Super long posts

[Jim Marsh]

To anyone who may be wondering who is this jim marsh guy who
has been writing book long posts all day?
I can't help my self... I've been chained to one of my logs in the home I'm building and don't get out much these days unless I'm racing to some supply house to get something I needed 4 days ago and must now have it yesterday! Alot of my driving is about
1 1/2 - 2 hours round trip. Today the insulators came to cover
up my non- log lumber...Yeh! Of course I had to tear myself away
so that they could do their job without me telling them everything they were doing wrong, I figure I can fix the minor details later I don't like. It amazes me that even a simple job can't be done right sometimes. Do they really care that my airflow is blocked
to the vented ridgecap? It blows me away that so few subs take real pride in their work. I realize that everything now cost alot of money and labor included....people can't afford to care like they used to unless you are willing to pay top dollar for everything.
If I paid top dollar for everything my home would cost $400,000
and that doesn't include property, water, and all the food my wife
forces on me to eat, which by the way...who was the guy who said I would lose weight building my own log home?
I've gained about 25 lbs working my butt off or should I say butt on. I'm not sure if working till sun up and quitting late at night and then sitting down to eat a nice t-bone steak at night just before bed had anything to do with it? Just a clue maybe?
I had to work till midnight lastnight to be ready for the insulators who were here in my way, I just decided I deserved a day off.
Just don't tell my wife she may quit buying t-bones.
Thanks for letting me chew the fat, even if no-one reads my book it sure lets some of the steam out. Got to chain myself back to my log for awhile and need to go to bed.

[Bob G]

Jim,

You are SO right about watching your subs. I too was owner/GC of my project, a role that could easily drive a tradesman crazy with the owner around all the time breathing down their neck. Usually I would clear out whenever things looked under control and that is when something would go wrong. Examples?

One morning at 6AM I discovered that forms for post pads were not there when the concrete trucks were scheduled to pour my basement slab. Excavator said that this was foundation contractor's job, foundation contractor said it was the excavator's job so neither did it! I stopped the mixers just before they left the plant.

The drywallers did a really nice job but now that I've had about 3/4" of settling I see that they cut log shaped curves where the sheetrock is inserted into notched logs instead of leaving it square. Now I have little gaps appearing. Not a biggy...easy to fix later, but I wish that I had been there breathing down their necks to clue them in on the settling thing.

A carpenter started building a loft overhang on a collision course with a log stair rail to be installed later.............the list goes on!

[Merk]

Bob Gearheart, your comment really hit home because my wife and I are going through similar issues. We were living in the basement last winter when much of the work was completed, however, ignorance on our part allowed some construction work that was not done correctly---and we should have caught it but didn't. We have now hired an expert to do an assesment, and provide a written report. Merk