Levels of finish and placement

[e57]

Anyone know if the electrical industry has any standards of finish and placement?

Like those for sheet-rock http://www.nationalgypsum.com/resources/techtalk/revisiting.html

Some of the higher end work around here you need to specifiy level 5 finish at opening for certain trim-less lighting and screw-less wall plates. Otherwise you get screwed on the end, by having lumps or gaps at the openings.

What I was wondering, is there any simular "level" standard for placement tolorances to be recognized when bidding?
Say: Level 'X' = Zero tolorance of placement level and square....
or Level 'I' = Just sling it in anywhere, in general location.
The reason I ask, is that often you can get plans with general notes that say little if anything about for instance outlet hieghts. While your boxing for outlets you could go about it a few different ways. Same height AFF at the point of the outlet, or level from highest point in the room. (As I often have to do with some of the "in-base board, or really close to base board type designs) Anyway, you need to bid for that type of accuacy in lay-out, and precise placement. Say your bidding against someone whos just gonna sling it in. Hows that qualified in the bid?
Some of the trimless lighting coming out recently requires 5 trade/step coordination for any decent finish at them.

Like these: http://www.rsalighting.com/common/literature/rsa/recessedAndSurface/rsa_quietceiling_cat.pdf

The trim is mudded in. And if it doesn't sit absolutely flush at the face, it looks like garbage. The square trims - if they are not perfectly straight, and 'squared' up to each other, they look crooked, and it looks like garbage! (FYI if you see these on a spec - bid high - real high!) The can will run ~$200 ea. (less trim) and about an =/> amount (EACH) to get it in correctly! They have the cheapest thinest brackets around, and without additional support thay are all over the place. You need to lock them in place with addition hanger-bars. Once the rock is on you need to get there before mud, and tweek the trim to the face of rock. Then they mud it, and the trim has a cheap cardboard protector that allows mud in the trim that needs to be cleaned out. And then when they paint the edge and the trim, the thickness of even a light coat of paint is enough to not let the trim go in right. PITA!
So how do you quanify yourself as privy to the hassle of this, against someone who bid at cost of can, and blue-book labor for your average run of the mill H1499?~

 

[bphgravity]

The only standard I can think of is the "ANSI/NECA 1-2000, Standard Practices for Good Workmanship in Electrical Contracting".

 

[e57]

Hmmmm, just took a look at thier NECA-1-2000, Standard Practice for Good Workmanship in Electrical Contracting....

Not very impressive, not much in that document is going to do what this article about it describes,
http://www.ecmweb.com/mag/electric_cleaning_installation_practices/index.html

It's a basic standard, what I'm talking about is the Apples and Oranges of finish. (Both are friut but different) And how to define that....
I often have to tell people under me on some jobs that "It more about placement and finish, than "Electrical" work." Especially when measuring and leveling something for the third time.... When I say it needs to be 8-3/16" off the floor - I mean 8-3/16" not 8-1/2" Level means "level", with a LEVEL, not eye-balled.

 

[bphgravity]

It sounds like you are talking about very detailed design specifications that would be particular to each job individualy and would not apply generally. I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for?

 

[e57]

Like, take a look at the rocker levels of performance....
http://www.nationalgypsum.com/resources/techtalk/revisiting.html

They have a range that goes from "Its screwed to the wall" to "it got mudded", then a few levels of finish that range from how nuch detail you have in skim coats. And those range from being able to tell where the screws are to "NO Sidelighting shadows"

I guess what I'm looking to see if it even exists, is something simular that says "It's screwed to the wall" or and a range that extends to perfect placement in the way that I'm often correcting when the blue tape comes out. i.e. 1/16th inch tolorance to called out placement, perfectly level, plumb and square, with devices flush to plates with a uniform gap between plate and device, plate with no gaps on finish....

There is an amount of time you can devote to lay-out and placement... You can just throw it in, or you could have to line up centers on grout lines of tile. Which could mean taking all of the measurements of every other item in the room from the floor, rock, getting the cabinet drawings, judging what thier scribe will be, and finding out what the grout line thickness from the tile setter. If your CL missed, you get people looking for correction or reimbursemnt for the "Defect"....

Not exactly particular to each job individualy, as it 'could' be call out in the general notes, but often is not. Which leads to finger pointing at the end, a game you can often loose.... But something that quantifies you agaist the competition that says that all that precise coordination is in your bid....

It doesnt seem that we have anything like that, and I think we should....