Anybody work construction?

[Alpo]

Even better, anybody BOSS construction?

 

Way back when I was a wee small bit of a lad I took a masonry course at the local Vo-Tech. And they told us that one we were figuring materials for a job, we should add 10% - for spoilage.

 

Like we figure the wall should take 300 block, so we get 330. That way if someone cuts one wrong, or knocks one off the top of the wall and it breaks when it hits the slab, we are not screwed. We are not now short a block or two because we got extra.

 

So we build the wall, and yes we have a little spoilage. We ended up with five damaged block. But since we got 30 extra we finished the wall and still have 25 extra block.

 

What do the pros do with extra?

 

Throw it away? Keep it and use it on the next job - it's already paid for, so that's just more profit. Take it back to the block store for a refund?

 

 

 

[Tyrel Cody]

I kept the extra block and brick; I helped build my own house in 2006. At the time the guys I was working for would have the local lumber supply pick up the spoilage and take it to the next house if the homeowner didn't want to keep it; some do as and some don't. I wanted mine to build an outdoor grill.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

Many masonry contractors keep the block. Then use it on a wall or something that will get a finish used on it. Paint, Stucco etc. No one knows the difference.

[Yul Lose]

21 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Even better, anybody BOSS construction?

 

Way back when I was a wee small bit of a lad I took a masonry course at the local Vo-Tech. And they told us that one we were figuring materials for a job, we should add 10% - for spoilage.

 

Like we figure the wall should take 300 block, so we get 330. That way if someone cuts one wrong, or knocks one off the top of the wall and it breaks when it hits the slab, we are not screwed. We are not now short a block or two because we got extra.

 

So we build the wall, and yes we have a little spoilage. We ended up with five damaged block. But since we got 30 extra we finished the wall and still have 25 extra block.

 

What do the pros do with extra?

 

Throw it away? Keep it and use it on the next job - it's already paid for, so that's just more profit. Take it back to the block store for a refund?

 

 

 

A neighbor of mine worked for a big builder for many, many years and he collected the surplus materials and has built a rather nice house. He’s one of the big shots in the company now and still lives in the house that surplus built.

[Sedalia Dave]

BIL is a Tile Contractor. He usually keeps all the overages unless the homeowner specifically asks for it. Stores it all in a big building. Uses some of it for repairs when the original pattern has been discontinued. The rest he donates it to pro-bono jobs.

[Pat Riot]

My Dad was a Contractor. Any overages were given to the customer or returned to the supplier. He never wanted to be blamed for purposely padding the job.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

The short time I had a custom deck business, we would always return overage and offer the spoilage to the customer. Contractors in this area are known for keeping overage for personal use.  When I hire a contractor I let them know I want all overage and spoilage.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

I do electrical work and try to not waste much, but you end up with scrap pipe, wire etc. All my customers are commercial/industrial. My parents get every last bit  of scrap I accumulate.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Using left over materials can be beneficial and economical; however...

...there are those that don't turn out quite like what they wanted. 

 

[Assassin]

I ran commercial projects for many years. The last person to leave the job that did all the punch out work was usually stuck with all the surplus materials and anything else. When I did the punch out I gathered up all the stuff I thought might be useful. Yes, I've built sheds, additions, props, etc. Many of the contractors just left extra stuff because they didn't want to clutter their shops, it wasn't worth their time to sort through little items or haul off half a dozen somethings. Time was more valuable than 20-30 bucks worth of materials. 

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

3 hours ago, Assassin said:

I ran commercial projects for many years. The last person to leave the job that did all the punch out work was usually stuck with all the surplus materials and anything else. When I did the punch out I gathered up all the stuff I thought might be useful. Yes, I've built sheds, additions, props, etc. Many of the contractors just left extra stuff because they didn't want to clutter their shops, it wasn't worth their time to sort through little items or haul off half a dozen somethings. Time was more valuable than 20-30 bucks worth of materials. 

+1

 

Unless you inventory stock for a service department, waste is a cost of doing business. You can’t always account for change orders, how one tradesman will do something wasteful while the other is efficient, sometimes one part is outta stock or a better method/part works better but no return on the non stock item you bought....