I began working for Mansvelt Construction www.mansveltconstruction.co.za on Feb 1st. I was hired as foreman for an addition & remodel of a home in Constantia. Mansvelt is a small firm building upmarket residences, including a current project in Tamboerskloof for Philip Olmesdahl of SAOTA. There are three projects/ sites under construction with a long term employee of Mansvelt running each. The Constantia job is a new contract thus the firm hired me as a new foreman.
For the first few days I rode along with the project manager to see the various projects and meet the team. I was also given the plans for my project to study. We were to build a second storey addition on top of an existing part of the house that had a concrete slab roof. There was an open plan bathroom, dressing room, and bedroom with a thatch roof that would tie into the existing roof. Then several doors and windows were to be replaced in the existing house, a large deck was to be built, and another bathroom to be renovated.
The boss challenged me with creating the program of work using a software program called Gantt. Planning the program involved working through the entire job step by step in my mind, which was an excellent exercise as I then felt very confident about getting to site to build it.
Unfortunately, on my 7th day on the job the client stopped us while we were busy establishing the site. He told us that the engineer had a concern over the foundation and the job may be on hold while they redesign.
In conversation with the boss, I asked what we would do if we don't get back on site soon. The boss said that if we don't get back on site within a couple of weeks, we would have to take a "break". It was obvious that without this project, it did not make business sense for the boss to keep me on.
I left the office very disappointed, but immediately started to pursue other work. Since I have a great interest and experience in Timber Construction, I decided to contact Swissline Design www.swisslinedesign.co.za, who ended up offering me a position beginning Monday the 18th Feb. The boss at Mansvelt construction was understanding and wished me all the best.
I'm really looking forward to building homes with Swiss Master Carpenters.
For the first few days I rode along with the project manager to see the various projects and meet the team. I was also given the plans for my project to study. We were to build a second storey addition on top of an existing part of the house that had a concrete slab roof. There was an open plan bathroom, dressing room, and bedroom with a thatch roof that would tie into the existing roof. Then several doors and windows were to be replaced in the existing house, a large deck was to be built, and another bathroom to be renovated.
The boss challenged me with creating the program of work using a software program called Gantt. Planning the program involved working through the entire job step by step in my mind, which was an excellent exercise as I then felt very confident about getting to site to build it.
Unfortunately, on my 7th day on the job the client stopped us while we were busy establishing the site. He told us that the engineer had a concern over the foundation and the job may be on hold while they redesign.
In conversation with the boss, I asked what we would do if we don't get back on site soon. The boss said that if we don't get back on site within a couple of weeks, we would have to take a "break". It was obvious that without this project, it did not make business sense for the boss to keep me on.
I left the office very disappointed, but immediately started to pursue other work. Since I have a great interest and experience in Timber Construction, I decided to contact Swissline Design www.swisslinedesign.co.za, who ended up offering me a position beginning Monday the 18th Feb. The boss at Mansvelt construction was understanding and wished me all the best.
I'm really looking forward to building homes with Swiss Master Carpenters.
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