[AT] Crazy pricing on construction job

Wed May 19 07:57:38 PDT 2021

For laughs..

Dave

On Sat, May 15, 2021, 7:32 PM szabelski at wildblue.net <szabelski at wildblue.net>
wrote:

> I believe you can butt composite together since it doesn’t really expand
> that much width wise, the clips that are used with the grooved boards
> doesn’t allow for expansion width wise. Butting boards end to end only
> requires a 1/8 inch gap, on Trex anyway. There are screws that don’t
> require pre-drilling or counter sinking and are color coded to match the
> board color. The head of the screws have a reverse thread that draws the
> upper surface of the board inward so that there’s no raising of the board
> surface around the screw head. It essentially countersinks itself and you
> only have about a 3/32 exposed head. They’re trade name is TrapEase3. If
> you’re using clips with grooved boards you still need to use something like
> them to screw into the outside edge of the first board, and the outside
> edge of the last board. The screws come with a handy plastic jig that
> positions the screws and maintains board spacing if you not using clips.
>
> When you butt boards end to end you do need to add a second board so that
> you can put a clip at the end of each deck board. You just have to cut the
> boards so that the required gap is centered on the two boards.
>
> Carl
>
>
> -----
>
> Original Message -----
> From: Dean VP <deanvp at att.net>
> To: 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group' <at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> >
> Sent: Sat, 15 May 2021 14:43:45 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: Re: [AT] Crazy pricing on construction job
>
> Several years ago I installed a deck on our place in AZ using the
> composite decking that Loews or Home Depot sells. I don't remember the
> brand name right now. It was just under $2.00 a foot for the 5 1/2" wide
> boards then. I haven't looked at what that price is today.  But I elected
> to press all the boards tight together because I needed the best air seal I
> could get, so I used screws. Two screws every joist.  I used a 3/8" drill
> with the torque setting pretty high and it drove the screws into the
> composite pretty good. I would say countersinking the heads at least a 1/8
> to 1/4". IIRR I think I predrilled each hole with a small bit.  It's been
> several years and some of it gets exposed to the 115 degree direct sun
> weather in the summer in the Phoenix area and the coldest it has ever been
> in our 14 years of winter stays was 22 degrees. Lets call that a 90 degree
> temp spread. Have not yet seen a single pop or change in the wood or screw
> so far.  It is very dry there.  But...  Knock on wood.  Or composite if
> necessary!   I sincerely doubt this stuff is better than Trex or Timber
> Tech.  I wonder if moisture getting into the underside causes the composite
> to swell and pop the screws?  Here in WA I intend to use composite that is
> clad on all sides if necessary and use clip fasteners.   Turns out with my
> deck design of just under 400 square feet will only have about 5 boards
> that will need to be end butted and those will be staggered in the least
> visible place.  I believe what is done at those butts is a double joist is
> fabricated. . I suppose some gap will have to be left at those Butt ends.
>
> Dean VP
> Snohomish, WA 98290
> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and gospel
> of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
> ..Winston Churchill...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Mike M
> Sent: Friday, May 14, 2021 10:44 AM
> To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> Subject: Re: [AT] Crazy pricing on construction job
>
> My daughters boyfriend installs a lot of Trex decks. I have a buddy that
> had a Trex deck installed in their vacation house in FL. I showed my him a
> picture of the new deck, and he just shook his head, they surface screwed
> it like a wooden deck. He said those are going to pop, and he was right,
> they weren't even countersunk.
>
> Mike M
>
> On 5/14/2021 9:11 AM, szabelski at wildblue.net wrote:
> > Last year I redid our deck using Trex and clips. Has a 25 year warranty.
> It’s not the one that’s fully clad, only top and sides. I believe they do
> have the four sided clad but we were looking for a mid range product so I
> can’t say anything about cost. Keep in mind that the ends of a board clad
> on all four sides will still have exposed ends on each board. I have a few
> long scrap pieces that I cut lengthwise and they do develop a bend from
> moisture over night, however when they dry out in the sun for an hour of
> so, they’re perfectly flat.
> >
> > Carl
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Dean VP <deanvp at att.net>
> > To: 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group'
> > <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> > Sent: Fri, 14 May 2021 00:27:47 -0400 (EDT)
> > Subject: Re: [AT] Crazy pricing on construction job
> >
> > I've now had some additional quotes come in I can now say that the
> > inflation of at least one quote from the lowest I got last year is
> > 320%.The housing and remodel market in the Seattle area is soooo hot
> > right now the contractors have developed a serious case of GREED.
> > Apparently there are enough suckers out there that will pay these
> > inflated prices that they can cherry pick very high margin jobs. Two
> > contractors that have come out of the Seattle area are the ones with
> > the 300% plus bids. We are 30 miles plus from the center of Seattle.
> > I suppose what they are doing is they are willing to travel for a job
> > if they have found a sucker.  I'm trying very hard to not be one of
> > their victims. It's an insane world trying to get something related to
> construction done in a reasonable time at a reasonable price.
> > Greed is a very attractive concubine.    As my father said in these
> kinds of
> > times:  This too will change!  Oh by the way.... Concrete work is $18 a
> > square foot with a $2800 minimum.   If I was a few years younger I'd
> build
> > the damn thing myself. Building a deck is not rocket science.  I get a
> > kick out the sales people that throw around that material costs have
> > gone up by
> > 300 plus percent.  They get very quiet when I mention, I've been to
> > the local lumber yard and was told the price of a 16 foot 2 x 8 has
> > gone up 40% in the last year.
> >
> > I do have one question.  As most of you know it is very wet and damp
> > here for at least 7 months a year and where I am installing my deck is
> > in the shade all afternoon and evening. The SE corner of the house but
> > is in the worst possible place for the weather which we often get
> > rain from the East or SE.  I intend to use composite wood for the
> > flooring. I have developed a fear of what a constant moist environment
> > under the deck will do to the underside of the composite wood.  So I
> > am looking at composite flooring that is clad on all four sides so the
> > moisture cannot get in. A intend to use clips rather than screw the
> boards down so I don't penetrate that seal.
> > Anyone with experience in this area I sure would appreciate hearing
> > from you.  The 4 sided sealed composite flooring board is considerably
> more
> > expensive.   Am I being over cautious?  I know almost anything will last
> as
> > long as we live here which probably will be between 5 and 10 years.
>  But I
> > don't like building crap.
> >
> >
> >
> > Dean VP
> > Snohomish, WA 98290
> > "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and
> > gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
> > ..Winston Churchill...
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Steve W.
> > Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2021 8:25 PM
> > To: Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
> > <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> > Subject: Re: [AT] Crazy pricing on construction job
> >
> > Stephen Offiler wrote:
> >> My rental property is a prefab built in 1989.  I purchased the
> >> property in 2015 so obviously I had nothing to do with selecting who
> >> made
> > it.
> >> What I have done is renovation work that has shown me they really,
> >> really like their construction adhesive!  No matter who the
> >> manufacturer is, they all have to be built to handle the
> >> transportation from factory to job site.
> >>
> >> SO
> >>
> > Transport is part of it but most of it comes from the regulations on
> them.
> > The standards on a prefab are really interesting to see. I worked in
> > the cabinet shop at a local plant for a year before getting fed up with
> it.
> > There are different specs for the various parts of the country and
> > even different ones when you shipped to Canada. They actually have
> > crash test standards for them!
> > It was a real blast watching them being built though. We started with
> > a set of axles and bulk frame steel and built from there. My boss at
> > the time was also my fire chief and he ordered a new place while I was
> > there. He spec'd it out as a Canadian unit (that gets you a larger
> > breaker panel with breakers for each room instead of the common US
> > designs where the front bedroom, bathroom and outdoor lights are all
> > on one breaker style) It also has increased snow loading, better
> > insulation and closer spacings on studs and joists.
> >
> > We also had different materials for items, from real solid
> > oak/cherry/maple to pressboard with paper facing. His was built with
> > all the top line materials. From start to finish it took us one week
> > on the line. That was for a double wide 62X32. The weigh them as they
> > go out the door to be sure the permits are just legal and his was a
> > bit on the heavy side, roughly an extra ton of weight in better
> > materials and insulation over the normal version.
> >
> > --
> > Steve W.
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
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>
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