5 ms·

I had a carport pad repoured recently and I told the guys doing the work that the only real way they could mess up was if it sloped toward the house and the doo

I had a carport pad repoured recently and I told the guys doing the work that the only real way they could mess up was if it sloped toward the house and the door. The look on their faces, (and the rework on the just started forms) told me that these expeniced concrete workers never even thought of this. Luckily they got it right but this shouldn't have been something the homeowner should have to tell them but it was.

WalterBright 6y ago
There are so many details like this that it's best to form a checklist. The exterior siding here is Dryvit. When installed properly, it'll be perfect for decades. But it is normally not installed properly. I hired an independent Dryvit inspector, and the contract with the Dryvit installer was it would pass inspection. He had to tear it all off twice and do it again before it passed. Turns out the contractor's workers had never done Dryvit before, and had to be taught by the inspector. Paying the inspector turned out to be money very well spent. My neighbor had to have his Stucco-Flex (Dryvit competitor) all pulled off at great expense and redone about 10 years after his house was finished.
- korethr 6y ago
  > There are so many details like this that it's best to form a checklist. I am interested in seeing your checklist. Though I am still far out from owning my home, I am nonetheless curious about these sorts of things, and the more I an can learn now, the less I have to crash course during trying to get a purchase or construction contract.
  - WalterBright 6y ago
    Sorry, I don't really have one. It's all in my head.
    - blaser-waffle 6y ago
      Type it out brother! Not only a benefit for us, but putting thoughts into words might help you find interesting patterns you didn't see before.
kls 6y ago
It is so bad now days that I don't trust builders, My house was destroyed by Hurricane Irma, pretty much had to tear it down to the studs. I have spent three years this September doing it myself but it is done right. spray foam, not a single piece of drywall, waterproofing everything, no building materials that can mildew and grow mold, impact windows and doors. The problem is the incentives and the incentives are to get the job done as quickly as possible. I actually hire my own help for the big projects and honestly it's easier to find a handyman who has a passion for building things right than it is to find a contractor that will do it right.
- irrational 6y ago
  I was fixing a problem in a friend’s house. As I showed her the problems she said, “But, they were professionals!” I explained that professional just means someone willing to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. What you want is a craftsman (craftsperson?), but those are exceedingly rare.
- CalRobert 6y ago
  This might be profoundly naive on my part but with books like How To Build A House and the knowledge at youtube university I'm not convinced most builders do a better job than individuals would building their own house, where incentives are aligned. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5367666-habitat-for-humanity-how-to-build-a-house https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5367666-habitat-for-huma...
  - OJFord 6y ago
    I really enjoy DIY, and it's 'always' been my dream to build my own house (actually build, not spec and pay) but there are definitely things that do just take practice/experience. For example, skimming a wall. Not hard to learn what you need to do, but when you actually do it... It's a lot harder than it looks. You can think it's perfectly flat and then step back or the light hits it a bit differently and it's just am obvious nasty blob. I've only patched a few holes (from 'chasing' cables) - if I did the whole plasterboard join it'd be a mess, I'm sure. It's such an aesthetic difference that if I built that house I might pay someone to finish the walls. It's not a graceful did-it-myself charm of an error, like one cupboard door that opens the other way or something. Wallpapering I suspect is similarly hard, and just takes practice, but I've not tried. There are books and videos on software engineering too - and we know that people do self-teach - but our employers pay us because we've already learnt and gained some experience.

WalterBright 6y ago

There are so many details like this that it's best to form a checklist. The exterior siding here is Dryvit. When installed properly, it'll be perfect for decades. But it is normally not installed properly. I hired an independent Dryvit inspector, and the contract with the Dryvit installer was it would pass inspection. He had to tear it all off twice and do it again before it passed. Turns out the contractor's workers had never done Dryvit before, and had to be taught by the inspector. Paying the inspector turned out to be money very well spent. My neighbor had to have his Stucco-Flex (Dryvit competitor) all pulled off at great expense and redone about 10 years after his house was finished.

korethr 6y ago
> There are so many details like this that it's best to form a checklist. I am interested in seeing your checklist. Though I am still far out from owning my home, I am nonetheless curious about these sorts of things, and the more I an can learn now, the less I have to crash course during trying to get a purchase or construction contract.
- WalterBright 6y ago
  Sorry, I don't really have one. It's all in my head.
  - blaser-waffle 6y ago
    Type it out brother! Not only a benefit for us, but putting thoughts into words might help you find interesting patterns you didn't see before.

kls 6y ago

It is so bad now days that I don't trust builders, My house was destroyed by Hurricane Irma, pretty much had to tear it down to the studs. I have spent three years this September doing it myself but it is done right. spray foam, not a single piece of drywall, waterproofing everything, no building materials that can mildew and grow mold, impact windows and doors. The problem is the incentives and the incentives are to get the job done as quickly as possible. I actually hire my own help for the big projects and honestly it's easier to find a handyman who has a passion for building things right than it is to find a contractor that will do it right.

irrational 6y ago
I was fixing a problem in a friend’s house. As I showed her the problems she said, “But, they were professionals!” I explained that professional just means someone willing to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. What you want is a craftsman (craftsperson?), but those are exceedingly rare.
CalRobert 6y ago
This might be profoundly naive on my part but with books like How To Build A House and the knowledge at youtube university I'm not convinced most builders do a better job than individuals would building their own house, where incentives are aligned. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5367666-habitat-for-humanity-how-to-build-a-house https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5367666-habitat-for-huma...
- OJFord 6y ago
  I really enjoy DIY, and it's 'always' been my dream to build my own house (actually build, not spec and pay) but there are definitely things that do just take practice/experience. For example, skimming a wall. Not hard to learn what you need to do, but when you actually do it... It's a lot harder than it looks. You can think it's perfectly flat and then step back or the light hits it a bit differently and it's just am obvious nasty blob. I've only patched a few holes (from 'chasing' cables) - if I did the whole plasterboard join it'd be a mess, I'm sure. It's such an aesthetic difference that if I built that house I might pay someone to finish the walls. It's not a graceful did-it-myself charm of an error, like one cupboard door that opens the other way or something. Wallpapering I suspect is similarly hard, and just takes practice, but I've not tried. There are books and videos on software engineering too - and we know that people do self-teach - but our employers pay us because we've already learnt and gained some experience.