Sparky puts blank plate where kitchen cupboard is meant to go

[SimonH2]

When mothers kitchen was done, the kitchen fitters drew on the plaster exactly where every unit was going before the electrician started so he knew where to fit everything, he in turn drew on the walls showing where every wire ran. Once tiled you could not see markings so it seemed such an easy method to ensure no conflicts between them.

When I was helping a mate, he had drawings from the kitchen fitters showing exactly where everything was going - and arranged the electrics around them. Needless to say, what they installed wasn't what was on the drawing

... however even with projects as big as the building of Sizewell 'B' power station errors are made ...
... The latter means the company gets day rate to move it, so they get more money if they just follow the plans and fit it even if you know it's wrong. If you don't fit the panel because you see it's wrong, then you get less money, likely needing to authorise overtime to catch up.

A mate worked on Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Apparently things like that were numerous.
As you sort of mention (for the benefit of people who've never seen how these things go), large projects like these end up broken down into many thousands of small work tasks. In this case, my mate was handed a task - run a cable from A to B, terminate into unit X at B (in this case, a supply for a door), terminate into circuit Y in distribution panel Z at A. Only Panel Z hadn't been fitted - so my mate just had to label the cable end and leave it hanging in the space where the panel should have been.
As you say, the contractor was able to sign off the task as done (and thus get paid for it), but raise a trouble ticket so they got paid for a second work task to go back and connect the cable after the panel was fitted.

Yes we all get bloody minded from time to time, when younger I spent ages putting up tray work and trunking ready for my cables only to find the alarm guys had put their cables on my tray and trunking.

My mate had something similar as well. Got called to explain why he'd done a poor job of supporting some cable tray. The ventilation guys chad come along after him, and just removed supports that were in their way - my mate was able to point to the wedges still in the floor beams above where the dropper rods had originally been hung from.

Where I used to work, I got used to the landlord and his contractors being ****ing ****s a lot of the time. Several times I'd have a bunch of network cables nice and safe, only to find they'd just been turfed out and left hanging like washing lines. "Can't be a**ed notching your timber where my cables run along the purlin ?" - just turf them out.

 

[stillp]

The person doing the panel has too options, one stop work and point out the error, two fit the panel (but don't fit all the screws) and wait to be told to move it. The latter means the company gets day rate to move it, so they get more money if they just follow the plans and fit it even if you know it's wrong. If you don't fit the panel because you see it's wrong, then you get less money, likely needing to authorise overtime to catch up.

I used to work at a Technical College, where a new classroom block was being built. The plans for the 2nd floor were inverted compared to the 1st floor, so most of the partition walls were in the wrong place. One wall was built over a stair well, supported by a scaffold plank...
The contractors used a weak mortar mix, knowing they'd have to demolish the walls and rebuild them in the right place, but, sod's law, one was in the right place, and was left. One of the lecturers slammed a door in that wall, and it collapsed around him like that famous Marx Brothers scene.

 

[Doggit]

If it was a light switch, and it's had a blanking plate put over it, why not just get a metal plate that will fit flush screwed over it instead.

 

[ericmark]

I am glad to see I was not the only one involved with the battle of the trades. This is really why we have clerks of works, they should act as mediator telling each trade what they should be doing. However in a small job it is normally one trade employs the others, builder employs the electrician and of course gets his cut, where the owner wants to employ trades independently then it is up to him to lay out exactly what they are to do.

The big problem is usually time, builder builds the wall, electrician does first fix, plumbers do first fix, plaster does wall, electrician and plumber does second fix, painter and decorator repairs minor items and paints wall. Flounders and swan watch it all and write a song "The Gas man cometh". But get one tradesman not turn up on time or something go wrong and you have a domino effect.

Mothers kitchen had bad plaster, it has to be removed and re-plastered, this delayed everything else.

Household electrics are so different to commercial, every cable fitted and every length of tray was documented, I would have to read plans to the letter, but with a house the instructions given to electricians are so vague. I have seen where all that was said was re-wire the house, I made a mistake when my mothers house was re-wired, I detailed all down stairs sockets to be as laid our for use by disabled people, upstairs I said it did not matter, now I did expect where the original socket was at 9" up the wall, then the replacement socket would be 9" up the wall, I did not expect it to be fitted just above skirting hight. However many sockets were fitted at skirting hight, and at the end of day that was my fault. I did not make myself plain. If I want them moving then up to me to pay for the move.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

As you say, the contractor was able to sign off the task as done (and thus get paid for it), but raise a trouble ticket so they got paid for a second work task to go back and connect the cable after the panel was fitted.

Just as any project manager will tell you - change control is where the profit comes from.