Garage Progress ... pictures!

[Ian Gills]

In Key West, that would be a good single family home you've got going there!

[Lakee911]

Any fun stuff going in the garage? i.e. car lift

Sorry--missed this earlier.

Nothing fun yet--I'm just happy to have a place to put my vehicles.
I will have just over 10' of headroom though so there is potential for a small lift later if the boat comes in.

After my final inspection I plan on putting in a 60A subpanel. I will also make provisions for natural gas heating and water (sewer isn't possible) when I have the ground opened up for the electrical (to garage, house service upgrade and conversion from oh to ug). I plan on eventually insulating and hanging drywall.

[FloridaOrange]

Sounds pretty cool. I've got a 2 car garage attached but I'd really like to add a 3 car on the side, detached and convert the 2 car into a large play/theater/family room. My wife's not buying into it yet. She's concerned about resale and fitting in with the neighborhood as all garages around here are attached. This would also create a courtyard setup for the future pool.

My dream garage would have 1 maintenance lift, 1 storage lift and a beam mounted crane over the maintenance lift. That would allow 3 cars for storage and the 1 car side would be for storage.

[Ian Gills]

Stuff the garage. I'd like a drive.

Baby steps.

[Lakee911]

All of the material within the block was removed today. He laid down what appears to be #304.



He told me he will try to pour at 9:30A tomorrow. I'm not sure how that's possible given the fact that he doesn't typically arrive until after that. I guess he'll show up early.

He still needs to dig out a trench for the conduits that I've laid across the drive. He needs to form up the step in the back of the garage. Stone needs compacted. He needs to dig out the area behind the door to complete the sidewalk.

He's going to pour the drive and the garage floor as one monolithic pour and put in saw-cut expansion joints later. I guess I'm not getting the preformed expansion joint material between the garage and the drive that I called out on the plans. He still hasn't cut one of those blocks that was misplaced. No rebar/remesh either. I know it's not right but I'm tired of complaining and correcting.

He put down gravel in the alley for my neighbor today too. I wish that he would have spent the time finishing my project properly before starting another.



On a side note, bLowes didn't deliver my materials today. When I called to get a delivery window she told me that it was scheduled for Sept 10 and I told her no it was supposed to be today. (Where that date came from, I don't know.) She put me on hold and pretty much told me if I don't remember when I told them (morning or afternoon) then she can't tell me the time of the window. It's not that I couldn't remember--it's that no one asked me! She told me they would call back and let me know when they're 45min away. I recognized her voice and I can picture her in my head but I don't know her name. I'll find out though...

I called back and talked to someone I knew (the gal that helped put together the order--she is great) and she seemed as ticked off as I was. She told me they could do an 'emergency delivery' and I said no that tomorrow would be fine. Why the girl up front just didn't do anything about it and left it for Sept 10, I don't know.

I hate that particular store and almost everyone that works there with their [body part] up their [other body part].

So, anyways ... we got a pretty big downpour this afternoon too. I hope that it didn't make a big soupy mess of the soil under the gravel.

[FloridaOrange]

He's going to pour the drive and the garage floor as one monolithic pour and put in saw-cut expansion joints later. I guess I'm not getting the preformed expansion joint material between the garage and the drive that I called out on the plans. He still hasn't cut one of those blocks that was misplaced. No rebar/remesh either. I know it's not right but I'm tired of complaining and correcting.

If it was on your plans and he bid off of those plans, hold him to it or withhold a draw until it is right. Please tell me you have him on a draw plan.

[Lakee911]

Concrete got poured today. It looks pretty good for the most part. I had to be somewhere so I couldn't supervise the entire pour and finishing.

What I didn't like at first was the mix was very loose. So loose in fact that they (seemed to have) had a little trouble with the slope of the drive. It seems to keep sloughing off. The step in the back also seemed a little tough for them. It kept pouring out the bottom. Looks fine now though. I was here when the truck came and they did not add water to the mix.

They also seemed to have run out of material. My own estimate was just a hair over 8yds (not including filling the block). He told me that he ordered 8.5 yds. I can see where the bottom of the drive has been recessed slightly within the form (low on material?). Also, he did not have enough material to fill the block cavities. When I arrived home they were finishing up filling them--so I thought.

It turns out that they filled the inside with rubble and just put a little dollop of concrete on top. My anchor bolts are essentially connected to nothing!

He has to come back in the morning to strip forms, cut crack relief joints, collect some of his equipment and haul just a bit more of dirt away. So, we'll have a little chat about that. I was planning on starting construction tomorrow, but I guess not.

I still owe him 50% of our agreed price plus his time and materials for a few extras.

Jason

[Lakee911]

Update: I just called him and told him his dollops are not going to work. I told him that he should come back and fix them tonight so that he's not chipping it out tomorrow. He said he'll figure something out in the morning.

[Lakee911]

[Lakee911]

[Lakee911]

[Lakee911]

Then I had to leave for work I expected to see the entire thing but truck ended up being 1.5 hours late. Good thing though because they had a lot to do.

[Lakee911]

My materials got delivered today too. They almost got the order right--they had to come back and drop off a couple of other items later. This is everything except trusses, siding and shingles and some electrical.

[Lakee911]

Yesterday my Contractor and his buddy came by and cut crack relief joins, stripped the forms and busted the concrete from the loose anchor bolt holes. His buddy told me his boss would be back to fix them. I called him around noon and he said he would be here the morning (Sunday).

I got about half of my walls built Saturday. I was able to put down two sill plates because I'm still missing approx 15 anchor bolts.

Sunday morning came and went. No Contractor. I called and no answer. I got the rest of my walls built.

I'm pretty much at a stand-still now. I need 24 hours after anchor bolts are in to bolt down the sill plates. I'm looking at getting walls up on Tue or Wed now.

I'll post some pics later.

[Lakee911]

Saturday progress



Sunday progress