your cuts and pop up there to use the wet cutter, i thought for FFFFF sake. Gets to the wet cutter and the saftey guide was bent and kept dropping off and no saftey glasses. He said you will be alright just watch the health and saftey rep doesn't come round. Any ways the guy will not pick me up i live 4.7 miles away from his house. so i have to drive to his house at 6am in morning to get up to crewe for 8am he then ffff off at 3pm today i have only got 3 sqm done low and behold for £12 per sqm. I popped up the road to see the guy and he was starting with a full tile in the corner from the bottom in the shower and it was a powershower. No tanking in there or priming. He also told me to butt the tiles up together and use no spacers on the brick bond he did the same in the bathroom just butted the tiles up and then grouted later.
IS THIS SITE LIFE ??? ARE THEY TAKING ME FOR A RIDE ?? WHATS THE NEXT STEP??
Unfortunately, site work is very fast and aggressive - in the sense that your setting out simply involves a glance at the wall / slapping the gauge rod against it to check and making sure your bottom row of cuts are cut into your floor (a prop mounted laser level is good idea to help in the initial setting out).
You do this AFTER you have primed the walls, letting it dry whilst getting the tools out your van....
Then its a case of following your setting out lines and banging them tiles on.
Sometimes its a good idea to get hold of a lad to grout up and do the donkey work. Put him through his CSCS and get him a labourer card, if your on site. Sometimes it pays to pay someone to help get the job done quicker and easier. You will make your money back for the labourer on the time you save.
Site work is all done to a timeline, so unfortunuately sitting back and admiring what you have done at each stage is a non runner.
On the positive side, site work is guaranteed money, with low overhead costs (advertising etc), thats why some people like it. And
normally the walls are clean & fresh with no obstacles to get around.
The problem with small time developers is that they offer crap money (as they want the maximum return) and they are flying by the seat of their pants (as they don't reall think about any major planning when doing the refurbs).
Major developers are better, as they have a vast amount of planning experience with a bigger budget if things go wrong. They of course want a big financial return, but because they develop on a massive scale, a few pennies here and there is not a real problem to them, compared to small developers.
And for some strange reason, small developers seem to think they are GOD and can speak to you like crap.
STAND YOUR GROUND AND WALK OFF SITE IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR DECISIONS OR PROCESSES
