A couple of good links

I think I've posted the invasives one before, but here it is again.

http://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/index.php

Here's an interesting one about expansive soils, which ends up showing how you could do a swimming pool in such a place (yes, it's complicated!).

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/expansive_soils/DAMAGE%20TO%20FOUNDATIONS%20FROM%20EXPANSIVE%20SOILS.pdf

Another builder

Angies List recommendations for Garages/Sheds/Barns is rather short.

One builder that looks pretty good is Miller Custom Garages.

Their 3 most recent grades are straight A.

One very old report gives them a B because the reporter had a problem with one thing on the roof.  It's not clear what or how important that "one thing" was.  You would think if it were leaky or something very important, the reporter would say that.  It could be "one thing" that simply had to be done that way.

Online construction guides

HUD wrote some of the best and most comprehensive guides to construction ever written.  Very large PDF files:

http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/destech/rehabgds.html

I've been looking at the foundation one, it's mind boggling.

Here's a Green Building Advisor blog about venting roofs.  It starts out "simple" but then a lot of builders get into an argument in the discussion part:

Speaking of which, the main Green Building Advisor website is always interesting.

Interesting security gadgets

Though I now have very nice Swann surveillance system, I stumbled upon this outfit that sells lots of interesting looking security gizmos.  Their stuff is expensive, for example camera inside AC adapter for $199 (that was one of the best looking deals), or inside alarm clock having Ipod adapter: $500.

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/

I already have one of these cheap ActiveEye motion sensors outside the front door, was thinking of adding one near side gate, only $29.99:

http://www.x10.com/products/x10_ms16a.htm

Solar Blog

Here's an interesting post on solar power charge controllers I haven't had time to read yet.  It's part of an interesting series also.

http://blimpyb.com/diy-solar/mppt-charge-controller/3880/

Maximum Span Calculator

http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/calc/timbercalcstyle.asp?species=Alaska+Cedar&size=2x6&grade=Stud&member=Rafters+%28Roof+Live-Load%29&deflectionlimit=L%2F360&spacing=24&wet=Yes&incised=No&liveload=20&snowload=-1&deadload=20&submit=Calculate+Maximum+Horizontal+Span#answer

I'm not quite sure how to set all the adjustments, but it looks to me like 2x4's at 24 inch spacing would be very close to safety margins, if not beyond.

2x8's are probably too much...I doubt I could get builder to go there for such a small building, though they work exceptionally well for having vaulted ceiling.

2x6's seem to work nicely, and I think 2x6's at 16 inch spacing would be the kind of over-engineering I'd like to see.

QuietRock EZ Snap

I can get QuietRock EZ Snap for ceiling and front walls from local branch of Building Specialties in San Antonio.  No drive to Austin needed (in fact, Round Rock dealer didn't have any in stock.  The San Antonio dealer has 77 pieces in stock, price quoted is $58.38 per piece (actually, that was price quoted at Austin dealer) no minimum.  764-1110.

Shed Workshop Specifications

Synopsis: shed workshop built to meet or exceed standards for residential housing, active solar design.

0.  Already done: Concrete Slab: engineered and inspected with #6 and #3 rebar grid and wire mesh and 27 inch beams, 4000psi concrete, cured 1 week.

    a) Needs removal of forms, cleanup of scrap concrete, releveling adjacent soil.

1.  14'10" length, 12'6" width and 9' height exterior walls.

2.  Hardiepanel siding to match house.

3.  Hardietrim or real wood trim on corners.

4.  2x4 framing at 16" centers.

6.  6 foot wide coated steel double french doors with internal blinds, Energy Star, facing east (toward house).  Lowes  ReliaBilt #289766 ($698).

7.  One 29x47 Fleetwood casement window, already purchased for delivery on August 12.  Facing north at 5 feet (min) from front, 36 inch minimum height.

8.  5/12 slope roof with 2x6 (or 2x8) rafters on 16" centers and braces mounted 3" above sidewalls for 9'4" ceiling mount.  (Finished ceiling intended to be between 9' 3" in main central region for acoustical optimization; rises 3" from 9' at sidewalls.)  Acceptable alternate approach is to have 9'3" walls and flat ceiling.  9'2" is absolute minimum ceiling height (above finished floor) for good acoustics.

9.  Eaves at 18" with HardieFascia boards with drip edge.

10.  Continuous soffit vents, side vents above ceiling, and full length ridge vent.

11.  24ga galvalum steel roofing with white polymer factory coating.

12.  Roofing rests on 5/8" OSB with radiant barrier facing down.

13.  One 3" diameter stainless steel interior vent with 11" tube (already purchased) for battery hydrogen venting; mounted just below maximum ceiling height.

14.  Lowe's Valspar Premium exterior paint (top rated consumer reports), tinted to match house.

15.  6' concrete ramp poured on compacted soil with 3" gravel base.

                         Interior (Phase II, may be done simultaneously or separately)

1.  All walls and ceiling insulated with maximum sized fiberglass batts.

2.  All 5/8 sheetrock:

    a) 5/8" Fireguard (tm, available at Lowe's) sheetrock on side and back walls.

    b) 5/8" QuietRock EZ (SeriousMaterials) on ceiling and front wall.  I figured 8 pieces leaves plenty of margin for both, available through Building Specialties in San Antonio, quoted $58.38 per piece.

3.  Center ceiling fan and side outlets to be connected to off-grid solar system.  Fan must have wireless remote control and exposed lamp(s).  Exposed insulated metal conduit might be preferred for easy modification.

4.  4x12.5 foot loft at minimum height of 6', supported by 4" square metal beams.

5.  Two rows 16" deep shelving on sides past loft at 6.5 foot and 7.75 foot.

6.  Interior light beige paint tbd with brown trim marking for all studs.

7.  Flooring options:

     a) porcelain non-slip freeze resistant tile, Marazzi "Brazilian Slate"

     b) polished stained and sealed concrete floor with anti-slip additive.

8.  40 inch wide workbench at north side underneath casement window.  35" height.

                Off-grid solar power system (to be supplied/tested by homeowner, contractor needs only to install panel on roof and wire to inside and provide internal AC wiring, 12g, in exposed metal conduit).

1) One approximately 200W solar panel mounted on south side near roof ridge at roof slope (5/12), with adjacent mounting brackets for second panel.

2)  Programmable charge controller

3) 100+ amp hour AGM sealed battery.

4) 2000W peak true sinewave inverter.

5) 0g or better wiring from battery to inverter 6 feet away along south side wall.  Inverter rests near floor, battery elevated 2 feet in open top enclosure.  Tie-in from inverter to ceiling fan and outlet at workbench on north side.

Nice Tile

I took a look at porcelain tiles at Home Depot, and liked this one, called Brazilian Slate, by Marazzi.  It meets all specifications I have in mind, including wear resistance PEI IV (commercial grade), COF 0.7 dry and 0.6 wet, and Freeze Resistant.  The design has a 3 dimensional sculpted (faux naturale) surface to provide slip resistance, instead of the tacky holes found in lesser tiles.  Moisture intrusion has the highest rating, Impervious, with specification <= 0.5%.

The other manufacturer of porcelain tiles at Home Depot, Daitile, did not seem to have any tiles with the Freeze Resistant icon.

This being said, I've actually been leaning toward getting polished concrete with slip-resistant glaze, but I'm undecided, and this tile looks as good or better.

Here are pictures of some of the porcelain tile displays at the store I visited:

Polished Concrete vs Porcelain Tile

I've gone back and forth on this.

I like the idea of getting tile because tile has very specific ratings on such things as imperviousness and coefficient of friction.  So if you read the fine print, you know exactly what you are getting.  In contrast, each polished concrete job is like a custom made cake by a new baker.  You can ask for what you want, but he only knows how to do what he knows how to do, and there are no ANSI specifications applicable to the final product.  Or, using a different metaphor, it is a crap shoot.

Another thing that bugs me a little about the concrete cutting/polishing business is that it may release silica, shortening the life of the concete polishing crew, and possibly covering the surfaces of your room with silica also which you may breath in later.  Now, as I understand it, some if not most concrete polishing equipment uses water, which keeps down the release of silica dust into the air.  But I still fear it is something worth thinking about, and asking the installer about.

On the other hand, the grouts used to cement tiles together contain silica also, and silica is relased when tile is cut (as it always needs to be around the edges), and since the problem is smaller, the installer might not take any precautions at all, while the concrete polisher probably knows they are playing with fire.

But with tile (yes, Porcelain tile) there is a fundamental tradeoff between cleanability and anti-slip.  The more smooth and polished the surface is, the more prone to slippage it is.  Since my shed is an outdoor building, people will be walking in from the possibly wet grass and mud, or from the hot tub (if there ever is one), the anti-slip factor is an important one.

Anti-slip tiles are now required by law in kitchens, bathrooms, and public spaces.  The downside of anti-slip tiles (having Coefficient of Friction above 0.5) is that they get harder to clean.  There are often grooves, small depressions, or other features of the tile surface that give it that high COF.  And complaints about cleaning such tiles are legion.  And as with any kind of tile, there is also the matter of the grout between the tiles.

Now basic polished and sealed concrete is also very slippery, like slippery tile.  But what they can do to give it higher COF is add certain additives into the sealing glaze.  One particular additive is microscopic balls of polyethylene (a very robust polymer) which become imbedded into the glaze.

I get the feeling that such a glaze would still be easier to clean than tiles with groves, depressions, etc.  It's uncertain to me now, however, how well it would do on COF, whether you could get COF above 0.5 with glazing additives, or if you wouldn't also need to make grooves, etc., in the concrete.

Another issue is how well the polished and glazed concrete surface would hold up compared with tile.  Concrete polishers claim to produce even better longevity than tile, but I personally have my doubts.  Eventually, a glaze will wear off.  Of course, eventually tiles may look worn out also, but at least with tiles you get a wearability specification, and you can look for Type IV (commercial) or better for long life.

Great article on tile!

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/porcelain.or.ceramic.htm

They say to ignore "porcelain" or "ceramic".  They are basically the same thing.  In European use, porcelain means lighter color, in US usage, porcelain means higher quality.  But one manufacturers "higher quality" may be another's rejects.

The real information is in the ratings and icons, if the box has any (if not, they recommend avoiding it).

The "Grade" is how well it does in visual inspection.  Grade 1 is best, Grade 2 has visible inspections, but may be fine for use.

The PEI is the wear test.  III is about the minimum for flooring, IV or V is better, especially for outdoor or commercial use.  Should be at least 3/16 thick and 1/4 is better.

Water penetration...Impervious is best with 0.5 or less, especially desireable where it might freeze.

Also look for the snowflake frost icon.

C.O.F is coefficient of friction.  0.5 or better required for kitchens, 0.7 is better, for wet aread 0.85.

Tone is how well tiles match, V1 is best, leave V3 and V4 to professionals.

Here's a quality tile from Home Depot, with PEI IV and COF 0.6.

15 tons !

That's an estimate of the weight of my concrete slab.  And that's not counting a few tons of base material underneath.  It used 7.5 cubic yards of concrete, minus a little waste, plus a considerable amount of heavy gauge rebar, 4 #6 bars in each beam, and a matrix of #3 on top.

Each cuyd of concrete weighs 3915 pounds, about 2 tons.  With a few hundred pounds of rebar, that brings the total to nearly 15 tons.

Flooring at Home Depot

Two flooring types seemed best suited for my workshop at Home Depot: Ceramic and Porcelain Tile.

The stone tiles, in addition to being much pricier, were very shiny.  That makes me think: slippery.

(Though current plan is to have gripping doormat to help prevent sliding on entry, and tracking in dirt).

The vinyl, laminate, and wood flooring types don't look durable enough to be appropriate.

Some other builders, and thinking about fiber cement trim

Now is the season for finding the next builder.  A friend highly recommends one who sounds excellent, but I wonder how willing he will be to make drive 60 miles out and back every day.

One issue I've been thinking about a bit is the issue of trimming with fiber cement.  Now that the brick option is history (long lost in disappointing contractor experiences and cost overruns) I'm back to planning on fiber cement siding, which had been the plan for years since the shed idea first bubbled up in early 2009.

I have already replaced a starting portion of the very troubled fiberboard siding on my actual house with fiber cement.  I began doing that in 2002.  But when that was done, and when it was continued a bit by Ronnie in 2009, in both cases the old builder trim boards, which are some kind of wood, were retained.  So the front of my house and the chimney are covered with fiber cement siding but trimmed with wood.

I understand now that is fairly common.  Although fiber cement trim boards have been available for some time now, many if not most contractors are more comfortable using wood for trimming over fiber cement.
That was what I was expecting Ronnie to do, and my thoughts were best to let him do what he is comfortable and experienced with, rather than having him do his training on my job.

But now that I'm starting over with builder selection, maybe I should seek out the top fiber cement installers and get one to do fiber cement siding and trim as well.  I think that has some advantages, the fiber cement trim is engineered to go with the fiber cement panels, and may do so with less issues of paint deterioration and sealing.  I notice that the old rim boards in the front of my house quickly loose paint at the seams where they are joined or where they join the fiber cement board.  This may have something to do with differences in thermal expansion.

Here are some discussions of whether fiber cement trim is a good idea:

http://www.contractortalk.com/f33/installing-hardie-trim-what-drawbacks-other-than-dust-94022/

It's not clear that it is.

Anyway, one place to start might be with the installers recommended by JamesHardie, if one can be found that actually does general contracting as well, or at least framing.  Chances are they would know how to do the HardiTrim.  In my area, JamesHardie recommends 3 installers:

Structure Builders

Southwest Exteriors

Amazing Siding and Windows

Slab curing continues

Today is now the 6th day since the slab was poured.  My plan has been to give it at least a week's cure (instead of industry standard 3 days), but slab can continue curing for a month, and since I'm going to need some time to find new builder anyway, I might just do that.

Today I noticed that the overlapping flap of the upper plastic cover had blown loose again, so I re-secured it and added several more small non-metallic items on the flap (only two of which are shown in photo).

You can still easily see the moisture trapped beneath the plastic everywhere.

The Wire Mesh story revisited

I previously told the story of how Ronnie dropped off nice clean shiny looking wire mesh on Monday July 11, but then started to install very rusty looking wire mesh just before the concrete pour on Wednesday July 13, but I immediately called and convinced him to use the cleaner mesh (for which I had already prepaid $330 including installation, two weeks beforehand) by agreeing to pay yet another $100, which he later told me not to worry about when I ultimately wrote him a check for $100 for the upgrade of concrete to 4000 PSI (which should only have costed <$20).  The whole affair looked like bait-and-switch, extortion, etc.

Now it turns out that rusty wire mesh is actually pretty commonly used in concrete work, and might have actually been the "correct" kind of mesh, whereas the shiny mesh was actually galvanized fencing material which could be claimed to be an incorrect choice, or perhaps a better choice, depending on who you talk to.

Of course, if the galvanized fencing were an incorrect material, Ronnie should have never dropped it off in the first place, and simply explained the fact that it was incorrect, whereas the rusty stuff was the correct material.  He did say that the rusty stuff was "exactly what you get at Home Depot" (but see below), but he never said the shiny stuff was wrong.

Anyway, I did indeed see very rusty looking wire mesh sold for concrete reinforcement not at Home Depot but at Lowes on Austin Hwy:

Meanwhile, at the Home Depot near Evers Pkwy, I saw much less rusty looking mesh sold for the same purpose, but it was dark colored.

The shiny material is actually galvanized wire mesh, commonly used in fencing.

 So now I actually might wonder whether putting the shiny stuff in the concrete was a bad thing.  However, my best research suggests that it was probably not a bad thing for several reasons, and probably a good thing overall.

First it has to be remembered that the wire mesh was merely a supplement to already over-engineered rebar system.  The rebar system keeps the slab structurally sound, while the mesh simply serves to minimize superficial cracking.  So even if the galvanized mesh is not as strong as the uncoated stuff, it doesn't matter much.  The galvanized mesh is also "welded wire mesh", just like the rusty stuff.  I don't know if the gauge of the galvanized material was larger or smaller, it looked about the same, but even if it were slightly smaller gauge, it wouldn't matter much.  Sometimes in small patio slabs or walkways people even use galvanized chicken wire as the main reinforcement!

Now as suggested by the casual use of galvanized chicken wire in some cases, the galvanized coating is not known to be harmful to concrete.  But sometimes the claim is made that a chemical reaction between the coating and the cement over time releases hydrogen, which can embrittle the steel.  So, over time, the steel in the mesh might become less strong.  Once again, this is not a huge issue because in my application the mesh is not providing the primary reinforcement, only a secondary reinforcement to minimize visible cracking.

But this very embrittlement hypothesis is greatly disputed by the Galvanized Metal Industry.  They say the released hydrogen dissipates through the concrete and doesn't affect the metal at all.  In fact, they claim that galvanized metal would generally be better than "black steel"  for all concrete reinforcement purposes because of its anticorrosive properties, and is especially useful in preventing corrosion in chloride rich environments.

http://www.galvanizeit.org/aga/about-hot-dip-galvanizing/how-long-does-hdg-last/in-concrete

It appears that corrosion of rebar is a major factor in the deterioration of reinforced concrete structures over time.



This is especially an issue for chloride rich environments, such as near the ocean.  In most environments, the calcium hydroxide of cement itself (having pH of 12.5) pretty well inhibits concrete corrosion, though that can effect can be negated by intrusion of salts or other chemicals.

So by insisting on the cleaner looking galvanized mesh, it looks like I made a good choice, even if it is not the industry standard.  It is superior to the industry standard.

July 16 work outside

Friend came over at noon to rework the plastic slab covers.  But soaking wet, they could not actually be adjusted any better than before.  Might have just as well left alone.  Now the second overlapping cover flap has blown loose and I need to go out and re-adjust.  No part of slab is exposed, just the upper overlapping part of one plastic sheet.  Also possible watering down again will help make plastic sheets stick together better.

Put on full face respirator and dumped bag of gravel in wet/dry vac from June cleanup in trash.  The bag had actually finally broken and now the inside of wet/dry vac is full of gravel dust.  The bag was more than 50 pounds full.  Did not want to put any more in next weeks trash.

Went to side yard to vacuum more.  Just after I finished vacuuming in mid June, Ronnie got more gravel to put on top of beams.  That made remaining mess even larger.  So ten bags or more may be still required, in late June I bought 3 more bags for $11.

From one hour's worth of vacuuming, I made bag too heavy.  So after putting 2nd vacuum bag in extra can, I broke bag open and vacuumed out about 1/4 into 3rd vacuum bag.  2nd bag will have to wait until following week's trash, and so on.

*****

Finished re-adjusting plastic and light watering around slab by 12 midnight.  Now, finally, it's slightly better than yesterday.  One problem this morning was you can't put bricks on top of slab, then wind whips up the sides moving the bricks around.  Other problem is it takes time, lots of time, to get the plastic good.  I sprayed some water underneath plastic too, seems to help make it stick and the two plastic sheets to stick to each other.

July 15 -- New Stuff

Ordered 10x20 canopy to cover slab until construction resumes, possibly in a month or more. Not good to have relatively new slab drying in hot summer sun.  10x20 won't cover entire slab, but most of it.  Found a really good deal at Academy online, $99 plus shipping and tax, came to about $140.  Not sure what to do about center poles, they will need to rest on slab itself.  Actually, I'm hoping to assemble the entire thing w/o poles, just rest on slab itself or slightly elevated

Coleman has a 12x12 for $200 but that's deceptive.  It's really is a 10x10 with overhang.

Larger canopies like 18x20 start around $400 (and go up to $3000), and then they tack on $200 or more shipping because they require freight. Or ebay sellers make deals at $200 plus $100 shipping but don't include poles, you have to buy long poles at local store and then somehow get them home.  At big Academy store, they had entire row of nothing but 10x10 for $49, different brands.

I was looking for 15x15, very hard to find, and in the high priced plus high price freight category also.  10x20 is cheap because it's kinda like a pair of 10x10's.

*****

Ordered newest Swann video surveilance system, includes mobile phone access, supports up to 8 cameras (includes 4 day/night cameras having 65 foot range at night with IR LED's).  Actually I plan to get more powerful camera for most critical spot.  Most such systems for sale now are older models, sometimes w/o mobile phone access.  But I went straight to Swann website to see what their newest models actually are, then ordered that exact model through Amazon (actually fufilled by Beach Camera).  Last year's model was about the same but came with 50 foot range cameras.

Update:  After a week, and no explanation, Beach Camera canceled order, so I then ordered through another Amazon seller, who delivered fast.  I also ordered (and have received) 100 foot fire rated cables.  I figured my electrician might not want to install anything less.

Flooring options

Here's a list of flooring option choices and costs from a concrete polishing company (not local to me).  It's no surprise they show polished concrete as having the lowest long term cost.  FAR lower long term cost than vinyl linoleum, though vinyl flooring starts about 40% cheaper, it requires constant maintenance and is only projected to have 9 year lifespan.

Well that's for flooring perfectionists.  I have cheap vinyl flooring in my kitchen and bathrooms.  It's now 27 years old and may go another few years for replacement, though it probably should have been replaced about 18 years ago when I moved into this house.  It's mostly intact, though now impossible to get fully clean in the master bath, and has some quarter-sized holes in the kitchen.  So the long term cost depends on many factors, ESPECIALLY how perfectionistic you are about flooring.

On the other hand, quite possibly a polished concrete floor, though only shown as having 20 year lifespan, could go 50 years or more for the non-perfectionist.  So it could be a rest-of-my-life type choice, while hopefully vinyl wold not be.

Beginning to think about flooring

Somehow in all my mental deliberations about the workshop (note new name I'm trying out), deliberations that included costly brick siding, full insulation, 24 gauge white coated galvalum metal roofing with hidden fasteners (if I can get it!), high end window and french door, and sound absorbing sheetrock, well through all of that, I never even thought about flooring.

I guess I don't think about floors that much.  All I remember thinking about was smooth concrete, more like a garage floor than a sidewalk.  Well now I've got something in between, and I don't think that's what I want to stick with.  Ronnie may have mentioned the concrete surface, back in May sometime.  I had completely forgotten about that part of the planning conversation until now.

The problem with a course concrete finish is that it's impossible to keep truly clean.  Crud builds up in the grooves over time, and the only kind of cleaning that gets it out is power washing.  And power washing is not something you want to do inside a building.

I first started thinking about flooring when a friend emailed me with her deliberations over the subject for her recently built art studio building.  She started with bare plywood floor because a concrete slab was impossible in her location for logistical reasons.  Something HAD to be done about that, especially given the presence of dogs.

In my case, bare concrete is a permissible if not optimal position.  Given that it's brushed, it's already anti-slip.  The main problem is that it's ugly, and will only get more ugly over time.  And dirty in some sense.

I guess now that's not acceptable.  And it probably wouldn't have been acceptable even with smoother floor like garage.

Curing Anxiety June 13-15

I have no experience with concrete.  But I've been reading about it online since May, and the details with regard to things like curing.  I was very concerned about pouring concrete in hot months like July or August.  That was one major reason or excuse I abandoned the shed project in June 2009.

One thing all online discussions acknowledge is the importance of proper moist curing.  For at least 3 days, concrete should be allowed to cure.  It it must be kept moist through one of several means: complete water immersion, continuous spraying or misting, porous covering that is kept moist, plastic covering, or surface coating.

Ronnie had talked about dam for immersion, canopy, and plastic covering, but when July 13 came, he and his crew simply finished the concrete and left.  I asked about curing again as he was leaving, and he said it would not be a problem.  He said I could cover with plastic, in fact he could get some plastic, but it might not be ready to install just yet, and it would cause staining.  I should have gotten him to get plastic.  He said I could also hose it down.  He said I could hose it down as much as I liked, it would not be a problem, would even make it better.

What I actually did, starting at 2:30pm, was at first a very light hosing, just like misting but done with regular nozzle until the surface looked slippery.  I did that about every hour until 7pm.  But I continued reading about curing, and it was seeming clear that the surface needed to be kept CONTINUOUSLY moist, not just periodically moistened, and kept at as constant a temperature as possible.  So occasional hosing as I was doing might have done more harm than good, by causing variations in surface temperature and moisture, or even leaving mineral deposits from the drying tap water that could crystalize or interfere with curing.  I read about damage from crystalization in the late afternoon on July 13, but then read on July 15 that it is a weathering problem, not generally a curing problem.

The "misting" position on a ten-option knob was useless, the slight wind just blew the mist right back into my face.

When concrete is poured without protection and it rains, it is possible for surface damage to occur that makes the concrete surface weaker, and prone to dusting and having bits break off.  My water dusting, however, was nothing like rain.

At 8PM on the day of pouring I went to Lowes and got plastic covering and bricks.  I hosed again when I got back around 10pm.  Finally, I started putting the plastic on at 1am.  It was a very difficult job and very hard to get the plastic smooth while not actually getting on top of slab.  This is not a one person job; I should really have had Ronnie and his crew do it.  I couldn't get all the wrinkles out.  I managed to deflate big bubbles using a mop.  Finally around 3am after becoming incredibly exhausted, especially from mucking around in the muddy soil around the forms (I had been watering that somewhat also, though didn't think it would make it that mucky) I decided I couldn't do much better and quit.  I didn't cover the last 3 feet on the south side because they seemed to stay wet anyway, possibly because of very slight slab tilt.  You can't see the water running, but it did seem to ultimately accumulate on the south side.  Or maybe that was because of wind or other factors.

At 10am on Thursday the slab did seem to be moist under the plastic.  It was working.  But the uncovered 3 feet on the south side was no longer wet, it was bone dry.  So I watered it down and put down a second cover, overlapping the first, to cover that side.  I watered underneath the cover somewhat.  I had to use pieces of wood Ronnie left behind to hold it down because I had used up all 10 bricks that I had bought the night before.

At 2pm on Thursday I put hose underneath cover with nozzle adjusted for straight spray underneath the cover on north west side, turned on faucet to medium for a few minutes, then turned on low for an hour.  At 3pm I checked and it appeared that excess water was flowing off on the southeast, so it was going diagonally across the slab and probably mostening the entire slab by surface tension.

Last I checked on July 14, there was no cracking or any other significant imperfection.*  That is an excellent outcome, especially under the circumstances of a hot July.  But I am worried that lack of initial covering, and also my hourly sprinkling of water at first (which may have done more harm than good) may have caused surface damage, making the surface weaker and more prone to dusting, flaking, or even worse, sections of surface breaking off.  It is too soon to tell and I will need to wait another week or so to find out, since I now plan to proceed with a full 1 week wet curing, or until I can get a sun shading canopy in place.  From all indications now, it's probably fine, even excellent.  But I will need to be patient to find out.

(*There are a dime sized depressions near one side.)

The surface is finely brushed, somewhat finer than a sidewalk.  I had been hoping originally that the surface would be smoother, like a garage floor.  I can probably get the floor polished if that's what I want, to a surface something like marble.  But that would probably be too slippery.  The floor may be stianed from the plastic too.  So might be better to cover up, or grind down to deeper layer for polishing. I'll be discussion floor options in a future post.

July 13: The Wheelbarrow Story

About 12:30pm on July 13, while still on break, Ronnie gave me a cell call.  I was in backyard checking things out.  Ronnie said that last time he was over, he had left one of his two wheelbarrows, and now it was missing, did I know anything about that.

No I didn't.

He asked me if I knew my neighbor to the left side.  Could he have gone into back yard and stolen wheelbarrow?  He saw him staring.

I figured Ronnie meant left side when looking at back of house.  On that side is a Mormon widower, with a retarded son in his 30's who has little to do and does sometimes stare.  If he meant the left side looking from front of house, on that side is a elderly latino gentleman of impeccable taste and character with a middle aged wife.  Both have always been super nice to me and I trust them completely, for example, when I go on vacation.  The widower called police a few years ago when somebody attempted to break into my house, setting off alarm, when I was on vacation.  The police did come out, and I wasn't sure whether it was because they got call from ADT or from neighbor, but it probably helped that police got two calls.  He gave me a full report when I got back to my hotel room and found lots of messages about it.  Because of his full reporting, I felt secure enough to finish my vacation.

I told Ronnie it was impossible that particular neighbor had stolen anything from my back yard.  I didn't think anybody would go into my back yard.

This either seemed like another attempt to get me to extort more money, or a fishing expedition to find out about my security system or cameras.  It especially makes me think I should not have Ronny back for any reason, even to just clean up, even to clean up the mess he made, which might not be easy to get him to do anyway.

Ronnie's two wheelbarrows were about the junkiest looking wheelbarrows you have ever seen, both looking decades old and having lots of caked on concrete.  For the first few weeks after June 1, he stashed them on side of house near utility service.  That was a bad location for me.  Because of soil erosion, there were exposed cable company cables sticking out of ground several inches I needed to bury.  I was worried with all his carelessly stashing tools (including a few of mine) and wheelbarrows in that corner, he would accidentally break cable.  I moved wheelbarrows and tools out of corner and asked him not to store them there anymore.  Then I dug trench and buried exposed cable in sand, which seems to be holding it down for now.  After slab pouring, I planned to put in sod and watering hose on timer, to be sure sod actually takes root in this hot weather.  I didn't want to add accessories to faucet until after concrete was poured, so that there was no question about access to water during those critical operations.  I had expected slab would be poured in early June so I could get on with getting grass to grow in the eroded soil in this critical area.  I had no idea slab wouldn't be poured until July 13.  Even back in mid May, Ronnie was promising that the engineering would be done and work would start in the next couple days.

Ronnie Leaves

Ronnie left just before 2pm.  He said he would be unavailable next week because he was going to work in Houston, but would be returning the following weekend.

I asked him for estimate to do separate concrete ramp we talked about last week.  He said he would get to that and cost of framing.

Current agreed slab costs, less engineering: $5210
Engineering cost already paid separately (includes soil sample & testing & insp) $570.81

That's one expensive 12.5x15 slab!!!  Over $30/sqft.  Of course it was engineered to support 15 tons of brick and mortar, not the usual stuff.  And I wanted that kind of over-engineering anyway, just because of expansive clay soil.

I notice I agreed to pay $330 for the wire mesh and installation that he tried to switch with rusty old mesh today.  The brand new mesh cost was $80.  It took a few minutes to install.

High estimates (original 10x12 estimate was $3280) and even higher upgrades!  I had previous 10x12 estimated at $1500.  Note that some of final cost includes $700 or so for changed position to avoid easement encroachment...that part was well worth the money.

And despite over-engineered metal rebar and mesh, it has several already known defects.  Foremost that the slab should have been at least 1 inch higher so as to be at least 6.5" above grade at the minimum height,   Standard recomendation even is to use 2x12 forms.  Ronnie just put 2x6 at the original ground level for 5.5" above grade, then added additonal 2x6 to handle slope from front to back.  To aid with curing in hot weather Ronnie could have used sealant, or built canopy, which he didn't do.  (I'm planning to give it a light watering every hour this afternoon, just finished one at 2:35.)  The slab is only roughly 5-5.5 inches thick beyond the deep beams, could have been 6 inches or more.  No base material or select fill (sandy loam) was used around the slab, instead just lightly compacted clay soil from the digging (which has been crumbling since inspection).

So top dollar price without all the top features that a perfectionist builder would actually do.  But I wasn't going to get top features at the $1500 price either (or about $2500 after upsizing and post-dating), in fact I'd barely get wire mesh and no rebar and mixed-on-site concrete.  So basically what I'm getting seems to be poor value, medium or slightly-sub-medium quality (by house standards), and way over-engineering for current task.  That's better than poor quality at poor value.  But I think I'd rather have high quality builder at good value.  Same price, but better quality.

Actual deposits I've paid (not counting engineering) total $6200.  Ronnie might well dispute that he still owes me about $1000 in deposits toward future material and labor.  (And he ought to clean up site for slab cost, right now, it's a mess with one big pile of excess concrete.)  This might be a good time to find new builder.

Anyway, it's been a huge day.  Yesterday I had a hole, today I have a foundation.

Finishing resumes

At 12:47 Ronnie and crew (one adult and one kid) were back to finishing slab.  Temperature is 92 and sunny.

About 12:20 Ronnie had called and said he was missing a wheelbarrow.  I said I hadn't seen a wheelbarrow when I was working on yard over the weekend.  He asked if I knew neighbor on left side facing the house.  I said it couldn't possibly be that neighbor.

July 13: Can't help but chisel

Ronnie called around 7:10 and said he would it take a few minutes to get over.  He arrived around 8 and then immediately began installing some very rusty looking wire mesh instead of the new clean looking wire mesh he had dropped off the day before.

Seeing what was going on, I immediately gave him a cell call.  He said he had the rusty wire mesh was fine, that's exactly what you get from Home Depot.   I asked why he wasn't installing the cleaner wire mesh he had dropped off the day before.  He said he had sold that to his brother so he could pay for the concrete upgrade that I had requested from 3000 psi to 4000 psi.  I told him I had promised to pay for the 4000 psi upgrade immediately after the concrete was delivered, and that I had paid for new wire mesh on June 22.  He insisted the rusty wire mesh was fine.  So I asked what it would cost to use the cleaner wire mesh.  He said $100, and I agreed to pay that immediately.

I did see through the window that the clean wire mesh had been installed (but didn't take picture).

Later he called and asked if I had the cash for the upgrade to 4000 psi.  I said I had only $15 in cash, but could write a check.  He wasn't sure the concrete operator would take that.  I called back and said if he needed cash I could go to HEB and cash a check.  He said he didn't want me to make an unnecessary trip to the store, he would call me back if he needed the $100 in cash.  He estimated the cost for the upgrade from 3000 psi to 4000 psi at $80, figuring 8 yards of concrete.

Around 11:25 Ronnie knocked on front door.  He said they would be back to finish working concrete, right now it was actually too wet and there were going to take a break.  I asked about shade he had promised to put up before, to keep the slab shaded.  He said that wasn't necessary, but he could get plastic and put on top.  He said that would be OK to put plastic on top to help retain moisture, though I would have to remove plastic daily to put more water on top.  But he added it would leave dark stains, water marks, on the concrete, even if clear plastic was used.  He reiterated it would be fine with no plastic.  I asked if I could water several times a day and he said I could water as much as I wanted, it would not collapse now.

He then said upgrade to 4000 PSI cost $10 per cubic yard and there were more than 8 cubic yards.  So he wanted a check for $100.  He said not to worry about "the metal" (wire mesh).  He gave me a copy of the cement .receipt and continued washing down equipment.

10 minutes later he knocked on door again.  I showed him that receipt clearly said there were 7.5 cubic yards, it said that in several places on the receipt, and the "1" was for the gas surcharge.  He said with tax it would be $100.  So I gave him a check for $100.  He said again not to worry about "the metal".

Looking online, it appears that a typical cost for upgrade from 3000psi to 4000psi is more like $3, not $10.

That is 2010 in Cincinnati, and those prices are all higher than what I paid, even the 3000psi is more than what I paid.  I paid $76 per cubic yard (specified as 4000psi on receipt) whereas the Cincinnati prices were $85 for 3000 PSI and $88 for 4000 psi.

Here are some comments from 2003 where they say 4000psi costs only $1 more per cubic yard.  Also interesting because there is a discussion of slump.  My receipt shows 5 slump.  (They must mean 5" slump.)

Total cost for the concrete as shown on the receipt was much less than I was thinking, only $582 for 7.5 cuyd, or $628.31 including tax.  I had been thinking it was more like $1500.  So why did Ronnie need an extra $1000 advance a few weeks ago so he could pour "soon"?

July 13: Excellent time to pour concrete

Weather is unexpectedly nice today for concrete pour.  At 7am, temperature was in 70's with very cloudy sky.

Bear ReadyMix concrete truck arrrived around 9am, and by 9:20 pour is well underway.  Temperature at 9:20 is 81 degrees.  Only a few scattered clounds now, however.

Ronnie is shuttling concrete from truck using Miller B-16 Concrete Bomber he rented beforehand.  Two workers are raking the concrete.  Well mainly one worker, the other is a kid who is mainly sitting down. Ronnie got off the bomber for a couple of minutes to fix some concrete that had oozed out of forms.

At 10:20, concrete surface is being leveled using a 2x4.  The temperature is 84.5.  Sky is partly cloudy casting no shadows.

By 10:30, concrete is being pushed down by worker.  Clouds have burned off and temperature is 85.

By 10:50, concrete truck is gone.  Not exactly sure when it left.  Concrete is still being finished.   Temperature is 86.

July 12: Threats and Deals

I took a good look at Angie's list website.  It turns out they do have a complaint resolution process.  They require you to file a "C" or worse report, then they send questions.  In order to qualify for the complaint resolution process, you must have tried to work the matter out with contractor.  Not yet actually having made ultimatum wrt delivery of concrete, I wouldn't qualify.

I sent message wrt my negative experiences around 10:30.

Maybe it was just coincidence, but then around 1pm Ronnie showed up for 5 minutes.  He dropped new clean wire mesh on my patio, and then took off.  I opened the door just as he was leaving.  He called me back a few minutes later.  He said he couldn't get concrete workers today, but would get them tomorrow.  He said he didn't want to call because he didn't want to wake me up.  I said in future he should call immediately if he couldn't show up.  (I remember telling him something like that before.)  I said that if he didn't show up or call tomorrow (July 13) I would start filing reports.  He said not to worry, we will take care of you.

*****

Around 2pm I called Progressive Solutions, the San Antonio dealer for Fleetwood Windows who had emailed and called about my order.  I told them I would be down at 3pm to put deposit on window.  I was told I needed 50% deposit.

Around 3:30 I found the Progressive Solutions building.  They were not part of larger building across the street as I had expected.  They have their own building.  The front door was locked, but the side door opened automatically.  I asked for my salesperson.

I asked about the shipping charge and was shocked to hear it was going to be $300.  I asked about time to delivery and they said 6 weeks.  At that point, I was beginning to think I should call this deal off, but the salesman wanted to show me some Fleetwood products.  He showed a 12 foot high pocket door which glides like magic.  I saw a cutout of an impressive window frame and asked about whether the thermal break material could fail.  He said that had never happened.  I asked if it was polyethylene and he didn't know.  There were no actual window samples.  I asked about the lubrication of the mechanism, whether it had a lubrication hole.  He went to his computer and printed out the Fleetwood care manual.  It does not mention lubrication hole, it appears you may need to squirt lithium grease into an exposed mechanism.  When I asked if mechanism could be replaced he said it could.

I told salesman the window was really important to this project because there would be no air conditioning, and that's why I wanted a casement window.  I told him I wanted a very strong window because I didn't want it to break off in the wind.  I mentioned that I had been originally planning to build shed with brick, but had to give that idea up.  I didn't mention that I also wanted to keep luxury window for that reason, so shed still has some kind of luxury feature.

Back at the front desk, I said that I thought $300 was an excessive shipping charge (for a small window).  He asked what I was thinking of, and I said $100.  I also said that 6 weeks was too long, I was hoping for something more like 4 weeks.  He went away for a couple minutes, and said he could reduce shipping charge to $150 by combining my order with another to save crating cost.  He said that they would lean on Fleetwood to keep delivery time as close to 4 weeks as possible, being that they had told me 4 weeks originally, and that they did a lot of business with Fleetwood.  He said they couldn't guarantee that because Fleetwood QC was very fussy and often rejected glass or other material at the last minute.  I agreed to those terms and paid $600 deposit.

Good dream, nightmare reality

3 hours have passed since the 3rd promised delivery date for concrete.  I have sent email to Angie's List asking for advice on what sort of ultimatum to give.  I do not like to give ultimatums.  Angies List says they respond within 2 days.  I will be calling attorney friend this afternoon.

Somehow, I woke around 6:45am, waited a bit for Ronnie to call with another postponement, then slowly dozed back to sleep.  Around 7:05 I heard some noises like a concrete truck.  As I dozed further, I was sure I heard gate slam, then Ronnie having a talk with some workers in back yard, and concrete being wheeled into back yard.  There was no doubt in my mind that all these things were happening.  After quite awhile, I got up and looked out the window.  The slab was poured nearly to the top, but there was still no wire mesh.  A worker was sitting on the forms waiting for something.  The concrete truck had taken off for awhile, I imagined it was running around the block to stir up the concrete some more.

Around 8:30 I actually woke up again.  There was clearly a truck going around the street, but it was clearly the "bulky items collection" of the solid waste department, making occasional bangs that could be mistaken for my metal gate slamming.  This time I opened up the window.  Nothing but the hole and rebar, exactly as it looked last week.

Sandy Loam conditioning

Right now the soil that was dug up from the bottom of the beam trenches where the slab will be poured this morning and packed around the forms is sinking.  Or worse than that, actually, parts of the sides have collapsed leaving a number of 6" gaps beneath the forms and some dirt above the compacted fill (but still below the supported rebar).  The soil was compacted, but that does little good when it is very hot and the clay soil has high plasticity index.  Ronnie has said it will not be a problem.  But I think it would have been better not to do that at least.  I'd feel much more worried about it if I were still planning to do brick, which has immense weight, and would need all the strength the engineer intended.

I just took another look with flashlight, and it still looks exactly like some photos I took last week.  The dirt clumps are still appear at least 1.5 inches from rebar, and mostly just fractions of an inch above the base.  The poured concrete will probably flatten the larger clumps.  Over time, the base in the beams will probably get saturated with dirt anyway, so a little on top probably makes little difference.

I have similar problem with the ground all around my house.  In spite of weekly watering sufficient to keep grass around the house growing pretty well, the soil sinks and cracks in the soil open up between the soil and the foundation beams around the perimeter of my house.  I think I lay down as much or more water than anyone who uses soaker hoses.  An underground watering system would probably be best.

I've obsessed about those cracks, and determined that it would be better not to have cracks.  When there is an open crack going down 30 inches or more, that provides even more surface area for water to evaporate. The drying process then accelerates in a vicious circle, with far more cracking going on than you can see.  You can see the effect of this hyper drying in dead grass, that gets as much water as other grass, but dies anyway because of the drying effect of runaway subsurface cracking.

My previous solution (and I don't recommend this anymore) was to pour sand in the cracks until they filled up.  The sand is easy to pour and extremely stable with respect to drying.  However sand may not be the best material to support a foundation.

Now I've found the perfect fill.  It's sandy loam.  Sandy loam is also called "select fill" because it has ideal properties for an earthen fill material.  It remains stable in wet and dry states,  It should not be used for base (limestone gravel mixed with sand is better for that) but fill along the sides of houses.

After I put a mere 100 lbs of sandy loam in the worst looking crack at the lowest point of my house on Saturday, then did a thorough soaking, it already seems that I'm hearing less snap crackle pop settling noises from my house.

Actually it isn't labeled sandy loam any more, it's now called "Lawn Conditioner" at Keller Materials.  Maybe it's not exactly the same, but they say it's the closest thing they have.  For lawns here, you would rake it around and fill in all the lawn cracks.  Reduces subsurface drying.

I might try another dealer New Earth and see if they have actual sandy loam.

The Window Obsession

I finally got a call from Progressive Solutions, Fleetwood Window dealer in San Antonio.  I will be talking to them this coming week.

My casement window, like most casement windows, isn't huge.  The 29x47 area, less 3" frame, gives glass area of 23x41.  Still, that's larger than the typical 2x2' or 2x3' shed windows.  And given that the entire window opens up, and channels wind from west, it provides more actual ventilation than a 36x48 single hung window, which would be the single hung alternative.  That's really the point of this window...ventilation, and some light.

The major source of light may be the 72x80 french doors facing east (but toward the house.  They also provide lots of additional ventilation when desired, and there is a quasi cross-flow between east and north sides.  I don't want windows on south and west sides, because that is where the majority of solar heating will be, and because basically those walls will be dedicated to storage.

Funny it seems that there is plenty of light in my house during the daytime even with blinds on all windows, including some actual blackout blinds in master bedroom.  So if there is plenty of light through blinds, the pool house windows are huge by comparison.

My school of thought about windows is that they are usually way overdone in McMansions and other architecturally designed houses.  One moderately sized window per room, as I mostly have in my house, is fine, in fact I think that's the direction of the future. Walls of windows are not a sustainable energy feature.  Windows are the #1 energy waster in a typical 2000's house with lots of windows. And that's true even with Energy Star Low-E windows.  Energy star requirements result in a window with far less R factor than normally insulated walls, something like R3 IIRC, while insulated walls can be R19 or higher.  You can get windows up to R11 (fixed series 11 Serious Windows) but they are incredibly rare and expensive.  You probably have never seen such windows in a home.

My mother was the person who opened up all the window coverings in the daytime and then closed them all at night for privacy.  But it seemed like other people I knew in High School just kept their windows closed all the day.  And that's pretty much the habit I have also, especially for the front and bedroom windows.  Going up and down most residential streets these days, it's rare to see a window not covered somehow.

I now often open the kitchen sliding glass door vertial blinds a couple of feet.  That door faces the back patio, which now has privacy screening.  I've often attempted to open just the upper blinds in the living room windows, but that quickly becomes a chore when you later have to close them.  I've often thought about having automated blinds, and even bought a automated blind motor, but it's complicated to set up and like many projects of mine has remained deep in the queue.

AFAIK, if you like to wander about the house without sufficient clothes on, you can be convicted of indecent exposure if others can see you, even backyard neighbors.  And  most security experts say you do not want people seeing your possessions inside.

I think it would be lovely to have great views from your windows, or have windows facing courtyard in villa or garden home, or live on a huge lot where there are no privacy issues.  But those are not luxuries I have, nor most people for the forseeable future.  I have little privacy even in my backyard now.  The 6 foot privacy fence gives hardly any privacy at all because of the slope of the land, and that is more the rule than the exception in homes I have looked at.  One possibility is extensive privacy landscaping.  I hope to have that someday, but it will require a lot of work.  Actually, the pool house will give the master bedroom window a little more privacy, but far from total.

Wait, come to think of it I do often open the master bedroom window during the daytime on weekends.  I've added a special privacy strip to the bottom of the window so that one can only be seen from the head up by backyard neighbors even at night.

Alternative stocked window

Home Depot seems to stock an acceptable window.  It's aluminum, white, no "lites", but fully insulated Low-E glass, 36x48.

Lowes did not stock a Low-E aluminum window without lites.

Surprise calls from Ronnie

Ronnie called on Friday at 6:50am.  First asks whether 4000psi is OK, or if 4500psi was minimum.  I said 4000 or 4500.  He knows I preferred 4500 (I had said "if possible").  He said it would cost more.  How much more, I asked.  A little bit more.  He said concrete couldn't be delivered today until 1pm, and that was too late.  He would call back.

He called back 2 minutes later saying concrete was scheduled for Tuesday at 7am.  I asked about wire mesh.  He said that was no problem, he already had it on truck.

Nope, no wire mesh installed this evening as promised

Wire mesh was, for the second time, promised to be installed tonight, as precursor to concrete pour.  I couldn't be sure from bedroom window, so I went out to check.  Still couldn't see any.

So I've been stood up.  It couldn't be any more clear this time.  And this is the second time.  I received no phone calls, and no messages on door either.

Tomorrow, if I don't see concrete (very unlikely now),   I'll first call Angies List and see if they can make suggestion as to what to do next.  Then perhaps my attorney brother-in-law.

At some point, I might call Ronnie again, offer him another chance with ultimatum.  Or maybe not.  I need to get some advice as to how to handle this to preserve all possible legal options.

On friend suggests simply telling him I won't be needing his services anymore.

If I never get concrete...

It's possible that I will get concrete slab poured by Ronnie.  Tomorrow is only the second time he has promised to do the concrete pour.  He has invested significant work in this project already (40 hours or more).  And considering the way he works, a few days of delay would not be unusual.

But for various reasons, including the way he blew past the first promised date of July 6 without letting me know beforehand, the halting way construction has gone since the beginning of construction on June 1 (2-3 days per week max,  3 hrs max per day), the way he hit me up for more money twice after the original deposits (and I paid, including on last Friday), the fact I've already paid more than the slab should cost, and the way he disappeared unreachable by phone for 3 days last month, all give me great concern over whether this will work out.  We are now at the point where he faces significant material costs, which I have already paid for several times, but still, if he spent the money elsewhere quickly after being paid, he may not have the money to pay significant material costs.  Or may not want to, figuring best to quit while he's this far ahead.*  And that indeed seemed to be the case that he had spent the money, since he needed more "draw" in order to get the job done quickly, he said last week.  That was not a good sign, but I only paid contingent on his providing significant documentation and inspection completion.

(* Come on, a guy who could make thousands a week on independent contracting, would he do that, stiff me for a measly $1xxx in concrete, considering the potential cost to his reputation?  Well maybe if contracting business has gotten slow anyway, and maybe he has "real job" somewhere, or unreal job doing something illegal.  Last week, when arguing for more cash, he said he was not a crook.  One friend suggested that was exactly what a crook would say, and when somebody says that you should not believe them.  Maybe he simply gets his jollies more from ripping people off than actually doing work, and I looked like easy mark.  Or maybe it's not a thought-out plan, he simply has substance abuse problem, attempting to feed it in any way possible until his whole career collapses.  That's one of several explanations to the effect that he's simply not concerned about reputation anymore.  Or perhaps he doesn't think I could hurt his reputation much, which might well be true.)

So what would I do next?  Well I'm going to keep after him for awhile.  But here are some alternatives:

1) Talk to Angies List people
2) File report on Angies list
3) Report to state attorney general
4) Report to BBB
5) Consult attorney
6) Go to small claims court
7) File police report
8) Hire private investigator to see what he actually does (perhaps find other employer and report to them)
9) Investigate using internet searches

On Angie's List, Ronnie claimed to be licensed.  However, his name does not show up in search of Texas licensed contractors:

http://www.tdlr.state.tx.us/LicenseSearch/LicenseSearch.asp

They say to call if license doesn't show up.  I will be doing that next week if I don't see concrete on Friday.  (1) is another first step.

One problem is that keeping the pressure on Ronnie to get the job done or get restitution will mean delaying hiring someone else to finish the work.  I am worried about how long leaving hole in the ground with rebar in it is OK.  After awhile, the hole collapses, rebar rusts, etc.  I should probably start talking with other contractors about it after 2 weeks.

As far as #6, this article suggests you should always consider whether contractor can pay up as one of 3 issues (do you have good case, can you compromise, can contractor pay up).  Well there probably isn't much money I could collect in compromise settlement anyway.  He'd probably try to claim all I've paid just goes for costs and materials, and a compromise might put it at half or less.  I think you can't get your court costs paid in small claims.  Arbitration might be better, but if he's not actual licensed contractor he might not need to submit to binding arbitration, or even otherwise.

July 5-6

July 5 and 6 were the two days Ronnie promised to have the wire mesh installed, and then get the slab poured.  On Friday he said he had talked to the concrete company, and Wednesday was the earliest day.

Actually he first said he could "probably" have the wire mesh installed on Saturday July 3.  I got him to agree that Tuesday would be the latest day, it would definitely be done by then.

Ronnie didn't show up on Saturday, or Tuesday July 5, or Wednesday July 6.

On the afternoon of July 5th, I noticed some weeds growing into the sides of the slab.  I got out a weed cutting pair of scissors and carefully cut back the worst ones, cutting with one hand and then removing the weed with the other hand.  I was careful not to "tug" on the weeds at all.  One of the weeds fell to the bottom because I wasn't gripping hard enough.  I was incredibly lucky not to cut my hands on protruding thin wire wrapped around the rebar.

Then I noticed two spots of crumbling on opposite sides.  On each side, roughly in the middle, there was now a gap of about 6 inches under the wood forms where soil had crumbled.  You could see the crumbled soil at the bottom of the beam trenches, but fortunately none of it was even close to touching the rebar, which is supported on 2.5 inch chunks of concrete.  Still, I might feel better vacuuming out the crumbled soil.

I called Ronnie about 5pm on Tuesday and told him about the crumbling soil.  He said it was no problem, he could fix that before the concrete was poured.  However, he didn't have any time to talk then, he would call back.  He didn't call back.

I called Ronnie again on July 6 around 5pm.  He said he had talked to the concrete company again and the earliest they could schedule was Friday July 8 at 7am.  So he would be out on Thursday July 7th in the evening and install the wire mesh, then back in the morning for the concrete pour.  I said "Great!" several times, not knowing what else to say.

*****

Since I faxed the Fleedwood window over a week before, June 27, I haven't heard anything from Holly Banks at Fleetwood Windows.  I sent an email on July 5 saying I needed to get the order going soon, this week at the latest.

July 1: Inspection "Passed with Flying Colors"

Ronnie came out to work on Friday morning and finished suspending the slab rebar above the moisture barrier with small pieces of concrete and wire bolsters.  Around 10:20 am, he awoke me with cell phone call asking for "the design" so I put on my bathrobe, got one of the 3 copies of the engineering design and put it under a weight on the patio table.

Sometime around 12:40 the inspector arrived for 1pm appointment.  I heard Ronnie and the inspector talking and opened up bedroom window shade to watch.  For the 3 minutes or so I was watching the inspector was mainly looking at slab preparation, then down at his notepad.  The inspector had a trimmed beard and looked a bit older than Ronnie.  Not long after 1pm, the inspector left and Ronnie knocked on front door.  "The Inspection Passed With Flying Colors!" he explained.  Though actually the inspection report, written by Wayne A. H* (illegible last name which Ronnie didn't know either, could be Hanuh) is a yellow carbon copy with dark grey writing.

He gave asked me to make copies of the inspection report (mainly a set of checked boxes) and the receipt for the $200 inspection fee.  He took the copies and I retained the originals.  The inspection report noted the 27" beam depths per engineering, but then had some abbreviation neither I nor Ronnie understood "16 UNDIST."  It noted that there was no wire mesh.  Ronnie said he would install the optional mesh on Saturday if possible.  He agreed that it would be installed no later than Tuesday, and the pour would be scheduled with local concrete company such as Ingram or Bexar Wednesday or as soon as it could be scheduled.

I asked if it was OK that he was adding wire mesh after inspection and he said it was, and I asked if being that the design was for brick and we were using much lighter fiber cement if that would mean it was even less likely to have trouble from ground shifting and he agreed it was "above and beyond" the requirements and should be fine.

I brought out my check carbon for the special payment I made on June 1 to cover engineering costs.  We agreed that I had covered the soil test, engineering, design copies, and the inspection fee ($200) in that payment for $535.81.  He suggested he had not collected $35 for digging the soil sample, so I included that $35 with the $670 advance I promised after the inspection, for $705 total.  He agreed to see about getting 4000 or 4500 PSI concrete as I asked him, and agreed he could handle it, and I said I would immediately reimburse him for the extra cost.  The minimum specification required by engineering is 3000 PSI.

He was also planning to use extra concrete to pour a concrete ramp.  He explained he would use "dowels" to attach the ramp to the slab, that would keep them from shifting apart like my patio and front entry sidewalk.  We agreed that it would go 1 inch beyond the 6 foot wide french doors on either side.

I later remembered talking to him about ramp before.  I did not (and still do not) like the idea of tying ramp to foundation, it worries me very much that this will put undue stress on the foundation.  I would prefer either free floating concrete ramp, and ignore the shifting, or a wood ramp.  I think given that choice before he recommended the wood ramp.  I'm planning to call him Saturday morning to make this change.  A wood ramp means that when patio is ultimately poured, the ramp can be replaced with decking, and moved to the side of the decking.  I think the wood is better because it allows easier changes, and can't damage the concrete slab, and probably won't shift as much either because it weighs less.  Of course the wood ramp wouldn't be as permanent, but given the unknown configurations of future patio that could be a plus.

I did some reading online and see that in some cases they use smoothed and greased dowels into the slab, with holes drilled after slab is poured, to allow some horizontal but not vertical movement for ramp.  The in other cases, the dowels are fixed into the foundation but the ramp has groves which fit over them, accomplishing the same thing.  Then in still other cases, they use felt in between ramp and slab, with dowels going through the felt.  I wonder if Ronnie had any of these more sophisticated ideas in mind.  Anyway, I still don't like the idea of connecting slab with ramp.  I'm spending a lot to make a slab as robust as possible amidst very expansive clay soil and I don't want to compromise that merely for a ramp.