The drywall is done, and in the end it looks like it won't be that bad. It turns out, by dumb luck, my biggest concern of the ceiling sagging under the weight of the insulation is moot. Since I happened to get the material (technically gypsum wallboard; drywall is a brand name) from Uresco Building Materials, I got the Georgia Pacific ToughRock brand, and the 1/2 stuff they gave me is specially reinforced with fiberglass to be as strong as 5/8" ceiling board. Had I known this, I would have ordered all 1/2" board and eliminated at least the problem of the wall ledge.
On the more humorous side of things, I stole the stupid award from the contractors. I was in the attic insulation space above them, and I fell through. At least one leg did, kicking off half a sheet. They crew looked at me really surprised, and I said, "Hey guys, I was upstairs and I thought I'd drop in."
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Never any luck with contractors
Warning: Rant alert
I decided to give us a little bit of a treat and pay a crew to hang the drywall in the garage. We're tired of building and could use a break and it would be nice to get things done sooner. Drywall hanging is hard work, but with a lift rented for $40 Marcy and I could have done it in a long day. The sheets for the ceiling weigh 115 pounds, and the ceiling is 10 feet up.
Anyway, I put an ad on craigslist for $300 to do the job. I knew the crew that did the house could have done the job in 2 hours, so I thought it was a good deal. Other people did too; I got 5 responses in a couple days.
Unfortunately I don't think anyone that called knew what they were doing. I gave the job t the second caller since the first never called back. They're working now, almost done after 7 hours.
They aren't doing a great job.
Several things are wrong.
Normally, thicker board goes on the ceiling, and the ceiling goes up first, so I had the drywall stocked with the thick stuff on top to use first. But they put that on the walls, and when that ran out they started putting the thin stuff to finish the walls, so there's a ledge where it changes thickness.
Now with the 1/2" on the ceiling, there's a risk it may sag some, especially since we will put so much insulation up there.
Also, they used my circular saw to cut the drywall, so my nice Freud blade is probably dull.
Also, they set some screws too deep. I just never have any luck.
And finally, the icing on the cake: While I was walking the dog, cooling down before I told them everything that was wrong, I got the sixth call: From the same guy who did (a fine job) the house.
Update 7:41pm:
Well, it got worse. He called me out there, asking what to do with the 25.5" space all around the perimeter at the ceiling when there should have been a 24" space (for half a sheet of drywall). That's when I realized he didn't set the drywall on the 1.5" high ledge I made at the bottom. I told him about this, and left a note about it. Time to take it all down.
I decided to give us a little bit of a treat and pay a crew to hang the drywall in the garage. We're tired of building and could use a break and it would be nice to get things done sooner. Drywall hanging is hard work, but with a lift rented for $40 Marcy and I could have done it in a long day. The sheets for the ceiling weigh 115 pounds, and the ceiling is 10 feet up.
Anyway, I put an ad on craigslist for $300 to do the job. I knew the crew that did the house could have done the job in 2 hours, so I thought it was a good deal. Other people did too; I got 5 responses in a couple days.
Unfortunately I don't think anyone that called knew what they were doing. I gave the job t the second caller since the first never called back. They're working now, almost done after 7 hours.
They aren't doing a great job.
Several things are wrong.
Normally, thicker board goes on the ceiling, and the ceiling goes up first, so I had the drywall stocked with the thick stuff on top to use first. But they put that on the walls, and when that ran out they started putting the thin stuff to finish the walls, so there's a ledge where it changes thickness.
Now with the 1/2" on the ceiling, there's a risk it may sag some, especially since we will put so much insulation up there.
Also, they used my circular saw to cut the drywall, so my nice Freud blade is probably dull.
Also, they set some screws too deep. I just never have any luck.
And finally, the icing on the cake: While I was walking the dog, cooling down before I told them everything that was wrong, I got the sixth call: From the same guy who did (a fine job) the house.
Update 7:41pm:
Well, it got worse. He called me out there, asking what to do with the 25.5" space all around the perimeter at the ceiling when there should have been a 24" space (for half a sheet of drywall). That's when I realized he didn't set the drywall on the 1.5" high ledge I made at the bottom. I told him about this, and left a note about it. Time to take it all down.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Garage progressing
Just a little progress this week. Marcy and I caught colds and also have our real jobs to deal with.
However, yesterday I put in all the fiberglass wall insulation, mostly to get it out of the way and brighten it up in there.
Today we painted the one side so we can stack firewood there. The long LP spart lap siding only takes one and a half pieces to span the entire length of the garage. It was pretty quick work.
One side foamed, sided, and painted up to the eves. I'll paint those with an airless spray gun later.
The eves vents. The gap below makes up for the thickness of the additional foam insulation we put on the exterior.
I quick painted one section for a photo. The sprayer will get in the hole better. Drilling 48 2.5" holes wasn't particularly fun, but it's recommended to have at least 1 square foot of venting per 300 square feet of roof, with half at the eves and half near the ridge. This allows cool air to flow above the insulation to keep the roof cooler so it doesn't bake in the summer and so it doesn't form icicles in the winter.
However, yesterday I put in all the fiberglass wall insulation, mostly to get it out of the way and brighten it up in there.
Today we painted the one side so we can stack firewood there. The long LP spart lap siding only takes one and a half pieces to span the entire length of the garage. It was pretty quick work.
One side foamed, sided, and painted up to the eves. I'll paint those with an airless spray gun later.
The eves vents. The gap below makes up for the thickness of the additional foam insulation we put on the exterior.
I quick painted one section for a photo. The sprayer will get in the hole better. Drilling 48 2.5" holes wasn't particularly fun, but it's recommended to have at least 1 square foot of venting per 300 square feet of roof, with half at the eves and half near the ridge. This allows cool air to flow above the insulation to keep the roof cooler so it doesn't bake in the summer and so it doesn't form icicles in the winter.
Monday, August 25, 2008
exercise in patience
Despite a lack of posts, the garage is progressing nicely. I'm also, of course, busy with my real job.
However, with the help of Marcy, we've:
I almost ordered 90 pieces of siding from them, but $14.79 a piece (with my contractor discount) seemed steep. I called lowes, $13.79. A little better. Plus Home Depot and Lowes promise to beat one another's prices by 10%, so you find the lower price and buy from the other store.
Usually their prices are nearly the same, but Home depot was $10 per piece! So I went to Lowes for 10% off of that, a savings of almost $550! Well worth it.
However, it was such a good deal, they didn't believe me, OR the Home Depot rep when they called. They thought it was a different product and they will only beat the price on an identical one. After working my way up the manager chain, I finally just went and bought one piece from Home depot to prove it was the same thing. This all took about 3 hours, not to mention overloading my trailer with too much weight and too-long boards, which caused scary swaying at speeds over 40MPH. In the end though, I think $500 was well worth it.
It's nice not being so rushed as with the house that we can have more time to save money.
However, with the help of Marcy, we've:
- completed the eves venting which looks really nice. The holes have a rounded edge we did with a router. They also serve as trim for the top of the siding. Pictures to follow will explain.
- foamed and sided the south side where firewood will stack, so we can paint it and get the massive firewood stack out of our driveway finally. The OSB lap siding is much faster to install.
- I completely finished the roofing which still needed rake trim and a ridge cap. It looks better than the pro job on the house!
- I put on most of the foundation flashing which covers the foam and makes an attractive termination at the bottom of the walls. This was labor intensive, lots of digging.
I almost ordered 90 pieces of siding from them, but $14.79 a piece (with my contractor discount) seemed steep. I called lowes, $13.79. A little better. Plus Home Depot and Lowes promise to beat one another's prices by 10%, so you find the lower price and buy from the other store.
Usually their prices are nearly the same, but Home depot was $10 per piece! So I went to Lowes for 10% off of that, a savings of almost $550! Well worth it.
However, it was such a good deal, they didn't believe me, OR the Home Depot rep when they called. They thought it was a different product and they will only beat the price on an identical one. After working my way up the manager chain, I finally just went and bought one piece from Home depot to prove it was the same thing. This all took about 3 hours, not to mention overloading my trailer with too much weight and too-long boards, which caused scary swaying at speeds over 40MPH. In the end though, I think $500 was well worth it.
It's nice not being so rushed as with the house that we can have more time to save money.
Monday, August 18, 2008
day 5, 7:30 pm
So I was wrong, we only had two more hours of work! And we were able to finish tonight. That's right, both my dad and me. He was planning to leave, but there was some hazardous waste spill on the parks highway that prevented him from leaving, so we were able to finish the roof together. I had to go to work today, but I got off at about 5:30 and we finished the main roof metal sheets at 7:30.
Also, you may remember the cement truck left a 2 foot deep ditch in our driveway. I convinced the company to deliver a load of gravel for free if I bought the gravel, for me to do some fixing. I was also able to use it for a storage area for the snow machine trailer which has always been in the way, and a little spare parking area near the road for extra guests or in the winter while we wait for the driveway to be plowed.
I gotta say, we were really lucky with weather. My dad was originally going to come up a week earlier, but it's rained the 3+ weeks prior to this weekend. It pretty much stopped just in time for us to build and it's been mostly really nice!
Roofing on! We are waterproof. The last of the "urgent" projects are done. We don't have to work on the house to get money and we don't have to work on the garage to prevent water damage. The building is definately a good size, I don't think I knew it would be quite so big.
Garage view from up the road.
Extra spot for the trailer
The trailer is not visible from the road. Repaired driveway section to the left.
Extra parking spot. 3 cars can cram.
Also, you may remember the cement truck left a 2 foot deep ditch in our driveway. I convinced the company to deliver a load of gravel for free if I bought the gravel, for me to do some fixing. I was also able to use it for a storage area for the snow machine trailer which has always been in the way, and a little spare parking area near the road for extra guests or in the winter while we wait for the driveway to be plowed.
I gotta say, we were really lucky with weather. My dad was originally going to come up a week earlier, but it's rained the 3+ weeks prior to this weekend. It pretty much stopped just in time for us to build and it's been mostly really nice!
Roofing on! We are waterproof. The last of the "urgent" projects are done. We don't have to work on the house to get money and we don't have to work on the garage to prevent water damage. The building is definately a good size, I don't think I knew it would be quite so big.
Garage view from up the road.
Extra spot for the trailer
The trailer is not visible from the road. Repaired driveway section to the left.
Extra parking spot. 3 cars can cram.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Day 4, 10pm
Success! At least almost 100%
Today we fully sheathed the roof which includes the under-eave finish material, we attached the drip edge, laid the roofing felt, and finally were able to put half the metal roofing on (the more difficult half too!). 4 more hours and we would have made it to be fully protected from rain. However, the felt will do until I get the rest of the metal up there. My dad pointed out that had the trusses not been 4 hours late, we probably would have fully achieved my goal.
Still, framing, sheathing, and just 4 hours away from complete roofing is not bad for a 2 man crew over a 4 day weekend.
We're both sore and tired, and the office chair seems mighty inviting after a weekend like this.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Day 3, 9pm
Long day.
We finished sheathing the entire exterior and spent the rest of the day getting ready for roof sheathing by framing the roof overhangs on the gable ends and attaching the fascia board on all four sides. This is all a very time consuming project because the fascia is one thing this early in the project that is actually visible so it has to fit nicely.
Also, I joined the something like 30,000 people per year and sustained the classic American construction injury: I shot myself with a nail gun. The safety devices prevent what people usually imagine like shooting yourself in the head or leg straight on. I did what's more common: I had my hand too close when shooting into a board and the nail bent 90 degrees inside the wood because of a knot and shot out the side into my hand, right between the thumb and forefinger. It only hurt because there isn't much flesh there and the 1/8" penetration was enough to hit the bone. Also a big of tendon seems to have come out the hole. It made Marcy squirm both before and after I showed her.
We finished sheathing the entire exterior and spent the rest of the day getting ready for roof sheathing by framing the roof overhangs on the gable ends and attaching the fascia board on all four sides. This is all a very time consuming project because the fascia is one thing this early in the project that is actually visible so it has to fit nicely.
Also, I joined the something like 30,000 people per year and sustained the classic American construction injury: I shot myself with a nail gun. The safety devices prevent what people usually imagine like shooting yourself in the head or leg straight on. I did what's more common: I had my hand too close when shooting into a board and the nail bent 90 degrees inside the wood because of a knot and shot out the side into my hand, right between the thumb and forefinger. It only hurt because there isn't much flesh there and the 1/8" penetration was enough to hit the bone. Also a big of tendon seems to have come out the hole. It made Marcy squirm both before and after I showed her.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Day 2
Update: Day 2 7pm
Trusses arrived at 7pm and we set them in about 80 minutes of frenzy. The boom truck driver was a super hero monkey (like me) and jumped from truck to truss and back to help set and brace the trusses. Long day for him. When he delivered trusses for the house, it was something like 4:40 am. Guy works some serious hours!
This time we ordered gable trusses to save on our labor. For the house we framed those walls ourselves. This entire project was designed to be as easy as possible. It's almost like taking a break compared to building the house!
4pm
Today we got some more lumber for some framing details and lookouts (roof overhang) and truss bracing, and I also picked up the metal flashing which covers the foundation foam. Though it was temping to just leave it exposed. The pink foam sure is pretty!
We did a few final framing things, like blocking for drywall, and adding metal corner ties to the top plate, since it's only a single top plate. Then we sheathed all we could at this point and braced the walls in preparation for roof trusses. They were scheduled for 4pm, but it could be more like 7pm or so. They are running way behind. The top sheathing overlaps the trusses for strength so we do that later, but it was nice to have time to do the odd pieces and cutout for the door and window already.
The open framing above the sheathing is the additional 2 feet of height on the building, which we did for added storage shelves up high to keep the floor space free for cars and work area.
Here's how the garage sits in relation to the house. It's on the north side, where we only have a small window for ventilation, and there is no view or sun anyway.
Trusses arrived at 7pm and we set them in about 80 minutes of frenzy. The boom truck driver was a super hero monkey (like me) and jumped from truck to truss and back to help set and brace the trusses. Long day for him. When he delivered trusses for the house, it was something like 4:40 am. Guy works some serious hours!
This time we ordered gable trusses to save on our labor. For the house we framed those walls ourselves. This entire project was designed to be as easy as possible. It's almost like taking a break compared to building the house!
4pm
Today we got some more lumber for some framing details and lookouts (roof overhang) and truss bracing, and I also picked up the metal flashing which covers the foundation foam. Though it was temping to just leave it exposed. The pink foam sure is pretty!
We did a few final framing things, like blocking for drywall, and adding metal corner ties to the top plate, since it's only a single top plate. Then we sheathed all we could at this point and braced the walls in preparation for roof trusses. They were scheduled for 4pm, but it could be more like 7pm or so. They are running way behind. The top sheathing overlaps the trusses for strength so we do that later, but it was nice to have time to do the odd pieces and cutout for the door and window already.
The open framing above the sheathing is the additional 2 feet of height on the building, which we did for added storage shelves up high to keep the floor space free for cars and work area.
Here's how the garage sits in relation to the house. It's on the north side, where we only have a small window for ventilation, and there is no view or sun anyway.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Day 1
Update: 7pm
All four walls are up! Tomorrow: Sheathing, setting trusses.
5pm
Got rained in for the moment, but we'll probably raise the last wall this afternoon. Sun is coming back out as I speak. Notable for the day: we used precisely all the wood I got delivered, and had none left over.
All four walls are up! Tomorrow: Sheathing, setting trusses.
5pm
Got rained in for the moment, but we'll probably raise the last wall this afternoon. Sun is coming back out as I speak. Notable for the day: we used precisely all the wood I got delivered, and had none left over.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Extreme Garage building
4 days to completely frame and roof from the foundation up!
8-14 through 8-17
Can we do it?
Stay tuned...
8-14 through 8-17
Can we do it?
Stay tuned...
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