Really enjoy your website, filled with lots of information. I can spend hours looking through all the Forums and have received some helpful responses. The book is also a great help. Thanks for the support for Owner-Builders. Sonja in Altadena, CA

Joe's Forum Posts: 54
Journal Entries: 4
Average Forum Rating: 4.09



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Preparing for the shell panels

Posted to Tampa-Bay by Joe in Ruskin, FL on 6/10/2007

Well, out of frustration, I managed to force the concrete issue to a point where the shell can be started.  We still do not have the back portion of the slab which will be under the sun room, nor footers for the spiral staircase or landing.  But, the columns, lintels, and main slab are complete now and Marquis Construction has started prepping the lintels for the attachment of the 25-ft. posts.  I am really not sure who is more relieved to have the concrete company I hired out of the way, me or Marquis.

I do have to say that the slab, which will be for parking and storage under the house is relatively flat.  There are just a couple of areas that are a little low, as evidenced by the pic showing a nominal amount of water puddling after a heavy rain.

With a little luck, I will have pics of the posts, roof beams, and panels going up during the next week.

Chris was kind enough to take me up about 25 ft. on one of the scissor lifts so I could get a little idea of what kind of a view we will have once the roof deck is complete.  When complete. the actual rooftop deck will have us another 7 ft. up from the pics shown here.  Also, on the way up, I snapped a quick pic of Kevin with Marquis drilling a hole in the lintel for one of the bolts to be set that will hold one of the posts.

Photos

Posted by Lisa in Groveland, FL on 6/10/2007 Lisa's Forum Posts: 122 Journal Entries: 101 Interview Answers: 94 Average Forum Rating: 4.01 Lisa's Selected Image 6/10/2007

Your view is beautiful. Lisa.

Timber pilings

Posted to Tampa-Bay by Joe in Ruskin, FL on 5/12/2007

Talk about tight quarters getting the equipment in at the property! Additional challenges for entering the property are the overhead electrical lines at the street and the low-pressure sewer tank system remaining from the old structure, which will be reconnected to save about $20,000. That tank left a space that was about 11 feet wide to maneuver through.

Then the space gets tighter as the (23) timber piles arrive. Oh, did I mention they are each 45 feet long?

Finally, the pilings are in and cut to a level slightly above-grade as a temporary measure to allow the crane to move around.

Photos

Frustration with concrete

Posted to Tampa-Bay by Joe in Ruskin, FL on 5/11/2007

OK, it has been awhile since I have posted. Mostly out of frustration for a variety of reasons, but primarily with the concrete workers.

The 23 pilings went in and bottomed out for the most part around 35 to 37 feet, nearly 10 feet shorter than was determined by the soil testing company. I must say that the piling company was timely and really worked at getting the job done at what I considered a very fair price - thanks to Doug Speeler for that.

I then signed with a concrete company to form and pour the grade beams, pile caps, 23 columns, lintels, and the slab on March 8. Without my knowledge, they subcontracted the job out to an Orlando-based company who told me the whole thing would be completed in about one to two weeks at the most.

Digging for the grade beams and pile caps was being done manually and took forever. Then the real fun began. To say the crew didn't have a clue is, in my opinion, a real understatement. They finally put the steel in for the first time a couple of weeks after starting the job. Then the steel came out - they had not cut the pilings correctly. After cutting the pilings to the correct height, the steel went back in. I said "how are they going to drill the holes that have to be in the pilings for the tie-in rebar?" Answer, out comes the steel again. The steel goes back in the holes (meanwhile, they are having problems with the earth caving as the dirt is drying and the dirt piles are right next to where they are digging). Oops, the steel is not sitting right and is in contact with the earth beneath - out comes the steel again to level things out. In goes the steel again - all tied  and, oh no, the plans call for a vapor barrier under the grade beams. You guessed it, out comes the steel again. Finally, at the end of the first week of April, we get approval to pour and they pour in the pouring rain!

Then, my neighbor on the zero-lot line, has been kicking up a fuss saying we can't build a single family home that close to him. He kicks up such a fuss with the zoning department that they force the building department to issue a Stop Work Order on the 12th of April until things can be properly resolved. 

On the 23rd of April, I was advised that the zoning issue was resolved and the building has to be reclassified as a major renovation of half of a duplex. I don't care what they call it, the plans remain the same because we provided for everything necessary for a common wall in a duplex as would be with a zero-lot line residence.

After much prodding and complaining with the concrete guys, the dirt is backfilled and this week, they start the columns. I go down to check progress and see, again in my opinion, sloppy work, not much done and, steel rebar coming out of the pile caps has been cut because it was too far off to bend into place (probably because it was taken out and put back in the hole so many times). I am being told that they will have to epoxy new rebar -- so far, they have started 11 of the 23 columns and three are missing two rods and one is missing one rod. How they are going to properly epoxy with eight courses of block in position is going to be interesting - the cleanouts are not really large enough to get good leverage on a drill, in my opinion. To add to all of that, I am not sure they have the columns positioned properly, which is critical because of setback requirements. Accordingly, I have asked the surveyors to make yet another trip at additional expense to me to verify the placement of the columns.

I am now dealing directly with the contractor that I signed the deal with and hoping that the sub makes things right quickly, as the SIP panels are due in late next week and we have space issues if the concrete is not complete by then.

If things are not on track by the beginning of next week, I will start rattling cages by contacting the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, local Licensing Departments, and anyone else who will listen.

Moral of this story, be sure to have something in any contracts you sign giving you the authority to approve or force out any subcontractor the contractor hires to do his work. After all, you are hiring the contractor in part because of his reputation and work quality, not some bozos you have never met prior to signing the deal.

I'll update with pics and perhaps names next week if they don't get things corrected and on track by Monday!

Posted by Kristen in Snowflake, AZ on 5/11/2007 Kristen's Forum Posts: 19 Journal Entries: 3 Interview Answers: 59 Average Forum Rating: 3.73 My Construction Website Kristen's Selected Image 5/11/2007

I'm sorry you are going through all of this. I'm glad you posted it though, to share your learning experience with others and to vent your frustration. Hopefully you are not having to pay more for all this ineptness and that your contractor is! That should keep him from using them the next time. Take care, Kristen (The-Cortes-Adventure)

Gotta start somewhere

Posted to Tampa-Bay by Joe in Ruskin, FL on 11/9/2006

Well, here are a couple of pics from our dock - all that is standing after the demo of the old structure (we already have a permit to change it, but are waiting until the home is well underway).

Hopefully we will be filing for permitting of the home in the next couple of weeks. Just waiting on final architectural drawings.

Photos