Cold??????

borat_borat1950

I know there are alot of variables, but at what temp. do you draw the line and everyone pisses on the rain turtle and goes to drink beer?????

bighammer

I understand what you are saying, It has been below zero (including wind chill) everyday for the last week..nothing has been working right, but if we are not working, we are not getting paid, and if we are not getting paid, I get hungry...we tend to lose some employees during the winter...we wean the weak ,the men from the boys...so on so forth..framing can be fun in the winter, if you just keep moving and keep going, not thinking about how *****ing cold it is.....in 7 years framing, I can only think of twice we have stopped to drink beer due to cold weather...we start later in the day and stop earlier...less hours, but I LOVE THIS JOB..

firemike

Working on a deck repair right now, two days ago it was 11 degrees, calm, and sunny and could work outside comfortably, today it's 9 degrees, cloudy, and windy, so I am gonna park right here on Contractortalk! Like BigHammer said though, if we don't work, we don't eat so probably be back out tomorrow or Wednesday finishing it. Last night about 6pm it was 2 degrees with a wind chill of 31 below. Had a feeling today was going to be a FTD day. I guess I can start the year-end paperwork early.........

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threaderman

The only time I would pull-off a job is due to freezing rain.I'm not driving my rig in that stuff,it's not worth it.Everything else just goes slow,slow,slow.Thaw out the caulk,the leak solution,flashlights don't work,your drink freezes,and the mayo on your sandwich gets crunchy.Good stuff.

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neolitic

20º, sunny, no wind...
might be good to go, but
somewhere in the low twenties it
just costs too much.
What's the point in working 8 hours to
get five or six hours of work done?
Everything slows down as the temperature
drops, and this time of year enough time
goes into just setting up and tearing
down and covering lumber/work, and
uncovering lumber/work.......
Even estimates that consider winter
work considerations go to hell when it
weather gets really rotten.


Currently, a balmy 7º F, up from 1º!

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SelfContract

Older people (40+) easily get Arthritis when weather gets very cold. Hand bones & muscles easily get pain, numb, sore, hurt, etc... So make sure you wear gloves and plenty of warm clothes.

Burby

40+ yeah plus 30 more degrees,

hahaha it is nice when close to retirement, fully. or even when time allows us to choose the days we wish to work.

Today, after a week of upper 70's and a day or so 80 even, today or now, @ 11:50 am is 33, with the windchill down to feeling like 26 degrees, that is no means an outside working day to me.
With all the laws on the books, code, civil, federal, why is there no law against the weather dropping below 70 degrees?? hahaha or at the very least, take some of that money our Government gives to other countries and pay each of us a days pay fro each day below 70 degrees, then give the other Countries what is left of that. Good idea, eh?

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SNC

20 degrees and windy, its not worth it. i dont have anything to prove if they dont like they can get the mexicans to f it up.
i dont know why some companies want to pay to hudle around the heaters or pour gallons of anti freeze down the air hoses.
I try to work smart and orginized, sometime its hard to explain that to others

KentWhitten

Mine was 0°F but it depends on the wind also. If it's windy, I just can't stand it. Some days are tougher than others. February is usually our worst I'm going to be right in the middle of it though. Snow and cold.

Hoses start freezing and people start dickin' around, efficiency becomes zilch, that's when I start getting cranky.

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forsmant

I have spent many mornings starting the fire and huddling around it. Some guys like to start before the sun comes out. I prefer to wait for the sun. We usually go inside if its too windy and cold.

Chris Johnson

51 today and loving it...working N. California last week and poured concrete in 4F...The doctor I was building the house for wanted to know if I needed anything when finished...I requested Viagra just to get the blood flowing again

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Jeff J Buck

Seeing as how it was 4 deg this morning and got up to a high of 11 ...

and we spent the day trimming a bump out and running hardi siding, I guess lower than 4.

I've found that -10 can make for an uncomfortable day.

Last week it was warmer, but worked one full day thru a torrential downpour. Colad, hard rain ... all freaking day.

Today was nice in comparison, aside from the tools freezing up.

Jeff

Lou the roofer

it was 12 degrees at 7 am with a -4 wind chill and 35 mph wind.
There was no way i was going up on a roof today.

canuck

We here in Alberta have been stuck in a deep freeze for a few weeks. The other day I called it a day after no equipment would work, it was -30C plus a windchill dipping it down to -40C and colder. Everything takes longer to do but atleast if something is getting done the project is still moving.

People whine and complain, I just tell them "Your the one who chose construction in Calgary. Now lets go to work." Generally most people will not refuse if you are out there with them.

Mike(VA)

When the lowest priced, hungriest sub who works without gloves goes home, we all go home. No way I'm wussin' out in front of my guys; (he says with icicles hanging from his nose as the temp is 11 deg at 7am yesterday). (Imagine smiley with earmuffs holding a cup of joe here).

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SethHoldren

Awesome attitude, man. Guys like you are few and far between.

I don't frame anymore (well, occasionally I still do) and I moved to Tennessee from Montana, so I'm not in -20 degree weather anymore, but....

I remember the cold days. I loved it too.

Most guys I worked with hated the cold. They would gripe all day and be the first ones to the heated van for break, and the last ones to leave. They didn't know the "secrets" that I knew (they are not even secrets.)

1. Be the first one to start moving, and the last one to stop. If you're looking over someone's shoulder, you freeze.

2. Peel off layers way before you sweat.

3. Atlas Thermals (under another set of gore-tex ski gloves when below zero.)

Occasionally I got to work with one or two guys who had fun in the cold with me. I miss that satisfying feeling of a hard day in real cold weather.

But not THAT much.

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SNC

I used to do the fires, up in Rhode Island in the early 90s.
Not allowed to buoild fires down here, The GCs would freak.

Chris Johnson

Ever seen the fire that burned the Oakland hills?

same idea

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billderboots

Like some others said, The boss needs to get the men moving. Usually as soon as i pull up to the job site I hop right out into the cold and wind. Get my nail bag on and start bitching! That seems to inspire the troops. Otherwise they will sit in the truck till 10 am then get out and mosey over to the bricklayers fire at the 50 gallon drum and help throw wood on it. Generally though once you get the boys the idea of going home not being an option then the rest plays out. And usually later on after lunch someone will say they were glad we worked.