Substitution requests -- entertainmen...

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Author Message Anne Whitacre, CCS CSI Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 98 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, July 06, 2004 - 07:52 pm:    I'm starting this purely for my own amusement, but this has spent all day in the office, so here goes: What's your most amusing "substitution request"? We used to get substitutions that were at least the same sort of product as we specified.... but now: We recently specified a 1-1/2" wide molded neoprene expansion joint (the kind you cast into a concrete joint) and the contractor submitted: polyurethane sealant. He's serious, too -- we have the submittals, and multiple phone calls. (and no... we didn't approve it..) Anonymous   Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 09:49 am:    We had a contractor submit a substitution request after the builder had installed 6 floors of sheet rock by a non-specified manufacturer without a shop drawing submittal. After the builder had installed the sheet rock before the building was dried-in and ended up getting mold growing on the sheet rock. After the building department red-tagged the contractor for sheet rock installation for mold and loss of fire-rating integrety. Anything else, oh yeah, after the contractor installed the sheet rock with horizontal joints, even though the installed brand did not have a fire rating test for horizontal joints. The contactor's substitution request indicated no reason for the request and no dollar difference. Can you say... get your you know what out of a wringer? Ellis C. Whitby, AIA, PE, CSI Intermediate Member Username: ecwhitby Post Number: 5 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Monday, July 12, 2004 - 06:32 pm:    Personally, I've never had a substitution request with quite as much chutzpa a "Anonymous" relays, but I have hopes. On second thought, most of the contractors I deal with are more “sophisticated” and try to slide less egregious changes through. There are always exceptions. I have had many substitution requests submitted as “RFIs”: for example: a request to use fiber glass insulation in lieu of mineral fiber; fiber glass insulation in lieu of rigid insulation; even rolled-on mastic coatings as below grade wall waterproofing in lieu of reinforced modified bitumen sheets.