Construction personalities

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Reading through the being late thread got me thinking about some of the people I've met or had to work with in the past 15 years in commercial construction. I've seen quite a bit but do have some memories that I'll probably never forget. One superintendent I worked with was so high strung, one morning I'm driving onto the site (10 min. early) and hes along side my truck reaching in the back trying to open the toolbox that's locked to grab some tools while I'm driving and almost gets his foot ran over. I stop and get out and say I need power for the tools. While he's getting a cord from the trailer I hurry up and epoxy the rebar in with the cordless tools before he could untangle the cord.
Had one superintendent that his mouth would get us in trouble then I would have to unwind everything with public works while he is causing trouble somewhere else. Funny thing with him was his office was in the building with a 10' chain link fence as walls. Some days I was tempted to lock him in there.
Had one guy that no matter what would create problems and would rely on us for a solution but would always shoot it down and then call the higher ups. They would say build it per plan, which we were doing from the start.
Had a couple guys that were great. They would yell, scare everyone straight, give me answers and wouldn't change their minds.
What stories do you guys have?

 

[Nordie]

This thread has potential

I took a year off from Rebar and dabbled in carpentry working on custom homes in Naples, Florida.

My uncle is a GC down there, so one day we had an onsite meeting with the drywall superintendent. In the meeting I start laughing at this guy and my uncle and our PM look at me like (wtf is wrong with you).

Anyhow after the meeting I had to explain to them about the guy forgot to do an FBI check before the meeting. A FBI check is when you look in the mirror after you did some coke to make sure you don't have a powdery residue around your nostrils. Then I had to explain that I heard from a friend about FBI checks.

 

[YeahYeah01]

Nothing specific since there are so many to try and recall. But I hate the people that create problems just so they can "save" it and be the hero. Just shut your mouth and do your work.

 

[Ladsm]

Spent the beginning of my career as an electrician working on new construction sites, rebuilt alot of Northridge after the big quake. There were always antics going on. Found my tool bags screwed to the lift during break, had someone shut off the scissor lift while 30' in the air, put my tool bags on after lunch to find orange upside down paint all over the inside of the bags and covered my new levi 501's. Payback for them was a bitsh. A few people found their bags Hilti Nailed to the concrete during lunch break and locked in the porta crapper when its 100* and flies swarming.

 

[fmo24]

A few locked in the porta crapper when its 100* and flies swarming.

this is a huge phobia of mine, locked in or it being tipped over while inside one

 

[Nordie]

When I was a brand new apprentice, we had this hillbilly guy, was always late on Monday's. Anyhow is morning routine was eat a snickers bar and drink 2 of those sparks. About an hour into the day he would throw up all over the damn rebar. So as the apprentice I would have to take a water jug and rinse the damn rebar off...

 

[DoughBallin14]

Had times of being air soft wars, shot and shooting at co workers when coming out of the porta johns if you were caught in there to long.... shutting lifts off 30’ up. Clamping tool bags to ceiling joists. Sending the new guys around for a whole day looking for the board stretcher!! All fun and games.

Always had issues with the hero guys, cant stand it. They mess it all up, create issues, then disappear for hours, show up later and take credit for fixing everything. High strung guys also get to be to much.

 

[TomD]

Had a director who wanted me to change the configuration of a T1 circuit on a PBX to ground start trunks..... I had to leave the room. Had a good laugh at the bar later that night.

 

[Bobby V]

I have had plenty of stories over my 40 years in construction. Had our 1st time rough and hydro inspection on our fire sprinklers pipes yesterday using Facetime. Fire inspector was at home and my foreman had to show the pipe installation and pressure on the gauge using his phone.

 

[Chili Palmer]

Sending the apprentices for the can of 1” putty is always fun (the blue can, not the red one), or the chamfer stretcher (the pipe with the 2 C-clamps on it, the superintendent keeps it in his office). Those are always good for laughs.

 

[Ladsm]

Dont forget the 5 gallon bucket of bubble water to refill the levels and the wire stretcher for when you cut the wires too short

 

[riverroyal]

Ive been told i have a personality. Ha
The captain inmate guard at a federal pen must have thought so also.
After my construction language hurt his feelings i was removed from federal property
Best thing that happened to me

 

[monkeyswrench]

The best generals to work for were the ones that didn't care how it got done, as long as it passed inspection...
Those were the same guys that had no idea how to waterproof the walk deck or the below grade, but knew it wasn't cheap, so bid high...
I miss those jobs...

 

[Jed-O]

Back in the early 2000's we were framing a big custom home. I left to make a run to the lumber yard and saw one of our apprentice journey carpenters heading to the shitter. I came back about an hour later (we are on the mountain so it takes a while to get there and back) and don't see him available to help unload. I ask my foreman where he is and he said that he hasn't seen this guy since I had left.
I walked quietly over to the shitter and hear him arguing with his girlfriend about stupid shit.
So I get in my truck and drive over to it and stuff the front bumper against the door of the shitter and I see it start to rock back and forth (he's trying to get out of it). Then I shoved it against a nearby tree, wedging it there and put my nail bags on and went back to work.
30 minutes later I checked in and he is furious! I tell him "if you pull this shit again, you're fuckin fired!"
I docked his pay and the home owner witnessed the incident and patted me on the back.
Good times.

 

[Nordie]

This is always fun

 

[Wedgy]

Wipers, check. Heater, Radio, on Blast, check. Grease door handle, toolbox handles, check. Hoist bicycles up into the rafters. Bacon on tailpipe.

Guy not show, make artistic cardboard cutout facsimile of Errant Employee, put facsimile in work station, tools included. Boss; "WTF is George? didn't see his truck." "Oh hes grouting in the Master bath," George never lived that down for long time.

Gay Rights Rainbow Unicorn Bumper sticker, check. Another one for good measure in a hidden but visible to other drivers location, check. Truck goes to Rodeo over the weekend. Driver relaxing Sunday evening on the upstairs patio drinking a refreshing cold beverage, sits down, tips his hat back, Ahhhh. Looking down at his Drugstore Cowboy Dually, he squints across the parking lot thinking WFT is that on my bumper?

 

[monkeyswrench]

Back in the early 2000's we were framing a big custom home. I left to make a run to the lumber yard and saw one of our apprentice journey carpenters heading to the shitter. I came back about an hour later (we are on the mountain so it takes a while to get there and back) and don't see him available to help unload. I ask my foreman where he is and he said that he hasn't seen this guy since I had left.
I walked quietly over to the shitter and hear him arguing with his girlfriend about stupid shit.
So I get in my truck and drive over to it and stuff the front bumper against the door of the shitter and I see it start to rock back and forth (he's trying to get out of it). Then I shoved it against a nearby tree, wedging it there and put my nail bags on and went back to work.
30 minutes later I checked in and he is furious! I tell him "if you pull this shit again, you're fuckin fired!"
I docked his pay and the home owner witnessed the incident and patted me on the back.
Good times.

A few years back, I had a kid on site less than a half hour. He was a worker's cousin. Texting on the roof, just off the ladder. Told him to pay attention, put it away...relatively dangerous stuff going on. Phone came out again, not 10 minutes later...texting again.
GTFO! No need for stupid to hurt me or guys I work with.

 

[HotRod82]

Way back before I started my own HVAC biz, I did mostly large commercial sheetmetal installation for one of the big union shops here in SD. First day on a big Navy job I'm working with the foreman and after landing a big duct transition ip place I say "piece of cake" as I often did. He gets in my face and says " if you ever say that stupid shit again I'll throw you off the job". I replied "is piece of apple pie ok"? He fully goes off...it was bizarre. A couple guys told me he hated that phrase for some unknown reason. Of course as a fit smart assed 21 year old, I pushed it. Every time I finished a task, I'd shout something in my best redneck voice like "that there was like a great big piece of red velvet cake!" He genuinely hated me.....

 

[Jed-O]

Wipers, check. Heater, Radio, on Blast, check. Grease door handle, toolbox handles, check. Hoist bicycles up into the rafters. Bacon on tailpipe.

Guy not show, make artistic cardboard cutout facsimile of Errant Employee, put facsimile in work station, tools included. Boss; "WTF is George? didn't see his truck." "Oh hes grouting in the Master bath," George never lived that down for long time.

Gay Rights Rainbow Unicorn Bumper sticker, check. Another one for good measure in a hidden but visible to other drivers location, check. Truck goes to Rodeo over the weekend. Driver relaxing Sunday evening on the upstairs patio drinking a refreshing cold beverage, sits down, tips his hat back, Ahhhh. Looking down at his Drugstore Cowboy Dually, he squints across the parking lot thinking WFT is that on my bumper?

Back in the late 80's /early 90's my dad also a general contractor, would go to the bar every afternoon after work with many of the other local contractors. There was a certain license plate bracket that was getting passed around in the same fashion. It read "I DRIVE DRUNK AND I'M PROUD OF IT". I'm also pretty sure that a local CHP officer was the one who started it. We were all friends and lived in a small town so it was a pretty funny deal until you left town without checking your shit.

 

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One superintendent I worked for equally hated everybody and kinda had a chip on his shoulder. Any small problem that happened on site he immediately figured he was going to loose his job because of it. I'm talking small things like leaving a light plugged in over night.
One guy I worked with that's the same age as me everyday would ask me if I wanted a water and mini burrito. I politely say no thanks. Next thing I know the water and burrito are getting shoved in my face or pockets, literally. It was an ongoing thing and fucking annoying. Payback was I would let him think and boy would he over think and go into internal panic mode big time. All he was to do was rake the big rocks out of an asphalt patch and make it flat. He would freak out over it yet he has 3 kids.

 

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Anybody work with someone that would randomly show up at the perfect time to give a solution to a problem? I had one of those guys in Beverly Hills and he was a life saver.

 

[v6toy4x]

HEY!!!
QUIT BULLSHITTING AND GET BACK TO WORK!!

 

[Carlson-jet]

Anything done in a nudest camp with young apprentices was always a good laugh.
The guy that focks up a few things a few days in a row having to be dragged back after sneaking off because with a body missing things were going off schedule.
I think the worst was watching a friend be shot and killed trying to stop a purse snatching in progress on a job-site in San Diego.

 

[CarolynandBob]

Had one that just could not make happy. He was bitching to me about sub-contractors. I said you think that is bad. Try working for 10-15 of you at the same time. He said what do you mean by that? Told him he has 1 job to worry about getting done. His job to him was the most important job. Told him I had 10-15 jobs to worry about getting done on time. He was silent for a while and then said I have to go. Never had another problem with him again. We did a lot of jobs together and all went great.

 

[77charger]

this is a huge phobia of mine, locked in or it being tipped over while inside one

One helper i had pissed me off enough that i took a bent nail and put it through the slots where a padlock would go worked great.Another i did with newbie helpers is when they have to take a leak on the road i pull over on fwy tell them go along side the truck as the go i drive foward leaving them on side of road so everyone can see i cant stop laughing as they are getting back in truck.

 

[wishiknew]

HEY!!!
QUIT BULLSHITTING AND GET BACK TO WORK!!

STOP YELLING YOU HURT MY EARS

 

[tb230razor]

I have had plenty of stories over my 40 years in construction. Had our 1st time rough and hydro inspection on our fire sprinklers pipes yesterday using Facetime. Fire inspector was at home and my foreman had to show the pipe installation and pressure on the gauge using his phone.

That’s awesome. What city?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rrrr]

When I worked for Brown & Root as a QC inspector, my boss was a retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. You don't rise through the ranks to become a MCPO unless you're smart, dedicated, and know how to handle people. I learned a lot from him, things I carried with me the rest of my career.

Another bonus was listening to his stories. Among his many billets at sea, he was in the USS Ticonderoga, a WWII Essex class aircraft carrier, during its deployments off the coast of Vietnam. There were many instances he witnessed acts of heroism, and also tragedy.

He was far and away the best supervisor I worked under.

 

[Bobby V]

That’s awesome. What city?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Newport Beach

 

[Shlbyntro]

One helper i had pissed me off enough that i took a bent nail and put it through the slots where a padlock would go worked great.Another i did with newbie helpers is when they have to take a leak on the road i pull over on fwy tell them go along side the truck as the go i drive foward leaving them on side of road so everyone can see i cant stop laughing as they are getting back in truck.

You should see what us mechanics do to each other. Lol

Grease on the underside of tools

Favorite tools placed in the wrong drawers because trust me, a mechanic will never find it if it's in the wrong drawer

Charged 20 uf capacitors wired to metal benches and tool boxes

Relabeling a Volvo drive on the rack to be installed on a boat with a merc on it

And my personal favorite that I was not party to but one of my coworkers may have been. filling another mechanics tool box with AB expanding foam after a stolen tool was found in it. He quit the next day.


Oh and this video is an all time favorite of mine, dont know where I first saw it but it's a classic!