ᐅ Construction Supervision: Tips for a Camera with LTE, Battery, and Solar Panels?

PS:
I took good care of the masons, and in the end, they helped me set up the beer garden tables for the topping-out ceremony and even cleaned up afterwards. In return, they were allowed to take a crate of beer home for the end of the day.

You shouldn’t underestimate what “small gestures” can mean. For “us,” a sandwich costing 3.50 EUR (about 3.70 USD) is nothing. But for someone working in construction who earns 17 EUR/hour (about 18 USD/hour), that is a lot of money.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Water... bring water, bring sandwiches, bring hot coffee, and don’t forget milk and sugar. Talk to the people on site and don’t be arrogant. They are professionals, you are a layperson. If you notice something that might not be right, play dumb and ask if it’s supposed to be that way instead of immediately insisting on exact measurements down to the millimeter with a tape measure.

When I think back to how much food and small tips I spent during the shell construction phase, and how little appreciation I sometimes got in return, my blood pressure rises. Not all tradespeople appreciate this, and it is by no means a guaranteed way to create a good atmosphere on site or to improve quality because the workers would be more motivated.

People stuffed chocolate bar wrappers into the perforated bricks, balled up pretzel bags and threw them between the reinforcement bars in the garage footing, played cucumber-slice throwing at the basement window, and so on. The defects and the resulting frustration reflected that. After that, the fun was over, and I had to step up my game.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Always remember: None of the workers building your house will ever be able to afford a house like this in their lifetime...

I worked in construction myself for three years; everyone really has it in their own hands, and I certainly won’t make it my problem.

Showing general respect is, of course, a given. Everything beyond that is a matter of “give and take.”

Allthewayup schrieb:
When I think back to how much food and small cash gifts I spent during the shell construction phase and how little gratitude I received (none, actually), it makes my heart race. Not all tradespeople appreciate that, and it’s definitely not a guaranteed way to create a good atmosphere on the construction site, let alone better quality because the workers would be more motivated. (...)

Of course, bad luck can happen, no one denies that. But doing nothing from the start is definitely not the answer. Or would you advise a homeowner to never provide anything and to annoy the workers right from the beginning with scheduling and minor issues?

I myself worked in construction for three years, everyone can handle that on their own, and I certainly won’t make it my problem.

Good for you. But construction workers don’t do it for three years—they do it for 30 or 40 years. You might want to ask yourself if you could keep that up for so long.

Showing basic respect is a given; everything beyond that is a “give and take.”

Yes. But when I read your post here, it already seems like you’re showing a lack of respect. Because you blame the construction workers themselves for earning little, for throwing their trash everywhere, and so on. Honestly, I’m not surprised. Your attitude probably was like this from the start, along the lines of, “I’m putting things here for you; you’d better kneel before the king, the customer!”

Sorry, but nearly everyone who’s had problems on a construction site has behaved like you. I personally had hardly any problems. Strange, isn’t it?

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Or would you advise a builder to basically do absolutely nothing and annoy the workers from the start with appointments and minor details?

How do you come to that conclusion? @Allthewayup clearly explained it here—there was no mention of the sweeping generalization "nothing" that you keep referring to. Being able to read carefully is an advantage here; see here:

Allthewayup schrieb:

I worked on construction sites for three years myself.
Not all tradespeople appreciate that, and it’s definitely not a guaranteed recipe for good morale on site, let alone better quality....
Showing general respect is a given; everything beyond that is a matter of give and take.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

For that reason, doing nothing from the start is definitely not the answer.

It should be clear by now that nowhere, never, ever is sweeping generalization appropriate. You’re reacting to something no one here has actually said.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Good for you. But people working in construction don’t do it for three years, they do it for 30 or 40 years... you can ask yourself whether you could have lasted that long.

Just as age alone is not an achievement, neither is length of work experience. Whether one day or 50 years, it is irrelevant when it comes to mutual respect, and it certainly doesn’t depend on a few sandwiches being provided. My experience has been what it always is: mixed, because people are different, and you only ever encounter categories of people.
Two tradesmen have become friends, who visit us and even stay overnight; others I wouldn’t want working in my house again. I don’t mind making coffee or bringing something along, but I don’t have an overarching obligation to do so. For me, it’s like in the hospitality industry, where I also don’t apply a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather act selectively, and I give nothing at all in case of poor performance. I think this isn’t unique to construction regarding how people interact—but who am I to say?

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Yes. But when I read your post here, it already sounds like showing no respect.

Anyone who thinks that offering two sausage sandwiches and a lukewarm soda is showing respect doesn’t understand that having caviar instead doesn’t make one any wiser. Look up the definition of “respect.” Pay attention: respect is not automatically shown by giving food and drinks; that happens on a different level, but doesn’t exclude the previous either.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Honestly, I’m not surprised, your attitude must have been like that from the start, along the lines of
“I put something here for you, so you’d better fall to your knees before the king customer!”

You really contradict yourself every time. Recently, you even kicked out your lazy friends from the site, who behaved like parasites instead of working, and now you’re saying the opposite again. I couldn’t care less about what I said yesterday, and you can even respectfully call your friends parasites and then "sort them out"—yet you accuse someone who expresses themselves thoughtfully and clearly of disrespect. You really can’t make this stuff up.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

Sorry, but almost everyone who’s had problems on site behaved like you. I hardly ever had problems. Strange, isn’t it?

Haha, really great, you should be on stage. I’ll quote you from another thread:

MachsSelbst schrieb:

I’ve been through all this, by now I do most of the work myself or with 1–2 people with whom I work well and who deliver quality work.
The rest I had to weed out because I had to explain too much and/or they just botched it quickly, as long as there’s beer and a kebab after work.
The best approach is to assume you’ll end up doing the work alone, or at best with 1–2 helpers who are basically just assistants, handing things over, carrying stuff, etc.

The internet never forgets.

Arauki11 schrieb:

How do you come to that conclusion? @Allthewayup clearly explained it here, and it was definitely not a general statement like your usual "nothing" claim. Being able to read is an advantage here again; take a look:

It should slowly become clear that generalizations are never appropriate anywhere. You are reacting to something that no one here has said.

Just as age alone is not an achievement, the same goes for professional experience. Whether one day or 50 years doesn’t matter at all when it comes to mutual respect, and that certainly doesn’t depend on a couple of sandwiches. My experiences have been as they always are — different, just like people are different. You only ever encounter categories of people, after all.
Two craftsmen have become our friends, who visit and even stay overnight, while there are others I would never want to see working in my home again. I’m happy to make coffee or bring something along, but I do not have a general obligation to provide. For me, it’s like in hospitality, where I also don’t apply a one-size-fits-all approach, but act selectively, and give absolutely nothing if the work is poor. I don’t think this is some unique principle only on construction sites—how people treat each other—but who am I kidding?

Anyone who thinks that two blood sausage sandwiches and a lukewarm soft drink show respect clearly doesn’t understand that caviar won’t make you wiser. Look up the definition of the word "respect"; respect isn’t automatically shown by giving food and drinks — that happens on another level, but doesn’t exclude the previous.

You really babble in a different direction every time. Recently, you even kicked out your lazy, doner-eating friends from your construction site one after another, who behaved like parasites instead of working, and now it’s the other way around again. Why should I care about yesterday’s nonsense? You can respectfully call your friends parasites and then "sort them out," while accusing someone who expresses themselves clearly and with nuance of disrespect. You really couldn’t make this up…

Haha, really great, you should be on stage… I’ll quote you from another thread:

The internet never forgets…

I couldn’t have put it better myself. I wouldn’t have wanted to respond so extensively to that nonsensical post behind this one, so thanks for doing it.

Tip for homeowners... don’t act as reserved as those two up there. They actually think they’re better than others, but that’s not the right attitude to have on a construction site if you want things to go smoothly.