So, the new home warranty issue has been put to rest. Progressive confirmed the registration almost immediately, and I was able to download a certificate that we need to print out for the the building permit application.
The question of the joists on top or inside the foundation wall has also been resolved. At some point, Ryan decided that we had the head room to put the joists on top of the wall, and it's apparently cheaper to build, so he drew it that way. And he didn't tell us he changed his mind.
In the back corner of the building, the city has asked us to increase the grade and slope it so that no water drains from our property onto the neighbour's. Apparently it wasn't properly graded when the neighbour's house was built, since these used to be one yard. But even though we're required to increase the grade, we're not allowed to make the house higher. So a couple inches of dirt will come above the concrete wall and butt up against our rim joist. The plan is to wrap this in "blue skin" to waterproof it. The engineer asked about it a couple of weeks ago, and everyone was in agreement.
So then, when I noticed the drawings were changed I asked about it, raising a whole lot of misunderstanding. Rather than talking to me and confirming, Ryan simply sent me an email and agreed to change the drawings. I finally got him on the phone to ask about the ceiling heights. He said that the joist location wouldn't change. If we (or the engineer) wanted to have the joists inside concrete, we would make the concrete wall taller to come higher above grade. He thought the engineer wanted this because of the rim joist meeting grade in the back corner. He forgot we'd already discussed this with the engineer.
I confirmed with BIL that he doesn't see an issue with the rubber wrapped wood meeting grade. So, nothing needs to change in the drawings or engineering letter.
Now, we just needed to have Ryan update his drawings to show the location of the concrete supports for the posts. He commented on Thursday that we could apply for the BP "next week". (So, this week.) On Friday, I texted him asking if we were going to be applying on Monday (today). He replied that he had made an appointment for Tuesday (tomorrow). I may have done an embarrassing little dance when I got that text.
I got a call today from someone I was waiting on a foundation quote for. He told me we had no foundation engineering done. I told him it was in the second engineer's letter. He told me that was just the pad/footing design. The other letter apparently didn't have any foundation stuff in it, and it couldn't because the engineering was done by the truss company, and they only know wood. We have to go to another company to get the concrete stuff engineered. What? But didn't we hire them to do the engineering because BIL gets them to do his projects? So I called BIL. Nope. He has never used this company to do foundation engineering. Apparently I am the one who told him that they do foundation engineering now. Crap. I don't remember saying that. So, apparently we paid them to engineer a couple of pieces, but we still have to pay someone else, and we probably won't have it by tomorrow. Just as I'm about to phone MrDinks and let him know BP day is getting delayed, the foundation guy called me back. He made a mistake. He hadn't expected to find what he was looking for in the same letter as the wall engineering, so he missed it. But they have absolutely done the engineering we need.
At this point, I realized that we're going to need a line in the budget for alcohol. I'm going to need a lot of it over the next year.
When MrDinks got home, he just laughed when I told him that the foundation guy said we didn't have foundation engineering done. Apparently it was HIM that told BIL that the truss company offered this service now. I'm not sure how he knew that. I'm the one who has actually spoken to them. And I'm not convinced MrDinks listens to me when I relay these messages. But, he was right. (I probably shouldn't admit that online.)
Meanwhile, I am pretty sure Ryan is going to need some paperwork from me in order to apply for the BP. But I haven't been able to reach him. He hasn't asked for the NHW paperwork. And he hasn't asked for the names of the trades we're planning to use, which is required for the application form. There's also a document that MrDinks, BIL, or I need to sign, promising to use a waterproof exterior material. (Why? Are there people cladding their houses in marshmallow? Who knows? But it's in the BP application checklist.) Ryan hasn't asked for that. I texted him this morning asking about the form we have to fill out to determine the cost of the BP. The form includes the square footage of the different areas of the house, the number of fireplaces, what type of heating we're using, etc. He replied this evening that he hadn't filled out the form yet. I asked what time his appointment is tomorrow, and he hasn't responded. I'll bet you can hear my sigh.
I'm not confident this is actually happening. Or, if he makes the appointment, is he going to be sent home for not having all the right pieces?
I'm focusing now on lining up surveying, excavating and foundations. On Friday, BIL contacted the first excavator I have a quote for, and he said he's busy until the end of August. The last quote I got was too vague, so BIL isn't comfortable using him. Buh. So we have to contact a couple more people.
I now have 3 quotes for the foundation. A guy I found on Google has quoted really low. His quote is really vague, except for where it explicitly excludes stuff. I think we'll skip him. The guy BIL recommended is the mid-price quote. But he won't insulate the foundation beyond what is basic code. He claims it can't be done because it would affect the water proofing. But Ryan has done it, and the environmental consultant has recommended it. This guy just doesn't know how to do it. The 3rd quote (the guy who gave me a heart attack today) is higher than the first 2 combined, but he's doing the proper insulation. I'm going to try and get the contact info out of Ryan for the guy who did his foundation.
Surveying is rather straight forward, and will likely be done by the end of the week. I'm just not in a hurry to get it done too soon before we get the BP in.
The question of the joists on top or inside the foundation wall has also been resolved. At some point, Ryan decided that we had the head room to put the joists on top of the wall, and it's apparently cheaper to build, so he drew it that way. And he didn't tell us he changed his mind.
In the back corner of the building, the city has asked us to increase the grade and slope it so that no water drains from our property onto the neighbour's. Apparently it wasn't properly graded when the neighbour's house was built, since these used to be one yard. But even though we're required to increase the grade, we're not allowed to make the house higher. So a couple inches of dirt will come above the concrete wall and butt up against our rim joist. The plan is to wrap this in "blue skin" to waterproof it. The engineer asked about it a couple of weeks ago, and everyone was in agreement.
So then, when I noticed the drawings were changed I asked about it, raising a whole lot of misunderstanding. Rather than talking to me and confirming, Ryan simply sent me an email and agreed to change the drawings. I finally got him on the phone to ask about the ceiling heights. He said that the joist location wouldn't change. If we (or the engineer) wanted to have the joists inside concrete, we would make the concrete wall taller to come higher above grade. He thought the engineer wanted this because of the rim joist meeting grade in the back corner. He forgot we'd already discussed this with the engineer.
I confirmed with BIL that he doesn't see an issue with the rubber wrapped wood meeting grade. So, nothing needs to change in the drawings or engineering letter.
Now, we just needed to have Ryan update his drawings to show the location of the concrete supports for the posts. He commented on Thursday that we could apply for the BP "next week". (So, this week.) On Friday, I texted him asking if we were going to be applying on Monday (today). He replied that he had made an appointment for Tuesday (tomorrow). I may have done an embarrassing little dance when I got that text.
I got a call today from someone I was waiting on a foundation quote for. He told me we had no foundation engineering done. I told him it was in the second engineer's letter. He told me that was just the pad/footing design. The other letter apparently didn't have any foundation stuff in it, and it couldn't because the engineering was done by the truss company, and they only know wood. We have to go to another company to get the concrete stuff engineered. What? But didn't we hire them to do the engineering because BIL gets them to do his projects? So I called BIL. Nope. He has never used this company to do foundation engineering. Apparently I am the one who told him that they do foundation engineering now. Crap. I don't remember saying that. So, apparently we paid them to engineer a couple of pieces, but we still have to pay someone else, and we probably won't have it by tomorrow. Just as I'm about to phone MrDinks and let him know BP day is getting delayed, the foundation guy called me back. He made a mistake. He hadn't expected to find what he was looking for in the same letter as the wall engineering, so he missed it. But they have absolutely done the engineering we need.
At this point, I realized that we're going to need a line in the budget for alcohol. I'm going to need a lot of it over the next year.
When MrDinks got home, he just laughed when I told him that the foundation guy said we didn't have foundation engineering done. Apparently it was HIM that told BIL that the truss company offered this service now. I'm not sure how he knew that. I'm the one who has actually spoken to them. And I'm not convinced MrDinks listens to me when I relay these messages. But, he was right. (I probably shouldn't admit that online.)
Meanwhile, I am pretty sure Ryan is going to need some paperwork from me in order to apply for the BP. But I haven't been able to reach him. He hasn't asked for the NHW paperwork. And he hasn't asked for the names of the trades we're planning to use, which is required for the application form. There's also a document that MrDinks, BIL, or I need to sign, promising to use a waterproof exterior material. (Why? Are there people cladding their houses in marshmallow? Who knows? But it's in the BP application checklist.) Ryan hasn't asked for that. I texted him this morning asking about the form we have to fill out to determine the cost of the BP. The form includes the square footage of the different areas of the house, the number of fireplaces, what type of heating we're using, etc. He replied this evening that he hadn't filled out the form yet. I asked what time his appointment is tomorrow, and he hasn't responded. I'll bet you can hear my sigh.
I'm not confident this is actually happening. Or, if he makes the appointment, is he going to be sent home for not having all the right pieces?
I'm focusing now on lining up surveying, excavating and foundations. On Friday, BIL contacted the first excavator I have a quote for, and he said he's busy until the end of August. The last quote I got was too vague, so BIL isn't comfortable using him. Buh. So we have to contact a couple more people.
I now have 3 quotes for the foundation. A guy I found on Google has quoted really low. His quote is really vague, except for where it explicitly excludes stuff. I think we'll skip him. The guy BIL recommended is the mid-price quote. But he won't insulate the foundation beyond what is basic code. He claims it can't be done because it would affect the water proofing. But Ryan has done it, and the environmental consultant has recommended it. This guy just doesn't know how to do it. The 3rd quote (the guy who gave me a heart attack today) is higher than the first 2 combined, but he's doing the proper insulation. I'm going to try and get the contact info out of Ryan for the guy who did his foundation.
Surveying is rather straight forward, and will likely be done by the end of the week. I'm just not in a hurry to get it done too soon before we get the BP in.
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