Nightmare Covid Shop Build (1 Viewer)

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This is how it sat for more than 2 months. Had to bring the GC and the concrete guys in front of us and say what page are we on! Cause we just failed 2 inspections back to back! Argue about footer and measurements. All on the same page we held our breath for the next stage

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Hopefully it's still pretty straight sitting for months with no bracing or wall sheeting like that.
 
really wish i had something to report, plumber is a a-hole, told him to tap into the water line by the shop. He said i already dug this hole, Told him i would dig the hole. This is temporary for now to test the lines. Well temp it from over there then. ---- I walked away and called the General Contractor about this a-hole. Oh yeah he is kinda dickish. Ok well being a dick to me and not listening to me will not fly. 2hrs later the plumber and his trailer are gone. I am so mad .... gawd damn these f'nk a-holes. -- half the electric stuff is in the room up front. But that has to be reworked around the doors because they framed in the doors at 32 - the doors we ordered are 36. The drain for the sink in the room is 2ft off, which required a reshuffle of the small kitchen, ( why in the f'k did we pay for plans if none of these jackwagons can read it)! I hate this shop - i hate the builder ( who has had 2 heart ablasions in 6months) Prompting a talk of hey what happens if you die? You have to get a new contractor to start over.. this is hell - im in hell .....
 
5 years from now, you will have mostly forgotten all of this and will just enjoy the building. Think "meh, why did I even get aggravated about all this". And make the occasional joke about the evil plumber at parties which will get you free drinks....
 
I sincerely hope you don't take this the wrong way, but this isn't entirely your builder's fault. This is inexperience on your part as well. I have built two shops for myself. I did all the work, with friends help of coarse. learned a ton. The first building I learned that I knew less than 1% of what I needed to know to build stuff correctly. It's a lot more complex than it seems. The second building I learned how expensive it is when you want something nice and done right.

learn what you can from what you've been through so far and try your best to direct the project into a decent finished product.

Is the building actually being built to plans? Like it was designed the way your showing it in the pictures? I ask because using 6x6 posts and then following up with vertical framing in between is about the least efficient way to build this. 6x6 posts are not 5.5". They are not very straight either. So if you try to match them up with 2x6 studs to finish the inside walls you have to make up for a 1/4" - 3/8" mismatch in the thickness of the wall framing to the posts. The best way to do pole building walls is to run your purlins on the outside of the 6x6's, get your walls all up and sheeted, then frame the interior walls flush with the inside of the 6x6 posts using 2x4 studs vertically. You minimize thermal bridging this way and it's a very efficient use of materials. If you spray foam the building the foam will even lock the inner and out walls together making a very rigid structure out of it.

In the world of pole buildings and wood framing in general speed is important. It's like the first thing you learn when you start a bigger project with wood- Lumber is not perfectly dry. It's good to build with wood a little bit wet because it can be forced straight and takes fasteners well. Dry wood doesn't bend and fractures with nails. That means you need to get the entire thing up quick. Get it braced and fully sheeted so it stays straight and shrinks to size together. You build something in slow stages or don't brace it correctly and the whole darn thing will pretzel up on you.

It's so strange to see you have plumbers and electricians on site and the building isn't even sheeted. I'm really, really confused by the progression.

Did you have anything your contract with the GC about timeframe or how quality issues are addressed?
 
Me and my wife tried to make it an every thing shop. She wanted an apartment/ I wanted just a shop. 6x6 pole barn was $200k cheaper than wood construction. I would like to say thanks for listening to my vent.
 
Me and my wife tried to make it an every thing shop. She wanted an apartment/ I wanted just a shop. 6x6 pole barn was $200k cheaper than wood construction. I would like to say thanks for listening to my vent.

You say that, but the way it's designed and being built is totally backwards- They're building it like it's stick built- vertical studs, but it's a pole building.

Pole buildings are cheaper than stick built, but not the way yours is designed. Yours is just as expensive to build.

Total speculation on my part, but I think you got hooked up with a total crap architect and you got a total hack for a builder. My comment about learning from this is in terms of realizing if that's actually the situation or not- You have to know enough about what you're wanting to do to be able to vet out whether these guys are giving you garbage or not.

I am NOT a builder and I am NOT crazy smart or anything, but I can tell just by looking at the nail patterns in the wall sheeting pics you just posted that these guys are total hacks. If I was a county inspector I would fail your building just off that picture alone. Every one of your other pictures show things that are really wrong.

You gotta do your research and know when these guys are not doing it right.
 
( why in the f'k did we pay for plans if none of these jackwagons can read it)!

Welcome to my world...

Builder (paraphrasing): "Hey, we didn't build what you had on the plans, so how do me make this work now that we've totally f***ed it all up?" "Hey, what we built doesn't match the plans so the inspector won't pass it. Can you change your plans so that he'll pass it?" "You specified a *** beam, but we had a *** beam laying out back and used that. Now the floor is sagging and the owner has a problem with it. What should we do?"

Of course, the builder told the owner they "do this all the time" and that the owner is just wasting his money having me involved after the plans were submitted and they have the building permit. So despite my contract itemizing construction phase services and that they understand that they waive my liability if construction phase services are not maintained now I'm supposed to be the savior and fix everything for them...
 
@PIP I'm not familiar with that particular sheathing product, but I agree that the nailing pattern is suspicious. That window framing in the last picture though. Oof!

I wish I had some sage advice for the op. I can't even get our regular plumbers to make sure a new p-trap doesn't leak. Don't the sill plates need to be treated in Fl? Borate or copper or something? I would also have made my guys install a different stud for that ridiculous bird mouth over the hold-down as well, That thing's not doing any work any more.
 
OMG As a contractor for over 40 years I have never seen anything as bad as this job. starting from pouring concrete around the the 6x6 poles to the worst framing job I have ever seen. and in the most uneconomical way.

I have no idea how it well ever pass code. aren't headers supposed to have trimmers under them !!

It's not how it done in a democratic states :p

I feel sorry for the OP there just no way to fix that mess you got screwed big time !!!

Sorry for posting the obvious!!
 
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I hate to say it, but this is a total mess. You have the pole barn providing the structure, so you don't need headers over the windows - they're not carrying any load, but then they have BOTH a 2x4 and (what looks like) a 2x12 framed in above the windows. Yet, like Broski says, there's no trimmers (or jack studs) to support the header - so they're doubly useless... Then there is the double plate between the window and the transom, a second double plate over the top of the "headers", and a final (but single) plate at the top of the wall - where it really should have a double top plate... Breaking up the studs like this lowers the rigidity of the wall and the multiple double plates will act as hinges. If a load is applied to the side of the wall (like wind), instead of resisting it will fold at the plate. Coupled with the nailing pattern (as Broski points out), I hope you aren't in a hurricane area because this is going to fold up and fall apart. ThermoPLY can be used as an interior shear wall bracing and for exterior bracing, but you have to follow the installation requirements - and I'm still not sure I'd rely solely on it if you're designing for hurricane forces.

Is this what was drawn on the plans? If so, your "architect" has no clue what he is doing. If this is not on the plans, your "contractor" has no idea what he is doing. If it's on the plans, I'm not sure how they passed the code review. If it's not on the plans, you may be in for a surprise when it comes to the framing inspection.

Mind you, I'm not Registered in Florida, so my opinion has absolutely no "official" value, but that mess scares me!
 
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I hate to say it, but this is a total mess. You have the pole barn providing the structure, so you don't need headers over the windows - they're not carrying any load, but then they have BOTH a 2x4 and (what looks like) a 2x12 framed in above the windows. Yet, like Broski says, there's no trimmers (or jack studs) to support the header - so they're doubly useless... Then there is the double plate between the window and the transom, a second double plate over the top of the "headers", and a final (but single) plate at the top of the wall - where it really should have a double top plate... Breaking up the studs like this lowers the rigidity of the wall and the multiple double plates will act as hinges. If a load is applied to the side of the wall (like wind), instead of resisting it will fold at the plate. Coupled with the nailing pattern (as Broski points out), I hope you aren't in a hurricane area because this is going to fold up and fall apart. ThermoPLY can be used as an interior shear wall bracing and for exterior bracing, but you have to follow the installation requirements - and I'm still not sure I'd rely solely on it if you're designing for hurricane forces.

Is this what was drawn on the plans? If so, your "architect" has no clue what he is doing. If this is not on the plans, your "contractor" has no idea what he is doing. If it's on the plans, I'm not sure how they passed the code review. If it's not on the plans, you may be in for a surprise when it comes to the framing inspection.

Mind you, I'm not Registered in Florida, so my opinion has absolutely no "official" value, but that mess scares me!
I could go on and on about the framing, but I won't because it's not going to help!!
 
I don't know much about this all so can't jump in with technical stuff. However, I'd say it's been amply made clear there are issues, and it's useful to point them out to provide specific feedback, but our OP friend probably could use some suggestions and positive advice from pros as well as how to solve all this, I would think.

From an amateur: Maybe start with a neutral inspector to give unbiased feedback and document things?
 

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