Hoping to get some input from the construction experts here while I await a response from the project manager. Based on my recent experiences with contractors, I don't tend to trust what they say without my own research. Unfortunately, this is an area I'm having trouble getting answered definitively through oneline searches.

I'm having a backyard office put in - basically a glorified (and much more expensive) shed. My yard slopes pretty significantly downwards towards the structure so drainage/rot was already on my mind. They just wrapped up the pier and beam foundation and attached the ground contact lumber that will be supporting the cross beams. Taking a look tonight, it's going to be sitting below grade and the cross beams end grain will be partially below grade. I'm no expert but was thinking that even with ground contact lumber, this beam probably should still be above grade and not totally buried or it will rot within 10 years for sure.

Hard to tell from the pictures but the cross beams are about 6 inches below grade where they currently contact. Not sure if it is technically a sill plate but the top of the large beam directly on the piers is at grade where it sits and about 6 inches below grade from the front of the structure.

Thoughts?

That's my primary question back to them. Who knows

I also have concerns with how they joined the skids together. Blah. I absolutely hate dealing contractors... Every project had been like this.

Absolutely not. Given the free space available and site conditions, that lip should not be intersecting the ground.

Here are some interesting, very recent, references from a very good GC:

https://instagr.am/p/CdUjfUBDGxX

https://instagr.am/p/CdV7Gu2LnLz

Great, the PM is just saying it's perfectly okay since it's UP4A lumber - they've never had a problem. The skid 4x6 connections not being over a pier is also a-ok.

I'm going to have to escalate. Pretty sure I'm cursed with hiring out any home project.

Get a written guarantee from the lumber manufacturer that his installation will not fail within 30 years.

I don't doubt that the lumber will likely last for 10 years in that scenario since it is UC4A, but it's not the right way to build.

Unfortunately, unless you specified something different, they will likely want to charge you to re-work the structure and elevate it. I would pay to do that.

You do have 10 years to sue under Texas regs if you choose to leave it alone.

That's certainly not going to happen.

For fun, here's their butt joint just hanging out there. I think I'm actually more worried about them defending this practice. A bit of a rot from the water and this whole 28' span collapses in the middle (possibly without rot). But hey, at least they braced the back joint...I guess they expect that poorly compacted soil between the piers to support the connection? Why?

Front - Below Grade


Rear - Above Grade

I just read through the contract again - of course it doesn't go into that level of detail.

I would have expected another layer of cinder block height based on the conversations leading up to this point about how high the structure is going to be and the layout from the guy that planned the foundation (that I approved). Should have gotten more in writing....

I'm going to give the PM a second chance once he gets out here to see in person and then I'll escalate to the owner of the company. I consider the butt joint on the skid a structural/safety issue that can't be dismissed as easily as the below-grade/water concern. But what do I know?

Appreciate all the input to help confirm I'm not the one being unreasonable here. Based on how my contracts go, it's started to feel like that. I may be reaching out for contacts in Austin area if this continues to go unresolved.

Also I dont remember but texags I believe made a guide in Colorado refund some money because every response was the guys company business at the beginning of eqch post and texags responses came up everytime you googled the guys name

The above is **** work and should be called out for it

I believe they are galvanized nails but I'll have to go take a closer look to confirm.

PM got out here and I was able to convince him there are structural integrity issues going on due to the butt joint - so their construction manager is coming out. Fun times. Some proposals on the water concern that did include raising the foundation and having the lumber manufacturer state they will honor their warranty with this install but mostly focused on french drains and rocks. I am mostly ignoring this guy and will wait to talk to an actual expert.

As far as naming the company, feel free to PM me if you are exploring backyard office structure in Austin area, but I won't post the name here unless this goes further downhill. If I do that, I'll also be spending money on google adwords campaigns and other social media blasts as they rely heavily on IG - but we'll save that for emergency scenario.

Blah. I was looking at the butt joint.

So that's on the strap. What's the actual impact there?
I don't want to call out something minor at this stage if that's what it is. Additionall rot concerns due to interaction with non galvanized screw?

tlepoC said:

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Blah. I was looking at the butt joint.

So that's on the strap. What's the actual impact there?
I don't want to call out something minor at this stage if that's what it is. Additionall rot concerns due to interaction with non galvanized screw?

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There is a reason they are called sheetrock screws and not exterior screws I would say maybe that is all they had and would come back and put the correct screws in but having a splice not even over a block Gotta make you think who is running this show

Those joints are 100% crap. If they're going to use a butt joint (lazy) they should be supported. There is ZERO reason though not to half lap that over a 1 foot length and secure it with structural screws.


For GC timbers in the soil... Few years back I was ripping out the previous owners (of my house) monkey grass flower bed borders and going in with the concrete border stones. Found right below grade (likely) original landscaping timbers that were in excellent shape. For a lot of my new flower bed border those boards are now my base course. From now on, if/when I do stone flowerbed borders I'm burying GC timbers for my base to keep the stones level and stable.

maddiedou said:

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tlepoC said:

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Blah. I was looking at the butt joint.

So that's on the strap. What's the actual impact there?
I don't want to call out something minor at this stage if that's what it is. Additionall rot concerns due to interaction with non galvanized screw?

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There is a reason they are called sheetrock screws and not exterior screws I would say maybe that is all they had and would come back and put the correct screws in but having a splice not even over a block Gotta make you think who is running this show

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Word, those things will be almost rusted through by the time the job is complete. Unless the are just black PT rated screws.

tlepoC said:

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I'll keep updating y'all on this saga.

They took apart the entire foundation. Added a couple of new piers under the joint. Not sure why as I asked them to present me with a plan before doing anything (probably just adding another layer of foundation to bring above grade - at that time they could easily shift the skids to use the existing pier)

Looks like the subcontractors doing the foundation have been fired. They are packing/cleaning and don't seem all that pleased with me.

PM is meeting with the owner tomorrow for full remedy proposal. We shall see. Stay tuned!

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Ya....that's all just shi**y work. Take it apart and start over.

maddiedou said:

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FFS. I didn't even catch that...but you are right. Those **look** like sheetrock screws. Hard to imagine they are anything else. OP can confirm.

Unfortunately, I was able to find an empty box of drywall screws. They used more somewhere else. ****

Any idea what the straps are connected to? Did they actually run them to some anchors or cross stakes?

I believe they are set in the concrete of the piers.

Any other feedback from this group would be appreciated as I will be speaking with owner tonight. I'm trying to figure out if the company itself is bad or if this was just a crap crew with no supervision. I believe the joint issue is strictly crap crew - if they had simply swapped sides, they would have been properly placed over the piers.

Is the lumber that has holes all over it still good to use in ground contact? I assume they should have been joining the joists to the skids and other areas with brackets vs just nailing in at an angle but perhaps either are acceptable for a "shed".

No way i'd let them continue. Time to run them off and hire someone new. They clearly dont have their act together. Even if it was a subcontractor they clearly dont have oversight on them.

I'm curious about the payment schedule? I have never taken a penny from a customer before completion and it is my professional opinion that if you run a legit and profitable business that you shouldn't NEED to for something like this. Even large projects are on schedules of some sort with milestones. It's not a 100k reno. If you have not paid them, I would be stopping this project immediately for proper remedies. Did they pull permits? Are you required to?

This is not as big a deal as it could have been. It sucks, yes, but you saw it looked weird, you caught it early, and now you can do something about it while they are still in business which is good because they probably won't be too long.