Calgary Builders

[Eddie Bronze]

It's too bad you feel that way Looger. I can guarantee that is not the case with all crews. You need to look in different places. Like Roger said, each builder has their own framers and usually sticks with them. I personally invite you out to our site if you're skeptical.

[Looger]

if i still lived in calgary i'd take you up on that eddie bronze!

keep in mind that almost all houses that i'd seen in progress were because i know a lot of crews in cowtown, and worked with young people buying their first houses, all during the crazy crazy house boom.

and living in country hills for years, that neighbourhood should be a four-letter-word for developers, absoultely shameful what $200,000 gets you there. crooked angles, bad fit-and-finish, cracked cement outside, rotting bathrooms, all on 2-year-old homes!

[photon]

Yeah, I've heard from a few different sources that the framing crew we have is one of the best that Jager uses. The other guys' house's crew apparently spent as much time smoking weed as they did framing... I doubt they'll use them again.

I went out today and the roof was up (not sheeted yet tho) and 1/2 the windows were in as well. Looks pretty good.

Though I'm not sure exactly what to look for to tell if its a good job or not other than measuring the rooms to see if they're square and checking with a level.

[Looger]

Originally posted by RogerWilco@Aug 18 2005, 02:38 AM
You need to worry more about the specs that your home is built to rather than the crew doing the job.

very true.

amazing how many bad plans are in use, totally amazing.

[CaramonLS]

I've had the worst experience with small time home renovater companies.

Pretty good experience with Laratta homes.

Don't use small time contractors to renovate your house, pony up a little extra cash for someone with a reputation. Or do some serious background checking.

Basically when doing home renos. Guys said it would be done in 3 months. Took 2 years, after that, only 80% of it was done, the guy declared bankruptcy, leans were put on our house and various other garbage.

Aparently the guy had declared bankruptcy 4 times prior to that doing home renos. He then just starts a new company, and does the same thing over and over.

[photon]

Ouch that sucks.

My favorite show is Holmes on Homes, I love watching him fix all the crappy renos that get done.

[Eddie Bronze]

photon,
The best way to check for square is not really to measure the rooms. Only measure to make sure the dimensions are correct. Use a 2 foot square to check that. Just got to each corner of the room and put it tight to one wall, at the base where plates are. It should fit in there perfectly (against each wall) and will if they took the time to chalk the floor out properly. Just take a look and see if the walls follow on the chalk lines nicely.

There's lots of things you could check for, but for me to set here and describe it is essentially pointless. If you think or have heard they are one of Jager's best crews, you'll be fine. If you really want to do it yourself, you'd probably have to obtain a checklist of sorts, similar to what the inspector uses. You could also take a mini-course at SAIT but really, it's not necessary to go to that length. If you're lucky, you'll get a good inspector. Once he goes through it, you'll know from the size of his list whether they did a good job or not. We rarely ever get called on anything and if they are good, they won't either. The site supervisor should have it all checked out (and fixed up if necessary) before the inspector is called in there anyway.

Beyond keeping things square and plumb, the most important part of framing is to have it ready for the next step. The electricians, plumbers, drywallers, siders, insulators, etc. Those guys are always on our mind when we are doing our job. "Will this work for them?" You always have to be able to look ahead to that when you are framing.

If you have an 8 foot level, there is a little trick you can use to make sure the drywall will go on the walls nice. Don't just use your level to see if the walls are leveled up and down, run it lengthwise along the studs and then even up on an angle. If it sets nice and tight against all of them, you know the guys have taken the time to pick out the crooked studs and not use them. To me, that's one of the many "smaller" details that a lot of guys could overlook. If they take the time to do stuff like that, you'll be fine.

Best of luck with the house, by the way.

[photon]

Yeah, I went out once and one guy was passing up 2x4's and 2x6's for the guys doing the upper floor.. There was a pile of ones that didn't look that great and told me that they were ones that weren't good enough.

That and that he swept out the house each night hints that he's a good one. I mean I can't remember the last time I went into a partially framed house that didn't have an inch of mud on the floor and McDonalds stuff everywhere.

When I went into mine it was clean! (well except for today, it wasn't exactly clean but it was VERY wet )

[Ace]

Eddie this is great advise!

[Tron_fdc]

The one negative experience I had with my house invloved the framers (not to pick on you guys, but it's a funny story).

Before the basement was cemented, someone dug a little hole in the corner and was using it as a latrine. The only way we found out about it was when my dog (a Jack Russel who loves to dig things up) found it, and came running up the stairs with toilet paper hanging out of his mouth.

After advising the area Manager what his crews were up to the basement was cemented virtually overnight, and we received the royal treatment from all the other crews the rest of the way.

[V]

Originally posted by CaramonLS@Aug 17 2005, 09:05 PM
Don't use small time contractors to renovate your house, pony up a little extra cash for someone with a reputation. Or do some serious background checking.

I have a buddy who does home renos, and he's echoed exactly the same thing you've said here. There are soooo many out there that do an absolutely terrible job (if they even finish the job) but they get a lot of work because they quote so low.

This guy has an absolutely fantastic reputation, which isn't hard to look up, and I think that's the most important thing to look at when a guy comes into your home. He might cost a little more than the average Joe, but my experience in the construction industry is that cheap is always, always a bad thing. Pay a little extra for a guy that has a good rep and past successes. They may charge more, but it's mainly because they refuse to cut corners.

[Eddie Bronze]

Ace,
I asked my boss about Centrex today. He hasn't worked for them and doesn't know a ton about them, but this is what he told me. He went in their show home in Creekside and he felt the job done was pretty rough. Usually you put your best crews on your showhomes so if that wasn't done well, maybe the others aren't either, who knows.

The other thing he told me, if you are looking in that area, is that Centrex has a hard time selling because their prices are higher. At any given time, take a drive around and you'll see way more Centrex signs, but they don't say SOLD. Trico doesn't even put up signs simply because their sales are so far ahead, there is no point. Sable is also in that area, but their prices are quite high too.

I don't know if you've looked at Trico at all, but I would if I were you. Just look into it before you make the committment. They were a great company to work for and the supervisor in that area doesn't let shinguard slide. He's a really good guy and does a good job. I'd contact them, if for no other reason than to look into the price differences.

Good luck with your decision!

[Bobblehead]

Originally posted by Looger+Aug 17 2005, 09:49 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Looger @ Aug 17 2005, 09:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-RogerWilco@Aug 18 2005, 02:38 AM
You need to worry more about the specs that your home is built to rather than the crew doing the job.

very true.

amazing how many bad plans are in use, totally amazing. [/b][/quote]
OK, for someone who's wife isn't happy at their current house, and who is considering looking for a new home, what should I be looking for in a plan?

I always thought as long as the layout appealed to me and had all the necessities that is what I should go with. Is there more to it that I should keep in mind?

[RogerWilco]

Originally posted by Looger@Aug 17 2005, 08:51 PM
uh-oh, looks like we have some framers...

my friend's references are not from him.

and i have never seen a framing job that i'd be happy with, were i paying. nature of the job, it's a rush to the next house. cribbing is not as visible in the fit and finish of it, because it's cement! but framing errors are on every house i've ever taken a good look at.

No, I am not a framer, I am an Architect. I was just giving you my 2 cents. For what it is worth. But read Eddie Bronze's posts. He makes some great points about what you can do as a home owner to verify the work.

[RogerWilco]

Originally posted by Looger+Aug 17 2005, 09:49 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Looger @ Aug 17 2005, 09:49 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-RogerWilco@Aug 18 2005, 02:38 AM
You need to worry more about the specs that your home is built to rather than the crew doing the job.

very true.

amazing how many bad plans are in use, totally amazing. [/b][/quote]
I am not just talking about plans. If you are building a house you should have a specification. The actual plan layout is individual, that has little to do with the quality of construction. You need to read the specification well, that is the document that explains the quality that each phase of construction is to be built to.

As the plan goes, many of the small high quality builders use plans designed for each individual home. So that would come down to your own personal needs.

[Eagle Eye]

I found Jayman to be a very good builder (recently built). The homes seemed to be a little more pricey then other builders, but when you added up what was actually included they really have a good deal. Like 'Bend It' we have had problems with things around the house (I attain this to the trades and not the builder). Jayman has no problems fixing the mistakes.

I would highly recomend building with Jayman

[RogerWilco]

Originally posted by Bobblehead+Aug 19 2005, 10:43 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Bobblehead @ Aug 19 2005, 10:43 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

very true.

amazing how many bad plans are in use, totally amazing.

OK, for someone who's wife isn't happy at their current house, and who is considering looking for a new home, what should I be looking for in a plan?

I always thought as long as the layout appealed to me and had all the necessities that is what I should go with. Is there more to it that I should keep in mind? [/b][/quote]
That all depends on what you and your wife are happy with or are not happy with. You have to remember that when you go with a large home builder most of the time you pick from a variety of plans. Now these are all layouts that are used many times over. These are not plans that have been designed for your individual needs or the actual building site. Now you can pick a plan that does meet your personal taste as the lay out goes, but after that there are many factors that come into play as to site specific criteria. For instance, if the plan you pick has a sun room or deck, or any type of indoor/outdoor space that space will act different depending on what direction your site faces, where the entrance is, and how you use those rooms. Lets say you pick a house with a sun room but that sun room faces north. Well it becomes more of a shadow room than a sun room.

I need to make this short because I just realized that I would have to write a thesis on every possible situation and that still may not meet what ever personal criteria you may hold as valuable.

If you are buying or building a home think about what you need. Write a list of your needs and wants. Look at your plan and see how it fits on the site and how that placement on the site fits your needs.

Does the space that you use the most face the best possible view? And if so does it face in such a way that in the middle of a Sunday when your trying to watch the football game the sun is at such an angle that it makes that room uninhabitable in it current configuration?

What type of detailing can you provide that will help create an environment in that room that makes it more enjoyable for you? Remember that much of what you do on the out side can reflect on your comfort on the inside. If you have a room with lots of glazing that faces south then it may become overheated in the summer. But if you plant a few rows of deciduous trees out side that have the proper angle and placement you can shield that room from the sun in the summer, but in the winter when the leaves fall that unwanted sun in the summer becomes a valuable source of heat for that room in the winter.

You should make a list that is more extensive for every room in your house. Think about the site situation and all things that are associated with that for every room. It may take some time and energy but if you are buying or building what may be your most valuable possession it is well worth the effort and time.

Remember you can always fix little things like finishes within your house. The problem with most builders is you spend all your time picking all the finishes and other things (that do cost alot) but most don't think about the actual placement of the building. You can always change and alter the interior, but you are stuck with the building placement forever.

Edit: I did not mean to call interior finishes little things. In the end, the interiors are the most expensive part of the finished product. Every house needs a foundation, every house is framed and has a roof. These are costs that only increase/decrease with size at a more or less standard rate. What I mean is the actual per s.f. framing cost of a house will be about he same for a 1500 s.f. house as a 2500 s.f. house. Unless some sort of unconventional framing is used. But with interiors the s.f. cost all depends on what materials you pick. I mean you could do an individual room for $2000 or $20 000. That is variable upon what you pick to finish it with. what I am saying is that site and room placement is something you can do up front that only costs you time and may be more valuable than any finish you pick at the end. Or you could just hire an Architect to do all of this for and with you. But then again most houses are designed and built by builders (from standardized plans) because that eliminates much of the design cost. I will stop now because I could go on forever about this.