# Working with GC



## plumber1a (Jan 3, 2009)

In the big city of Los Angeles, California I have increasingly over the years have noticed that many general contractors tend to hire incompetent personell who have littel or no experience at what their doing, can't or wont get the ansewrs necessary for the sub trades to correctly do their work meanwhile expressing the urgency to the job schedual, under pressure with out the necessary answers the subs do their installation to the best from information provided only have the GC or the owner insist a change be made free of charge and in some cases after the job is completed. I take great pride in my work and workmanship, but this is getting worse as time goes on, but many of the GC's just dump it on the sub, this is very unfare and the sub usually eats it. I've done everything possible to protect us and I'm getting very tired having to check up on everything from the architect to the owner as I'm just the plumbing sub contractor. Are there any good GC's left out there?


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

ive had the pleasure of dealing with about 5 out of about 5,000. good ones are rare so when you get one take care of him/her.


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## Hyper Piper (Nov 29, 2008)

Good GC? Very few and far between. When is the last time you saw a set of plans that wasn't a piece of crap?


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Plumbing Inspector told me today that big business doesn't care about doing things right anymore, it's all about the money.


He mentioned Walmart and stated that you basically had to surprise show up and issue stop work orders because they just don't care. They figure that if they get by, they don't have to deal with any of it.

He stated he's shut a few down, but they go right back to the attitude every time that it's not a big deal. 


I can't work for GC's...ever. I don't need anyone to direct my money. I work directly with the property owner and no one else.

If I was forced back into that situation, I'd make it clear that IF I don't get paid, I won't come after you personally, I'm going after someone you love and care about, striking out at a purely innocent victim so you get to witness the harm you've done. Me and money are 1-n-1, we be tight n s**t. :wheelchair:


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Had bad luck with every GC I worked for. 
Better off on your own


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## WestCoastPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Good gc? yeah right, they hire crappy illigitament plumbers to complete work and charge the customer full price for a crappy job.

I will never work for a GC, I get calls, i refuse. They want to take my good hard work and make a profit on it an pay me nuts.

Forget it, GC's all suck if you ask me, I haven't met one that I liked.


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## smellslike$tome (Jun 16, 2008)

Hot dog! This might be my favorite thread ever!


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## plumber1a (Jan 3, 2009)

I see I struck a nerve here, I don't feel so alone anymore. It just amazes me how most GC's are raking in the money and like I've read here give us nuts in return. I think I'm going to start sending people with 0 experience to take care of some of these guys work, it would be like the blind leading the blind, might be worth the laugh...


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

on your quest to find a good, fair, intelligent general contractor. you may want to start w/ easier scavenger hunts, such as the cup of christ, bigfoot, "nessie", the real shooter of jfk. id take a crack at those then tackle the hard one.:laughing::whistling2::thumbsup:


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## Dr Steevil (Jan 25, 2009)

mjcoleman said:


> on your quest to find a good, fair, intelligent general contractor. you may want to start w/ easier scavenger hunts, such as the cup of christ, bigfoot, "nessie", the real shooter of jfk. id take a crack at those then tackle the hard one.:laughing::whistling2::thumbsup:


You forgot Jimmy Hoffa.

Man, I can't agree any more with everyone here about GC's. My last experience with one was a hotel spa project. The job was so f'ed up that the architect actually quit the project. The plans were changed so many times WHILE INSTALLING THE UNDERGROUND piping, that I decided to just throw the things away and basically wing it! With the architect gone, the whole thing was turned over to (get this) an INTERIOR DESIGNER! We had weekly meetings with her to discuss the project, and I got mad one day because she was talking about sconces and wall treatments, and I'm like, "Hey, can we get through the rough-in phase first"? I left the meeting and went back to work. A few days later, my boss tells me that the GC has terminated us and singled me out as incompetent.

You can only imagine how :furious: that made me! I drove to the site and let the super have a piece of my mind. My competence was about the only thing they had going for them when it came to the plumbing in that place.

I need to calm down. I'm starting to get p.o'd about that all over again. In through the nose...out through the mouth. Deep calming breaths.

There.


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## plumber1a (Jan 3, 2009)

It's pretty funny what incompetent people will do sometimes to cover up their stupidity, I've learned many of good lessons just by telling someone I screwed up.


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## gladerunner (Jan 24, 2009)

Hope I don't make any enemies saying this, but 90% of my work is new construction thru GC's/Developers. I currently have about 6 diffrent companies that iv'e been working for years that keep me pretty busy year round. They all have seemed to keep the same core of sub's together which makes life pretty easy. We all know basicly what the other trades are going to do and we communicate regularly. I haven't had any problems with them trying to beat me up on pricing. They all seem to be more concerned with our ability to complete the work professionaly and on time. Mostly high end stuff so I'm sure their profit margins are ok. I personaly like this type of work because I prefer being able to load a job box and material and just show up and work. Not trying to rain on anybodies gc bashing parade, but there are good ones out there. And I felt compeled to defend them due to the fact that they have supported me and my family in a comfortable lifestyle for many years, and put 2 of my sons through college.


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## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

Amen.


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

gladerunner said:


> Hope I don't make any enemies saying this, but 90% of my work is new construction thru GC's/Developers. I currently have about 6 diffrent companies that iv'e been working for years that keep me pretty busy year round. They all have seemed to keep the same core of sub's together which makes life pretty easy. We all know basicly what the other trades are going to do and we communicate regularly. I haven't had any problems with them trying to beat me up on pricing. They all seem to be more concerned with our ability to complete the work professionaly and on time. Mostly high end stuff so I'm sure their profit margins are ok. I personaly like this type of work because I prefer being able to load a job box and material and just show up and work. Not trying to rain on anybodies gc bashing parade, but there are good ones out there. And I felt compeled to defend them due to the fact that they have supported me and my family in a comfortable lifestyle for many years, and put 2 of my sons through college.


 hey gladerunner, its not a bashing party. i said when you get a good one take care of them. sounds like you have one. ill have good stories like that in 10 years when my next one rolls around.:whistling2::laughing:


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## plumber1a (Jan 3, 2009)

People will be People, some good, in-between, bad, the list goes on and on. General contractors are people too, but what gets me most is the usual contractors terms, like the pay when paid clause. It really pisses me off when I have to call a GC and beg for money earned 60+ days ago, only to be told they haven't been paid yet, but I had to pay my guys and supply bills, something is really wrong with this. Maybe I should become a GC too and make money, because I only pay when paid.


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## Kyle181 (Sep 5, 2008)

I just like the GC's who think they are the greatest person on earth and that you should bow down to them because they could do your job better than you if they felt like it. Those are my favorite!


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

I 've got 3-4 GCs in Residential Remodel that I would crawl over broken glass for !!

Aside from them ,,,, F*** 'em 

Cal


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

I'm another guy who works for the same GC's over and over again. Like Gladerunner's experience, one hand washes the other. Occasionally I'll work for new people, hoping to expand my customer base. If things don't work out, it's only one job. Even with our regular customers we occasionally get a job super who doesn't seem to get the team concept. They can't get their minds around the meaning of the word synergy.


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## WestCoastPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

Kyle181 said:


> I just like the GC's who think they are the greatest person on earth and that you should bow down to them because they could do your job better than you if they felt like it. Those are my favorite!


 
I have 1 guy that is always caling me to work for him, I did twice and never again. I broke my own rule.

He told me straight out I will need him one day, couldn't be further from
the truth. He wants me to open a wall to fix a leak and call him in there so he can change molding and make a small job a home renovation.

Told me straight out, I told him I don't operate that way. Other then that, he is wants to pay pennies on the $$$, always the same story with every GC.

Customers have problems with GC's also, they all suck! the jobs take forever to get done, the GC is robbing peter to pay paul. Geeze, there is not one one thing that is good about a GC.


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## plumber1a (Jan 3, 2009)

In LA, CA. it just seams like it's always about price with GC's, they want solid gold for the price of plated. I am often told how awesome our guys were in completing a job and being beaten down on price at the same time, I don't get it because you can't have it both ways, not for very long. I often give up and try the next guy, but my-god try 100 keep 1, those are awful odds.


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## pzmember (Sep 20, 2008)

get a call today from a gc on a new house ive got going on. says he wants the tub box filled w/ concrete because the h/o is worried about bugs getting in, whatever. i get over there get the tub hole filled in and this gc starts giving me advice on concrete and any thing else that he feels hes expert at. then he says ive got a pipe out of the wall in the laundry. i find it hard to believe but i go look. hes being a smart ass the whole time and takes a 4' straight edge and puts it across the riser to the laundry box and proceeds to rock the straight edge back and forth w/ about an inch of play. so i think wtf. so i start heading to the van and stop turn around and grab a 2' level and put it across the studspace and ill be damned if the riser clears completly. the play was between his studs, not my pipe. so i gave him some advice, crown your studs the same direction on walls and quit blaming me moron. and then i left. :furious:


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## PLUMB TIME (Feb 2, 2009)

*Generals*

I to have had the occasional moron g.c. but i am glad to say that at the moment we are doing work for a good one. Five jobs and not one bid up front. He got our name from someone he trusted and that was it. Twice he has called and asked why we havnt billed him yet, always have check within 2-3 days. Always wants it done right never questions money. 
Says he was sick and tired of half ass plumbing jobs and plumbers who couldn't or wouldn't communicate intelligently with his customers. 
WALK OVER GLASS, HELL YES


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## plumber1a (Jan 3, 2009)

I have this GC who uses many foreign tradesmen, I was surprised by how many Russians and Armenians are coming here, Spanish is hard enough but, Russian forget it. Anyway they tend to do things differently, on a job they strapped their electrical and fire sprinkler piping directly to the roof, right through the roofing material, I told the GC foreman about this many times, they didn't realize it would be a problem till it rained, to me it was very funny, but there was some damage and the GC told everyone they would have to pay a portion of the damage and for a new roof, I told them no and if they deducted it I would lien the property. They paid me in full, I just couldn't believe they let it go for so long. The GC didn't like me much after that, but I pay for enough of my own problems.


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