Sheetrocking question

[SteveB]

Yesterday, a team of aliens (Martian, I believe) came and started to sheetrock my new addition. They worked 1.5 hours, since they had trouble locating my house and didn't get there until 3.

After they left, I noticed that they had sheetrocked over outlet boxes, and rotozipped around and in boxes, cutting the insulation of wiring in 6 boxes. They cut the tv and phone cable in two inside the boxes.

When I called the owner, he had an attitude and said that was the way its done today in the State of Utah, and that they go back and find the box and cut it out. He also said that it was common practice for the electrician to fix the wires, and since it was electrical, it was his responsibility to make sure it was right before heating up the wires.

Is this common practice today?

Steve

[Oren]

What? Hiring Martians:)

Damaging the wires, is not common, imo. Sounds like the owner needs an attitude adjustment.

[DanG]

The use of Rotozip type tools is common and normal on residential work with 1/2" rock. It is quite common to hang the sheet and cut with the roto after it is hung. All wiring is typically pushed deep in the boxes. It is NOT normal to cut wiring in the boxes. This method does not work well on 5/8 rock with plaster rings and so is not common on commercial work.

[Art]

Nope. Wires should not be cut.

On the other hand, when they sheetrocked my neighbors house using mostly glue, they sheetrocked over the outlets and did not come back to cut out outlets until after the glue dried so the glue was useless. They had to comeback and screw down all of the sheetrock. The homeowner was concerned that the sheetrock was not on tightly because the outlets pushed it out so even with the holes cut the sheetrock was slightly buckled out. 10 years later the house is fine with no unusual nailpopping.

Whereas after that fiasco, I met the sheet rock hangers at my house under construction and made sure they cut holes as they went and the sheetrock was up tight against the walls held by glue. Notwithstanding, I have tons of nailpops. My belief is that glue sucks for sheetrock. I think it holds the sheetrock too tight to the studs so when studs move as house settles you get more nail pops. My next house will only used screws for sheetrock.

[John Grabowski]

Unfortunately it is. I miss the old days when they would measure and cut the holes before the drywall went up. I always make sure to push my wires deep into the box and I try to avoid using shallow boxes as much as I can. A few manufacturers produce temporary cover plates to put over electrical boxes for this part of the construction. They should be using the Rotozip tool around the EXTERIOR of the box which shouldn't cause damage to the wires. If they are going inside the box the hole will not be the proper size and the wires will get chewed up. Most of the time they make the hole before all of the nails or screws are installed so the drywall board will not be damaged and it is not firmly held against the electrical box. Sounds like you got a low bid contractor. It is a good idea to make a mark on the floor at the location of each switch and outlet box. Almost always one or two get covered up and the electrician has to find them.

I don't like the drywall contractor's response. He sounds careless and has no respect for other's work. I suppose if the electrician had to chop up the drywall to get access to the covered boxes it would be acceptable to him to have to come back and repair the damaged walls. The guy is right that it will be the final responsibility of the electrician to make things right. However excessive repairs could result in additional charges which the drywall contractor could be held responsible for. Hold back a small percentage of his final payment until the wiring is repaired.

[Steve Barker]

The wires should have been pushed back further. If they'd been back even a half inch, the bit wouldn't have touched them. Granted, there's no reason to have the bit INSIDE the box, but some people locate them that way.

s

[Mike Paulsen]

SteveB wrote: (snip)

It's common to use a router to cut the holes around outlet boxes, HVAC registers, lighting cans, and even door and window openings. It's not really a matter of going back to "find" the outlets -- the locations are noted before hanging the wallboard. You hang with just enough screws to hold the sheet securely and then route the holes.

He's correct. The drywall contractor is not licensed to do that work so the electrician will have to fix it. The drywall contractor is, however, responsible for the damage and should pay for at least some percentage of the repairs. There's no excuse for the hangers having cut that many wires. Accidentally nicking the occasional wire I could understand, but not the situation you've described.

It's not that hard to avoid hitting the wires when routing. Very little (1/4") of the cutting portion of the bit has to penetrate the wallboard and it's easy to see when wires are too close to the face of the box. If the hangers didn't check the wires then they're incompetent. If they saw the wires were vulnerable and routed anyway then they're negligent.

Routing? Yes. Damaging wires? Definitely not.

[Mike Paulsen]

You aim for the center of the box, route across until you hit the inside edge, hop over said edge, and then route it out. I don't know anyone who would (or could) punch through on the outside edge of the boxes with any speed or consistency. If you're off by 1/2" you're either in the box (which you're saying is a bad thing) or you've created a cut that has to be fixed by the taper.

[SteveB]

Whenever you're ready, cowboy.

[SteveB]

My friend is a union electrician currently working on the remodeling of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. He has 37 years experience. I was present when he stripped the wires, cut them back, and stuffed them well within EVERY box. Sorry your reading skills and comprehension skills are so poor. They rotozipped INSIDE the boxes to cut the wires they cut.

Another inexperienced asshole heard from.

[SteveB]

Thank you. When you hang twelve sheets of rock and f*ck up eight boxes, even I can do the math on that one.

Problem is that they won't buy the router bits that go with the RotoZip, but just buy cheaper by the dozen four inch long drill bits. If you're using the correct depth of router bit, it is impossible to strip the wire that is in the BACK of the box, and only an inch or so from where it comes out of the Romex sheath.

Steve

Steve

[S. Barker]

You failed to mention all those details in the OP. In that case then the bit was too long and the morons running them should be held finanically responsible for the fix. I have no problem reading. thanks for the additional info ASSHOLE.

s

[RicodJour]

A bit touchy today? He was referring to the drywall company owner.

R

[SteveB]

Sorry, asshole. Here's a DIRECT COPY from the original post from me, the OP:

"After they left, I noticed that they had sheetrocked over outlet boxes, and rotozipped around and in boxes, cutting the insulation of wiring in 6 boxes. They cut the tv and phone cable in two inside the boxes."

Now, would you like to RE read that and comment again. Particularly where it says "in boxes" and "inside the boxes". Try to follow me here. Read it again. IN BOXES ...... IN 6 BOXES ........... INSIDE THE BOXES. Did you get it that time?

No?

Sigh .................

FUCKING asshole.

You musta scored some good shit this week.

Have a nice day.

XOXOXOXO

[SteveB]

And then, that's only if you're too f****ng stupid to use a tape measure and cut out electrical outlets on a small three room addition. Which, apparently they were. But when you consider they took seven hours to find a street address in a town of 925 people, that says a lot. I'll see what the owner has to say tomorrow. I hope he is reasonable.

Steve

[S. Barker]

Yes, but you never mentioned the stuff in the message i replied to. About your friend the electrician stuffing the wires way back and all that.

RECTUM HEAD

s

[S. Barker]

He'd better be. You're not.

s

[SteveB]

Odd no one else had the comprehension problems you had.

As to electricians stuffing back the wires into the box, that's what a GOOD electrician does so that the rockers can have a clear shot. They strip the Romex sheath, the ground sheathing paper, fold the wires, and push them back in the box so the rockers have a clear shot at putting on the rock. AND, so that their wires are protected, and later they don't have to come back and identify every wire that has been compromised and tape it up.

If you don't know anything about the topic, next time, just don't comment.

PENIS FORESKIN

Steve

[SteveB]

Sorry bottom posting, but if you look above you see the mentality of this debate participant.

What is unreasonable about paying for a job and expecting it to be done in a proficient manner?

Yes, you're Goddam right he'd better be reasonable. With a few phone calls, I can have OSHA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Justice, the IRS, and State of Utah Contractors Board in on this by noon. The man sent a pickup load of criminals to my personal residence to do work. And they did shitty work. I have no sympathy for whatever lands on his head, and I will give him no mercy.

Steve

[SteveB]

Yea, and my apologies to Oren, one of my neighbors in Las Vegas. Thank you for pointing that out. When I'm wrong, I gladly step up for the Board of Education.

My SIL and Daughter are connected to Homeland Security, Immigration and Custom Enforcement and the IRS. I am waiting to see how this contractor is going to settle this, giving him every opportunity to do the right thing. If it is good, no harm, no foul. If he settles it reasonably, there's no reason to make any phone calls. If he continues to be a d*****ad, it's Louisville Slugger to the knees time.

Why do people f*ck over others so bad when they don't even have a clue who they're dealing with?

Steve