Women in construction

Just finished removing popcorn ceilings.

2010-03-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

A gentleman had a leak in his roof which caused part of his ceiling to stain and fall in. He also had drywall tape turning loose in his enclosed garage due to humidity and moisture in that area. I tried to talk him into replacing the popcorn acoustical ceiling with a more modern knockdown texture, but he insisted on keeping the popcorn texture. One of the few people I have ever met who actually like that style of texture.

So we scraped the popcorn ceiling in the living room, cut out the bad section, replaced it with new drywall, taped, finished and resprayed popcorn texture all in one day. We came back the next day, scraped down the popcorn ceilings in the garage, secured the drywall tape that was coming loose and resprayed the popcorn acoustical texture on the ceiling.

We receive a lot of calls concerning popcorn ceilings. It is nearly impossible to patch a popcorn ceiling and make it blend back in the with original ceiling texture. The popcorn will be different colors, the new area will be whiter, and the sprayed on thickness will be different. It is always better to scrape, repair and then re-texture than to do a crappy patch job. Click on the step by step instructions I've written to be a DIY and learn to remove popcorn ceilings. I've also included hints on how to remove a popcorn ceiling that has been painted.

Example of a knockdown texture Example of a stipple texture

Times are tough !!!

2010-03-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Received a call today from a gentlemen in need of some drywall hanging and finishing. He said I was the only one listed in the yellow pages, whose number was not disconnected. Funny that call should come through today. I was looking over my new advertising contract for the yellow pages and debating on whether or not to renew the ad. We specialize in commercial construction, the yellow page ad tends to bring in mostly residential work. Why does the phone company have to charge such high rates to list you in the phone book? And while I'm at it why do they charge me extra money to not list my home number in the phone book? What a racket.

I do feel bad for the companies that have gone under, but....maybe being the last one standing, so to speak will bring me more business. The only thing keeping us going right now is residential. So come on homeowners spend that tax refund on some home improvements.

Workman's Compensation and Karma

2010-03-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

I had an employee who fell from a painters scaffold that was 2 feet off the ground while on the job back in the summer. We called an ambulance, stayed by his side and accompanied him to the emergency room. He injured his back. During the emergency room interview I learned he had previously had back surgery. I asked that a drug test be given, which came back positive, but since they had already administered pain medication, it couldn't be counted.

The first doctors release him to come back to work in two days. Not wanting any problems, I tell him take the rest of the week off with pay, rest up come back Monday. Monday arrives he comes to work but now his hand is swelling and he needs to leave. I send him back to the doctor. Now the pain is in his back again. This doctor releases him to come back to work in 2 weeks. This has gone on for months, each time the doctor releases him for duty he gets an extension. One of the doctor's notes said pain from degenerative disk disease. He is in a recliner, can't stand, can't sit and in unbearable pain.

This week he is so busted. He was seen unloading scrap metal and moving around quite well by another employee. I even got pictures. Thank you BlackBerry Bold 9700 Phone (AT&T) for your built in camera, and the ability to email them. He has done wonders for my workman's compensation insurance rates. My rating has gone up and I have lost my discount. I sincerely hope my insurance company takes this serious and does something about the fraud being committed.

How I got my start in construction.

2010-03-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping that by starting this blog, I may hear from other women in the construction industry. I would love to share stories, hopes, concerns and advice.

I've been around construction in some way shape or form my entire life. My father was in it, my stepfather, and I married a man that was in construction. The construction lasted, the marriage didn't, but that's another story. I started out in other fields, sales, credit manager, and even started my own restaurant. When I got divorced and moved, my stepfather wanted me to run the office for his construction company. Since I needed a change, I took him up on the offer.

After getting in the office, there just wasn't enough to keep me busy. His company does Commercial Metal Stud Framing, drywall and Acoustical Ceilings for primarily large retail buildings. He tried to teach me how to read blueprints so I could do material takeoff and estimating. I just couldn't understand all the lines on the page. These blueprints have 40 pages with details and notes that send you on a goose chase to find an answer. I had never tried reading blueprints before, and I wasn't familiar with the materials being used. I thought a screw was a screw. I didn't know there were different screws for different applications.

I just couldn't get the hang of the prints, so I asked him to send me out into the field. I thought watching a project being built from the ground up would help me understand. So out into the field I went, after a little shopping of course. Comfortable work boots are a must. I found the Timberland Women's Nellie Premium Casual - 7.5B Navy to hold up well. I bought some tools and a Little Pink Tool Pouch & Belt. Ok seriously I started out with a Custom LeatherCraft 1614 23-Pocket/5-Piece Comfortlift Combo System just like the guys. But as I learned more and became comfortable on the job site, I did switch from the blue Timberlands to the pink ones and I added some pink to my tool bag and tools. Just because you are on a construction site doesn't mean you can't have some style. Another benefit of having pink tools and a bag, if someone "borrows" your hand tools, you can always tell which ones are yours.

With the help of a very patient superintendent, I learned how to layout the walls from the lines on the blueprints. I learned how to frame the walls out of metal studs, hang and finish drywall. I enjoyed the process. And I loved the weight I was losing in the process as well as the muscles I was gaining. The only thing I didn't like about being on a job site was the port-o-lets.

I know I drove the guys crazy sometimes with all the questions I asked. I learned everything I could, I read code books, spec books, osha regulations and I watched how the guys worked. A few of the superintendents, employees and guys from other trades gave me a hard time along the way. A woman's place was not on a construction site.

By the end of each job, I had earned my respect and right to be on a construction site. But when that project would end, a new one would begin. Each new project brought a fresh set of project managers, and trades that I would have to prove my abilities to all over again. That was nine long years ago.

Today, for all intents and purposes, I run every aspect of this company. I have to say working in the field was far easier.