March 22 2008
In the last couple of days I, as the GC, have been in the center of the storm called the 'Moment Frame'. More on the moment frame later, but suffice it to say that it is a 8,000 pound steel structure that becomes the frame for the front of the house. Also, this steel frame will cost as much as the entire lumber package. Steel prices are at an all time high. A mistake with this part of the stucture is a very expensive mistake.
A critical part of the moment frame install happened at the time of the concrete pour. We had to locate and place four 24 inch threaded bolts into the concrete to support the frame. (Similar to how a lamp post is secured on a sidewalk. Next time you walk by a city lamp post notice how it is bolted to the sidewalk. That is how this moment frame is bolted to my house).
The concrete guy said he did not want to take any responsiblity for the placement of these bolts. The plans were VERY specific about where these bolt should be on the wall. I didn't want to get this wrong. The good news is that I got the bolts in the right place. The bad news is that they should have been sunk further into the concrete so that we had an easier method to make the moment frame plumb and level. The bolts are in the concrete per the plans but because I didn't understand how the moment frame really attached to these bolts we have a minor work around for getting it level. (If you would like to understand the finer details of jacket nuts and how to plumb a 8,000 pound moment frame and tolerances for non shrink grout....email me and will be happy to discuss.)
The steel guy, who happens to be Irish with a very sexy accent, is the one who pointed this out to me and he immediately blamed the concrete guy. He was adamant that the concrete guy didn't read the plans and didn't sink them in far enough. I told him that I felt responsible and it was my fault. I mean I dont think the concrete guy has much experience with moment frames either. If he did, I am confident he would have said "Hey Sara, we have to sink this in farther than your plans so we can put a jacket nut on these threads."
This made me realize how easy it might be to point the finger at other trades if something goes wrong. THe sheetrocker can blame the framer, the tile guy can blame the sheetrocker etc etc etc....
This and a couple of mis prints on the blueprints got me thinking about the blame game. I have heard countless times from various friends how different subs and even the GC starts pointing the finger at any other sub-contractor for a mistake.
The buck should stop with the GC. I think a critical question when hiring a GC, might be something like this: "Will you take full responsbility for all mistakes that are made with this project?". Unequivocally, the GC should say yes. Otherwise, I would move on down the road and find another one.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
First day of Spring: Framing begins
March 20, 2008
A bird chirper sunny kind of day to start the framing of the main house. The first day is dedicated to 'pulling' string lines to start off all walls and the enire house 'square'. This is just another opportunity to gauge how your concrete team performed.
The concrete footing and walls can be so out of square and usually the framer can adjust the sill plates to bring the house back to square. (By the way, another example of how 5th grade geometry is worth while to understand. See later posts on use of math skills...).
Shane, my framer, and frankly the best on the island, said that sometimes he has seen really terrible concrete jobs that he can't bring back to square. He confirmed that my concrete team did a 'great job'. I think we were only max a 1/4 inch out of square...and thats considered excellent. We checked the level as well and this is a great time to understand the attention to detail of your framer. One of Shane's employees remarked that it "looked good enough" to start building the walls. Thank the good Lord that Shane brought out his electronic level and we went around to all the corners and made 1/8 to a1/4 inch adjustments so that it would be level. Again, a lot of framers apparently just build walls right on the concrete and how ever the concrete turned out is how ever your floor level is going to be. Yikes!
By the way, my concrete team was B&B concrete, headed by Brent Lang. Brent was so respectful and nice and I would recommend him to anyone. Shane promised him a cup of coffee if the walls were level. He definitely owes Brent a cup of coffee and at least a donut too for a job well done.
A bird chirper sunny kind of day to start the framing of the main house. The first day is dedicated to 'pulling' string lines to start off all walls and the enire house 'square'. This is just another opportunity to gauge how your concrete team performed.
The concrete footing and walls can be so out of square and usually the framer can adjust the sill plates to bring the house back to square. (By the way, another example of how 5th grade geometry is worth while to understand. See later posts on use of math skills...).
Shane, my framer, and frankly the best on the island, said that sometimes he has seen really terrible concrete jobs that he can't bring back to square. He confirmed that my concrete team did a 'great job'. I think we were only max a 1/4 inch out of square...and thats considered excellent. We checked the level as well and this is a great time to understand the attention to detail of your framer. One of Shane's employees remarked that it "looked good enough" to start building the walls. Thank the good Lord that Shane brought out his electronic level and we went around to all the corners and made 1/8 to a1/4 inch adjustments so that it would be level. Again, a lot of framers apparently just build walls right on the concrete and how ever the concrete turned out is how ever your floor level is going to be. Yikes!
By the way, my concrete team was B&B concrete, headed by Brent Lang. Brent was so respectful and nice and I would recommend him to anyone. Shane promised him a cup of coffee if the walls were level. He definitely owes Brent a cup of coffee and at least a donut too for a job well done.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Dig Out
Okay just so you know...the dig out is only critical in how much money you want to spend on concrete. The digout determines the level of the ground. The more uniform and level the ground the less concrete. The less concrete---less money.
The going rate on Whidbey is around $100 a yard for the concrete, and $145-190 a yard for labor per yard. (Remember, I am doing this myself so I am not paying the 15-20% markup that gets passed along by the GC to the homeowner). So, every yard of concrete cost me around $260++.
So my digout caused my footing in places to be about 13 inches thick. Well beyond the 8 inches required. Trust me, I calculated how much that cost me. I figure about 4-6 extra yards because the digout was not uniform and level. In my book, that's about $1,800 dollars. The concrete guy said my digout was about average and he has seen a lot worse.
That didn't make me feel better at all.
The going rate on Whidbey is around $100 a yard for the concrete, and $145-190 a yard for labor per yard. (Remember, I am doing this myself so I am not paying the 15-20% markup that gets passed along by the GC to the homeowner). So, every yard of concrete cost me around $260++.
So my digout caused my footing in places to be about 13 inches thick. Well beyond the 8 inches required. Trust me, I calculated how much that cost me. I figure about 4-6 extra yards because the digout was not uniform and level. In my book, that's about $1,800 dollars. The concrete guy said my digout was about average and he has seen a lot worse.
That didn't make me feel better at all.
FlashAcres
This is a dream of mine and it is starting to become real. I think I was still a teenager when I started forming a vision about a 'compound'---for my friends and family. I wanted to create a space that was invigorating and fun. I wanted to create a place that celebrated nature and the outdoors. I wanted to create a place that took you far away from your run of the mill everyday life. I wanted to create something extraordinary.
Three years ago I purchased five acres on the west side of Whidbey Island. It was a mess of thorns and trees and bramble everywhere but it felt magical then and it feels magical now.
And so I started.
The same way I found the property, I found the architect. A seeming fluke, but I know better.
Bill Zimmerman has designed several buildings that I now call FlashAcres. (Flash is my ever so special golden retriever. She is eight but has yet to age in spirit and for that I love her--and named this compound in her honor.)
Back to Bill. I first met Bill when I cut out an article on him in Northwest Magazine. Later, I enrolled in his architecture class and didn't put it together that it was him that I ripped out of the magazine--ohhh so long ago. So I hired him. Ultimately, he grasped the experience I was trying to create and brought it to life in pages after pages after pages of real blueprint drawings. More on him later. But I must acknowledge that he has been generous beyond measure to help me in all ways bring this dream of mine to life.
My intent is to use this blog as a way to chronicle the actual building of the main house. Did I mention that I am the general contractor too? Yes, I am the homeowner and the GC. I hate to admit this because it really doesn't garner a lot of respect--at least in the builder trade. In fact, the reaction is almost certainly ---"you have no idea what you are doing and are too cheap to pay for a professional. " And this is true.
Thus, I hope this blog offers a glimpes at the insanity of building your own house and also will help me remember how much I really enjoyed (or NOT) the process. To the best of my ability, I will tell the good, bad and the ugly. Occasionally, I will post live video on youtube in case you really want to see things like concrete pump trucks in action.
Here we go.....
Three years ago I purchased five acres on the west side of Whidbey Island. It was a mess of thorns and trees and bramble everywhere but it felt magical then and it feels magical now.
And so I started.
The same way I found the property, I found the architect. A seeming fluke, but I know better.
Bill Zimmerman has designed several buildings that I now call FlashAcres. (Flash is my ever so special golden retriever. She is eight but has yet to age in spirit and for that I love her--and named this compound in her honor.)
Back to Bill. I first met Bill when I cut out an article on him in Northwest Magazine. Later, I enrolled in his architecture class and didn't put it together that it was him that I ripped out of the magazine--ohhh so long ago. So I hired him. Ultimately, he grasped the experience I was trying to create and brought it to life in pages after pages after pages of real blueprint drawings. More on him later. But I must acknowledge that he has been generous beyond measure to help me in all ways bring this dream of mine to life.
My intent is to use this blog as a way to chronicle the actual building of the main house. Did I mention that I am the general contractor too? Yes, I am the homeowner and the GC. I hate to admit this because it really doesn't garner a lot of respect--at least in the builder trade. In fact, the reaction is almost certainly ---"you have no idea what you are doing and are too cheap to pay for a professional. " And this is true.
Thus, I hope this blog offers a glimpes at the insanity of building your own house and also will help me remember how much I really enjoyed (or NOT) the process. To the best of my ability, I will tell the good, bad and the ugly. Occasionally, I will post live video on youtube in case you really want to see things like concrete pump trucks in action.
Here we go.....
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