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Home Building Insights
The Jobsite Team that will Build your Dream - Issue No. 17
The jobsite 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 and 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. They report to the head office and directly supervise the work crew at the site so that the design of the structure is followed. The project engineer is a civil engineer by training and can make decisions on the spot with regards 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, 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.

Carpenters
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, the carpenters are the ones who do this job.

Steel Man
The steel man is responsible for laying out the reinforcing steel prior to concrete pouring. Some steel men have skills in welding and they are the ones that 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 work. These steel men/ welders also fabricate the steel windows & doors, enclosures and gates of your home.

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

Plumber
The 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 for your home.

Tinsmith
The tinsmiths are the ones that would fabricate and install the galvanized roofing sheets of the house. They cut, shape and connect gutters that are attached to the downspout that will contain the excess rainfall. For houses in which asphalt shingles or clay tiles are used, it is usually the carpenters that install these. Roofing installers are usually known for their 'courage' in walking at heights since they are at the highest point with a constant danger of falling. A joke in the homebuilding industry is that roofing installers have the "highest position" at the jobsite.

Landscaper
The landscaper usually enters the project during its final stages and builds the design that is laid out by the landscape designer. They lay-out the stones, patios, trellis and plants that would complete the landscaping of your home.

Labor Support
The skilled trades discussed above need help from unskilled labor. They usually mixed 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 discussed above work under the direct supervision of the project engineer and foreman. On a regular basis or as the need arises, the professionals that 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.



Previous issues :

1 The Process of House Construction
2 Selecting a Site for Your Home
3 Various Lot Contours to Build On
4 Anatomy of a Home
5 Safety in Construction
6 Tempted to Build Your Own?
7 Designing the Heart of Your Home
8 Electronic Plumbing
9 Inside Design and Construction
10 The People Behind House Design
11 A Guide To Homebuilding
12 Financing Your Home
13 Get the Best Financing Deal
14 How a Real Estate Broker Works
15 The Mortgage Trap
16 The Equation of Total Value
17 The Jobsite Team That Will Build Your Dream
18 10 Steps To Finding the Right Home For You
19 Window Choices
20 The Investment Value of A New Home

Current Issues

21 Understanding Blueprints
22 Design Well to Build Well

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