I'm hoping that by starting this blog, I may hear from other women in the construction industry. I would love to share stories, hopes, concerns and advice.
I've been around construction in some way shape or form my entire life. My father was in it, my stepfather, and I married a man that was in construction. The construction lasted, the marriage didn't, but that's another story. I started out in other fields, sales, credit manager, and even started my own restaurant. When I got divorced and moved, my stepfather wanted me to run the office for his construction company. Since I needed a change, I took him up on the offer.
After getting in the office, there just wasn't enough to keep me busy. His company does
Commercial Metal Stud Framing, drywall and
Acoustical Ceilings for primarily large retail buildings. He tried to teach me how to
read blueprints so I could do material takeoff and estimating. I just couldn't understand all the lines on the page. These blueprints have 40 pages with details and notes that send you on a goose chase to find an answer. I had never tried reading blueprints before, and I wasn't familiar with the materials being used. I thought a screw was a screw. I didn't know there were different screws for different applications.
I just couldn't get the hang of the prints, so I asked him to send me out into the field. I thought watching a project being built from the ground up would help me understand. So out into the field I went, after a little shopping of course. Comfortable work boots are a must. I found the
Timberland Women's Nellie Premium Casual - 7.5B Navy to hold up well. I bought some tools and a
Little Pink Tool Pouch & Belt. Ok seriously I started out with a
Custom LeatherCraft 1614 23-Pocket/5-Piece Comfortlift Combo System just like the guys. But as I learned more and became comfortable on the job site, I did switch from the blue Timberlands to the pink ones and I added some pink to my tool bag and tools. Just because you are on a construction site doesn't mean you can't have some style. Another benefit of having pink tools and a bag, if someone "borrows" your hand tools, you can always tell which ones are yours.
With the help of a very patient superintendent, I learned how to layout the walls from the lines on the blueprints. I learned how to frame the walls out of metal studs, hang and finish drywall. I enjoyed the process. And I loved the weight I was losing in the process as well as the muscles I was gaining. The only thing I didn't like about being on a job site was the port-o-lets.
I know I drove the guys crazy sometimes with all the questions I asked. I learned everything I could, I read code books, spec books, osha regulations and I watched how the guys worked. A few of the superintendents, employees and guys from other trades gave me a hard time along the way. A woman's place was not on a construction site.
By the end of each job, I had earned my respect and right to be on a construction site. But when that project would end, a new one would begin. Each new project brought a fresh set of project managers, and trades that I would have to prove my abilities to all over again. That was nine long years ago.
Today, for all intents and purposes, I run every aspect of this company. I have to say working in the field was far easier.