Re: OT: ***Whine*** -long

Like I said, that's fine as long as you don't have other demands on your time,
and are there full time to supervise the temp worker(s). But there are other
issues:
1. We had no place to store materials, so leaving that problem to the builder
was a plus.
2. Everything from footings, drainage, foundation, framing, insulating,
electrical and plumbing has to be built to code and inspected.
3. Moving the power mains involved coordinating 3 levels of services:
Provincial, city and electrician. Not to mention that this is an urban lot where
everyone's services run underground behind and between each lot. This includes
power, cable, phone, gas and sewers that all have to be identified before
anything can be excavated.
4. We needed a building permit from the city, plus access to our backyard via a
suburban park behind us. This all needs engineering plans and an
mini-environmental assessment (the effect on the park of dump trucks and cement
trucks driving through- 40 trips required). I'd just as soon leave that to a
builder who knows the ropes.
5. Insurance to cover any and all liabilities or injuries that may occur. It's a
lot less stressfull to have a Builder take on that issue (mandatory for him or
he wouldn'd get permits)
6. Not only did we need the run of the mill 'specialized equipment', we needed
an engineered and purpose manufactured set of steel beams to fit our roof
trusses onto where the rear wall was removed. Also needed a mobile crane and
licenced operator to put them in place. Those suckers were _heavy_. Again, the
builder had the means to do this.
7. We wanted to get this done ASAP, figured it would go faster. And for the most
part, it did. Trouble was, the builder had multiple projects and we were too
accomodating at the beginning when he made excuses for his delays. Had we been
more insistent at the beginning that deadlines be met, things would have been
done a lot sooner, but we wanted to 'be nice'.
8. DH had to be away 90% of the time, so could not have done the work anyway.
As you can see, there are many reasons one would want to hire a builder, even
when one has the know how to do the work oneself. We simply didn't have the
luxury of unlimited amounts of time, particularly when we run our business out
of our home.

We were disapointed though, that despite paying a professional fee for
professional work, the builder basically gave us the minimum amount of effort
and time. {:>( Things will be very different when we tackle phase 2.

Margo



Cripple wrote:

> The spealized equipment you do not have, can be rented if it will be cheaper
> than purchasing the equipment outright.
> But I was discussing a fms patient doing the work themselves as opposed to
> dealing with a stress generating contractor.
>
> Actually I think that I could do the job you are describing with hiring a
> temp worker on the occasions that 2 sets of hands are mandatory
>
> "saavik" <saavik@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:43DE42BD.4AE5BE20@xxxxxxxxxx
> > DH would have liked to do it himself, but some jobs are too big for one
> person
> > and need specialized equipment. For example, we had to do a fair amount of
> > deconstruction first: dig out the new basement, pour a foundation, pour a
> cement
> > floor, do the floor, roof and framing for the new addition(s), wiring and
> > plumbing, cut a new door in the existing cement foundation. We also needed
> to
> > tear out an outside wall and replace it with steel beams and posts. The
> things
> > DH likes to do come after all that, and while he knows how to do the rough
> > construction, he's enjoys the inside work more. Besides, he has a business
> to
> > run that requires his personal attention.
> >
> > But yeah, overall it's better to do it yourself, or at least as much of it
> as is
> > practical.
> >
> > Margo
> >
> > Cripple wrote:
> >
> > > "fran" <fmc116@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> > > news:1138627567.866620.112830@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > I know what you mean about the contractors! I've wailed and moaned
> > > > here long enough about them, so I'm in complete sympathy for your
> > > > exhaustion at having to live in chaos much longer than you ever
> dreamed
> > > > you would.
> > >
> > > This may explain why SNL and myself find it much easier to do the work
> > > yourself than to bother dealing with a contractor.
> > > Beside saving ourselves a bunch of money, We save ourselves a bunch of
> > > stress.
> > >
> > > So it is probably a wash, on the effects on our bodies. The pain from
> doing
> > > it ourselves vs. the pain caused by the stress created by having to deal
> > > with a contractor and his subs.
> > >
> > > Thus, those that hire contractors opposed to do it yourselfers is we
> both
> > > suffer from the job that need to be done, but we also save ourselves a
> bunch
> > > of money and we get the satisfaction of doing the work ourself.
> > >
> > > I hope this is as clear to you as it is to me
> > >
> > > Ed
> >

.

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