Builders labourer wrecked my layout yesterday

[steveblackledge]

What can i say, i am gutted, the builders labourer was cutting concrete blocks with a cutting disc yesterday, but he did it in the doorway to the garage, all the dust was blowing straight at my railroad but it was to late to stop him, the damage was done. an hour later it was still to dusty to see the other end of the garage, i could cry.
I went in today and it looks like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption with fine white dust everywhere, it's in the turnouts, structures, hidden staging, shelving, drawers, it's bloody everywhere, lucky for me i put all the loco's and trucks back in there boxes the day before.Now i think i'll just tear it all down and start over when the builders done, i could vacum it off but like i said it's everywhere and will take months to clear it all, Oh well

[Anonymous]

WOW Steve that really sux![:O] It probably isn't quite as bad as it looks at first glance, a powerful shop vac should be able to get up most of it. But of course I'd wait until ALL the construction work was done first.

[Anonymous]

That's rough - is there some way you can claim for the damage caused? I know most builders will do their best to put it right (like the one who put a mini-digger arm through a window here - they reglazed it the next day and cleared up the mess).

[Anonymous]

That's bad, sorry to hear about it.
What to do? I would not tear it all down as you will spend just as much time rebuilding as cleaning it up. Take your time and work at a small area. Soon you will see things looking better. If I had lived near you I would have come and helped. Cover the other areas with a plastic sheet so no more dust can settle as you clean.
Keep cool, it may be a blessing in disguise, you may discover faults etc.
Regards William

[steveblackledge]

Matt builders are builders, i think they would use a yard brush if i left them to clean it up, it's a difficult one as the builders a good friend.

Me and Robert have decided to take most of it down and re build it bigger and better, i can incorporate my sons railroad into it as well, at the moment i can't bring my self to do anything though, the dust is so fine it's coated all the turnouts contacts and gone in all the track joints, it will be around for years to come.

[waltersrails]

Man i fill for you. that would really make me mad. it is a good thing you saved the engines and cars though.

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by steveblackledge

Matt builders are builders, i think they would use a yard brush if i left them to clean it up, it's a difficult one as the builders a good friend.

Me and Robert have decided to take most of it down and re build it bigger and better, i can incorporate my sons railroad into it as well, at the moment i can't bring my self to do anything though, the dust is so fine it's coated all the turnouts contacts and gone in all the track joints, it will be around for years to come.

I would still be having a chat with the builder about his helper.. I've run across a few who don't have a brain the size of a peanut.. It sounds as if you've decided to make lemonade out of your lemons and rebuild.. Before you go tearing into it though, a vacuum may work wonders.. Here in the US a filter can be purchased for shop type vacuums that is meant for very fine dust.. You might give that a try..

Good luck,
Jeff

[selector]

Really sorry to hear about your misfortune, Steve. What a kick in the teeth!

If it were me, I would use a couple of dehumidifiers to dry the **** out of the place, and then use a gentle brush and a powerful vacuum to stir up and suck out the dust. I'd know quickly if it was going to be worth the effort.

Of course, if you HAVE TO build a new layout...well, that's just awful, isn't it? [:-^][:D]

[Fergmiester]

I'd be blowing all the safety valves right about now. ONe thing you might be able to try isusing a shop vac with a brush attachment. I realize some of your scenery might get sucked up in the process but you maybe able to clear the track and ground cover and buildings.

I really feel for you.

Fergie

[trainboyH16-44]

That's horrible, but from what I have seen of your layout, DO NOT get rid of your layout. It looks great! Well, I suppose it looked great.....
Matthew

[Anonymous]

Steve,

I can only guess how you must feel right now.

It doesn't look like these guys know what they are doing. Any cement guy knows that cement dust is very bad and should not be haphazardly blasted everywhere. The stuff is bad to breath, corrossive to certain finishes and gets fine grit in stuff that will not come out . To cut blocks in a doorway to an enclosed space and fill the room with so much dust that you cant see the other side of the room is irresponsible at the very least.

I guarrantee you that there are people who would have already called the contractor and raised hell over this. Even if he is your friend, I don't think you should let him off of the hook here. What about the other stuff in your garage besides the layout? Tools, bikes skis, lawnmower etc....Covering them all with fine cement dust is at minimum a huge mess, at worst some would be ruined.....

Part of the responsibility of the contractor is to not ruin nearby items and to keep a clean work space. This guy is failing in these areas.....I would call him and have a chat about this. Down play the train and focus on this wisdom of cutting block inside a building. Contractors will often take the "whats the big deal" approach about messes they make. Good ones don't. If your friend is on the level he will take some responsibilty here.

I would clean up what you can as quickly as possible to minimize the damage to stuff from the dust. You may not be able to save the layout, but what I've seen, it is worth trying..

Even if he is your friend, I would watch the crew like a hawk for the duration of this project.

[Anonymous]

if the builder wasnt someone you knew, id find it perfectley reasonable to soo the krap out of him. or make the company pay for rebuilding the layout. if something like that happened to even my humble 4x8, i would be furious.

take no prisoners.

[JohnT14808]

Oh boy....not a good thing to read....

Our clubhouse is going to be closed, possibly as early as Nov 28th for major repairs. One of the repairs is going to happen in the basement where the OMRS layout is located. The repair is to replace three VERY OLD 14" support posts for a major structural beam that runs right over the layout. Two of the posts have been incorporated as the structural support for a major part of the layout, and helix 2 goes around and around one of these posts!!
The project manager and the club officers have a plan to leave the old posts as they are so the layout MAY BE SAFE, but....They will then have to cut a 3 foot by 3 foot square of concrete floor down to the ground, dig that out for a footing for new 4" x 4" steel posts that will be mounted on the outside of the layout to support the structural beam. We are going to have concrete dust EVERYWHERE!! We hope to cover the entire layout with plastic, but I just don't know if we are going to be able to recover from this project.
The majority of the club members think we can save the layout, but reading the initial post here makes we wonder..... I'm beginning to think we are toast.......[:(]
The whole building will be closed for four (4) months, so some of us are already trying to find other places to run trains.

[dgwinup]

Steve, this may be the perfect opportunity to build a new layout, but I would still try cleaning the existing layout first.

The contractor is your friend. Approach him in a friendly manner and explain your concerns to him. If he is a good friend and an honest contractor, he will want to help in some way. You haven't got anything to lose!

If all else fails, have you considered building a HUGE mound in the middle of the layout and calling it an erupting volcano? That would explain the powdery residue all over everything! (Hope you can see the humor in this comment. I do feel very bad that this happened to you.)

Darrell, quiet...for now

[ereimer]

that really really sucks . i'd try the soft brush and shopvac method before tearing anything apart , but you may be right if the dust has gotten into electrical contacts


i wonder if the assistant knows how close to getting blood on the layout he was

[dragenrider]

I don't guess you could just say it's a snow scene for the aftermath of a blizzard, could you?

[cwclark]

you can get most of it up with a vacuum, just be careful that you don't vacuum up the scenery foilage ..and after that's done, I'd be really jones'in to dribble the contractor guy's head on a concrete basketball court....chuck [B)]

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Instead of using a shop-vac to cleanup the mess maybe rent a compressor and blow the dust back out the same door it came in. That's what we use to blow dust out of our car at home and works better that trying to suck dirt up in a vac.

[selector]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Glen Haasdyk

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Instead of using a shop-vac to cleanup the mess maybe rent a compressor and blow the dust back out the same door it came in. That's what we use to blow dust out of our car at home and works better that trying to suck dirt up in a vac.

That's not a bad idea, Glen. If he can get one big fan to blow the risen dust out of the garage, he might be okay.

[twhite]

Friend or not, Steve, that was a stupid and completely irresponsible act, and the company should offer you compensation. What they REALLY should offer you is a filtered shop-vac so you can clean the dust out of those electrical contacts and turnouts. Unless you really WANT to re-build the layout, I'd do everything possible to save it, first, it's a very impressive layout and I know you've put a lot of blood, sweat, tears and talent into it.
I'm really sorry it happened. I hope you can salvage it.
Tom [:O][:(]

[Anonymous]

perfect excuse for you to tell the wife!!!!!! and if your current one was so good that people tell you not to take it down, then the next one will blow our minds away!!!!! DD

[Big_Boy_4005]

Well Steve, you are taking this way better than I would. Before going for the wrecking ball, I would try cleaning a small section to see how daunting the task really is.

[Eriediamond]

Steve, sorry to hear of your cement dust problem. I think after I calmed down I would still let your contractor friend know what has happened. It may save damage to someone else's property in the future. Now, on the brighter side of things, you could build a volcano and say your rail road was a devastated by the fallout from it. Like others, wish I lived closer to you and offer my help to you. Ken

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Hey Steve, my wife is from GB and says "Is the builder a "cowboy" ? Reputable contractors are bonded. We also have insurance called home owner's insurance. Of course we have to pay the deductable first.

If you have to tear it down and start over you might be able to get some monetary compensation and while it may not cover the complete material replacement cost, it could help should your worst dream come true.

Really sorry to hear about your plight. I'm going to keep my garage door tightly shut.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

Really sorry to hear that, tearing it down only makes for more cleaning.

If you tear it down that just adds mess

Just do your best to clean it and i wish you the best. Just make sure you get all of it up. A hand vac should do.

I think one of the companies (Atlas ect) should produce a track cleaning locomotive for this purpose. You know,just sucks everything up and polishes. That would be cool.

wish you the best

pavariangoo

[Anonymous]

its the home owners who have to move their stuff out of harms way the builder is there do do a job not play pick up your stuff then go to work maybe next time youll think about what a mess a cut off saw will make . what were you thinking that the concrete dust was going to disapear in to thin air. its cement ,rock,hard to cut .

[Anonymous]

are things getting hot in here???

thats a bit much isnt it? how do u move a layout?

[Eriediamond]

QUOTE: Originally posted by NJfrieght

its the home owners who have to move their stuff out of harms way the builder is there do do a job not play pick up your stuff then go to work maybe next time youll think about what a mess a cut off saw will make . what were you thinking that the concrete dust was going to disapear in to thin air. its cement ,rock,hard to cut .

For lack of better terms, that is the most stupidest thing I've heard. A contractor has a moral and professional obligation to inform the home owner of the work to be done and what a home owner needs to do to protect his property during the construction proccess. Clearly, the contractor failed to monitor the work being done and his opligation to the home owner. Repectfully, Ken

[Anonymous]

[#ditto]

i agree

[SSW9389]

Hey, I'm a contractor who owns a concrete saw. The thing works best with water, it cools the cutting blade. It keeps the dust down and makes clean up way easier. Someone either wasn't thinking or in a hurry to get 'er done. Concrete dust as others have said is a mess, hard to remove, abrasive, and can be toxic to breathe.