Rough Wire New Home

[480sparky]

One of my 2 man crews would take about 1.5 weeks to rough and another week to trim. They get stupid when they touch romex. If they can't run conduit for homeruns then branch out they lose it.

They can wire an entire department store,but not a house. Heck I can't even try to bid any residential.

Stop complaining. Most ECs lament the lack of skilled commercial talent out there. It's really difficult to hire a speedy house roper and turn him/her into a good comm mechanic.

 

[macmikeman]

I love it when Resi electrical contractors show up and start up with the I can do it this fast for this much less than you can. I love it cause I never push myself to the limit any longer since I wised up about it years ago, and I sure as fire do not brag about being able to charge less. It has made me a much richer man to think this way, just so you know while you run around like a monkey on Red Bull....

 

[e57]

One of my 2 man crews would take about 1.5 weeks to rough and another week to trim. They get stupid when they touch romex. If they can't run conduit for homeruns then branch out they lose it.

They can wire an entire department store,but not a house. Heck I can't even try to bid any residential.

I see no difference in commercial or residential electrical work - except:

1. The importance of information to provide fit and finish.
2. The speed of how fast resolutions to missing or conflicting information are made.
3. Coordination of trades is nearly non-existent up front in residential most of the time - it is rare, and or late...
4. Commercial metal stud framing systems (with pre-punched holes), and dropped ceilings - electrical, mechanical, and telco areas. They are nearly designed by the trades and structure - with a finish applied. Almost the opposite in residential.

So - your guys could probably really excel in residential if:

1. Make homes more systematic - less diverse, less detailed... (Boring)
2. Get the Arch's, Engineers, and GC's to sort out crap before we show up.
3. Change the attitudes of Designers, Architects and GC about the few inches it would take to drop ceiling heights would be a huge start - to accept plumbing and electrical would drop the cost of labor for all trades to construct a building in a big way. You can't even get GC's to line up holes on wood I-beams.... :roll:
4. If not creating systems that accommodate the trades, have Arch's and Engineers create spaces where there is less conflict, and effort to install all of the systems in a building - not just wood stud walls and closed cells between all framing - layered through hodge podge steel and laminated wood that you often can't drill through, and have to find, and often fight for space in... Maybe it is time to ditch the wood framed platform building style?

 

[acwservices]

I have to ask-how do you loop the romex under the house between the recepts by yourself? It's been a long time since I did residential, but I can't imagine doing a rough-in without a little help. Maybe everything above the floor by myself, but not under the house. I know it can all be done overhead, but it takes so much more romex this way.

 

[Power Tech]

Stop complaining. Most ECs lament the lack of skilled commercial talent out there. It's really difficult to hire a speedy house roper and turn him/her into a good comm mechanic.

Why is it like that.

If a man can do commercial they can do residential.

The only problem I have had putting the commercial specialist on a home is they do too good of a job.

Take the romex romeo and put him on commercial. Disaster.

It is unfortunate electricians get stuck in the same thing for so many years.

It is hard to find a "well rounded" electrician.

 

[ultramegabob]

I have to ask-how do you loop the romex under the house between the recepts by yourself?

I always drilled the studs and ran the wire sideways through the walls, rarely went under the floor.

 

[mcclary's electrical]

Not this crap again, prove it.
Is this by yourself or with under paid helpers?

I don't have to prove anything to you, and 22-24 mann hrs, means 22-24 man hrs. What does a helper have to do with it? The last house
i did was the same size as this one, and the rough in took 22 man hrs, service and all, two men. I know what I can do.

 

[MarkyMarkNC]

About ten years ago, if I was REALLY humping it, I could rough wire a house about this size in about 24 to 30 hrs. myself. The incentives would have to be there, and I would not be able to keep that pace up over the long term, but that kind of time frame is definitely doable.

I would say a good five days for myself now. I haven't rough wired an entire new house in four or five years.

 

[peter d]

Take the romex romeo and put him on commercial. Disaster.

I disagree. If you take someone who is willing to learn and has common sense and half a brain, they can easily learn to do commercial work. Commercial work is not some mystical, magical out-of-reach skill for the average electrician.

 

[acwservices]

I always drilled the studs and ran the wire sideways through the walls, rarely went under the floor.

How about home runs, did you pull them overhead?

 

[electricmanscott]

I disagree. If you take someone who is willing to learn and has common sense and half a brain, they can easily learn to do commercial work. Commercial work is not some mystical, magical out-of-reach skill for the average electrician.

That's not what the commercial guys think. :roll:



It comes down to experience. If you do something a few times you should be good at it.

 

[BryanMD]

If you take someone who is willing to learn and has common sense and half a brain, they can easily learn to do commercial work.

So long as you don't expect them to be know WHY you want them doing something a certain way and don't change that way too often... this is exactly true.

And most guys could spend their entire working life as highly productive, decently paid, worthwhile employees in those relatively narrow spans of the industry.

Then there are the guys who simply must ask "WHY?".
And the bosses (or state boards) who think they need to know why.

 

[growler]

If you take someone who is willing to learn and has common sense and half a brain, they can easily learn to do commercial work.

Sure, if they have half a brain. You like to hedge your bets don't you.

 

[Buck Parrish]

As for the OP ; If the wires are stripped they will get paint on the copper. This will cause problems in the future.

 

[peter d]

As for the OP ; If the wires are stripped they will get paint on the copper. This will cause problems in the future.

I think he's talking about the jacket on the romex, not the individual conductors.

 

[peter d]

Then there are the guys who simply must ask "WHY?".
And the bosses (or state boards) who think they need to know why.

I don't know what point you are trying to make here. :-?

Sure, if they have half a brain. You like to hedge your bets don't you.

True. I guess I am being a bit optimistic.

 

[peter d]

It comes down to experience. If you do something a few times you should be good at it.

Right. I know I've said this before but I will repeat. You don't need a higher education or any kind of specialized training beyond OJT and some classroom instruction (in some areas) to be an electrician. It's mostly just specialized assembly line work.

 

[BryanMD]

You don't need a higher education or any kind of specialized training beyond OJT to be a more than adequate installer of electrical gear and material. It's mostly just specialized assembly line work.

being an electrician is where that "why" business I referred to comes in.

 

[cdslotz]

I have a new employee working by himself on roughing in a new home in Delaware the home is roughly 2,000 to 2,500 Square feet. The first day we were at the home I put in the panel and service, and he worked inside putting in boxes and drilling holes after that he worked by himself there is 46 switches, 86 receptacle boxes 10 recessed cans, how long roughly on average would it take for one person to wire up a home like this? Just need a guess. Also had an inspector for the rough inspection say he wanted all the wires in the boxes to be stripped, spliced and ready for devices, does this sound common to anyone?

I have not done resi for decades, but I've done hundreds of homes.
I was also taught by some of the best.
First I would never, ever let a new employee go out by himself and rough my customer's home without training him MY way.
I never saw a trim out for many months until I had rough in down pat. I was taught the proper way to drill out, neatly run romex by squaring off, strip out, pull HR's, mount the panel and strip it out and terminate completely. Leaving nothing to strip at trim other than a few stub outs.
Judging by your terminology, I take it you've never done resi.

 

[ultramegabob]

How about home runs, did you pull them overhead?

usually, but he was talking about looping between recepts.