House

[MossRoad]

RJ11 connectors work in RJ45 jacks quite well. The only other things I would suggest is to number each jack at the wall plate and the patch bay, and stick with the B wiring spec for CAT5. We run our own CAT5 at work and do all the termination ourselves. It is not too bad if you take your time and don't un-twist the wires more than needed. Also, I agree with spending the money on a good punchdown tool and a good RJ45 crimper. The $10.00 ones just get frustrating after a while.

 

[MDNY]

RobS, where are the latest photo's on the project?

Moss, since we are going with a new builder in talking with him he flat out said that his electrician can do some of the premise wiring I need, but to be honest I would be best to have it done by a third party. I appreciated the honesty and called a contact my friend gave me in my area. I have a meeting next friday to discuss the Voice, Video, Data, Audio etc. Also he does the Panasonic phone systems, that are the multi wireless sets and can connect into a speaker box at the entrance doors. This way you can find out who is there before you get there.

I hope to have our numbers finalized in the next two weeks and off to the bank. The old builder was not happy with the job loss, BUT, it was due to their lack of performance that caused it.

 

[MossRoad]

Wow, an honest answer. That's pretty good.

 

[RobS]

MDNY, nothing picture worthy of lately on the new house. Still lots of mud, though it may be frozen today. The foundation is in and they are supposed to begin framing this week. I'll be sure to post more as it progresses /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MDNY]

RobS,

Glad to hear all is going muddy well out there. Finishing up here and meeting the builder to cover final numbers on Saturday. The bank next week and with any good luck we will be moving dirt in about 3-4 weeks. Have site clearing to do first. Hope to be done by September.

Good luck and I will look for photo's. Oh and the new builder is coming in just about the same as the old builder in numbers, but alot more follow through and value. Good lighting budget and a poured foundation and drain tile that meets my standards. The standards by the way are I am getting a drain tile. The other builder tried telling me they had an alternate system.

 

[RobS]

Sounds like you're back on track with your building project MDNY. Glad to hear that. Today I've got the camera with me so I should post some photos of our progress tonight /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

First Floor Deck

Here's the progress on our house today. The framers got all the joists in place and about 3/4 of the deck sheathing. It's pretty cool walking on what will be our first floor. It's very high. The house is a Queen Anne victorian and we've raised the whole thing above grade quite a bit to get the porch well above the ground. Our land is essentially flat, so the first floor is already the highest spot in the immediate area. Makes it hard to get a photo to show it all. We should have walls next week /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[JJT]

Re: First Floor Deck

What's up with your construction crew? There's still daylight and plenty a subfloor to be laid? Crack that whip! It's too early in the project to be letting them slack off.

 

[RobS]

Re: First Floor Deck

<font color=blue>Crack that whip! </font color=blue>

Hey, it's Friday. Besides, I'd stopped for a cold one on my way home too, so I guess they deserve some time off.

That does bring up an interesting point. I read on the Fine Homebuilding forum that a lot of contractors might appreciate a thermos of homemade soup or something every now and then. We figure we're going to be "living with" this framing crew for the next 8 weeks or so and we've been thinking of ways to show appreciation and encourage high quality without offending or patronizing. We are going to put a picnic table out there (with a trash can) and the occasional donut/cookie delivery. Any one have good ideas on ways to "connect" with the crews? We've already met the lead framer and a couple of his guys. Seemed very nice and equally pleased to meet us /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MReeter]

Re: First Floor Deck

Rob,Good idea to "pamper" your boys a bit.Most of the time I was not around during the day,but I always tried to show up by quiting time with some "ice cold" refreshments.When I did happen to be off work and at the project,I would try to grill some burgers and brat for lunch.We had a good time and I think the guys appreciated the effort.

 

[DVerbarg]

Re: First Floor Deck

Rob,

Did not see any response to your comment last month regarding the one contractor's comment around cellulose being flammable. You've probably seen the literature where blow torches are applied to the cellulose and it will not burn. The flame retardants work pretty well. Also tried it burning it myself and it performed just like it did in the brochures. Have not tried it in over a year. Maybe I should try it again, its been a year since the house was finished. Wonder if time affects the flamability.....?

 

[Thomas]

Re: First Floor Deck

Hope your going to have a deck to set on to watch that peaceful sunset at the end of the day.

 

[MarkV]

Re: First Floor Deck

Rob,
Looks like things are starting to come together. The framing phase is exciting because it moves pretty fast and each day you can see more of your vision become reality.

I think doing a little something for the framers is a great idea. I know I am flattered when someone even offers water on a job. The picnic table would be nice for breaks and offers a good place to lay out plans. You are still a bit cold up your way, so I would think coffee or a pot of chili or soup, maybe a cooler full of soft drinks, would be greatly appreciated. That sort of thing can get you the little extras that you would most likely never even recognize but make a big difference down the line. A few more minutes are spent making sure things are square or the extra blocking is added for a hand rail. You are showing them that you respect them as pro’s and they start taking the attitude that they want to prove that respect is justified.

MarkV

 

[JJT]

Re: First Floor Deck

Rob, It looks like you have a real nice site and a good start this earlier in the season.

Here are a few of the things I did to keep my carpenters happy:

Make sure they have access to bathroom facilities, even if you need to rent a portapot. We were living onsite so we always left the mobile home unlocked.

Once the house is closed in spring for a reddy heater - keep the place warm.

Spring for lunch every now and then.

Almost every tradesman I know enjoys a cold beer at the end of the week. Stop by at quitting time on Friday with a six pack or 2.

My wife always made sure they had coffee and cookies.

When mud season arrives make sure you spread some hay to keep the guys out of the mud. This will also keep them from tracking in an awful lot of dirt.

Keep things picked up, if they leave odds and ends laying around it's not safe. Framer's get paid to frame, cleanup often is not in the job description....

I was the GC and on the job sun up to sun down on the weekends and put in a few hours every day during the work week. If the guys showed up on the weekend my wife made sure they had a decent lunch. Even though we built 10 years ago I'm still friends with many of the guys that worked on the house.

 

[MossRoad]

Re: First Floor Deck

Good start. Beautiful Saturday, isn't it!

Anytime I have been involved with family building projects, we always made it a point to clean up the site every few days. Like the other folks said, it helps the workers focus on work and helps to keep the mud out, etc... They appreciate it as well.

We always stacked all of the shorts and scraps next to the dumpster in piles of 2x4, 2x6, 2x12, plywood, osb... whatever, you get the point. That way, if they needed a short, they could find it easier and were less likely to cut a long piece if one was readily available. Saved them time too.

 

[MDNY]

Re: First Floor Deck

RobS, it looks great. Can't wait to get started myself. I remember when my parents built their last house and talking with the framers (we lived onsite in a trailer home) and it was summer. Helped out with the general cleanup and got to enjoy the work. But that was 20 years ago and now I work all day like the rest of us.

So for me I will make it a point to meet everyone and bring out some cold drinks and such. The contractor has his own crews so the framing guys will be there for a while and I want them to be happy.

The deck sure looks big, until the walls go up then the rooms don't look so big. Just a few more weeks and we start.

 

[RobS]

Re: First Floor Deck

I spent quite a bit of time at the property yesterday. Graded out some of the ruts, though it was still too muddy in some places. Picked up a 55 gallon drum and collected up all the trash. Put scraps into a pile for the crew to burn if they want. I gathered (with FEL) all the concrete waste and built a walkway across a really muddy section to the temporary power connection. They should appreciate that /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif Finally, I transplanted the rose bushes and several other divisions/sprouts from our current house. If all goes well, we'll have a decent start on our landscaping out there /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Re: House - Foundation Capped

Been busy lately, hardly enough time to visit the house or TBN /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif This working for a living sure can get in the way of fun! Of course, with the new house I guess I'll be working for a lot more years /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Heres a shot of the foundation capped off. I took the trusty 790 out there last weekend to do some grading for the crews and generally have fun. Not sure why, we've had a foot of snow since then, all sorts of trucks stuck and lots more ruts /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Re: House - First Floor Walls, Front

Here's a shot from this evening of the first floor walls nearly complete. View is from the front. Quite the muddy mess. Yesterday there was a lumber truck stuck so the framing crew brought out the telelift which will stay on site throughout framing. Nice piece of equipment /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobS]

Re: House - First Floor Walls, Rear

Also from today, view from the rear. You could say this is my end of the house /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif One door for the truck, one for the van and one for the tractor /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif