Friday, November 21, 2008

Framing or not?

So, as intended, I am giving my framer the room to progress as he wishes but also keeping an oversight by visiting every couple days and asking, at times, questions to keep the dialouge open between us. But even though it is quite cold here, I have to admit I am disappointed with the lack of progress in the past week as the photos can atest.
Hey, it's the edge of winter and cold but, hey, as a framer you work outside and if you want to eat in the winter, you should probably work. No?
In a typical build situation, e.g., a new house, the framing crew works so fast you worry about things like:
1) is my insurance policy good enough to cover the likely situation where one of these crazy bastards shoots a nail into his hand, backs off the roof, and lands on the plumbing stack in the yard. IKNOW! Will my policy replace the plumbing stack, right?
2) are they going to transpose/misinterpret/ignore the drawing requirements and put a wall like, I don't know, in the middle of the dining room then be looooong gone to repair their work. We call that the "tail light" warrantee: if you can see the tail lights, the work is covered. Else, well, you're screwed.
But this project is not cut and dried. The walls are not plumb, hell, they aren't even straight over the full height. The foundation sill is up here, down here, slightly slanted there, etc. Did I mention the requirement for a 15degree cut on the joist ends so that in case of a fire, the walls are not pulled inward onto the occupants?
So, it will take more time. But all the more reason to start making consistent progress. Bob the Framer (no really. I am not pulling a Palin here with a label) will be done in four weeks. His word. Though people and their word, their honor, are shakey at best. A moving target.
So, please Bob, hear my plea: put a damned nail in some wood and give me a roof soon.

No comments: