Contractor did not put bubble wrap down

[blackdart66]

First post here but been lurking awhile.

Bought a 30x40 pole barn kit from DIY Polebarns and sprung for the 1/4" bubble wrap to go between the purlins and girts and the steel so I don't have a condensation issue. I am using a local contractor for erection and he did not lay the barrier down before roofing. What are my options ? Should I have him take off the steel and put it back down using the same holes in the roof panels ? I am sick to my stomach over this....He says he can put it under my ceiling liner. I said that I didn't think it was a good idea.......What do you guys think ?

 

[banzaitoyota]

If it was written in your contract to perform that task as described; have him remove and correct. At his cost

 

[Wastedwagesracing]

If your like me you will never be happy and it will bother you forever. Have him strip it and do it like you intended it to be.

 

[Nighttrain]

And have him use new screws. THe rubber washer on those screws are good for only one use.

 

[brownbagg]

you will never hit the same holes so new holes will be made, also the same holes screw will be loose due to overtighten

 

[betterbillt]

you will never hit the same holes so new holes will be made, also the same holes screw will be loose due to overtighten

They do make a larger screw for this exact problem.

 

[blackdart66]

If your like me you will never be happy and it will bother you forever. Have him strip it and do it like you intended it to be.

I am exactly like that !

I had concerns about every one of the points above, The washers on the screws, hitting the same holes.....what a mess. I do like the idea of a larger diameter of a new screw.

Thanks All

 

[larry_g]

I would give him the option of sprayfoaming from the inside, on his nickle or at least footing a large percentage of the bill. I would think spray foam is superior to what the bubble wrap is and would consider it an upgrade and would I would consider paying for part of it.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ForceFed70]

I would give him the option of sprayfoaming from the inside, on his nickle or at least footing a large percentage of the bill. I would think spray foam is superior to what the bubble wrap is and would consider it an upgrade and would I would consider paying for part of it.

lg
no neat sig line

x2 See if he will split the cost of sprayfoam.

 

[nehog]

Steel purlins and girts should not be rescrewed to the original holes, the screws won't tighten down properly. I'm not sure about a pole (wooden frame) building however, but I'd be somewhat worried about that myself.

It is possible to get replacement washers for the screws, if labor is cheap. Screws are rather expensive, a bag of 10K washers, and three or four hours for a grunt worker may be worthwhile.

This story also points out why you (the owner) must always watch over contractors as they start each phase to ensure they don't screw it up (ok, possibly a bad pun there...) Had you been there when they started doing the metal sheeting, you'd have (one hopes, at least) noticed they failed to do it right.

 

[RonRock]

I also think the spray foam idea would be best. One thing to consider about that though is the time of year. From what I have read the spray foam can't be sprayed in cold weather. I may be wrong about that though, just thought I'd put it out there to consider.

 

[blackdart66]

Steel purlins and girts should not be rescrewed to the original holes, the screws won't tighten down properly. I'm not sure about a pole (wooden frame) building however, but I'd be somewhat worried about that myself.

It is possible to get replacement washers for the screws, if labor is cheap. Screws are rather expensive, a bag of 10K washers, and three or four hours for a grunt worker may be worthwhile.

This story also points out why you (the owner) must always watch over contractors as they start each phase to ensure they don't screw it up (ok, possibly a bad pun there...) Had you been there when they started doing the metal sheeting, you'd have (one hopes, at least) noticed they failed to do it right.

I would have noticed. I did know he was starting the roof steel that day but I wasn't too concerned about it cause I had called DIY about 2 weeks ago because I didn't know if the bubble wrap went between the roof panel and the purlin or between the purlin and the rafter. After I got the answer, I also saw it on the plans and made sure he was clear on where it was to be installed (between the purlin and the roof panel)

 

[justsam]

I find it interesting that some feel it is the responsibility of the homeowner to watch over the CONTRACTOR, who I thought by definition was the hired expert who's primary job is to watch over the workers, and make sure the job is done to spec, done safely and work is done in a workmanship like manner. If I thought I needed to watch over him, why would I have a contracotr, I could just do it myself. He has done less than he was paid to do since I assume in his statement of work that oversight is a large part.

Having gotten that off my chest, I do believe that fair and reasonable people can come up with fair and reasonable solutions when errors occur. (Has he owned the error?) I am not an expert on what the solution is, again that is what I would pay a contractor for, but I am sure with the honest expertise that is on this board, one or several solutions can be found.

 

[Dragster Racer]

I find it interesting that some feel it is the responsibility of the homeowner to watch over the CONTRACTOR, who I thought by definition was the hired expert who's primary job is to watch over the workers, and make sure the job is done to spec, done safely and work is done in a workmanship like manner. If I thought I needed to watch over him, why would I have a contracotr, I could just do it myself. He has done less than he was paid to do since I assume in his statement of work that oversight is a large part.

Having gotten that off my chest, I do believe that fair and reasonable people can come up with fair and reasonable solutions when errors occur. (Has he owned the error?) I am not an expert on what the solution is, again that is what I would pay a contractor for, but I am sure with the honest expertise that is on this board, one or several solutions can be found.

Well put.
What is the usage of this building? Will the company take the bubble wrap back? Is there going to be a ceiling installed? I bet I have been in 200 metal buildings, and never once have seen the bubblewrap. I'm sure it has its place, but maybe a different solution can be found. Spray foam would be great, but I think you would have a snowball's chance of getting that done by the contractor's checkbook. If it is that important to you, have him strip and put the stuff in. But be ready to be sick to your stomach again when there is damage to sheets or dimples etc. I think they can find the original holes, but handling the sheets two more times is asking for trouble.

 

[betterbillt]

Well put.
What is the usage of this building? Will the company take the bubble wrap back? Is there going to be a ceiling installed? I bet I have been in 200 metal buildings, and never once have seen the bubblewrap. I'm sure it has its place, but maybe a different solution can be found. Spray foam would be great, but I think you would have a snowball's chance of getting that done by the contractor's checkbook. If it is that important to you, have him strip and put the stuff in. But be ready to be sick to your stomach again when there is damage to sheets or dimples etc. I think they can find the original holes, but handling the sheets two more times is asking for trouble.

I've never seen bubble wrap either. Back when I built Steel buildings we used Tuck and Roll fiberglass insulation. Any type of insulation pushed against steel is going to cause it to fail prematurly. With any type of roofing, it needs to be able to breathe. I agree with Dragster Racer that your gonna end up with scratches and dents expecially if your contractor is POed that he has to do it a second time.

I said it before in this thread they make a oversized screw for this exact problem. I actually have a price list sitting next to me. A bag of oversized screws is a lot easier and cheaper than messing with the old ones.

Off the topic: I was in my local Steel manufacturer office yesterday and they had a notice that said using an impact driver would actually void the warranty on the screws. Apparently it knocks the powder coating off.

 

[nehog]

I find it interesting that some feel it is the responsibility of the homeowner to watch over the CONTRACTOR, who I thought by definition was the hired expert who's primary job is to watch over the workers, and make sure the job is done to spec, done safely and work is done in a workmanship like manner. If I thought I needed to watch over him, why would I have a contracotr, I could just do it myself. He has done less than he was paid to do since I assume in his statement of work that oversight is a large part.
...

Certainly true, but IMHO it makes sense that, whenever possible, eliminating problems before they happen is much better than trying to repair them after the fact. IOW, simply good practice, a smart thing to do.

Or said another way: better to spend 10 or 15 minutes at the start of the project seeing things are right, than to spend days recovering from an error that could have been prevented.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

This is a pole building, the OP never said it was a steel structure, just that it was steel sheeted. Most pole buildings are wooden structure.

Charles

 

[PassnThru]

I consider this a no win type of issue. You can make the contractor take off the steel and make it right. I have no faith that he will without leaving you major issues down the road to get back at you. If someone doesn't do something right the first time I automatically assume there was a reason for that. If I were in your situation, I would cut my losses and ask for the money back for that part of the job and hope for the best on the condensation issue.
Of course, I tend to be rather cynical so I hope it works out better for you....

 

[blackdart66]

I consider this a no win type of issue. You can make the contractor take off the steel and make it right. I have no faith that he will without leaving you major issues down the road to get back at you. If someone doesn't do something right the first time I automatically assume there was a reason for that. If I were in your situation, I would cut my losses and ask for the money back for that part of the job and hope for the best on the condensation issue.
Of course, I tend to be rather cynical so I hope it works out better for you....

yes it is a wood pole building with steel sheeting. I agree with the above. I have a feeling that forcing the issue of removal will result in a bad ending.

 

[BADSIX]

i would see if you could work some kind of agreement out with the contractor and do the spray foam. you can probibly force him to remove and replace the roofing thats going to cost him time and money. then get a quote on spray foam and compair numbers maybe he could go 2/3 rds of the cost and you 1/3rd you'll end up with a better roof and ever one will be happy

 

[Reg1952]

I hate contractors.They never call back or show up when there supposed to or do the job that was agreed on.My last place I had a local guy come in and remove my old garage floor and repour a new one.After they where done the floor slopped towards the house and the finish was so rough you couldnt even sweep it.After many heated phone calls he walked away and I didnt give him a dime.I had to rent a concrete grinder and ground it until it drained properly and was smooth.The contract even stated slope to centre drain and finish to a smooth finish.

 

[cyamaha2007]

Yeah id cut my losses, The chance of him further messing things up isnt worth it. Id bet it would be a hasty job done in anger. I wouldnt be to worried as you have other options to avoid condinsation.

 

[justsam]

Interesting that instead of stepping up and doing the right thing, we are more concerned that the contractor will be angry and do even more sloppy work as a result of pointing out something to him that is 100% his fault!

I guess we have the role model for this non-accountability mindset in our government so I guess this is just trickle down.

Personally I choose to live in my poly anna world where real men own up to their mistakes and work with other real men to resolve them.

Are there any real men contractors out there?

 

[betterbillt]

Interesting that instead of stepping up and doing the right thing, we are more concerned that the contractor will be angry and do even more sloppy work as a result of pointing out something to him that is 100% his fault!

I guess we have the role model for this non-accountability mindset in our government so I guess this is just trickle down.

Personally I choose to live in my poly anna world where real men own up to their mistakes and work with other real men to resolve them.

Are there any real men contractors out there?

There are real contractors out there. The problem is they aren't driving the new shiney trucks. The real ones usually get the call to fix the other guy's f-up's. The real guy have forgotten more about construction then the other guys ever new.

 

[queenbee]

So we never have heard the use of the pole building. I just put one up and had foam sprayed on the wall and put an osb ceiling in then had 18 inches of blown in fiberglass put in.

 

[cyamaha2007]

I wish i could find a good contractor. I know a few and they are my friends. Its a shame that they all get a bad rep but it seems that almost all of them deserve that bad rep.

 

[AndysMBgarage]

I subbied out the entire construction on my garage from referrals. Through the whole thing I asked for a set price based on a written job sheet that had everything noted down. If they came back with a ridiculous price or were late with a quote I knew what to expect. Some guys quoted well over and some were well under the average. I had a chat to them all to make sure we were on the same page.
There was still issues but..........thats the building industry and after 15 yrs I'm used to it.

IMO if you told him to place the supplied aircell and he forgot, he should either remove the sheeting, fit the aircell and re roof at his expence or give you one hell of a discount.

 

[Dragster Racer]

There are good and even great contractors out there. But in this WalMart nation that we live in, everyone wants to go with the cheapest bid, and not look at the details. Don't get me wrong, no one should pay more than they have to for the same thing. When we built our house, I got referrals for 5 contractors, and we interviewed and got quotes from most of them. The one we went with was the second or maybe third cheapest, but right there with the group. But he has been a solid individual, and has come back to address issues 2 years after building the house. And the issues for the most part are minor, or not even his. He doesn't drive a big new deisel truck either.

 

[TOOLS4WORK]

When i was contracting, and i did it for 20 years, a would have taken care of the problem without a thought. I figure i made enough profit over the course of a year that one or two redo's wouldnt hurt. A lot of guys dont work in a professional manor and it effects the way they conduct their business. If he is so broke redoing that roof is a burden to him he is a piss poor contractor