Lulu said, "Please please build me a boat house." Finale

In the last blog on the boat house I wrote about the savings I enjoyed by wiring the boat house myself.   For this blog I am happy to report that I am finally finished with the boat house project.  The speed at which I finished the boat house is on par with a snail or sloth.  My construction services are kind of like that restaurant I went to in Alaska called Fast Eddies where it took a whole hour to eat a meal there and the service was anything but fast.

The first lumber delivery was on December 5, 2014.

 

What I originally had in the back yard was a nice 20' dock built by dad and I. 

Now it is October 24, 2016, 1 year 10 months  later and now the back yard has this in it.

 

 

 

Of course the boat house will still have to pass inspection.  It will be interesting to see what they say when the inspector looks at the plans and it calls for a hip roof and what I built was a gable roof.  I have also blown a zoning requirement.   The structure is a little bigger than 600 square feet.  However the inspection will have to wait until I finish the driveway which is the last task to do before my two permits are complete.

The last part of construction for the boat house involved putting the planking and the shingles on.   The planking took about 26 hours and the shingling took about 17 hours.   Seeing as I started this effort in July and its now October it seems I didn't accomplish much for 3 to 4 months.  Truth is I did slow down because it was so hot.  I avoided the peak sun hours and worked no more than three hours a day and usually only on weekends

Besides the planking and shingles I also accomplished installing the electrical for the boat house. the swail in the back yard, the sprinklers and the planting of the grass seed. I also decided to take a detour in life and do other things besides construction and work.  So I devoted some of my attention to running and then I switched to comedy.  That's right I took a 6 week stand up comedy class.  It was perhaps the funnest class I have ever taken.  Each class was filled with the teacher and the students cracking jokes and roasting each other.  We attended comedy shows and at the end of the class each student in the class performed a five minute act in front of a live audience.

The comedy I came up with certainly wasn't appropriate for the corporate work environment but definitely would be considered appropriate on a construction site.  In the spirit of having a fun in the middle of a a serious project, I will place a few jokes I know through this blog.

Like this one:
I went to a restaurant on mars and the food was great but there was no atmosphere.

Since I had finished the roof framing, the planking was next.  For this I used 2" x 8" treated lumber.  I could have used plywood sheathing but I figured it would be easier for me haul planks up the ladder rather than large sheets of plywood.  Also with planking the roof nails would not pop through and show like they would with plywood.  Nails popping through the underside of the roof seems unsightly to me.

Unlike the cedar porch planking I decided not to use lap joints.  The cedar porch lumber actually shrunk a lot so that there are quarter inch gaps in the seams.  Lapping is a good idea but since the planking is covered with peel and stick and shingles and there is no chance of day light passing through the joints it is unnecessary.  The only thing I did to the lumber was bevel the edge with a router bit so that a V groove was formed at the seam.

To put the planking on I used 3.25" galvanized ring shank framing nails to attach them to the rafters.   I usually put four nails in per rafter.  The trickiest part of placing the planking is getting the first row straight.  To ensure that I did I clamped short pieces of lumber on the facia so that the first plank could butt up against it.   Once this was done the next rows went on straight.  However, since the wood was not perfectly straight I used pipe clamps to press the plank rows together before I nailed them and I staggered the joints.

Below are some pictures of the process where I put planks on and covered them with peel and stick.

 

 

 

In the above pictures I have shown the top side of the planking.  But the whole reason why I put in planks in the first place was so that nails would pop through when I put shingles on the roof.  It is also a lot prettier to look at then sheathing.  Below is a picture that shows how well the planking idea looks.  This picture is after the shingles were put on.....no nails!

Time for another joke:
Did you hear about the kidnapping at school? 
He's ok now he woke up.

When installing the planks safety was my number one priority.   The first thing I did to help out is I wired the ladder to the boat house with 9 wire.  The ladder sliding to the side and then falling to the ground as a worker gets on and off is a common issue.   The second thing I did is I put on most of the planking from inside the rafter structure instead of standing on the roof.  I was able to do this because I had a good scaffolding system.  In fact all the planks went on this way except the last two rows.

I also put on the peel and stick as I installed the planks.   This I thought would ensure the slippery wood surface would be covered with a material that has good traction.  However, the peel and stick material has a time limit (45 days) for exposure to UV / hot sun and I exceeded it by about 30 days for some it.  So maybe I should have waited until all the planking was done before I placed it on.  Some of it became covered with loose particles that broke away from the material and made it slippery.  Some of it didn't and I think that is because of the different brands that I used during the process.  Finally when working on the roof I use a safety harness.

Time for another joke.
They named a road after Chuck Norris but they had to change the name....Do you know why?
No one would cross Chuck Norris.

The next step was to add the drip edge.  By code the drip edge has to be spaced out 1/2" from the facia so that the water coming off it does not interact with the facia. To speed up the process I cut all my spacers and predrilled the holes for the nails ahead of time.  Drilling the holes was quick because I used my harbor freight drill press.  On the gable end of the roof the spacer is just a 1/2 inch thick by 1.5" thick strip of wood.  However on the eaves the spacer has a 22.5 degree angle in it so that the plumb cut vertical facia would match with it.

One issue I had with the drip edge installation the vertical facia and roof make an angle was 111.5 degrees and  the drip edge I had purchased was 90 degrees.  I had to squash the drip edge.  I tired putting it on  the ground and stepping on it but this creased the drip edge and ruined it.  Instead I came up with a solution that worked very well.

The spacer I had used for the drip edge on the plump cut side of the roof had angle in it and since I had some extra left over. I used it as guide when I spread the drip edge wider with my hands.   See photo below.

I put the drip edge on in about 2 hours.  The nail spacing I used was 4 inches which is code for hurricanes and the over lap for the drip edge is 6 inches.  The corners where the facia transitions form 111.5 degrees to 90 didn't seem quite right but it looks good.  I think that special factory made facia should be made for this transition.

 

Time for another joke:
Two antennas met on the roof.   They got to know each other and really hit it off.  They fell in love and got married.   The ceremony wasn't that great but the reception was excellent.

After the drip edge was installed it was time to install the shingles.  In my previous blog I  have detailed about the shingle installation process.  To summarize, I put roof cement on the drip edge and covered the seems and the nails.  By code the width of the roof cement seam has to be a minimum width.  I forget what the dimension is but I exceeded a 8" wide seam.  Then the starter shingles go on.  Below the picture shows half a row of starter shingles and the roof cement seam.

 

The next step was to put on the shingles.  There are directions on each shingle pack.  It basically says to never have your shingle seems line up.  The first row requires nothing special and the shingles are laid down and nailed to the roof.  The second row starts off with a 6" shingle.  The third a 11" shingle.  The fourth starts off with the left over shingle from the 6" part that was cut off it.  The fifth row starts with the shingle that is left over from the 11" cut off it.  Then repeat the process over again for the remaining rows.

It is important to nail the shingles 6 times.   My neighbors boat house roof shingles were blown off by hurricane Mathew because they used 4 nails.   My house shingles that used 6 did not.   It is also important to make sure the edges are stuck down.  That's why the starter shingle is used and also tar from a caulking gun is placed under the roof perimeter edges with a caulking gun.  What I'm told happens is once the first edge shingle goes from high wind then all the rest of them in that row go.

The professional who looked at the neighbors boat house roof which is the same size as mine said it was done so bad that it needed a whole new roof job at a price of 1900 dollars.   My cost was $800 (57% savings) for materials with a labor time of 34 hours to complete peel and stick, drip edge and shingle job.  The labor rate then is $32 an hour.  Their price includes tear down which I did not have to do since I had a new roof.

However I have to say that I am super envious of the short time it takes these professionals to do the work.  My neighbors entire house roof was removed and the dried in in one day.  However now they are waiting for the inspector to look at it.   Or are they?  Because of hurricane Mathew there are a lot of roof jobs now.  I wonder if they are playing the game of starting as many projects as they can and when the work dies down they will get back to my neighbors.  Because they started the job my neighbor is stuck using them now.

It is important to get the shingles on straight.  I use one chalk line for every two rows to help.   Below is picture when I'm about 1/3 of the way done on the shingle task.

And here is an aerial view of the finished roof.

See my other roofing project at this blog for more information roofing.

In addition to the shingles I installed an owl with rotating head to keep the birds away.  They leave a nasty mess.  And it does not seem to be working.   What shall I try next?

Time for another classic joke:
A woman could never get her husband to do anything around the house. He would come home from work, sit in front of the tv, eat dinner, and sit some more -- would never do those little household repairs that most husbands take care of. This frustrated the woman quite a bit.

One day the toilet stopped up. When her husband got home, she said sweetly, "Honey, the toilet is clogged. Would you look at it?" Her husband snarled, "What do I look like? The tidy-bowl man?" and sat down on the sofa. 

The next day, the garbage disposal wouldn't work. When her husband got home, she said, very nicely, "Honey, the disposal won't work. Would you try to fix it for me?" Once again, he growled, "What do I look like? Mr. Plumber?" 

The next day, the washing machine was on the blink. When her husband got home, she steeled her courage and said, "Honey, the washer isn't running. Would you check on it?" And again was met with a snarl, "What do I look like? The Maytag repairman?" 

Finally, she had had enough. The next morning, the woman called three repairmen to fix the toilet, the garbage disposal, and the washer. When her husband got home, she said, "Honey, I had the repairmen out today." He frowned, "Well, how much is that going to cost?" "Well, honey, they all said I could pay them by baking them a cake or having sex with them." "Well, what kind of cakes did you bake them?" he asked. She smiled. "What do I look like? Betty Crocker?"

An older couple were walking on a beach when the husband tripped over a bottle and a genie came out. “You can each have one wish,” said the genie. The wife made her wish first “I would like to travel around the world, with my husband,”. Suddenly there appeared in her hand two tickets for travel around the world. Now it was the husbands turn, “Well” said the husband, with a naughty look on his face “I wish I can have a younger companion,” . The words were barely out of his mouth when poof, he aged 20 years!

Read more at:

So now that the boat house is complete the question is would it have been cheaper for a contractor to have done the job?

In this case it is an emphatic no.

For a similar boat house that was built in a neighborhood the contractor charged $ 32,000.   In my case I worked on the boat house for 411 hours and my cost in materials and minimal hired help was $14,716.

My savings was a whopping $17,284 or 54%.   Cue the cash register sound.

Happy Building

The Dr.

PS. Still yet another joke:

A man runs into the vet's office carrying his dog, screaming for help. The vet rushes him back to an examination room and has him put his dog down on the examination table. The vet examines the still, limp body and after a few moments tells the man that his dog, regrettably, is dead.

The man, clearly agitated and not willing to accept this, demands a second opinion. The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat and puts the cat down next to the dog's body. The cat sniffs the body, walks from head to tail poking and sniffing the dog's body and finally looks at the vet and meows. The vet looks at the man and says, "I'm sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead too."

The man is still unwilling to accept that his dog is dead. The vet brings in a black Labrador. The lab sniffs the body, walks from head to tail, and finally looks at the vet and barks. The vet looks at the man and says, "I'm sorry, but the lab thinks your dog is dead too."

The man, finally resigned to the diagnosis, thanks the vet and asks how much he owes. The vet answers, "$650." "$650 to tell me my dog is dead?" exclaimed the man.... "Well," the vet replies, "I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $600 was for the cat scan and lab tests."

High end cedar porch construction: the finale

In the previous blog putting the heavy awkward rafters up by myself was discussed.  The result was beautiful and the structure looked like a pergola.   I pondered should I stop and leave it as is? No way Jose!  Now it was time to put on the planking.  Really the planking  has two functions.  One is to provide the finished ceiling and the other is to provide the roof sheathing to attach the shingles.  Since  I was required to use use roofing nails that were 1.25" to attach the shingles, I had to use  2" inch thick planking otherwise the nails would poke through the ceiling and make an unsightly mess

The 1.25" nails were galvanized which is not a good for cedar since it will make a black stain.  However, I figured (time will tell) that since the nail did not go all the way through the planking and was covered by shingles that I would never see the black marks.

I almost went with a tongue and grove system.  But in the end I decided on using ship lap with a beveled edge.  To make the ship lap I used my harbor freight dado blade on my table saw and cut the lap in in one pass.  It was actually a pretty big cut to take out of the wood all at once but I was impatient.  In fact my saw blade would slow down a lot and the saw would get all choked up with saw dust requiring that I clean the port out when it was running.

Below is a picture of the table saw setup.  Notice I have fence that embeds the dado blade, one feather board to press the board down to the table and two feather boards to keep the board up against the fence.  This assured that the ship lap is consistently and precisely cut every time.  I probably could have used another feather board to press the board to the table on the out feed end.

ly 

In addition to the ship lap joint I used my Milwaukee router to bevel the edges.  Below are 6 ship lap boards after they have been finished with Olympic elite wood land oil.

Installing Planking can have its challenges.  It can be warped and when it is installed it can end up uneven and unsightly.  One thing I had going for me was the top plate or main beam was really close to being parallel to the house and the rafters were all really close to the same length.  So my attention to detail in the beginning meant I was set up for success.

To combat the problem of warped wood, I devised a system to take out the twists and turns making all the planks straight and parallel to each other.  To do this I made use of pipe clamps which pressed the wood together and made the lap joints tight.  In the end this required some long pipe clamps as more and more planks were added and even using multiple pipe clamps to grab on to each other to get the job done.

 

To fasten the planks to the rafters I used 3.5" stainless steel ring shank nails.  I put three nails in per rafter.

During the design phase of this project the designer was very insistent on using diagonal bracing to shore up the cedar porch.  But dad who had structural engineering experience knew it was unnecessary.  We submitted the design without diagonals to the professional engineer and he passed it. When the designer found this out he said, "he bought it" referring to the professional engineer and indicated that the p.e. would sign anything.  I decided to trust my dad on the diagonal brace issue and went to building the the porch.

It was actually quite wobbly in the beginning before I had installed the planks which made me think that maybe some diagonal bracing needed to be done.  But when I finished adding all the planks, the porch was as solid and sturdy as a brick shit house and wasn't going anywhere.  Dad was right!

After the planking, I had a number of finishing tasks for the porch like putting on the fascia and drip edge all along the perimeter.  The end result was beautiful and shown below.

 

 

 

 

In the end I am so glad that I stuck with the cedar porch idea.  But the question is, did I save anything by doing this work myself?  Exactly how much I saved is hard to estimate.   I really doubt that I could find any one in town to do the custom cedar porch that I had made.  Because I did it myself and went through several iterations of design I was able to get in touch with what I really wanted.  In fact I'm sure people have asked a contractor to do work for them and then realize once it is all done that its not what they really wanted and they end up unhappy.  Case in point what I had originally conceived of when I started the porch is totally different then what I ended up with.

But what rate would  a contractor charge?  I know one thing for sure is that every time I asked for a change in the plans, which there were many, the cost would go up a lot and it would be way more than the initial estimate.

My estimate is as follows:

For materials cost I spent about $7050.  The complete break down of materials is listed below:

$7.54       dowels

$30.13     gloves

$237.03   nails

$154.41   Simpson connectors, anchors

$17.47     anchors

$12.69     sand

$33.74     ledger anchors

$4329.32 cedar

$14.97     saw dust bags

$326.4     olympic oil

$89.07     sand paper

$70.2        mineral spiits

$26.87     paint brush

$$450      permit/

$450      engineering

$750      drawings

The number of hours I worked was 231.  Keep in mind that these hours are onsite physical labor hours and don't include things like planning and running to the store to get materials.  So I think my recorded hours are conservative and comparable to what a contractor would spend doing the job.  After looking at the site homewyse.com $50 dollar an hour for contractors labor rate seems to be on the low end.  Drywallers make this much and I think that the fine work required by the cedar porch is at a higher skill level and would probably cost more. Anyway based on $50 dollars an hour labor rate a contractor would have charged $11,550 for labor.

The total contractor cost for installing the cedar portion of the porch would be about $18600.

That's means s whopping $11550 or 62% was saved.  Cue the cash register sound.

Happy Building!

The Dr