Hitch's Garage build that includes clowns as subs...

[youwish2bme]

Well I finally bit the bullet and started a garage.. It has been everything I remember building a house was... Lots of drama.. Subs that don't listen.. A builder who is a crook... So just a normal build right?

What could go wrong?

We contracted at the end of February.. The permits got posted at the end of March. We poured the footings and block was laid to get to the sill. I saw that they had the people door on the side in the wrong place so on Easter Sunday I broke out my trusty 10 lb sledge to assist in the movement of the door opening plus release some frustrations.. The block work behind the foundation veneer was laughable at best...

It looks good here..





This is the door that is in the wrong place.. The reason is that the is supposed to be a sink in that corner... oops..



What I found when I was moving the door..





This what I found when I tore into the opposing wall.. More of the same..



So an Engineer tried to tell me that it was structurally sound... I kindly asked him to get off my property. I had the contractor tear it down and they relaid the block wall and will do the veneer when they come back to do all of the veneer.. Oh and even better the brick was the wrong color as was the mortar..





Hitch...

 

[captain14]

Looks like they were putting the blocks up blind against the other wall and not able to "see" what they were doing. New contractor now doing the work?

 

[youwish2bme]

They tried to tell me this is how all walls are laid when the veneer is on both sides.. Much like how they are trying to tell me that the floor slope is correct that it runs towards the center of the door opening and towards the center of the garage.

Hitch

 

[bullnerd]

Good luck Hitch, what a nightmare!

 

[youwish2bme]

4" of rock after I made them dig down and put it in... I spec'd that it be 4" and they tried to just cover the dirt with a thin layer. Poly vapor barrier...



Concrete being poured... Three guys to work 16 yards of concrete on a 85* no problems could happen here could they?





Starting to get away from them..





Looks pretty good



To bad the slope is way to much and it slopes to center.. The numbers are relative to a string line strung from the top of the sill down to the floor.



Hitch

 

[youwish2bme]

Still working with the Concrete guy but the show must go on...



Stairs to go to the storage for now.. eventually man cave or my dog house when the wife gets tired of all this...



Nothing like an afternoon shower to slow things down....

 

[Hounddog]

I've been in your shoes... Takes the fun out of what should be a great time. My build thread has aggravation strewn throughout. Just had my metal roof installed...it's not perfect...I held some cash back, I'm the contractor so it's on me. Either I fix it or live with it. Hope it works out for you. And as for the slab...I've never seen such. So....it's got a grade for what reason???? I could understand the outside drive/approach sloping away from the door...OR a recess for the garage door to slip into when closed to keep water from seeping under the door. (Which was my problem before my current build) but ??? Good luck brother. You say your still working with the concrete guy....don't let him talk you into a self leveling solution or adding on top of whatever he did. I'd be more likely to have them cut the inner perimeter and pull it out and redo....it would be painful for them and you unfortunately.

 

[youwish2bme]

Yeah the concrete guy is still not wanting to do anything. It's got to come out even if I have to pay for it... Again.


Hitch

 

[jimmie jam]

I feel your pain. This is why finding the best BEFORE they start is the only way to insure a god result. If that means driving to completed jobs and bothering people for opinions, so be it. People who are pleased with someones work usually have no problem talking to you and showing off the work...even to a stranger (in my experience). I decided to pay MY concrete guy THREE TIMES what the shell guy had budgeted for HIS guy. I got a perfect job and didn't even flinch that it cost me for the right guy/result. I've ripped out paid for granite counters and repaid for the right work (but only once)...and then I learned to really check references. Make sure that you correct everything even if it cost you double because looking at it forever will drive you crazy. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[theoldwizard1]

It is amazing that the block and brick worh could be so wrong (door in the wrong place) and such poor quality.

Reminds me of a build I read about on the net. Footings were spec'd to be 24" wide. The were pour 16"-18" wide. Basement walls were spec'd to be 9'. The contractor did not have any 9' forms so was just going to use 8' forms with no extension.


Why do some contractors think they can get away with this ? Is it because the assume the owner is stupid or to lazy to continuously supervise the work ?

 

[youwish2bme]

I think that these guys think that I'm as dumb as they are... I have asked them for a channel drain and they showed up with some junk from Lowe's... I stopped at two places today and found some polymer concrete channel drains with nice cast iron grates...

Framing is moving along

 

[sean Buick 76]

Welcome to the world of supervising trades people.... Thankfully i am only required to ensure that our crews are working safely, but it is always cutting corners that puts them at risk of being hurt.... Poor safety and poor work practices go hand in hand especially for lazy people.... The guys taking the time to do things right are also safe....

Sorry for the thread jacking, its yours again lol

 

[youwish2bme]

Well the Contractor agreed to cut out the concrete and replace. His Concrete foreman is not happy saying that I'm being to picky. The Concrete company is going to eat some of it, I'm going to eat some of the concrete and the Contractor is going to eat the labor. I'm sure somewhere along the line I'm going to pay for the labor but it needs to be right.

The stairs are done the roof is on.. just waiting for shingles







Hitch

 

[Tyberius]

The joists on the landing don't look right. On this cantilever, shouldn't they run in the other direction?

 

[youwish2bme]

The joists on the landing don't look right. On this cantilever, shouldn't they run in the other direction?

The wall on the left is load bearing and the Laminated beam is carrying the load from the Laminated beam on the right to the wall. Then the TJI's are connected to the Laminated beam running left to right. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question?

Hitch

 

[captain14]

What are you planning for the exterior of the garage? Nice looking so far but dealing with the contractors has got to be a nightmare it sounds like

 

[Modern Jess]

You don't mention a location, but I'd bet money that it's someplace in the South East.

Do I win the prize?

 

[youwish2bme]

You don't mention a location, but I'd bet money that it's someplace in the South East.

Do I win the prize?

You are right.. Lol... I live near Raleigh, NC.


The exterior will be all brick to match the house. Hopefully that will not be to much of a headache....

 

[Modern Jess]

You are right.. Lol... I live near Raleigh, NC.

Thought so. I wasn't going by the pictures, though. After reading countless build threads here, the trend I've noticed is that build threads that start with all the screw-ups of the builder / GC / subs are almost always from the Southeast US.

Certainly, there are instances of other screw-ups from elsewhere in the world. But the vast majority seem to be from around your area. So what is it about the Southeast US that attracts all the most incompetent workers?

 

[youwish2bme]

Thought so. I wasn't going by the pictures, though. After reading countless build threads here, the trend I've noticed is that build threads that start with all the screw-ups of the builder / GC / subs are almost always from the Southeast US.

Certainly, there are instances of other screw-ups from elsewhere in the world. But the vast majority seem to be from around your area. So what is it about the Southeast US that attracts all the most incompetent workers?

I'm not sure what it is about the area, just lots of building going on so the opportunity for crappy work to be done expands.

Hitch

 

[youwish2bme]

I'm amazed at the waste of product that the framers just blatantly waste...



This was after I had already burned for two nights...

 

[Jinks]

Thought so. I wasn't going by the pictures, though. After reading countless build threads here, the trend I've noticed is that build threads that start with all the screw-ups of the builder / GC / subs are almost always from the Southeast US.

Certainly, there are instances of other screw-ups from elsewhere in the world. But the vast majority seem to be from around your area. So what is it about the Southeast US that attracts all the most incompetent workers?

My personal opinion on that subject is a sub-standard education system. I moved to the Southeast from the Midwest a long time ago. I don't claim to be the smartest person down here, but it didn't take long to start seeing differences. I've been down here for over 50 years & you're right, it is difficult to find good craftsmen. There are some around but it can be challenging to find them.

Something you learn quickly here is to watch *everything* done. Sometimes even a well intentioned craftsman just won't know the correct way to do something.

In earlier years I usually just did it myself, but at over 70 I'm back to hiring people to do the things that require more physical effort than I feel like expending. I'm usually at my limit just arguing about what they're doing wrong...........

To Hitch........ Keep on 'em! It looks like you're going to have a nice place when you finish!

 

[youwish2bme]

My personal opinion on that subject is a sub-standard education system. I moved to the Southeast from the Midwest a long time ago. I don't claim to be the smartest person down here, but it didn't take long to start seeing differences. I've been down here for over 50 years & you're right, it is difficult to find good craftsmen. There are some around but it can be challenging to find them.

Something you learn quickly here is to watch *everything* done. Sometimes even a well intentioned craftsman just won't know the correct way to do something.

In earlier years I usually just did it myself, but at over 70 I'm back to hiring people to do the things that require more physical effort than I feel like expending. I'm usually at my limit just arguing about what they're doing wrong...........

To Hitch........ Keep on 'em! It looks like you're going to have a nice place when you finish!

Jinks you are correct... The schools here in NC are horrible. The people I come in contact in the trades it is very obvious that most are doing this because it's what they could get by with when they got out of school.

Everyone that has given me a problem are the ones that try to persuade me that what they have done is acceptable. I just hate that others are acceptable to the type of workmanship that I have seen... It's very disappointing. Most of the labors are Hispanic and don't give a ****. All they want is a cheap paycheck.

For instance I worked for a Mason when I was in HS 20 years ago. I call him to see what he got per 1000 brick. He said $750 if on the ground and $1000 if on scaffold... The guy that laid the brick on the garage charged $275 a 1000 on the ground and $450 on scaffold.. How could the guy I worked for years ago compete? Is my guy over charging or is the guy that did my brick have no overhead? Not sure... He did a good job and worked hard. I didn't pick him the Contractor did so do I ***** about it??

I did catch him doing ******** work but that can happen regardless..

Hitch

 

[Gerald O]

I put up a remote control security camera to keep an eye on the guys on my project. Had to call the GC a number of times to stop them in the middle of something they were doing wrong or half-assed. They still managed to screw a few things up that I ended up living with. "Plans? What's they fer?"

 

[Speedfreak5150]

What size and ceiling height is ur garage?

 

[youwish2bme]

What size and ceiling height is ur garage?

Speed, it's a 26'x36' with a 18' door on the front and a 9' door on the side. The ceilings are 12'. After a few years of planning this that seemed to be the accepted height for a good garage that you would work in with a lift.

I put up a remote control security camera to keep an eye on the guys on my project. Had to call the GC a number of times to stop them in the middle of something they were doing wrong or half-assed. They still managed to screw a few things up that I ended up living with. "Plans? What's they fer?"

Exactly.. Plans we don't need no stinking plans!


Shingles went on yesterday... Next up the brick masons....

Hitch

 

[MagKarl]

I've got to say, I've never seen a roof shingled from the top down before. Is that what I'm seeing?

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Shingles went on yesterday... Next up the brick masons....

Hitch

I'm thinking this pic needs to go in the WTF thread...

Are they going to do the brick veneer from the top down too???

ArkTinkerer

 

[youwish2bme]

I've never seen a person do it that way either... More of dumb *** subs...

Hitch

 

[G McKay]

I'm thinking this pic needs to go in the WTF thread...

Are they going to do the brick veneer from the top down too???

ArkTinkerer

 

[KULIWOBBY]

WTF is up with that roofing job? Are they that bad of contractors to not do it the right way.

 

[Modern Jess]

Maybe I don't get out enough, but I've never, ever seen shingles put on top to bottom. What's the story there? You sure these guys are roofers?

 

[Tyberius]

Maybe gravity works different there?

 

[Gizmosity]

Top down roofing isn't new....but it also isn't what people are used to seeing.
Supposed to be easier on the shingles, especially on hot days....or that's what I was told by the roofing crew at that job site.

 

[porschedude996TT]

Well I'll be darned, I thought my eyes were tired. How can you nail the shingle without bending the tabs up from the upper coarse nail the lower coarse...What in tar-nation would drive them to do it this way???

I guess the good thing about doing it this way is that they never put a boot on the finished surface.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Jinks you are correct... The schools here in NC are horrible.

I read somewhere that NC is in the bottom 10-20% on dollars per student for education spending.

 

[nickleone]

Look at:
http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/tips/shingling-from-top-down.aspx

Nick

 

[youwish2bme]

From talking to the roofer it's a way not to burn his knees and the house next to me was done the same way...

Hitch

 

[youwish2bme]

Also found out that like was posted above when it's as hot as it was the day they laid them they do it this way so they don't destroy the shingles walking around on them in the heat. I like how this thread has turned into how dumb people are in the South though.. Nice turn of events.. I think it has more to do with people will try to get away with what they think they can.


Hitch

 

[Modern Jess]

Also found out that like was posted above when it's as hot as it was the day they laid them they do it this way so they don't destroy the shingles walking around on them in the heat. I like how this thread has turned into how dumb people are in the South though.. Nice turn of events.. I think it has more to do with people will try to get away with what they think they can.

I think you can find dumb people just about anywhere. Its just that in the SE (and judging by the various threads here on GJ) they're all in construction.