Construction next door - need a contractor's input

[shark]

But personally, I'd rather have two vacant lots on either side of my house. That way I could save some cash and buy up the lots so that I could control what is done with them...I guess I'm kinda a control freak! Or I could have a really huge yard...

[AD720]

Originally Posted by shark

But personally, I'd rather have two vacant lots on either side of my house. That way I could save some cash and buy up the lots so that I could control what is done with them...I guess I'm kinda a control freak! Or I could have a really huge yard...

Yea...not really an option in center city.

[Jasonw560]

Go next door, and remember these 4 words..."Donde esta el jefe?" (Where is the boss?) That is, if they're Hispanic. If they don't know, ask "Cualquier habla Ingles aqui?" (Anyone speak English here?) Try to get it resolved on the worksite, then go up the ladder, so to speak.

[Taki]

Originally Posted by shark

Though I agree with the sentiment, in reality would it be a good idea to piss off a bunch of construction workers?

Good point! I would definitely take pictures only because if they cause damage to your house you could file a claim. I wouldn't want that garbage on my house, I'd probably start sneaky everything they lean against my house into my garage cut it up and throw it out or if it's nice, just keep it,

[RGD.]

Originally Posted by AD720

. . .It's just a boundary thing. . . . I want to reserve my being a jerk mode for starting before 7 am . .

Be a jerk. It's an ordinance. All of my crews have explict instructions not to make any noise before 7am and that includes car/truck noise, loud talking, radio etc.

Originally Posted by Boz

I would try to get in touch with the superintendent . . .The one that is likely on site every day and oversees all the subcontractors. It is his responsibility to ensure that his subs are careful and not damaging other property. Many times, issues such as yours are not relayed from the top down to the workers on site. Maintaining a friendly relationship with someone ON SITE will likely get you much farther than contacting the office.

Originally Posted by South Shield

. . .Sidewalks are tricky, especially in winter months where it gets cold and wet. Sidewalks are sometimes the only stable ground to set up staging. Is there no sidewalk in front of the house they are building?

As for leaning stuff up against your house. That is an absolute no no. You have a complaint there. None of the contractors stuff should be on your property whatsoever.

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Hey Andrew. I'm a builder/contractor and I, for one, would appreciate the phone call to the office like you made. . . .then I agree, the building inspector would be the person to call. It might not be a formal complaint coming from him/her, but that's who the builder has to deal with on a regular basis and would be the last person they would want to piss off.. . .The tricky part will be when one subcontractor finishes and the next one sets up shop. Hopefully they communicate to each sub.
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All of the above.

And you mentioned foundation work: silt fence. Every job with soil disturbance should have silt fence at or near the property lines. This makes a good boundary for the workers - in addition to being the law in most city/county/state jurisdictions - someone in the company should be a certified land disturber (that's me in our company) . If it's not installed make a call to the building/permit/zoning office (whatever they call it in your area). Having a stop work order slapped on them will get their attention real quick. They won't tell who filed the complaint. And if they do - so what - it's your property that is being abused. A lot of this stuff is just plain common courtesy.

And lastly - use an online translation program like Google translate - and print out some signs and or notices that you can hand out to the workers explaining what you would like them to stop doing. They normally will - most of your Spanish speaking workers simply don't understand the concept. I know this because 99% of my workforce is Spanish/Latin American.

Ron