Jay, managing a project is not a hard thing, we just try to put the cart before the horse at times. I have taken Ag in High School and had to design a Broiler house and operate it on paper, took a Industrial Eng course called Work Design, and have helped around the house. So I am not an expert, but as I age I do not like to fall in bed at night and not sleep because I am so exhusted and hurt so bad. A little planning and common sense goes a long long ways in my mind.
Okay, just a short note to get started with.
I bought some Bus Tubs at Sam's club for the kitchen. I hate dirty dishes in the sink, so the family is to rinse them and put them in Bus Tubs. So for a work site have 5 gallon buckets which I get free, and put alike tools in each bucket. Also have plastic or tarps out to cover for the night, as it may rain. Tool belts work so that you don't lay stuff down and then can't find it, I am so tired of looking for the measuring tape, I have purchased 4 of them over the last 3 years and they have all been taken by my spouse. I am not a "materials manager", but I am treated as such, I am to solve all problems and run 36 miles one way to find something or work miracles at will. A well planned work site save time and energy, so all should have some input. My biggest grip is that they fill the walkways with materials or junk and then in a crisis it is a major safety hazard. So take the time to lay out your work area, assign spots for like jobs or tools. Have a plan for the fact that someone may get injured, so each person knows just what is expected from them, ie turn off the genie, gather power tools etc. Production is production and your project will turn out as planned if you actually plan and put it down on paper. Evaluate what you are going to do, evaluate when you finish for the day. Surprises come from not planning or testing. I have designed kitchens and planning makes for all of the equipment fitting through the door at time of delivery. Work Smart , Not Hard and enjoy the journey not just the destination. I hate to hear the words, "Calle, come find such and such, as if my work does not count." Or getting back from a "need something" run and hearing that the progress stopped because they had lost something. So why are my eyes better then theirs. They are good men and a good teen , but I am not the 'Momma" all the time. I know where my fiber arts equipment is, and I know where to find things in my kitchen unless they put them away in a different place. So plan your jobs so that someone else could follow the plans if you were ill in bed. First list your goals, then the needed materials, the equipment and who is going to do what. How to fix a problem if it occurs, and a time line. Then figure out how much you can really get done in a day or half a day. So here goes, Day one, Get Equipment inspected and running Day Two, Prepare work site Day Three, Prep Materials Day Four, Build Slip Forms Day Five, Make slurry and start pouring Day Six, And so on Each day has a setup and a cleanup time. Always work backwards from our completed project, just like a dinner party. There will always be things that go wrong but if you plan for those things, your hair does not get grey as fast. LOL Calle
Okay, valledecalle. You're not getting off that easy. I appreciate that you agree with the importance of a clean and organized construction site, but share your details. Tell us what you do that works best to keep things under control. Tell us about areas where you are frustrated. Post photos of each. This might be anything from how you organize and store your tools, to how you position machinery, to how you divide up work tasks, to little tricks to minimize waste of materials, to how you hen-peck that "not a neat man." :) --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.comA>, calle vallede <valledecalle@...> wrote:
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> Hi All,
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> I agree that the sites look very messy. Our place has no neighbors or anyone that would really see our mess, but I will organize it so it does not slow us down.
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> You have to draw up a plan for production and that way everything has it's place and it's function.
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> My spouse is not a neat man on a construction site.
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> I have a degree in a field that demands organization and order. So I am always talking about safety and organization.
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> It takes so much longer to do a job when you can't find the tools or the materials are strung out all over. I am so sorry to tell you guys that I can become a real strong demanding woman when it comes to doing the right thing about expensive equipment and the proper use of it.
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> A carefully thought out plan about how your construction project is to go and what you will need to do it are not just smart but ends up costing you less.
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> Our place is 80 miles round trip at the least for any supplies, and it takes us 20-40 minutes to drive out 4 miles. So it is so unwise to not plan.
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> Thanks for sharing your experience, it makes total sense to plan and plan and plan again, then reassess each day what is going to happen the next day.
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> My wife put you up to this didn't she?! :-O
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> On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 9:19 AM, Jay <slurryguy@...> wrote:
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> I recently helped out on a Habitat for Humanity build.
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> This particular build was very frustrating because the project manager did a poor job of organizing the work site. Materials were all over the place. Trash was everywhere. Nobody could find what they needed. Much time and effort was wasted simply trying to find things instead of getting work done.
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> To add insult to injury, the building inspector stopped by and got frustrated because several issues (these were valid important items) had not been addressed because work had proceeded much more slowly than anticipated. Again this was a result of disorganization.
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> Later, even the neighbors started to complain about the work site looking like a disaster area.
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> I got frustrated enough that I overstepped my authority and simply started drafting volunteers to clean up the work site and organize everything. It took an entire day out of the construction schedule, but it was amazing how much more efficiently and quickly work proceeded from that point forward on the project. The quality of construction also improved. The clean work site inspired everyone to perform their best work instead of sloppy work.
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> That experience has got me thinking a lot about papercrete, and how messy it is.
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> I pose the following questions:
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> What is the best way to organize a papercrete construction site to make work the most efficient, and most safe?
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> What can be done to improve the appearance of the site during construction to be a good neighbor, but also to give a good impression to building inspectors as well as any other visitors.
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> Do you clean your equipment at the end of each day? If you did, would it function better?
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> I've seen a lot of photos of a lot of papercrete construction sites.
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> Many, but not all, look like a bomb was dropped on the site and someone is still trying to pick up the rubble. You have probably seen photos like this too.
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> Are you a messy worker?
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> I suggest that one of the best ways to work with less effort while accomplishing more, and having fewer problems is to organize your construction site cleanly and efficiently.
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> Designing how your construction site is laid out may in many ways be just as important as the design of the building.
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> What are your thoughts?
> What do you think are the best practices?
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> Do you have any photos that demonstrate what works really well for you?
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> Do you have any photos of problems you are having that you would like some suggestions on how to organize your work site better?
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> Do you wish you could find a way to work cleaner?
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> Let's not hide from the mess. Let's face the mess and find ways to clean it up.
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> Calle
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