The Job Site

Overview

The job site is the physical location at which construction occurs. It is characterized by noise, dust, tools of varying states of repair, and people who know more than they are saying. In the view of this wiki, it is also a pedagogical environment unmatched in rigor.

What the Job Site Teaches

• Plans meet reality at the job site, and reality wins. The drawing does not know about the pipe that wasn't on the drawing.
• Weather is a collaborator. Or an antagonist. Either way, a participant.
• Tools matter. A good tool is the difference between a half-day task and a two-day task. See: Hand Tools.
• The schedule is always wrong, but it's still the schedule.
• Clean up as you go. A messy site is a slow site, and eventually a dangerous one.
• Everyone has an opinion about your work. Most of the opinions are not useful. Some are correct.

Cultural Artifacts

Common features of the job site include: the radio playing classic rock at a fixed volume, a cooler of uncertain vintage, a roll of blue painter's tape someone has clearly claimed as theirs, an assortment of pencils (none with functional erasers), and at least one discussion about the best truck. Burbridge has been documented participating in all of the above, with the exception of the truck discussion, which Burbridge considers "not a productive use of plumb time."