securing site during construction

11 years ago

We are building in remote area. I'm really worried about theft of wiring etc. Anyone have any tips or creative suggestions to secure the house?

This post was edited by newbie21 on Fri, Mar 1, 13 at 19:09

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Comments (5)

LOTO
11 years ago
I am in the start of my build and I have a gate at the entrance of my property (only way in by vehicle) and I have a trail cam mounted to catch any vehicle entering or leaving (or anyone walking past) the gate. I can read the license plates plain as day even when it is pitch black out...the trail cam cost me about $100.00.

I also target shoot a bunch and there are lots of loud "booms" emittiing from my property that might deter anyone that might be in the area and considering an unauthorized visit.
Brian_Knight
11 years ago
After 3 weekends of small things disappearing I installed a trail cam just in time to catch this thief going big, just this past weekend. $650 well spent as the value of things taken were around $2500. He even took our paint and floor finish!

Its almost always someone that had something to do with the job. In this case it was a kid working for the roofer. I got most of the things back and will be delighted to see him go to jail as he is under investigation for a similar incident. It takes this kind of physical evidence to get a conviction. The reconyx 950 got about 40 pics of him. I didnt even realize he had gone in through the window until I reviewed the pics later..
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I did low tech as well... I have been taking photos from the same spot each time there is progress. My spot is right beside the port-o-potty! Once it was framed and bricked on the outside, there has been little change on the exterior, I would not want to purchase something costly for this. W did take photos of each and every wall before insualation and drywall stage. Tey have been very useful. We have been able to locate a smoke detector wiring, a few loops behind vanities, and an outlet and can light that were covered up by drywall. We also used it to help the plumber find the shut off valve for our pot filler. The cabinet guy covered it up. We would have had lots more random holes had I not had these photos for reference. If I were to do it again, I would have taken pics of the ceilings, too. A speaker box was covered over, too.
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This is another issue addressed extensively over the past years. The only way I would say you were rude is if you were rude in speaking to the neighbor. Otherwise, this is a classic case of ignorance refusing to look in the mirror. More importantly, you need to be more aggressive in addressing safety concerns to protect your financial health. Having liability insurance is a must but you also need to post signs in clearly visible locations around your property advising unauthorized personnel to stay off your property. It's a sad commentary on today's litigious society that the obvious hazards of a construction site still make you liable for injuries to trespassers. Even developers have been held liable when yahoos visit sites and fall into basements, ditches, etc. Temp fencing may be a necessary evil but I would recommend trying to mend the other fence with your neighbor. Invite him/her over for coffee and try to explain, again, your safety concerns (think of it as training for the State Dept). You might also talk to the contractors and tell them you want to make them the bad guys and tell the neighbors the contractors are not comfortable about working when strangers are on site. In fact, I think the contractors would agree with you as they could also be liable for any injury caused by their actions (uncovered holes, errant nail driving, debris, etc.).
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I'll have to say my GC and all the subs were very good about cleaning up each day. I had asked my GC during the bid if I could save money by doing the clean-up myself but he said not really. The job took much longer than the hours it was bid at and we didn't pay a dime extra. They just worked until it was done to our satifaction. We paid $300 (in our contract) for a dumpster that was in our driveway for 6 weeks and he even asked if we were done with it before having it removed. I provided drinks, snacks and cookies for all the workers and they never left their debris anywhere. All smoking was done outside in the drive and they always put the butts in the dumpster. They would even ask my permission before using a trash can or my shop vac if they forgot theirs. I was very pleased with how the work site was left every day since we obviously live here, too. After reading this, I guess I should feel equally blessed at how neat they were!! This GC had done our roof and gutters 3 yrs before and I remember one of the workers crawling around the house picking up nails :) BTW, I'm in Indy if anyone needs a referral for a GC!!
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This is typical of building in my region. If the power goes out, or if there is no temp power installed, the basement will fill with water. Basement dam proofing is designed to redirect ground water to the footing tile. The footing tile then channels this water to the sump pit or to a daylight drain. In your case, I can logically assume you have no daylight drain, so the water has filled the sump basket, footing drain, and is now filling your basement. At the framing stage this is not a huge concern, and an easy fix. They need temp power and a sump pump installed. Once the water is gone it will take awhile for the saturated concrete & wood to dry. When the building envelope is complete a dehumidifier is a builder's best friend. They help the drying process significantly reducing the probability drywall cracks and flooring issues in the future. If I have a particularly wet site I will rent a commercial dehumidifier and place fans throughout the structure while the electricians & plumbers do their rough-in. Best of Luck
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Laura6NJ
11 years ago
That is an awesome picture. Hope he spends plenty of time in a cell.

Glad you were able to recover many of the stolen products and goods.
saftgeek
11 years ago
Brian - Reconyx is a great camera. I recommended one to someone on this board in the last couple weeks. I plan to use them on my build as well... I want to put one up and have it take time lapse and have another one or two set up in the trees to take pictures of vehicles and the house. I plan to mount them up in the tree to prevent vandalism and theft of the camera. Great job on catching this guy. Only thing worse than a liar is a thief.
virgilcarter
11 years ago
How about a hungry bull mastiff or two on the site?

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securing site during construction

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LOTO

Brian_Knight

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Laura6NJ

saftgeek

virgilcarter

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