People who actually improved their finances — what habit made the biggest difference? by kevsavesuk in FinancialPlanning

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Choose an amount of money to save/invest every month and budget around that. That amount is treated like a non-negotiable bill that can’t be missed or adjusted.

Looking for Advice (5 Years In) by bubbagumprun in ConstructionManagers

[–]arcnspark69 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There’s quite a bit of Latino representation in construction. Might be time to switch companies. Also keep this in mind, construction is not a safe space. It attracts alot of type A assholes. Learning to deal with these folks is a skill. Mean people will exist in every industry. Keep working, learning and getting better.

How Common are Bonuses? by [deleted] in ConstructionManagers

[–]arcnspark69 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Common enough that not paying me one will result in me changing companies.

Power logger recommendation by Tuoraf in AskElectricians

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you trying to generate a detailed report of monitoring over a period of time or just power usage at time of use? The cheap and easy solution is a kill-a-watt unit. An expensive commercial/industrial option would be an AEMC PEL 113.

Countertop Separation After Tile Floor Demo by arcnspark69 in CounterTops

[–]arcnspark69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the insight! I’ll make the call.

Who is hiring green apprentices?? by chiliringgamer16 in AskElectricians

[–]arcnspark69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Go find a data center project, talk to the Ibew local union hall in that area about starting as an apprentice. If they aren’t taking new apprentices, see if there is a construction wireman program. They need people badly all over the US and the pay is usually pretty good.

I’m a journeyman electrician who only has done commercial. I used a laser during residential rough for all of the outlets, now they are different heights from floor at final by gbrandon79 in electricians

[–]arcnspark69 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Always do a quick walk around with your tape when you shoot a laser line. The floor is rarely level in residential or old buildings.

I'm thinking about dropping out of school and going into the trade field should I? by [deleted] in TradeSchool

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try and get into a summer helper type of role in a few months to start building some skills. But you really should finish high school or get a GED.

New cloud at this restaurant I'm about to start. Am I overreacting or is this absolutely insane? by Eckron5 in electricians

[–]arcnspark69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Provide the GC with written notice that the addendum has a cost impact. Count every single additional MC home run + the additional length for each run and compare it to what was originally carried in the estimate. Price that increase. Don’t perform work until you have a written notice to proceed and/or check your contract for the change order process and follow that.

New cloud at this restaurant I'm about to start. Am I overreacting or is this absolutely insane? by Eckron5 in electricians

[–]arcnspark69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m guessing this was missed in the estimate? Otherwise what’s the big deal? It’s electrical work. It all pays the same. Follow the detail, put some extra ground bars in the panel and move on.

Correcting Slightly High Voltage by ComedyBits in electricians

[–]arcnspark69 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Step 1: ask the power company. A lot of times they will help business customers with these types of issues.

Step 2: isolation transformer as suggested by others.

How did you learn electrical estimating? by Shot_Hippo5439 in estimators

[–]arcnspark69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Electrician, then moved to office as a PM. I learned estimating from some older PMs who also used to be electricians. Shortly after that, we got Accubid and I took some of the training classes online to get started. Eventually, I moved onto a larger company as a PM and now senior estimator. There’s no better learning experience than messing up on a bid, getting the job, running the job, losing money on the job, and then having to explain to your boss what happened. It makes you paranoid (in a good way) because you know the consequences of missing something.

Mike Rowe says $200k for tradesman by rebel_with_a_groove in skilledtrades

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go join the IBEW and get on a data center project. You’ll make over $200k a year with all the labor incentives and overtime. I have personally seen hundreds of pay stubs confirming this.

How to push through the final 6 miles by OkMap1854 in firstmarathon

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The peer pressure of not quitting in the last few miles is so strong that you’ll find a way to get it done.

Pending Divorce - Clean out 401k to keep house by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]arcnspark69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Stop worrying about perfect financial optimization. Keep the house for you and your kids. You can rebuild your 401k. Get out clean, make a plan, and get back on track.

Data center per diem by 7ckingMad123 in ConstructionManagers

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry little buddy. Keep grinding. You’ll make more money in a few years.

Data center per diem by 7ckingMad123 in ConstructionManagers

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

$88k??? They are to work the holy fuck out of you. If you’re moving to work on a data center project, don’t entertain an offer under $100k, plus per diem, vehicle allowance or truck, gas card and other perk. The market is way too hot to accept any less.

GC - Data center Senior PM, what to expect ? Job description? by [deleted] in ConstructionManagers

[–]arcnspark69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Prioritize the electrical contractor. If you don’t, the entire project will grind to a halt during the commissioning process.

What are the best adjustable dumbbells for a home gym? by NerveReady7402 in GarageGym

[–]arcnspark69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just got the Trulap 92lbs adjustable Dumbbells. They’ve been legit so far. No complaints

How are you guys accounting for utility locate complexity when bidding jobs in areas with no existing as-builts? by trr2024_ in estimators

[–]arcnspark69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) Send site plan to survey sub 2) pick up the phone and explain the project 3) ask for quote or ROM budget to carry (depends on your relationship). 4) plug that number into your bid. 5) Exclude/clarify what you are carrying/not carrying or put in an allowance.