Contractors and Competance

An old man once told me that the reason I was having non-linear waterfowl issues (couldn't get my ducks in a row) was because I had waterfowl identification problems. "See that duck? The reason it won't get in line is that it isn't yours."

Church politics, bad contractors, the NJ contractor licensing procedures, landlady temper tantrums? Not your ducks.

Dann757 wrote:Thank you guys very much for all the replies and stories!!!

When I feel the anger coming up I better remember the good advice! This slick out of towner pushed me aside and also my buddy who is on the town planning board! I could cause some major trouble, this is the dilemma. This is my chance to be a stand up guy; do just what you all said; mind my own business. I'll keep you posted.

titleist1 wrote:Forgive my ignorance, but does the term "split tread" just mean they used two boards to span the depth of the step instead of one wider board? Is that what makes it against code or is it the lack of a lip?

- both

Have to ask a follow up question...What happens when you have a step that is about 20" deep? Is that considered a landing rather than a step and you are allowed to have a "split tread"? I made a set deep enough to allow for a walker to fit on the treads and used 4 deck boards to make up the width (I do have a lip), I guess those are against code?

titleist- I don't know about your situation, don't know everything about stair and deck codes.

Here's the latest, I just went over to the place and took the laborer's garbage out of the kitchen. I have seen some bad work in my day, this is ridiculous. Once again, I better go over the really good advice I've asked for here. The only interface I have with this church is my friend, and our friendship has been strained as never before. I have other work available, what I need to do is get back up, dust myself off, and work hard not to let this get to me. It has gotten to me. I've enjoyed that property and the creative process so much; I feel like it's been desicrated, and it has!

NOT MY DUCKS NOT MY DUCKS NOT MY DUCKS......

Bad Ducks at that...
They must be Quack, Quack, Quackers...

Dann757 wrote:I have other work available, what I need to do is get back up, dust myself off, and work hard not to let this get to me. It has gotten to me. I've enjoyed that property and the creative process so much; I feel like it's been desecrated, and it has!

Good plan -- don't let it get to you. Take that other work and run with it. In the long run the work of the dumbos will look bad in comparison to yours.

Give them some credit, maybe they wanted to make it look like the brick work has always been there. It ain`t easy getting those straight bricks to have dips & waves, anybody can take some time and level & compress everything just right. It takes a true craftsman to get that century look on a new install.
All I can say is do what your doing right which I`m sure is from other pictures of your work, they can`t come back at you for what others did. I would just politely let them know one time & let it go. If you got other work that pays your rate let them know you got to make that work your priorty & do theirs on the side. Ya gotta cut hay when the sun shines.

Rberg, Samhill; I've been pretty nasty to you guys at times on the political aspect of this place. And now you both take the time to help me out!!!! Very much appreciate that!

Thanks for all the replies. I'll still keep ya posted. Anything more and I'll really be beating a dead horse anyway.
All this heavy spiritual literature I'm reading lately, it's easy to talk the talk, but another thing to walk the walk!


I think I've got some cabin fever going on anyway...

Dann is it not code in your area for the hand rail to go all the way to the bottom of the steps? From the picture they look a hair on the high side too.

Adam, that's what I'm talking about. Also specific height is required, among lots of other specs.
I'm still embroiled in this situation. Apparently my friend felt uncomfortable asking the church "committee" to let me do the whole project, or get my local landscaper friend in there to do the job right.
Now I get an email telling me to drop it, they will be finished tomorrow and out of there. They want me to paint the inside and redo a bathroom vanity. I guess it's better than sitting around sulking about the whole affair. I need to draw the line at cleaning up the mess these idiots are guaranteed to leave there.

Dann757 wrote:I need to draw the line at cleaning up the mess these idiots are guaranteed to leave there.

What the heck, if they will pay your for straightening up after the idiots, it's money in your pocket, and maybe they will eventually see who gives them value and who doesn't.

Believe it or not IMO its a lot easier to do a job right the first time than to try & correct someone else's mistake.

samhill wrote:Believe it or not IMO its a lot easier to do a job right the first time than to try & correct someone else's mistake.

Right-o Sam. In my line of work (auto body) it costs more to redo someone's screw ups as I will now inherit ALL liability associated with that re-repair. And trying to cut out someone's poor welds, takes more time that removing the OEM welds. More time, more money. And having someone who knows the difference, priceless.

Thanks again everybody for really good feedback. I'm reading a book that talks about 'radical humility'. Well, I was hating my friend, hating the whole situation; could have just remembered the good ole 'serenity prayer'. I was fuming about the whole situation to the point where I couldn't sleep until 5:30am today. I just went back today, cleaned up the mess the other contractor left on the inside, that is the practice of radical humility. I got back to work. There's still a lot of work to do to fix the place up. My friend stopped by, I gave her a kickback and she almost cried. Whatever, it could be a lot worse.

Last summer I was at my buddy's house helping them paint the house. With them, of course I ended up being alone there doing them a favor. I went and got a pizza and sat on the deck stuffing my face. Their lab Blackjack was out there, and I was feeding him my crusts. I was teasing him but I gave him 6 crusts. Of course he inhaled them, then I put the last couple slices in the box in the bed of my pickup in the driveway. I was starting up a ladder and saw Blackjack had jumped into the truck and just about nosed open the pizza box. I ran over and yelled at him and cuffed him right on the cheek. He got out of the truck, but I felt really bad. I love that dog. I told my buddy Nick about it asap, he said, "Listen, don't worry about it, you were an animal protecting your food!"

Point is, with this whole fiasco, I was trying to protect my territory like an animal, especially with the economy the way it is.