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How to bid framing jobs
Published on 2012-03-13 15:41:00
Unfortunately framing is bid by the general contractor telling you "I have a guy who will do it for $X, how much cheaper can you go?" I think it's a pathetic way to conduct business.more to follow... > read more
Reclaimed Lumber Install
Published on 2012-03-13 15:29:00
Reclaimed lumber is in right now. People are paying big money for old wood that has been planed down, sorta like an aged piece of beef. It looks nice once it's in, but it can be tricky to work with. Here are a couple areas which are going to have these old railroad ties wrapping around the window. A pilot hole must be drilled through the exterior was framing and into the timber. Then a 12" Ollie Log mini lag bolt is drive in through the back side of the wall.Labor price to install each piece:$3 [..] > read more
Full Home Remodel - 1600 sf addition
Published on 2011-11-02 19:43:00
This remodel consists of a 24'x22' addition that will provide 528 sf of finished basement square footage. Above, the main level will house the new kitchen and family room. The second story level will have 2 more bedrooms and another bathroom. Finally there will be an 11'x 22' cold storage, concrete porch cap, and deck above which will total an extra 726 sf of finished sf.Total square footage: 1590 square feet530 bsmt530 main level530 2nd level The interior of the existing structure will be ove [..] > read more
Why I Hate Floor Trusses
Published on 2011-09-26 12:29:00
Answer- I have rarely had a positive experience using a pre-fabricated floor truss system. The product itself isn't the problem, it's the idiots who make them. If the designer doesn't get it perfect it will either be too short or long. These trusses are usually made (ordered) right when they strip the concrete forms and there are no lines on the concrete to go off of. The designer/salesman will come out and measure the foundation and subtract a 1/2"(plywood sheathing) for each side and just ca [..] > read more
Basement Framing- 380 square feet
Published on 2011-09-26 12:13:00
Small jobs will often have a higher labor rate because they require the same overhead-type things as a larger job and must be allocated amongst a smaller overall amount. Typically and 8' basement would pay in the $1-1.20/sf range. Since this is such a small area the labor price is 1.50/sf.378 sf x $1.5=$567 > read more
Framing Labor- Medium Difficulty
Published on 2011-09-21 09:48:00
In this scenario we will analyze the labor component of a medium sized semi-custom home. Preliminary checks revealed that there were conditions differing from the plans from which the bid was provided. The walkout basement was 40% larger than shown, and the bsmt height was 9' instead of 8'. While this may not affect the labor too much, it will mean the materials will run short and the studs will be too short. The walk out basement wall are always built out of 2x6 material and require a fair amo [..] > read more
Update
Published on 2011-06-01 13:52:00
I've been busy an obviously neglected this blog. Over the past 4 months I have taken 1000's of pics and have tons of new information to share. In the near future a new format will be used to give readers more current and relevant cost data. Stay tune > read more
Custom Home Framing
Published on 2011-01-20 11:34:00
Framing prices have fluctuated over the past 3 years as the demand has plummeted. There is and always will be the need for carpentry services. One problem many contractors are facing is the drop in revenue overall, as well as square footage unit pric > read more
Brick ledge retro-fit
Published on 2011-01-11 15:15:00
When there is too small of a ledge, or the foundation is crooked as well as other problem with the starting point of the masonry, it must be fixed. The accepted fix for these apartments is to bolt this 4"x4" angle iron along the top of the foundation > read more
brick ledge
Published on 2011-01-11 15:05:00
Roofing Labor
Published on 2010-12-22 16:44:00
A water-tight, quality roof is important because it is a structures first line of defense when it comes to precipitation. While there are many types of roofing, most homes use asphalt shingles. This home is about 18 years old and has had the roof rep > read more
avoidable problems
Published on 2010-12-19 12:25:00
This is a random shot of a house I framed in April 2010. This pic is from me standing in the garage door opening. The problem is that the 2x10 wrap is too wide, which left the edges of the garage door exposed. When the framers make these openings the > read more
Prefabbed walls
Published on 2010-12-09 18:32:00
Prefabricated walls are built on-site and stored until ready for installation. This insures quality and most efficient use of materials. These buildings are framed exactly to the dimensions shown in the plans. > read more
Hippy-mountainman
Published on 2010-12-01 17:11:00
This dude lives up a canyon right next to a sweet ass creek. He has about 14 acres or so and has rigged huts and crap all over. I learned a lot from him with regard to tool repair and fixing stuff in general. > read more
Apartment framing yard
Published on 2010-11-28 14:49:00
Since these are built exactly to the plans, the walls are built on platforms using dimensions from the CAD program. Stacks of both exterior and partition walls are made by building them in order one on top of the next. They are labeled and a fo > read more
Mini house
Published on 2010-11-28 14:39:00
This type of miniature house would be small enough that it could be built in a factory and trucked out in pieces and assembled on site .Check out this book:Bahamon Alejandro. "House on the Island of Ome" Mini House 2nd edition, New York: Collin Desig > read more
4-way inspection list
Published on 2010-11-27 10:56:00
This inspection was so bad, they fired the framer. It was a mess and when the inspector showed up on Friday 11/5/10 to re-inspect he discovered nothing had been done. I got a call about 2:00 that Friday asking if I could do it over the weekend. It to > read more