For the past dozen years, Chicago custom builder Jake Goldberg has been compiling a list of field crew guidelines he calls “Site Manager No-Brainers.” And the list continues to grow, reflecting his company’s ongoing accumulation of experience and hard-won wisdom. CUSTOM HOME’s 2010 Custom Builder of the Year shared some of his favorite entries, among them:
- Don’t let the dry conditions of autumn and winter arrive without making sure that humidifiers are installed and functioning in all building envelopes. Millwork, wood floors, and trim can be damaged by improper humidity conditions.
- Know which electrical fixture cuts get “mudded in,” and make sure these trims are installed prior to taping of drywall ceilings.
- Don’t let plumbers and electricians install copper pipes touching steel pipes. Electrolysis will cause deterioration of water supply pipes.
- Install thermal insulation around bathtubs to keep the tub water warmer longer.
- Don’t let cleaning people clean glass with razor blades. This can cause significant scratches to existing and new glass.
- When supervising the assembly of cabinets, determine which sides of cabinet boxes are finished and which are not. This avoids the costly mistakes of having finished sides facing other cabinets and unfinished sides facing sink and cooktop openings.
- Don’t gouge or scratch finished floors by rolling or sliding appliances across them.
- Every project must have “In Case Of Emergency” notices, with relevant phone numbers, and a functioning fire extinguisher with a properly dated refill/inspection tag.
- Don’t install resilient flooring over new or existing concrete floor slabs without testing core relative humidity. Moisture encapsulation methods must be used if minimum levels cannot be attained.
- Don’t use plastic carpet protection on wool or other natural-fibers carpets. It can lighten the carpets over the protection period.
- Don’t allow plumber’s putty to be used on stone floors. Oil from the putty will leach out and permanently stain the stone.
- Don’t allow the use of gray mortars on light-colored natural stone; use white thin-set mortar.
- Watch for rust drips from temporary plumbing rough-ins on natural stone flooring.
- Don’t leave a jobsite without checking that all water supply valves are tightly closed, especially on laundry supplies.
- Don’t let a plumber leave a jobsite without installing expansion plugs on all open drains and vent lines, especially in high-rise buildings.
- Don’t start a high-rise project without closing off common exhaust vents in kitchens and bathrooms. Demolition and construction dust may migrate to other apartments through the ducts.
- Don’t leave standing water on wood floors, even if protection is in place.
- Fire extinguishers must be on site at all times, especially when torches are being used for plumbing or roofing installations.
- To avoid smoldering fires, observe a two-hour “no weld, no torch” period before leaving any jobsite.
- Determine if floors or ceilings contain radiant tubing or wires prior to drilling or fastening into the surface, especially in high-rise buildings.
- Inspect for nail pops on completed work. Keep these from showing up on punch lists by catching them first.
- Protect hardwood floors after they are sanded and prior to finish, and between finish coats. Install proper barriers to prevent people from walking on the floors by accident.
- Collect warranties and instruction books for all appliances, furnaces, mechanical equipment, and so on, as soon as they arrive at the site. Save them for installation directions and for the “GGC Owner’s Manual” binder.
- Cover all floor registers during construction.
- Protect smoke detectors from dust.
- Maintain floor alarms on all electric radiant heating systems until the electrician trims the controls.
- Replace furnace filters regularly on temporary and permanent heating systems.
- Protect walls with wood blocks after locksets and knob sets are installed and prior to doorstop installation. Doorstops are often the last item to be specified by designers.
