Darren Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 It is with mixed feeling that I tell you guys I took a job I as a Construction Superintendent on a 'Charter' school in lovely downtown Newark. I will still be conducting HI's on the weekends (until I drop), but I figured I'd post weekly pictures here to show our progress. We just started footing about 2 weeks ago. Click to Enlarge 51.44 KB Click to Enlarge 119.86 KB Click to Enlarge 76.88 KB Click to Enlarge 106.93 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieb Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Sorry to hear the pain in your post but I'm thankful your family is provided for. A man does what he has to. There is honor is that. Those footing are wide! Is that typical? How many stories in the building and what is your soil classification? Here in the clay ridden south they are typically about 3 feet wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Looks like that facebook money is starting to flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Hockstein Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Good Luck with your new job. Try not to get too frustrated with the Newark Building Department. If you are lucky you will get some of the people that actually know what they are doing and want to do their job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Darren, I don't even know what to say without sounding trite. It's unsettling that someone with your knowledge and integrity is no longer going to be in the field. All the best with the new gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 I wish I knew you a bit better, but based upon others that I really like and respect, it does indeed sound like the field up your way will suffer a loss. All the best, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Manor Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 I love inspecting houses. I love putting food on the table more. Sometimes the two go together, other times they don't. I spent the day on board a big-ass ocean freighter inspecting wind turbine components. We do what we gotta do. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 The coolest place to be, after this gig, is on a big construction site. I always enjoy my "consulting" gigs; there's something about big projects that pump me up. It speaks to your competency level that you got the gig that, most likely, a lot of folks were trying to land. Congratulations. I mean that. I'm not going anywhere; I don't think anyone else is either. So, we expect you to keep coming here, telling us what's going on, and educating us about your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjloden Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Cool project Darren. I used to be a commercial PM and loved my time on site. I have one question from looking the footing forms; In NJ does the mob place bodies in all footing or just select footings? Are there special code provisons for that kind of thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted April 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 The reference to facebook is the founder of facebook gave the city of Newark something like half a billion dollars for it's education system. Charlie; the building is four storys; 64,000 sq ft not including the gym. The site is basically all fill; most of it unsuitable. Just today one of the piers had to be over-excavated by 2 1/2 feet and filled with clean stone. The 'good' material does contain clay. Bill; No, here in NJ, they don't bury bodies in the footing, they bury them in the ground UNDER the footings. They found that bodies in the concrete don't decompose as quickly as in the soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Yes, I was thinking that dirt would make a better garden than a building site. If a few more of the world's 500 Billionaires put some cash into the economy, we could all dig our way out of the hole a bit. Anyway, it is good to see some building going on down your way. Good luck with the 9 to 5. And the weekend inspections. That could become the trend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Looks like a project you can sink your teeth into. What's the completion date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted April 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Completion date- June 2012 Next week we start on the gym retaining wall footings; the wall is 14 inches thick and 18 feet high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Facebook donated about 100 million I think, he did it on Oprah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Facebook donated about 100 million I think, he did it on Oprah. Hmmm, I wonder how he'd feel about helping to get the first college of Building Science, Home Inspection and Green Technologies in the country started? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Facebook donated about 100 million I think, he did it on Oprah. Hmmm, I wonder how he'd feel about helping to get the first college of Building Science, Home Inspection and Green Technologies in the country started? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike [:-thumbu] Darren, I worked on the masonry of probably eight schools and two prisons over the years. As Kurt said, big projects are definitely cool - typically complicated work, with a lot of trades all doing their thing at the same time, once things get into high gear. We were always having to install all of our work around the electrician's boxes and conduit, and plumbing. Often steel workers were hopping the metal bar joists overhead to weld the roof decking into place. And, it was always nice to know you were going to be working in one place for close to a year. Congrats on that position. I'll look forward to watching the progress and enjoying the memories myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaake Posted April 23, 2011 Report Share Posted April 23, 2011 Darren, I've been in business in south Jersey for about five-years nowâ⬦I know how you feel. I've also had a one of my better winters in history as far as business is concerned and would think it would be picking up in north Jersey as well. I've said from the beginning, this would be a great part-time job! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted April 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 Here's a retaining wall footing (with storage rooms on the exterior side. Click to Enlarge 85.16 KB Click to Enlarge 100.02 KB Click to Enlarge 81.75 KB Here's a section of the retaining wall the gym columns will be sitting on. Click to Enlarge 86.09 KB Click to Enlarge 84.16 KB Click to Enlarge 73.48 KB This wall is on the other side of the building/block from the previous pictures. It took them 3 1/2 days from excavation to pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted April 30, 2011 Report Share Posted April 30, 2011 Cool. I haven't seen a concrete bucket in almost 20 years. Don't you guys use pumper trucks? And why isn't anyone wearing high visibility clothing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted May 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Jim; The footing for the wall took 67 yards; about 40 of them were poured from the trucks at the street. The wall pour took 30 yards. Getting a pump for so little yardage wasn't worth the cost. As far as reflective vests; since most of the guys are in the trenches or on the wall, I guess there not needed. We had our '3rd party' safety inspection on Tuesday and nothing was said about the vests. I have the plumber coming in late next week to start the underground and steel is scheduled for late May or early June, depending on fabrication. The shop drawing are late going back and forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Curious. How many yards is that bucket? Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Curious. How many yards is that bucket? Marc I'm betting 1.5 - 2 cubic yards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtblum Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 I DO NOT miss any part of that shit. In the hole by 7 soaked from sweat by 7:20. Slipping in the mud, smashing my hands, getting hit by a couple of stray rocks that managed to hang in the bucket until it flew over me. Where's my spud wrench? Great pics. I can smell the dirt from here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 I DO NOT miss any part of that shit. In the hole by 7 soaked from sweat by 7:20. Slipping in the mud, smashing my hands, getting hit by a couple of stray rocks that managed to hang in the bucket until it flew over me. Where's my spud wrench? Great pics. I can smell the dirt from here. Yes, to this day I've got a lovely gash (scar) in my calf, that should have been stitched and wasn't, from rebar. We had a guy pinned against a form one time when a bank slightly taller caved in on him. We were digging our asses off at light speed. He was OK, but it was pretty scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted May 1, 2011 Report Share Posted May 1, 2011 Jim; The footing for the wall took 67 yards; about 40 of them were poured from the trucks at the street. The wall pour took 30 yards. Getting a pump for so little yardage wasn't worth the cost. As far as reflective vests; since most of the guys are in the trenches or on the wall, I guess there not needed. We had our '3rd party' safety inspection on Tuesday and nothing was said about the vests. I have the plumber coming in late next week to start the underground and steel is scheduled for late May or early June, depending on fabrication. The shop drawing are late going back and forth. All union trades or a mixed batch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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