Contractors

[mountainview]

Thanks for all the information. And thanks toucano, it was very nice of you to offer me some wood for a deck. With the building permits it would take me awhile before I could add that on.

[Jeffhale]

Common stair run and rise is 7-11", rise being 7" and run 11'. Run is the step length and rise is the height of each step. the runner, (side board for holding steps) should be made of a 2x14 for strength and durability. It's been a while and can't recall if you can cut the run and rise out of a 2x12, I've always used 2x14 in the past. Be sure that whatever wood you use is designed for ground contact, whether you build in on a concrete pad or not.. Common consideration to keep in mind regarding termites is, to limit woods that might get into below 2' near the ground. Personally I am not very satisfied with (yeah what you said, toucano, ha ha, i am just getting used to this type of product, name uses etc.. verses types of CCA, or copper treated ground contacts,) " HI-BOR" treatments, especially for ground contact, (for all termite considerations i know of anything within two feet of the ground). From what I understand " HI-BOR" is simply a boric acid type of treatment and it IS water soluble. You must keep it covered with some type of paint where it is exposed to rain or weather..

As quoted from the USDA Treated Forest products;

"

Borate Preservatives

Borate preservatives are sodium salts, such as sodium octaborate, sodium tetraborate, and sodium pentaborate, that are dissolved in water. Borate preservatives have received a lot of attention in recent years because they are inexpensive and have low mammalian toxicity. Borate-treated wood is also odorless and colorless and may be painted or stained. Borates are effective preservatives against decay fungi and insects. Borate preservatives are diffusible, and with appropriate treating practices they can achieve excellent penetration in species that are difficult to treat with other preservatives. Borate preservatives are standardized by the AWPA but only for applications that are not exposed to liquid water. The borate in the wood remains water soluble and readily leaches out in soil or rainwater. Borate-treated wood should be used only in applications where

the wood is kept free from rainwater, standing water, and ground contact.

An example of such a use is in the construction of wooden buildings in areas of high termite hazard. Borates are also used in fire-retardant treatments.

"

Edited by - Jeffhale on 06/03/2007 09:20:00

[toucano]

Using Hi-Bor as a mudsill in direct contact with concrete does seem a bit strange (being polite in choosing that description). Especially since I've seen builders save money by not at least installing a termite shield.

[Jeffhale]

don't have much choice around here for mud sill, and borate treated Douglas fir is fine for this, as long as it's covered and remains dry. SPF, (Spruce, Pine, Fir} is grown so rapidly it is sponge wood, I would not use it for building anything.. Especially, after I'd hand picked choice, dense, solid, nearly clear, #1 grade, sticks of SPF, used in plates above CCA in an old house which I couldn't complete, but let a "friend" stay in for free, provided he maintain it. He let the roof leak for a year, It did not hurt the older woods, not in the least, nor CCA, but the SPF, disintegrated....

Unfortunately due to the dangerous qualities of CCA, it's no longer available except for special uses.



Edited by - Jeffhale on 06/03/2007 10:13:51

[Carey]

Jeff, one of the problems on this island is that there is not retail outlet for ground-contact or weather exposed wood, the only treated lumber is borate (even though some are shipped in a wrap that has "Outdoor Wood" on it, the little taggie on the board tells the story, & I have not been able to find any wood that is exterior treated (you would have to pressure treat it yourself, or paint on exterior treatment, not as resistatnt as pressure treating) There are woods that are a little more resistant, and are more $$$ than the exterior pressure treated wood

[durian]

Aloha Puna Webbers,
My name is Shaun Perry, General Manager of SDG Contracting. I wanted to introduce myself because I know many of you have had terrible experiences with local contractors. I was born on Maui and moved to Puna in 1991. I’m a local boy, part Hawaiian, part Portuguese, part haole, just a regular melting pot of cultures. Having lived here my whole life and being in the construction field for 10 years, I have heard plenty of horror stories. Unfortunately, there are contractors out there that don’t play by the rules. So I’d like to offer some advice, if I may.

I encourage you to use licensed contractors to avoid the problems many of you have encountered. You can check out a business online at the Dept. of Commerce & Consumer Affairs (DCCA) website at: www.hawaii.gov/dcca. Click on “On-line Services” and then on “Check out a business online”. You can do a business name search, license search, search complaint history or file a complaint, or GE tax license search. You can check to see that a contractor’s license is up to date and the company is in good standing. You can also view their general liability insurance and worker’s comp insurance carriers. If a contractor’s insurance is not up to date, their license will be suspended. This information is valuable when researching contractors as well as other businesses. Please be aware that the trade name may be different from the business name. For example, our business name is Superior Development Group, LLC and our trade name (or DBA) is SDG Contracting.

If a contractor says he’s licensed, ask to see the actual license or ID card. It will have the license #, type, expiration date, business name, address and their signature with State of Hawaii official seal. Then check them out on the DCCA website to make sure they’re in good standing. You can search by license # to make sure it’s a real # and it’s theirs.

Another good idea is to bond your project through one of the material houses (HPM, Honsador). Bonding doesn’t cost you anything and the bonding company guarantees your house will be finished if the contractor bails on you. It’s a win-win for client and contractor because it also guarantees the contractor gets paid for work done.

Good luck and buyer beware!

Mahalo,
Shaun Perry

[John S. Rabi]

Very good post Shaun, I wholeheartedly second your advice and opinion.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties


Edited by - John S. Rabi on 06/05/2007 17:00:52

[Carolann R]

And please...ASK, ASK, ASK!! If you know somebody or see a project in the works, stop and talk to the owners and ask them how it's going. There are some contractors (who shall remain unnamed) who are licensed, insured, and in good standing with the State and STILL treat their customers terribly. They take their money and never return phone calls and put off their projects until people finally call screaming and want their money back. Or they do a job that's shoddy and refuse to correct it and somehow say it's the customers' fault. They hire workers who don't know what they are doing so they can pay them dirt cheap to make a bigger profit, and the homeowner ends up with shoddy workmanship. (I know of what I speak and let the buyer beware.)

There are plenty of people on this website who have had bad experiences and many who have been pleased with the outcome of their projects. If you ask people to email you privately, I'm sure they'd be happy to share the good (or bad) contracting experiences with you.

Finally, so many times in their haste to get their "dream home" built, people will let their common sense go out the window. No one is watching your back, so you have to. IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS.

Mahalo for letting me ramble.

Carrie

[mountainview]

Hi Carolann, I think that's exactly where my common sense went was out the window. I was excited and in quite a rush to get my home built due to the time frame that the bank gave me that I did not ask a lot of questions. I just took their word for it and looked on the computer and saw their name (so I thought) and their contractors license number and I thought it was theirs. Same name and it was a contracting license. I saw no complaints on the company. And I ended up making a huge and costly mistake. Never to be repeated I should say. Shame on me if I did make another mistake like I did. But I've learned and I've moved on. I am wiser and I exercise a whole lot more caution when it comes to people. They tend to approach you as a rose but polk you with their thorns.

[Carolann R]

You bet, Mountainview. I wasn't referring to you with that comment, but actually several clients we had while I was working for someone who cared more about the money than his clients' dreams. I guess I needed that experience to be more aware myself as we will be doing some things on our property in another year or so. Hope it all works out...you've got a great attitude and good for you and yours' out there swinging hammers LOL!

Carrie