19 th Ave construction

[1998braves64]

So here is my question, and I am guessing you are the guy to answer it:

Why do construction companies run all of their projects simultaneously? Why don't companies man up on each project so that they finish faster and impact the neighborhood less? For instance, if Master had put all of its guys on 19th, ran it 24 hours a day, they would be done in 6 weeks (I am making that up I don't know how long it would have taken) and gone on to their next job. Instead, they have 10 projects running for 6 months each and affecting 10 neighborhoods for long periods of time.

I live on 9th St. north of Fargo North. I am getting pretty damn tired of this project.

I have been thinking about this, and I know the reason has to be money, but wouldn't it be nice if not every damn street you drive down in the summer wasn't torn up?

No disrespect to anyone on this, just curious if this is even a feasible approach.

I'm not in road construction, but am in "building" construction. As Loud and Proud put it, they can't find enough people to run all of them 24 hours/linear schedules, you overwork your crews they burnout and at the end of the construction season you're left with noone doesn't help either. Not to mention they have to wait for subcontractors (the only control they have over their schedule is money) and outside contractors such as utility contractors who may not even be under their contract; have to finish their portion of the job first, who also are fighting the lack of workers. Construction is a finicky thing. One project can go smooth start to finish, and the next project can go hell in a handbasket in a week because everything is dependent upon schedule you end up being 2 days late (heck I've had even a day late screw me over before) finishing something can put you back a week or more because the next guy down the line had a schedule to meet and workers to put to work so they put them on another job. They can't play hopscotch with their workers as that is very inefficient so a lot of times it ends up whichever one is ready for them first is the site they go to. Then throw material shortages (which I didn't know about until Tu-Uyen Tran - who seems to be a heck of a reporter by the way how did he ever end up at the Herald for a few years??) you're looking at a lot of variables that can skew your schedule badly no matter how good of planning you do. Master is being made a bit of a scapegoat because they're on one of the highest profile jobs on a business centric street. Only other one would be 25th street overpass project (that I can think of right now..). Obviously it can be done, such as ABC's extreme makeover shows indicate... but all of those contractors sign on knowing that their people/materials needs to be there at x time and they use local companies so the companies sacrifice for a week or so to get the "free publicity". There is no way a general contractor or anyone could do that month in and month out for 6+ months of the year or more. And these houses are planned out well advance, around 5-6 months(?) I knew about the minot one way before it was announced and the sales guy/management that sold the lumber knew about it before I did. $500,000 Houses are a bit less "complex" in ways than a road construction project.

Let me ask all of you if you ever had a small project at home that you were building something. Did you think in your head well it's going to take me X hours/days/weeks/months to do this? How often were you right on the money and how many times do you go over/under that? Guessing most of us underestimate the time we think it will take us... Then perhaps you ran out of screws, you ran to the local Home Depot and got more right (which you need to look at as a delay in your schedule but its only affecting you and junior who's anxious to get on that swingset/treehouse you're building), well what if Home Depot/Lowes/Menards/Mac's said sorry don't have any! Now multiply that out about 100 times dealing with subs and utilities and you got yourself a regular old construction project and many times they don't have as many options to get the "screws" as we do for our little home projects because they're REQUIRED to follow the specs which can get right down mundane at times to the stupidest things especially in public projects.

[Bisonguy]

Forget 24 hour crews, when I go up around 19th around lunchtime about one a week there is not a soul to be found working. Absolutely ridiculous.

I drive through there multiple times a day and pretty much always saw the crew working at 5:30 or 6:30 am when I was going to work. I'm guessing ay lunchtime they were probably eating lunch.

[oldmantutters]

I drive through there multiple times a day and pretty much always saw the crew working at 5:30 or 6:30 am when I was going to work. I'm guessing ay lunchtime they were probably eating lunch.

I should note that I usually take a late lunch. My guess would be that if they are starting at anywhere from 5:30-7:00 am they are probably taking lunch earlier than I am. From the outside looking in, even with external factors, master has really underwhelmed on this project. They should be done by now.

[1998braves64]

I should note that I usually take a late lunch. My guess would be that if they are starting at anywhere from 5:30-7:00 am they are probably taking lunch earlier than I am. From the outside looking in, even with external factors, master has really underwhelmed on this project. They should be done by now.

Pretty sure Master doesn't want to pay for workers to stand around on 19th doing nothing... There are times when nothing more can be done until someone completes their portion.

Would you pay employees to do nothing?

[Answer Guy]

Would you pay employees to do nothing?

Ask Tranny's boss.

[Bison"FANatic"]

Pretty sure Master doesn't want to pay for workers to stand around on 19th doing nothing... There are times when nothing more can be done until someone completes their portion.

Would you pay employees to do nothing?

I don't know if you are friends with the owner or just like to defend them but I watched it everyday and it was ridiculous.

There were days upon days early on that there was nothing happening up there. Heck there machine that breaks up the concrete lasted a day and then it sat there with cable everywhere for at least a week maybe two right away at the beginning of the season. I would come in at 8 AM and workers would be out checking oil in machines and just starting to get everything set up. One day I watched 4 people watch the 5th guy shovel dirt off the concrete, say it happen fro 15 minutes, then I came back by there 3 hours later and they were doing the same thing just 100 yards down the road. If they would have worked anywhere close to as hard as they have worked the last 6 weeks the first 2-3 months they would have been done easily. They have been getting it done lately. I know quite a few in the construction industry and they are known as a subpar company with crappy project management. Unfortunately it is what it is and until they are held accountable it will continue project after project or restrictions in contracts will have to be put into place that will unfortunately hurt the whole industry.

[unbison]

The reason a contractor cant concentrate on one job is it takes multiple crews to do each kind of work one crew puts pipe in....the next does the dirt work and lays down the gravel ....then in comes a concrete crew and after them returns the dirt crew so one has to have multiple jobs to keep everyone busy and productive

[1998braves64]

I don't know if you are friends with the owner or just like to defend them but I watched it everyday and it was ridiculous.

There were days upon days early on that there was nothing happening up there. Heck there machine that breaks up the concrete lasted a day and then it sat there with cable everywhere for at least a week maybe two right away at the beginning of the season. I would come in at 8 AM and workers would be out checking oil in machines and just starting to get everything set up. One day I watched 4 people watch the 5th guy shovel dirt off the concrete, say it happen fro 15 minutes, then I came back by there 3 hours later and they were doing the same thing just 100 yards down the road. If they would have worked anywhere close to as hard as they have worked the last 6 weeks the first 2-3 months they would have been done easily. They have been getting it done lately. I know quite a few in the construction industry and they are known as a subpar company with crappy project management. Unfortunately it is what it is and until they are held accountable it will continue project after project or restrictions in contracts will have to be put into place that will unfortunately hurt the whole industry.

Not a friend, and Master's reputation precedes them well aware of that. I would agree that there likely was a lack of PM on the front end that's usually where the problems start. Again goes back to being able to spread all their employees around to where the work is. Very well could have been earlier this year the guys didn't really have anywhere to go so they have them going out doing small crap like you described just to give them something to do? I don't know. The employees don't want to go home and not get paid and they don't like to pay them for doing nothing although what you described is pretty much doing nothing, but at least one was doing something?

But when I read an article that says that several projects in town has asked for an extension (some have applied in just as numerous as Master), and there are KNOWN labor shortages and material shortages. It's not all one company's fault. Are they partially at fault likely, not to the extent that some people are/have been throwing them under the bus though.

[unbison]

I will tell you that article is misleading

[CAS4127]

I will tell you that article is misleading

You're kidding, right?!/purple


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