Am I slow?

[rich000]

I have been out of actually doing work for awhile. I had a warehouse to wire the other day. 20 foot ceilings with steel support every 4 feet. I used a scissor lift and roughed in 250 ft. of MC, hung (3) 8 ft. lights, (1) exit sign, (1) emergency light, (1) switch, and (2) receptacles. This took me 8 hours.

I did not bust my butt because I had money in the job, but I would like to stay competitive.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

If your customer is happy, I wouldn't worry about it.

I do not get as much work completed in a day as I did 30 years ago. So there is no way I can be "competitive" in house roping. But, I can still out think a lot of those young bucks. Reminds me of a story I once heard.

An old bull and a young bull were standing on a hill looking down in the meadow at the cows. The young buck said "let's run down there and do one of those cows", the old bull replied "let's walk down and do them all".

 

[growler]

This took me 8 hours.Any thoughts? Thanks.

That's actually pretty fast for a one legged, one armed man with a bad back. :grin::grin: Just joking folks.

If it takes 8 hours then it takes 8 hours. If you do a good job then you still come out ahead over doing a fast job and having to make another trip for some reason.

 

[cadpoint]

I think it's pretty good too. Back in my conduit running days the company policy was two hundred feet a day or equivalent.

Life sure was simpler then!

 

[satcom]

I think it's pretty good too. Back in my conduit running days the company policy was two hundred feet a day or equivalent.

Life sure was simpler then!

In an area with machines or material, you may be lucky it get up 40 ft of rigid in a day, with conduit and cable runs, the length of run is not a good measure for estimating, the job conditions combined with good actuals usually, give you a better guide.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I would agree that how much work you get done in a day is not really a good indicator.

I just always figured that if the job had to be done in two weeks or whatever and you got it done in two weeks or less, then you did fine.

When you rope houses you can be flying along and get the whole up stairs done in a day and then get down in the kitchen and take a whole day doing that. I see guys on here all the time setting aside a day for panel makeup.

Used to have a supervisor (who was not an electrician) get upset when he would see us standing around for an hour discussing a job, but we explained that we had never missed a deadline, because we had properly planned.

 

[rodneee]

the cross warehouse MC pull event

the cross warehouse MC pull event

the cross warehouse MC pull event is new to the olympics.....i have you in contention to be on the podium and win the bronze medal. but the russian judge has yet to submit her score....back after break with the rest of the judges scores....

 

[satcom]

I would agree that how much work you get done in a day is not really a good indicator.

I just always figured that if the job had to be done in two weeks or whatever and you got it done in two weeks or less, then you did fine.

When you rope houses you can be flying along and get the whole up stairs done in a day and then get down in the kitchen and take a whole day doing that. I see guys on here all the time setting aside a day for panel makeup.

Used to have a supervisor (who was not an electrician) get upset when he would see us standing around for an hour discussing a job, but we explained that we had never missed a deadline, because we had properly planned.

What I found intresting was in just about every company I worked the fast guys were the first to go, I asked the boss why we lost a guy that everyone seen as fast, and he said we can't afford to keep the fast guys, they cost more to keep, fixing what they missed, and repairing the sloppy work, and not following all the safety rules. I remember most of the speed demons never extended the out riggers on the lifts, or just took short cuts.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Heck, I find it hard to believe that the Extreme Makeover crew can get a house completed from scratch in a week.....I remember, as well as some of the other old timers here, when it took a year to complete a house (other than cookie-cutter tract houses), other than the small bungalow type.

 

[satcom]

Heck, I find it hard to believe that the Extreme Makeover crew can get a house completed from scratch in a week.....I remember, as well as some of the other old timers here, when it took a year to complete a house (other than cookie-cutter tract houses), other than the small bungalow type.

Not difficult at all, with all the pre fab materials and good planning, I am supprised it takes a week.

 

[aline]

Build a house in one day videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvzXBBRrVHs

http://www.vimeo.com/5380776

http://vimeo.com/1346363

 

[aline]

How to build a house in 3-Hours.
World record competition.
Built from scratch with no pre-fab.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTQT-9dnrr4&feature=related

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG4IhfqxwA8

 

[cowboyjwc]

What I found intresting was in just about every company I worked the fast guys were the first to go, I asked the boss why we lost a guy that everyone seen as fast, and he said we can't afford to keep the fast guys, they cost more to keep, fixing what they missed, and repairing the sloppy work, and not following all the safety rules. I remember most of the speed demons never extended the out riggers on the lifts, or just took short cuts.

Exactly! Guy goes whipping through a house showing how fast he is, then at the end you spend two days cutting and repairing drywall putting in that home run he missed.

I used to work for GC's that wanted me to start as soon as the framers started so that I could keep up. What I always found is that I was always catching up and then having to wait again for them to get ahead of me. Sometimes it would take me three days to do what I could have done in a day and it wouldn't have cost them any more time.

I had a guy who likened it to drag racing. Fast doesn't always win the race, you win it by being quick. You can cross the line at 300 MPH and lose the race to the guy doing 290, because he got off the line quicker and didn't have any problems.

 

[fondini]

Heck, I find it hard to believe that the Extreme Makeover crew can get a house completed from scratch in a week.....I remember, as well as some of the other old timers here, when it took a year to complete a house (other than cookie-cutter tract houses), other than the small bungalow type.

its hard to find a hundred man crew to rope a house in a week,not to mention affording the crew!

 

[aline]

its hard to find a hundred man crew to rope a house in a week,not to mention affording the crew!

They have a 700 man crew building this house in 3-hours.
Kind of puts an end to the excuse you couldn't get the job done on time because there were too many trades working at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTQT-9dnrr4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG4IhfqxwA8

 

[LarryFine]

its hard to find a hundred man crew to rope a house in a week,not to mention affording the crew!

Back when I was an experienced helper (that's like being an assistant manager - the responsibilities without the perks), another helper and I roughed a split-level house in one 9.5-hour day.

Note that this did not include making up the panel or making up boxes, but we gott the boxes up, holes drilled, cables inserted and stapled. We felt good about it, and the boss was impressed.

 

[LarryFine]

I used to work for GC's that wanted me to start as soon as the framers started so that I could keep up. What I always found is that I was always catching up and then having to wait again for them to get ahead of me. Sometimes it would take me three days to do what I could have done in a day and it wouldn't have cost them any more time.

I'd never agree to that, but if a guy insisted, I'd do it the first day, use that to point out the flaw in the idea, and come back when the house is ready.

And, that it didn't cost them anything is why they had no reason to stop insisting you play follow-the-carpenter. I set my schedule, not the customer.

 

[mcclary's electrical]

I'd never agree to that, but if a guy insisted, I'd do it the first day, use that to point out the flaw in the idea, and come back when the house is ready.

And, that it didn't cost them anything is why they had no reason to stop insisting you play follow-the-carpenter. I set my schedule, not the customer.

I agree Larry. And secondly,,,I don't go in til HVAC and plumbers are done. No need in me moving half my wires later on.

 

[chris1971]

Please pick up the pace, Mr. Pokey.

Just kidding.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I'd never agree to that, but if a guy insisted, I'd do it the first day, use that to point out the flaw in the idea, and come back when the house is ready.

And, that it didn't cost them anything is why they had no reason to stop insisting you play follow-the-carpenter. I set my schedule, not the customer.

Well that's how I learned to set my own schedule too. Get done, call me.

When I first started it was never like that. I had a friend ask me one time if I knew a good drywaller. I told him that I had never met a drywaller. He asked, aren't you in the trades? I said yeah, but the place get's framed, we go in and do our thing and then I usually won't be back until it's painted.