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My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)
- Thread starter silky smoove
- Start date
Door installer came out. The wrong door and handleset/deadlock was ordered... ugh... They're installing it for now and it'll have to be switched out later. Hopefully the water is at least getting stopped at this point.
I'm not at home to see the install, but my wife is giving me the play by play. She said that she can't wait for me to get home to hear the full breakdown of everything the original contractor had done wrong. The terms "trapped water" and "black mold" were in her text, so I'm sure it was done poorly. Glad it got dealt with before I had moved further along.
Why would they install the door if it is going to be replaced? Doesn't this involve cutting holes in the door making it so that it can't be returned? He would also be doing the work twice. It doesn't make a lot of cents!
Sounds like they will have to do some restructuring due to the mould.
Sounds like they will have to do some restructuring due to the mould.
It does make sense. The first step was tearing out the old door's threshold, frame, jamb, etc. They had to install something to keep weather and thieves out. The door dimensions won't change, so all they'll have to change out is the slab. It won't cost me any money or time so it's ultimately not a big deal on my end, just one more thing in a cavalcade of errors.
These are fiberglass doors, so the handset and deadbolt holes are pre-fabricated into the door slab.
Yikes! Clearer now.
I didn't realize that handset and deadbold holes were already machined. Still, it's going to be a used door once screws go into it. Perhaps it simply goes back into the installers inventory.
On my end this is all in the category of "you (contractor) should have brought the correct door in the first place" as opposed to being a concern for me. The only difference was the type of glazing. I specified a frosted/satin etched glass and what arrived was clear. That doesn't work for me when it provides a window into a space full of expensive gear daring thieves to do what they do. These guys do a ton of work, so I'm sure they'll be able to re-use the door either way.
The frosted glass is a must. All you need is some light to pass through. Electronic tint windows and films are pretty cool. They have to be pretty expensive.
Smart Tint ® Smart Film ™ USA Factory Direct Wholesale
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Smart Tint ® Smart Film ™ USA Factory Direct Wholesale
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I've gotten the satin etched glass from them before and it's perfect. They'll make it right.
In brighter news (pun intended); I just got home and checked out the newly installed door. Holy better door and installation Batman! The new door has a larger ratio of glass to door, a nicer threshold, and is obviously square to the frame BECAUSE IT OPENS AND CLOSES SMOOTHLY! The old door opened ridiculously coarsesly by comparison.
Speaking of the old door; There was so much water trapped under the threshold that the caulk was still wet. Not as in "not fully cured" but rather fully wet. You can smear it like finger paint. There was mold growing up 4-6" of the side of the door and frame. It was an absolute joke. I'll be super happy to see it gone.
I have a phone call scheduled with the new door contractor tomorrow to sort out the issues with the new door, and I'm confident that all will end up well. More expensive than the initial door, but seemingly well worth the price.
In brighter news (pun intended); I just got home and checked out the newly installed door. Holy better door and installation Batman! The new door has a larger ratio of glass to door, a nicer threshold, and is obviously square to the frame BECAUSE IT OPENS AND CLOSES SMOOTHLY! The old door opened ridiculously coarsesly by comparison.
Speaking of the old door; There was so much water trapped under the threshold that the caulk was still wet. Not as in "not fully cured" but rather fully wet. You can smear it like finger paint. There was mold growing up 4-6" of the side of the door and frame. It was an absolute joke. I'll be super happy to see it gone.
I have a phone call scheduled with the new door contractor tomorrow to sort out the issues with the new door, and I'm confident that all will end up well. More expensive than the initial door, but seemingly well worth the price.
...and there's still lots of building left to go wrong! haha
In news unrelated to the door, I think I've decided to not build the John Sayers inside-out walls, and instead go back to Whisper Clips and hat channel. The complications with successfully executing that build by myself, without possibly needing to hire a contractor for a couple of critical elements, and the complications I've uncovered with respect to getting the connection to the substructure right (which is the main reason I've decided against it) have lead me to believe that this is the right move. I'll suffer a little bit in terms of total isolation, I'll have to do something different for wall aesthetics and will need to completely revise my acoustic treatment plan, but that's okay. This project has been a series of compromises, and ultimately I think this will be yet another compromise that will wind up being favorable when it's all said and done. More to come as that develops and I revise my building model.
Minor update: The old door, along with the old frame, threshold, hardware, etc. was scheduled to be picked up by the original contractor today. This morning before work I hauled all of it out of the studio and into the alley where it'll be waiting for them to pick up. On a side note: Door slabs are freaking heavy!
That's not a big deal. What is a big deal is that despite a bunch of rain over the last 24-hours there weren't any signs of water intruding into the structure. I'm optimistic that the problem has been addressed. The old door was stacked in roughly the spot where leak water had been pooling, so I can't say for certain, but I'm cautiously optimistic. It's still raining steadily here at my office (about 20-miles south of my house), and was raining steadily at my place when I left this morning. I think this will yield a good test for any additional water intrusion. Things are looking up!
Requisite "I'm excited" emojis:
That's not a big deal. What is a big deal is that despite a bunch of rain over the last 24-hours there weren't any signs of water intruding into the structure. I'm optimistic that the problem has been addressed. The old door was stacked in roughly the spot where leak water had been pooling, so I can't say for certain, but I'm cautiously optimistic. It's still raining steadily here at my office (about 20-miles south of my house), and was raining steadily at my place when I left this morning. I think this will yield a good test for any additional water intrusion. Things are looking up!
Requisite "I'm excited" emojis:
A quick three-part update;
1. The new door is holding back water brilliantly. Everything has been bone dry inside the studio since the install. With that sorted out I'm confident about getting back to work. I'll be finishing up the upper "triangle of the partition wall framing as well as completing the insulation. With those two items finished I'll be able to get my City of Seattle STFI permit closed-out. Now I just need to find the motivation to get that done.
2. The contractor is installing the correct door and hardware on Friday 4/28. Should be a simple swap and then programming the door code. After that I'll be able to have my painter come out to clean everything up, caulk the trim, and re-paint areas marred by the removal and replacement of the door. Lastly the door logo can be replaced.
3. Unfortunately it can't all be good news. The funding source to finish out the remainder of the work fell through. The lender's underwriter backed out at the last minute. The underwriter said this to me: "Your debt to income ratio is good, your income level is good, and the appraisal on your home was good. You're basically the ideal customer for us." There was then a long and uncomfortable pause because I could feel a "but" statement about to happen... and then it did... "but we're not going to be able to finalize this loan for you because your wife operates a business out of the home. We do not provide loans on properties that are mixed use." The kicker to this was that I had multiple conversations with the lender about my wife's business, whether or not that would be a problem (they said it would not be a problem), if it would affect the appraisal (it did not), the fact that my wife's business pays us rent which should be viewed as a benefit to my debt to income ratio, and lastly what documentation I would need to gather to disclose everything (they told me there wasn't anything required). The lender had repeatedly said that it would not be a problem. The underwriter apologized profusely and ultimately said that when I disclosed the business they should have stopped the process immediately since it's against policy to lend on properties that are mixed use. Evidently they have zero wiggle room on this. So with that in mind I'll be shopping for new lenders next week. With this project I've learned that delays are far preferable to taking steps backward, and this is simply a delay.
1. The new door is holding back water brilliantly. Everything has been bone dry inside the studio since the install. With that sorted out I'm confident about getting back to work. I'll be finishing up the upper "triangle of the partition wall framing as well as completing the insulation. With those two items finished I'll be able to get my City of Seattle STFI permit closed-out. Now I just need to find the motivation to get that done.
2. The contractor is installing the correct door and hardware on Friday 4/28. Should be a simple swap and then programming the door code. After that I'll be able to have my painter come out to clean everything up, caulk the trim, and re-paint areas marred by the removal and replacement of the door. Lastly the door logo can be replaced.
3. Unfortunately it can't all be good news. The funding source to finish out the remainder of the work fell through. The lender's underwriter backed out at the last minute. The underwriter said this to me: "Your debt to income ratio is good, your income level is good, and the appraisal on your home was good. You're basically the ideal customer for us." There was then a long and uncomfortable pause because I could feel a "but" statement about to happen... and then it did... "but we're not going to be able to finalize this loan for you because your wife operates a business out of the home. We do not provide loans on properties that are mixed use." The kicker to this was that I had multiple conversations with the lender about my wife's business, whether or not that would be a problem (they said it would not be a problem), if it would affect the appraisal (it did not), the fact that my wife's business pays us rent which should be viewed as a benefit to my debt to income ratio, and lastly what documentation I would need to gather to disclose everything (they told me there wasn't anything required). The lender had repeatedly said that it would not be a problem. The underwriter apologized profusely and ultimately said that when I disclosed the business they should have stopped the process immediately since it's against policy to lend on properties that are mixed use. Evidently they have zero wiggle room on this. So with that in mind I'll be shopping for new lenders next week. With this project I've learned that delays are far preferable to taking steps backward, and this is simply a delay.
It is amazing how many people do not know the rules under which they operate; especially the "absolutely, positively can't do that" rules. Sorry you got a schmuck, but I imagine you will find another lender without such shackles. Good luck with the hunt.
Two schmucks in fact! There was the first one who did the intake of all my information, and then the second who was the account manager. It took the underwriter (a third person) to kick the aforementioned two schmucks into line.
It's been said, one way to wind up with a small fortune in the studio business is to start with a large fortune. I wonder if certain keywords makes lenders scramble. They probably wouldn't balk at a new car loan.
If it doesn't work out as planned, you can avoid paying them interest if you decided to do the remaining work in stages funded by future savings. The facility can still be used even though it isn't fully realized. You will still achieve your goals, just on a slightly extended schedule.
If it doesn't work out as planned, you can avoid paying them interest if you decided to do the remaining work in stages funded by future savings. The facility can still be used even though it isn't fully realized. You will still achieve your goals, just on a slightly extended schedule.
hey man at least you can get working on the first 2 while the 3rd is ironed out. great news
