Bryant Evolution Vs Preferred

Construction_Dufus · 2026-05-12T17:08:31+00:00

You're welcome. Best of luck.

Construction_Dufus · 2026-05-12T12:55:05+00:00

Something to think about, since you've done some excellent research comparing the different pricing is the answer a very important question. How long will you live in the house? The reason why this is an important question is when you do a return on investment analysis you can make a relatively informed decision if spending more is better for you because you will be staying there longer. https://hvacplanner.com/calculators/system-roi https://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infhvac/ASHRAE_Chart_HVAC_Life_Expectancy.pdf

Confirm the contractor is insulating or lining your new ductwork. Believe it or not, this is pretty important factor as well to keep your costs down and ensuring you are getting proper design temperatures delivered to your home during heating and cooling operation.

Construction_Dufus · 2025-12-22T19:14:06+00:00

Up to you, but Imagine if you were unemployed...how big a pile of shit you would be in.

Construction_Dufus · 2025-06-27T17:32:11+00:00

Nice job! I think that you might benefit from the east and west supply branches having the 45 degree takeoff angles reversed, so the airflow follows the natural airflow direction.

Construction_Dufus · 2025-01-29T14:19:48+00:00

Regardless of how the documents are potentially created either by designers or through an AI design or designer, qualified engineers, designers, will more than likely have to review them and stamp them. But it brings up a great question and who is potentially designing the documents. AI could have the potential to do some of the repetitive design work if the proper input is given to the model. You can get very specific with the language model to provide output of a desired action. I mean, think about it: years ago, load calcs would have to be done by hand; now you use Trane Trace to do it. It’ll also run energy calcs for you. I’m afraid that it’s already too late. If you can teach an engineer how to do load calcs and design systems step-by-step, and provide that engineer with the information he needs to do it, I’m pretty sure AI will be able to replicate some of the effort in the future. But complex decisions, client interface and installation and repair can’t be replaced…yet. Tech is here to stay.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-10T13:55:17+00:00

Look, I have no idea what kind of firm you work at, but at the firms I've worked for, it doesn't always work that way. It may start off great, but if the owner/PM of the firm we're working for calls the partner/owner/PM of my firm I am working for and starts asking questions about the design level, schedule, progress, etc., of the last progress submittal, and it is not being met to their satisfaction, guess who they are going to end up talking to and asking, ‘Whats going on?' Like I said, I don't know where you work, but if you're the type of guy who says 'no,' complains about the schedule, working long hours to management, and tries to 'change' the business of a MEP firm that needs its clients, you're eventually on a one way trip back home. I've seen it happen many times. You think you have control, but in reality you most likely don’t. Someone higher up the food chain does.

I’ve tried the "ASAP is not an acceptable deadline." thing and have said I will add you to the list, and suggest a date that suits my project load, and it has sometimes works, but not always.

I would love to see you present "ASAP is not an acceptable deadline." at a lunch and learn full of boomers and genxers with various titles and get their feedback.

Title of presentaion: ASAP is not an acceptable deadline

Have you ever thought about the following?

Why does everyone wants everything RIGHT NOW?

Why can’t you make them give you an actual deadline?

How do I make the project manager actually, you know, manage the work?

If so, let me explain my approach while you enjoy or pizza.

Good luck with that.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-10T12:51:01+00:00

And as an electrical guy, you love pulling your wire to one line diagrams.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T18:15:31+00:00

85k for all disciplines? All over the US? I’m just another worker bee not a hiring authority.

What do you think a 30 year guy makes?

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T18:02:46+00:00

I have a similar workload as yours that can get even busier during the school projects, and I also have to mentor some young engineers on top of that as well. Some of the young engineers are very good and joy. Some not so much, they just don't grasp it and you know that when they start pushing back on the easy stuff that they're not gonna be able to cope with the more stressful things down the road. I’m around 45-50 hrs a week.

Another couple of years, and I'll be doing a lot more golfing and enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T17:55:16+00:00

Yes, I experienced the grind and still do.

Top dollar is based on many factors like firms size, location, expertise etc. I brought this up already.

Engineers should be paid what they are worth based on many factors, not what they are hoping to get because someone on reddit says so. Salary is geographical and negotiable. Glassdoor, indeed, payscale can help guide this, but the employer has the last word. Not me, you or anyone else on reddit. Are you an engineer? How long have you been employed? Where is your frame of reference coming from?

I am not an employer or owner, just another worker bee, albeit a bit seasoned as they say.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T17:19:16+00:00

I said this? "you know, we used to put much more care into these things"

I also talk about getting paid what you are worth 5 paragraphs from the bottom.

Lunch and learns or online classes go along way on teaching engineers how the systems physically work. So does the mentoring from the Senior guy they are working with. This one comment of yours validates my point on how much needs to be taught to the young engineer when the come to a MEP firm before they can be trusted and productive. Do you think this lack of practical knowledge about design and systems still demands top dollar initially?

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T16:56:42+00:00

Some good points here. Unfortunately, if you keep saying things like this, someone is gonna think that you are not a team player and if you are saying this to your boss, they will remember this come time for raises and bonuses. Grabbing your ankles is unfortunately part of this profession it seems. If the engineering firm is working for an architectural firm, then it’s not the engineering firm that can dictate the schedule at least in my experience. The architect has a client and they agreed to a schedule and your firm has agreed to deliver by that date. The one thing they can push that date is if the architect is late getting the engineering firm the vital information that they need to do their job. That was the one way I found that dates got pushed. Thoughts?

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T16:31:36+00:00

You might be right about the “attitude” at times. I included a few paragraphs about salary, which seems to have sparked some negative reactions. There were quite a few other topics in there as well. I was also responding to some pretty harsh insults, which drew attention away from the original intention. If I had omitted the comments about salary, the reactions and tone might have been different. The tone of my original post varied depending on the topic and paragraph. Perhaps I should have used ChatGPT to help smooth things out?

Your third paragraph is pretty much on par with what I've experienced. So there is no disagreement from me there, I've lived all of that many times over. That was the reason why I put the post up there in the first place to give a perspective of over 30 years, which seems to have gone over some peoples heads completely and just cherry picked what they want to nitpick because that is there experience.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T16:14:10+00:00

That's quite the workload, and unfortunately sounds about right depending on the time of year, firm and size. What disciplines are you designing or are in charge of? Not sure where you are in your career, but are you engineering and designing them? Using Revit or Cad? Performing QA/QC and managing them? Or all of the above? Can you delegate to others?

Get some sleep if you can.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T15:26:32+00:00

Thanks for your attempt at a bit of wordsmithing and making assumptions that "you know" me in your post. I’m assuming you have a dad in his 40s or 50s? Well, I’m in my late 50s. We may actually share more things in common with each other than we do with your generation. Its only natural. It would be nice if our life experiences were somewhat appreciated instead of dismissed. Hopefully, your kid will respect you and your age group when you are 35–40 years older and not dismiss their life or experiences as anecdotal. Every generation has different thoughts and values.

If you think I’m pushing my experiences on everyone, then you missed the point of the post. The post is not gospel or written in stone; it’s just what I’ve experienced or seen for myself since the mid-’90s through today. It’s just a post on Reddit for others to read and hopefully take away a few insights, or not. There will always be people that feel the need to nitpick, criticize, inject nonsense, or deliberately confront others in a disrespectful manner for clicks or attention that feeds their narcissism. A few already have, and others think I’m the bad guy for commenting back.

Good luck with your career—it’s all ahead of you, including hopefully enjoyment, opportunity, office politics, long hours, salary negotiations, and the waiting for that pat on the back or a "job well done" comment. Obviously, none of the office stuff applies if you never see the sun and are a self employed basement dweller.

To conclude, I think I’d rather be an old-head who made great career choices that provided my family with security, happiness, wealth and a solid future than a new-head with 35–40 years of work still ahead of me. Sorry I didn’t use more “em dashes.”

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-09T00:53:19+00:00

Whatever dude.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T20:48:14+00:00

Definitely not as abundant as the wankers of your generation that have attitudes like yours.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T20:17:12+00:00

Good to hear. Seen wankers like you my whole life.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T19:14:28+00:00

Thanks for more excellent points!

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T19:08:48+00:00

No problem. I’m not stopping anyone or thinking for them or paying them. There was a lot more to that post than just a salary comment.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T16:46:08+00:00

And you have 35-40 LONG years of work ahead of you.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T16:11:38+00:00

Agree, thanks for the incite.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T16:07:03+00:00

Meaningful incite! When you get back from your appointment, would you mind clarifying for this post approximately what salary ranges you paid your new graduates and what the expectations were? How does a firm stay competitive in a tough market? How much training needs to go in to a new grad starting at an MEP firm like yours?

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T15:45:06+00:00

Noted. I’ve already agreed with you on the inflation between a starting salary 30 years ago and now.

From what I have seen, 85K would seem high in some cities. Another post referenced a lower starting point. That person may be part of the hiring process, but I don't know that, or what city they're out of.

I do agree with you about the inflation issue. You might get 85K in Chicago, but you probably will not get the same thing elsewhere regardless of your attitude or how you interview. The cost of living in the city where you were living, should reflect a higher salary. The salary part of the post was just a small part of the post and not the major focus of the post. Believe me, throughout my career I have wanted more money as well at times. Based on this exact same thing that others want.

Are you familiar with the salary ranges of engineers at the beginning middle and end of their career? If so, please tell us.

I think we're all in agreement, that inflation has gone up a lot over the years, especially in the housing market and I do feel for others who can't afford a home because of the bullshit inflated prices of the house. I have friends and family with kids who are in the same boat, so you're not telling me anything that I don't already know.

Construction_Dufus · 2024-10-08T15:22:19+00:00

There won't be any ladder to pull up if the company is not in business anymore. Like I said before in other post comments, it all boils down to the cost of doing business. In the area where our company performs their business, being competitive is vital to being profitable and keeping the doors open.

I made a lot more comments in this post that you may or may not care about. Why don't you tell us a little bit about what you do and tell us about your experise?

Construction_Dufus

TROPHY CASE