Re: SB: Building times

[Willy Williams <TheRedDragon@earthlink.net>]

        

As a
builder of homes and commercial structures, and with a flaming tyrant for
a business owner, I concur wholeheartedly with BroJones' comments. 
I would hasten to add that if you subcontract parts of the structure out,
be prepared for even more delays, with and without good reason. 
Subs seem to always have reasons to be somewhere else when you need them
the most.  Then again, you might have the "Country Club (name
your trade)s" that arrive between 9 and 9:30, having stopped twice
for coffee and potty breaks before even reaching your site, and who take
90 minutes for lunch and/or siesta, and who subsequently leave at 2:30 or
3 to avoid the traffic, and then have the temerity to bill you for a full
8 hours of work.  I'd suggest that if you are the GC, it would be
proper to include a statement in the contract to the effect that
"time spent off-site will not be subject to payment".

        

The
prominence of Murphy's Law cannot be overemphasized.  Be prepared to
instruct subs as to how to create things like lookouts and birdsmouths,
especially when their expertise is in apartment building.  Buy a
good 4' level and a good 18" level (Stabila comes to mind), learn
how to use both to cross-check the work of subs.  Remember that
"plumb" has two dimensions.

        

Buy a GOOD
book on carpentry and devour it completely, then go back and do it
again.  Example: "Carpentry (3rd Edition)" by
Gaspar J. Lewis, Floyd Vogt (Hardcover).  It's not cheap, but a
great source of knowledge.  Another one is "Graphic Guide to
Frame Construction : Details for Builders and Designers" by Rob
Thallon (Spiral-bound).  Go snoop Taunton Press' web site for
publications such as "Fine Homebuilding", et al. 

On 1/4/2002 at 01:33 PM, Leonard Jones wrote:

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.

        

***(Schnipp)***

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

        

Add
in a stage for acquiring necessary permits...  Also add delays for
getting the required inspections for foundations, slabs, backfill,
framing, rough plumbing and electrical, insulation, close-in, etc. 
It is wise to start a relationship with your site inspector by making
sure that they see you thinking of them as an ally, not an
adversary.  It will smooth many bumps.  Be aware of land
development constraints in your area.  Become aware of your local
government's web-based information.  Here's a good example of a
well-designed local government web site that can be a phenomenally good
resource
http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/living/construction/default.htm.

        

Remember
the major axioms - "Measure twice, cut once",
"PPPPPPP" (Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pxxx-Poor
Performance), "Safety First", "Wear eye protection",
"One hand for the job, one hand for yourself", "A sharp
knife is less dangerous than a dull one", etc.

        

Buy
and learn to use good ladders like those from Wing Industries and sold
under the name "Little Giant".  They are NOT cheap, but
they can save your back and/or your life.

• 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? 

        Builders often know how long projects SHOULD take, but fail to allow for subs that are busy on other projects, and above all, Mother Nature who is by definition, a fickle bitch. 

• 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...  

        

Add
in a parameter for silt control...

• 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.

        

Concur!!!

• 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.

        

Again,
I concur wholeheartedly.

• Make sure you have enough money on hand at the outset to get at least a significant part of the project completed...

        If you have to do partial construction, be sure that you have enough to completely close in and protect the structure, even if you do nothing with the interior for a while.  A well closed-in and preserved structure will retain value far longer than a shell that is for all intents and purposed abandoned. 

• 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. 

        YES!!! 

• 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.

        

Make
sure that YOU dictate the terms and conditions, and build in penalties
for non-performance.  Learn about and implement the practice of
retention, i.e., holding back 10-15% of the fee of any subcontractor for
a period to prove performance.  Never pay anything in full up
front.

• 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)

        

Above
all, protect your materials with well-placed and weighted tarps.

• 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.  

        

An
industrial 4wd forklift is a major asset in setting trusses and heavy
loads up high, as well in helping suppliers unload materials and placing
them where YOU want them, not just where it's convenient for the supplier
to dump the materials.

• 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!!        

        Well-stated!!!  Never work with tools when you're exhausted or pissed off at someone.  (Self-evident.) 

• 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...

        

Save
money to survive a divorce...

• 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. 

        

And
the tools are put away.

• Finally, Good Luck!!

Leonard Jones, P.E.
Littleton, CO 

Willy Williams, B.S., M.S., P.U., G.O.F., etc.
Reston, VA