Thursday June 30

Ronnie didn't show up for work today, as he said he would yesterday.  However he called around 10:00 am with some good news.  He said the slab preparation would get inspection on Friday.

I had been thinking I should have qualified my previous offer to advance $670 after inspection was passed with the further proviso "and get the wire mesh installed" as that would, no doubt, mean another day of delay (given the way Ronnie works 2-3 hours per day on my project).  And with the forthcoming holiday weekend, obviously no work would be done on Monday July 4.  And that would be all the greater opportunity for my latest money to disappear, like the last time Ronnie disappeared after I advanced him $1500.

So, I asked how soon he could get the wire mesh in.  "Right away" he said.  I left it at that.

Around 11:45 I called the GE Reaves engineering company, seeking to find out whether the engineering document Ronnie had provided me was an authentic document, and not a forgery made by Ronnie based on some previous but similar engineering document Ronnie had come across in the past.  The first person to answer the phone said there were few people in the office right then because most were out to lunch.  I got transferred to someone else in the residential foundation division.  That person explained he was a file clerk and couldn't answer any questions, but would have someone call me back.  I had hard time explaining my question in both cases.  I gave the second person my residential address and cell phone number.

Finally someone else did call back around 1pm.  I once again had a hard time explaining my question (never using the name Ronnie) but finally they said that yes, Masterlink had gotten an engineering design for my foundation, and further added that they had also ordered an inspection on Friday at 1pm.  This was a lady, and I wondered if she was the MERI listed on the document for design and drawing.

After completing my midday nap, around 2:30 I took a look at the slab site and took some higher resolution pictures than usual using my Canon digital camera (instead of my iPhone 3G, which has been used for all pictures posted so far).  While taking the pictures, I noticed that several of the rebar pieces were drooping against the vapor barrier.  That was clearly wrong, but perhaps what Ronnie had been planning to fix.

I called Ronnie right then and left a message.  I called him again at 5:00 and left another message.  Finally he called back around 6:30 and said he needed to pick up some spacers on Friday and would come over before the inspection and get the rebar properly supported.  I thanked him.

Around 8pm I dropped by Sears Roebuck and picked up a package of replacement bags for my 17762 wet dry vac.  One bin was clearly labeled for model 17762, and the price shown was $11.98.  However, the cash register rang up $14.98.  I said that was wrong and went back to check.  It turned out the bag I had picked out of the correct bin had not been the correct bag.  Another salesman came out and found the required bags in another (wrong) bin.  I then thought maybe the more expensive bag would also fit and do better filtering.  The packages seemed to be exactly the same size except the more expensive bag was thicker.  But the correct bin for that bag didn't list model numbers, it only said "15-25 gallon shop vacs."  I doubled checked and my vacuum is called "wet dry vac" and not "shop vac".  Back at the register, the first salesman had disappeared and did not answer to call.  I was glad that the second salesman got to ring up the bag since he had taken so much time and trouble helping me find the correct bag.

Engineering by GE Reaves

Back in May, Ronnie got engineering done by GE Reaves Engineering, Inc.  They have offices at 12508 Jones Maltsberger and phone is 490-4506.

I got 3 copies of the engineering document, signed by John A. Martin, Licensed Professional Engineer, dated 05-25-11, and a receipt stamped PAID.  I reimbursed Ronnie on June 1 for the exact amount on the receipt, $535.81.  According to a box in the corner, the actual design and drawing was done by MERI.

The soil test information is also printed on the engineering document, listed as done by Geotechnical Consultants, Inc.  The soil test shows "Design Level B, Dark Gray Silty Clay, PI 30."  It is dated May 17, 2011.

PI is the Plasticity Index.  A PI of 20-40 is "high plasticity" and >40 is "very high plasticity".  The plasticity index indicates how much soil expands and contracts.  It's hard to believe any soil expands and contracts more than what we have here, but apparently so.

Estimates and Milestones June 29

Ronnie did a couple of hours of work this morning before we had meeting to discuss the additional "draw" (cash advance) Ronnie asked for yesterday.  He got most of the slab rebar in place (see picture above), but needed some additional ties to finish the slab prep work before inspection.  He said he would finish the work on Thursday June 30, and call for inspection asap.

For the first time, I made copies of all 4 pages of "estimates" Ronnie had drawn up in his notebook about this project, starting from the very beginning when he showed me first estimates on May 6, to the latest changes.  (Numerous changes have been made to the plan since then.)  Lacking anything in writing from previous meetings was beginning to give me a very bad feeling, so this was some help.

Ronnie started mentioning some of his troubles with car, associate worker, and the duration of project, etc.  Labor was costing him more than expected.

I pointed out that part of the reason things were taking so long was that he was only working 3 hours a day and skipping lots of days.  During one particular week this month, he only worked one day.  That was not long after I had given him the last advance ($1500) bringing total deposits to $5100 (which yesterday he disputed until I showed him the check carbons).

He agreed, however, that the estimated and agreed-to costs were going to final costs, unless modified by project additions.  I was not going to be covering his car, bad loans to associates, etc.

He said that he needed another $1000 advance now to get the slab poured soon.  He reiterated over and over that he would do the work one way or another, he was an honest person, etc.  But he did not have the money (despite all my payments) to get the concrete right away without a further advance.

I wrote a check for the $330 estimated for the addition of the wire mesh, which I asked him about yesterday, and which had not previously been part of any estimate.  The engineer "suggested" the addtional wire mesh if the building was to have bare concrete or tiled floor, to minimize non-structural cracking.  (The $330 included $80 actual parts cost for the mesh itself, as shown on one of estimate pages).  And I said I would advance him the remaining $670 after the slab preparation had actually passed inspection, and if it would mean he could get slab poured from concrete truck soon (which he insisted it would).

So, FWIW, for the first time, I added an actual milestone (slab inspection) as condition for further advances. That made me feel better about it, though one could easily say I should have refused any further advances since the amount paid until today ($5100) already exceeded total estimated slab cost (and now I've gone further, to $5430).  Total project cost is now estimated to be over $11,300, by guestimate, I did not actually add his numbers up yet.

The actual estimated slab cost was initially $3200 (rather high IMO, I had similar work estimated at $1800 two years ago but had hoped Ronnie's work would be better) and got increased another $1500 for upgrades (including thicker rebar and 50% size increase) and moving (to avoid easement violation, an upgrade/change cost which seemed reasonable at the time and I paid that that $1500 a couple of weeks ago), plus $330 for the wire mesh, totalling $5030 in estimated and agreed slab costs.  All in all, a rather expensive slab for a shed (though it's worth most of that to me for the highly upgraded way it's being built, as engineered for the originally planned 9 foot high brick walls, and which I still think is a good idea for my expansive clay soil, despite the fact that heavy brick veneer siding is no longer in the plan).   Sunday I had joked to friends at my party that the slab was being built so well I could indeed, sometime in the unforseeable future, add two more levels, observation deck, and a dome, as one friend had joked a month before.  Another possibility (though not sure if fully engineer approvable) would be using brick as interior wall...that actually makes a lot of sense for passive building, more sense actually than brick siding, since it puts the thermal mass inside the insulated envelope.  Given current situation, I probably would not do that right away, but it's another idea for the unforseeable future.

So, am I a shrewd manager or sucker?  Only time will tell.

June 28: One step forwards, then nightmare resumes

Ronnie worked Monday evening (as he told me by phone) and Tuesday morning June 28 with his assistant.  The rebar for the beams now seems to be in place, finally (after a month) no longer resting on the ground and leaning against my fence.  There is visible gravel underneath the beam rebar.  The rebar for the top of the slab is resting in place but needs to be cut before installation, and Ronnie didn't have the required saw, so work ended at that point.

Last week sometime I had pointed out to Ronnie that the engineer had "suggested" an addition wire grid on top of the slab rebar and tied to it, under these circumstances: garage floor, stained concrete floor, or tile.  This is to minimize visible cracking in the slab or floor surface.  (If you have carpeting or wood or linoleum, that covers up the cracking.)  Ronnie had then agreed, but just to be sure he still remembered, I brought out the engineering diagram to him at about 9:20am, within 15 minutes or so after he started work in the morning, much earlier than usual.

OK, Ronnie said, and he also wanted to know what the engineer had specified at the slab rebar spacing, was it 16 inches?  I showed Ronnie where on the diagram it was specified as 14 inches.

Around 11:20 Ronnie gave me a phone call.  I had been trying to start my afternoon nap.  He said that he needed to make another "draw" (in other words, more money from me).  I asked how much he wanted.  He said that the wire grid would run about $250 plus installation, then he would need money for the concrete pour.

I cut him off right there and told him I had already made $5100 in advance deposits, not counting the engineering cost, and that should be plenty to get concrete slab in the ground, in fact it should be almost half the total project cost, which had been originally estimated at $7200 (but had been increased due to slab upgrades, moving the forms, and increased square footage).  I had initially paid a desposit of $3600, equal to half the estimated cost, and then already paid an additional $1500 for all the slab upgrades and moving.  The $5100 should be plenty to get a 12.5x15 slab in the ground, and I wasn't going to pay him anything more until I see the concrete.  Furthermore, I added, some of my friends have contractors who don't get paid anything at all until the project is actually finished.  If he couldn't finish the slab given what I had already paid, I would get someone else who could.

Ronnie said he checked with his bank and the only payment he could see (in addition to the $1500 upgrade cost)  was $1900, and that different contractors had different policies.  I reminded him that I had given him two checks in early May, one for $2500, and another a few days later for $1100.  He asked to see the records, so I put on my bathrobe and met him at the door showing him the two check carbons, dated May 6 and May 10.

(Nightmare: nearly two months into the project and there's still no concrete in the ground, and now looking like my contractor doesn't still have the money to cover the concrete pour after I've paid $5100 which seems to have been mostly pissed away.  It still seemed like a pleasant dream in mid May, when he suggested we get soil test, then slab engineering, both very good ideas and not normally done when there is no building permit required, but really a good idea with expansive clay soil and 9 foot brick walls, as were then part of the plan.  The the dream started turning sour as he kept promising the engineering would be ready "tomorrow," and then two weeks went by before he actually got the engineering and started work on June 1, for just 3 hours.  It really turned into nightmare when two weeks ago,  after I paid an additional $1500 on top of the original $3600, he disappeared for 3 days and couldn't be reached by telephone.  It was at that point I decided I needed to start thinking about Plan B, getting another contractor to finish the work and cutting costs mainly by canceling the never-actually-estimated brick upgrade cost.  I now have a lot of sympathy for those who forgo hiring builders and just do the work themselves, though that can turn out to be a disaster in other ways.)

Ronnie said he would work up some numbers and show me some paperwork.  I told him I didn't have any more time to talk today, so he told me he would see me Wednesday morning and get the slab work done and talk to me about the costs.

Tuesday night I put on disposable gloves and cleaned up the liner, surplus vapor barrier plastic,  and lots of bottled water bottles from the stinky trash can I had dumped over (to pour out the stinky rainwater) on Sunday night.  I got it all in the trash container for collection on Wednesday morning.

I respect the hard work that builders do, and so I would not regret having to do such cleanup if they  were completely good in other respects.

June 25-27

Saturday June 25

Ronnie did not show up as semi-promised.  No phone call, nothing.

I researched wet-dry vacuums, and went to Sears and bought the one top rated by Consumer Reports, a Sears Craftsmen 17762.

Sunday June 26

Showed friends at my monthly party the hole in my backyard where the slab for pool house will go.  It's quite impressive looking, actually, with the 30 inch deep beams.  People unfamiliar with slab construction needed lots of explanation, they seemed to think I was building a basement or something.

When my party ended at 9pm, I got the wet dry vacuum out of the box to vacuum up the mostly pea sized gravel Ronnie and his workers had spilled in my side yard, where it is doing no good whatsoever for my grass.  It took a bit longer than expected to assemble the thing, but once I read instructions all was fine.  By 9:40 I was busy vacuuming.  A strong breeze from the southwest was blowing, so I placed vacuum about 10 feet to my east.  I also used paper bag and the vacuum has a HEPA like filter.  With all that, I figured I was safe and didn't need respirator.  In fact, I later checked the "muffler" and there is no visible dust there whatever.  With that muffler in place, the machine is amazingly quiet, much quiter than my neighbor's outdoor compressor, so I did not feel guilty running it until about 11pm.  The machine was getting so heavy with gravel it was hard to move, but it almost seems like I hardly made a dent in the amount of gravel, mostly dispersed amidst the grass, that ultimately needs to be picked up.  I'll have to buy another dozen or so bags.  I needed to spend another hour or so rearranging junk in my garage to fit the rather bulky vacuum in.  I certainly don't want wet dry vacuum full of dusty gravel inside house.  I needed to take my mother's old wheelchair out of garage and brought into living room, where there isn't any room either, and I'll just need to move it from side to side to vacuum up after party.  I needed this Pool House yesterday if not two years ago to handle my junk problem.  I am in serious gridlock territory, yet I do not want to give stuff up (like the funky wheelchair we got for $35 and then mom spent weeks repainting it to look nice) because there will eventually be more space for it.  I am strongly considering renting offsite storage because the Pool House is taking so long to get built.

I moved Ronny's wheelbarrows and other tools away from corner of house near power meter, so I could do watering there and along back side of house to help preserve foundation.  Ronnies stuff had prevented that area from getting it's share of the rainfall.  I put up a tape across the corner so as to warn against storing stuff there in future.  Among the tools I found 3 of my own garden tools which I moved to back side of house near patio.

The garbage can near patio which Ronnie's workers had put excess plastic sheeting, sheeting box, and some soft drink bottles was very stinky because it was left open and had filled up with rain this week.  With rubber gloves on, I dragged the can to the other side of yard and dumped it away from me.  I determied to pick up the stuff later after the sun had killed the germs.  The sheeting box, however, was sufficient unaffected that I put it in main recycling bin.  Then I took a shower.

I need to do something about the corner of patio which gets a waterfall of rain off the house and patio roofs.  That's was what had filled up the trash can, I've seen it happen before.  I think excess water at that position during heavy rain was causing an exceptional amount of house shifting noises this week after heavy rain on Wednesday.

Monday June 27


Ronnie called about 10am and said he was picking up more gravel because the engineers normally like to see gravel underneath the rebar in the beams.  I told him that was sounded great, and that I was impressed with the look of the slab forms and beam now.  Then he said he would get the rebar put in today also.  I told him I had moved his tools from corner of house and suggested he put them elsewhere, prefereably a different location every day.

Ronnie showed around 11:15, but for less than a half hour.  Looking from bedroom window that afternoon, I couldn't see any gravel in the beams.  But when I took a look at side of house, I saw two new piles of freshly spilled gravel.

Ronnie called and left message, but didn't return my calls until about 7:30 pm when I was on my dinner break from work.  Then he said he was working at my house in the evening to avoid the heat.  I told him I thought that was a great idea.  He said not to be worried if I heard from the neighbors.

I brought revised and signed casement window quotation (hinge now on right side) down to Office Depot after having dinner and faxed it back to Fleetwood Windows.

Jacuzzi info

The round Jacuzzi J-210 is actually the smallest one, seats 4.  The squarish J-280 seats 7.

The J-480 is a luxury upgraded model.

Prices not available online, but seem to range from $6000-$14,000.  People brag about getting J-480 for $9000 or so, but low price may not be good if unit is demo, used, crummy installation, careless delivery, etc.  I would especially steer clear of anything used and buy through most reputable dealer.  One guy got a used one with pea soup, big trouble getting unit cleaned and disinfected.

Even brand new, you continually have to worry about keeping it germ free.  Apparently Bromine is one of the best solutions (and, unfortunately, sunlight is bad for the bromine.  Here's a discussion from someone with lots of experience.  I remember that from an old friend 30 years ago who had pool/jacuzzi in his back yard.  He always talked about "the bromine level."  That was all greek to me, when I had swimming pool all I ever heard about was chlorine and acid.  The acid was apparently required because of alkaline water supply in Los Angeles, may be different elsewhere, may add borax to raise pH if needed, higher pH is more alkaline.  But apparently chlorine pool maintenance has been out of favor for a long time, bromine is easier (just slightly more expensive).

Yes, it's all coming back to me, water test kits and all that.  Waterbear makes specific recommendations, like the Taylor K-2106 test kit for bromine maintenance.

Here is a seller critical of "the leading brand" who lists ANSI specs that all hot tubs should follow:

http://www.spaspecialist.com/ANSI1.html

Though his water purification method (copper ions) doesn't meet EPA standards.  I wonder if you could use regular old bromine without violating warranty.  Anyway here are the spa models, which do look nice if pricey (and I wonder about delivery cost from Colorado):

The unconditioned Whenever Room

I still like the idea of not doing A/C.  This room is mainly for storage, but also for human relaxation, jacuzzi changing, small scale tinkering, get away from the other person, etc., typically in the evenings.  I doesn't have to be air conditioned because it doesn't really have to be occupied: I already have fully air conditioned house and reasonably temperate garage.  The garage already has a workbench table, and I have no problem using it whenever it's not raining.  But it might be nicer, sometimes, to use workbench table in the Pool House.

So one way of thinking about this room is that it's the Whenever room.  It's there for use Whenever, as in Whenever it's OK.  Whenever it's not OK, go somewhere else.  But I'm always amazed at how pleasant it is even on hot day when you are in the shade.  And this shade will be insulated shade with radiant barrier (unlike plain metal patio roof, which actually re-radiates infrared, so you're actually getting less shade than you think).  There should be reasonable (though not optimal) ventilation through medium casement window on north side and double french doors with screen on east side.

I have friends who do hiking and play tennis in 100 degree heat *and* sunshine.

Through-wall hole for air conditioning could always be added later if I change my mind.  Now if I had some fairly positive idea I *might* want to add A/C in the future, it might be good to be prepared, such as having the framing done, a cutout through the sheetrock, and even (possibly) a trimmed and sealed cutout on the exterior.  That could save a few more bucks in the future at the expense of small bucks now.  It could also reduce the worry about cutting through fiber cement siding in situ (though I'm not sure that's how it would be done anyway).  Possibly the best approach would be to remove a fiber cement panel, cut the hole and do framing, then re-install the panel with proper flashing, sealing and repainting.  The in situ cutting worries me as it could be spreading silica all over.

But since I really can't foresee the circumstances under which I might want to add A/C, I think I'm better off not doing the prep work, especially making the cutout in exterior wall.  Though I will ask builder about this.  He'll probably say it's easy either way, just a little flashing and trim will cover up the hole until it needs to be used.

Anyway, the hole for the most applicable unit, the 5500 BTU Friedrich XQ05M10, the industry's smallest slide out chassis unit, would be:

20" wide
14 1/4" tall

For the through-wall Friedrich models (min 8000 btu), the finished dimensions are

26 1/8 " wide
15 3/4" high