I'd reckon, that looks stout! I guess the new purchasing agent could keep his job, after a few licks with a rubber hose... That is, IF, he in fact didn't use the wrong lumber on your columns. What are you going to use for a ceiling? Are you going to span the bottom of your trusses? In the areas away from your hoist? Did you get a sworn statement from the company? Time to start thinking about interior decorating. I vote for vintage gas station... A giant full-size wall graphic of a 1930s street scene would be cool. Steve.
Pressure Treated Wood: Good News Today we received a letter today, on Lester company letterhead, signed by the same P.E. that signed the drawings. The letter states: That they buy lumber that has higher strength than ordinary for their columns Send the lumber to have it treated That the lumber is CCA - Type C, for in ground use (UC4B) and has a CCA retention level of 0.60 pcf I thanked them for the letter, and I am truly thankful that they confirmed what there columns are made from. Trust but verify: I'm still going to send post material to a lab in Florida, for 50 bucks they'll tell me what the CCA level actually is. Ceiling... what ceiling? If I use anything in the hoist bay it will probably be galvanized steel roofing screwed into the roof purlins, to reflect the light back down. The plan is to leave it as is for a while. Lester uses a white vapor barrier, it may be fine as is. As for the rest of the barn... more wait and see. Too be honest I am a bit burnt out. _____ John
11-12-2015 Framing..... Almost Completed So far so good, happy with the finished product thus far. Sent the column board samples to the lab for analysis. Hopefully we will hear back from them next week. The crew is taking the next week off... the GC's daughter is competing in American Quarter Horse Show World Championship Show in Oklahoma City. _____ John
Left Over Material.... Belongs To The Buyer, Right? So we're in the final phases of framing my pole building. There is a considerable amount of left over lumber and the GC is acting like any left over lumber is his. The building materials came from Nebraska. I made one of the progress payments, a material payment, when the semi load of material arrived at our home. The GC is merely the local rep for the company. He didn't order any materials for this project nor will he be sending any of it back. So if anybody is going to keep the left over lumber, joist hangers, etc... it should be the guy that bought the building, right? Opinions? _____ John
Grey area, but, I'm with you.... When my barn was built, the truck came and unloaded the material while I was still home. Remember, I was gone when they actually built it. FBI shipped the entire building from Remington, Indiana, and the driver unloaded it with one of those hang on the back fork lifts. They accidentally shipped two complete extra columns, and one pre-fabbed truss. I caught it and the GC, also an independent dealer. He acted like he was going to alert FBI, of the mistake, and have it shipped back. It all disappeared and as I found out later, went into his storage building. While I did not actually pay for it, and agreed it should go back, that was not what happened. I could have almost had a 36X64, instead of a 36X56. Possibly they told him to keep it. When I returned home the place was cleaned up, that is except for a bucket full of dropped nails. (they built mine with nails, that is why I advised you to use screws.) The one thing that irked me also at the time was, he had placed a sign by the road telling everyone who drove by, who was building the barn. The sign disappeared before he came back to get it and he seemed to think I should pay for it. If he actually bought the rejected PTL, I would say that should be his. Steve. P.S. My grandfather on my dads side was in the construction business his whole life. When he died, there was enough construction supplies around his barn to build a massive house. Only thing is, it would have looked funny. Kind of like the "one piece at a time" automobile of Johnny Cash's song.
After thinking about this, I have more... Since this building was shipped to YOU, and delivered direct, I think technically all material should be yours. I would box up any of those custom hangers and put them away. However, if you personally like the GC, I would not "scrap" over some scrap lumber. It is not worth it. Just my 2 cents... When I had my concrete floor poured, by the Amish crew, I mentioned before, they needed an extra truck load of ready-mix. This was due to the boy dragging too much base out. The old Amish guy in charge, had bid the job at a fixed price. I liked him, and the crew he had, so, I tipped him the amount of the extra ready mix, plus the late night overtime they spent here. He could not believe it. Did not want to accept it, but, finally did. I did not really think that much about it, but, over the course of the next two years, three local farmers told me about him telling them what a great guy I was. One actually scolded me for doing it! He thought it might make the guy expect it. The point is, I received dividends for doing it. I'm not telling this to "pat myself on the back". Just makes me smile when someone is grateful, and tells others. I'm anxious to see colored steel and windows... Steve.
Thank you, Steve. I believe that is how it used to be done in the old days. So John, what AD project are you going to bring to life inside there?
Advanced Design... I'm not going to say no, but it's not probable. At this point if I were looking for a truck project I'd be more inclined to be a Task Force kind of guy. I really stirred up a hornets nest over at The Garage Journal asking for opinions about the left over materials. Lot's of contractors over there. Pretty vicious. Civility seems to be lost in this ole world we live in anymore.
Wow, those guys are almost like the 67-72, guys... John, I have worked totally as a true "independent", for my entire 37 years. No contracts ever. Just do a good job and hope they call again. If I were your contractor, and you said you wanted the leftovers, I would help you stack them in your garage or wherever, just to keep you happy. You cannot pay for advertisement like a happy customer. Most people would complain if you did not clean the place up, afterwards. A lot of those guys, if they are contractors, need to change their careers. They sound just plain angry at everyone. Steve.
Thanks Steve. The GC on my project has told the workers early on they can have any of the left over Quickrete... I should have said something at the time but his comment kind of threw me off. To be honest.. I don't really care about the bags of concrete mix. They tend to turn into unusable rocks anyway. But the lumber, the joist hangers, the fasteners, yeah I can use all of that and IMO I've already paid for them. I understand that I bought a barn. But having been a Project Manager / Engineer / QA guy I know that when a project is bid there are extra materials allocated and these are added to the price. So in my mind, that is part of what I bought, and why Lester's contract states "includes material package". What folks aren't understanding is the GC in this case is a salesperson for Lester. He hasn't paid for anything out of his pocket, except for stuff his guys cut up in error that he had to replace. I emailed Lester for their interpretation...
Same way I was~ Never advertised. Word of mouth was the way I went, and I never ran out of work. (It also helps to show up when you say you are going to, or call well in advance if you wont be there that date!) Simple keys to success.
11-20-2015: Framing... DONE! Now for a splash of color Finished all the framing odds and ends and started hanging some steel. Pretty good progress for today. (My el cheapo digital camera makes for some weird looking angles... but ye ole barn is plumb and true)
Man, that is one STOUT looking building! I think if my barn, and your barn, had to endure a hurricane, you would still have a barn. Have you had any neighbor, "interaction", you being the new guy, with the new barn? Steve.
I am pleased with the structural results at this point. About the only thing that isn't screwed / bracketed is the garage door opener pad above the garage door header. The guys kept saying "We just used the nail gun, why does it need brackets too?" My response: "because the drawings specify them." They shake their heads and then put the brackets on. Neighbors... it's all good. Lots of slow speed drive by lookie lou's, and my adjacent neighbors have had positive things to say, pretty much. One neighbor made a comment about my shop being "the mini Walmart"..... but if you add up all the buildings he has I'm confident he has much more space, his is just piece mealed here and there. Lots of maintenance... The one older guy across the street knew how many loads of fill were put in, over a two day period, so I am confident the place is being "watched carefully". _____ John
11-22-2015: Hangin' Steel, Day 2 Finished placing all roofing insulation / steel sheets today and got the upper wall sheet metal installed on the back wall. Nice day, cool and calm.... made installing the roof panels a lot less scary. _____ John
Looking good... You said you were a little burnt-out, this should give you a "in-flight restart", I would think. Steve.
Thanks Steve. To be accurate I guess I am more tired than burnt-out. I guess my age is showing. 11-23-2015: Rake Soffit & Trim, Back Wall Done Progress today included finishing the rake soffit and trim, and rear wall panels. The trim is surprisingly time consuming, due to poor ergonomics and ladder time. The front and rear fascia will get gutters that cover up the wavy steel. Lester does a nice job using lots of reveals to stiffen up the panels. ______ John
I like the red/brown, color combination. Looks good. I also guess I missed the 2' overhang on your plans. (Went back to page one and looked, just now) The overhang makes a difference, looks more "residential" than, "agricultural". Mine has a small overhang on the front, but, just standard "pole barn" the rest of the way around. Notice, the corner trim is faded considerably. It is 25 years old, and the entire front is one year old. I had to replace the windows, and found carpenter ants had been busy. So, I did it myself and used screws. I think I pulled 1,000 or so, pole barn nails. Steve.
Interesting 2 tone paint scheme Steve... I like it. Our entire building has color matched rubber washered screws for all panel and trim... those nails would be a bitch to remove! 11-24-2015: Ridge Skylights.... We hate them ! When I ordered the barn I specified (3) 10 ft ridge skylights. On my previous Lester building these were tall and stood up about a foot. They sent flat acrylic ridge caps... said they don't use the old style. Well... The Wife and I truly hate the look of these on the building. Looks like the roof is caving in where they are installed. Maybe they'll grow on us...... I doubt it. Thoughts and opinions _____ John
My opinion, FWIW... If I were driving by your house, even really slow, being nosey, I would not probably notice the ridge of your barn. I cannot tell exactly what those ridge skylights look like, as far as their profile, and the way they fit on. Do they match the profile of the steel ridge caps, but, are simply clear or fogged plastic? My ridge cap profile resembles an Asian "rice paddy" type hat, and do not serve as a ridge vent. They make a similar profile, with perforated sides, for barns with ceilings. I will probably replace mine with those, when I add a ceiling someday. Are your overhead doors going to have a section of windows? If not, maybe adding windows to your doors would give you the natural light you desire. Did you order the new doors for your house? Maybe you could order matching doors all around. Steve.
