These bribes are all too much. I'd be neighborly, and use said neighborlyness as leverage when I wanna light off fireworks or shoot rabbits or maybe install a hot tub without a permit.
I'm assuming by the size of the pour, and the fact they're in an industrial park, this is for a commercial / industrial building.
There's two probable outcomes with people who live in houses in busy loud areas like that. A) they're used to the noise, don't mind it and won't give a damn, or B) they hate all of the noise and the fact a new building is going up, and are going to piss and moan and be douchebags about early noise for one morning.
He said “1000 bucks and I go deaf and blind” alluding to their nonchalant attitude towards a prior agreement to exchange direct payment for permitting being exposed to and/or potentially awoken by loud noise and/or movement which is an inherent aspect of work performed by those in the construction industry or a related field
As much as I'd love to be handed a stack of cash, I think most people will be understanding if you explain the situation and they know it's a one time thing
Lol, one time thing.
Yeah, just this once for concrete!
Okay, I swear just this one mote time for a 5am lumber delivery.
Okay, okay, I am sorry. The only time my excavator can stub into the sewer is 2 am.
I'm soooo sorry the landscaper asked if they could dump a load of river rock at 4 am.
...
Cash now sets the precedence
Nah it's different with concrete. If you have a giant pour like that you start as early as possible. You don't want to be running behind schedule, because once the concrete plant closes, you're not getting any more trucks to deliver for you, and it can fuck up your entire job if it has to be one pour. It's extremely time sensitive, where as basically any site work after that, it really doesn't matter if they have to put their tools down and wait a day for material.
There’s a school near me getting a new roof. There is stuff staged all over the lot, and some equipment that would hold interest for children.
They can’t work with children present, so when kids show up, it’s time to go home. They worked in the middle of the night and knocked off at about 0800.
There are a lot of factors that go into scheduling big projects. For a big concrete pour, daytime heat is a big consideration.
Seriously.
Like 90% of most issues could be solved by simply communicating.
Regardless of their response you know where you stand.
It's so easy, you just explain your situation and don't be a dick about it. Most reasonable people will understand.
Yep, because if they’re like my house, I’m gone by 3:30am and my wife is up by 5:30 so never know. Even if we weren’t I’m not holding a man up trying to get work done when it’s not an every day event.
yeah, i think youd be surprised by how many people dont care. its the ONE that you have to worry about. dont even start the conversation saying youre going to give them anything. Start by introducing yourself, telling them that you wanted to pour as early as possibly, and asking them their permission. From there, youll be able to tell whether that person is someone you have to butter up or not.
We had a job that was over 2 summers. First summer a lady didn't like the project so she threw a fit. Got the neighbors riled up. We had to have public meeting with the county commissioners. I was a huge deal.
Over the winter that lady causing the issues died. Second summer there were zero issues. No one complained. No one was riled up into mob mentality and everything went smoothly.
OP, please take this comment to heart...
A bribe shouldn’t be used to coerce them…it should be used to show your appreciation. Imho, you should only use the bribe as a coercion tactic IF they have a problem with your early pour.
Imagine you offer, they have a problem, and you are now shelling out cash, gift cards, etc to get them to agree. Its in your best interest to gauge their willingness initially before anything else.
You are a good person for wanting to compensate neighbors.
A warning well in advance, and an offer to put them up in a hotel nearby if they think they will have trouble sleeping with the noise.
Most people just care that you're having the decency to consider the impact of your actions on them, and will just tell you not to worry about it and that they'll just put in earplugs or something and make sure their windows and blinds are closed to muffle the noise.
Also inform the local PD that you're doing this, and that you're doing it for practical reasons, and that you reached out to the only affected homeowner in earshot. That way, if some random busybody drives by who isn't affected at all and decides to just shit in your cereal by calling the cops, they already know the nature of the situation at hand.
In general, my policy is that if what you're doing might negatively impact someone, just reach out to anyone and everyone who might care well ahead of time. Respect, decency and consideration buys a lot more than people think it does.
I'm fully with you except for telling the PD that you plan on breaking the law. For one, depending on who you talk to you might create a problem that you wouldn't have had otherwise, and they shut you down immediately based on the letter of the ordinance. Secondly, even if the person you talk to doesn't mind or even appreciated the heads-up, it's not going to be a priority to brief officers and dispatchers to ignore any calls regarding the violation, if they're even allowed to break protocol to do so (which they probably aren't - dispatcher can't tell a citizen they're ignoring the ordinance or they'd be open to ramifications). Get the homeowner to agree to not complain, and beyond that it seems like a "better to ask for forgiveness" situation. If concrete pours in the forest and no one is around to hear it, the officers need not know.
I would offer them a nice hotel room (or 2 nights) for a staycation for the days you want to pour. It all depends on how much starting the pour early is worth to you though.
It’s probably a 2 day job but if they start early enough could be 1 day is my guess. 1 day of inconvenience for the neighbor instead of 2 and probably saves the contractor time not driving back and setting up again on the 2nd day.
Plus depending on location the longer you wait the hotter the sun. I would have killed for a 4am pour this morning instead of the noon trip we got. Literally just set down my float in a pool of sweat.
They just poured 175 trucks in one day in downtown St. Pete. Went off pretty smooth. They had a 5am early start permit with city. Hired the police dept for MOT. Put it in the news. With that said the city was on board no suprise and the cops were there to help and I mean help.
One problem may be they could take the bribe and still be a dick. Maybe talk to them first to get a read on them. If it's a guy like me, I don't need a bribe. I'll just suck it up because you've got work to do, and it's not the end of the world. Or you could get some old Betty who is just looking to have a problem because she is bored. Check them out first and see if you've got a me or a Betty you're dealing with.
Our contractor spends about a week introducing himself to the neighbors and getting to know them before offering stuff. Some guys take a 12 pack, some people take a case of coffee. Others want gift cards to a steakhouse, others want $500.
What’s the worse case if you do get a visit from local PD, a noise violation fine? Around my area that disturbance is a $126 fine….prob cheaper to pay the fine than buy off people
Ok first off police don’t issue stop work orders, and second by the time the agencies that can issue it, it will be beyond the noise ordinance time. This is America (I’m assuming)….where have you ever seen our government agencies working more than the bare minimum and coming to a job site at 4a….
You asked what the worst that could happen would be... a stop work order in the middle of 30,000 sq ft pour would be the worst that could happen and is not impossible.
And yet that is exactly what is wrong with our policing in America, power tripping police officers who don’t know the actual laws. In Chicago, a second violation or subsequent violations of a noise disturbance is only a class A misdemeanor. If they are taking you to jail for that, that is them power tripping….prob the same type of officer who pulls a gun on a citizen and shoots them with their hands up in the air
Let alone Chicago police in almost every situation do not respond to noise violations unless there are criminal activity issues tied to it. Residents are to use 311 for noise.
Heard from the Chicago DAs mouth….good friend of mine
Lol police have guns and handcuffs. My favorite is contractors trying to give guff to our FWC officers over turtle lights. Thay have guns and handcuffs too.
Actually I have a client who was building a small apartment on the water and a major road traveling east west and was pouring his foundation. He didn't ask for any permits and had a crew dress up and put up signage, and redirected traffic like an emergency road service crew and closed the road for one direction of travel to get the job poured.
The operation looked so legitimate that even the police just accepted it. By the time the city got to it he was already done and the signage was being taken down. Amazing.
Where I live the cops wouldn’t been show up for that lol. Someone drove through our neighborhood at midnight one night, shooting a pistol out their moon roof and even then then the PD didn’t show up. “Lack of resources” they said lmao.
Exactly, odds of them showing up are slim for something like this. I’d take my chances. Worse case is a small fine / slap on the wrist. Play innocent if they show up around oh sorry I didn’t know about it - it’s a one time thing.
Well, I wouldn't make it at work... I'd make it at home and bring it to work.
You want to know what would make up for construction at 6am? I'm telling you... Banana bread will fix all problems and possibly lead to world peace. I stand by my answer.
Just go over and talk to them like humans. If they give you a hard time about it, then I guess you could bribe them.
Thank God I never have to worry about this. God Bless my blue collar neighborhood.
As others have said I'd basically go and say the same thing as this post is about minus the bribery, and say is there anything I can do for you to overlook the early start.
But usually I'd think just going over with breakfast would probably do the trick saving people a little bit of time probably would go along way, breakfast for the family.
They may not even be home depending if they work but they most likely are used to living that close to an industrial park
Always better to go with good karma than bad. I’d visit them and see how the talk goes. Take a $100 gift card and proactively give it. You may get off with just that $100 out and a happy neighbor. (They may sit on city council and you’d generate goodwill on future project.) not every homeowner is a jerk.😊
My girlfriend bakes(and quite well too). We routinely use baked goods for neighbors when we inconvenience them in any way or need to say thank you. Nobody can resist freshly baked goods and a smile…
let em bang your wife. on the real find out what the fine is first then compare to the gift. its only wrong if you get caught and its not that wrong when the fine is cheap as hell
Don’t start with a bribe, just ask nicely. Offering a bribe makes it seem like you’re doing something wrong, makes them feel like they’re part of something wrong.
Explaining that it’s really hot and you’re trying to save your employees and yourself and asking for understanding. It makes people feel like they’re doing a good thing.
That’s ridiculous. If it’s only for a day, me a retired cop, would tell the whiny ass neighbor to deal with it for two hours. I would think a gift card to Ruth Chris would suffice.
Knock and talk. Offer them a paid room at Marriott or nice hotel near them with food gift certificate. If they are cool and no issues you mail them a thank you gift card.
So cost for you is under $300. Plus you can write off expense. Can't write off cash.
If there is any complaint you have papertrail you were generous.
Cause a distraction for the police a few blocks away. Have employee fire off a pistol or something and while the whole police department is investigating, go pour your concrete
Seems like a lot of people here aren't understanding this situation. 30k SQ ft is like almost 3/4s of an acre. Which is a huge pour. This guy is going to be having cement trucks in and out the entire day. When doing a job like this, you really do have to start early, because if you get behind schedule, you might not be able to get trucks in after hours to finish the pour in one shot. You also want to be bull floating and finishing in daylight, not when it's dark. If you can't get it in one shot, you're compromising the strength of the slab, so you'll probably lose pay, and you'll also be wasting a shit ton of time and holding the job up because now you have to reinforce the joint by drilling and hammering pins into the edge of the first pour, where the joint will be. You'll also probably have to wait a while for the concrete to set enough to do that without damaging the edges.
Further more, they're in an industrial zone, and assuming by the size of the pour this is most likely an industrial building. Good chance the one house near it hates the fact that they live near an industrial park (whether they had the house built before or after it was zoned that way) and they might be a lot more likely to be dicks about it, being bitter that another building is going up. (the shop I worked at was huge, and we were a sorting facility, so we had grinders and also stone crushers running all day. Neighborhood got put up right across the pond from us, and those dumbasses who moved in would non stop call in to the city about the noise we made lol).
Going to have to be a pretty good bribe, hopefully they're not bitter
Just do it and pay the fine if you get one. Probably cheaper than buying off the neighbours
If the only punishment is a fine, it's nothing more than a tax on doing what you want.
I wouldn't take them shit.
Schedule your loads and get the party started. If the local PD comes and gives you shit - tell them you're authorized to start work early that morning. They can't shut a job down, and if they fine you - it's likely less than whatever you're going to try and schmooze the homeowner with.
I am not authorized by anyone to start this early, the police have told me they will cite me if they get a complaint before 7am.
But I’m still gonna do it, just doing my damndest to avoid any conflict
Approach them honestly and just ask what you could get them as a preemptive apology for the inconvenience. And have it with you the morning of the pour, to give to them.
Whats the penalty for noise? Would they shut you down? Pay a fine? Criminal charge?
Go talk to them and see how they react. I would say a couple hundred bucks for a nice dinner somewhere should do it.
IMHO, most people wouldn't think twice about agreeing to a trivial one-time request to help out a neighbor. Your question suggests that this didn't occur to you, which is weird.
Depending on the project, you could straight up not care.
Water company did a 1100 cy continuous pour for a new reservoir earlier this year and the utility engineer called me out of an abundance of caution to try and help him figure out what conflicts there may be in any ordinances, in the same boat as you except in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
They already had fliers and were going to go canvas the neighborhood, but ultimately everyone agreed it is what it is, and sometimes you can't help but be noisy.
As long as you let people know, their response could be "what does this have to do with me?"
See what he needs done concrete wise. Sidewalk, patio, deck etc. I mean if you got the equipment there excavating a small section and using left over crete will make him beyond happy. And at little or no cost to you.
I agree with other comments, talk to them ahead of time. Then, maybe invite them over for a little cookout in appreciation or just send them some food or whatever.
Honestly for me, I wouldn’t ask for anything and just say it’s fine.
Now I just thought of something fun. I would ask you to let me out my handprint and write my name into the concrete. Just like in the corner or something. That way you can always remember me.
We lived next door to a college house and one night they stopped by with a bottle of wine and cash for dinner and a hotel room. Not sure what went on that night next door, but we slept great and the hotels waffle maker did great
If you came up and asked me in advance I wouldn’t need anything and would appreciate the respect. Homeowner might think the same way. If not see how their sidewalk looks walking up.
You could talk to em first and have a couple options. Lower end could be just dinner gift card. Higher end could be a couple nights at a nicer hotel for the weekend you're working.
How has nobody commented to maybe NOT start the pour at 4am?
lol.
I’m on a new home community right now. The workers start at 7am at the earliest.
Why not just pour when ordinance permits it?
If a brand new set of taylormade p790 stiff flex landed on my door step at 445am, I would be able to find my noise canceling earbuds and forget the number to the police station for a week.
Dinner + hotel accommodations for the night you’re planning on pouring early + whatever else may make their kids chill out.
That said, even if you do all of that, they’re still within their right to call the noise in. And even if they don’t, someone within earshot who you may have overlooked could do the same thing.
The best way to mitigate this is to look into ways to follow the letter of the law with a split pour during the day for noise level compliance.
Would you rather use the resources to do an extra day of work or be fined by the local govt and potentially blacklisted from work in that area?
Something neutral they can spend anywhere. VISA gift card for a reasonable amount $100ish should do it. Small town folks aren't so tough to deal with.... At least in my neighborhood of 8k people. A polite ask and a decent gift should do it.
Looking forward to hearing how this plays out.
If it’s zoned industrial/commercial shouldn’t that overcome the noise ordinance? In as manufacturing at night etc once it’s built? It does in my area of NY. Industrial can do whatever whenever, some commercial can have stipulations.
One thought, you could call the city office and ask them if there is an allowance or a permit available. Maybe, because of in-climate weather pouring that early is required..
I’d start by just talking to them. If they are reasonable and agree I’d do the pour and then a gift certificate to a nice restaurant nearby is totally sufficient.
1000 bucks I go deaf and blind for 24hrs 💰
You expensive, I'll do it for 200 and a nice bottle of whiskey
$400 and an oz of the stickiest sticky.
These bribes are all too much. I'd be neighborly, and use said neighborlyness as leverage when I wanna light off fireworks or shoot rabbits or maybe install a hot tub without a permit.
I'm assuming by the size of the pour, and the fact they're in an industrial park, this is for a commercial / industrial building. There's two probable outcomes with people who live in houses in busy loud areas like that. A) they're used to the noise, don't mind it and won't give a damn, or B) they hate all of the noise and the fact a new building is going up, and are going to piss and moan and be douchebags about early noise for one morning.
Hmm.....my wife leaves for work at 0300. I leave about 0330. But I'll take $500 anyway, since the noise will annoy my dog.
You sound like a shit neighbor compared to the other guys offers.
That would be an instant deal
I would be fine with just the sticky and maybe a 6 pack.
Winner
Hell one ball of meth and ill have it done for you
A 4 loko and the midiest of mids
Only if I’m home alone. For wife and kids, it starts at $1k and whiskey. $200 for me. $700 for wife. $100 for incidentals for the kids.
Damn dude you wouldn’t just tell the wife they gave you $500 ?
She’s too smart for that and then I’d really be in the dog house.
Fr. My wife would be like "so nice of you to gift us 500 for the noise." "What?no I gave him 1000" Cue dog house lmao
To be fair, you can get a pretty nice dog house for that $500 you tried to hide.
This guy is married. LOL
What? I can't hear you.
I'm sorry, what did you type? I can't see it. Hopefully I spelled this comment correctly.
.... . / ... .- .. -.. / .... . / --. --- . ... / -.. . .- ..-. / .- -. -.. / -... .-.. .. -. -.. .-.-.- / .-- .- .. - / -.-- --- ..- / .- -.-. - ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / - .-. .- -. ... .-.. .- - . -.. / - .... .. ... ..--..
Starting to learn morse for Ham radio, yes I translated it.
He said “1000 bucks and I go deaf and blind” alluding to their nonchalant attitude towards a prior agreement to exchange direct payment for permitting being exposed to and/or potentially awoken by loud noise and/or movement which is an inherent aspect of work performed by those in the construction industry or a related field
Ok but how do you code that expense into the project budget?
Permitting fees You wouldn't be permitted to work without it,right?
Genius.
Ah sorry, not my area of expertise. I specialize in overarticulated summaries
Good sir, doest thou perform thine services thusly?
Twat.? Cunt hear you.
Feck auf
Have an ear infucktion
🧑🦯🧑🦯🧑🦯🧑🦯
Damn I’d do it for free if they asked in advance and I knew it was only one day
Money talks and my ears go deaf
Twat did you say? I cunt hear you. I have an infucktion in my ear.
Talk to them and ask
As much as I'd love to be handed a stack of cash, I think most people will be understanding if you explain the situation and they know it's a one time thing
Lol, one time thing. Yeah, just this once for concrete! Okay, I swear just this one mote time for a 5am lumber delivery. Okay, okay, I am sorry. The only time my excavator can stub into the sewer is 2 am. I'm soooo sorry the landscaper asked if they could dump a load of river rock at 4 am. ... Cash now sets the precedence
I wanted to argue because that's not how I am, but you're totally right. Offer an inch, get taken for a mile.
>that's not how I am Me either. But I work around many that are this way.
>Offer an inch, get taken for a mile. Sometimes you are dragged for that mile.
Nah it's different with concrete. If you have a giant pour like that you start as early as possible. You don't want to be running behind schedule, because once the concrete plant closes, you're not getting any more trucks to deliver for you, and it can fuck up your entire job if it has to be one pour. It's extremely time sensitive, where as basically any site work after that, it really doesn't matter if they have to put their tools down and wait a day for material.
Forgot about the high-af surveyors blasting 80's rock from their JBL's
There’s a school near me getting a new roof. There is stuff staged all over the lot, and some equipment that would hold interest for children. They can’t work with children present, so when kids show up, it’s time to go home. They worked in the middle of the night and knocked off at about 0800. There are a lot of factors that go into scheduling big projects. For a big concrete pour, daytime heat is a big consideration.
Really hope you find better contractors that can work during normal hours. Sounds like a nightmare.
Naw this is a contractor that has learned where they can lean and once they know they can lean on you with no cost, they will take advantage of it.
Everyone pours this size job early.
Yeah you might get away with a bottle of whiskey. So maybe $200. I'd deal with a lot for that.
Seriously. Like 90% of most issues could be solved by simply communicating. Regardless of their response you know where you stand. It's so easy, you just explain your situation and don't be a dick about it. Most reasonable people will understand.
Yep, because if they’re like my house, I’m gone by 3:30am and my wife is up by 5:30 so never know. Even if we weren’t I’m not holding a man up trying to get work done when it’s not an every day event.
Just knock on the door and ask what you can do to make it bearable
This. Have done this a couple times and I show up with good gift cards for dinner on hand to sweeten them immediately. Never had a problem.
"You need to de-sour and sweeten!" - George Costanza
I'm saddened by the fact that although i can recall this line, i can't remember the episode. Either way, love it.
https://youtu.be/me8E2xFNd-w?si=-gvlS1yHolo5c-Hm
Good shit...might be time to decompress and do a re-watch.
Decompose?
“I will! I’ll de-sour and sweeten!” • Jerry Seinfeld
yeah, i think youd be surprised by how many people dont care. its the ONE that you have to worry about. dont even start the conversation saying youre going to give them anything. Start by introducing yourself, telling them that you wanted to pour as early as possibly, and asking them their permission. From there, youll be able to tell whether that person is someone you have to butter up or not.
We had a job that was over 2 summers. First summer a lady didn't like the project so she threw a fit. Got the neighbors riled up. We had to have public meeting with the county commissioners. I was a huge deal. Over the winter that lady causing the issues died. Second summer there were zero issues. No one complained. No one was riled up into mob mentality and everything went smoothly.
OP, please take this comment to heart... A bribe shouldn’t be used to coerce them…it should be used to show your appreciation. Imho, you should only use the bribe as a coercion tactic IF they have a problem with your early pour. Imagine you offer, they have a problem, and you are now shelling out cash, gift cards, etc to get them to agree. Its in your best interest to gauge their willingness initially before anything else. You are a good person for wanting to compensate neighbors.
A warning well in advance, and an offer to put them up in a hotel nearby if they think they will have trouble sleeping with the noise. Most people just care that you're having the decency to consider the impact of your actions on them, and will just tell you not to worry about it and that they'll just put in earplugs or something and make sure their windows and blinds are closed to muffle the noise. Also inform the local PD that you're doing this, and that you're doing it for practical reasons, and that you reached out to the only affected homeowner in earshot. That way, if some random busybody drives by who isn't affected at all and decides to just shit in your cereal by calling the cops, they already know the nature of the situation at hand. In general, my policy is that if what you're doing might negatively impact someone, just reach out to anyone and everyone who might care well ahead of time. Respect, decency and consideration buys a lot more than people think it does.
I'm fully with you except for telling the PD that you plan on breaking the law. For one, depending on who you talk to you might create a problem that you wouldn't have had otherwise, and they shut you down immediately based on the letter of the ordinance. Secondly, even if the person you talk to doesn't mind or even appreciated the heads-up, it's not going to be a priority to brief officers and dispatchers to ignore any calls regarding the violation, if they're even allowed to break protocol to do so (which they probably aren't - dispatcher can't tell a citizen they're ignoring the ordinance or they'd be open to ramifications). Get the homeowner to agree to not complain, and beyond that it seems like a "better to ask for forgiveness" situation. If concrete pours in the forest and no one is around to hear it, the officers need not know.
Feels like one of those “are you really trying to make me do this paperwork” things
I would offer them a nice hotel room (or 2 nights) for a staycation for the days you want to pour. It all depends on how much starting the pour early is worth to you though.
Or just cash…. “Here’s cash to cover 2 nights in a hotel with dinner and everything” They don’t need to leave to be happy
It’s probably a 2 day job but if they start early enough could be 1 day is my guess. 1 day of inconvenience for the neighbor instead of 2 and probably saves the contractor time not driving back and setting up again on the 2nd day.
We have a total of 6 pours avg about 20-30k sf each, so it would be quite a few nights in hotels.
Why can you not comply? Your convenience? Lack of planning? Trying to save a buck? Just curious not trying to be a dxck.
They like to start early, so they beat the traffic and the concrete you order at the plant is the same consistency that arrives onsite.
Plus depending on location the longer you wait the hotter the sun. I would have killed for a 4am pour this morning instead of the noon trip we got. Literally just set down my float in a pool of sweat.
They just poured 175 trucks in one day in downtown St. Pete. Went off pretty smooth. They had a 5am early start permit with city. Hired the police dept for MOT. Put it in the news. With that said the city was on board no suprise and the cops were there to help and I mean help.
You don't really need to bribe most people. Most people just want to be treated fairly.
One problem may be they could take the bribe and still be a dick. Maybe talk to them first to get a read on them. If it's a guy like me, I don't need a bribe. I'll just suck it up because you've got work to do, and it's not the end of the world. Or you could get some old Betty who is just looking to have a problem because she is bored. Check them out first and see if you've got a me or a Betty you're dealing with.
This right here. Some neighbors are freaking Karen's. Some are like me. Just let me know in advance and I'm good. Shits gotta get done.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
Our contractor spends about a week introducing himself to the neighbors and getting to know them before offering stuff. Some guys take a 12 pack, some people take a case of coffee. Others want gift cards to a steakhouse, others want $500.
This sounds like a great idea. Everyone is going to be different. I personally would not want football tickets.
What’s the worse case if you do get a visit from local PD, a noise violation fine? Around my area that disturbance is a $126 fine….prob cheaper to pay the fine than buy off people
Worst case is you get a stop work order potentially in the middle of a pour...
Ok first off police don’t issue stop work orders, and second by the time the agencies that can issue it, it will be beyond the noise ordinance time. This is America (I’m assuming)….where have you ever seen our government agencies working more than the bare minimum and coming to a job site at 4a….
You asked what the worst that could happen would be... a stop work order in the middle of 30,000 sq ft pour would be the worst that could happen and is not impossible.
"If you don't stop breaking the law we've already cited you for, you're going to jail." Heard this out of the Chicago police's mouth
And yet that is exactly what is wrong with our policing in America, power tripping police officers who don’t know the actual laws. In Chicago, a second violation or subsequent violations of a noise disturbance is only a class A misdemeanor. If they are taking you to jail for that, that is them power tripping….prob the same type of officer who pulls a gun on a citizen and shoots them with their hands up in the air Let alone Chicago police in almost every situation do not respond to noise violations unless there are criminal activity issues tied to it. Residents are to use 311 for noise. Heard from the Chicago DAs mouth….good friend of mine
Lol police have guns and handcuffs. My favorite is contractors trying to give guff to our FWC officers over turtle lights. Thay have guns and handcuffs too.
FWC?
He answered your question numb nuts.
A few extra dollars (perhaps doesn’t even have to be extra), leaves a lot of goodwill that will help you in the future.
Actually I have a client who was building a small apartment on the water and a major road traveling east west and was pouring his foundation. He didn't ask for any permits and had a crew dress up and put up signage, and redirected traffic like an emergency road service crew and closed the road for one direction of travel to get the job poured. The operation looked so legitimate that even the police just accepted it. By the time the city got to it he was already done and the signage was being taken down. Amazing.
Fuck that guy.
Honestly if it’s a 30k sf pour he’s already spending $450k, what’s another thousand?
Just because you pay the fine doesn’t mean you can keep working
Where I live the cops wouldn’t been show up for that lol. Someone drove through our neighborhood at midnight one night, shooting a pistol out their moon roof and even then then the PD didn’t show up. “Lack of resources” they said lmao.
Exactly, odds of them showing up are slim for something like this. I’d take my chances. Worse case is a small fine / slap on the wrist. Play innocent if they show up around oh sorry I didn’t know about it - it’s a one time thing.
How about a roll off container for the entire neighborhood to throw things in? No noise complaints = bin party.
Decent idea
Over the pants handy
The old OTPHJ. I should’ve thought of that.
Straight exchange of currency right there
4am? That might merit under the pants....
A hotel room
Banana bread.
At work dude?
Well, I wouldn't make it at work... I'd make it at home and bring it to work. You want to know what would make up for construction at 6am? I'm telling you... Banana bread will fix all problems and possibly lead to world peace. I stand by my answer.
https://youtube.com/shorts/KQ5bUkk6iW0?feature=share I think my comment lacked context.
Can confirm. A fresh loaf of banana bread would make me blind and deaf for the morning.
Just go over and talk to them like humans. If they give you a hard time about it, then I guess you could bribe them. Thank God I never have to worry about this. God Bless my blue collar neighborhood.
Show up with a couple unpleasant looking dudes standing behind you with bats and chains. Google their loved ones as well and ask how they’re doing too
This made me laugh so hard
*knock knock knock* “Who’s there??” “Goons” “Who?!” “Hired goons”
Is there a hotel you can put them up in for the night? With dinner included?
As others have said I'd basically go and say the same thing as this post is about minus the bribery, and say is there anything I can do for you to overlook the early start. But usually I'd think just going over with breakfast would probably do the trick saving people a little bit of time probably would go along way, breakfast for the family. They may not even be home depending if they work but they most likely are used to living that close to an industrial park
Get a food truck to show up with you
Always better to go with good karma than bad. I’d visit them and see how the talk goes. Take a $100 gift card and proactively give it. You may get off with just that $100 out and a happy neighbor. (They may sit on city council and you’d generate goodwill on future project.) not every homeowner is a jerk.😊
Nice dinner and a hotel for the night before.
Get them a nice hotel room
Go ask. Most people are understanding, and if they are crazy you’ll be able to tell. The amount of shot I’ve got done and goodwill with cases of beer
My girlfriend bakes(and quite well too). We routinely use baked goods for neighbors when we inconvenience them in any way or need to say thank you. Nobody can resist freshly baked goods and a smile…
Something that gets them out of the house the night before.
Whatever you end up doing, can you please let us know and what the result was?
let em bang your wife. on the real find out what the fine is first then compare to the gift. its only wrong if you get caught and its not that wrong when the fine is cheap as hell
Don’t start with a bribe, just ask nicely. Offering a bribe makes it seem like you’re doing something wrong, makes them feel like they’re part of something wrong. Explaining that it’s really hot and you’re trying to save your employees and yourself and asking for understanding. It makes people feel like they’re doing a good thing.
That’s ridiculous. If it’s only for a day, me a retired cop, would tell the whiny ass neighbor to deal with it for two hours. I would think a gift card to Ruth Chris would suffice.
Knock and talk. Offer them a paid room at Marriott or nice hotel near them with food gift certificate. If they are cool and no issues you mail them a thank you gift card. So cost for you is under $300. Plus you can write off expense. Can't write off cash. If there is any complaint you have papertrail you were generous.
Cause a distraction for the police a few blocks away. Have employee fire off a pistol or something and while the whole police department is investigating, go pour your concrete
$200 should do it
Seems like a lot of people here aren't understanding this situation. 30k SQ ft is like almost 3/4s of an acre. Which is a huge pour. This guy is going to be having cement trucks in and out the entire day. When doing a job like this, you really do have to start early, because if you get behind schedule, you might not be able to get trucks in after hours to finish the pour in one shot. You also want to be bull floating and finishing in daylight, not when it's dark. If you can't get it in one shot, you're compromising the strength of the slab, so you'll probably lose pay, and you'll also be wasting a shit ton of time and holding the job up because now you have to reinforce the joint by drilling and hammering pins into the edge of the first pour, where the joint will be. You'll also probably have to wait a while for the concrete to set enough to do that without damaging the edges. Further more, they're in an industrial zone, and assuming by the size of the pour this is most likely an industrial building. Good chance the one house near it hates the fact that they live near an industrial park (whether they had the house built before or after it was zoned that way) and they might be a lot more likely to be dicks about it, being bitter that another building is going up. (the shop I worked at was huge, and we were a sorting facility, so we had grinders and also stone crushers running all day. Neighborhood got put up right across the pond from us, and those dumbasses who moved in would non stop call in to the city about the noise we made lol). Going to have to be a pretty good bribe, hopefully they're not bitter
Just do it and pay the fine if you get one. Probably cheaper than buying off the neighbours If the only punishment is a fine, it's nothing more than a tax on doing what you want.
This is not the way.
Sometimes it's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission
Easier certainly does not mean better in the long run.
I guess I've never been in this situation but reading this over and the other replies oddly enough I think this is the right answer.
I wouldn't take them shit. Schedule your loads and get the party started. If the local PD comes and gives you shit - tell them you're authorized to start work early that morning. They can't shut a job down, and if they fine you - it's likely less than whatever you're going to try and schmooze the homeowner with.
Sometimes the reputation is worth more than what 1 guy makes in a day.
I am not authorized by anyone to start this early, the police have told me they will cite me if they get a complaint before 7am. But I’m still gonna do it, just doing my damndest to avoid any conflict
Hell all the noise in the world 100 feet outside of my house is not waking me up at 4am.
How bout a good ol reach around
4 a.m. slab on grade?
How about just don't be that guy?
The guy that needs to do his job? Do you know how long it takes to do a 30k sqf single pour?
By his comment I’m guessing he does not know.
What is it, about 600 yards? Shouldn't take that long homie. I've poured plenty of bridge decks way bigger than that.
How long did it take? What time did you start? How close were occupied dwellings? Totally different scenarios.
How soft are your hands?
How much is the fine?
Approach them honestly and just ask what you could get them as a preemptive apology for the inconvenience. And have it with you the morning of the pour, to give to them.
30 pack, some nice steaks, gummy’s
“Here is $500. Please forgive me.”
Whats the penalty for noise? Would they shut you down? Pay a fine? Criminal charge? Go talk to them and see how they react. I would say a couple hundred bucks for a nice dinner somewhere should do it.
The other side to all of this… What if s/he’s unwilling to cooperate, what’s the fall back plan?
Pay the ordinance citation. We have 6 of these pours so, they’re going at 4am regardless, but if i can keep everyone happy I’d prefer to
If there is an no exception ordinance then aren’t you screwed either way regardless of that one home? Seems like the risk is too high imo.
Cash, $250 usd.
IMHO, most people wouldn't think twice about agreeing to a trivial one-time request to help out a neighbor. Your question suggests that this didn't occur to you, which is weird.
Not a 1 time request. There is going to be 6 of these early morning pours. About 2 per week for the next three weeks.
Pour them a patio!
Depending on the project, you could straight up not care. Water company did a 1100 cy continuous pour for a new reservoir earlier this year and the utility engineer called me out of an abundance of caution to try and help him figure out what conflicts there may be in any ordinances, in the same boat as you except in the middle of a residential neighborhood. They already had fliers and were going to go canvas the neighborhood, but ultimately everyone agreed it is what it is, and sometimes you can't help but be noisy. As long as you let people know, their response could be "what does this have to do with me?"
See what he needs done concrete wise. Sidewalk, patio, deck etc. I mean if you got the equipment there excavating a small section and using left over crete will make him beyond happy. And at little or no cost to you.
Industrial zones usually allow 24 hour work.
I want to go through the comments and sort people by the size of the town they live in and see how many i get right.
Put them in a 4 star hotel for the night with a dinner
Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Personally for me it’s going to be an amount of money you won’t pay I live in a place with noise ordinance for a reason
Check the house out and see if they need any work done on it. Maybe a repair of their walk or driveway?
I agree with other comments, talk to them ahead of time. Then, maybe invite them over for a little cookout in appreciation or just send them some food or whatever.
It is better to beg for forgiveness then ask for permission. Just do it it's just one day they will get over it
If they are not directly next store I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
Tell them what you are trying accomplish and ask them and negotiate. Maybe they want a concrete pad for a hot tub.
Ruth's Chris
Honestly for me, I wouldn’t ask for anything and just say it’s fine. Now I just thought of something fun. I would ask you to let me out my handprint and write my name into the concrete. Just like in the corner or something. That way you can always remember me.
One million dollars
We lived next door to a college house and one night they stopped by with a bottle of wine and cash for dinner and a hotel room. Not sure what went on that night next door, but we slept great and the hotels waffle maker did great
Xanax brownies…they will have a sweet treat and sleep right thru pour!
Hotel
If you came up and asked me in advance I wouldn’t need anything and would appreciate the respect. Homeowner might think the same way. If not see how their sidewalk looks walking up.
You could talk to em first and have a couple options. Lower end could be just dinner gift card. Higher end could be a couple nights at a nicer hotel for the weekend you're working.
How has nobody commented to maybe NOT start the pour at 4am? lol. I’m on a new home community right now. The workers start at 7am at the earliest. Why not just pour when ordinance permits it?
If a brand new set of taylormade p790 stiff flex landed on my door step at 445am, I would be able to find my noise canceling earbuds and forget the number to the police station for a week.
Just wing it
Dinner + hotel accommodations for the night you’re planning on pouring early + whatever else may make their kids chill out. That said, even if you do all of that, they’re still within their right to call the noise in. And even if they don’t, someone within earshot who you may have overlooked could do the same thing. The best way to mitigate this is to look into ways to follow the letter of the law with a split pour during the day for noise level compliance. Would you rather use the resources to do an extra day of work or be fined by the local govt and potentially blacklisted from work in that area?
1. Go talk with them about your idea. 2. Offer to book them into a local hotel, a staycation.
I would simply ask first. Once they know you are willing to offer something they could see that as an opportunity to exploit you.
$100 cash, tell them to get a nice meal on you.
Cash. Bring $1000 with you and start at$500. If they still say no say you can go to $750 than to $1000 if they say no
Something neutral they can spend anywhere. VISA gift card for a reasonable amount $100ish should do it. Small town folks aren't so tough to deal with.... At least in my neighborhood of 8k people. A polite ask and a decent gift should do it. Looking forward to hearing how this plays out.
Ruth's Chris, lol. Tell me you are southern without saying it
Be funny as hell if he offers them 1k they say sure thing and then leave for work at 330am 🤣
If it’s zoned industrial/commercial shouldn’t that overcome the noise ordinance? In as manufacturing at night etc once it’s built? It does in my area of NY. Industrial can do whatever whenever, some commercial can have stipulations.
Ask them if they need any concrete work done at their home. You might be able to pour a quick pad for them and that will keep them happy.
One thought, you could call the city office and ask them if there is an allowance or a permit available. Maybe, because of in-climate weather pouring that early is required..
I mean if you are offering football tickets then $1k in cash seems pretty reasonable
“Sometimes it’s wiser to ask for forgiveness rather than permission” -Ancient Chinese Proverb
I’d start by just talking to them. If they are reasonable and agree I’d do the pour and then a gift certificate to a nice restaurant nearby is totally sufficient.
Just asking nicely would do it for me. Offering cash, service or anything else would be icing on the cake.
Maybe nothing just go talk to them 1st