Painful Garage Project Inside

[GearBeer]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in the process of constructing a workshop and storage garage. Unfortunately, the construction process has gone horribly wrong. After providing me with months of troublesome, incompetent subcontractors he went bankrupt and left me with liens and two unfinished garages. The silver lining to this story is twofold: Michigan's construction law prevents the subcontractors and suppliers from coming after me through lawsuits (although they can push for foreclosure) and his absence provides me with the opportunity to carefully vet the concrete contractors.

The following is a long winded overview of the project so far:

Plans:
Workshop:

• 24'x24'
• 2x6 walls
• Full storage trusses for bulky and heavy parts (read: engines, axles, bumpers, and body panels)
• French doors over garage door for access to attic
• Walk-through into existing attached garage attic
• Trolley-mounted electric hoist for lifting parts into the attic and engines out of cars 8)
• 4'x8' opening in ceiling for hoist cable and parts
• Single piece "swing-down" stairwell
• Radiant heat
• 16' garage door into existing garage
• 8' garage door to the back yard
• One window on north face for natural light
• Utility sink
• Utility room for air compressor and floor heat equipment
• 4" wire-mesh reinforced concrete floor
  • Additional reinforcement where the floors meet (thicker and connected with rebar)
  • 2" insulation underneath floor
  • 1" insulation between floor and block/poured wall
• Exhaust fan (for automotive exhaust)

Storage Garage:

• 24'x24'
• 2x6 walls
• 2x8 full storage trusses
• French doors over garage door with chainfall for lifting parts
• single piece stairwell
• 16' garage door
• no windows

Tuesday 11/25
Everything is moving on schedule. The foundations have been dug and poured and everything was buttoned up for the night.

Workshop

Storage Garage

Wednesday 11/26
The problems begin.

The masons (Manuel and Jose...) have poured the bottom of the wall. Poured walls are not what I'm paying for, but my advisors (two friends of the family and an uncle) say its as good or better than block. On top of that, they've poured a man door in the west (closest) wall and put the garage door on the north wall! The garage door should be where the man door is and there shouldn't even be a man door (I supplied them with a detailed plot plan).

The back garage hasn't been poured yet, but everything is A-O-K back there.

Friday 11/28
Well Friday I panicked after realizing that they probably intended on pouring the workshop's floor at a different level than my current attached garage, so I drove back home to check everything out.

Fortunately they didn't pour anything, but they'd removed the forms, which allowed me a better view at what they had done. The poured wall was made to match the top block on the attached garage.

Monday 12/1
Meeting and Trusses

My not-quite-retired Father shuffled his schedule and I arraged for him to meet the builder (I have no vacation days left ). During the meeting the builder agreed to add a course of 4"x6" block to get the block above the poured floor (he confirmed that the workshop and garage floors will be poured to match); apparently Manuel and Jose didn't call me to open the garage so they could check the level of the garage floor 'cuz dey no speaka englais :roll: . The meeting also revealed the source of the garage door-man door problem: the builder communicated the plans verbally to the architectural firm who drew them up (one of them messed up, I don't know or care who), then builder didn't review the plan before passing it to his project manager, who didn't know any better and passed it off to Manuel and Jose, who built it exactly to the plan that they were given. The trusses for both garages were also delivered on Monday.

Tuesday 12/2
Lumberfumble

The supply company delivered 2x4s instead of 2x6s, setting my project back another day. The project manager claims he put a couple extra guys on the project since it's fallen behind, I have no reason to doubt him... I guess. He's supposedly sending out a plumber to quote the utility sink tomorrow (it wasn't part of the original quote, my bad). I'll be doing most of my own electric (plugs and lights), but I'm going to have a qualified person connect the 200 amp service to my workshop and subfeed the house and storage garage.

They delivered the 2x6s and a stack of OSB board this evening, it looks like they should be getting going tomorrow as promised!

Wednesday 12/3
Finally, back underway!

When they arrived this morning they pushed the trusses off to the side, one by one. Unfortunatley, they set them on the neighbor's property, so I'm going to have to go over and apologize when I get home from work.

They loaded the lumber in one of their pickups and hauled it back to the detached garage load by load. They've also got a portable generator and an air compressor out there.

They're making good progress. The engineered beam is almost ready for installation and the back OSB is being installed.

And I thought this was pretty.

I've been promised that the masons will be back today to fix the workshop. These pictures were snapped around 9:30 after a meeting in Pontiac and before I went to Warren. At that time the plumber and electrician hadn't arrived either.

Here are some pictures my Dad took during the day yesterday and a couple I took in the evening when I got home:

The walls went up quickly

Followed by the trusses

The mason actually did show up...

...and he got a lot done! :roll: He cut the poured wall where it needs to be broken out for the garage door...

...and laid a couple blocks on top, as though he actually got to laying block.

Thursday 12/4
Garage Door-be-gone!

The mason blocked in the incorrect garage door and laid the block around the foundation to bring it up above the pad.

The offending chunk of wall was busted out where it had been cut. Its ready for walls now!

They got the OSB on the trusses on the back garage. Its ready to get roofed and sided!

They also cut out the sill plate that had been over where the apron is going to be poured.

 

[GearBeer]

Monday 12/8
Workshop Walls

I got home early enough to take some quality pictures today. The workshop is coming together pretty well, although they haven't put the trusses on it yet. I found out this weekend that the contractor never passed on the information I gave him about the hoist to his project manager. The local DTE planner stopped by today, too, she measured out the distance for running my cable into the garage.

Here's the view from the back.

Up close.

I think my place might look a little weird when this is finished. I'm going to have a long, straight wall here. Is anyone interested in a wood stove?

Wednesday 12/10
More Trusses!

The trusses are now up on the workshop. You can see where they left an opening for my hoist toward the back (west). They also installed the header for the 16' garage door between the two attached garages, but I failed to get a picture.

The plumber also stopped by yesterday and he's using a special expanding pipe for the utility sink in the garage.

Thursday 12/11
Baby steps

Here's the picture that I missed on Wednesday. The wall is basically removed, a stiff gust would probably blow it over.

I was up until 4 AM painting drip edge. I figure that as an "if you want it done right, do it yourself" kind of thing. The trim and siding on both garages has to match the house as part of my variance.

They got most of the OSB board on yesterday. I don't think all of it is nailed down, but they're making progress!

Friday 12/12
Roof pictures

With the light today I was able to take some pictures of the roof. What I see is not good.

My master bedroom is on the second floor and is wider than the house. They have not installed a saddle, as I requested at the start of this project, so the ice and water are going to pool next to the master bedroom.

Less of a problem, but the design on the south wall isn't great, either. The new roof terminates exactly where it meets the old roof. This probably won't be a problem for liquid drainage, but the possibility for ice wedging isn't reassuring.

You can see the peak of the workshop above the existing garage. This is probably the only thing that doesn't really bother me about the roof so far. :roll:

Tuesday 12/16
Selective Hearing: Remember that bit about them going back and redoing what they screwed up?

On Monday I called the project manager and related to him my concern about the construction of the roof where it meets the master bedroom. He assured me that he was on his way to my house and would take a look at it and call me back. Well I didn't hear from him...

The roofers were hard at work wrapping up the day's work when I arrived. I took the opportunity to snap some photos while the light was still pretty good.

Here you see the previously noted problem area shingled as is. FUGLY.

I went topside after the roofers left and took some detailed photos. Here you are looking down at the problem area, almost facing where image was taken from the ground.

Same spot up close.

Reaching around the corner.

Finally, the tie in with the existing roof.

I called the owner of the company after crawling around on the roof and was, well, "appropriately rough" with him. He agreed to have the area torn out and redone, with a saddle this time. 8)

Thursday 12/18
The customer is always right!

Arrived home today to see that the detached garage had been roofed. Its basically a 24x24 kit garage, so its harder to screw up.

Upon further inspection I discovered that they had peeled the snow off the trouble spot on the garage. I'm guessing that they took some measurements because nothing was stripped or changed up there.

Wednesday 1/7
The gloves come off... and I punch myself in the nose.

I posted a lot of this yesterday in this thread. I talked to the township inspector and got what I wanted, a footing between the two pads. Unfortunately, I also got footings on the two external walls.

The most interesting fact to come out of the exchange was that the inspector bought off on my garage without the footing! The project manager or foreman or whoever was on site that day told the inspector that they didn't have the machinery/manpower there yet to dig the footing but they'd do it later in the day. Instead of coming back later to check on it he bought off without seeing the finished product.

I got a real scare when I got home last night. I walked out back to see this:

My immediate thought was that they had already poured the footing/pad and that my opportunity to get it done right had passed. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. The pile of rubble that I thought (in the dark) might be over the footing was really just a pile of rubble.

They had merely sealed the garage so they could heat it using an enormous "torpedo" heater.

My coworkers are now officially afraid to have work done on their homes.

 

[GearBeer]

Thursday 1/8
They can do ONE thing right, but only one.

I came home today, stepped out on the back porch and saw the housing for my new meter.

I excitedly ran around into the garage to see the breaker panel. Only to see this:

In case you can't tell what that is lets look at it with the flash on:

For what its worth, the new breaker box is nice and the heater that they're running has softened the ground to the point that they can probably dig out the footing that I'm paying so dearly for.

Man, am I lucky that tonight is King's [Brewing Company] night for me. I need a beer!


...never mind that I have almost 10 gallons of it in my garage. :roll:

Saturday 1/17
Its starting to look like a garage!

The siding and trim contractor showed up on Saturday to start siding the garage.

The trim they purchased for the garages is pretty close. It's good enough as is for the detatched garage but it'll need to be painted to match the house for the workshop.

Wednesday 1/21
Is that a saddle or are you just happy to see me?

I confirmed that all of the concrete work is going to wait until after the ground has thawed today.

The project manager has suggested using "barn style" doors on the gable openings instead of french doors. I can only imagine that he's referring to sliding doors... so my answer is (was) no.

I don't know if it's finished, but they installed the saddle today. I'd like to see it wrap around the master bedroom but it should technically do the job as is.

They're getting ready to install the 16' garage door between the attached garage and the workshop. It's going to open into the attached garage so I have a good place to install the stairwell.

I'm not sure what this is for, but I can only imagine that it has something to do with connecting the house electric to the breaker panel in the workshop.

Thursday 1/22
Well they didn't sideline the siding!

More siding went up yesterday. The electrician came this morning and checked things out. It doesn't sound like he's ready to tie into it today, though, which means one of my parents is going to have to drive down AGAIN. I'm getting a vibe that they love me. Oh, and there's supposed to be a window in the wall in the first photo. :roll:

And the detached garage, with their futile attempt to block the wind and snow from coating their equipment.

Friday 1/23
I like playing with electrical wires!

Moving the power cable. They brought in an experienced hack electrician to redirect the power. :roll:

Siding around the door that they haven't supplied yet :roll:

I think the :roll: emoticon has really become my favorite across this project

Saturday 1/24
Invisible Garage Door

I'm actually not sure when the installed this, I think it was Saturday...

They're ready to bury the cable so I can wait until it's warm to wire the lights and sockets.

Monday 1/26
Visible Garage Doors and Childish Mischief

Monday they got the two other doors installed. Between the attached garage and workshop:

Workshop to outside:

I think this door is going to be below the level of the concrete. :?

I discovered this morning (Wednesday) that my snow thrower was partially disassembled. Hmmm, I wonder how that happened? I guess some people can't handle the criticism.

Wednesday 1/28
Small Changes are Soooo French Dooring (bad, I know)

They got the french doors installed in both gables today, a step I've been awaiting. They're not much to look at, but they're low maintenance.

You know it's cold out when your breath obscures a photo.

Sunday 2/8
All play and no work, I bet they think I'm a real jerk (for not telling them I was leaving )

Well I flew in from skiing in Utah (my thighs are in rough shape after 8 days of pounding moguls) on Sunday and drove home to find some progress. While I was gone they finished up the roof and siding and installed the window in the workshop (just one window on the north wall for some natural light and so I can see if I left the light on when I go to bed).

I'm not crazy about how they shingled this area but it looks serviceable.

I think the window turned out nicely. I kind of wish that I had centered it on the wall but I want it over the utility sink which is going to be ~5 feet from the bottom of the stairs down from the landing (at house floor level) into the workshop.

On the earlier pictures of the french doors I thought that the beige-ish color of the trim was a function of the flash in the dying light but at my Mother's urging I took a second look at it while I was on the roof and it definitely does not match the house. My contract says, "vinyl siding to match existing." My Sister and Mother (see a pattern in who cares?) think the trim on the french doors should match the "cranberry" of the roof trim.

They also installed the garage door lock on the back garage door.

Thursday 2/26
Power Play

DTE sent a team out Thursday morning to trench my back yard for the underground cable. They'll be back on Monday to actually run the drop.

Monday 3/3
200 Amps of POWER! ...ok, current

They got the meter installed today and hooked up. The drop for the back garage was relocated, too.

Of course, they didn't get to patching the hole from the idiotic place it was first.

The box for the garage is all set up and ready for me to run the wiring.

 

[GearBeer]

Wednesday 4/29
I've got friends in landscaping places.

No, seriously. My buddy Mat runs a landscaping business. He came out yesterday and pulled the top soil out of the garage and filled the pool hole and my hops garden.

I made a mad tiller dash last night to get the big, hard chunks broken up and managed to get the tiller back to Home Depot about 40 minutes before they closed. 8)

Friday 6/12
Small update

Nothing further has happened, but I have gotten several estimates from concrete companies and electrical contractors. The concrete estimates vary widely ($6000-$25,000) and obviously don't reflect similar quality work. All of the companies want me to supply the PEX tubing, some will install it and some require that I install it for them. I should have a company selected by next week, hopefully they move quickly!

 

[Vernmotor]

Dam your having way too much fun !!!

 

[Kevin54]

Wow!!! Can't wait to see how everything else pans out. Your luck sounds about how my luck goes.

 

[TejasBimmer]

DAMN!
I Like!!!
As for the saddle on the roof.
I would still be worried about water penetration on the bottom two siding panels.
The reason is that your new workshop's roof has a fairly larger amount of area of rain run off towards that junction. So the water running towards it would be large and fast. Surprised you did not requested flashing at that junction (ie between a chimney and roof) and the saddle design.
Just a thought.

Other than that - can't wait to see the rooms filled!

 

[GearBeer]

Thanks guys, it's been one rough project. I don't think I covered it in the writeup above (shamelessly copied from another forum) but the original roofing contractor actually tracked me down on a forum where I'm a moderator and sent me a nasty PM.

Kevin,
As I venture into finding my own concrete and electrical contractors I just can't wait to see what else can go wrong.

Nathan,
I'm a little worried about that, but it's water under the bridge now. If it leaks... well I'll go back and do it myself. I have two bundles of the Onyx black shingles and a burning desire to have it right.

 

[GearBeer]

Thursday 6/18
I have a sudden urge to DIY medieval torture devices.

So, over the past couple weeks things have started to look good. With the assistance of my conveniently retired father I managed to get three or four concrete quotes and a couple electrical quotes. The electrical is on hold, waiting for the township inspector to review what has already been done, but the concrete is ready to move forward. In fact, the winning bidder started work today, after being delayed due to rain.

The unfortunate result of the rain delay is that no one could be here today. Perhaps you can guess what is about to unfold?

Here we have the 10'x34' section of asphalt that was removed from my driveway and front walk in order to regrade the driveway and prevent water from running into my garage and damaging the concrete.

The size and location of the removed asphalt is perfect, although they damaged the asphalt in the process and forgot one important thing... THE DAMAGED CONCRETE!

Well, that's a simple mistake... I can forgive them that one and it's not too tough to bring in a guy with a saw to remove the damaged concrete, right? Lets proceed toward the back of my property.

The floor in the workshop is a little soft. One might expect more compaction on a 24'x24' pad that can't be subdivided to relieve stress.

What's this chalk line on the wall? That must be where the concrete will be... wait a second... that doesn't look level (which I explicitly stipulated, per 72GTS' recommendation).

...and how deep is that anyway? I know your average construction worker probably didn't take multivariable calculus but I don't think that's necessary here, with 4 inches of concrete and 2 inches of insulating foam don't you need 6 inches of depth?

This guy obviously didn't communicate my requirements to his workers. We're going to have to have a serious conversation to review his quality of work and whether or not he's going to continue working on my garages. Before I talk to him I should check the storage gara-HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, MY SEPTIC FIELD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's...
I'm walking through the back yard with the contractor and my father.
nothing that can...
They're talking about the size of the concrete pad for the back garage.
be done...
I interrupt them as we walk over the septic field, to remark on it's position to the contractor.
about it now.

A dream-like peace comes over me as I continue on to inspect the storage garage.

The apron is a couple inches short, but who cares? It's close.

Wow, this one looks like it's really sloped. I bet it would be difficult to work with multiple sockets in this garage. ***** to be that guy.

What's that pile of stuff in the corner? I wonder why it's not compacted like the rest of the garage?

I gradually stroll back toward the house. I pause at the workshop's apron. It looks like it has the same problem... actually it looks like every corner of every apron and garage is like that. Weird.

Now I'm sitting in front of the computer and I have this insatiable need for beer... and boiling oil and a rack and a wheel and brands and pokers and thumb screws and an iron maiden...

 

[Diablo]

Is that PVC supplying your meter going to stay sloped out from the wall like that?

 

[tdkkart]

Is that PVC supplying your meter going to stay sloped out from the wall like that?

I wondered that too, did they run short on wire or something??

Maybe it's a code thing, leave room for the building to slip down the hill a bit??

It might just happen on this job.............

 

[hobie1dog]

Thanks for all the pics to look at...man it looks freezing up there....I really like North Carolina.

 

[nate379]

I just ready this whole thread and it seems like 99.9% of your problems come from not checking up/following up closely enough.

Seems that you are busy with work and other things, but you honestly can't expect work to be done 100% to your liking if you aren't around to answer questions or supervise.

I tried getting work done once like that... I'll leave the door unlocked and go in and do your thing... and it didn't work out that well.

Also what is the reason you started in the middle of winter? They do that around here as well and it just seems like it's alot of extra work/*** pain/money to deal with frozen ground, freezing your *** off, etc.

 

[Kevin54]

I see the insulation strip under the back wall but do not see it on the side wall. Is it there? Also, if you want 2" of foam and 4" of concrete, you may want to have a little more fill removed. It looks like your floor is going to be almost up to the sill plate. I can see in the first pic why he leveled it the way he did. It is sloped to the garage door to allow any water to run out. In the first pic it's not sloped as bad as it looks and you really can't tell when working on a floor like that. Mine is the same way. And I don't have sockets running across the floor. But in the second pic showing the slope....well, you may have a little problem there. You kick the car out of gear it would probably roll out on it's own Stay on top of the contractor and get firm with him NOW or you are going to be stuck with something that you will not be satisfied with. Been there done that. Also make sure that they get the corners tamped firmly or that will be the first think that cracks. If you are not going with heat in the floor, specify that rebar is put in as a safety factor. Another thing to consider is when they repair the house garage floor, you may want to have a small step put in it where the door closes. Quite a few do that and it prevents any water from coming in. Just a suggestion on that. Also make sure when they cut out that section of floor, and where the new concrete goes against the drive, that they pin the two sections together. This is nothing more than drilling a series of holes horizontal into the slab and driving short sections of rebar into it. That way, IF the slab would settle any it will not let it drop and make a trip hazard. Also ask what kind of warranty he is going to give you against problems should they arise, for how long, and get it in writing. All of the concrete guys that I have had I got at least a five year guarantee out of them. One guy I got ten years.
Can't wait for the next installment to read

 

[RobSmith]

You're showing us the stuff-ups and faults..maybe you should have some pics where you have had the contractors come back and fix everything...the world seems to run on a "that'll do" attitude nowadays. ie:- they do a rough job and "that'll do". If you don't complain they get away with a **** job for a good price. If you complain they come back and bodgey the job up. "That'll do". So then you have got to complain again. Eventually they learn that you want quality work and either abuse you or do the job properly at their expense.......experience talking. ha ha ha ha.

 

[GearBeer]

Alright, I'm going to try to answer criticisms/comments in the order they were received.

Is that PVC supplying your meter going to stay sloped out from the wall like that?

I honestly don't know. The original GC went bankrupt and I never met the electrical contractors. Unfortunately, he never took out an electrical permit (why DTE connected the power without one is beyond me) so this setup still has to be inspected and bought off on. I have a sinking suspicion that some of what was done originally won't be found acceptable.

nate,

I would say that I actually did a reasonably good job of following up with the GC, although supervising really wasn't an option. I would race home every day after work to survey what had been done that day and give my feedback to the GC. The problem came in that I would discuss things in advance and after the fact and often, regardless of what I had said to him, it would be done incorrectly (i.e. saddle).

I work 40 minutes away and our core hours are 8-4. Without any vacation days to spend my options were limited. I could:

1. Do nothing and live with the space I have.
2. Ignore the poor craftsmanship and accept whatever he gave me.
3. Do exactly what I did, follow up with him in the evening.

My complaints went to the project manager and most were seen to in a timely manner, for example:

1. When the footings were poured incorrectly I took photos and explained my issue to the GC. He corrected it.
2. When the electrical drop for the storage garage was installed on the wrong side of the Workshop I took photos and explained the issue to the GC. He corrected it, although the hole in the siding and OSB was not repaired before the bankruptcy.

The reason for starting in winter was that the GC had scheduled for the work to be complete before Christmas. With that arrangement it would give me the opportunity to put a car in the garage and install wiring and drywall while the weather was cold. Also, when they stated before the ground was frozen.

Kevin,

I would have to check that wall, but I'm pretty sure that there is foam underneath it. I'm not overly concerned about that garage (the picture you used is of the storage garage, which will not be insulated). I have a friend coming today or next week who will regrade and recompact the floors to give me a little more space above the concrete pad. The pad will also be leveled.

I fully intend to have the small step (probably 1/2" or so) between the driveway and the garage. With the flat grade of my yard I think it is important.

The reinforcing steps you mentioned were discussed with the contractor ahead of time. No telling if they will actually be implemented, but I should be able to arrange for my father to be present when they do the pours.

The corners will be tamped when my buddy recompacts the floor.

Rob,

There are a few examples of the GC coming back and fixing stuff, I listed a few of them above. However, not everything was corrected before he went bankrupt. There aren't any examples for the concrete contractor yet, because I haven't talked to him about the issues. I don't think I'm going to give him the opportunity, though.

There isn't any concern about the concrete contractor continuing with the work before I talk with him because he is waiting for my go ahead, after I have installed the foam, wire mesh and PEX tubing.

 

[nate379]

I hear you there.

When I did the 1st blue tape on my house there were some things that were wrong that I noted. Would have been easy to fix at that stage.

Well the message didn't make it to them I guess because they ended up having to fix it after the fact.

Alright, I'm going to try to answer criticisms/comments in the order they were received.

nate,

I would say that I actually did a reasonably good job of following up with the GC, although supervising really wasn't an option. I would race home every day after work to survey what had been done that day and give my feedback to the GC. The problem came in that I would discuss things in advance and after the fact and often, regardless of what I had said to him, it would be done incorrectly (i.e. saddle).

I work 40 minutes away and our core hours are 8-4. Without any vacation days to spend my options were limited. I could:

1. Do nothing and live with the space I have.
2. Ignore the poor craftsmanship and accept whatever he gave me.
3. Do exactly what I did, follow up with him in the evening.

.

 

[hidollartoys]

Let me see if I have this correct......
You talk to GC, GC talks to project manager, who talks to sub boss who talks to site foreman who conveys the info to the the couple of guys actually doing the work. Seems flawless to me. This set-up never works effectively. If you do this type of thing again you might consider a contractor that "actually" does the work on site not just hires his "low bidder".

Let me guess the gc was low or near low bibber. Did you have a detailed project scope and/or drawings?

 

[GearBeer]

Nate,

Corrections always seem to take more time than they should. This is why I got stiffed with so many problems. I have no doubt that they eventually would have fixed them, given the time.

hidollartoys,

That's an approximation of how it worked. Generally, I would talk to the GC or the project manager and one of them would talk to the subcontractor. I started talking directly to the GC because things weren't happening when I talked to the project manager.

Out of three bids this was the second lowest. Without getting into specific figures, this bid was 120% of the lowest bid. The highest bid was 157% of the lowest bid. I liked the most expensive company, but they were way out of line on their pricing.

I did have detailed plans. They were much the same as was listed in the first post (2x6 walls, full storage trusses, winch opening, etc.) and provided a detailed plot plan, which included door, window and apron sizes and locations.

The GC actually did some of the work with his own crew. He directly employed all of the rough carpentry labor. That portion of the build went quickly. Unfortunately, it seems that he'd been having problems for some time and apparently had some difficulty bringing trades out to the site.

Friday 6/19
Well... It's better...

My buddy dropped by and releveled and recompacted both garages. Unfortunately, he leveled the front garage to the blue line. I guess the concrete will just be thicker on one side.

His compaction was quite good but the leveling wasn't as good as the original work. He did run his compactor into each of the corners, though.

The back garage is much the same story, but he did make it more level than it was before.

 

[GearBeer]

Wednesday 7/8
DIY FTW

The floor isn't perfectly level but we decided to move ahead (well, more accurately, I got pushed into it). After digging down to the foundation on the three exterior sides we laid a vapor barrier and the high density foam (bead board) and taped all the joints with leftover house wrap tape.

Then I reworked my reverse return spiral layout three or four times to change the termination location and get the total length under 600' (we only had 600' of PEX tubing). We snapped a grid using a chalk line and red chalk (blue was almost invisible).

Then we laid down the tubing and stapled it to the bead board using a push tool that rams the barbed, plastic staples into the foam.

We used plastic conduit elbows to protect the PEX where it exits the concrete and attaches to the manifold.

Finally, we unrolled our 150' roll of wire mesh and cut it to length. Each section had to be individually straightened and cut to fit.

As of now I'm still determining a new concrete contractor. The inspector came by yesterday and bought off on the concrete but informed me that I need a mechanical permit for the radiant. Once the radiant installation is bought off on I'll be able to move on and get the pad poured.

 

[bimmer1980]

The radiant floor heat layout looks nice, but a question for you--is that foam high density? I believe the expanded bead foam may not hold the PSI of the concrete and any concentrated load.... I would also recommend some rebar.

 

[GearBeer]

The foam is high density according to the company from which I purchase the radiant supplies. This is what they use on their own installs.

Rebar will be installed by the concrete company. I don't have a powerful enough drill to get into the existing pad or poured walls.

 

[diesel4mee]

GearBeer great build what city do you live in. I live just off 96 by south lyon?

 

[GearBeer]

I'm in Clarkston, about 2 miles from I-75. I got an estimate from a concrete contractor down your way, wish I'd have gone with him!

 

[GearBeer]

Checked with the merchant. The bead board (MEPS) is the only foam they carry. It is spec'd for under-slab installations but it has a little less insulating value than XEPS (R8.8 vs R10).

 

[sreno]

Great project(s)!!!

There's not much you can't handle there...!

Shawn

 

[GearBeer]

Thursday 8/7
One Last Disappointment

So, faced with the frustration of breaking a contract (regardless of the transgression) we moved forward with the concrete company. I zipped home over lunch to catch up and my father watched for the rest of the day.

The cement truck slipped into my back yard with about 8" of clearance on either side.

All of the concrete used had fiber mesh. It took ~9 yards of concrete to fill the storage garage, 1.8 yards more than calculated because of the channels around the side.

It took most of the second truck for the cement pad in front of the garage. The crew was pretty good, moving from tool to tool without a break in the action.

They drilled holes in the old cement and pounded rebar into the pad to strengthen the joint. Originally there was a thickened pad here but we failed to have it put back in after everything was regraded.

They finished off the small pad out back before moving on to apron out front.

We used up the remaining wire mesh from the workshop to strengthen the pad.

Really, the only disappointment here was how they handled the damaged pad. Originally we talked about having it cut out and replaced. However, what they did was press concrete into the damaged spots. I don't have high hopes for the longevity of this fix, but the price was right (whether or not I bought off on it).

Here's the finished product.

 

[e-tek]

Wow - you are going through the same "type" of trials and tribs as I did with a kitchen reno. I had to fire my GC as well, who thinks I owe him the balance of the contract, even though he didn't finsih the job! Loos to me like you know enough to get it done/redone right - imagine all the people who have no clue and get what they get!

Those cememt "repairs" will definitley not last. Too bad they didn't cut them out and add some screen. Oh well, you can cuss them out over the next few years!!

GREAT thread! Thanks for all the work you put into it - though by the time of the posts, look like you posted at work!!!!!!!!LMAO!!!

 

[GearBeer]

I... uhh... might do some surfing at work. Only about 7 hours a day. If they'd keep me busy I wouldn't be surfing GarageJournal on the clock!

I'll definitely be cussing them out, but they did have a pretty good point. Whoever built the garage poured the floor around the original walkway so there's a low spot on the north side where all the water runs to. I guess it gives me the option to cut out the floor in the future and pour a 6" pad so I can bring in a lift.

My "beef" is that they didn't say anything and just quoted a different job than I specified.

Oh, one more headache for me. I posted a question about the surface finish in Flooring, but I'll include it here, too.

 

[blkhonda1991]

Its tough to learn lessons the hard way...but reading about your build atleast teaches us all to do research into the contractors before building and make sure you sign off on the drawings before construction!

 

[GearBeer]

Haha, the killer is that the GC was a "Hire it Done" contractor and had a BBB accredited A+ rating. Hire it Done is a contractor screening program supported by three Detroit area radio stations.

The concrete contractor had a number of referrals (4 or 5 IIRC) and a maximum rating on Angie's List.

I think I just have a knack for finding quartz crystals in a pile of diamonds.

The lesson I'd pass on is to have someone there watching them every minute that they're on the job. If they can cut a corner, they will.

 

[GearBeer]

Sometime in July
Ok, ok, I forgot a couple photos!

A few of my dad's friends came down and they worked for one day on the attics of both garages.

In the workshop they framed the hoist opening (4'x6') and added joists along the sides to better distribute the weight. They also screwed down the center row of sheathing.

Out back they installed the center row of sheathing (sorry no pics at that stage).

With the radiant tubing installed we couldn't risk dragging the sheathing across the floor and potentially damaging the tubing but we did get all of the sheathing installed in the back garage and, let me tell you, I'm honestly not sure what to do with all of the storage space I'm going to have.

We installed both of the stairs on Friday. They're heavy duty attic-type stairs. We'd originally intended to fabricate rigid stairs, but my dad's friend talked him out of it (safety concerns) and I went along once we dug up some sufficiently robust fold-down models. I'll take some photos of that and the attic of the attached garage when I get home tonight.

 

[Nutty 5.0]

Loved the write up! Very nice and like all the details of pictures and text.

 

[GearBeer]

Thanks, Nutty. I try to make it informative without being wordy.

Speaking of:
Friday 8/14
...and I'm climbing the stairway to gearhead heaven

The attic of the workshop is similar to the storage garage's attic, except for the attached garage's roof at the end. I think this area will make a nice shelving area with a walk-through to the attached garage's attic.

The stairway in both garages is this 350 lb. attic stairway.

 

[GearBeer]

Friday 9/25
I'm not ready! Too Much Compressure!

My dad found a 80 gallon IR compressor on sale at TSC a couple weekends ago and I decided to pick it up. My lofty goal was for the 7.5 HP model, but that's probably overkill (not that a 5 HP 80 gallon compressor isn't overkill).

I was heading out of work on my way to Rochester Mills Brewing Company to meet some friends when I received a call, saying my parents and grandparents were on their way down to my house with the compressor. I reluctantly changed course for home.

The compressor travelled down I-75 strapped down upright on the auto hauler.

With a comealong on the front and straps in back holding the pallet in place we gradually leaned the compressor back until it would clear my garage door.

We attached additional straps and a second comealong to a pair of 4x4s across my trusses and hoisted the heavy end of the compressor clear of the trailer.

We gradually loosened the first comealong and attached it to the 4x4s to lift the bottom of the compressor clear of the trailer.

The trailer was then simply driven out from underneath the compressor.

Finally, the compressor was lowered to the ground and pushed into the old garage until the workshop floor is epoxy coated.

 

[cyclopsblown34]

I've been following this thread with anticipation for a happy ending, looks like you're about there. Glad to see your dad is able to do all the things he does. Let m\him know how much you appreciate him. It'll probably make his day.

 

[Beaner242]

WOW. I just sat and read through all the posts. I'M ready to pull my hair out and I'm not even involved in it. haha. I hope my project go smoother?

 

[GearBeer]

******,

I sure hope your project goes smoother. There are very few people I'd wish this on.

Thursday 10/15
Insulating myself from the frustration.

My mom is visiting my uncle this week so my dad came down a couple nights to work on the garage. We managed to install the rest of the flooring in the attic and got the bulk of the ceiling insulation installed.

The insulation is R-25, held up by wire supports which will have to be removed when the drywall is installed to maximize the effectiveness of the insulation.

 

[e-tek]

Is that lose insulation? How will you get the wires out?
If it's batt, I did my insulation similarily, but I used string to hold it up. It sagged enough that when I installed the Vapour Barrier and drywall, it was air tight.

Good to see you are nearing the finsih line!!! What a great DAD!

 

[GearBeer]

It's not necessarily loose insulation, but it's unfaced. The plastic is just to reduce it's itchyness.

I don't know how the wires will come out. It's something I definitely have to think about. I've been told that you're supposed to leave them in but I definitely don't want to do that. I'll play around with your string idea.

Thanks, "Silver Fox" (childhood nickname) is a great help. To make it worse, he's been sleeping on my couch for a week because my Sister took my spare bed back!

Sunday 10/19
Bump 'n Grind

We rented a diamond grinder to smooth out the floor and it really did quite a good job.

The floor grinder made pretty quick work of the grinding job. Each section of floor needed about four passes to get it smooth. In all, we spent about 5 hours grinding. You could see pretty clearly while grinding which parts had been smoothed and which needed more work. The dark surface below was ground smooth and the light areas are the original concrete surface.

You can see where the knee board sunk into the concrete here.

Unfortunately, some of the divots were just too deep to grind smooth. We'll be applying some levelling cement on Monday.

Silver Fox making the second pass on the third quadrant.

The dust produced by the grinding operation was pretty stubborn. It created a thick sludge that had to be sprayed off the floor. The sludge gathered at the end of the back pad. Both of us found out how sticky it was the hard way.

I ordered the epoxy this weekend, too. I broke down and went for gray. It will have burgundy and white flecks to match the house.