Too kind to SS

I am too much of a nice person to my SS. Are people usually quite stern? I feel like other people who he is also supervising are getting their house done quicker cause i am too nice and they are putting the hard word on him?

We are so close to the end now should i get a little firmer?

Regards

B

The squeaky wheel gets more oil. . . . but speed isn't everything; you will sometimes get a better result if the Site supervisor can wait for the better tradies to become available rather than using the first available crew.

There are some more thougts at this link - http://www.anewhouse.com.au/2012/01/wor ... upervisor/

Hi bashworth, you make some good points on your website regarding this point of forming a good relationship with SS.

Hi Sportivo86
Being firm at the end of the project is a receipe for confict..Why?
1. For the majority of the project he did what he wanted and you did little to object
2. You have also signed off on many progress stages
3. Structural Items once buried, covered, forgotten cost 5-10 times the initial cost to rectify
4. Because of item 3 above chances are these problems might not surface until well outside your structural warranty period in which case you will have limited contractural recourse there after
5. As A structural engineer that does structural repairs I cant stipulated enough how important it is to educate SS & clients on how important it is to get things right when it maters first up.
6. You cant read a blog and become an expert engineer...nor will you dispense with real engineering services..as you will either use them in the begining during design and certification or later on during structural repairs and certification...preferably not the later

StructuralBIMGuy... wise words (as per usual!)

I have some concerns about your post because it indicates that you haven't had an independent inspector looking after your interests.

Please tell me that this isn't so.

Yes... please tell us that you actually have an independent inspector!?

We have hand over in 2 weeks and i have a building inspector coming to inspect the house before hand over. I now know i should of prob had one throughout the build but new to the game i failed to know this prior.

You treat the SS like any other "employee". He works for you really. If you want something - you raise it.

Being Mr Nice Guy isn't the answer here or anywhere - in fact.

BUT - that doesn't mean you aren't polite, logical, fair and honest. Get help (inspector) if you want - and make sure you are getting what you pay for.

You are spending perhaps the most money you ever will on one project - if you don't speak up - who will ?

I have a simpler view
Building your house is a business. It's business for the builder so why should it not be for you?
Treat it like a business as if you are being paid (and are responsible) to deliver investment for someone else.
It has nothing to do with kindness but it's your money

be polite but firm
understand and know plans, specifications, contract, inclusions
get expert help to back you up and to do independent stage inspections
communicate, communicate, communicate, ask questions (he who asks questions is in control)
cross your fingers and hope

Cheers

the ship has largley sailed.

That also doesnt mean your end result will be full of defects, you just dont have any assurance that its not.

Mr Nice guy doesnt equal push over either nor does mr stern ball breaker equal good project manager. As with anything in this world, you need to educate yourself on your investments and have quality discussions about what is happening. You now know there is a better approach that begins well before you sign your contracts. take it as a learning experience and move on. Youll know for next time.

I've seen plenty of posts on this forum showing poor workmanship thats been 'inspected' by 'building inspectors' which has not helped the home owner. Ive even seen poor inspection work by inspectors referenced on this forum; and negligence by their own admission. So as far as I can see, there's not always a whole lot of value in having an inspector. If you have a friend or someone in your family who understands building processes, and you take photos as a reference point as you go along -- sending issues to your builder immediately -- that's probably more reliable and definitely more cost effective.

As my husband says ... This is another one of those "industries that's grown out of thin air".

BTW Sport, I believe you can be firm (if you feel you should) but still nice. There's nothing wrong with being nice. No one likes an ar$eh@t. In fact they are more likely to respect you. Particularly as you have an inspector which implies you are questioning their ability/workmanship

And as usual Bashworth offers sage advice/comments ^

I totally agree TomCat. One can be firm but reasonable, without being demanding.

you need a good relationship with your SS and if you start of by discussing your expectations with the SS he will know your needs and you will understand his.

Of course, if your SS does not play the game as originally discussed, then the issues must be aired. Getting emotional and upset and talking from ones heart and not ones head, will only lead to conflict. The SS can push your job along or slow it down and give you the best tradies or not and unfortunately if you get up his nose then anything can happen.

Reading many of the posts on this forum, I see too often comments that stem from ignorance of the build process and the industry. Some people believe that theirs is the only job and should get priority.