Construction In Your Complex Horror

DeltaSigStan · #1 08-26-2004, 06:12 PM

I laughed when they told us they were jackhammering our balconies and courtyards not less than two years after we moved into frat row because the original workers did a COMPLETELY shitty job on it.

I dismissed the jackhammering RIGHT NEXT to my bedroom window at 7 AM, because I have an amazing ability to tune annoyances out (years of soccer refereeing).

I even said "shit happens" when their carelessness resulted in 7 stitches in my foot and weeks of limping around.

But when those idiots who start at 7 AM and take a break from 10-4PM were digging a trench and accidently flooded the cable wires, resulting in 5 days of no TV...

IT GOT F*CKING PERSONAL

SapphireSphinx9 · #2 08-26-2004, 06:21 PM

oh my God!!! LOL!!! that's funny! i'm sorry, i know it wasn't at the time, but it's really funny!

Kevin · #3 08-26-2004, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DeltaSigStan
I laughed when they told us they were jackhammering our balconies and courtyards not less than two years after we moved into frat row because the original workers did a COMPLETELY shitty job on it.

I dismissed the jackhammering RIGHT NEXT to my bedroom window at 7 AM, because I have an amazing ability to tune annoyances out (years of soccer refereeing).

I even said "shit happens" when their carelessness resulted in 7 stitches in my foot and weeks of limping around.

But when those idiots who start at 7 AM and take a break from 10-4PM were digging a trench and accidently flooded the cable wires, resulting in 5 days of no TV...

IT GOT F*CKING PERSONAL

Contractors having a tough time finding cheap labor that is competant?

tinydancer · #4 08-26-2004, 10:20 PM

Oh, I so feel your pain! The original contractors who remodeled my school are long gone now, but their incompetence remains. The ceiling in my library leaked from the first month we were in it, and now 4 years later, it still leaks.

Every couple of month or so, a little man comes out and "looks" at it, but never does anything but take some notes.

swissmiss04 · #5 08-26-2004, 11:53 PM

Currently feeling you, as they did utility work in my front yard the other day (coincidentally the first day of class!!) They left flyers the day before "no parking on 8/25 between 7am and 6pm." WTF?! I parked quite a ways from my apt. and I wasn't happy, considering it was around 10 pm (and I was alone). They drilled and messed around all day and when it was all over the parking lot looked like a war zone. Great. Not to mention the yard maintenance people start about 7:30 am. Asshats!

KSigkid · #6 08-27-2004, 08:04 AM

It always amazes me when stuff like this happens. My father has been a general contractor for the last 30-something years (since he came back from Vietnam), and has had his own business for almost 20. If he EVER made some of the mistakes I hear other contractors making, he'd be out of a job extremely fast. Word travels fast if you've done shoddy work.

It's really not hard to do the job right the first time.

ZTAngel · #7 08-27-2004, 08:37 AM

Does your city have a noise ordinance? I wouldn't think that the contractors are allowed to be outside hammering at 7am. In my boyfriend's old apartment complex, the lawn service guys would be out at 6am tearing it up and down the lawn. After a few neighbors made some calls to the police, the lawn service people got the hint and started their day at 9am which is what our noise ordinance says is a reasonable time.

A few years ago, some construction workers were widening a road across from my apartment complex. It was a mess. They used dynamite to blow up some of the old pavement. I'd be sitting in my room when the whole building would begin to violently shake. I freaked out the first time it happened. We don't get earthquakes in Florida so I knew it wasn't that. The violent shaking happened for the first time right after 9/11 and the gov't was saying the terrorists could potentially attack apartment complexes. I thought terrorists were bombing us! But, I got use to it since it became a daily event. One time, they ended up bursting a huge water pipe. For about two days, we had no running water in the apartment. You think having no cable is bad...hah...imagine not being able to cook, use the bathroom, shower, or wash your hands. I took up residence on a couch in the ZTA house for those two days so that I could shower and do all those other hygenically necessary things.

DeltaSigStan · #8 08-27-2004, 02:02 PM

The problem is that this is Frat Row, owned by the University. Frat Row was basically constructed to make life hell for the 8 frats living there, and they're doing a bang up job of it. The University hired shitty contractors on purpose.

SDSU is on a SLOW, TEDIOUS downward spiral into a 30,000 student JC. I mean shit, they're practially TRYING to piss off our Alumni.

aurora_borealis · #9 08-27-2004, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DeltaSigStan
The problem is that this is Frat Row, owned by the University. Frat Row was basically constructed to make life hell for the 8 frats living there, and they're doing a bang up job of it. The University hired shitty contractors on purpose.

SDSU is on a SLOW, TEDIOUS downward spiral into a 30,000 student JC. I mean shit, they're practially TRYING to piss off our Alumni.

SDSU is a public university, therefore they deal with the government practice of accepting bids and taking "the lowest bidder". Kind of makes you wonder about other government agencies and what they are purchasing, like food equipment, and weapons for our military.

As for the noise ordinance, I tried using that angle to complain when I first got to school here and they were tearing down old dorms to put up new buildings. The city noise ordinances didn't apply to the campus, so those contractors kept showing up in their huge diesel rigs at 4:45 am, blaring country music, and eating donuts and coffee. It was about 100 outside, and inside the combinaiton of a metal building, the 3rd floor, and no central air easily put it in the 110's. I had just come from Alaska I was craaaaankaaaaaaay with the heat, no sleep didn't help that mood.

bruinaphi · #10 08-27-2004, 07:37 PM

Ia lot of cities in CA, including Los Angeles, the noise ordinance allows them to start construction at 7 a.m.

A few years ago I learned all about how the state doesn't have to follow city ordinances when Cal Trans decided to dig up Santa Monica Boulevard and only work between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. Our city council members fought long and hard with Cal Trans as did our assembly members. It was all to no avail. They would jack hammer all night long. In the process of them digging up the streets they managed to turn off our electrical and cable multiple times. I have never been so sleep deprived in my life. In other words, I feel your pain.

Glitter650 · #11 08-28-2004, 02:03 AM

There was a building on campus that was shut down three or four years ago becuase it had toxic mold that was making people sick. About two years ago they decided to tear down the walls and kinda "rebuild" the building to get rid of the mold. My friend lived in a building facing the "moldy" building they started at 7 am everyday and had th ebuilding covered in white plasticy stuff which reflected light right into her window as soon as there was any light to reflect. NOT FUL at 6 AM to be blinded why a completely white 10 story building.

lifesaver · #12 08-28-2004, 02:59 AM

I live right on a golf course and (right off the 4th hole) at least twice a week grounds maintanance comes by at about 5:45 am. It always seems that the grounds maintanance for the condo complex has to come by on a third day also at about 6am.

Mowing I can deal with. Its the phucking leaf blowers that push me over the edge. That sound.... What the hell ever happened to a rake and a broom?