joe90 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 3 minutes ago, scottishjohn said: It basically has ,as no one ever wants an engine or a g/box rebuilt -they will scrap the car ,as we are in a throw away world recyling or refurbishing just does not happen . and will not as long as it is cheaper to throw things away . as an aside I am currently rebuilding the starter motor for my vintage tractor, the part that is broken is a brass connector and non are available (but nearly all parts of the tractor are available!) so I am making the part from a brass bolt, I love this stuff. regarding the above with regard management, I left a well known telecoms business after 33years as management was getting progressively worse, it was a breath of fresh air to be self employed without stupid management decisions getting in the way of my work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyscotland Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 11 minutes ago, AnonymousBosch said: I wanted to emphasise how difficult it is for self builders to manage the family dynamic in the pressured environment of self building. The problem here is poor management, not low skill levels. Can definitely agree with this. I find I'm snapping at (and later apologising to) my labourer much more than I ever did to anyone on an event site even at moments of outstanding stupidity with doors about to open and the audience outside. Can only imagine that being much worse with a family member. I think the main issue was on an event site I was well inside my competencies and even when problem solving I had the experience to come up with a solution fast and manage the team to fix it calmly without stress. Whereas on the build I am learning all the time, there's a lot more thinking on my feet, a lot more worrying if I'm making the right call, and a lot more wishing the labourer would disappear for a bit so I could sit down with a cup of tea and YouTube/buildhub to figure things out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 2 minutes ago, andyscotland said: Can only imagine that being much worse with a family member. Shouting and friends and family is normal management surely. You know what you can say and you also know that you can apologise after, and get away with it. At work, you know that you may have a mutiny on your hands, and nothing get done, no matter how much you say sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 10 minutes ago, Declan52 said: Relatives are a great help. See that big pile of heavy stuff carry it upstairs. That load of waste that needs to go to the skip. Hold the stupid end of the tape and walk over there and I will measure this. These are the jobs for family. Nothing else. Yep. And then, when that's done, at least in my Case, I dont (cant)manage the workflow well enough to provide a constant Stream of low-skilled jobs - without stopping what I should be doing. The problem is me, not them. Just wait until the next house. They're going to be transformed into whirling dervishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 8 minutes ago, andyscotland said: ... a lot more wishing the labourer would disappear for a bit so I could sit down with a cup of tea and YouTube/buildhub to figure things out ..... + a million 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyscotland Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 17 minutes ago, AnonymousBosch said: Yep. And then, when that's done, at least in my Case, I dont (cant)manage the workflow well enough to provide a constant Stream of low-skilled jobs - without stopping what I should be doing. The problem is me, not them. Just wait until the next house. They're going to be transformed into whirling dervishes Definitely. Nothing worse than someone helpfully saying "what can I do now?" while you're trying to think/do something tricky. In the end that's why I sent him away and did the fibreglass on my own, took a lot longer but was massively less stressful. At least with my labourer I know that telling him to take yet another break is just wasting my £. Feels much worse with a friend/family member to be wasting their time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishjohn Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Just now, AnonymousBosch said: + a million Is this not really a failure in your planning ? you could do all the goggling before the day of the job to find out the way to proceed with the job in hand then make a plan . I,m the same as you guys --getting old and stiff --so planning is essential and being realistic on what i can do on my own no more clutch jobs for me if i cannot get my transmission jack to lift the g/box out and in with another body at hand to steady things I know i think I,m the greatest at car repairs --but if someone is brining in a car i have not seen before or job i haven,t done on that car --as soon as its booked in I go goggling the car and how to tackle the job --just in case there are bobby traps . and then decide how much of it i will believe and make a plan . the mercruiser out drive on a 27ft day fihing boat i did last month was good example -- just replace the rubber giators --sounds simple -- soon as you goggle that job 30 + ways of doing it come up --this tells me its right bastard of a job to do . 10mins googgling and I find I need special tools to remove things and realign them on rebuilding ----so off to lathe to make them before the boat comes in and fills my workshop. yes its still a bastard job to get at -- but all goes to plan no problem -- hence why marine engineers had quoted him £800 to do - job done -- bill was well under what he had been quoted --so everybody happy " If you fail to plan --you plan to fail" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I have mostly given up on self DIY motoring, apart from routine things like an oil change, or tinkering with my Landrover. I think the point at which I gave up was when the alternator went on a VW Touran, and I peered down the tiny gap between the side of the engine and the side of the inner wing and thought "someone else can rap their knuckles trying to undo bolts in that stupidly small gap" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I have been running various volunteer programs over the last seven years, my property is large with a very wide selection of projects that can cater for the unskilled right through to the very skilled. I have found it very rewarding working with people from all over the world and the main thing I say people must have is ENTHUSIASM. Volunteers are not for everyone, you need to be good at managing them and keeping them busy but overall I have had a very good experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyscotland Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 35 minutes ago, scottishjohn said: Is this not really a failure in your planning ? To a point, yes. But I find no matter how much googling/planning you do in advance there are always unexpected things come up. E.g. the fibreglass bubbles I got that weren't quite like anything covered in the many how-to and troubleshooting vids I'd looked at. Or junctions between materials/corner details that don't quite line up in 3D the way they did in the CAD sections. Or a material that's been cut/installed wrong and you need to figure out if there's a way to use it anyway or if you need to waste it and start again. Most of those things could perhaps be solved by doing even more detailed planning and upfront "what if" research but in my experience there's really no substitute for experience for covering all the possible bases. Unknown unknowns and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 54 minutes ago, Cpd said: I have been running various volunteer programs over the last seven years, my property is large with a very wide selection of projects that can cater for the unskilled right through to the very skilled. I have found it very rewarding working with people from all over the world and the main thing I say people must have is ENTHUSIASM. Volunteers are not for everyone, you need to be good at managing them and keeping them busy but overall I have had a very good experience. I went on several straw bale builds with volunteers and yes enthusiasm was great but the skill is managing who does what as Cpd says above, Most volunteers were unskilled so plenty of humping Bales about for them, chap building the house quickly realised I was a builder and gave me tasks more related to my skill set . My problem was spotting people not doing things right but it was not my build so had to be cautious ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 1 hour ago, scottishjohn said: ... " If you fail to plan --you plan to fail" ... I come from a culture where no plan=no work. An outline plan is always a the White Board. When folk are on site they are all -gently- briefed and given the correct tools I am slowly learning to supervise and support as unobtrusively as I can. And I expect I'll get that balancing act right just as we finish- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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