Brain Fog had one last trick

[R Glass]

Well it looks like The Brain Fog had one last trick up its sleeve. When I started this job (a Recreational Park) for the company I work for, I was finishing tx. The architect kept changing the Finish Floor elevations for one of the buildings, a Community Center. When they finally reached a decision, I realized the ground was the same elevation as the building. I told my Site Work contractor to raise the elevation about 6” so the building won’t flood. Not thinking I gave him the finish floor elevation instead of the dirt elevation. Keep in mind, I was just coming off tx at this time. Now I have a building slab ready to be poured, that is beyond the point of no return, that is 1’-7” to high. Insult to injury, it has to be Handicap Accessible. I have been calculating, shooting elevations, and taking my Xanax all day. I just can't believe I made such a stupid mistake.  I could only come up with one solution. If the Architect doesn’t accept it, I am sure I will be looking for another job soon.

[GreatBird]

Oh I so love a happy ending. :)

[Willy50]

Ricky, that was completely inappropriate.  (and smart as hell)  ; )

Hows that for an early Christmas present?

Poooooouuuuuurrrrrrrr another one.....

Willy

[portann]

Gorgeous. Impressive move - daring and saved the day!

[Fl_Gator]

Nice Save!!!

[Isobella]

Whoa...nice save, RG.  

I am so happy for you that things worked out well.  

I'm going thru a bit of a rough patch myself now and this story made me decide to stay away from the phones and bank statement at work today so I couldnt do any damage.  LOL!  

[epiphiny]

That's such great news, we all need happy endings especially at Xmas time!

[R Glass]

Thanks for everyone's support and some of you hit the nail on the head concerning correcting the problem.
Well I rolled the dice and won.
I decided to go over everyone’s head, the Project Manager, The Architectural Firm and the Site Work Contractor
The owner’s rep. just so happens to be an architect. I called him for a private onsite visit.   I called my project manager after the meeting was set up, knowing he couldn’t make it. He called one of the owners of the company I work for and I received a call ripping me up one side and down the other for not following protocol.
When the owner’s rep. showed up I explained the reason I wanted a private meeting is because if we had 12 people here we would have 5 different opinions and the rest talking hunting and fishing, he smiled. After about 30 minutes of shooting elevations and pulling dimensions, he said we could make this work. He said he is going to redesign the handicap ramps himself and add some planter boxes just for looks. AND TO POUR THE SLAB AS IS.
I was gloating when I called my boss back and told him the news. He even admitted I made the right choice by going over everyone’s head.
I bet he had the ink pen and my pink slip in his hand waiting for my call.
If he would have made me rip it all out and start over, It would have been about an $80,000.mistake I made.

[Jacob43]

back to your post... hoping the outcome is acceptable... and that you continue on the job! let us know!

[Trinity4]

Thanks Mike.  I talked it over with my family and of course they're all for it since no traveling is involved so local guy it is and not looking back.    
Trin

[portann]

Yes, and let's hope RG can also rescue himself, get work and stay with the local architect. :)

Best wishes to you, Mike, and I will try my best to read your riba study, despite my  darn brain blur.

[mikesimon]

If you can get the rescue drugs you may need and get blood work and see your lab results I'd stay with the local guy. There isn't much more any doctor can do at this stage, in my opinion.
Good luck,
Mike

[Trinity4]

Ricky,

This is definitely your line of expertise.  There is no doubt you'll resolve this the best possible way.  It's what you do -  h-e-l-l with em if they can't take a joke right?

Trin

[portann]

I'm with Willy on that.

It's what I was thinking, too, but wondered about the cost difference between working with the new elevation or re-doing to original plan. The 'hill' sounds nice,  slightly more difficult to handicap access but adding visual interest to the park.

It'll all be good. You caught it.

[nygirl7]

I'm sorry I know what you are going through....you're not the first one to make major mistakes with those meds all circulating through you.  I STILL find myself, two years latler, once in a while having memory lapses where stupid things come tumbling out.

But at least it does get almost 100% better after a while.  I'm sorry that this happened to you and I wish that people could understand how hard we do try while we're on treatment and then give us a break but unfortunately most people and situations just don't care.

I dont know anything about construction but just wanted to say I'm really sorry and I do understand. Not that it makes it any better but you sure aren't alone.

[Willy50]

...won't come to Mohammed.....Mohammed must go to the mountain.

That means if you pour the concrete you might simply also be able to bring in some dirt and landscape the area.  It could even be an improvement over the origonal design.  Not only will the building be on high ground and safe from flooding but with a little gentle grade it can still be handicap accessible.  

Since you work with concrete you know that you want good drainage.  Are you *sure* that it was a mistake?  It sounds like reasoned planning.  ; )

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Merry Christmas,

Willy

[Proactive]

After being a field engineer on a number of concrete high rises in SC, I certainly can appreciate your probelm and worry..Looks like it will take a bit more concrete to solve the problem..With less than a 30" total rise
(1'-7"?) you should be ok, just a longer ramp, or mid ramp landing...

Just did some snowblowing, my osteo is flaring (g)----BUT, as bad as I feel now, I sure felt a helluva lot worse last winter (and the winter before) when on TX!!!..
Hope everything works out for ya..
Pro

[portann]

Just think where you'd be if the building slab had been poured.

And it's you who averted the pour, fog or not. What was your site contractor thinking when he graded to the finished floor elevation instead of the dirt elevation? It sounds like he has brain fog.

So what is your solution for the architect?

[Rockerforlife]

There is a solution to every problem....im sure things will work out...they always do.

[Willy50]

I have been in a similar situation many years ago.  

I was slipforming in Alabama in the 70's (right in Alagirls hood).  
In slipforming (we were slipforming vertically) the forms move up and up and up climbing on a series of jackrods.  Many months earlier before I arrived they had a series of disasters in which the forms stuck, the concrete 'bridged and lifted with the forms causing hundreds of feet of honeycombed concrete way up in the air. When the jackrods were no longer supported by concrete the buckled.  That was one monumental mess, and not at all inexpensive to fix.

Fast forward to the end of the job.  We were pouring concrete around the clock and in the last shift of pouring; about 130 feet in the air.  We suddenly realized that for all the jackrods that had been destroyed we had used up the reserve and we were going to run out of jackrod for the jacks to climb.  The foreman did some quick calculations and then had me start torching off excess lengths and welding them onto sections that were too short.  Not only was it sunday and we were unable to buy any, but it also started raining.  Everytime I struck and arc on deck somebody who was soaking wet would get shocked.  They kept providing me with dry gloves and rubber boots but many other people were getting "bit".  I finally completed the task and we sailed on towards completion.

There was just one small catch.  The final proof is using a surveyors tape on the building instead of using a "story pole" in which essentially 135 feet of rule had been built and added as we poured.  When the building was measured they found out that the story pole "lied".  At some point it had either been done incorrectly of possibly sabotaged intentionally.  The elevation was wrong by several feet.  I cannot remember at this point if it was one or 6 feet but of course all the machinery, drags, conveyors hoppers and ductwork had all been drawn, detailed and built for a certain size building.

.....not my fault but on that sunday afternoon I had meticulously cut about half the rods so that there was no way that we could go any further..... not even to jack free.

Good times.  : )

I will only observe that it is cheaper to adjust an error before you add concrete.  I'm sorry that it happened.  It's almost predictable when there are a lot of changes made on the fly.  I've seen it happen to people that weren't on TX.  

I hope you come up with a solution.

best,
Willy

[Deb_c430]

Ahh geesh, I am so sorry, we all do things like that,  brain needs to clear and beyond that so much to consider,   something like that happened to me in germany, I was trying to cope with to much,  made a stupid mistake.

Things work out ok, try and breath,  stop working on it for awhile and look at it again with fresh eyes.  Sometimes we look at something so hard we miss the obvious fix?  Hoping so.  

Wish I could come up with something better.

Pray for you and sending good thoughtsS ~ Deb

[rita863]

I am sorry that the brain fog tricked you just at the end!  Hopefully they will be understanding.

Here's to life with a brain!!!!


my own fog ~~~ experience....i recently was pulled over for a tail light out...the officer ask for the normal license and registration....he said You license expired AUGUST!!!
Its Dec and i forgot to get my license renewed, and now i cant find that card you take to the DVM..... at least he was nice and let me go..........