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Just did a job in a new apartment building over in the West End and the cable runs are a nightmare
I was pulling lines for a full install in this brand new complex, and the builders must have been in a huge rush. The main chase they put in is maybe two inches wide, and it's already packed with electrical, fire alarm, and other low voltage lines. I spent over an hour just trying to fish a single coax through without kinking it. The worst part is the drywall guys clearly didn't care, they just shot screws right through the path in a bunch of spots. I had to cut three new access holes just to free a snag. It's like they think our cables just magically appear. How do you guys deal with builders who give you zero room to work? Do you just start cutting more drywall or call the site manager first?
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laurag796mo ago
Had a job like that last year at the new Riverwalk condos. Their main chase was so full of Romex I couldn't get a fish tape through. I started taking pictures with my phone every time I found a screw through a cable path. Sent a whole folder to the GC and made it his problem to call the drywallers back. Sometimes you have to make the mess visible to get them to stop creating more work for you. It's the only thing that slows them down.
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wesley3856mo ago
Wait, Romex in a chase? That's low voltage only, right? You can't run line voltage cable in an air handling space. Maybe I'm reading your post wrong, but that sounds like a bigger code issue than just the drywallers.
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mila_harris6mo ago
Oh man, that is the only way to handle it. I had a framer who kept putting nails right through the middle of my drilled holes. Started taking a video every time, narrating it like "here's hole number three you filled with a nail." Sent the clips to the super every afternoon. They finally made the crew start marking my holes with bright tape. It's like they don't see it until you shove it in their face.
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