Another day of progress. Mixed and poured half the 12" deep footers and installed all the 17" pre-cast pucks. Then late in the day poured the rest of the footers with a "mega machine" conveyor equipped concrete truck.... which I must say was way cool. Installed 2 corner posts and we are currently in hurry up and wait mode: All the 2 x 6 girts are attached by joist hangers. Lester Building sent double 2 x 8 joist hangers. They aren't your standard "Home De-pot" hangers, one flange is bent inward, the other outward. And there are left and right hangers. And they shorted us on about half of the splash boards. Hopefully the hangers will show up tomorrow as promised, ______ John
10-30-2015: Curring Concrete & Lack of Parts. We were only able to install two more columns on Friday since the back-ordered materials still haven't arrived. Old man winter is soon to arrive.... I guess it would have been wise to put a hard line "Contract Required Completion Date" and some penalty clauses in the contract? Is that Customary & Reasonable? _____ John
I can understand the frustration... Completion contracts, and penalties are, at least in my experience, usually attached to BIG projects, such as government buildings, road projects, etc. Possibly hospital projects, and school buildings, within the private sector. You are frustrated, as I would be. I'm guessing your GC is simply a "Lester" dealer. Not a company crew. I can speak from experience, he doesn't like delays, any more than you do. He gets paid to finish your job, as soon as he can, and move on. And, in the mean time, he has to pay his crew, keep up with payroll taxes, un-employment insurance payments, employer FICA contributions, etc. The problems you are having seem to come mostly from, "Lester" corporate. The delay in getting drawings revised, some "bonehead" in Charleston, who did not get all the parts on the truck. Then, there is the bureaucrat, who took two weeks to say, "OK, you may proceed". I would try, at least for now, to go easy on your local crew. One thing I would not tolerate, would be shabby work. I really don't think that will be a problem, as they probably all have a good idea who they are dealing with. If the weather really turns bad, I would allow the building to continue, and shut down the concrete work. The mega-machine IS cool. The ones they use around here are the front dumpers, were the driver has to hook each section on by hand. Hard work. The job will get done... I, personally hope your happy in the end. The guy who operates the crew, I'm sure, hopes your happy. He needs you to tell others. Steve.
11-02-2015 Posts Completed Finished the installation and back filling of all the posts today. And the back ordered joist hangers arrive so tomorrow we can start installing girts. Not real happy about the crews ability to locate the poured footers. All the main truss support columns fit onto the footers within specification, but one of the columns for the garage door side landed on the edge of the footer. They installed some class 6 aggregate beside the footer and used one of the precast concrete "pucks" on top of the footer. Since this column has no real structural loading this should be fine. _____ John
11-03-2015: End Wall Girts Made good progress on installation of the end wall girts today. Really happy with the Simpson joist hangers. They make the attachment of the girts to the columns incredibly strong compared to toe nailing without hangers. The only down side is it's a bit time consuming.
Things are moving now! First of all, I would not worry myself 2 minutes over those columns sitting on footers. They will be buried and forgotten, never to give you a problem. I really like your idea for fastening those wall girts. Are you the first one to require those? Thanks for the post about Ufer grounds. I had never heard of that before. I learned something new. Looks like the weather is cooperating. Steve.
I think so in regard to joist hangers. It ruffled some feathers at the factory, but my GC kept telling them it was my barn & if that's what I want let's make it happen. Weather has been great thus far. _____ John
11-04-2015: Back Wall T-Girts Finished the back wall t-girts today. The largest span of girts, 13'-6", uses 2x6's and 2x4's to form a t-section 9hence the term t-girt). This really helps to stiffen the wall. Crappy weather, rainy and snowy almost all day. Sunnier & clearer weather forecasted for tomorrow, but cooler. _____ John
Great progress! The 2X4/2X6 T will keep the 2X6 from bowing as well. Thanks for the updates on this. Hopefully the weather and your crew will allow you to keep posting updates!
Thanks Zig. 11-05-2015: Girts Finished, Trusses @ 50% Pretty good progress today.. it's starting to look like a Pole Barn _____ John
If this was mine, my wife would already have the landscaping planed... Looks great, John! Soon you'll be able to hear rain on the roof. -or snow- maybe
No landscaping here Zig, Au Naturel: rocks, cactus and pinion pine trees. The mule deer here tend to eat everything, and I'm good with that. It's their place, we're just squatters. _____ John
Mine does that too, Zig. Then, when I ACCIDENTALLY mow over some flowers, I get in real trouble! The mule deer exist IMO, for three reasons. 1. To look at, and, occasionally photograph. 2. To leap out in front of fast moving motor vehicles, causing anything from a mild adrenaline rush, to, several thousand dollars in damage to said motor vehicles. 3. To stand perfectly still, while I carefully line up the front and rear sight of my rifle and squeeze the trigger. Steve.
11-06-2015: Trusses Done Finished installing the remaining trusses, and placed enough purlins to stabilize everything.
The guys have come a long way in a week! Looking real good. That is a great picture. Above, looking down, really shows the building well. Plus, beautiful blue Colorado sky! They might just get the steel on it this week. Steve.
The best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour. So let's just say I'll believe it when it happens. Let me explain: Lester Building back ordered some of the pressure treated lumber (PTL) for the splash aprons with the original building shipment. When the GC bought some locally I rejected it because it was tagged "Not For Ground Contact". That happened twice. The 3rd attempt was lumber purchased by Lester Building and shipped to the job site. It to was labeled "Above Ground - Not To Be Used In Contact With Ground". After doing some research I read an article in late October stating "buyer beware" when it comes to pressure treated lumber. It's hard to get ground rated & direct burial rated PTL now here in the US due to EPA restrictions. Before the building materials ever arrived I penned an email to Lester (and cc'd the GC) asking them to provide me proof that the lumber for the splash aprons and the support columns were indeed "Ground Contact" and "Burial" grade PTL. I asked for a copy of a purchase order where their purchasing agent specified "ground contact" and "direct burial" PTL. I never received any response. None of the materials here on the job site that were received on the original shipment have the original tags from the PTL manufacturer. And there are no markings indicating the extent of pressure treatment. I sent Lester and my GC an email this week stating until I get something from them, signed and dated, on corporate letterhead, that I would not be making the next building progress payment, due upon completion of the framing. Again, I have done more research and am hoping to find a testing company that I can send actual PTL remnants from the columns and splash boards to have analyzed. The good news is that we have a very arid climate here. I can't imagine having issues. But on the other hand, the access well for the crawl space on our home needs replaced.... because the PTL the previous home owner used is rotted. Such is the life of a retired Mech. Engr. / QA Guy... overseeing a simple Pole Barn Project. _____ John
^This is what drives me NUTS!!!^ What is wrong with American workers and companys??? At this point, I would be convinced, they used the wrong lumber in the columns! How does this happen in a company that builds pole barns??? If this is the case, some people need to be FIRED! Ground contact pressure treated lumber is readily available here, in Indiana. You just have to know what it is, and were it is to be used. The stink about it was raised about 10-12 years ago, I think, because there were trace amounts of cyanide, I think, in PTL, used on play ground wooden structures. Moms went bonkers, and then the EPA joined the fight. Kind of like the lead paint fight, only much less dangerous. These guys should know the difference. Also, I was told termites are horrible in the southwest, a desert climate. Man,... Why does this have to happen to you?... Steve. P.S. sorry for the negative post....I'm angry now....
Thanks for the comments Steve. Sounds like Lester Buildings has some more of the material on their shop floor too. The story I was told is they have a new hire Purchasing Agent, and supposedly the columns are made at another plant. I'm still going to send the column material waste that is cut off the top out for testing to verify they are ground contact rated. 11-09-2015 Purlins Complete Pressure Treated Lumber for the splash boards is due to arrive Thursday 11-12-2015... that will be 17 days after the building was delivered. 11-12-2015 is also the last day the GC will be on the job site until 11-23-2015... which is the week of Thanksgiving. I'd say the chances of pouring the concrete floor this year are slim... and none. _____ John
Man, with 23+ years working with wood and such, I am LOVING this thread! Thank you for the fantastic job of documenting the process through photos! I hope the weather/crew keeps cooperating!
11-10-2015 Cross Bracing We finished installation of the cross bracing today. Working with the engineers at Lester we designed the cross bracing such that the maintenance bay has no bracing, yet the other bays transfer the side loads on the barn without taking up a lot of space between the trusses. Like most of the other components on this barn.... it is stout! _____ John
