 Jack_in_VAPremium
join:2007-11-26
Mathews, VA
kudos:1 | reply to leibold
Re: Garage addition said by leibold:The room above the garage is unfinished for now. The building inspector would not have approved the staircase with those issues if the room was finished as living space.
If it's unsafe and a code violation then it has to be now as a stairway is an access method to the "unfinished" space and will be used. The GC should have been made to make it meet code or remove them. |
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 DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC
 ·Verizon FiOS
4 edits | reply to leibold
said by leibold:The room above the garage is unfinished for now. The building inspector would not have approved the staircase with those issues if the room was finished as living space.
That's exactly how the BI explained it to me. The BI said he should force the GC to fix that stuff now but he really doesn't want the GC back after claiming that stuff is the home owner's responsibility. He said I should fix it myself and charge the GC back under his insurance or get a new contractor to fix the stuff then put in a claim against his insurance for it. I am trying to be nice so my solution is just to call it even and move on. The BI wants me to not pay him what I owe him AND put in a claim to have someone else do the work though. That's his recommended course of action. I'm caught in the middle and don't know if I should follow the BI or be nice. I'd tend to follow the BI though since he has some interest in making sure stuff is done right for my protection while the GC's main is money.
The GC did try to hack the code by installed 1x3 strapping as a handrail and 3 pieces of 1x3 strapping hooked to 2 pieces of 2x4 studs as posts with 5-6 nails into the joists to hold them for the guard. The BI just laughed though and the GC said anything over that was my responsibility. He installed it so he's done with it.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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 John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to Draiman
How much money is outstanding? |
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 mattmagPremium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois
kudos:3 | reply to Draiman
Interesting how your GC has now become such a scoundrel, after all the praise you have given him until now. If he was only required to build the upstairs area as storage with future use as occupied/finished space, then the issues you note are moot since it isn't the current use.
I really can't believe your BI who has been your hero all along would have waited until now to say the stairs were not built right? |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| reply to John Galt
said by John Galt:How much money is outstanding?
$1,200 is what's outstanding so it's peanuts really. It's hard to think the GC would toss out a good reference over that. I offered to burn all the pictures I took of the entire project to DVD if he wanted once the project is done before this all happened. Our garage project documented as well as it is would be great marketing worth more then $1,200 I'd think.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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 AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ
kudos:1 | reply to Draiman
What did the drawings show? |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by AVD:What did the drawings show?
The designer is stopping by Friday to check out the garage. He assumed the GC would build to code and said "When you have stairs you have x, y, and z you need to do for code and I shouldn't have to spell it out on the plans for a highly experienced and licensed GC." He went on to say "I didn't need to say use (2) 16D common nails per side for each stud yet they did that to code."
I can't help but laugh at the finger pointing between people on this last little bit. The GC might hurt his rep with a few people over it.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to Draiman
Is part of the agreement that you are going to do the interior finish work? |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by John Galt:Is part of the agreement that you are going to do the interior finish work?
Nothing in the contract on any interior finish work except a firewall as required by code. The contract filed with the state says the GC is going to build a "27' x 28' 2 car garage with stairs to loft". The BI's view point is the state filed plans say "Stairs" on them and he opened the permit so it's the GC's responsibility to do the work to code and close the permit out. That sounds reasonable but again I'm just caught in the middle trying to figure out how to handle it.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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garys_2kPremium
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI Reviews:
 ·callwithus
·Callcentric
| Too bad the inspector issued a CO. If he hadn't that would have put more pressure on the GC. Since the premit did say "stairs" he should've required them to meet code.
Coulda' shoulda' woulda', I know. Now you're stuck having to finish the job. |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by garys_2k:Too bad the inspector issued a CO. If he hadn't that would have put more pressure on the GC. Since the premit did say "stairs" he should've required them to meet code.
Coulda' shoulda' woulda', I know. Now you're stuck having to finish the job.
Yea the BI said the same thing today when I talked to him. He wanted to close it out for us to be able to use legally but also wanted to stick it to the GC. In the end the home owner is his priority so he signed off being a nice guy to help us get on with the project. That's why he suggested going after the GC's $10,000 guaranteed state backed insurance. That way I can have someone else do the work at the GC's expense. He said there's nothing the GC can do to stop a claim in this situation. The Bi went as far as to offer to fill the paperwork out himself for me and he'd stand behind me if needed to the state. He already talked to the state last week on it actually just in case.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to Draiman
Can you post a few shots of the stairs looking up from the bottom? |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by John Galt:Can you post a few shots of the stairs looking up from the bottom?
Yea let me find one. There's no risers and the treads are 1" x 6" but under the stairs is firewalled so there's no opening for anyone to fall though which is why the BI allowed it to pass for now.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
1 edit | reply to Draiman
How's this? |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| reply to Draiman
I went back and looked at a few sets of plans. I approved a set on June 8th with the attached image in the plans. It appears the GC asked the designer to remove this the day before I was to sign off on the plans without my knowledge or approval and I guess I didn't even notice until now. This diagram was replaced with the words 'Const 36" high railing' so I think the GC was trying to cut costs from the beginning I just didn't notice.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to Draiman
That's a good shot.
I do construction inspections and litigation documentation support for a living. Here's the problem as I see it...you have ambiguous contract documents and construction documents.
Therein lies your problem.
You can fight the GC in court but you won't win. You can make a claim against the GCs bond, but you won't win. You can make a claim against the GCs insurance, but you won't win.
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The most powerful weapon in the world is ignorance. Politicians exploit it to achieve almost anything they want.
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garys_2kPremium
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI | reply to Draiman
said by Draiman:It appears the GC asked the designer to... Who paid the architect, you or the GC? |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by garys_2k:said by Draiman:It appears the GC asked the designer to... Who paid the architect, you or the GC? I paid for everything that's how it works being the customer. LOL
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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garys_2kPremium
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI Reviews:
·callwithus
·Callcentric
| Yeah, what I meant was, did you cut a check directly to the architect (he was working directly for you) or did the GC pay the architect from money you first paid to to that GC (he was working for the GC)?
If the second, then the architect was not obligated to tell you about the change. If the first he WAS and he ought to be brought to the "errors and omissions" party. |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by garys_2k:Yeah, what I meant was, did you cut a check directly to the architect (he was working directly for you) or did the GC pay the architect from money you first paid to to that GC (he was working for the GC)?
If the second, then the architect was not obligated to tell you about the change. If the first he WAS and he ought to be brought to the "errors and omissions" party.
It was 50/50. He paid the first half and I paid the second half. I think I ended up paid out about 20-25% of the overall project to vendors directly. Sometimes to get discounts and other times because the vendor wanted to be paid on the spot and the GC's checks weren't worth anything to the vendor.
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IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES IN MY WORK...Please consider that they are there for a purpose. I try to please everyone and there is always someone looking for mistakes! |
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