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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 15, 2006 9:41:20 GMT -5
Well as you may or may not know, we're moving nearby to where we already live - bigger house, closer to school and the soil seems to contain massive amounts of bluish quartz (yeah! - wonder what hubby will say when I dig up the lawn?)
Well we signed tha papers on June 20 and they dug the hole for the foundation that same day. Well then they poured the foundation that week and then NOTHING! - 2 weeks of nothing, then 2 weeks of construction holidays so nothing again, another week of nothing and then finally last night - Wow they put up the main floor & most of the walls for the first floor!
We were told that it basically takes 6 weeks to put up a house like ours - no complicated corners, basic framing, basic roof. Well we're 7 weeks from moving date. The 6 weeks means that they're there every day, but they must take off the heavy rainfall days as well as heatwave days, - so they're cutting it pretty close …
Going to go back tonite to see the progress and take the obligatory picture of the kids in the framing….
Anyone know if this applies in the US too? but here in Quebec, they allow you to go and see the house being built, and to walk about if you want. In Ontario (about 10 km from my place) they have you sign a paper stating that you WILL NOT go to the construction site while they are building your house to check up! Does it seem kinda funny that they would do that, makes you wonder what they're trying to hide. I know I caught a few mistakes last house I got built and would had to have the floor pulled out for one mistake they made if I had not checked...
I'm stoked about the house finally going up! Met one of the neighbors too...
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Aug 15, 2006 9:55:39 GMT -5
I have picture of our addition from the ground breaking to the final Paint-
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Aug 15, 2006 14:08:11 GMT -5
I was able to go to the site and check up everyday when my house was built. Can't tell you how many things I caught that I would never have seen if I hadn't checked up. The workers would put garbage in the framework...so I had to pull all that crap out before the sheet rock went up. Luckily I was able to sweep the slab before they put the carpet pad down because I don't think they were going to.
I honestly don't think I would sign anything like what you describe Tweet....but that's just me...not saying that you shouldn't...
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 15, 2006 14:25:02 GMT -5
Blarney - Thank goodness here we don't have to do that - but a friend of hubby from across the river did - and she worked in construction and went to see - they hadn't framed her windows in properly but the guys were called in to put in the insulation - she couldn't say anything as she wasn't supposed to go see - how do you catch something like that if they put up the drywall?
I watch "Holmes on Homes" and have learned so much from that show - about what to look for - but can't do anything about shoddy construction if you don't learn about the contractor beforehand - we shopped around before buying - a construction company in the area has all the good lots in the area and he has many massive projects on the go - beautiful houses, inside & out - but he builds crappy houses - and they've had multiple problems with his houses - pretty much everyone who's got one has had problems. We didn't even go see any of thoses - I knew about their bad reputation even 15 years ago and never even went near them - a friend of ours bought one - they never did a soil sample before building and now have massive problems....
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thewiz
has rocks in the head
"What good is money if you don't spend it"
Member since January 2004
Posts: 735
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Post by thewiz on Aug 15, 2006 14:42:58 GMT -5
the only reason we don't like the buyers walking around is so they don't get hurt. as long as we are there we let them walk around all they want so we can watch out for them. some times trash going into the dumpster from the second floor might not make it in and could hit them.
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Aug 15, 2006 15:18:57 GMT -5
That's reasonable Wiz... I would think that there are liability issues involved.
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mrsbanjocreek
starting to shine!
Member since November 2005
Posts: 40
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Post by mrsbanjocreek on Aug 15, 2006 16:44:32 GMT -5
That is great about your house!! Isn't that like the best watching it go up!! Kinda makes you more ansy, eh? Keep us posted and show pictures when you can...=-)
Jolyn
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Post by Cher on Aug 15, 2006 16:50:03 GMT -5
Tweet that's so cool, are they building it with six inch walls for extra insulation? Ours is an old house but we added insulation to the inside making them six inch, what a difference it made in our heating bills. I can't imagine how excited you are.
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Aug 15, 2006 17:29:29 GMT -5
When we go in and start painting the house we have the owner there and go over everything. Most come back and look everyday. when we start painting things change fast.
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Post by docone31 on Aug 15, 2006 20:15:39 GMT -5
I have built quite a few houses. The only times I got antsy with the homeowner(s) was when the wife would expose herself to the crew, or they stopped us working for ridiculous reasons. Hey, it is their money, if they want to waste it, have at it. In all our contracts we had a charge for annoyance.
The builders I have worked for in Floriduh that did not allow the homeowners to visit the project were hiding something. Never mind insurance, if an homeowner wants to hurt themselves on their property, have at it. These builders would go for an inspection, pass it, then send in a crew to remove material. Why, I do not know. It cost the builder to get the crew in and do the demo for pennies. I never saw it. Why?
I have built package homes with no alteration clauses. Homeowners always want to reengineer what cannot be done, especially the wife. I can understand making a package home but, the homeowner always can visit unannounced.
I built a multimillion home in the Keys, in Key West. We made the papers for the design and construction. The homeowner was something, his wife was not far behind. The husband had his fingers in everything, she was always going oopsie. They sat in lawn chairs with a person serving them drinks. As the day went on, they got more loaded. One of the boys knocked the homeowner off his feet with a 12' 2 X 12. Eventually we got the home done. She changed everything. We tiled the stairs, and she changed the tile after it was grouted. We built a second storey deck, and she changed it. We framed in the rooms and they liked it untill we painted the walls, she changed the layout. The kitchen became the bathroom, the living room became the kitchen, the stairs were turned around, etc.... They changed the windows once we had them intalled! Changed sizes, placement, heights, etc... She kept coming in and talking to the boys, and oopsie.....
We finished finally and they sued on the overcharges. We won. We documented every change, plan change, engineering change, jackhammering out the slab, repouring. We got signatures on every item.
Hey, it was their house. If they wanted to throw money away, cool. A lot of folks got free windows, doors, fixtures. It was cheaper than disposing of them.
But, not allowing the homeowner to visit the site? Claiming lack of insurance on something you own? I wouldn't do it that way. If that is law, I wouldn't be a builder where the homeowner couldn't watch the boys. Carpenters like to have people see their work. It is their art. I would show the homeowner what was going on, and hand them tools. If I had a Bobcat nearby, I would let them make fools out of themselves. I also had hard hats with FART! and DORK! written on the front just for the homeowners to wear around the site when we were there. Everybody would relax and we would get the job done.
Good luck with your new home. It has been a long time coming. I hope it is a beauty and you feel at home.
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 15, 2006 21:23:51 GMT -5
Doc, we couldn't change anything if we wanted, we chose all the finishes before they started building and signed off on them, so we can,t change our minds - cupboard colors, floor coverings, tiles, paint, countertops, faucets (we changed all of them to brushed nickel or brushed chrome - the darn plumbing store is where it cost us the most - for 5 fixtures!)
We have a pretty big yard for a city lot AND it's flat - which is new for us as our current yard is all downhill towards the house...
I'll post pictures soon of the progress if anyone is interested in following
Wiz I can understand that about hurting yourself, but we went again to look and all the walls are shored up & the stair holes are covered. I wouldn't dream of going inside while they,re working on the roughing out - but once they start the finishes, I wouldn,t mind looking in once they guys are gone.
Cher - I think all the walls are at least 6 inches - we have to up here and the basement is finished in drywall & the joints are done - all it needs is a coat of paint and to move my tools in there once we can.
Today they put up the inside partitions for the first floor - wow taking shape, I can see myself walking through there already...
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Post by rockyraccoon on Aug 15, 2006 23:18:03 GMT -5
tweetie no way i would sign that i would not go and check. i wouldn't want to do business with someone who even asked that of me. is the u.s. they do all kinds of horrible things but they don't seem to care if you see it lol.
kim
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thewiz
has rocks in the head
"What good is money if you don't spend it"
Member since January 2004
Posts: 735
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Post by thewiz on Aug 16, 2006 5:42:19 GMT -5
it's sad , but the u.s.a is a place you can order a hot coffe spill it on your self and sue because you got burnt. or fall down while robbing someones house and sue them because you got hurt while trying to steal from them.
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 16, 2006 7:32:42 GMT -5
Kim I'm lucky as we don't have that policy here in Quebec - our contractor encourages us to go and look while they're building - but told us to be considerate & not get in the way
The Wiz, you seem to know stuff about construction: when they built our current house, they put in 2x8s as floor beams - now I'm looking and they have I-beams made out of pressed wood - is this more solid or just cheaper materials? I'm getting worried now (the pressed wood is the 2x8 part and they have either pressed wood or something else as the top & bottom pieces.
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Post by xenaswolf on Aug 16, 2006 9:21:13 GMT -5
it's sad , but the u.s.a is a place you can order a hot coffe spill it on your self and sue because you got burnt. or fall down while robbing someones house and sue them because you got hurt while trying to steal from them. In defense of the lady that got the horrid burns from the coffee, well I worked for years at McDonalds and they keep their coffee too damn hot. I've had serious burns on my hands when I spilled it. If you ever look at the pics of the old lady's burns you might understand why she sued. I do agree it was silly to put it between her legs though. |
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thewiz
has rocks in the head
"What good is money if you don't spend it"
Member since January 2004
Posts: 735
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Post by thewiz on Aug 16, 2006 17:50:15 GMT -5
i call them tgi's or silent joist. i like them better because they are lighter and stay straight. i have used them in lengths of forty eight feet. and they have knock outs for the electrical wires to run through them, but they cost more that is why my brother does not use them. i have been doing remodeling for 25 years now. the last year and a half has been with my brother as a site manger. he and his partner have built about 25 homes in the time i have been with them.they are about 2500 square feet homes. " you think after all those basement digs i would have found some good rocks. but no just quarts" heres my handy work at my house    |
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Post by docone31 on Aug 16, 2006 18:23:44 GMT -5
Those joists are ok, as long as it is very dry. Mechanically, they are stronger than 2 X 8's especially on a run. However, if they are used on, as example a first floor joist over a basement, the ambient humidity penetrates the wood fibre and begins a softening of the adhesive used in the lower and upper pieces on the beam. Since the average homeowner only lives 4.725 yrs in a single residence, the joists do not show degrading untill about 10yrs. Builders use these as they have cut outs for wiring, and when ordered for a job, the ends are cut out for the home. In theory the pressed board makes a more linear strength, but in practice, the floor will begin to bounce, then take a set.
The theory behind the pressed board is that adhesive permeates the entire piece of wood. This gives mechanical, and chemical strength as well as being a preservative for the organic material. It also is machine made under pressure. This gives predictability in performance in a layout. In practice though, certain loading conditions can make an uneven load retention.
The beams I have used were 12". They could go a reasonable span, however 10yrs later, they did warp. They warped on the north corner of the structure. We started with an older foundation. With a new foundation, with adequate vapor barriers and dehumidification, I suspect that would not have happened.
Glad things are moving along. Soon you will be in, and enjoying it.
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thewiz
has rocks in the head
"What good is money if you don't spend it"
Member since January 2004
Posts: 735
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Post by thewiz on Aug 16, 2006 19:32:02 GMT -5
luckly that hasn't happed to my brother. his house is 15 years old and everything is still good
hey doc how is your house coming along
"would like to see some pics of the beams you put in the ceiling"
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Post by docone31 on Aug 16, 2006 20:04:39 GMT -5
Dude! I will have to send some pictures! We have finished cedar shaking the outside. We left the original battens, and cut shakes to fit between. Our runs are 4 1/2" rather than 5 - 7" called for. It looks great! We moved the shed to rest on the back deck. This we battened up, and shaked again 4 1/2" on course. I have powered it to 100 amp 220Volt so I can have a welder, and compressor running together. The interior of the shed is going to match the house, with dual running work benches and outlets corresponding to tools. We are putting paver bricks on the back pad, and walkway. The deck in the back ties in to another deck we built and put an hot tub on. We replaced the plastic siding on the hot tub with bead board.
Today, I had my crew under the house again with jacks. We raised the low spot 4". The bedroom is now level! Yay, no more sliding down the bed. We found and filled the sinkhole. The house has been raised 3' and we are stuccoing the foundation. This is after we insulate the floors.
We finally got a camera. Once I figuire out how to turn it on, I will post shots. Sandsman would not recognise the place.
Next is to push out the kitchen out 5' X 12' and put a flat roof up. On this I plan on putting a captains walk. I wish I had some old pictures. The house was down 16" when we bought it, in the back.
Almost there.
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Post by BAZ on Aug 16, 2006 21:17:46 GMT -5
The knockouts on the TGI's are nice. Keeps the plumber from boring holes in the roof trusses!!! (this actually occured when I was a superintendent in California!)
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