A bright, beautiful, yet cold, day. No one showed up to do any work.
Tyler responded to my email yesterday that the glass roof part of the project was not waiting on anything from him. He did however send Jim (glass roof) CAD details for the wall section and eave at the glass roof base. Tyler stated that as far as he knew, Jim has everything he needs. Jim responded by sending revised drawings which included dimensions not previously shown. While the terminology is foreign to me, it appears that the measurements provided by Mike are different from what Jim's draftsman has calculated. Thankfully, Jim wanted to get this cleared up before they started fabrication. Today, Jim and Tyler exchanged notes. Again, I don't understand what they are talking about, but it seems to me that everything has not been finalized. Nothing from Mike today.
No further action taken on the cupolas. We will not move ahead until we have finalized how we will approach the ventilation fan issue.
Monday is President's Day. I don't expect we will see any work.
Happy Valentines Day!
Happy Mardi Gras!
Happy Friday the 13th!
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Waiting For Next Step
No one showed up to work today. Don't know if/when work will resume. We did some more sorting through the debris pile in the garage and have salvaged as much as we want. There are several sheets of the foam used on the sunroom roof unused. I will tell Mike that if he has no other use for them on our job, we will keep them and maybe use them on the garage walls. We will not throw them away and they will not be removed by anyone else.
I sent a note to "Our" Mike, Tyler (architect) and Jim (glass roof) asking about the status of the glass roof. Three weeks ago today, Jim sent all of us revised drawings and asked for approval so that they could begin fabrication. I replied to Jim that, as soon as he got approval by both Mike and Tyler, he should let me know so I could arrange for the next payment to begin fabrication. At that time, Mike told me he needed to check a couple of measurements. Since then, I have asked Mike several times if he had taken his measurements. The last time was this week. Mike responded that he had and was waiting for Tyler to do something. The note I sent today was to see if Tyler knew he was supposed to be doing something. The prompt response from Tyler was "No". Interestingly, Jim also responded with a note with "revised" drawings attached. Tyler responded to Jim's note asking what was changed since they look identical to those he sent three weeks ago. I think they are and Jim was just sending them again. Mike has not responded and I don't expect him to do so. I will plan to call him tomorrow. The fabrication is expected to take 6+ weeks, so I don't feel like waiting several more weeks to get this part of the project moving ahead.
We received some sketches from Brent (cupola) showing dimensions for both the 30" and 48" cupolas for the sunroom and garage, respectively. He included an example of the curb as well. I forwarded these to both Tyler and Mike asking for input. Tyler responded promptly again, saying he had compared these to those shown on the construction drawings. He noted the garage cupola was 12" wider but not as tall as the one in the drawings. While a little "squat", he thought it would be OK. He thought the 30" sunroom cupola was too small however. In his opinion, "this size will not have the presence needed in scale with the building". It was also only 53" tall while his drawings called for one that was 67" tall. He also agreed with us that the cupolas needed a weather vane or "topper". After thanking Tyler for his input, I noted that, due to its hexagonal shape, the profile of the 30" cupola would actually be 34.6" along the ridge line (the 30" measurement is across the "flats" of the hexagonal). I also mentioned that one lingering concern I had was about the ventilation fan that we want to install in the cupolas. While Mike and I have kicked around a few ideas, we have never finalized this item. My concern is that if the sunroom cupola is too small, we might be limited on what we can do with the fan. I have calculated that we would need a fan capacity of roughly 2,000 cfm for the sunroom and up to 3,000 cfm for the garage. This is based on 15 air turn overs per hour. I asked Tyler if he agreed with this assessment, to which I got no response. I also asked Mike if we needed to sit down and discuss this with Frank (HVAC), to which I got no response. Before we order the cupolas, this has to be finalized. If I hear nothing further, I will include this in the call I make to Mike tomorrow.
I sent a note to "Our" Mike, Tyler (architect) and Jim (glass roof) asking about the status of the glass roof. Three weeks ago today, Jim sent all of us revised drawings and asked for approval so that they could begin fabrication. I replied to Jim that, as soon as he got approval by both Mike and Tyler, he should let me know so I could arrange for the next payment to begin fabrication. At that time, Mike told me he needed to check a couple of measurements. Since then, I have asked Mike several times if he had taken his measurements. The last time was this week. Mike responded that he had and was waiting for Tyler to do something. The note I sent today was to see if Tyler knew he was supposed to be doing something. The prompt response from Tyler was "No". Interestingly, Jim also responded with a note with "revised" drawings attached. Tyler responded to Jim's note asking what was changed since they look identical to those he sent three weeks ago. I think they are and Jim was just sending them again. Mike has not responded and I don't expect him to do so. I will plan to call him tomorrow. The fabrication is expected to take 6+ weeks, so I don't feel like waiting several more weeks to get this part of the project moving ahead.
We received some sketches from Brent (cupola) showing dimensions for both the 30" and 48" cupolas for the sunroom and garage, respectively. He included an example of the curb as well. I forwarded these to both Tyler and Mike asking for input. Tyler responded promptly again, saying he had compared these to those shown on the construction drawings. He noted the garage cupola was 12" wider but not as tall as the one in the drawings. While a little "squat", he thought it would be OK. He thought the 30" sunroom cupola was too small however. In his opinion, "this size will not have the presence needed in scale with the building". It was also only 53" tall while his drawings called for one that was 67" tall. He also agreed with us that the cupolas needed a weather vane or "topper". After thanking Tyler for his input, I noted that, due to its hexagonal shape, the profile of the 30" cupola would actually be 34.6" along the ridge line (the 30" measurement is across the "flats" of the hexagonal). I also mentioned that one lingering concern I had was about the ventilation fan that we want to install in the cupolas. While Mike and I have kicked around a few ideas, we have never finalized this item. My concern is that if the sunroom cupola is too small, we might be limited on what we can do with the fan. I have calculated that we would need a fan capacity of roughly 2,000 cfm for the sunroom and up to 3,000 cfm for the garage. This is based on 15 air turn overs per hour. I asked Tyler if he agreed with this assessment, to which I got no response. I also asked Mike if we needed to sit down and discuss this with Frank (HVAC), to which I got no response. Before we order the cupolas, this has to be finalized. If I hear nothing further, I will include this in the call I make to Mike tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
We've Got Gas!
"Jackhammer" Mike and "Pipefitter" Greg (plumbing) showed up today to install the natural gas line to the sunroom fireplace. I should have asked at the time, back in November, because I noticed at that time that they did not install this line before they filled in the utility trench. I naively assumed they (or someone) knew what they were doing and were probably going to run the gas line through the same chase, under the connecting porch, as the electrical lines (at least I assume the electrical is going there). No, today the spent several hours hand digging a trench (a short one) from the main house to the sunroom foundation. They then tapped into the gas line they ran out to the garage and ran it to the fireplace. When they left, they predicted they expected to be back next week to continue the plumbing of the sunroom.
Yesterday, "Our" Mike said they were going to be cleaning up this week in anticipation of leveling and rocking the garage and sunroom. At that time, I told Mike that we would want to at least keep the select pine board remenants. The garage has a large pile of debris in it. T and I surveyed it yesterday evening to see if we wanted to keep any of this before it hit the dumpster. We decided we did want to salvage the most of the remenants of the 1x6 pine boards, the unused barrier boards, the larger sheets of plywood, etc. At that time, I started collecting the pine boards and stacked them in a couple of large piles.
This morning, before "Our" Mike arrived, I noticed "Little" Mike and Nate out in the garage starting to sort through debris. By the time Spenser and I got out to the garage to ensure they understood we wanted to keep some of this stuff, Nate had already carried the pine boards I had stacked up out to his truck. I told them that we wanted to keep those and other salvagable items. Nate appeared none too happy, but brought the boards back. Interestingly, a couple of other members of Mike's crew had also showed up, apparently to participate in the "free" materials. "Little" Mike spoke with them and they left, empty handed. The fact that they did not ask for permission to "remove" materials from the job site bothers me. Going forward, I will ensure Mike understands that we expect that no materials will leave the site without our permission.
Mike's crew installed the south porch roof and started installing the sunroom facia.
I got a note from Drew (landscaping) saying that he had talked with Mike. Mike's projection was that, hopefully, the exterior work would be completed to the point that they could start the landscaping by April 1.
Yesterday, "Our" Mike said they were going to be cleaning up this week in anticipation of leveling and rocking the garage and sunroom. At that time, I told Mike that we would want to at least keep the select pine board remenants. The garage has a large pile of debris in it. T and I surveyed it yesterday evening to see if we wanted to keep any of this before it hit the dumpster. We decided we did want to salvage the most of the remenants of the 1x6 pine boards, the unused barrier boards, the larger sheets of plywood, etc. At that time, I started collecting the pine boards and stacked them in a couple of large piles.
This morning, before "Our" Mike arrived, I noticed "Little" Mike and Nate out in the garage starting to sort through debris. By the time Spenser and I got out to the garage to ensure they understood we wanted to keep some of this stuff, Nate had already carried the pine boards I had stacked up out to his truck. I told them that we wanted to keep those and other salvagable items. Nate appeared none too happy, but brought the boards back. Interestingly, a couple of other members of Mike's crew had also showed up, apparently to participate in the "free" materials. "Little" Mike spoke with them and they left, empty handed. The fact that they did not ask for permission to "remove" materials from the job site bothers me. Going forward, I will ensure Mike understands that we expect that no materials will leave the site without our permission.
Mike's crew installed the south porch roof and started installing the sunroom facia.
I got a note from Drew (landscaping) saying that he had talked with Mike. Mike's projection was that, hopefully, the exterior work would be completed to the point that they could start the landscaping by April 1.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Sunroom Roof On
"Our" Mike, Nate and "Little" Mike finished the sunroom roof today and started working on framing the roof on the connecting porch.
Talking with Mike, they will be finishing this connecting porch roof and cleaning up in preparation for leveling and rocking both the sunroom and the garage. Mark (plumbing) and Frank (HVAC) both stopped by to see the progress. Looks like things may pick up now that the bulk of the exterior carpentry is almost complete.
I reminded Mike that tomorrow is the last day of our current construction permit. Again, Mike said that he has talked with the City Inspector who told him that she would extend the permit. I am not comfortable with taking that for granted so I will plan to call the Inspector myself tomorrow. I do not want some City official showing up on our door step with handcuffs to cart T off to the slammer.
I also talked with Mike about his policy to add 10% to invoices for any purchases he makes. Until now, I have not said anything about the small material purchases he has made and the few dollars he has added on. The invoice we received on Monday however included about $150 of added charges. This was partly due to the 10% add-on for the crane he hired to lift the garage trusses. There was also more material charges than normal due to (according to Mike) a miscalculation by the lumber company, forcing Mike to buy additional lumber from Home Depot on a Saturday. So I am paying a premium for someone else's mistake! When I brought this up to Mike, he said that the crane cost should have been passed through without the 10% markup and he would credit us with that amount. As for the other charges, I suggested to Mike that I was willing to advance him pocket money to cover any miscellaneous costs he incurs. He seemed very cool to this ideal, commenting that he wanted to charge these costs on his credit card to get the rebate. As usual, we did not conclude with anything definitive. I will monitor this going forward and, at least ensure we get the credit on the crane surcharge on the next invoice.
We spoke with the Cupola manufacturer (Brent) again today. He and T discussed the color options and we owe him a final decision on both the colors as well as the weather vane to be used on the garage cupola. We told Brent that we had settled on purchasing the copper Fleur-de-Lis finial for the sunroom. Mike told me that he would fabricate the curbs for the cupolas and we could eliminate these from the quote from the cupolas.
T and I looked over the debris in the garage area after Mike and crew departed. Lots of wood reminants as well as unused lumber. I will get with Mike tomorrow and ensure he does not just haul off this stuff for disposal. I am guessing there are at least 30 pieces of eight foot long 1x6 select pine boards that never got used. We paid a premium price for these and we are not going to let them end up in the land fill.
I asked Mike if he had spoken with Drew (landscaping). He said he had not but intended to give him a call. Mike also said he had given all the information to Jim (glass roof) and now it was in the hands of Tyler (architect) to go over the details of the glass roof design with Jim. I wonder if Tyler knows that?
Other tid bits from Mike were that he has been talking with the brick layers, the roofers and the slate installers, getting them prepared for their parts.
Talking with Mike, they will be finishing this connecting porch roof and cleaning up in preparation for leveling and rocking both the sunroom and the garage. Mark (plumbing) and Frank (HVAC) both stopped by to see the progress. Looks like things may pick up now that the bulk of the exterior carpentry is almost complete.
I reminded Mike that tomorrow is the last day of our current construction permit. Again, Mike said that he has talked with the City Inspector who told him that she would extend the permit. I am not comfortable with taking that for granted so I will plan to call the Inspector myself tomorrow. I do not want some City official showing up on our door step with handcuffs to cart T off to the slammer.
I also talked with Mike about his policy to add 10% to invoices for any purchases he makes. Until now, I have not said anything about the small material purchases he has made and the few dollars he has added on. The invoice we received on Monday however included about $150 of added charges. This was partly due to the 10% add-on for the crane he hired to lift the garage trusses. There was also more material charges than normal due to (according to Mike) a miscalculation by the lumber company, forcing Mike to buy additional lumber from Home Depot on a Saturday. So I am paying a premium for someone else's mistake! When I brought this up to Mike, he said that the crane cost should have been passed through without the 10% markup and he would credit us with that amount. As for the other charges, I suggested to Mike that I was willing to advance him pocket money to cover any miscellaneous costs he incurs. He seemed very cool to this ideal, commenting that he wanted to charge these costs on his credit card to get the rebate. As usual, we did not conclude with anything definitive. I will monitor this going forward and, at least ensure we get the credit on the crane surcharge on the next invoice.
We spoke with the Cupola manufacturer (Brent) again today. He and T discussed the color options and we owe him a final decision on both the colors as well as the weather vane to be used on the garage cupola. We told Brent that we had settled on purchasing the copper Fleur-de-Lis finial for the sunroom. Mike told me that he would fabricate the curbs for the cupolas and we could eliminate these from the quote from the cupolas.
T and I looked over the debris in the garage area after Mike and crew departed. Lots of wood reminants as well as unused lumber. I will get with Mike tomorrow and ensure he does not just haul off this stuff for disposal. I am guessing there are at least 30 pieces of eight foot long 1x6 select pine boards that never got used. We paid a premium price for these and we are not going to let them end up in the land fill.
I asked Mike if he had spoken with Drew (landscaping). He said he had not but intended to give him a call. Mike also said he had given all the information to Jim (glass roof) and now it was in the hands of Tyler (architect) to go over the details of the glass roof design with Jim. I wonder if Tyler knows that?
Other tid bits from Mike were that he has been talking with the brick layers, the roofers and the slate installers, getting them prepared for their parts.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Getting Close
It was a chilly day with high humidity, which made it feel even colder. "Our" Mike, Nate and "Little" Mike continued work on the sunroom roof. One more day should get it to the point of being ready to shingle. I asked Mike if he saw the cupola information I sent to him. He said he had and knew how to proceed with the installation. He said we could go ahead and place the order, knowing the cupolas may be delivered in the next couple of weeks. Mike said he expected that someone will be here next week to level and rock the interior of the sunroom and the garage.
T and I went over the ABC Supply to look at the colors available on Alcoa/Mystic aluminum siding. This is the source of the aluminum used the cupola manufacturer per Brent (owner). T said the "Dark Bronze" was the right color. An alternative would be the "Musket Brown". Once we got home, we checked and the "Dark Bronze" was not listed as an available color, so I sent a note to Brent asking if it was available. Becky (Brent's wife) responded that the "Dark Bronze" is available. Tomorrow I will formalize our order for the cupolas. Tonight, T is considering the weathervane/finial that will be included. I like the Fleur-De-Lis finial for the sunroom.
T and I went over the ABC Supply to look at the colors available on Alcoa/Mystic aluminum siding. This is the source of the aluminum used the cupola manufacturer per Brent (owner). T said the "Dark Bronze" was the right color. An alternative would be the "Musket Brown". Once we got home, we checked and the "Dark Bronze" was not listed as an available color, so I sent a note to Brent asking if it was available. Becky (Brent's wife) responded that the "Dark Bronze" is available. Tomorrow I will formalize our order for the cupolas. Tonight, T is considering the weathervane/finial that will be included. I like the Fleur-De-Lis finial for the sunroom.
For the garage, I like either the flying pig or the martini shaker and glasses.
But, T will make the final decision.
We stopped by the art glass shop and brought home the stained glass window to be mounted above the south sunroom door. T was delighted...therefore, so was I. We showed it to Mike and to Morgan (east neighbor), they both approved as well. So, there it is!
John (solar) sent a new 1-line drawing showing the additional two solar panels. Unfortunately, I feel the need to compare it to the previous one. They have a history of making other changes without bothering to tell us.
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