Project Manger expected momentarily.
Rick and Anita...two nicer people you'll ever meet, start moving timbers from the side of the house to the sunroom vicinity...about a thirty foot move. Rick is the "carpenter"...Anita, ordinarily from previous times did "clean-up"...today she is "acting carpenter". Both middle aged, Rick is from out of State...started with Nice Guys two-months ago. Anita is long time employee of two-years. They tell me the Project Manager is expect momentarily...this is a surprise to me...they say he will work with them. I tell the two that I must walk my pal, and will return shortly. They get busy again.
I return at 9:15...the Project Manager had just arrived. I joke with him asking if he's going to work...use his hands. He says: "Yes. we have to get this job done...everything." He intimates by next week it'll be completed. I've heard that one before, but don't comment. I tell them I'll be gone for about an hour...it's Wednesday my "shopping day".
"No Problemo." I hear one of them say. I leave for the store.
I return within the hour...stow the stores, and menader outside to the site. All three LVL timbers are still on the ground, and the Project Manager, and Carpent - Rick are placing the Gable Post on top of the center panel...already they have it toe-nailed in place.
"Shouldn't the LVL Wall Beam be put in place first?" I ask.
Complete shock! "Oh shit!" the Project Manager blurts out. Quick like, he instructs the carpenter to tear the post loose. The carpenter concurs...both have been up to this point running on "instinct". As I have feared, they are working like as if there are no plans. Great starters for the day.
After fifteen minutes or so they have the heavy LVL beam in place, and commence to step the Gable Post onto it, toe-nailing it in place. It looks great to me, and I say: "Fantastic! Looks like you're shooting for maximum Gable height." The post was rather high...like four feet...was in a way surprised to see that.
"Oh shit!" again from the Project Manager...continuing: "Tear that out." he tells the carpenter."
The carpenter returns to his work bench and fashions a shorter one as per the Project Managers figures. They put that up. I ask the PM where from he came up with that figure because it now looked too short. He said he had "computed" it before, but forgot he had. I could now see as far as following plans we could kiss all that goodbye. It will be headlong into guessing, and hoping. Time to just get this over with even if they tape it all together.
The Senior V.P. from Nice Guys Corp shows up at 10:00. As usual, neat as a pin in shirt and tie. I ask him if he has come to "work". "If necessary." he says smiling. We discuss the Gable height with the PM. The V.P. goes off with tape measure, and begins his own measurements. He agrees with me it looks a bit "squinty", and tells the MP.
The MP sticks by his estimation...the VP backs off. These two fellows go back ten or more years as buddies...way before landing in this State.
At this point I could see it all for what it is - hopeless. I could have put a halt to all, but it's been a year...all I want is to get it covered, and hope it doesn't leak. As the day progresses through lunch time, which they all broke for...to their return including the VP I don't see anything but nailing...the hardware lays in the bin...Anita continues with covering everything in felt...then that plastic sheating. The VP now in the act...in tie, and all...showing the PM, and the carpent how to fashion the rafters, or trusses as some call them.
As the VP mounts a ladder with one end of a 2x6 I notice something amiss. From the Gable Bracing LVL Beam to the house wall there's no Beam. There should be a 2x4 PT ( pressure treated ) beam over the three panels to the house wall. I mention this to the PM...the VP seems confused. The PM says that was a "typo" on the plans. "But then where's the 2x4 Beam or "Header". "There." says the PM, pointing to a 2x4 running along.
While I was shopping, unbeknowst to me, they had put up 2x4 "beams" - headers all along the top of the panels. They had forgotten the LVL Beam laying on the grass. It was when I told them they had forgotten that, and they put it up, instead of removing the 2x4 header, which I didn't know about, the LVL went right on top.
If there wasn't enough wood, now we have double headers or Wall Beams. The thing doesn't need any tie-downs...it should stay put just by shear weight. Ha ha.
That was it...the last straw for me. Hoping now just for the best, the VP went merrily on his way measuring, and then fashioning the truesses himself with measurements, and saw, and showing the PM, and the carpenter how it's done. I could see now compared to the other two, the V.P. was/is a carpenter. He did some quite nice fashioning of those timbers into trusses/rafters...and fast too. However none of it was to plan, and even with the V.P. the plans were forgotten. As of yesterday, except for the truss hangers on the Ridge Beam, no hardware except nails have been used. When I showed them the Simpson Straps, and Double Stud Plates they said they would put those in place over the felt, and plastic.
During the afternoon Nice Guy's Productin Manager showed up for a look-see. A very attractive, well proportioned woman. Hmmmmmmm. Then later, around 1600 three more "carpenters" came from other jobs to help tack up the felt, and plastic. Around 1700 everyone was gone...the site swept, and straightened out...timbers stacked neatly.
The momentum is expect to increase tomorrow.
In desperation, anything will do. Just put something up.
See What Happens
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