Re: SB: Building times

[Leonard Jones <ldjones@innotech.cnchost.com>]

Hi Curious!!

I've been involved one way or another in managing construction projects most of my 31 year career - and I've participated in several SB projects - so maybe I can answer some of your questions and concerns.

Let's start with a couple of fundamental rules...

Cheops' Law:  Construction projects, of whatever size,  nearly always run over schedule and cost more than budget...  It's been so since the Pharaoh Cheops started construction of the Great Pyramid!!

Murphy's Law:  Whatever can go wrong will go wrong.  Anyone who has ever done a project of any size at all knows this is true.  If you leave even the smallest opening for something to go wrong - - it will!  And... that's not even getting into all the corallaries to Murphy's Law.

Terry & Teri wrote:

> In a "response" to the recent discussion about the
> news article I have a
> few questions.  We are making our move to Colorado in July.
Where in Colorado will you be moving??  I'm in Littleton, SW of Denver
- but still in the metro area and will be building a house at Crestone
starting this spring...  Perhaps I could lend a hand for a day or
two when you need it...

From there it
should only be a year longer before we can begin our building project.

How do you estimate how long a building project "should" run?

The best way is to break the project down into its component parts - like
the following list, then estimate the time it will take to accomplish each
one - assuming you will doing the owner/builder thing and taking one step
at a time.  This list may or may not be "in order" for your project
depending on just exactly what you're building - and how you're building
it...  and it may not include some other things you will need...

• Planning & Designing
• Site survey and building layout
• Site grading, if necessary
• Well, septic system, and associated stuff (or connection to municipal utilities)
• Excavation
• Electrical and plumbing rough-in (stage I - the parts that have to be underground)
• Foundation work
• Backfill as and when required
• Framing, if necessary
• SB Wall construction
• Bond Beam
• Roof construction
• Exterior stucco
• Install exterior doors & windows

At this point, the building should be weather tight and you can focus the work inside...

• Interior SB walls (if not completed previously)
• Non-SB wall construction (if any)
• Ceiling construction
• Electrical and plumbing rough-in (Stage II)
• Interior plastering
• Floor construction
• Any other "rough" work

At this point the heavy part of the construction is done

• plumbing, electrical finish
• interior trim, cabinets, tile, and other finish work
• "punch list" work (fixes for mistakes, problems, etc.)

> In past projects that over-run building times...
> Reason:
> Is it that the builders didn't understand how long it would take?
>  
This is often a cause of schedule AND budget over-runs...
> Did lack of money enter the mix?
This is another frequent problem area.  In the area where I will be
building, there are numerous unfinished owner/builder projects that failed
and were abandonded due to lack of money to finish them...
> Did lack of building skills enter the mix?
>  
YES!!!    I have personally provided engineering assistance
to overcome structural "goof-ups" by novice owner/builders in several cases...
 
> Did unforeseen time constraints.....?
Yes...  this is another frequent problem...  The time constraints
come from a variety of sources...

• Weather - a BIG one - especially in Colorado
• Time required to work "day job" for living expenses and/or to raise money to continue building.
• Issues surrounding temporary living conditions while you're building.
• "Back-home" problems with owner/builder families - death in family, etc.
• Problems with and/or break up of marriage/relationship

A few other comments:

• When I first started out with construction, an old pro told me that there are three important things that must be attended to at the start of the project and throughout...  Drainage, drainage, and drainage.  This is the biggest construction-related mistake I see made on projects - and I see it made again, again, and again...  Make sure that your project site is graded so that rain, snowmelt, etc. flow away from your building, not toward it...  Anytime you have an excavation open, make sure that it drains to daylight or that you have a pump on hand just in case...  Walk around your site every few days just to make sure that you haven't done something that will cause problems in the event of rain or snow...  
• In general, the more time you spend planning, the less time you will spend building (and re-building!) (and re-building again!!)  All possible details should be worked out on paper in advance of actual construction.
• There is a moderate time frame for construction that will lead to minimal cost.  If you try to go faster than that, it will cost more - if it takes longer than that, it will cost more.
• Make sure you have enough money on hand at the outset to get at least a significant part of the project completed...
• When your house plans are nearing completion, build a mockup or scale model of the house.  Start with a sandbox made from 2x4's and a 4'x4' piece of plywood.  Fill it with sand/dirt and arrange the dirt to be a scale model of your building lot.  Use sticks, small pine boughs, etc. to model trees and other vegetation.  Then build your house as close to scale as possible using balsa wood for lumber, plaster of paris for concrete, small blocks fabricated from foam-core for bales, etc. etc.  You don't need to detail out the whole thing - but you should do one of everything to scale to understand how it goes together.
• If you really don't understand how something works and you don't have an example close at hand to look at, don't be afraid to build a full-scale or near full-scale model to study it.  Architects and engineers do this all the time.
• If you lack building trade skills, start now to learn the ones you'll need...  Check out appropriate books from your local library...  Take courses at your local junior college or voc-tech school...  Volunteer to work on other SB or other "alternative construction" projects...  Hire on as a laborer with local contractors.  Build some small "test" projects that use some of the skills you are trying to learn...  etc...
• Plan your house to maximize the use of full bales and to minimize partial bales, bale cutting, slotting, modifying, etc. etc.  You can stack a bunch of whole bales in the time it takes to cut or otherwise modify a bale...  This will save a lot of time and a lot of material.
• It's hard for an owner/builder to deal with subcontractors - and you most likely will have to use them for some things.  You are building ONE house.  Their priority of effort goes to professional builders who will be building MANY houses.  Try to find good ones - maintain communication with them to avoid delays, problems, etc.
• Although Colorado has a generally arid climate, keeping your bales dry will still be a challenge.  If the historical weather reports say that there's 1/2 inch of rain in August what it REALLY means is that that 1/2 inch will arrive all at once - in a 15 minute thunderstorm!  I like the idea of building a timber frame, pole frame, or box beam frame and putting up the roof (with adequate overhangs!) before the bales are delivered and/or stacked.  That way they will be protected from all but wind-driven rain  If you can't do this, you'll have to get and use tarps to keep the bales dry.  Follow the guidance given in this list and in the usual SB publications for storing bales to prevent damage from condensation, etc.  USE the tarps.  ALL the time.  If you take a half hour break to run to the store for a quart of milk, and you don't cover your bales - that will be when it rains...!  (See Murphy's Law, above)
• Consider renting or purchasing equipment at appropriate times during your project.  Construction scaffolding could make bale stacking faster, easier, and more safe.  Renting a skid loader with pallet forks could greatly ease the problem of lifting bales up for the last couple of courses - and it could make it a lot easier to lift bond beam materials, roof trusses, roof sheathing, etc. up to the roof.  A plaster mixer could really speed up exterior stuccoing and interior plastering.  A lot of people will buy used equipment when they need it and sell it at the end of their project.  This is especially important if you don't have a lot of labor available besides yourselves.  
• Construction is hard, dangerous work.  Take appropriate precautions with power and hand tools.  (Take a look at all the sharp teeth on one of those "Lancelot" cutters if you need to be convinced this is necessary.)  Buy and use appropriate safety equipment when/if you need it, just like the pros do...  Things like hard hats, gloves, steel-toe shoes, safety belts, face masks, etc. can literally be life or limb savers.  Make sure there is a substantial first aid kit on site.  Don't work alone, except maybe on the simplest, safest things...  Make sure you have communications on your site so that help can be summoned if needed.  When you are doing unfamiliar work, start slow and work gradually up to speed.  Don't over-exert or try to lift things beyond your capability.  Don't let youself dehydrate, or get sunburned.  Keep plenty of water and heavy duty sunscreen at hand...  Wear a hat - especially if you're bald like me!!        
• Make sure your relationship is in good condition and that you agree completely on what you are building AND in doing the owner/builder thing before you start...  Make sure that you have a reasonably decent place to live on or near your building site.  Allow for at least one unhurried family meal per day.  Take 1-2 day breaks away from the project every month or so... do something that is completely unrelated to the project...
• Your friends, family, and neighbors are typically good for one or two weekends of really hard work..  Then they'll be busy doing other things.   Try to reserve their use for critical things where you really need a lot of labor.  And - a word to the wise:  DON'T get the beer out until the day's work is completely done.
• Finally, Good Luck!!

Leonard Jones, P.E.
Littleton, CO

 

Curious Teri

* * * * * * * *
II Chron 7:14
If my people that are called by my name, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal
their land. (KJV)

 * * * * * * * *
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