# Ever back into a house?



## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> Oh well, stuff happens. It's good to have a couple carpenter, roofer, and plumber friends who can fix up your boo-boo's on short notice. Accidents happen, but it's all on how you handle them that counts.


I totally agree. It's great to have other trades to call on to fix your owies. And nothing gives you more credibility with a customer when you calmy explain, "I admit I ruined your drywall/faucet/siding/roof/ insert other item here , so here's what I'll do. Instead of me, a simple electrician, trying to cobble together a cheap fix, I'll get a drywaller/plumber/carpenter/roofer/ insert other trade here to come fix it the way we both know it should be done."
I would much rather take a little hit on the bottom line that leave a customer saying "Look how this guy left my house!"


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> The lady was super cool about the whole situation, and even mildly excited about getting a run of gutter replaced that had a leak to begin with.


You talk as if _you_ were actually there to see the lady's reaction


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## oldman (Mar 30, 2007)

bet you next year you will have a line item in your budget called "Money to fix houses backed into" and will budget $500 for it:laughing:


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## JohnJ0906 (Jan 22, 2007)

I think this is the way to get a positive from a negative situation. Instead of being bad-mouthed for damaging something, at least the customer sees you as a professional, and might even refer people to you. 

"Electrician who shall remain unnamed", huh? :whistling2:


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## chrisb271 (Jul 6, 2007)

Yes,nice one John :laughing:

I installed a nice lady an automatic gate,whilst demonstrating how it worked someone must have backed my truck up a couple of feet and the gate hit it 

I got the local blacksmith out who soon sorted it but always mentions my little accident every time i see him,i always pass it off by saying "theres no fool like an old fool" :laughing:


Chris


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

I backed into my own garage door and got the door guy to fix it. Basically he had to replace 3 panels. I already had taken it down. Then less than 6 months later one apprentice backed into the same door. He pounded it out on his time and then apologized. I didn't make him pay for a new one. Then he quit 2 months later.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

I worked for a large electrical contractor in Washington DC he had brought some Japanese investors (this guy was big time into real estate) to his house for lunch. As he was pulling up a friend of mine in a bucket truck swung the bucket around, damaged the bucket, took the copper gutter and down spout off and damaged the slate roof. Next day another electrician was out there working.


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

How bout this one, My buddy who was helping me with some trenching whom had way more hours running a trencher then myself went to get started having the machine pointed directly at the house went to lower the boom and as soon as it touched the dirt it lurched forward and took off three pieces of wood siding. There was another contractor who piled all the concrete from the old driveway in my trench path, we spent two hours moving it in return for the gc to fix the siding. fortunetly This house is getting a total make over and that was the end of it.


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## R Electrician (Nov 20, 2007)

Was Troubleshooting no power to parts of a Romex house (around here it's all conduit) and had to re-feed a section of wire about 5' from outlet to outlet. Went through the basement being a drop ceiling, and told my helper to drill VERY slow and use the thinnest drill bit he had in case he missed the hollow in the wall. When he started drilling up as fast as the drill would go I couldn't get downstairs in time to stop him. Up comes a 1" drill bit through the hardwood floor about 6" away from the wall. 

When I showed the homeowner what happened she just laughed to my surprise. I looked at her in disbelief and she replied "oh this floors all coming out next week and new hardwood's going back in." Talk about lucky.


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## GregS (May 22, 2007)

R Electrician said:


> Up comes a 1" drill bit through the hardwood floor about 6" away from the wall.


I did that once, but through carpet.. and the bit just caught the thread and pulled the carpet in a bizarre way. Luckily I got it unwound and it wasn't too bad. They were putting their TV stand over it anyways 


So I learned a few new techniques after that..

If you have to drill up, look for nails coming down through the sole plate above and drill parallel with those.

Best to drill down though. Cut a straight piece of coat-hanger, put it in your drill. Pull back a piece of quarter-round just enough to get the coat hanger down, and drill down into the basement. Where it comes out is where you measure over 2" to drill up into the wall cavity.

Or use a toner/tracer.

Or use a long flex bit to drill down from the drywall cutout inside the wall.


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## gilbequick (Oct 6, 2007)

I use the battons (metal pieces) that the the insulators use to keep up their rolls of insulation in crawl spaces to drill through the hardwoods. It's a smaller gauge piece of steel than a coat hanger is and can be hid easier. On my van I keep a couple different shades of wood putty to fill the tiny hole when finished. Puts you in the right place every time. To tell you the truth, I've NEVER had a homeowner or builder even notice there was a hole.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I use the wire hangers myself.

The wires used to hold drop ceilings in will work in a pinch.


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

I almost backed over an old dog once.That's when i saw backup alarms as a good investment.(could of been a kid).


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## nolabama (Oct 3, 2007)

i belive i have backed into everything but a house - i always claim full responsibility for my actions even bought a bumper for a company truck on one occasion when i was 18 - and learned later that a phone call to the respected out of town bosses need not be made if your getting the new bumper on your own coin


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

Came into this trade in 1982, laid off truck driver: Any how, after a driving interview. (in my own PU truck) I backed right over a mailbox, huge wide open lot. Never called back about the job.

The coat hanger works fine, the diverser bit good too. Ever drill down and tear up another cable (existing)? That blows!!!!


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## heel600 (Oct 31, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> An electrician, who shall remain unnamed, backed his truck into a lady's driveway Wednesday afternoon. This electrician mis-judged how far he backed in, and dented in the gutter on the garage over hang. Oops. The very minimal service call fee to flip the vanity light fixture upside-down isn't quite enough to cover the $230 to the gutter guy to replace the run. Oh well, stuff happens. It's good to have a couple carpenter, roofer, and plumber friends who can fix up your boo-boo's on short notice. Accidents happen, but it's all on how you handle them that counts. The lady was super cool about the whole situation, and even mildly excited about getting a run of gutter replaced that had a leak to begin with.



Why didn't you tell the lady it wasn't your fault? Say youu honked, but the house didn't move out of the way.


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