GRANARY BUILDING
CITY OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON
 |
| Not bad for a few days REVIT work. When complete it will be "As-Built" (original) |
SCOPE OF MY PROJECT INVOLVEMENT:
(parental discretion advised)
Hired as Project Manager & CAD Expert ($15/hr. cash, 25% my normal fee) by Louis Parr of Ireland-based Harcourt Developments while still homeless, flat broke, sleep-deprived & hungry. Louis responded to my Craigslist posting
(See pic above - Architectural Designer, 3D CAD/BIM Expert, Carpenter, Handyman) and
asked if I was serious about the skills I claimed. We met and I
presented him with samples of my work, a link to my Architectural Design Blog, toured the
Granary Bldg, met other sub-contractors and he hired me immediately. I
occasionally slept in the job-site trailer & was given all gate
& door entry codes, wi-fi passwords, administrative privileges on
Louis' laptop and otherwise fully trusted (later threatened to not STEAL
or else!!!). Fortunately for Louis, that was never an issue as I have
more integrity than he will ever have.
From
the first day, I was puzzled as to why there was no electricity,
internet, printer or other "basics" for running a job-site. Also, since I
couldn't afford a cellphone, it was EXTREMELY difficult for me to stay
in contact with the "boss". Louis was obviously overwhelmed with the
project & trying to organize getting his house set up and his family
brought over from Ireland. Harcourt, in particular Louis Parr, was
"jumping the gun" and forcing the city to move the project forward,
whether they knew it or not & regardless of permit status.
Sometimes, I agree, that is necessary provided job safety comes first.
Originally, I started out doing what I normally do, taking field measurements and preparing a 3D CAD model of the existing structure (As-Builts). Louis gave me a full set of Granary PDF drawings from the Architect (Michael E. Smith, FAIA) to assist in my 3D model. John Reid and I met privately to discuss the Granary skylight issues, as well as his overall conceptual site ideas and asked me to teach him some basic CAD skills so he could better visualize his ideas. We also discussed the outrageously rude, violently-tempered and foul-mouthed Louis Parr and how this was impacting progress, as well as upsetting city "officials".
Louis
told me to not share my personal situation (homeless, broke, hungry)
with John or the subs on the job-site. After nearly a week on the job,
that was getting difficult as I was only getting about three hours sleep
each night (often in rain & muddy conditions). Then, I would take a
bus into town very early, unlock the front gate & shipping
containers (office & storage) and prepare for the crew to arrive. I
usually couldn't afford coffee, so I was extremely exhausted & in
pain. John Reid gave me $10 one day to buy food because I was weak and
lightheaded. He still didn't know I was homeless at the time but
realized something was wrong.
To compound this, Louis was putting a LOT of pressure on me to finish a Project Management Schedule/Timeline. He had absolutely no BASIC construction or office related software and no office printer. I used my own laptop, downloaded TRIAL Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Project and other software just to be able to function. For the first week we ran the job-site trailer on a large generator, shared with the roof and framing crews (this fried my laptop battery). Everything seemed to be progressing forward rapidly but almost out of control. I convinced Louis to get a portable wi-fi setup and pushed for real job-site power, which was installed the next week.
Later in the week, Louis was seriously pressuring me to get a Project Schedule complete to send to the head office in Ireland, in addition to my other responsibilities. After a couple of days of schedule/timeline reviews with Louis, he got aggressive & demanded the Schedule be complete within the next 24 hours. I finally had to tell Louis, BOLDLY, that I was running on 3 hours of sleep each night, limited food intake, lack of morning coffee & meds, and that if he expected me to be able to focus on this Schedule, I would need a cheap hotel room for 1-2 nights plus laundry. Everything in town was booked, so he had to put me up at the same "luxury" hotel where he was staying (Oxford Suites). He got the rate discounted to $80/night and the schedule got completed as promised.
On the second hotel night, Louis' family arrived from Ireland and he checked out of the hotel. My next task from Louis was to find an apartment or other rental. Louis promised to take care of the upfront costs and responsibility for the lease, provided I find the place and make an appointment to see it. I scoured Craigslist and found many excellent all-inclusive deals. I emailed them all and waited for responses. They were going fast! I emailed Louis links to the ones I liked. It was the weekend and I desperately needed to due my laundry at the hotel and then check out soon (back to the streets).
The first and only Craigslist poster to respond was the one I wanted most (private cabin). The landlord asked me to call him immediately if I wanted to see it. Ugggghhh, I have no phone! I emailed Louis and told him the situation. He contacted the landlord and set up an appointment for me... within the hour! I would have to take the bus downtown, then transfer to another bus to get there. This would have taken about an hour and a half and I would miss the appointment. I emailed the landlord and Louis to let them know I would be late. The landlord would not respond further. Louis then told me that I needed to "step up" and get my act together.
I quit! Louis emailed me and said that he understood "if you don't feel right for the job." He told me I could pick up my remaining cash wages on Friday. He asked me how much I owed him, so I sent him a detailed daily log of hours and cash already paid. He then asked me "What about the $160 for the two hotel nights?" Unbelievable! I told him that was a business expense and a result of not having an adequate office setup and the stress of my homeless living conditions. He met me at the job-site, paid me cash for the hours owed and that was that. By the way, the wall framing crew also quit after just a few days on the job. That left only the two roof framers on site (all paid in cash).
From DAY ONE, Louis set me up for failure. He toyed with me, talked down to me, kept referring to everyone as "Stupid Fucking Americans!" He didn't provide me with the necessary tools to complete my job, then belittled me when I was taking so long. The most obvious was that I didn't have a cellphone to communicate with Louis and there was no phone in the job-site trailer.
Originally, I started out doing what I normally do, taking field measurements and preparing a 3D CAD model of the existing structure (As-Builts). Louis gave me a full set of Granary PDF drawings from the Architect (Michael E. Smith, FAIA) to assist in my 3D model. John Reid and I met privately to discuss the Granary skylight issues, as well as his overall conceptual site ideas and asked me to teach him some basic CAD skills so he could better visualize his ideas. We also discussed the outrageously rude, violently-tempered and foul-mouthed Louis Parr and how this was impacting progress, as well as upsetting city "officials".
To compound this, Louis was putting a LOT of pressure on me to finish a Project Management Schedule/Timeline. He had absolutely no BASIC construction or office related software and no office printer. I used my own laptop, downloaded TRIAL Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Project and other software just to be able to function. For the first week we ran the job-site trailer on a large generator, shared with the roof and framing crews (this fried my laptop battery). Everything seemed to be progressing forward rapidly but almost out of control. I convinced Louis to get a portable wi-fi setup and pushed for real job-site power, which was installed the next week.
Later in the week, Louis was seriously pressuring me to get a Project Schedule complete to send to the head office in Ireland, in addition to my other responsibilities. After a couple of days of schedule/timeline reviews with Louis, he got aggressive & demanded the Schedule be complete within the next 24 hours. I finally had to tell Louis, BOLDLY, that I was running on 3 hours of sleep each night, limited food intake, lack of morning coffee & meds, and that if he expected me to be able to focus on this Schedule, I would need a cheap hotel room for 1-2 nights plus laundry. Everything in town was booked, so he had to put me up at the same "luxury" hotel where he was staying (Oxford Suites). He got the rate discounted to $80/night and the schedule got completed as promised.
On the second hotel night, Louis' family arrived from Ireland and he checked out of the hotel. My next task from Louis was to find an apartment or other rental. Louis promised to take care of the upfront costs and responsibility for the lease, provided I find the place and make an appointment to see it. I scoured Craigslist and found many excellent all-inclusive deals. I emailed them all and waited for responses. They were going fast! I emailed Louis links to the ones I liked. It was the weekend and I desperately needed to due my laundry at the hotel and then check out soon (back to the streets).
The first and only Craigslist poster to respond was the one I wanted most (private cabin). The landlord asked me to call him immediately if I wanted to see it. Ugggghhh, I have no phone! I emailed Louis and told him the situation. He contacted the landlord and set up an appointment for me... within the hour! I would have to take the bus downtown, then transfer to another bus to get there. This would have taken about an hour and a half and I would miss the appointment. I emailed the landlord and Louis to let them know I would be late. The landlord would not respond further. Louis then told me that I needed to "step up" and get my act together.
I quit! Louis emailed me and said that he understood "if you don't feel right for the job." He told me I could pick up my remaining cash wages on Friday. He asked me how much I owed him, so I sent him a detailed daily log of hours and cash already paid. He then asked me "What about the $160 for the two hotel nights?" Unbelievable! I told him that was a business expense and a result of not having an adequate office setup and the stress of my homeless living conditions. He met me at the job-site, paid me cash for the hours owed and that was that. By the way, the wall framing crew also quit after just a few days on the job. That left only the two roof framers on site (all paid in cash).
From DAY ONE, Louis set me up for failure. He toyed with me, talked down to me, kept referring to everyone as "Stupid Fucking Americans!" He didn't provide me with the necessary tools to complete my job, then belittled me when I was taking so long. The most obvious was that I didn't have a cellphone to communicate with Louis and there was no phone in the job-site trailer.
(STAY TUNED, WORK IN PROGRESS)
I'm
being followed/stalked around town by a lot of new faces, vehicles with
blacked-out windows (revving engines, shining brights on me, staring),
& even some "ugly" characters... punk losers, construction trucks
& even LGBT predators (local media or city officials?) late at
night. ROT IN HELL!!! I don't get intimidated any more. It's too late
for that. I've lost everything and I have been taken advantage of &
mistreated far too long. I'm suffering in horrible pain, sleeping with
one eye open (outside in the cold & rain), ready for anything!!!
I have nothing left to lose, so now I am "venting" the absolute truth
about who has and is doing this and why this has happened to me.
 |
| "This town needs an enema!" :-) |
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