Dan.  I can apprciate your frustration. I am a federal architect based
     in Fort Worth. I have several national awards for preservation. That's
     how I know about how carefully trades have to be watched. I was
     telling my daughters one day about an encounter with one of the trades
     and how I had instructed him to redo work I would not accept. I
     related that when I got through talking I had just looked at him for a
     few minutes, whereupon he started to hurridely do what I had said to
     do. My daughter said I must have given him the "mother look". It seems
     that those of us who have raised kids have a way of looking at them to
     indicate displeasure that makes them jump to. I had not thought of it,
     but she was right. I do use it but was not aware I did. I know it
     saves talking a lot and does get the job done right - most of the
     time.


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Watching your backside
Author:  "dan becker" <[log in to unmask]> at internet
Date:    7/27/98 9:23 AM


Bruce was stirred from somnabulism to note:

>>      Even on a construction project that starts from scratch, it takes a
>>      constant watchful eye to make sure that following trades to not
>damge
>>      work already completed. Imagine how much closer trades have to be
>>      watched on a preservation project.
>
>Well, this remark certainly woke me up.  Best reason yet to hope that PTN
>ultimately takes over the world.
>
>If the hiring agency or client does a proper job of choosing tradespeople
>then the only reason to watch them is to learn something from them.
>
>The question has to be asked how many of the countless botched projects,
>new construction and HP, that we all run across all the time, got to that
>sorry state because of the incompetence or negligence of craftspeople?

Bruce, you must be breathing some mighty rare air up there if this is a
wake-up call.  In the land of production construction, this is a very real
issue.  It flows from tradesfolks that mostly just don't care; only some
don't know any better.  I saw this particularly in the finishing trades
when I was doing construction supervision.  Folks would just trample the
**** out of anything in their way, whatever was necessary to get in and out
quickly.

I have great sympathy for the constractor that wants to do quality work,
but cannot find decent labor with which to do it.  Down hereabouts in
boomtown the unemployment rate is 1.9%.  There are not enough proper
tradespeople available from which the hiring agency or client can choose --
if they chose to do so.  But as we have opined and moaned before, many
don't even care to or know to choose good tradespeople.  Yet, there are
enough hiring agencies and clients who do care that the really well
qualified tradesfolks I know have the luxury of choosing their work...there
is more to do than they can do, so they can choose the really good projects
that have enlightened clients with enough time available to wait the 10-12
months until the craftsperson can get to the job.  Good for them, but what
about the rest of the historic resources that are going wanting for lack of
enlightened clients and trades?

They could grow and do more volume, but they can't hire anybody to work with
them, even to train them...most won't stick around for that long.  So they
choose to remain one person shops, or three person teams, and work quality
not volume.  I really admire a business that can do quality AND volume.

On my own house rehab, I did my own general contracting.  I like to think I
am fairly enlightened about such matters, but I had not the luxury of
waiting 10-12 months for folks: I'm a preservationist civil servant who
tries to walk the talk in restoring a historic house, not an investment
banker dabbling in a hobby...a slightly different economic resource set.
Anyway, I found the best I could with the time I had.  One of which was
"Earl the Butcher."  Recommended as a fine rehab electrician, he could work
with existing wiring, patch it all together, bring it to a good code
service, etc., etc.  But I noticed he had a penchant for placing new
outlets in baseboards using a SawsAll.  With an extremely dull blade.
Indelicate I think would be a good word for the results.  We did enjoy
together an educational opportunity.

Then there's "John the Butcher."  I had to give my painter an educational
opportunity after he savagely pruned my camellia in pursuit of some wood to
paint.  Of course, also "Jon the 20-minute Plumber."  Loved to work with and
rebuild historic fixtures, but his project management consisted of spending
about 20 minutes at the site just to pick up and drop off a couple of things
before racing off to the next site...depended upon who called him the night
before wondering where he was.  Believe me, I could go on, but you get the
picture.  I won't take out my need for therapy on y'all.

I watched them.  I learned something from them.

Godspeed to PTN.  Anybody want to start up the Preservation Clients
Network?  I could use a support group....

_______________________________________________
Dan Becker,  Executive Director       "Conformists die, but
Raleigh Historic                                 heretics live on forever"
Districts Commission                                   -- Elbert Hubbard

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