Solving a Series of Problems

We haven't yet shared very many of the challenges that have come our way. One of the things that Mark at UBuildIt said in our initial planning meeting was "A construction project is just solving a series of problems." We have found that to be very true. Most of them have been relatively small problems, but with the potential to slow down progress.

We (usually Ohm's mom, since she is most often the one talking to the subcontractors) have to deal with little things (like deciding where light switches should go) almost daily. Often Ohm is with mom at the house while she's talking with the various subcontractors and trying to deal with whatever has come up. It is challenging to keep a 2 year old out of trouble in a construction zone while trying to focus on the issues of the day. But Ohm loves to go because he always sees something fun, like people climbing ladders, hammering, sawing, etc.

Another challenge is scheduling everyone to keep the work moving forward as quickly as possible. Our detailed manual from UBuildIt, and our regular meetings with Mark have helped immensely with that. So far we haven't had any major delays. Ohm's mom usually spends most of Ohm's nap time either on the phone scheduling subcontractors and dealing with any problems that have come up, or on the computer doing research for the next step.

Now, back to some of the more interesting problems we've encountered. The cast of characters are Ohm's mom, Ohm's dad, Mark, and various subcontractors. Also, occasional appearances by Ohm. For the sake of brevity, most of Ohm's role has not been included. You can insert "mommy pick me up", "O want down", "mommy all done with phone", and similar phrases throughout the narratives.

The Chimney
Ohm's dad (a day or two after signing our contract with the HVAC contractor): Is HVAC putting in the pipes to extend the chimney?
Ohm's mom: Hmm. Good question. No that's not in the contract. I'll call them.
HVAC contractor: No, we don't do chimney's. You need a mason for that.
Ohm's mom to Mark: I don't see a bid for anyone to extend the chimney. Do you know of anyone?
(Insert a flurry of phone calls and meetings with masons. Independent from each other, all 3 masons we meet with say extending the existing chimney by adding a pipe on top is not a good plan (earthquake issues), and even if it could be done it would be just as expensive as building the chimney all the way up.)
(Also insert ongoing conversations with the framer. The trusses are scheduled to come in a few days and he has to know how the chimney area will be framed before the roof goes on.)
Framer to Ohm's mom: Have you thought about just leaving the exposed brick chimney instead of framing around it?
Ohm's mom and dad mull this over and decide it's a good idea. They choose the mason and the specific brick to be used. Problem solved (for now).

The Shower Pan
Ohm's mom to herself (one week before the plumber is scheduled to come): How is the plumber going to know exactly where to put in the drain for the shower? I wonder if all shower pans have the drain in the same place, or if he'll need to have the actual pan.
Ohms' mom to plumber: Will you need the shower pan when you come next week?
Plumber: Yes.
(Insert a flurry of internet searches for shower pans during Ohm's nap later that day. What kind of material is the best, and how can we get one quickly? Not too hard to pick the type, but not finding any to buy online for a reasonable price.)
Ohms' mom to Ohm's dad (at work): We have to get a shower pan right away.
(When Ohm's dad gets home we eat quickly, and then all three of us pile in the car for a shower pan shopping trip. First stop, Lowes.)
Ohm: Home Depot.
Ohm's mom and dad: No, this is Lowes.
Ohm: What's Home Depot doing? Go to Home Depot.
(Note: We don't know why, but he prefers Home Depot to Lowes.)
Lowes Guy: We don't have any of those in stock. Yes, we can order one. It will take at least 2 weeks to get one.
Ohm's mom and dad: No thank you. We need one in a few days, not a few weeks.
Ohm's mom to Ohms's dad: It's almost Ohm's bedtime. Maybe you should drop us off at the house and then go to Home Depot.
Ohm: Go to Home Depot!
(Insert quick trip into Home Depot. There aren't any in stock. We don't even bother to ask about ordering one. Back at the house after Ohm is in bed, both mom and dad search the internet for something to order quickly. No luck.)
Ohm's dad: Seattle is a big city. There must be someone who has one in stock.
(Insert more internet searching, this time for any place in the area that might have what we need. Ohm's mom finds a wholesale plumbing supply place that is about 2 blocks from her work. She will be going in to work the next day, and plans to be at the wholesale plumbing place when they open.)
Ohm's mom to the wholesale plumbing sales guy: I need a 36 inch neo angle white acrylic shower pan.
Wholesale plumbing guy (after checking on the computer): We have one in stock. It costs $x (a number lower than Ohm's mom was expecting). Do you want your plumber to get that for you?
Ohm's mom: No, I want to get it now.
Wholesale plumbing guy (who can tell that Ohm's mom is not in the mood to be told that she is not a plumber and can't buy at wholesale prices): OK. I'll just have to set up an account for you first.
(The rest of the story: We first actually saw the shower pan after it was installed. We really like it, and the plumber said it is a good high quality brand.)

Special Inspection
Note from city inspector: You need an inspection by special inspection agency for the hold downs.
Ohm's mom (on inspector's voice mail): Who's the special inspection agency, and how do I contact them?
City inspector (returning phone call fairly promptly): You have to hire an independent company like X or Y.
Independent company X: Usually we would watch the hold downs being installed and verify that it was done correctly. Now we'll have to do a load test instead. That will cost more. No, we can't just ask the framer how he did them.
Mark and framer: The inspector should have marked on the approved set of plans that a special inspection was needed. Then it would have been checked while being installed. You should ask the inspector why he didn't mark the plans.
(Ohm's mom and dad decide that since there is only one inspector, who has to come for several more inspections, they wouldn't risk making him annoyed by fighting him on this. The load test is done and of course passes.)

I want it my way
Ohm's mom has discovered that she really has to quiz the subcontractors about certain details before they start. They often want what's easiest for them, no matter what impact that has in the existing house or on other subcontractors. A few short examples follow. (Note: For brevity most of Ohm's mom role has been left out. She's the one being told all of this, and then sorting it out with everyone.)

HVAC guy: Have the framer leave the floor off above this section of the kitchen so that we can hook up the range hood vent.
Framer: I can't leave the floor off. I have to build a wall there. They'll have to cut a hole when they're ready.
(Fast forward a few weeks.)
HVAC guy (ready to do installation): Why isn't the floor off like I told you? Have the framer cut a hole.
Ohm's mom to framer (who is near by): Can you please cut a hole for them.
(The framer cuts the hole without too much protest, but Ohm's mom can tell he's irritated with the HVAC guy.)

HVAC guy: The roof has to be dried in (just paper) before we start, and then the shingles have to be put on after we're done so that the roofers can do the flashing.
Roofer: In all the years I've been doing this I've never heard of such a thing.
(Insert several phone calls back and forth. Finally, we all agree that the HVAC guys can cut through the shingles, and the roofing guys can come back to do the flashing. Ohm's mom wants to know why they couldn't have just said that in the first place!)

Plumber: I'll just route these pipes from the upstairs bathroom down through the corner of this room to the crawl space.
Ohm's mom: This is our dining room. On the other side of the wall is our utility room. Could you possibly route the pipes through there?
Plumber: Hmm. That would be hard to do. I guess if I did this, then that, I could just squeeze it in.
Ohm's mom: Please do that.
(Ohm's mom doesn't know what she would have found if she hadn't been there to double check the plan.)

It's not my job
Often Ohm's mom has to get someone other than the current subcontractor to do one relatively small thing. And if it doesn't get done, work will stop. So far, the two choices for who does it have been either the framer, or Ohm's mom and dad. A few examples:

Demolition guys: We don't put on tarps (after tearing off the roof).

Roofing guys: We don't take off tarps.

HVAC guys: We don't cut holes in the floor (where a duct has to go).

Masons: We don't cut the hole in the roof (where the chimney has to go).

Drywall guys: We don't remove and replace the window that the drywall has to go through.

(Solution to all of the above: Ohm's mom asks the framer to do it. He's been pretty good about pitching in. He's probably used to it.)

Almost everyone cleans up some of their mess, but not all of it.
(Solution: Ohm's mom and dad get to clean up.)

Final Note
It looks like a long list of problems, but it's been spread out over 2 months. Nothing has really been too big of a problem, and nothing has really slowed us down very much. Most of the time we're glad that we're dealing with the subcontractors directly, rather than through a general contractor. (Occasionally we want to stop the train and get off!) We're also glad for all of the help from Mark and for the organization system from UBuildIt. And we will, of course, be very glad when it's all done!