Ask a Building Trades Professional

[caketastydelish]

That's actually the answer I was expecting because somewhere (don't remember the exact source) that certain 'master plumbers' or whatever they're called make over 100,000 a year, easy.

Now we're living in a world where plumbers have a good chance of making more than graduates with a J.D. 50 years ago no one would have imagined this... times are changing.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

Labour should get its due. The potential for catastrophe, the certification process and bonding of plumbers -- good ones -- makes their wages justifiable.

Don't get me wrong, though, everyone deserves a living wage.

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[caketastydelish]

I very much agree with you on that, but since that's not really the primary topic of this group (from my understanding, anyway) I won't get into that.

As far as jobs, particularly trade skill jobs, my understanding is always go for whatever is in high demand (unless you absolutely hate whatever it is). Were it not for my current plan (which is going for a networking/Cisco certification ATM) plumbing I'd seriously consider.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

You can't ask a Red a wage question without getting propaganda, you know?

Plumbing is definitely an in-demand profession. Also, if you know how to do it yourself, you can save a ton of money fixing the small things. Plumbers don't want the small jobs, anyway.

The plumber who certifies my in-house work is grateful I take care of the fixtures, risers and drains -- because he is then freed up to do the big jobs with larger profit margins -- like replacing water mains and sewers.

Good luck with the networking certs.

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[caketastydelish]

One personal obsession I have (probably the single most important political issue to me) is machines taking away jobs from human beings. This is both directly (such as cashiers being replaced by self-check out lines) and companies like eBay, amazon, and netflix killing off retail stores/video stores/etc. The former requires far less employees than the latter, and yes, I'm asserting that this is a bad thing.

Don't you think it is only a matter of time until this also happens to building trade jobs? Has it already happened? Is there anything we can do to stop/slow it?

 

[Cutlass]

The thing is, when you need a plumber, you need a plumber, and no substitute will really do. And since there is plumbing being built, and needing fixing, all the time, there's always demand for the work. But there's not a lot of people entering the trade. It's becoming harder and harder to become a plumber. It's a multi year apprenticeship, and master plumbers are less willing to take on apprentices.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

However, manufacturers are making things for lesser-skilled trades to replace skilled labor.

In electrical work, Armoured cable and non-metallic cable are code in some cities, where conduit -- which takes more skill to install - used to be the norm. In interor finishing, drywall has replaced wet plastering and wonderboard had replaced finish-in-place mortar.

For the most part, though, if you got a broken water main or sewer -- you need a plumber.

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[ReindeerThistle]

Here's a little something we discovered in the apartment below while doing a floor repair.

Explanation: the line side and load side wires are connected OUTSIDE an electrical outlet box. We fixed it immediately because it is a fire hazard.

Tenant has a lot of explaining to do, since I've been working on these buildings for 18 years and I never touched that box.

Edit: Oh, and here's the kitchen I've been working on - now complete:

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[caketastydelish]

Obviously trade skills are very important. If you're a brain surgeon and you get brain cancer, you can save a lot of time and money by doing an operation on yourself. If you're a plumber, you can unclog your own toilet.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

No on one, yes on two.

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[Cutlass]

Nice cabinets. Pricy materials.

That electrical is not that uncommon, though don't see it in apartments a lot, because most tenants at least don't touch the wiring.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

Guy gives a us a deal on the granite and the labour is volunteer.

HU-A!

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[emzie]

That's actually the answer I was expecting because somewhere (don't remember the exact source) that certain 'master plumbers' or whatever they're called make over 100,000 a year, easy.

Now we're living in a world where plumbers have a good chance of making more than graduates with a J.D. 50 years ago no one would have imagined this... times are changing.

I made more doing drywall and painting than I would have as a first year teacher back in the US. That kinda bothers me.

 

[peter grimes]

I really appreciate the finished underside of the uppers. Nice touch - all too often ignored. Will there be any lighting strips?

I'm putting LED strips under my uppers, but it's going to be a while before the project is complete. For now I'm just going to jump them off a 12v battery. Longer term I'd like a solar-recharge circuit and gesture controlled levels. As i said, that's longer term

 

[ReindeerThistle]

Thanks. Volunteer organizers/ Reds deserve the besy, as do the low-income people we serve.

Cabs are based on the original design. The cabs are 48" tall and go from the ceiling down - no wasted space. Inside uppers are lit -- with glass shelves.

No strip lights in the offing.

The drawers have K & V soft- close slides.

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[peter grimes]

K & v ??

 

[ReindeerThistle]

Knape and Vogt. Premier cabinet hardware co. Good product at fair prices.

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[Silurian]

I posted this in Abaddon's thread

Drivers seem to think it is ok to drive onto construction sites.

Back in the 80s I was doing some work at a power station. They had a road around the out side that people would speed along so they asked us to build some concrete speed humps for them.
So we poured the concrete and coned it off and went home. Next day we found that the security had decided to move the cones and drive through. The first hump they just left a faint mark on the concrete, in the second they left 100mm deep ruts which we repaired, they destroyed the last hump getting their land rover towed out.

When Westminster tube station for the Jubilee Line Extension was being built some trenches had to be dug across the road between the station and the Houses of Parliament at the weekend for services. They filled up the trenchs with concrete so that they could get the road fully open for Monday. Unfortunately because the road was half closed it was very busy and this police motor cyclist did not want to wait in the slow moving traffic. The blokes working there told me they tried to flag him down but he ignored them and kept driving. I would assume that the motorbike was a write off because it sunk in the trench.

Does any one else have any similar stories

 

[Cutlass]

Unfortunately, there are many cops that think that no rules apply to them.

 

[Masada]

That would have been an interesting one to explain to the Super.