Turn a Carport into a Media room and a Bedroom - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

wallmaxx · 10-13-2007, 11:59 PM

Before

After

The work in progress is here.

send_it_all · 10-14-2007, 01:21 AM

Nice job....I have a few questions/comments. Feel free to answer or not.

Did you design this?

Did you get paid to design it?

How much?

How long did it take to design?

Was the design complete before you started work, or was it a process of failing inspections and revising design?

If the latter, did it eat the profit on the job?

How long did the job take to build?

It looks like it was a lot of fun to build, but I can see difficulty making good money with it's complexity. Was this so?

Are the headers of the two adjacent closets not level with eachother, or is it an illusion?

The lofts in the kids' room look a bit dangerous and like splinterville, is that the finished product in the pic, or was there more added, such as sanding and guard rails?

The finished room looks bitchin, by the way.

wallmaxx · 10-14-2007, 12:33 PM

Did you design this?
- Yes.

Did you get paid to design it?
- Yes. I factor in my design time.

How much?
- I typically charge a man/hour rate of $35 US for design, $55 to $65 per man-hour for construction.

How long did it take to design?
- I blew my time on that part. I always try to multiply in the 1.5 factor for “Murphy” but this was more like 2.5. The upside is that I did most of the design work late at night after everyone was asleep, so I only lost personal time.

Was the design complete before you started work, or was it a process of failing inspections and revising design?
- I was working on their stairs at the time and I waited until the city approved the final paper revision. I was at lunch but the HO said the framing inspection went like this…

HO: “Well, is it built okay?”
Inspector: I haven’t seen framing this precise in all of Delta.”
HO: “What do you mean?”
Inspector: “Well, all his studs and plates that intersect into the sloped roof all have angles or bevels cut exactly to the roof pitch, not just square cut.” “Also, every board has a length written on it in large sharpie marker.” "And the 2x2s are let in and glued and nailed to the exterior wall to act as sub-nailers for the channel cedar.” “Is this guy a relative of yours?”
HO: “No, he’s just a contractor that likes to do the best work possible.”

Man – that kind of recognition was almost worth more than cash. It was nice to see an inspector that appreciated all the little things, and it also made the HO happy too.

If the latter, did it eat the profit on the job?
- I hit my target on time for the contracted amount, but then they started in with a bunch of extras that were on their wish list. Some of them were a bit outside my expertise, and a couple conflicted with the completion sequence of my contract (like changing the back entry into a back deck, it held up the siding a bit until they settled on a deck design). At this point, I told them I could do the rest of their projects on T&M.

How long did the job take to build?
3 weeks contracted + 3 weeks T&M. This was a one man job. I have a hard time finding drug free competent help who are dependable, honest, and REAL.

It looks like it was a lot of fun to build, but I can see difficulty making good money with its complexity. Was this so?
- Yes it was a bit complex, but the engineer for the city was pretty cool. He said that there are a lot of homes in Delta that are built like this. 2x8 car decking over 4x10 beam/rafters at 64” o.c. He also said that they have had problems coming up with a solution to allow just such remodeling to occur that brought the remodel side up to current code. The biggest concern was convection venting and R-30 insulation. He liked my solution, so maybe I can market this as a carport conversion for people to consider in the Vancouver area.

Are the headers of the two adjacent closets not level with eachother, or is it an illusion?
- The right one is standard door height (81.25” cripples) the left is cut down.

The lofts in the kids' room look a bit dangerous and like splinterville, is that the finished product in the pic, or was there more added, such as sanding and guard rails?
- the mom is very creative and the lofts were her idea. At first I was, (yup I can frame just about anything, but I don’t really see it) Man was I wrong. The kids LIVE up there. I sanded a bunch. They have since painted and it’s pretty safe. The side view of the stairs is actually a 24” ripped 1” plywood wall. I know it’s not code, but she signed off that she would make further safety improvements (like the netting at McDonalds Playland).

The finished room looks bitchin, by the way.
- Thanks. It was fun to do as well. I like being in charge from design through completion. The HO made the room fit the new sofa sectional and 60" TV/entertainment center. The party wall with the bedroom is a twin 2x4 with offset studs and sound batting. That means they can crank up the hockey game and the daughter can crash out in her room without too much distraction.

send_it_all · 10-14-2007, 12:44 PM

Thanks...Like I said, It looks awesome. You made the framing look like a finish carpentry project. I would love to take on that type of job. I just wouldn't know how long it would take me, making it scary to bid.

**BuiltByMAC** · 10-14-2007, 12:47 PM

Nice job, man! Like the 2x2s let in to the wall studs! Also, routing the ladder after the rungs were installed to keep all edges soft on little feet and hands - right on!

You might check around with the different door companies, I've seen deliveries here with the door installed and squared in the frame. It might just be that one company that sends out the frame first.

Mac

wallmaxx · 10-14-2007, 04:28 PM

Thanks for all the kind words.

Mac. I used to think I was the "overkill" master when it came to stairs.

Sir, I yield to you.

I will be incorporating some of your techniques in my future work. I haven't done a bunch of outdoor stairs but I liked the pix showing all the carriage and lag bolts incorporated in your designs. Great work. If you ever need some detail / as-builts drawn, call me. I like to help out fellow carpenter's who have the "Build it BOMB PROOF" mentality.

The HO found the doors on the cheap. I have to go back and tinker with the french door a bit...you're not supposed to see daylight through cracks between the door and weatherstipping I guess.

So I will fix that next Sat.

Mike. I have never been so close on my bid vs time as with this one. I usually come in under time because I hit the 1.5 factor to my bid for the unknown that tends to pop up. This one went exactly to the day and then they started asking for extras.

The days were long 0900 to 2100, Mon thru SAT. Just make your contract spell out, in detail, exactly what you will be doing and that if it is not in your contract then it is a change order. i.e. I said that my bid was for SS ring shanked gun nails, not hand nailed. If they wanted hand nailed I would do that but it would add two days and around $1000. I find that people like all the facts in black and white, up front at the start.

Its funny though, once they get used to you and like the work, they typically find other things to ask you to do for them. It also helps when the inspector spend 30 minutes explaining to the HO how this was not typical framing for the area. (I had just finished two multi-family projects, Ocean Shores 5 story and a 12 unit in Oak Harbor, so I had lots of metal left over and the overkill commercial mentality fresh in my head).

There are many ways to calculate what to bid, and some of my friends take it to a science (which is probably the best way to do it). My bottom line is that at a min. I have to clear $300 per day - anything above that is gravy.

send_it_all · 10-14-2007, 04:39 PM

Wall. You do excellent work. I believe you are selling yourself short at believing you only NEED $300 per day. Most contractors here are shooting for at least $65 per hour or $520 per day. I pay myself an hourly rate of $37.50 or $300 per day, as an employee, but I shoot for $65-$75 per each of my hours of work when estimating jobs.

wallmaxx · 10-14-2007, 04:53 PM

Huh, maybe that's why I'm so darn busy. Maybe I should consider a little bit-o-inflation, huh?

Thanks for the intel...I will look into re-evaluating my price.

Here's some CAD converts to jpg of the design

The original plan was for 2x6 exterior walls. But the concrete man decided that an 8" stem wall was better.

I deleted the PT ledger at the bottom...two bizarre after thinking about it and the foundation was pretty wavy, it wouldn't look good.

BuildingHomes · 10-14-2007, 07:42 PM

Cool you did the 2x4 offsets for the sound suppression. Nice job.

I also see a projection screen. Did you build anything on the ceiling to house a projector? Conduit and cable runs to it from the back of the room? Any wiring for sound and video?

wallmaxx · 10-14-2007, 08:08 PM

I prewired for the audio only, the store he bought the TV system from did the rest, but the plan was changed from HD 1080i projector to 60" HD 1080p plasma. So no additional ceiling work was needed. Good thing. It would have been tight.

72chevy4x4 · 10-14-2007, 08:39 PM

great looking work-keep it up!