So here is an interesting one of the crew are currently working on this week. History behind the project. 1950's house, masonry construction, original house has single entry door. H.O. who is a real estate agent does renovations last year
Change entry door from single to double, remove bearing wall and add beam to replace, along with lots of other cosmetic items.
We get referred to him as it appears his new beam is sagging. Pickle and I go and snap a line on this beam, 18' span, 1" bow in the centre of the beam. Strip the drywall, it's a 3 ply 9 1/2" LVL spanning 18', one side is supported with 2 - 2x, other end is sitting on a 3x3x3/16" angle front above the front door :laughing:
This beam is holding up the 2nd floor and roof :blink:
Needless to say, I tell him to get an engineer, steel beams are in order (we can go thinner thus allowing full casing around the door, not some ripped trim cause the beam is too big)
So I have one guy who is multi talented, surgeon like, supports the 2nd floor to the main with alumibeams and shoring jacks, and does the same below from main floor to basement floor. Bottle jack and spends about an hour lifting the 2nd floor and roof back up, miraculously the 2nd floor meets the 1/4 round again, the shower floor in the ensuite meets the tile walls again, the bedroom doors don't close by themselves anymore.
Remove the masonry above the front door, install steel beam above door with flanges to accept beam holding up 2nd floor (T pattern), 10 guys at 7:30am lifting an 18' steel beam into place in the middle of the house...priceless
Where am I going with all this? I gave the guy the price and it literally knocked him on the ground originally, he has a bad taste with contractors since the first one did some really shabby workmanship (remind me to tell you about the dryer type flex duct running from the basement to the 2nd floor). Needless to say, after he witnesses the job being done correctly, he admits he sees why I charge what I charge.
The bonus part...he is a real estate agent and has already put us onto 2 confirmed projects and awaiting plans to bid another
Normally I would walk away from jobs like this, the hassle since another contractor did them wrong, the bad taste they have, I usually don't have the patience to deal with these people who now think everyone is out to steal from them. Kind of glad I stuck this one out.
Change entry door from single to double, remove bearing wall and add beam to replace, along with lots of other cosmetic items.
We get referred to him as it appears his new beam is sagging. Pickle and I go and snap a line on this beam, 18' span, 1" bow in the centre of the beam. Strip the drywall, it's a 3 ply 9 1/2" LVL spanning 18', one side is supported with 2 - 2x, other end is sitting on a 3x3x3/16" angle front above the front door :laughing:
This beam is holding up the 2nd floor and roof :blink:
Needless to say, I tell him to get an engineer, steel beams are in order (we can go thinner thus allowing full casing around the door, not some ripped trim cause the beam is too big)
So I have one guy who is multi talented, surgeon like, supports the 2nd floor to the main with alumibeams and shoring jacks, and does the same below from main floor to basement floor. Bottle jack and spends about an hour lifting the 2nd floor and roof back up, miraculously the 2nd floor meets the 1/4 round again, the shower floor in the ensuite meets the tile walls again, the bedroom doors don't close by themselves anymore.
Remove the masonry above the front door, install steel beam above door with flanges to accept beam holding up 2nd floor (T pattern), 10 guys at 7:30am lifting an 18' steel beam into place in the middle of the house...priceless
Where am I going with all this? I gave the guy the price and it literally knocked him on the ground originally, he has a bad taste with contractors since the first one did some really shabby workmanship (remind me to tell you about the dryer type flex duct running from the basement to the 2nd floor). Needless to say, after he witnesses the job being done correctly, he admits he sees why I charge what I charge.
The bonus part...he is a real estate agent and has already put us onto 2 confirmed projects and awaiting plans to bid another
Normally I would walk away from jobs like this, the hassle since another contractor did them wrong, the bad taste they have, I usually don't have the patience to deal with these people who now think everyone is out to steal from them. Kind of glad I stuck this one out.