Hello we are building a mini home as a detached extension to our current home,
We have noticed some lapses in the quality of framing that we feel very uncomfortable with,
Such as: old wood being using, especially near windows, ceiling beams, broken and bent brackets, nails not aligning properly, some panels not nailed in or aligned properly etc…
You be the judge from the pictures,
please advise,
much appreciated,
we are spending our savings etc to build this home, we at least want it to be liveable,
our contractor keeps ignoring us
Replies
Hey there,
The material quality and workmanship appear pretty poor.. unfortunately with Covid good material has become scarce, everyone in the trades who is any good at all is booked solid, and even the companies that generally aren't good are busy. The work looks sloppy, but it's hard to tell from these photos in particular what's going on. The glaring issue I see is KD lumber at the sills. Those should be PT... not easily replaced at this point. This issue and the fact that the GC is ignoring you would lead me to move on to someone better. Happy Thanksgiving
Thank you so much,
I really need an honest opinion,
We feel trapped now, paying money to this contractor we does an extremely poor job,
Could you explain The KD sills,
Sorry I am not a builder so I am unaware of technical terms,
Thank you so much,
This has been so stressful for us
No problem, KD lumber is "kiln-dried" usually spruce.. fine for studs, rafters, joists, etc. in dry areas. Pressure - treated lumber is what should be used for the sills, or the bottom plates, in direct contact with the top of the concrete foundation walls. Again, it's hard to say from the photos what's going on quality-wise, but probably more importantly is your feelings of hesitation with the builder. Best case scenario would be to have a knowledgeable 3rd party inspect what's been done, especially before it gets closed up.
what the heck is going on with those joist hangers on that roof framing??
Some of what you think is "old wood" is not. Those rough edges are what's called wane. Just rough edges from the outer section of the tree it was milled from. It's fine. Not the prettiest, nice to avoid if you can, but it's acceptable for use in framing especially when it's going to be covered up.
That sill may or may not be treated for contact, good to check what the grade stamp is and then you'll know. If it's not treated or rated for that use, then you have an issue that needs to be addressed.
Some of it is sloppy, but having a few nails through the sheathing miss the stud happens. As long as they went back and nailed off where they missed then it's just a slight embarrassment for the framer to have some shiners showing.
Yes, they could have made all this perfect and look like finely finished furniture using nothing but appearance grade lumber, but is that what you paid for? Or did you pay for standard or even lower bid framing?