Your Site Team

Now that you're all set to renovate your home, it's important to know who's who you will be working with for the next couple of weeks, or even months.

THE JOB site team of the contractor requires a group of personnel that will deliver to you the house of your dreams. After the design of the house is complete and the contractor has done all the necessary permit applications, schedules, estimates in the office, it is now time to execute the project. The jobsite personnel includes:

Project engineer
The project engineer is the person responsible for the overall performance of the project at the site. He or she reports to the head office and directly supervises the work crew at the site so that the design of the structure is followed. He or she is a civil engineer by training and can make decisions on the spot with regard to the process on how the structure is to be built.
The site engineer makes sure that the quality, budget and schedule requirements are met. He or she is also responsible for the safekeeping and overall safety and cleanliness of the site.

Foreman
The foreman is in charge of the skilled and unskilled people working at the site. He makes sure that the plans are properly staked out at the site and coordinates on a regular basis with the project engineer.

In the construction of a house, the foreman is mainly responsible for the execution of the project at the site. The skill of the foreman is usually that of a carpenter for he is responsible for the overall layout of the house.

Lead man
The lead man is also a skilled worker and, at the absence of the foreman, takes the responsibility of the foreman. You may call him the "vice foreman" and is likewise responsible. If the foreman is at the site, the lead man takes a skilled role usually that of a carpenter.

For large construction projects, there may also be a lead man for a specific skill as in a carpenter's lead man or a mason's lead man.

Concrete mason
The concrete mason mixes and pours concrete, levels it and puts on the finishing plastering to make a smooth finish. He is also responsible for the other designs such as moldings and grooves on the concrete surface.

A finishing mason has to have a talent for the arts because decorative finishes require a lot of creativity.

Carpenter
The carpenters are responsible for placing the guides during the layout and staking of the building perimeter. They are responsible for setting up the formworks and scaffolds that will support the house frame and structure during construction. They install most of the wooden fixings of a house. This would include doorjambs, doors, ceiling, cabinets and wooden walls.
With the introduction of new materials such as fiber cement boards, gypsum boards, PVC ceilings, the carpenters also install these. For a wooden type of roof framing, they are the ones who do this job.

Steelman
The steel man is responsible for laying out the reinforcing steel prior to concrete pouring. Some steelmen have skills in welding and they are the ones who would build the concrete truss system for the house. This can be a specialized job so some builders would rely on their subcontractors to do this aspect of the work.

These steelmen or welders also fabricate the steel windows and doors, enclosures and gates of your home.

Electrician
The electrician makes sure that the design of the electrical engineer is followed to specifications. He or she takes care of the electrical ducting including the provisions for the intercom, cable TV, security system and the other electrical facilities of the house. The responsibility of electricians is very critical since the safety of a house against fire due to faulty electrical systems relies greatly on them.

Plumber
Plumbers install the hot and cold water lines of your home with the use of special tools and equipment to ensure that pipe fittings and connections are secure in place.

The scope of their work extends to installing water closets, lavatories and even bathtubs. They also build the drainage system for your home.

Tinsmith

Tinsmiths are the ones who would fabricate and install the galvanized roofing sheets of the house. They cut, shape and connect gutters that are attached to the downspout, which will contain the excess rainfall.

For houses in which asphalt shingles or clay tiles are used, it is usually the carpenters who install these. Roofing installers are usually known for their "courage" in walking at heights since they are at the highest point with constant danger of falling. A joke in the homebuilding industry is that roofing installers have the "highest position" at the job site.

Landscaper
The landscaper usually enters the project during its final stages and builds the design that is laid out by the landscape designer.

Landscapers layout the stones, patios, trellis and plants that would complete the landscaping of your home.

Labor support

The skilled trades previously discussed need help from unskilled labor. They usually mix concrete for the masons, help with the carpenter in aligning and bringing things to the jobsite, clean the work area after work, carry hollow blocks, excavate foundations or even dispose of waste material from the jobsite.

The trades earlier discussed work under the direct supervision of the project engineer and foreman. On a regular basis or as the need arises, the professionals who have worked to design the house-the architect, structural engineer, electrical engineer, etc.-visit the site to make sure that their design is being followed to specifications by the contractors team. This ensures you of a well-built, high-quality, safe and beautiful home.


This is an article from Inquirer Global Nation