Journal Archive

Novermber 28th, 2007

I installed the rest of the flourescent strip lighting.

Novermber 28th, 2007

I have made some changes to the shop as well as some additions:

Added External lights
Added circuits to the first and second floors
Added a timer circuit to control the exterior lights
Installed a table saw
Built an outfeed table for the table saw
Installed a drill press

I have uploaded some pictures of the latest changes.

August 23th, 2007

I DID IT!

I passed final inspection today. The P.G. County inspector came by today, and signed my permit, "Final Inpsection, 8/24/07". No more worrying. No more rushing. I got it finished before the new baby is here. And it was down to the wire. Whew!

So what is next? Plenty. I still have to complete the wiring, the insulation, and the drywall. I also might put down a plywood floor and some stairs instead of the ladder. I guess it is back to work...

August 23rd, 2007

I installed the locks yesterday and scheduled final inspection for Friday. Keep your fingers crossed.

August 21st, 2007

This past weekend, I finished installing the gutters and the grading. To complete the grading, I rented a Toro Dingo from Capital Rentals to help move the four yards of gravel and four yards of mulch. It cost me $360 to rent it for the day including delivery. This thing was awesome. If I only had an extra $15,000, I would buy one for myself. Of course if I had an "extra" $15k, I would buy more woodworking equipment.

For the grading, I laid down the rest of the gravel, smoothed out the dirt aroudn the shop, covered it wtih landscaping fabric, and then covered that with three inches of mulch. I think I am going to put some sort of stones or gravel in front of the main door. It is just going to be too messy to walk over the mulch every day.

The next step is to install the locks and get FINAL INSPECTION. WooHoo!

August 11th, 2007

I have installed one of the gutters. I still need to put on the downspout, but I am going to wait until after the grading is complete, so that I know the extact length of downspout that I need.

August 3rd, 2007

The siding is done! I finished the last wall today. I still need to go back and seal all of the seams, but the hard part of the siding is done. Next up are the gutters.

July 6th, 2007

This past week I had vinyl siding delivered from People´s Supply. I have done some of the preliminary layout as well as installing the corner pieces.

June 21st, 2007

Yesterday I started on building the soffit. I had to re-work my approach to the soffit. I was going to construct a simple boxed-in soffit (that probably is not the right term for it), but I made a mistake. After I installed the windows, I noticed that they were so tall that they interfered with the soffit, if the soffit just went across horizontally. Instead I decided to essentially just box in the rafters. It is a little more work, but not too bad.

First I primed the wood. Then I installed the 1x6s on the horizontal face and the 1x8s on the diagonal face. I am then going to staple some screening over the void. Lastly I will then attach 1x4s over the horizontal face and 1x6s over the diagonal face.

Lastly, Brian from Hawkins Electric came over and finished the electric work inside the shop, including the switches, outlets, lights, and closed in the panel. He also showed me how to install the strip lighting, so that I could install the other 10 T-8 strip lights.

June 6th, 2007

First, I must appologize for the lack of journal entries. So let me bring you up to date. Here is where things stand:

Doors are installed
Windows are installed
Doors and windows are flashed
Second floor access ladder has been installed
House power was increased by Hawkins Electric
Basic circuits installed by Hawkins Electric
The shop passed framing and electrical inspection

I have updated the photo gallery with shots of all of the above.

December 3rd, 2006

This past weekend I finished the roof. All of the shingling is done, and with the help of Alice, we managed to finish the ridge vent too. Next up is getting an electrical permit and starting the rough wiring so that I can have a framing inspection.

October 24th, 2006

Two months... Wow! That is a long time to go without an entry - specially since there has been actual progress.

Alice and I completed the exterior trim. There is some minor things to do to it, but it is 90% done, and since I want to finish the roof before the first snow, I have moved on.

I have been installing the roofing for the last couple of weeks - or more accurately - weekends. I ordered twenty-two bundles of the CertainTeed XT 30 mint frost 3-tab shingles from ABC Supply in Cheverly, MD. I called a couple of places and ABC Supply had the best price for the shingles that I wanted. Including devlivery and tax, the shingles came to $399. Pretty good I think.

The shingling has been going pretty well. I have almost completed the first half, with the help of Monty and Alice. I am working from the top down, instead of the normal bottom up. After reading Mike Guertin´s book Roofing with Asphalt Shingles, it seemed like the bast way to handle it. The advantages of the top down method that I see are:

it is safer on the steep, 12/12 roof
the shingles are in better condition, because I am not walking on them
I am not worried about the tar paper ripping off since I only install what I can shingle

I thought I was going to have trouble getting the shingles up to the roof. ABC Supply does have a conveyor truck to get them up to the roof, but I do not have access large enough for the truck to get through, so I have to carry them by hand. Luckily I only carry as much as I need, which turns out to be about two bundles. I carry a bundle at a time, set it on the roof jacks, and then divide the bundle into smaller stacks of shingles that I disperse around the rest of the roof where I will need them. It has worked pretty well. I am glad too, because one bundle ways about 85 pounds each. I did feel like a wuss when I picked up my first bundle, but once Monty said that they were heavy too, I felt much less of a wimp.

If I keep going at the this rate, I think I will have the shingling done before the first snow. It is getting cold, so keep your fingers crossed.

August 29th, 2006

With a busy Summer, it has been a while since my last entry, so I am going to just list out the state of everything:

Roof sheathing installation is complete. Thanks Monty, Joe, Alice, Andrea, Alec, Andrew & Tim.
Housewrap installation is complete. Thanks Alice
Started working on the exterior trim. I am using Azec boards. I think the extra cost of the boards is justified, due to their low maintenance. Thanks Monty & Alice

I have posted photos of all of the work so far.

June 5th, 2006

This past weekend I installed some roof sheathing on the North side of the roof. Instead of starting with the row of sheathing at the eave end, I squared and snapped a line where the second row would start and laid down the second row. This allowed me to install a stop on the line for the sheathing to rest against. This way, I could focus on squaring the sheathing to the roof and not have to worry about the sheathing sliding off of the roof.

Now that I have the rest of the sheathing installed, I can come back and install the first row of sheathing. I plan on mating the first row of sheathing to the bottom edge of the second row, nailing it off, and then cutting the rest that overhangs the eave flush.

A few words about installing the sheathing. The biggest challenge I had this past weekend was just getting the sheathing up onto the roof. At first I thought it was going to be easy. I was going to use the same block and tackle that my friend lent me. I hooked it to the ridge beam and ran the other end down the roof to the eave. I ended up not using the block and tackle, because I just could not get the line to pull effectively. I think it was because of the angle.

When I used the block and tackle to install the second floor sheathing, it was a straight vertical lift. Everthing went smoothly. This time, since it was at and angle, the catch that would stop the line from moving kept holding on to the line, preventing me from being able to move the line.

I then tried holding the sheathing on my back. I was able to walk up the ladder fine, but I could not transfer the plywood from my back to the roof. The only time I tried, I had to give up and let the sheathing fall onto the ground.

The method that worked best for me, was essentially the brute force method. I would lean the sheathing against my ladder, so that it was standing vertically. Then I would lift the sheathing enough so that I could get my hands underneath the sheathing. I would then start to climb the ladder - one hand pushing the sheathing from the bottom, the other hand holding onto the ladder. I would continue to climb, with the sheathing sliding up the ladder, until I got to a place where I could place the bottom edge of the sheathing onto a lip or a catch. For the first row, I placed some spring clamps on top of the fascia board to act as a catch.

After the sheathing was stable on the catch, I would then continue to climb up the ladder and rotate the sheathing on the rafters until it was in the proper place.

At one point, Alice was able to give me hand on some of the higher pieces - she would slide it up the ladder, and I would muscle it the rest of the way. All in all, it was not too difficult, but it sure was tiring.

May 22nd, 2006

These past three days had a small event, and a large one. On Saturday, the small event occurred. Alice and I managed to cover the East gable end with housewrap. Not a big deal, but another small step to the finish line.

The hardest thing about working on a task like the house wrap, is constantly needing to move the ladder. I will need to have the ladder up high, then low, then on the left, then in the middle. Even though housewrap is light by itself, lugging, lowering and raising the ladder all the time tires me out faster then I would like.

The second event that happen, just occured today. I went to court. As some may have read, I had some problems with my original foundation contractor, Fred Graziano. He never completed the foundation and never returned my second payment. Long story short, I had to take him to court. Today, was the trial.

I showed up at the courthouse, not knowing whether or not Mr. Graziano was going to show up. You see, for small claims court (this might apply to any type of court) the defedent, Mr. Graziano, is supposed to send in an "intent to defend" notice to the court. Once this occurs, the court then notifies the plantiff, me, of the intention. I never recevied a letter from the court stating the Mr. Graziano sent in the intention to defend.

Not wanting to take any chances, I still went to the courthouse. When the judge called my case, I was up at the front by myself, without a defendent. The short version of the story is that the clerk swore me in, the judge asked me to tell my story. The judge listened to my story and asked to see my contract with Mr. Graziano. She then ruled in my favor in the amount of $3900, the amount I was suing for.

Sweet! Of course this was not the last step. Now I need to actually collect on that ruling. Who knew that in this project I would get an education in law as well as construction.

May 15th, 2006

I do have some good news to report. I can start working on the shop again. Two Fridays ago, May 5th, I went back to the P.G. County Permits Office and got a new permit. Unforutnately it cost almost twice as much as the original permit, $151 instead of $80. When I asked the woman handling the issuance about the different she said "New codes. Each time there are new codes, the fees go up." But the money did not stop there. I also had to pay a $50 "investigation fee" for my expired permit.

After I got my new permit, I immediately called to schedule a "Lift of Stop Work Order" inspection. An inspector came out on the the 11th and said "So why am I here?" Great. He checked my permit and removed the stop work order. The inspector then stated "You can continue to work on the workshop."

Last Saturday, May 13th, Alice and I started to put on the Typar housewrap around the first floor. I ran out of time to put the wrap on the second floor, but I can finish that off next time. I am just gald that I can work on the shop again.

April 19th, 2006

Oh boy... Today was not a good day. I came home to find a "Stop Work" order on my front door. I now have this glowing orange thing on my front door that just looks awful. By law I can not remove or move it. The reason was for an expired permit. In Prince Georges County, MD a work permit expires if:

It takes longer then two years to complete the project, or
An inspection is not completed within 6 months

It has not been two years since I have gotten my permit, but it has been six months (actually more) since my last inspection

FLASHBACK... that sounded like I was back in sixth grade at St. Francis:

Bless me father for I have sinned, it has been sixth months since my last inspection.

I assumed I would not be able to have an inspection done with an expired permit. I did not know that they could stop me from working all together.

Now I need to try and find out how to get my permit renewed, but I have call the county from with three different numbers, and I still have not gotten an answer.

April 17th, 2006

Since it was the Easter holiday, I did not have much time to work on the shop. I did put up the facia blocking on the North wall. I also ordered some of the roofing materials for this weekend coming up.

April 9th, 2006

Over the last three weeks I have finished a bunch of small things that needed to be completed before the roof could get started:

Installed blocking for the second floor sheathing
Finished nailing the sheathing
Installed the vent blocking
Put up the South Wall fascia

March 11th, 2006

BIG weekend. Dave and Joe cameover on Saturday again. Joe installed half of the 2x2 nailers that he cut last weekend, while Dave and I installed the rest of the sheathing on the East wall. There are a lot more pictures and descriptions as to what exactly Dave and I did on the photos page. Next up is to finish installing the 2x2 nailers, then the fascia, then... the ROOF!

March 5th, 2006

This past weekend, my friends Joe and Dave gave me hand. Dave and I tackled the sheathing the second floor. I borrowed some block and tackle from my friend Bryan. Dave hoisted the panels, while I climb the ladder and nalied them in place. Joe, the poor guy, ripped 64 2x4s in half length wise. These will be used to create a ventilation channel between the rafters.

February 20, 2006

On Monday, my friend Monty came over and helped with the shop some. While I was framing the opening for the second floor window, Monty finished installing the hhurricane clips on the rafters.

January 29, 2006

On Sunday I installed some of the studs for the West gable wall. Alice also helped to put in some more hurricane clips.

I purchased another round of reading material. I got three books from my friends at Tunton Press, to help me figure out what to do:

Working Alone: Tips and Techniques for Building Alone
Roofing With Asphalt Shingles
Building Stairs

January 16, 2006

This past weekend, my friend Jon came over and he helped me install rafter blocking at the ridge beam and at the top plates. This past weekend we had some rain with some very windy conditions. There were sustained winds of 30+ mph. Needless to say, the plastic that was covering the shop was ripped to shreds. Tonight, the wife and I put up some new plastic. Hopefully this round will last longer.

January 8, 2006

With the help of my wife and friend Joe, I finished installing the rafters. I was a little nervous removing the temporary support for the ridge beam, but I had no problems at all. Next up is installing the blocking in between the rafters, and after that, putting on the roof sheathing.

December 28, 2005

I started installing the rafters. It took me five tries to get the template correct - ruining three rafters in the process - but I finally got something close. I followed the process in the book, Building a Multi-Use Barn, but it just did not come out right. I needed to use the trial and error method.

December 13, 2005

In 25 degree weather, Alice and I tented the shop last night, because the weathermen are calling for the dreaded "wintery Mix" on Thursday. To do this, I bought some spring clamps and some more plastic. We cut the plastic into two long sheets 20x35. We then used the spring clamps to affix the one long edge of the plastic to the ridge beam. We then put more spring clamps on the other long end. These clamps are acting as weights. We then tossed the loose end over the sides of the shop. Lastly, we took some plastic that was already cut from before and placed it as much as we could to protect the ends of the shop from rain/snow/sleet.

Sunday, December 11th

It has been a month since my last entry, but it is not due to lack of progress. I just kept forgetting - or was to busy - to make my entries. So here is everything that has occurred in the past month.

First thing was that I finished the the second floor joists and blocking. Bryan came over one day and helped me finish that up. He also helped me to start the deck. First we put some decking down dry to test out the spacing and to see where the plywood would fall. The center line of the building did not exactly meet up well with the long edge of the decking. I needed the short end of the decking to line up on a joist as well, so that it could be supported and nailed. To accomplish both of these things I let the first row of the decking run off of the end of the first joist. This also allowed me to shift the plywood so that it was closer to the center line of the building as well as allowing the short end of the decking to fall on a joist.

Over the next two weeks, I finished up gluing and nailing down the decking. I got help from my sister Andrea and Alice. Alice also helped me to do a thorough covering of the decking with some 6 mil plastic. It was a good thing to, because we had our first real snow of the year, about 4 inches total. I guess I missed my goal of finishing the roof before the first snow. Oh well.

This weekend I had a delivery of the materials for the roof framing. Monty came over on Saturday and helped me to erect the ridge beam with some temporary bracing. I am using two 1 3/4" x 14" x 15’ LVL beams for the ridge beam, so we erected one at a time, taking care to line them both up together.

The last bit of news is that my court case against Fred Graziano, my first foundation contractor, has gotten a court date of March 6th. It was filed in Maryland district court under small claims. I am still waiting to hear his response - whether he is going to settle or defend in the courtroom. I am crossing my fingers that he just pays me the $3900 so that this can be over.

Sunday, November 6th

This weekend I got some help and installed most of the joists for the attic/second floor. On Saturday, Monty came over and help me cut and nail off some of the joists. On Sunday, Alice and I finished off of the rest of the joists. I still have two more joists to finish, I need to add blocking, and finally the joists that frame-out the stair opening.

Wednesday, October 26th

I ran into a little project management problem yesterday. I have designated in my plans to use 2x12x20’ Douglass Fir for my second floor joists. The problem is that I can’ find 2x12x20’ Douglass Fir in my area. So I need to find a substitute. In the process I have found two online calculators put out by the American Wood Council that will give you spans or dimensions needed for joists or rafters.

Monday, October 23rd

Yesterday Alice and I put up the final sheathing on the east wall. I still need to finish the gravel and spread out the backfill. I also need to get new quotes on the materials for the second floor.

Monday, October 10th

The past Sunday Joe, Pat and Pat´s son Dermott helped me fill the tranch with 6 yards of gravel. I took about 2 hours and I will still need another yard or two to finish off the trench. I have uploaded the newest pictures.

Saturday, September 24th

With the help of my friends Bryan and Judy, and my wife, we got up the East wall. All that is left to do on the first floor is to finish the sheathing on the East wall.

Sunday, September 18th

Joe, Scott, and Bill came over today to help out. We got up the North wall. Three walls down, one to go.

Saturday, September 17th

The family came down today and helped out with the shop. We were able to get up the south wall.

Monday, September 12th

UPDATE: After hearing a couple of people say that the bracing of the wall might not be significant enough - and hearing that we might get some gusts from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia - I have added some additional bracing to the South Wall.

I have added a link on the references page to Woodshop Demos, a site run by John Lucas (Not the John Lucas of Maryland Terps fame). He sent me a nice email about my project.

Saturday, September 10th

Well today was a big day. Two of my friends - Monty and Jon - came over and helped me build the South wall. The first section of the wall took a couple of hours to assemble and lift into place, but the second section only took an hour.

Saturday, September 3rd

With some help from Alice, I managed to finish building the headers for the windows and cut studs for the South and West walls.

Wednesday, August 31st

I built the other header for the other door frame.

Sunday, August 28th

Yesterday I started working on the headers for the doors and windows. Because I am using 2x6 for the walls, the total depth of the headers needs to match the 5½" of the 2x6 walls. To accomplish that, I cut spacers from the 2x12 for the header into 2½" lengths. I then tried to nail these spacers in between two lengths of 2x12 for a full 5½" depth. Unfortunately the spacers split during nailing. On to plan B

Plan B consisted of ripping ½" plywood into pieces 11½" x 6’9" to match the dimensions of the 2x12 header. With three lengths of 2x12 and two lengths of ½" plywood, I made a sandwich to bulid up the header to the desired depth of 5½".

Of course now I need to buy more 2x12 and plywood.

August, 24th, 2005

I found a chart of the Senco line of pneumatic nails. It lists which nail to use when needing a certain size. This is helpful to me, because in the building codes, they list the nails by size (6d, 7d, 8d, etc.) and not length (1", 2 1/2", 3 1/4"). but what I discovered is that pneumatic nails are listed by length and not size. This chart help me tofind which ones to buy.

I have added it to my references page

July 4th, 2005

UPDATE: I have uploaded the photos from Monday..

This weekend I managed to do some work on the shop. I cut the sill plate, pre-drilled for the bolts, laid down the sill sealer, and inserted the bolts.

I had some problems once I got the bolts into the holes. Some of the bolts just didn’t grab in the holes. I would turn the nuts and the bolts would just keep rising without grabbing. Sometimes the bolts would just turn and turn in the holes along with the nuts. I will need to solve this problem soon.

Here is my guess with what is wrong. I think the holes might be a little too wide. I think there is some runout in the drill. This made the hole too wide and then the sleeves don’t grab in the holes.

I have some pictures that I will upload soon.

June 21st, 2005

Two of my nephews helped me finish putting down the rest of the gravel in the drainage trench. We then backfilled the trench with topsoil.

I have not received the $3900 from Fred Graziano. I am going to proceed with small claims court option.

June 20th, 2005

On Saturday Monty and Joe came over to help me finish digging the drainage trench. It took us about two hours to finish the digging. Once the trench was dug, I layed down the filter fabric and the drain pipe. I then covered it with the pea gravel I bought the other week. There is still a small amount of gravel to put down. Then I’ll cover the gravel with some topsoil, then that part of the job will be done.

Thursday, June 16th

Having still not received the returned $3900 from Fred Graziano, I called him again on my way home yesterday. As usual, I had to leave a message. In the message I reiterated what I said on Monday, If I didn’t receive the check for $3900 by Monday June 20th, I would be taking it to the next level, meaning small claims court or civil court.

Unfortunately I still had my mobile phone on vibrate from a meeting I had early, so I didn’t know that Fred called me back. He did leave a message stating:

I’m tired of getting your sh--ty messages. We had a contract and you went behind my back and got someone else to finish the job. As far as the $3900, I have receipts for the block, rebar and materials that I bought. So if you want to "take it to the next level" have your lawyer contact my lawyer. Never call my phone again.

If I don’t get the money from him on Monday, I guess I will file papers with the circuit court of Maryland. Just what I need, more problems.

June 14th, 2005

Today I finally got to work on the trimming the rebar that was projecting from the cement block. I borrowed an angle grinder from a friend (Thanks Johnny!) and bought some cut-off and grinding discs. The cutting did not go as well as I thought it would. I could not cut as close to the block as I would have hoped, because the grinder would get in the way. This left more of the rebar projecting from the block. I had a lot more grinding to do then I would have liked. I haven‘t finished all of the grinding yet - I have completed about a third of it - , but I am hoping to finish that up tonight.

I have uploaded some pictures of the drainage trench, the slab and one of me grinding away. If anyone needs to use an angle grinder, make sure you wear eye protection, a long sleve shirt, and long pants. The sparks do fly. Even with the long pants shirt I got a couple of sparks that managed to find their way into my gloves. It didn‘t hurt, but it did remind me of the potential for injury.

A couple of other things to mention. When i took the tarp off the slab the other day, I wasn‘t happy with the finish of the slab. It had a lot of bumps and dips in it. I called up Sandro from Matamoros Construction to see when he could come out to fix this. He said he will come out this Saturday to smooth it out and fix a couple of the cement blocks on the backside of the wall. Some of the grout and fallen out in between a few of the blocks.

Lastly, I haven‘t received the second payment back from Fred Graziano yet. I called him and left a very... direct message stating that if I do not receive my $3900 by June 20th, I would be taking it to the next level.

June 12th, 2005

This weekend I got something accomplished. First I went to the Percontee gravel pit and got two loads of pea gravel for the drainage ditch. It turned out to be 3+ tons of gravel. Of course my Ranger only has a 1000 lbs. limit, so I was low-riding on the way home.

I got the gravel at Percontee, because it is so cheap. Three tons of material only cost me $24 dollars. Originally I was going to buy some gravel at Lowes, but at $2.60 a bag there is no way I would get it there or Home Despot.

So I unloaded the gravel in my backyard. I then continued to dig more of the drainage ditch. I finally got enough of the trench dug so that I could put in a ten foot section of pipe. Before I put the pipe in the trench I put down some filter fabric. I then laid the pipe and covered it with the pea gravel.

Things to do this week: 1. Finish the trench 2. Cut off the bits of rebar that are sticking out the top of the cinder block 3. Attach the sill plate to the foundation.

June 6th, 2005

Today the slab was poured. They started at 2:30 when the concrete was delivered and finished at 7:30, just before thunderstorms came. The concrete truck used my neighbor‘s driveway, because it goes almost the entire depth of the property. The contractor still had to wheel barrow the concrete about 50 feet - in 90° weather. I need to do some repair work on my neighbor‘s lawn, but it is not too bad. I have not inspected the finished pour yet, but as soon as I do I will put up more pictures.

Here is a great document (pdf) that I found on Fine Homebuilding‘s Breaktime forum. It explains the IRC code for stairbuilding with - here is the great thing - illustrations. I don‘t know about you, but it is difficult interpreting building codes. I‘m a visual guy. This document‘s illustrations helped to answer a lot of questions. Thank you to The Stairway Manufacturer‘s Association for putting this together.

Here is my question. Why don‘t they do this with all of the building codes. I know that it would cost more money, but just imagine how much time permit offices and inspectors would save in answering questions. Not to mention how much time builders, contractors, architects and homeowners would save in having to redo their plans. It seems like a good thing to me.

June 5th, 2005

I started digging a drainage trench. I only lasted for two hours before I got too tired. It is working on demanding physical labor that reminds me why I am glad I have the opportunity to work in an office - during the Summer especially.

June 1st, 2005

The foundation is supposed to be inspected today. If it passes, they can pour for the slab. I have my fingers crossed.

UPDATE: The foundation passed inspection! The slab is scheduled to be poured on Monday. I have posted more photos.

May 20th, 2005

It rained almost all of today so nothing new was accomplished. I did upload some photos from the last two days though.

May 18th, 2005

Not much new today other then more pictures of Matamoros Construction working on the foundation.

I love the sound of that "...working on the foundation."

May 17th, 2005

Ok. I have a lot to update since last time. So I have had the problems with Fred Graziano. He still did not come to do more work on the foundation, so my wife and I both called Fred and gave him an ultimatum. He needs to either finish the job and have it inspected by May 20th, or I am going to find another contractor and he will need to give me back my second payment of $3900.

After leaving three messages, Fred finally called me back. He said with all of the other jobs that he has, he will not be able to get the job done and inspected by the 20th. I said that I was cancelling the contract and getting a new contractor.

To his credit, Fred did apologize for not being able to complete the job and he did not hesitate in saying that he would repay the $3900. I hope he does.

So now what? Well, I have found a new contractor. His name is Sandro and he works for Matamoros Construction. He was recommended to me by a co-worker. He has been great so far.

Sandro has arrived on time. He has done what he said he would do. He is polite and responsive.

In this contract, I wrote in a clause that if he does not complete the job within four weeks, 10% will be deducted from the contract price for every week it is late. Hopefully this will protect me from the delays I encourred with Fred. Sandro had no qualms about putting this phrase in the contract. That is a good sign.

Now the exciting part... pictures! I have pictures from the last two days of work. Now let’s keep this coaster rolling.

April 12th, 2005

I included a link to the Breaktime forum from Taunton.com to the references page.

March 30th, 2005

I talked to Fred today after calling him for three days. He said that he would be able to work on the foundation about April 14th. He did express concern about how to get the cinder block back to the site. When he poured the foundation, he used a Bobcat to deliver the concrete. He said that the ground was so muddy that the Bobcat got stuck twice, and he is worried that this will happen again. I need to devise a way that the Bobcat can get back to the site without getting caught. My idea is to deconstruct wodden palettes and then lay the parts back down on the ground - like a wooden railroad - for the Bobcat to drive on. I am not sure it will work, but I do not know what else to do.

March 19th, 2005

Another month, another entry. My previous attempt at covering the footings was a total flop. I found about six inches of water in the footings. Today, I tried to improve the covering. I drove some stakes in the ground at either end and tied a line in between them. Then I draped the plastic cover over the line. Also, while I was setting up the plastic I ran a pump to get the water out of the footings. The pump is a pond pump that I borrowed from my friend Pat. It took 2½ hours and I still have more to pump out.

I put up some photos from today.

February 23rd, 2005

Alice and I went to Second Chance in Baltimore. Second Chance is a non-profit warehouse store that sells salvage construction and architectural pieces. We went looking for doors and windows for the workshop.

I need two sets of french doors for the shop. I want french doors to let in light to the shop. Unfortunately, I could not find two pairs of doors that looked the same. I found two different pairs that would work, but the sizes were a little different as were the styles. The price of the doors were very inexpensive though. I could get a set of salvaged french doors for $180. The doors did not come with casing, hinges, or a lockset, but I think that was still a great price.

I did not find windows that would work either. They had plenty - and I mean plenty - of windows, but I need eight of them. I could have bought eight different windows, all of different styles and sizes, but again I want them to be the same. I might get one for the second floor window though. That window will be all by itself, so it could be unique.

I covered the foundation footings with some 6 mil plastic sheeting I bought. This was just a feeble attempt to keep out the rain and snow so that Fred could come down and finish up the foundation work.

It is still a waiting game.

I added the photos to the Photos page.

Friday, February 11th, 2005

Well, it has been over a month since my last entry. Unfortunately I have nothing to report. The weather has been cold. Fred said that it is too cold to lay the block.

But it has been warming up. The snow has melted and it should be warm enough to lay the block now. But I have not been able to get in touch with Fred. I called him up many times this week, but no answer.

Friday, January 7th, 2005

There is another option. I asked my contractor brother-in-law and he suggested building the block walls, excavate for the pour, and lay down the gravel base. If I layed plywood on the gravel, it would be a level base that is not muddy to frame on. I could frame the walls and then pour the foundation after the walls are covered.

I think this option makes the most sense. Hopefully my foundation contractor will go for it.

Wednesday, January 5th, 2005

Happy New Year! It has been a while since my last entry (That sounded like a confession. ´Bless me Norm Abram, for I have sinned. It has been one month since my last journal entry´).

The foundation is not finished yet. Because of the weather and the holidays, my foundation contractor, Fred, has not been able to get back to work on it. I am hoping that Fred will be able to start the block work next week. After that is the slab, but Fred wants to wait until the slab is covered over before he pours. This is not how I thought the plan would go.

Fred says right now that weather is too unpredictable to pour the slab with confidence. He says the best way to proceed is to build the block walls, and then frame as much of the structure as possible until I can get the area for the slab covered. Once the slab is covered, he then can pour the slab without having to worry about the weather.

With a closed space rain or snow will be kept off of the ground, and Fred said that he can then use a "warming blanket" to keep the temperature at a pourable level.

The problem with going this route is that if I do not have a slab as a work surface, where can I build the walls? I will not be able to frame the walls on the ground and keep them square.

Here are the options that I see.

OPTION 1 - Wait for an opportunity to pour the slab before the framing.
Pro: It will be easier to frame.
Con: It could be a while before Mother Nature cooperates. The slab could be poured in less then ideal conditions and run it would run the risk of cracking after.

OPTION 2 - Frame before at an alternate framing area (my deck).
Pro: Faster time line. Pour can happen at anytime after the area is covered.
Con: Transporting walls from framing area to workshop. Maintaining "square" during transportation.

OPTION 3 - Frame before on the ground.
Pro: Faster time line. Pour can happen at anytime after the area is covered.
Con: Walls will be more difficult to construct accurately due to the irregular ground.

I am not sure what to do yet, but I am thinking about it.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

My last entry was ten days ago. That is not a good sign.

Unfortunately, there is not much to report. I talked to Fred the foundation contractor. He is planning on starting the block on Monday. Of course it just started to snow, so who knows if Fred will be here tomorrow. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I did fax some lunber companies for quotes on the second floor materials.

Thursday, December 9, 2004

I have updated a couple of the plans. I increased the size of the ridge beam and I added cripple studs under the window sill ends.

Monday, December 6, 2004

Good news on the foundation front. Fred called me today and said that they got the footings poured. It will take a couple of days for them to cure. He is going to order the cement block for the foundation so that it will be ready when the footings are finished curing.

Friday, December 3, 2004

I got the first load of materials today. Les from People´s Supply dropped-off the load at 9:00 am. That is when my long walk from the front of the house to the workshop started. I had to carry all of the materials from my driveway back to the staging area. With 85 trips, at an estmiated 400 feet per round trip, I walked about 6 1/2 miles today.

I started by putting down wooden palettes that I got from a local warehouse. I restacked the materials on the palettes. Then I covered the materials with two tarps. Finally I secured the tarps with some string and stakes.

You can see the some of the work on the photos page. Excuse me while I ice my back...

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

I know I originally said that I was going to purchase my materials from 84 Lumber, but now that I need the materials delivered on December 3rd, I had to place my order with People´s Supply. 84 Lumber is going to be closed on December 3rd, due to inventory.

People´s Supply is actually $9 cheaper then 84 lumber. Here are all of the material bids I got for the first floor lumber:

84 Lumber - $1249.72
ABC Distributors - $1610.28
Johnson Lumber - $1401.36
People´s Supply - $1240.32

I also received a bid of $849.43 from Smoot Lumber, but they did not carry #2 pine. They only carried a lower grade of "construction lumber".

Monday, November 29, 2004

This past weekend was a good one. I got three new toys that will come in handy. My first purchase was a Porter Cable COIL350 framing nailer that I purchased from Logan Hardware. The other two tools I got at Thanksgiving Day sales. The first was a RIGID Saw Utility Vehicle. It is a fancy name for a mitre saw workstation. I got from Home Depot. The last tool was a pair of 500 watt halogen work lights from Sears.

Other good news is that the footings passed inspection. Fred is going to reschedule the concrete so that he can pour the footings. Yeah!

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Alice and I come home from Thanksgiving at our parents, and there is a note stuck to the door. It is from the county inspector. He was scheduled to examine the footings before the pour. The note said that the inspection failed, due to lack of access to the permit and approved plans.

The county has a copy of the permit. The county has a copy of the plans. Why did the inspector not get copies from the county?

I had a copy of the permit in the window as required by the county. I guess the inspector did not see it.

I called the automated system and scheduled another inspection time for the next available date. I was given Monday, 11/29.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

I am so happy. The foundation has started! Fred started digging the trenches for the footings yesterday.

I have added some lumber companies to the references page. I have also updated the Why page (soon to be the FAQ).

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

This past weekend I made some sawhorses out of some spare lumber and plywood. I will need some once construction starts, plus it was fun.

The foundation was supposed to start yesterday, but - surprise, surprise - they did not start. I called Fred to find out, but there was no answer so I left a message.

Thursday, November 18, 2004

I received a call from Fred this morning. Fred’s back-hoe guy has not finished his current job yet and wants to push mine to Monday. Fred asked if that was OK.

No. That is not OK, but what can I do.

"So what are my options?" I asked him. "There arn´t any. We have to wait until Monday." "Can we get another back-hoe operator?", I asked. "No." He said the only other option would be to cancel the contract and get another contractor.

Yeah, right. Like I´m going to go through that painful process again.

I guess I will have to wait for Monday. I think they are calling for rain. Great.

In other news, while I´ve been waiting to start on the workshop Alice and I have been redoing our bedroom.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

I came home yesterday and there was a surprise in my front yard. A port-a-potty was sitting waiting to be used. I put photos of on the photos page.

Monday, November 15, 2004

I received a call from Fred this morning. Unfortunately the back-hoe operator will not be able to start today, because of the rain last week. The rain prevented him from completing the last job. Fred said that they will be able to start by Thursday.

Now that the foundation timeline is off, I will need to adjust my first material delivery. I was going to have that done Thanksgiving weekend. I might have it delivered the weekend after now. This is assuming that 84 Lumber will deliver on a Saturday of course.

I added 84 Lumber to the references page.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

I confirmed with Fred that he would be able to start the foundation on Monday, November 15th. I also booked a port-a-potty with Jiffy Jon. For a month I will be able to take a crap without having to go in the house.

Friday, November 5, 2004

I uploaded the latest Shop Layout plan to the plans page. I added the steps, increase the door openings to 6 1/2 feet, and moved the dust collection to the SouthWest corner of the shop.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

I called Fred to verify that he received my deposit check of $3900.

I called Miss Utility today (1-800-257-7777) to schedule the marking of any underground utilities in the excavation area.

Monday, November 1, 2004

Yesterday, while thinking about the logistics of this construction project, I realized that I will need to provide access to restrooms for when nature calls for the workers. I started looking into suppliers of portable bathrooms. So far the cost is not as much as I thought. It looks like I will be able to rent a port-a-potty for about $100.

Of course I could give the workers access to the restrooms in the house, but I think the clean-up costs of dirt, concrete and other things left on the floors would probably get close to the cost of port-a-potty rental, not to mention the security risks.

Thursday, October 28, 2004

I called J & D Concrete and Zcon Construction today to tell them I was going with Fred. I told them the reasons behind my choice and to give me a call if they have any questions.

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Faxed Fred a copy of the signed estimate as well as the first payment installment. He is going to be able to start on the foundation on 11-15-04. Two more weeks of waiting.

I thought about it, and I got my building permit on August 13th. If Fred does start on November 15th, that is three months from starting my contractor search to actually have a contractor start working.

I still am amazed at how long this part of the project is taking. I had no idea it would take 2 1/2 months just to get four solid estimates.

Monday, October 25, 2004

Called Fred to see if he came by the house to look at the site. There was no answer on his phone.

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Alice and I re-adjusted the stakes for the workshop corners. Now it is better oriented on the site in relation to the house.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Fred has scheduled a look-over of the site so that he can better estimate what equipment he will need. He said that he will be able to start in two weeks.

Zeke from Z-Con Construction finally got back to me today with an estimate on the foundation. He came back with $8950. His estimate does not include gathering permits or scheduling inspections. It also states leaving the excavated soil on-site. I am going to stick with Fred as my foundation contractor.

I added J-bolt locations to the foundation plan.

Last night Alice and I staked out the workshop, but I think it needs to rotate a little counter-clockwise to orient better with the house. We ran out of daylight last night, so I am going to turn it this week.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

I called Fred today to try and get him started on writing a contract, but there was no answer on his phone all day.

I have updated the East elevation plans. I made a change to the plan so that I could have bigger doors. The doors were 4 feet wide, but from a functional aspect a 6 foot wide door is really going to make life easier for me when I move materials and finished furniture in and out of the shop.

Monday, October 18, 2004

I called Fred four times today to try and get him started on writing a contract, but there was no answer on his phone all day.

I finally got an estimate from Holt Electric for the electric work. $7350 was the amount. That is $2000 more then the one from Hawkins Electric.

I have updated the foundation plans. I made a change to the plan so that I could have bigger doors. The doors were 4 feet wide, but from a functional aspect a 6 foot wide door is really going to make life easier for me when I move materials and finished furniture in and out of the shop.

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Well I did not get to stakeout the workshop this weekend. It rained on Saturday and I had to paint our bedroom and cut the lawn. I am going to try and get the stakeout done this week.

Saturday, October 16, 2004

I started getting quotes on the lumber for the first floor. I went to Lowes, Home Depot and 84 Lumber. Home Depot was a pain in the arse. I went to the contract’s desk to get the quote. The women who worked there said that it was almost time for her to close down the desk so I needed to go to the service desk.

So I go over to the service desk, and one of the employees tried to slip by me, but I managed to get him to acknowledge my existence. He tried to help me out. He said I should go over to the contractor’s desk. Long story short, I had to go to the aisles myself and try and find each of the items myself. Of course I didn’t find everything so some of my items are estimates. I hate Home Depot.

My Lowes quotes in actually from their website. I am actually impressed that they have prices for their lumber on their website. Of course they say "prices may very" but the prices seemed right.

Anyway, the three materials quotes are:
84 Lumber - $1285.63 w/ delivery
Home Depot - $1350 est. + $65 for delivery
Lowes - $1220.28 w/o taxes or delivery

Friday, October 15, 2004

I finally received a quote from Fred Graziano. At $11,8000, it is the lowest and the one I am going to accept. My brother-in-law Jim talked him down from $14,500. Thanks Jim. As soon as Fred can write up a contract he can start.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

My friend Pat sent me this cartoon today. It essentially sums up my contractor experience so far.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

I called up Fred Graziono and Zeke today to see where their estimates were. I did not get in touch with either of them and left messages.

I called Al from Posse Construction. HIs estimate was $10,000 more then the next closest bid. I told him thanks for the effort, but I will be going with someone else.

In the References section I added a PDF document on wooden foundations. Wooden Foundations? I know, it sounds counter to everything that we think about foundations, but it is an accepted practice by all of the building code organizations.

So how did I find this information? After getting back some of the foundation bids, I was surprised at how much higher they were then what I was expecting.

I was planning on $8000 for the foundation. The bids that I have received are $14,500, $12,750, a verbal $11,500 and a whopping $24,000 was the most expensive. This was much more then I was thinking it was going to cost. So I went looking for alternatives. This is when I stumbled upon the Southern Pine Council´s website. They offer all of the documentation for a wooden foundation. They say it is cheaper and faster then a masonry foundation, with additional benefits that I will not go into here. Take a look at the PDF file, and let me know what you think. It seems plausible to me.

Saturday, September 25, 2004

I am taking a little vacation for the next two weeks. I will return with all of the latest workshop news then. Until then, hasta luego!

Thursday, September 23, 2004

I put the electrical diagram and my initial shop layout on the plans page. Laying out the shop was the very first thing I did in this process, so I need to go back and make some changes to it. For example, it does not have the stairs to the second floor on it. That will be the first thing I need to change. I also think I am going to change the door openings from 4 feet rough, to 6 feet rough.

I have added a document of electrical diagram symbols on the references page.

I received my second written foundation estimate. It is from Posse Construction and it is still as high as they said on the phone.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Called Zeke to see if he received my fax yesterday. I left a message on his machine about it. I also called Fred Graziono and left message.

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Zeke of Zcon, Inc., called me today on my way to lunch. He apologized for not getting back to me sooner. He gave me his fax number and I faxed him a copy of the Foundation and Site plans.

I called Al of Posse Construction to see what the status on the estimate was. He gave me a verbal estimate and said that he would fax me a written one today.

When Al gave me the estimate verbally, I nearly choked on my gum it was so high. Maybe my first estimate was not as high as I thought.

After seeing the estimates for the foundation work, I have looked into the possibility of using a wooden foundation instead of a concrete one. Apparently they are just as good as concrete, but with lower costs.

I have added some new items on the reference page.

Friday, September 17, 2004

Had a family wedding to go to today (Congratulations Sean & Jamie) where I talked to my brother-in-law Jim about Fred Graziono who Jim recommended. Jim said that he would talk to Fred again to see what the story was.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

I called Celorico Construction, Zcon, Inc., Fred Graziono, and I.C. Construction. I left messages on two of their machines, but I talked to Isero(sp?) from I.C. Construction.

As you can tell, i also changed the format of the homepage to only list a couple of the last journal entries. The entire list of journal entries are now listed on the archive page.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Called Posse Construction to see what the status was on their estimates. Al said that he will try and get back to me tonight.

I called two new contractors, Celorico Construction and I.C. Construction. I left messages on both of their machines. I also called Tom Zinchiak a second time from Zcon, Inc. No answer, so I left a message on the machine.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Called back Holt Electric and Posse Construction to see what the status was on their estimates. Andy form Holt is on vacation and I couldn´at get in touch with Al from Posse Construction.

I also called Tom Zinchiak from Zcon, Inc. He was referred to me by Jim Heller. No answer, so I left a message on the machine.

I have updated the Reference section, and the Plans page.

Friday, September 10, 2004

Added Second Floor floor plan to the plans section.

Fixed the Email Me link. Thanks Dad.

Thursday, September 9, 2004

Al Giardino of Posse Construction Services called me today. He need my address so that they could come drive by and survey the property for a more accurate estimate.

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

Met with Melvin of J & D Concrete today for an estimate appointment. He was on time, and didn´t have too many questions. It actually went really fast. Melvin was done in 5-7 minutes. He took a copy of the foundation plan and said he would fax me an estimate. Later that day I received a faxed estimate from Melvin. It was what I think is on the high side.

Got a call from Al Giardino of Posse Construction Services today. I faxed him a copy of the foundation plan for him to look over.

Tuesday, September 7, 2004

I met with Holt Electric today. The appointment time was from 8 - 10 am. At 9:30 am Holt Electric called and said that their representative was running late and that he should be there within the hour. Andy, their rep, arrived at 10:20.

I did get my first estimate today. I received an estimate from Hawkins Electric.

Scheduled another appointment with J & D Concrete for tomorrow at 9:00 am. I also called another contractor, Al Giardino. He is going to give me a call tomorrow for more information.

Friday, September 3, 2004

Labor Day weekend. In honor of the working guy, millions of Americans clog the roads so the commute is twice as long as it should. Because of the long commute, I can´t make it home in time to meet Melvin from J & D Concrete. Melvin called me during work today to schedule a meeting in the evening. I´ll have to re-schedule on Mond... Tuesday. Happy Labor Day!

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Bill Claus from Hawkins Electric came out today for an estimate. He was on time. Actually, he was little early. I was half shaved in my boxers when he knocked. But that´s fine. He answered all of my questions, and had some of his own. Bill said he will fax the estimate to me.

I also called J & D Concrete again. They stiffed me yesterday, but I´ll give them another shot if they call me back. I guess I´ll wait and see.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

I had an estimate appointment with J & D Concrete today, but they never showed.

I don´t get it.

I am trying to pay someone to do work. I am attempting to give people my money for a service that they can provide. But in the 2+ weeks that I have been requesting bids, I haven´t received one. It doesn´t make any sense to me. Is that how a business should be run? That´s not how I would do it.