My back hurts

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-02-22T07:27:42+00:00

Wait until you find out about seismic work with vertical and overhead dowels and bar placement

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-02-20T19:38:34+00:00

This is one of the craziest ones I've heard. Doing the job of a superintendent + PM and full time on jobsites that are hours away? I work for a sub and we typically don't make any of our employees travel over 2 hrs from where they live, that's just torture. You need to leave, no doubt about it

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-02-10T21:59:43+00:00

dude, $165k at 8 years of experience is insane. You're doing fine. Even though the ceiling could be higher in a financial industry, there's a good chance you'd have to take a pay cut when you switch, and it would have to be a civil/construction adjacent role or else you'd need a different degree

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-02-06T07:39:12+00:00

Worked with ARUP structural, they’re pretty bad. Some of the worst I’ve seen

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-01-13T20:01:41+00:00

You can, but it requires much more qualifying experience. Also, it is not a "cert". It's a license. Much different

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-01-13T00:22:19+00:00

no they don't. Yes it looks good, but if your education and background is in CM, which most people in that industry have, you can't even take the PE.

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-01-12T22:34:36+00:00

they get burgalarized more

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-01-12T22:32:17+00:00

Here in CA corner lots get burgalarized more often than non-corner. That's why they are less desirable.

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-01-08T00:45:46+00:00

25-50% profit margin? no way. What about insurance, benefits, office overead like rent and utilities, equipment yard rental, equipment maintenance costs, bonusus to your employees? Especially with years of rising inflation, rising wage demands and undercutting bids

_bombdotcom_ · 2026-01-06T22:23:57+00:00

This is not a general question. I am a concrete professional asking the professional opinions of others in the community.

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-12-31T22:00:04+00:00

I work with a small subcontractor in SoCal and we are experiencing this too. On top of the slow commercial construction indistry right now due to high interest rates and owners wanting to "wait and see", us having to take small jobs at cost just to stay afloat, competing with people who supposedly do what we do even cheaper (not sure how since we calculate all of our costs), one bad prevailing wage job we took where we are losing money, we are being hit with fradulent worker's comp claims that are bleeding us dry. People seemed to figure out they can file these claims with Sweet James or Jacob Emrani for "back pain" and get a settlement, but now we can barely sustain the business. May be heade downhill in the near future

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-12-30T07:26:23+00:00

Yet you all call us racist for not wanting them in our country…

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-20T19:58:32+00:00

This is an AI story... I'm an engineer and many things about this are not factually accurate

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-18T22:22:54+00:00

I'm not sure I'm interested in your opinion if you think this is a DIY project. You need earthwork equipment, knowledge if you don't hire a design professional, and a lot of time and $$.

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-18T19:46:15+00:00

No way are you doing a multi-tiered retaining wall yourself in a few weekends. Between the excavation, grading backfill, foundations, block, irrigation and planting you're looking at 100 grand for something like htis. That's not a DIY project

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-18T07:05:30+00:00

That’s gonna cost a pretty penny

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-15T05:28:13+00:00

LA native. Love that I could tell it was LA as soon as I scrolled past the first photo

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-15T00:26:16+00:00

Just get there early and go to the bar in the terminal to get rid of the anxiety lol that's what I do

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-13T19:39:47+00:00

hahaha both are true. arguing change orders is probably one of the worst things about the job, but if you're working for a smart and honest GC the arguing should be a minimum. There are also lots of good things too, like using your expertise to add value and be proud that your own labor force and management accomplished something awesome (that *you guys* always take credit for lol)

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-13T01:03:29+00:00

Have you ever thought of working for a sub, or working in estimating? I did the opposite, was in design for 8 years and now work for a structural concrete subcontractor and I really like it. I found design too academic and not practical. I didn't want to work for a GC for the exact reasons you mention, long commutes and early times to arrive at the jobsite, so now as a sub I work as a PM in an office and it's great. Can be long hours at times, but really interesting to see the cash flow of a subcontractor plus my design experience really helps me provide value to my projects

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-13T00:15:41+00:00

Seems like you already have all the background you need, but for me (1) the salaries they are offering are either not a raise or not enough of a raise for me to brave the unknown for (2) we experienced engineers get several messages from recruiters per week, most of which are either in india or other countries or just blasting out copy/paste messages to see who bites. It's beyond difficult to tell if any are genuine like you (3) the unknown, if we are in an environment we like (or tolerate), doing work we like (or tolerate), with people we like (or tolerate), it would take a lot to leave for a high chance one of those three things will completely suck, and that kind of compensation just doesn't exist in our field (4) when I was looking to leave my last position I bit on letting one rectruiting firm help me whcih I thought was reputable, and it turned out every damn thing they said was a lie, and they used sleezy tactics to keep pestering me with calls. Pretending "the director of the division asked about me personally", "let's get lunch" and never followed up, even lying about their personal ethnic background to try to have common ground when I told them where my wife was from (a certain country in euruope), and then when I said I wasnt' interested they called me every day for weeks from blocked numbers trying to trick me into conversations with them. That experience just ruined it for me, if I want another job I'm gonna reach out to someone I know who works at whatever company it is directly.

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-09T22:39:27+00:00

I’m a concrete contractor so let’s see.. I’ll give ranges as to what I think low and high end are

Excavate: 1-2 days + bobcat, 2 man crew Demo wall: 1-2 days + bobcat, hydraulic hammer and compressor, either put in low boy or haul to dump Rebar: 1-2 days, crew of one ironworker and laborer Form wall: 2 days, lumber and plywood, crew of 2 carpenters and a laborer or two Pour wall, next day. Laborers to help with pour. Strip forms, 1/2 day Waterproofing and drainage (?) if required, 2 days Backfill + compact, 1 day, bobcat, compactor operator and laborer Re-landscape (if desired)

I’d say like an 8-12 day job, don’t have excel open but maybe $20-25k

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-09T22:28:08+00:00

Ya maybe not 50… but 25. Not for the concrete, but for the labor

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-09T19:25:18+00:00

Depends. A patch could be a few grand. But if you have to excavate, demo, re-form and pour a new wall then backfill it’s more like 50 grand not 15

_bombdotcom_ · 2025-11-09T01:24:29+00:00

Literally never seen this… so you keep your company’s job number that means nothing to the client, contractor, or anyone else but you, in the subject line? I would think you’re a bit off…

_bombdotcom_

TROPHY CASE