I enjoy watching a pro.....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

who takes pride in doing a good job!

We are having an addition built onto our kitchen. I invited bids from the 3 contractors and ended up hiring the guy who built the empty shell for my shop.

He has a one carpenter working for him. It's been a joy watching these guys work!

The other day I was getting cleaned up to take my SUV in for an appointment and as I walked thru the dining room, I noticed a caulk gun laying on the new concrete wall for the addition. I slipped on some shoes and went outside. The carpenter was installing the wooden I-beams used as floor joists in to hangers on the existing rim joist of the house. Even though there are built mechanical fasteners that grab the joist when it's driven into the hanger, he was putting a generous amount of adhesive in the hanger to further secure the joist.

Several times during the day and at the end of every work day, the job site is cleaned up.

I watched the guy take the time to use an oscillating multi-tool to cut away the plywood sheathing from the house. I asked why he used that as he had a skill saw and a trim saw handy. He said "It's slower but it does a cleaner job."

[glenn bradley]

Do not lose that guy's number ;-) The vacuum in area of pride in workmanship is tragic. It seems some "professionals" think it is some sort of "win" to get away with doing things that would have had a man hanging his head in shame if it had gotten attributed to him in days gone by. Gee, did our parents say the same things . . . Uh-oh; I've become my dad!!!

[Tony Zona]

Please don't say he was using the "engineered" joists made with OSB or something similar. Please?

[julian abram]

Please don't say he was using the "engineered" joists made with OSB or something similar. Please?

Those "engineered joists" when properly spaced make a very fine strong, level floor system. Finished floor will be more level than if 2x joists were used. If I were building a pier & beam floor "engineered joists" would be a requirement.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Okay...I won't tell....but I agree with Julian.....

[Phil Thien]

I wouldn't hesitate to use I-joists.

My house (80-YO) was built with doug fir joists but I'd be a little scared using dimensional lumber these days. The last 2x10's I purchased twisted something awful on me. I wouldn't want to fight an entire floor of them, to be perfectly honest.

I-joists are straight and strong and light and sorta perfect.

The biggest concern on the engineered joist materials is water on the webbing and I think I'd probably investigate treating at least areas under possible water sources (or maybe all of them) with some sort of sealer. That way if a pipe leaks you have some additional protection.

Edit to add: I'm not sure, BTW, that today's dimensional lumber is as water resistant as the 80-YO stuff my house was built with.

[Jim Becker]

My shop building has the I-joists...awesome system that I wouldn't hesitate to use for other future projects, as unlikely as they may be.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The addition we are adding to our kitchen is only 8'10" by 8' but it's nearly in the middle of our home and perpendicular to the length of the home. My contractor taught the carpentry class at a local college until due to funding problems they eliminated the program.

25+ years ago I replaced a poorly designed and installed header on my carport. I used an glue-lam beam spec'd by a structural engineer. That beam, wrapped in a weather barrier set on my carport for 1 year before I figured out how me and a few friends could replace it SAFELY. I was riding horses with some friends in a wilderness area when I observed a retired USFS structural engineer volunteer, by himself, replacing ground rotted logs in a historic log cabin fire lookout and I learned how to do it safely.

Thus I was intrigued watching this contractor build the addition and pickup the mechanical load of the existing roof. I was stunned by the simplicity of the tools he used to precisely marry the roof of the addition into the existing roof!

I learn so much by just watching knowledgeable professionals work!

[Rich Riddle]

I utilize I-Joist with the requirement that the web material must be plywood. Glad to hear you found a good contractor. Few and far between these days.

[Mark Stutz]

They are out there if you look. When we did an addition a couple of years ago (that is now my shop!) I came home one day to see the new siding being installed. We put a shingle pattern on the gable. The lead guy was looking at it closely, and before I could say "Looking good" he told me it wasn't up to his standards and he regretted putting the new guy on it. he was going to redo it himself, because it was not what he would want for his house.

[Mike Null]

I am a well experienced and very good dyi painter. But I am now too old to get on ladders and my house needed to be painted. I contacted 3 painters- posted at my SW store and selected the one i felt was most professional. The job was $5,000 for the interior. They did a first class job. We have a 20 foot high ceiling in the living room and the painter was cutting in the edge between the wall and the ceiling. He reached as far a he could with his right hand and I expected him to move the ladder but instead he moved the brush to his left hand and cut in as fine a line as you could want.

One of the painters, there were 3, moved the refrigerator to paint behind it. In doing so he damaged my fairly new hardwood floor. I called him and he arranged for a carpenter to repair the floor (I had purchased an extra amount of flooring for just such happenings). Anyway it looks as good as new and the paint job was special.

There are good contractors out there. My plumber is the same; so was the electrician though he was really proud of his work. $$$;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Today we were called to the cabinet maker's shop for final review of the cabinet plans before construction starts. My wife decided on hickory cabinets with a special walnut stain. It was a very interesting meeting! We found one error in the pantry where my wife had changed her mind and wanted to go with full extension shelves versus drawers. He had every lateral horizontal dimension for every cabinet in the kitchen excluding the island, drawn out in full scale on a single story board. The island was drawn out full scale on a piece of scrap MDF. We had visited his hardware supplier a couple weeks ago while in Spokane for a medical appointment. My wife found the hardware she wanted there. We gave him the order for the hardware. His shop is busy now, it will take at least 3 weeks for the cabinets to be built and installed. It was interesting and fun to watch him make his pitch and point out to my wife the layout on the story board! I am enjoying watching true pros do their jobs!

I still think it could all boil back to my contractor. Every sub-contractor (the owners) have been onsite and introduced themselves to me. I think the general contractor knows which subs with whom to work.

[Ole Anderson]

I pretty much enjoy watching anyone work!

[Jim Becker]

One of the signs of a great GC is his/her relationship with any subcontractors and how involved/interested the subcontractors are on the overall impact of their work on the whole. I had that with the GC who did our home addition in 2008...and still go to those subs from time to time for additional things I might need done. Good folks all around.

[Phil Thien]

One of the signs of a great GC is his/her relationship with any subcontractors and how involved/interested the subcontractors are on the overall impact of their work on the whole. I had that with the GC who did our home addition in 2008...and still go to those subs from time to time for additional things I might need done. Good folks all around.

I think that is 110% correct, the good ones all gravitate towards each other.

[Chris Padilla]

Ken,

I don't know if you plan to lay any tile in the new area but you should ask what the deflection rating is for your engineered I-beams. Ceramic and porcelain tiles like to see L/360 while stone is more finicky and wants less defection at L/720.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

We aren't installing any tile on the floor Chris. The counter tops will be a beautiful sedna granite and there will be a tile backsplash above that but the floor is going to be a vinyl planking.

There will be an island which will open up from the kitchen area to the dining area. We have removed the carpeting from the dining room, the hallway that runs from the dining area past the kitchen area, past the bathroom ending at the doors to two bedrooms at the end of the hall and will be laying the vinyl planking over the entire area. At this point, I will give a hearty cheer celebrating no carpeting in the bathroom! YEAH!!!!!

[David Cramer]

Ken,

I don't know if you plan to lay any tile in the new area but you should ask what the deflection rating is for your engineered I-beams. Ceramic and porcelain tiles like to see L/360 while stone is more finicky and wants less defection at L/720.


It may not apply to Ken's project, but smart thinking Chris!!!

David

[Alan Morris]

Yeah, try to don't lose his number! Maybe you can recommend him to us if it's possible. It's really hard to find a pro nowadays. Perhaps his life it's his work. Once I knew such contractor but soon he moved out and it's difficult to confide building to unknown person.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Alan....he started as a carpenter, then became a contractor. A local community college enticed him to work for them teaching a class on building homes. When a budget cut came down, he was notified they were eliminating his position and classes. He immediately renewed his Washington and Idaho state licenses and went back to being a general contractor. That is about the time he was recommended to me to build the empty shell for my woodworking shop nearly 10 years ago. When the economy to a nose dive, other contractors went out of business but he managed through it.

If you were in the area, I'd recommend him but I won't as I don't want him to receive offers and be enticed to move from our community. I hope you understand my selfishness.:D