# Strange places you have worked?



## nodnarb (Apr 25, 2014)

Im sure all of you commercial guys have found yourselves in some strange places before so lets hear it!

Just recently I was working in a mental health hospital. It was inhabited.

Ive built massage parlors, sex shops, head shops, Jails, mental hospitals ect. 

The active mental hospital probably takes the cake for sheer lunacy, oddly enough its closest contender was doing remodels on the gas station chain "Quik Trip".


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

I worked at Sandia Labs in Livermore California across the street from Lawrence Livermore Lab which is the sister to Los Alamos NM where the Manhattan project invented the nuclear bomb. I was in their main super secret computer and cut myself with a stud. They made me wipe up my own blood saying it was a bio hazard?

I also built the computer room for Visa International that process' credit card authorization. I had 2 doors that where super complicated. You swiped a badge at the first one to enter, and then stand inside in front of a camera. Your badge swipe better match your picture on file or a security guard locks you inside. It had electric latches, and electric locks, because of the handicapped push pads, and electric closer / openers. I think each opening including hardware was 8k.


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## Wimpy65 (Dec 17, 2013)

The strangest job I had was remodeling a mortuary. I actually had to work in the room where the kept the bodies. And, yes there were bodies when I worked there!  At least it was a cool (almost cold) and quiet (everyone just lay quietly all day) place to work.


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## boco (Oct 29, 2010)

I worked in a missile silo. Pretty cool the control room was still there. No nukes though. I think there is 1 left for sale on ebay. relics from the cold war and people are bu
ying them and coverting to homes.


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

Parole offices, jails, *grow rooms and a navy radar testing facility once. I also get hired alot by the local police and jailers to work on their homes. We dont see eye to eye but their wifes love me.:thumbup:


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

I've worked at two grow ops in the last two months. It's amazing these guys will show you there grow rooms when they don't even know you. One was pretty slick. He had a steel building with a semi hidden second floor. You couldn't tell by looking out side or walking threw the shop. Room was even sound proof to hide the noise from fans and pumps running.


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## nodnarb (Apr 25, 2014)

I was working in the ER unit in parkland dallas, one of the two major hospitals serving dallas ft worth metroplex. Its a damned madhouse, a madhouse full of godawful topout. Worst job ever, had two badges and all sorts of BS. Did the dispensary on one of their buildings. A coworker set off the "dust sensors" in the ceiling and we were all promptly escorted off the property while they investigated.


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## Mr.Brightstar (Dec 2, 2011)

drywallmike08 said:


> I've worked at two grow ops in the last two months. It's amazing these guys will show you there grow rooms when they don't even know you. One was pretty slick. He had a steel building with a semi hidden second floor. You couldn't tell by looking out side or walking threw the shop. Room was even sound proof to hide the noise from fans and pumps running.


They tip good tho dont they. :whistling2:


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## drywallmike08 (May 27, 2010)

Yes they do ! No complaints at all !


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

Lancaster Labs. We kept waiting to stumble across some Steven King stuff...like the containment room for Superflu/Captain Tripps

Unisys. My very first self employed job. I came around a corner to the stockroom one morning and had full dress Marines level rifles in my face  Unisys had been caught buying contract info from a crooked Congressman


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## P.A. ROCKER (Jul 15, 2011)

Back in January I rocked a funeral home renovation. They were doing makeup and hair on the dead while we hung. We even had to wheel around an occupied casket.


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## scottktmrider (Jun 24, 2012)

A few years ago I worked on a federal building in cape mo.I wouldn't say it was strange but different and interesting.
In a few places we had to install bullet proof board before the drywall went up. and we had to install bomb proof mesh on the exterior walls before the brick.


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## nodnarb (Apr 25, 2014)

scottktmrider said:


> A few years ago I worked on a federal building in cape mo.I wouldn't say it was strange but different and interesting.
> In a few places we had to install bullet proof board before the drywall went up. and we had to install bomb proof mesh on the exterior walls before the brick.


Was the mesh expanded metal? I have had to do several security rooms with one layer 5/8" then expanded metal then another layer of 5/8" . Was a bi*ch to hang that second layer. 1 5/8 wouldnt always get it so we hung it with 2 inchers and core board/laminate screws for good measure. Seemed to hit a screw head every other screw.


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## scottktmrider (Jun 24, 2012)

nodnarb said:


> Was the mesh expanded metal? I have had to do several security rooms with one layer 5/8" then expanded metal then another layer of 5/8" . Was a bi*ch to hang that second layer. 1 5/8 wouldnt always get it so we hung it with 2 inchers and core board/laminate screws for good measure. Seemed to hit a screw head every other screw.


We did do the mesh wire, it was fun to toping out walls, we had to put it right to the studs and couldn't be more than a 1" gap around penetrations
But no the mesh we put on the exterior walls was a fabric that was woven real tight. it came in 10' rolls and supposed to keep scrapnel like brick pieces from coming thru the wall.


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## nodnarb (Apr 25, 2014)

scottktmrider said:


> We did do the mesh wire, it was fun to toping out walls, we had to put it right to the studs and couldn't be more than a 1" gap around penetrations
> But no the mesh we put on the exterior walls was a fabric that was woven real tight. it came in 10' rolls and supposed to keep scrapnel like brick pieces from coming thru the wall.


Cool, never built a bomb proof wall. And yeah cutting penetrations with the expanded metal is a PITA. We used an angle grinder


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

I built a nut room in a hospital years ago. It had 2 shaftwalls 10" out to out when finished with a punching bag in the middle. They could throw a crazy person in there and not have to hear them. Thickest door jamb I remember setting.


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## nodnarb (Apr 25, 2014)

MrWillys said:


> I built a nut room in a hospital years ago. It had 2 shaftwalls 10" out to out when finished with a punching bag in the middle. They could throw a crazy person in there and not have to hear them. Thickest door jamb I remember setting.


I go back to the nuthouse that inspired this thread tomorrow. Buddys has got a weird cash wrap/desk situation he wants me to demo out and build a new one.

Will post pics tomorrow, he doesnt have all the details ironed out yet from what it sounds like. Got some hardware to put up too. Atleast I wont be in the occupied areas this time.


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## JDPugh (Oct 26, 2015)

We were asked to build some fancy looking vented 20' square pop ups on an existing roof of a dog food manufacturing plant. I looked at it early one morning and it did not look to bad nor smell bad at all. We would be working about 30' above some huge pressure cookers on the factory floor which were in use 24 hours a day. What they did not tell me was that several times a day they vented the steam in those cookers. Three of the guys ended up being out of work for 10 days or so with wicked respiratory issues. I almost had a mutiny over that one...LOL.

Years later I got a call to look at some renovation work in a chicken processing plant. I thought it was office area but turned out the be mostly production area. First think we looked at was masonry wall that needed to be plastered. Problem was it was over a 12' wide constantly flowing "blood trough". The blood was about 4" deep and their is no way I could describe the smell. I ask how long they could shut it down and was informed that it ran 7 days a week 24 hours a day and never stopped. Had a flash back of the dog food plant...smiled, thanked them for the opportunity and just showed myself out...did not need it that bad.


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## silb (Jan 11, 2017)

Well, you can't argue this job doesn't come without surprises!


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## Mr.Brightstar (Dec 2, 2011)

A Muslim crypt was probably the strangest place I ever worked in. Back in my union days.


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

Mr.Brightstar said:


> A Muslim crypt was probably the strangest place I ever worked in. Back in my union days.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


i worked in a Sikh temple once and it was a bit unnerving when they started chantting. Although, they may have felt the same had they attended a Catholic church. It is this empathy that sets one apart from selfishness.


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## Mr.Brightstar (Dec 2, 2011)

We would leave 5 minutes before prayer 2 times a day. I had to crawl inside the tombs to skim the blocks. There was so much ornamental work in there is was gaudy. 

Our believes come from our culture. Every culture has their own believes that have been passed down from generation to generation. My mom was raised Catholic went to a Catholic school. My dad was an atheist and so were his parents. I never went to church until I was about 15 with a friend and his parents. I never really bought into it literally, but I did understand the wisdom and the metaphors. Do want to others as you would want done to you and so on. Although I'm not a religious person I do believe in karma and I practice it.


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

Built a chimney on a container that farmer stacked cow **** in to use the methane as power, that stunk like hell. Done some churches and synagogues, built baptismal pools and a really cool tower with a round opening in it that had some religious symbolization at the synagogue that was pretty cool.


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## DP5156 (Jun 29, 2017)

Also built some psycwalls for a seamless backdrop for photography and vidoe taping commercials, anyone else have experience with these?


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## VincentRight (Nov 4, 2017)

nodnarb said:


> Im sure all of you commercial guys have found yourselves in some strange places before so lets hear it!
> 
> Just recently I was working in a mental health hospital. It was inhabited.
> 
> ...


the mental inhabited place, sounds creepy.. for me mostly homes so no weird experiences..


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## SamHel64 (Jan 7, 2018)

Wimpy65 said:


> The strangest job I had was remodeling a mortuary. I actually had to work in the room where the kept the bodies. And, yes there were bodies when I worked there!  At least it was a cool (almost cold) and quiet (everyone just lay quietly all day) place to work.


Hahaha, this is a weird one. I would not like working around dead people


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## Davebusasusal (Jan 24, 2021)

nodnarb said:


> Im sure all of you commercial guys have found yourselves in some strange places before so lets hear it!
> 
> Just recently I was working in a mental health hospital. It was inhabited.
> 
> ...


I did the county mental health center and your right it was a very odd job


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## Davebusasusal (Jan 24, 2021)

SamHel64 said:


> Hahaha, this is a weird one. I would not like working around dead people


Ive also worked in a mortuary and some of the texture flew over the wall and landed on a dead body. I normally wipe up any mess I create but this time I just told the people who were in charge.


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## Davebusasusal (Jan 24, 2021)

Did some work in commercial whore house and when I opened the wall of a few areas , must have been thousands of condoms in each wall. Kind of gross to see them all and wondered how long this place was opened


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## Davebusasusal (Jan 24, 2021)

and I lived in that town my whole life and never new it was a whore house


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