01 May 2024 Update: Schedule update - the final month?

[Newdude]

+1. Last time (Katrina) all the building supplies got shipped south for a couple years and what was left was PRICEY. It was all high already right now. I can’t even imagine if this hits like they say.

Also last time we got $5 gas and heating oil when the storm ripped through the gulf oil rigs as it’s doing right now.

 

[Katodude]

Just a quick point on your navy blue trim. Just remember we are in S Florida. Navy is a color that fades a lot in the sun. You might just have to repaint that section a little more than normal.

 

[setsailsoon]

Sep 2021 Update

Folks,

We're inching closer and closer. Construction drawings have been issued and cycled a couple times to get all the details correct plus implement a few late changes from my project CEO and executive sponsor (wife Robin). I haven't really tried to stay on the original schedule since material prices are so high but there's hope in sight. Lumber has come down to the high end of normal. Steel and concrete have stabilized at least. So we've committed to soil borings and they should be done in about a week. This is indication the market is softening since previously there was a 4 week backlog. Windows are down to ~20 weeks for most brands except PGT, cabinets, appliances, and garage doors are about the same. I've heard pool equipment is similar but haven't quoted this yet. Once we get shell bids in we'll commit to the detailed design of the pool so we can get permitting started.

Every project I've done has some kind of surprise that you'd never expect. Often it's a new regulatory requirement or something like that. That's what got me last week. I had heard we needed to do a gopher tortoise survey to get the building permit and it was a couple hundred $. The way this works is you have a certified expert do the inspection for about $500 and then a final report that's good for 90 days. If there's a delay before start of construction you have to re-certify for another couple hundred $. If they find a gopher tortoise it used to cost ~$800 more. That was bad enough but now there is such a shortage of certified places to move it to that the cost is $6000 per tortoise! Wow!! Fingers crossed on this. Don't know if this is required for a permit to add a pool or just for the house construction but Florida residents may want to check into this if you are planning to add a pool. Pool building permit is separate from the home build permit. I had originally planned to start the pool after the shell was built to reduce interference but may need to rethink that plan so I can get the pool started within the 90 day validity for the tortoise survey... more to come on this.

Speaking of planning, I've found it's extremely valuable to create a detailed construction schedule for any project. The one I have for this build has about 200 activities and I haven't detailed out the pool at all yet. But I have for the house. Since material delivery times are so long I've added a procurement section for all the major items based on quotes for delivery. These are linked to their respective activities. The software then creates a float report. Right now, the shortest float time is for window delivery. It only has 6 days of float so it will delay my project day for day if they aren't here on time. Wow! I've added a screen clip of the float report for anybody that's interested. Float is called Finish Slack in this software. As of now the house is showing complete and moved in 9 May 2022, about 3 months later than original because of our decision to delay bid packages and completion of construction drawings. Hopefully, on my next update I'll have the pool in the schedule.

Chris

 

[BigPapaSmurf]

Crazy, I’m praying they don’t find any gopher tortoises. Your data sheet is very interesting to me. Just ride the wave of your construction projects.

 

[Katodude]

Hey Chris,

I noticed that you have roof tiles as an item. Have you decided on what type of roof you want? As an owner of a cement tile roof, I know that my roof replacement is going to be somewhere around $80K. This might be the time to consider alternate materials. I dont know if a metal roof lasts longer, or is more resistant to hurricanes. But if I were building a new house I would be looking at this.

 

[ajw22]

Hey Chris,

I noticed that you have roof tiles as an item. Have you decided on what type of roof you want? As an owner of a cement tile roof, I know that my roof replacement is going to be somewhere around $80K. This might be the time to consider alternate materials. I dont know if a metal roof lasts longer, or is more resistant to hurricanes. But if I were building a new house I would be looking at this.

Talking about tile roofs, I have a 25 year old tile roof. The underlayment paper barrier that they used 25 years ago has deteriorated in spots causing leaks. My roofer has done spot repairs using modern rubber underlayment that should last longer.

Replacement tiles cost me $30 each. This fall I am having my roofer lift up the tiles on half my roof and redo the underlayment. I am buying 300 tiles which my roofer says he may need to replace tiles that break. Once I see how many tiles are really used I may redo the other half of the roof in 2022.

The tiles are supposed to last 50+ years but the weak spot is how they do the waterproofing underlayment under the tiles.

 

[Katodude]

Down here in S. Florida about the maximum life for a tile roof is 25 years. The roof was replaced on my house after 15 years (by the original owner), and is now about 12 years. As you mention the tiles themselves are in great shape, it is always the underlying material. I am hoping that my underlying material is the more modern stuff. I really want to get at least another 10 years out of this roof.

 

[setsailsoon]

Hey Chris,

I noticed that you have roof tiles as an item. Have you decided on what type of roof you want? As an owner of a cement tile roof, I know that my roof replacement is going to be somewhere around $80K. This might be the time to consider alternate materials. I dont know if a metal roof lasts longer, or is more resistant to hurricanes. But if I were building a new house I would be looking at this.

Yes, we've looked at roof tiles extensively. We've ruled out clay tiles since they tend to dry out and crack. Had this on our previous house. Even though it seems to be the most popular we've decided to go for a light weight concrete tile over a synthetic peel and stick membrane. We believe this is the best balance of cost, aesthetics, and durability. We're asking for a single solicited alternate from each bidder just to be sure this is the right decision. Certain metal roof systems would have been also competitive but this requires an HOA waiver that's not easy. Price range was huge for the different choices about $30K on low end and $80k on high end. The world of roof material has changed a lot for Florida. There were concrete tile, synthetic tiles, slate tiles, clay tiles and all kinds of shapes. Traditional asphalt or wood shake are prohibited. Almost as difficult as picking pool finish color!

Thanks for your input and suggestions.

Chris

 

[dianedebuda]

I can relate to tile woes. I'm putting Stormguard (peel & stick ice & water shield) under my tiles on the house. Have one section that's 2 story that I did several years ago that I wish now I'd put it under everything instead of the perimeter 3-6 ft and double 30# felt elsewhere. Put tile on the 24x32 shop something like 40-50 years ago and the actual tile may have to be replaced now. It had a glazed surface with the color which has weathered away to bare concrete. Was our test project to see if we could DIY roofing tile. With what you're saying about tile costs, may have to see if it can be salvaged.

 

[setsailsoon]

Did I forget to mention there is also an option for mitered ridges instead of ridge tiles? We're looking into this also as an option on the bid. I should get my first roof bid next week.

 

[jimim]

Are they using the zip system does in florida. my buddies have been using it up and they said if its installed properly you are literally water tight before underlayment and shingles.

 

[dianedebuda]

Re ridge tile. If you are having a ventilated attic, might want to check out having a raised ridge with figaroll (a vented, self-stick fabric specifically made for tile) under the ridge tile. Did that for our 2 story and it made a world of difference.

 

[setsailsoon]

Great news! Finally got stamped construction drawings for the house and site plan. Soil borings next week for house and pool. Only thing I have to confirm is location of the propane tank. It's about 150' off the road as shown because I prefer as far away as possible but need to check their hose length. Should get my shell bids back in next 10 days.

Chris

 

[kimkats]

SWEET! Moving forward now!

 

[setsailsoon]

The wheels are finally starting to turn. Here's the progress so far:

• I've got about half of the shell bids in for the house plus quotes for other major components and the cost estimate meets target. So we have made the final investment decision.
• Received the soil boring engineering report. No major issues so all I need is to do minimal soils prep. Bids went out to excavation contractors last week.
• I'm going to check to see if excavating the pool at the same time as my house pad will save any money. I'm not sure there's much savings since the equipment mobilized for this is pretty small and I'm not sure I like the idea of the big hole out there while shell construction is in progress. Will be interesting to see what they say.
• Yesterday I met with the Building Department to get my Owner-Builder permit started. A plan reviewer spent about 30 min going through the process with me and referred me to the health department to get my septic and well permits started. So far building department has been very helpful. Seemed almost relieved that I actually went in to meet with them before I submit the application.
• One of the biggest problems with supply chain is truss fabrication. Lumber prices have dropped from 5x normal to about 20% above normal but the major truss fabricators are waaay behind. Lead time is about 6 months right now. There are some smaller shops around that are doing it much shorter but I'm going to need to do a lot of shop inspection to be sure they are adequate quality. If I can get one that seems OK I'll be breaking ground in January!

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

Thought I might add something that I've gotten a lot of questions about. How will I evaluated quality of my subs? I'm using the same methods I've used all my prior career in project management for large industrial projects. These include:

• Inspections of work sites currently underway. If you don't know how the work should be done find a retiree or professional inspector to help for an hourly fee.
• Some things to look for don't take a lot of expertise. Good house-keeping is an indicator of a safe contractor. Safe contractors usually have trained supervision and are well-organized so productivity is almost always better.
• Ask if they have their safety statistics available and if they've had any serious injuries or fatalities in the past 3 years.
• Ask for their workman's comp experience factor. This is a great indicator of a safe contractor. Numbers around 1 or less are good. Above this means they have excess claims and indicates a poor contractorr
• Ask for references and check them out.

Subs have to pass the quality test to be evaluated. If they don't meet the quality requirement I really don't care what their price is.

I hope this is helpful.

Chris

 

[Newdude]

Your gut is a better judge than any paper quote could possibly be. If something feels off, it’s only a taste of how it’s going to go. All these projects hit speed bumps and need changes. If you can easily navigate those changes with the builder in the planning stage, chances are the builder will work with you when it’s for real.

 

[setsailsoon]

Your gut is a better judge than any paper quote could possibly be. If something feels off, it’s only a taste of how it’s going to go. All these projects hit speed bumps and need changes. If you can easily navigate those changes with the builder in the planning stage, chances are the builder will work with you when it’s for real.

I'm hopeful I can deal with the builder OK since that's me even though I do have intense discussions with me, myself, and I at times. I think one of my biggest challenges will be keeping my wife away from the subs!

 

[setsailsoon]

Folks,

I definitely picked about the most difficult time to build a house and pool. Price and delivery time for almost everything are so wonky that we had to do a lot more direct bidding and hard quotes to confirm we can afford to build the house as planned and that it will reasonably appraise for that cost or more. That's all finally behind us so we're moving ahead with permits for the house and awarding some of the major contracts over the next few weeks. We'll also be completing the detailed design for the pool and begin to get the same financial information on the pool before we commit. DIY has given us a preliminary estimate but given the situation I think this is prudent. I'll update as we get pricing for the major subs.

Chris

 

[dianedebuda]

Baby steps, but even those will get you there eventually.