RedGT12

Building my spec house, I hired a electrician, and he has an pride problem, doesn't like to pick up his mess. Expects the GC to pick it up"myself" So I ask him to pick it up, he says there's no dumpster. And also by Illinois codes require me to have a dumpster on site for all other contractors to use. Meanwhile I have never heard that before, I could understand a multi-million dollar home, or commercial site having a dumpster. But by code, never heard of that. Being raised up, always clean up your own mess. Take pride In work, It shows disrespect and "I don't care attitude" when working and not listening to boss man. So anyone have thoughts on this.[

1999Pony

Id be surprised if thats actually a code. Sounds like a good excuse to just be lazy.

cdynaco

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1999Pony

Id be surprised if thats actually a code. Sounds like a good excuse to just be lazy.

I don't know... I bet a GC is required to have a dumpster and a johnny on site. Because every sub isn't going to set them up - that would be a cluster mess on site. Yet that doesn't excuse every sub from cleaning their own mess and taking it to a dumpster or other trash facility. He sounds like a lazy jerk - then again he may need to increase his bid for the extra time. lol

But I did books for an Oregon GC and he had the setup at every site first thing.

Maybe a homeowner permit working on his own residence isn't required. I know I'm not as I finish the interior of the shell. Even when builders were on site (building the shell) I didn't have a dumpster but they cleaned up after themselves and kept it in one pile. They were all very neat. Even picked up nails. Keep in mind I'm in a very rural area but County inspectors were here each step.

1999Pony

I was just saying if its actually in the code Id be surprised. Ive never seen a site that didnt have one however. There does tend to be alot of trash when building a house.

RedGT12

I think it would be common sense of keep your building site clean, I get jobs because my jobsite was clean. The city says in building codes to keep jobsite clean, it does say have dumpster in sum towns, but if you clean up after yourself, their not going to do anything.
I confronted him last Friday, he said I'm a weird "GC" because I expect him to pick up his mess, he said all other contractors pick his mess up, and than I said that all other contractors need to buck up and grow a pair.
He left all his garbage in middle of each room, I'm not kidding he really thought I was gonna pick it up and dispose of it.
Everyone else picks they're stuff up, and If they asked me to dispose of it, I'd help em out. Because they ask, But man, when attitude, laziness, and assumptions start. My respect goes away for that person
I would think in today's economy, you'd be grateful to have a job, job that's paying well well over min. wage.

Thanks for input guys!!

2k7gtcs

Some municipalities will require it by city ordinance.

Locally we don't have to have them.

However we do provide a port-o-potty and we do utilize 2 trash trailers.

When we worked in Portland, TX in the 80's a roll off dumpster was required.

Sometimes I wonder it the mayor or city council didn't have a deal with BFI as they were the only disposal company that services the area and you were required to pay the going rate. Extortion!

Anyway. My electrician picks up after himself. He even collects every single piece of copper wire he snips at the switches and outlets to recycle. He saves them from every job. We're talking like 1"-2" pieces. Last time he collected enough and took them in he had $6,000 worth. Not too bad. Of course he had to burn the insulation off of them but we won't talk about how he did that.

We require many of the subs to remove their own mess and keep it out of our trash trailer. Mostly the tile crews.

Most contractors here pay a crew by the square foot size of the job to come by and pick up all trash in key phases. Dry in. Sheetrock. Etc.

We found we could buy a trailer, pay a permanent worker to pick up trash, and haul it to the dump for less than they charge and also have a cleaner job site throughout the whole process instead of waiting for these other guys to show up. But we have a dozen projects going at any given time.

Long story short. If its a code it's most likely a city ordinance.

RedGT12

+1 nicely said

houtex

So.. let me get this right. You are the GC for your own house being built, and you don't know the code for how to build your building in the area of Illinois you are in?

Yeah... I might want you to learn that really quick. Like, go get the book from the town/parish/county/whatever so that you DO know it.

And I am gonna bet that it isn't 'code' as in a building permit type thing, but 'Code', as in 'All GC's know to do this, what is your problem, dude?' (said as the electrician.)

Truth is, as stated above, if all the subs have to get their own trash, they are GOING to make a big cluster of dumpster stupidity. And nobody is going to want to work on your house for long if they have to bus their own tables all the way back to their shops.

You are destined for a pile. Better to get a dumpster, or at the very least one of those Home Depot giant trash bags thingys, to ensure you don't have that issue with the rest of your subs.

Oh, and you will likely have to get a permit for that. I did a quick search and this one showed up, says you gotta get a permit for a dumpster... I'd assume 'equivalent' is an issue too:
http://www.village.homewood.il.us/in...15D080B92C3%7D

So again, get your own local code book.

But better yet, understand The Code of the GC Controlled Dumpster. Life will be easier. The electrician WILL use it... it's like a litter box for subs.

/I can say this: I subbed for Network/Phone/AV cabling... if it was a big job... you were dealing with the little pile of leftover trash from the job, because I wasn't gonna take the empties back to the office. YOUR job is to deal with the trash, GC, and everyone knows it.
//Now, we talking a run or two in an exisiting house? Number one... it's going on the outside, frack doing it in the already build home walls. Number two... sure, I'll bus my table, as there's not enough leftovers to not take home. The little bit of packages for jacks or such will just get tossed when I get home. Or in your trash. Which, see, GC has the dumpster, so there ya go.
///Anyone who subs and takes their trash home? Wow. They're pretty nifty. Never seen it myself. Home or business, not a full ground up buildout that is.

McNassty

Yes you do need to provide a general dumpster and I'm guessing that since your in a heavy union state you probably hired a union company and if a rep catches one trade doing another's job (ie. electrician picking up trash that a laborer should be getting paid to clean up) they will ***** and threaten a strike against said contractor. I don't agree with all of the union politics I just learned all of their ******* rules

McNassty

But yes you are required to provide a general dumpster as GC and if you were smart you would clean up after those guys to get them done as fast as possible and keep track of their times and make their contracts open bids that way you save money

cdynaco

Oh come on man - get real. No person on earth knows all the bull**** in Administrative codes. Even veteran contractors that could out-build every inspector 10 times over.

While there are many good codes designed for safety and structural soundness, sharing improvements learned over the years, much of it is now designed to excess to cover bldg department's butts by staff lawyers and have little to do with building soundness. Ask architects and engineers how unnecessary some of these details are.

For the most part now, the BLDG Codes - and ALL Administrative (non-voted/totalitarian) RULES - are a setup for revenue. Trick and trap, serve and fine.

cdynaco

Well you know, a slob that doesn't clean up may give you a hint as to the quality of their actual work. There are plenty of subs around. Choose another if this guy doesn't get the message. Keep your standards up - that includes subs - and word gets out. I'm speaking in terms of which subs will line up to bid your jobs.

McNassty

I agree wholeheartedly, I was taught to never leave any scraps behind but having been on a lot of ******* union jobs I would clean up and thirty minutes later be getting chewed out for taking away work for someone else. I always thought it was ridiculous that a job that would take three men a week would need six guys ten days just to keep the unions happy.

RedGT12

I work for myself, so no union involved.
And if I was in a dense suburb area then i would put a dumpster because I know from past experience the dumpster or lot line black mesh fence is the towns big rule for them.
And like you, I was raised and taught in the work world to pick up scrap piles, broom saw dust piles, pick up trash at end day, keep the jobsite clean when I'm building.

Glenn

give him a garbage can

houtex

Agreed, but that won't help if the inspector shows up, and "I didn't know that" is not an excuse they accept to avoid the penalty.

The code for the local area is available, and if you are acting as a GC, then it is your responsiblity to get the code and read it and understand it. You will then know *everything* for that area, and that's all that's required as you being the GC.

And yes, I *would* know everything, local code wise... because I have an eidetic memory and will take notes on top of that ability. It would be my JOB as the GC to know this while building the house... and frankly, yes, I'd do it because I don't want a freakin' penalty.

I get that not everyone has that kind of a memory. But that's what the short notes are about.