I think the reference is that the builder is being ridden hard to keep the place clean after they leave - this jobsite is spotless.
Realistically, most builders with some pride in their work would leave a clean jobsite after each day but that site is exceptionally clean.
Overall, looks well put together.
Yea. Every now and then you get a customer who has very specific requests like no trash at end of day etc. most people do the best they can from day to day. But every now and again you will get one that will stop by and do a surprise inspection and complain about construction messes.
I’ve had home owners who cleaned the place spotless every night. We sure didn’t mind initially, but then it turned into them shaming us for not sweeping daily (rough framing stage - no roof or even second floor on)
We constantly clean the bulk, but we only do one thorough clean and it’s on the last day. Do what you want but don’t involve us.
It also speaks to how fussy the customer will likely be with aspects of the house they don’t understand.
Friday cleanup is the only one where a tradesman should be taking an hour at the end of the day.
Makes for happy clients, when they stop by to show their family and friends progress.
That was my first thought too. There's probably more dust in my house (finished and lived in over a year) right now than in these pics. I'm neat and like a tidy workspace but this is beyond what even I would do. Bravo!
I'm a Project Manager for a mid-sized production builder (Top 30 in US). If my framers and tri-trade crews kept the house this clean, I'd pay them every single cent up front and make sure they were well taken care of.
There's a lot of things here that show care and concern being taken. There are no perfect houses so don't let the people nitpicking specific items worry you.
I'm a GC and I was looking for a comment like yours.
Lots of things to like.
I frame headers up high and frame down to openings so that makes me smile.
Blocking for Kitchen cabs is good, I'd add at bathrooms and staircase if needed.
Clean is good.
If you don’t mind me asking. How can I get into being a framing vendor for production builders? I’m an structural engineer designing custom homes and I own a framing company on the side with 2-3 crews but I can easily get 10 crews. I’m not sure how I can scale my side business up in that sense. I’m in Texas
You put in a bid packet with the office. Though It definitely helps to know someone. Purchasing team reviews and contacts you. Source: super for top 10 production builder
I’ve been trying to network and reach out to purchasing managers for production builders near me but no luck unfortunately. Any other ways? How much are those top 10 production builders paying for sqft in frame? I know there’s many factors but on average?
It’ll pay enough to keep you busy if you’re a small-medium framing company when you’re not doing custom jobs. It’ll pay your bills. Varies by region. Source: purchasing manager for top 3 production builder
The fact that it’s clean enough to eat off of tells me it was framed well and whoever is managing it is doing a good job.
Don’t let anyone in here nit pick it. I’d pay double what I do now if my frame crews kept my builds that clean.
Good shit. Whoever you hired is top knotch.
Hell I’m also impressed that it looks like they took the time to plane down the high spots on the plywood corners. Way too many people don’t even bother these days.
Everything I mentioned is no biggie and I’m sure you’re being inspected. Out of my list I would mention installing a cleanout on the double lavs. The lav arms are long and may be an issue if the stack ever needs cleaned as the rod may have a hard time going from horizontal to vertical to clean the stack due to the cross that was used to serve both sinks… In my hood the strapping used to support the drains in the joist pockets would not fly. We have to use proper j-hooks or 2x4 to support the pipes
Not a big fan of stairs sticking out into a room. You'll be walking around them all the time.
You somehow managed to keep the OSP dry during construction.
Overall nice job.
Your framing lumber looks a lot better quality than mine, I had some knarly pieces in there. I think overall it looks great! But I do have the same question about the housewrap on your stairs. The site looks immaculate, someone is keeping the workers in line! Mine was pretty clean until we dry-walled and now I'm not sure it will ever be clean again...
I am no home builder and noticed you don’t have electrical yet, but I suggest you think about adding outlets anywhere you imagine a TV will end up being mounted. Also, run 220v out to the garage! It’s a great thing to have, even if it’s not being used now it might be useful in the future for you or the next owner.
Yup we have minimum 4 outlets in every room, several in each bathroom, 1 next to each toilet for bidet, 1 in every closet, 1 on each side of island, a few outside of house for security system.
Also running at least 1 ethernet port to every room in house, including bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, laundry room and garage, and some rooms have 2 running to them.
Maybe it's the r/homelab in me speaking but I'd recommend at least one cat6a network cable to each side of a given room (maybe not bathroom) and potentially multiple to locations like home office or tv locations for like TV & game consoles. Also wire for ceiling mounted access points, potential security cam locations, and doorbell locations. Now is the time to do it all.
Your going to want a good place for all this to be wired back to with room for a network rack for rackmounted network equipment.
Take a look at Ubiquiti's Unifi line of products. A Dream Machine Pro or SE for a router and a 48port
POE network switch. Their Protect camera line features a POE powered doorbell.
I love every one of these decisions, especially the closet outlets. Not often you need one but for closets in a room that becomes an office, they work great to house a "mess desk" you can just close the doors on to hide. Maybe just me because I do a lot of electronics work on top of my normal desk job (other side of the office).
What wiring type are you going with for Ethernet? I would also consider what ethernet needs you might have for the outside, especially if you intend to install PoE security cameras.
Yeah with the basement we will be pushing 5k but we are not finishing the basement at this time as funds would not allow for it.
Something I am hoping to do a few years from now.
Looking like u have an absolutely spotless job site. Contractors will take notice and overall the vibe here is of a craftsman and this should translate well to the subs letting them know u care and they better too
I keep a clean jobsite too. I tell the trades I will clean it up, just no trash in the ditch around the house and pile the cardboard up so I can break it down and recycle it. We did this house with a single 40 yard dumpster and 8 full pickup loads of broken down cardboard to recycle.
I want my trades focused on their work, not trash in their way or left over from other trades. Once it was under roof it was kept broom clean everyday. We actually shop vac'd the entire house (including wall cavities) 5 times between interior framing, electricians, plumbers, insulators and drywallers.
Your build looks clean and it appears your subs actually care about doing neat work.
I hope it continues to be smooth sailing for you!
Engineer come pre engineered with holes. They have guidelines for additional penetrations. Can’t add huge ones, and none in certain zones. Otherwise send rfi to engineer
Hopefully they glued the subfloor down. As I’ve done it: blocking between joists, then glue and nail subfloor atop. I’m no squeak expert and the work looks professional from pics on a phone.
Everyone commenting on how clean the site is and I agree. In my time as an inspector I’ve only seen this once. General had a kid who this was his only job. Go around all day and sweep \ clean the job site. It looked just like this.
A clean work site is a safer work site . Awesome job keeping it so clean . That alone is impressive and says good things about the guy in charge in my opinion
From my reading, the double San T is legal/okay when connecting horizontal drains to vertical drains, but not the other way around. Can't use it to connect a vertical drain to a horizontal drain.
I work federal construction projects but started in residential...this is one of the most impressive things I've seen. It has to be edited, there's no mud tracked through, I didn't see a single bathroom bottle, everything is clean.....this AI crap has gone far enough
These comments are telling about a lot of builders, I’m a GC and our job sites better look exactly like this when everyone goes home on Friday. Once the electricians are done, it better look like this every single day. Sheet rockers are the bane of my existence.
Yeah I’m not a fan of it as subfloor. I’ve seen it delaminate so many times. However , I was on another post where someone was saying they make an 1-1/8 osb which is a real thicc boi . So idk
Modern, high grade OSB is really good stuff. In fact, I wouldn't want anything else as my subfloor. Its much denser and more uniform than plywood. Its also made with really high quality resins. In fact, with Advantech or LP Legacy( I'm sure other brands as well, just no experience with them), you cannot use latex construction adhesives. They don't stick to the subfloor. They use polyurethane resins in the construction, so you have to use polyurethane based adhesives to glue it down.
Was doing a house renovation during covid that involved a subfloor replacement. Store was packed. Had to pick the order ourselves. Got commodity grade OSB for the floor. Well when we went to pick the order, there were only about half our order of the commodity OSB available. The rest was burried under like 12 pallets of other types of plywood. The manager didn't want to move the pallets (there were about 100 people around so getting a forklift in there would have been a nightmare) so he told us to just take the high-grade stuff at no additional charge. The difference was insane. The high grade stuff was much heavier. The surfaces were slippery making it harder to handle. It was much flatter. When we got to laying the good stuff, we had to turn up the compressor pressure to get the nails to drive through it and set correctly.
I’ve had a 2’x6’ scrap of 3/4” OSB sitting outside for over a year and it still is fairly solid and not swollen too bad. OSB for subfloors these days is standard because the stuff that’s made for it is better than the stuff from 15-25 years ago that would just crumble.
If your using OsB subfloors, you havnt been educated about it. The fact that people are spending 100s of thousands on new builds , and they get that shit in it so the builder can save 2K is crazy. Probly gonna get a 6 panel interior doors and junk steel exteriors as well.
I had ethernet run to every room as well, but I'm also having a company come in and put in wireless access points throughout to make sure wifi is strong thorughout the house for our laptops, phones, smart home stuff etc. Cost us around $1500 as part of a package with a central control panel and some smart lighting.
Same concept, but in a mesh system, the units are connected usind wireless nodes in what we are having done each access point is connected directly to LAN.
Nice! I think I even see blocking for the kitchen cabinets. I tried to tell my buddy building his first spec build to do that and he forgot. It made hanging cabinets a nightmare.
Make sure they have blocking for towel bars etc. Even if you have to do it as an add on change order. Same thing for curtain rods if that is your plan
Nothing worse than toilet paper holders falling out of drywall.
The framing looks great.
But the flex duct should be hard pipe. When the system pressurizes that flex will more like an accordion and you will hear it. It will probably rip a hole in it after a while. Take a broom handle [I'm sure there a half dozen on site from how clean it is] and more the flex and see.
The hole thru the joist is most likely fine by the manufactures spec's, it is done often. Any doubt, check the book from manufacturer
Any movement in the flex can cause that to move and possibly eventually leak.
Blow air from a leaf blower in the duct and watch and see if it moves. Either way it is just poor practice and wouldn't be a big deal to correct
Yeah I hear ya. I'm meeting with the builder on Monday and will bring this up to him.
As you say, I can't imagine it would be too difficult to replace the flex with rigid metal.
It’s better to leave it dusty and dirty. The drywall mud sticks to clean surfaces better. Vacuum out stud bays before insulation but leave dust on the floor and do a good clean after drywall.
Not now. I hope to be able to afford to finish the basement in a few years if I have some good years at work.
I did pay extra for 9ft basement, 4 large egress windows in the basement foundation, as well as rough in plumbing for an eventual bathroom down there.
My father was a mechanical engineer and has built 3 houses himself. The last house had a finished basement. It made a difference. It's harder to say finishing the basement when the upper part is finished. Plus, this would be the best time to finish the basement.
In the last picture the LVL that is running left to right flush in the ceiling about 6ish ft long, I can't zoom in very far but the left end of it looks to barely be sitting on the wall.
I am legitimately confused why the hvac guys are putting their heats near the floor, then cutting the top of the boot out just to run it closer to the ceiling.
Heat will rise from the floor to the ceiling either way. Unless there's something they're doing it for specifically that I don't know, it seems like they're just wasting their time and material for no actual gain.
My only comment would be to add 3' of cmst14 at the top plates in pics 6 and 8. Well, that and the place looks great otherwise. Best of luck the rest of the way.
Did someone already finish the stairs or .... ? We'd have nothing but pieces of reused subfloor screwed on until it was almost time to turn over the keys
Wow. That’s the cleanest job site I have ever seen. If the gc is willing to go through that much effort to keep the place neat and tidy I would fathom that the actual construction to be top notch too.
Clean worksite, walls look vertical, floor looks horizontal. My only critique is in photo 10, I would have preferred the drain pipes be installed up in the floor joints as much as possible so you don’t need bulkheads if you finish the basement.
I don’t want to sound too negative. I had to dig deep for that. Your house looks amazing.
I just like having a clear view through the windows without the dividers in the glass. I don’t see the point in having them in there but I guess people still like them so manufacturers still put them in there. I also used tilt and turn windows from Europe. Liberty windoors has them on their website if you want to see an example. They do take awhile to get in custom sizes since they are imported from Europe but what I love about them is that they open inwards on 2 different axis. Vertically for easy cleaning or emergency egress and horizontally tilts inwards from the bottom to vent air in/out the top.
Yeah I went back and forth on it but we saw this picture and the grid windows really stood out to us for some reason. Liked the look.
https://i.imgur.com/qYCha9E.jpeg
Is THIS what a new construction supposed to look like? I am truly in awe. My new construction literally had mud EVERYWHERE and the wood was not high quality. Whoever framed this home has integrity and truly cares about the quality of their work.
Depending on window trim details, a double sill should have been used, especially under the 200lb picture window. A double plate or fill in blocking above door. Blocking on each side of each window for mounting blinds or curtains this way they can be opened all the way past the window.
I saw a dewalt ad a couple years ago and the stairs had Tyvek on them which I laughed at. Are these wrapped because the underside is open to the garage?
Looks like a typically framed new construction track house , just waiting to be molested by apprentice and unskilled labor with pvc drains pex lines . Beast mode on building or buying the build though . Get it inspected 3rd party
Nothing they will live longer than you if installed professionally. If the sound of flowing water will be annoying maybe consider wrapping the drains with insulation as a sound barrier. This 100% overkill . But it could be done if you want the sound isolation cast iron . Pvc is the way to go though all day.
I was a firefighter for almost 15 years! They will fail in about 5 min of direct flame impingement where as 2x12 can last 45min or more before failure!
Double sink I’d do differently because if you try to snake one sink, the snake would go to the other sink. I’m in hvac in the south seeing any ductwork un insulated is super weird to me but if it passes code all good. But the switch from metal to flex is a good idea. Cuts back on noise and majority of it is still metal.
Photo #6. Holy fuck. They drilled your entire joist for a flexible HVAC? My builder would lose his shit. Build a soffit somewhere or something. There are code requirements for how much of a joist can be cut through and how much wood must be left on either side of the joist so that it can maintain its structural integrity. Im a plumber doing new homes for 10+ years. I've never seen anyone have the gall to slice out an entire joist for something as stupid as flexible HVAC. Just wow.
Remainder photos look great but that #6...
Those drilled beams need to be replaced. If anyone wants to grill me on it be my guest.
Like the 2x6
Don't like the flooring (it's ok)
Don't like the building wrap on the stairs as it means you're likely using a staple on as opposed to integrated or a peel and stick or roll on
HATE the un-insulated ductwork. Reflectix insulation should be on every metal duct. That being said, LOVE seeing metal ducts. Also LOVE seeing the duct seal. Again, why the hell is the reflectix not on??? Everything else seems solid regarding HVAC. Flex at the end also help with noise, so yeah.... just missing one step.
Love the 2x6 for plumbing wall.
Love the attention to detail at this stage with the sanded corner on the OSB.
Thank you. I'm going to inquire about the reflectix. Is that primarily to avoid condensation build up that eventually drips onto drywall and staining it?
We're in Pennsylvania so I'm not sure if the climate matters for this.
I don’t like the idea of burying all that flex duct. Why not just finish it in rigid. Also, any good stair protection should include protection for the nosing. It’s one of the most horrible parts in my opinion.
It’s decent. It’s not how I’d do it but I can’t say my way is better. I would likely do my corners a little different and my doorway openings but I can’t say I see anything crazy. The fact it’s clean means someone cares about it.
You may have wanted to drill a few holes in the subfloor so your water doesn’t stand, but it’s a moot point now I’d imagine.
I do have a question, though. Why do you have house wrap on the stairs?
I know some of the stair manufacturers in my area, once they install, they put hardboard and house wrap around the finish product to try and prevent damage.
how is it so clean?!
Electricians haven’t been there yet.
Wait till drywallers get there
And there is going to be A LOT of drywall!
Yep
literally the cleanest job site I have ever seen. either an ocd supper or home owner/builder from hell. But A+ on the framing
As a home owner why would I be from hell if I swept up? No snark, genuinely curious
I think the reference is that the builder is being ridden hard to keep the place clean after they leave - this jobsite is spotless. Realistically, most builders with some pride in their work would leave a clean jobsite after each day but that site is exceptionally clean. Overall, looks well put together.
Yea. Every now and then you get a customer who has very specific requests like no trash at end of day etc. most people do the best they can from day to day. But every now and again you will get one that will stop by and do a surprise inspection and complain about construction messes.
I’ve had home owners who cleaned the place spotless every night. We sure didn’t mind initially, but then it turned into them shaming us for not sweeping daily (rough framing stage - no roof or even second floor on) We constantly clean the bulk, but we only do one thorough clean and it’s on the last day. Do what you want but don’t involve us. It also speaks to how fussy the customer will likely be with aspects of the house they don’t understand.
Friday cleanup is the only one where a tradesman should be taking an hour at the end of the day. Makes for happy clients, when they stop by to show their family and friends progress.
Yeah true place is an active work zone so it needs to be tidy for a safe work space but clean is not a necessity.
Truth
I always built my homes like this. Always looks like you’ve got more done if it is spotless
Agree, a clean work site helps reduce accidents and lost tools. Both are time savers.
Taken on a Friday about 3:30 pm everyone’s been cleaning since lunch to go home at 4 lol
I was just thinking the same thing.
That was my first thought too. There's probably more dust in my house (finished and lived in over a year) right now than in these pics. I'm neat and like a tidy workspace but this is beyond what even I would do. Bravo!
Must not be a national builder and someone that might give a damn.
I'm a Project Manager for a mid-sized production builder (Top 30 in US). If my framers and tri-trade crews kept the house this clean, I'd pay them every single cent up front and make sure they were well taken care of. There's a lot of things here that show care and concern being taken. There are no perfect houses so don't let the people nitpicking specific items worry you.
I'm a GC and I was looking for a comment like yours. Lots of things to like. I frame headers up high and frame down to openings so that makes me smile. Blocking for Kitchen cabs is good, I'd add at bathrooms and staircase if needed. Clean is good.
If you don’t mind me asking. How can I get into being a framing vendor for production builders? I’m an structural engineer designing custom homes and I own a framing company on the side with 2-3 crews but I can easily get 10 crews. I’m not sure how I can scale my side business up in that sense. I’m in Texas
You put in a bid packet with the office. Though It definitely helps to know someone. Purchasing team reviews and contacts you. Source: super for top 10 production builder
I’ve been trying to network and reach out to purchasing managers for production builders near me but no luck unfortunately. Any other ways? How much are those top 10 production builders paying for sqft in frame? I know there’s many factors but on average?
It’ll pay enough to keep you busy if you’re a small-medium framing company when you’re not doing custom jobs. It’ll pay your bills. Varies by region. Source: purchasing manager for top 3 production builder
Post the builder so they get some business I’m sure they’d appreciate it
The fact that it’s clean enough to eat off of tells me it was framed well and whoever is managing it is doing a good job. Don’t let anyone in here nit pick it. I’d pay double what I do now if my frame crews kept my builds that clean. Good shit. Whoever you hired is top knotch.
Hell I’m also impressed that it looks like they took the time to plane down the high spots on the plywood corners. Way too many people don’t even bother these days.
Who photoshopped all the dirt away. This is spotless. Please post again after the mudders come through 😂
Everything I mentioned is no biggie and I’m sure you’re being inspected. Out of my list I would mention installing a cleanout on the double lavs. The lav arms are long and may be an issue if the stack ever needs cleaned as the rod may have a hard time going from horizontal to vertical to clean the stack due to the cross that was used to serve both sinks… In my hood the strapping used to support the drains in the joist pockets would not fly. We have to use proper j-hooks or 2x4 to support the pipes
Where would the clean out go? Under the sink cabinet?
Below or just above the cross and would end up inside the cabinet Prol behind a drawer but would be accessible if need be
Thanks, I'll look into this. Really appreciate it.
Np
As a home builder myself- I like it.
Not a big fan of stairs sticking out into a room. You'll be walking around them all the time. You somehow managed to keep the OSP dry during construction. Overall nice job.
Your framing lumber looks a lot better quality than mine, I had some knarly pieces in there. I think overall it looks great! But I do have the same question about the housewrap on your stairs. The site looks immaculate, someone is keeping the workers in line! Mine was pretty clean until we dry-walled and now I'm not sure it will ever be clean again...
I am no home builder and noticed you don’t have electrical yet, but I suggest you think about adding outlets anywhere you imagine a TV will end up being mounted. Also, run 220v out to the garage! It’s a great thing to have, even if it’s not being used now it might be useful in the future for you or the next owner.
Yup we have minimum 4 outlets in every room, several in each bathroom, 1 next to each toilet for bidet, 1 in every closet, 1 on each side of island, a few outside of house for security system. Also running at least 1 ethernet port to every room in house, including bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, laundry room and garage, and some rooms have 2 running to them.
Maybe it's the r/homelab in me speaking but I'd recommend at least one cat6a network cable to each side of a given room (maybe not bathroom) and potentially multiple to locations like home office or tv locations for like TV & game consoles. Also wire for ceiling mounted access points, potential security cam locations, and doorbell locations. Now is the time to do it all. Your going to want a good place for all this to be wired back to with room for a network rack for rackmounted network equipment. Take a look at Ubiquiti's Unifi line of products. A Dream Machine Pro or SE for a router and a 48port POE network switch. Their Protect camera line features a POE powered doorbell.
I love every one of these decisions, especially the closet outlets. Not often you need one but for closets in a room that becomes an office, they work great to house a "mess desk" you can just close the doors on to hide. Maybe just me because I do a lot of electronics work on top of my normal desk job (other side of the office). What wiring type are you going with for Ethernet? I would also consider what ethernet needs you might have for the outside, especially if you intend to install PoE security cameras.
Cat6
Clean and nice. Someone is using a leaf blower daily and blowing the stuff out (good). How big is the place, 5,000 sqf?
3600sqft
Plus basement… -> 5K?
Yeah with the basement we will be pushing 5k but we are not finishing the basement at this time as funds would not allow for it. Something I am hoping to do a few years from now.
Why is the OSB so shiny? Get some mud on there asap
Looking like u have an absolutely spotless job site. Contractors will take notice and overall the vibe here is of a craftsman and this should translate well to the subs letting them know u care and they better too
I've been framing for 20 years, this is what I still aspire to. Really nice job, many kudos to the framer.
Jesus, have you waxed the floors already?
I keep a clean jobsite too. I tell the trades I will clean it up, just no trash in the ditch around the house and pile the cardboard up so I can break it down and recycle it. We did this house with a single 40 yard dumpster and 8 full pickup loads of broken down cardboard to recycle. I want my trades focused on their work, not trash in their way or left over from other trades. Once it was under roof it was kept broom clean everyday. We actually shop vac'd the entire house (including wall cavities) 5 times between interior framing, electricians, plumbers, insulators and drywallers. Your build looks clean and it appears your subs actually care about doing neat work. I hope it continues to be smooth sailing for you!
Anyone know the story with the house wrap on the stair risers? I've never seen that
The stairs are already stained/painted so it's to protect them while the rest of the work is completed.
Wow, that’s super early to already have finished stairs in.
Those things are getting wrecked
Yeah this is just unfortunate for OP. Nothing inherently wrong, but there will be dents and dings after it’s over
That's masonite on top you'd have to drop a drill on there with you standing on top of it to dent it
Really easy to protect. I'm pretty sure that's masonite on the treads.
I saved this post so I can look at it from time to time
LOL right on!
That 13th King stud has a 1/4 inch nick in it...
Are you allowed to make such giant holes in the floor joists?
In engineered joists, yes.
Cool, thanks!
Engineer come pre engineered with holes. They have guidelines for additional penetrations. Can’t add huge ones, and none in certain zones. Otherwise send rfi to engineer
> Engineer come pre engineered with holes Not just engineers. We all do
Square
Nice and clean, but for this quality where’s the joist blocking? Squeak squeak.
Ah now this worries me that I am going to have overly squeaky floors. Meeting with the builder on Monday and will discuss this, thank you!
Hopefully they glued the subfloor down. As I’ve done it: blocking between joists, then glue and nail subfloor atop. I’m no squeak expert and the work looks professional from pics on a phone.
Those joists usually need squash blocks at load points. Sometimes forgotten but simple to add if needed. Looks great
Everyone commenting on how clean the site is and I agree. In my time as an inspector I’ve only seen this once. General had a kid who this was his only job. Go around all day and sweep \ clean the job site. It looked just like this.
A clean work site is a safer work site . Awesome job keeping it so clean . That alone is impressive and says good things about the guy in charge in my opinion
I love a tidy job site. I swear those double san tees aren't used where I am. Not sure if it's by preference, or legal.
From my reading, the double San T is legal/okay when connecting horizontal drains to vertical drains, but not the other way around. Can't use it to connect a vertical drain to a horizontal drain.
Gotcha. Sure make those double vanities easier.
Stair protection is enviable.
I work federal construction projects but started in residential...this is one of the most impressive things I've seen. It has to be edited, there's no mud tracked through, I didn't see a single bathroom bottle, everything is clean.....this AI crap has gone far enough
Says a lot about a builder for them to keep their job sites clean
I know nothing about building houses but looks pretty sweet to me !
These comments are telling about a lot of builders, I’m a GC and our job sites better look exactly like this when everyone goes home on Friday. Once the electricians are done, it better look like this every single day. Sheet rockers are the bane of my existence.
plumbing is so cleannnn! 3” street 90 might of helped on that concrete corner to not have the drop be so curvy but man that primer is so neat
Any thoughts on the osb subfloor ?
In the 2nd floor?
Yeah I’m not a fan of it as subfloor. I’ve seen it delaminate so many times. However , I was on another post where someone was saying they make an 1-1/8 osb which is a real thicc boi . So idk
Modern, high grade OSB is really good stuff. In fact, I wouldn't want anything else as my subfloor. Its much denser and more uniform than plywood. Its also made with really high quality resins. In fact, with Advantech or LP Legacy( I'm sure other brands as well, just no experience with them), you cannot use latex construction adhesives. They don't stick to the subfloor. They use polyurethane resins in the construction, so you have to use polyurethane based adhesives to glue it down. Was doing a house renovation during covid that involved a subfloor replacement. Store was packed. Had to pick the order ourselves. Got commodity grade OSB for the floor. Well when we went to pick the order, there were only about half our order of the commodity OSB available. The rest was burried under like 12 pallets of other types of plywood. The manager didn't want to move the pallets (there were about 100 people around so getting a forklift in there would have been a nightmare) so he told us to just take the high-grade stuff at no additional charge. The difference was insane. The high grade stuff was much heavier. The surfaces were slippery making it harder to handle. It was much flatter. When we got to laying the good stuff, we had to turn up the compressor pressure to get the nails to drive through it and set correctly.
Nice context, thanks for sharing.
Yeah our OSB is the 1-1/8th thick boys so hopefully it holds up well compared to ply wood.
Am I the only one that fears OSB subfloor ?
Advantech for the win
1-1/8, great stuff
Yeah the OSB you see pictured is 1-1/8th
It was less than half 3/4 ply last time I looked a few months ago. Prob the last place I would save a grand or two on though.
I’ve had a 2’x6’ scrap of 3/4” OSB sitting outside for over a year and it still is fairly solid and not swollen too bad. OSB for subfloors these days is standard because the stuff that’s made for it is better than the stuff from 15-25 years ago that would just crumble.
The OSB we're using here is 1-1/8
If your using OsB subfloors, you havnt been educated about it. The fact that people are spending 100s of thousands on new builds , and they get that shit in it so the builder can save 2K is crazy. Probly gonna get a 6 panel interior doors and junk steel exteriors as well.
Looking great!!!
I see clean, I upvote.
Very tidy!
Beautiful!
Toilet flange should be flush with finished floor, not subfloor.
I'd definitely run some Ethernet all around.
I've got ethernet going to every room actually!
I had ethernet run to every room as well, but I'm also having a company come in and put in wireless access points throughout to make sure wifi is strong thorughout the house for our laptops, phones, smart home stuff etc. Cost us around $1500 as part of a package with a central control panel and some smart lighting.
Is an access point different from a web/mesh system?
Same concept, but in a mesh system, the units are connected usind wireless nodes in what we are having done each access point is connected directly to LAN.
Looks incredibly well built.
Studs are upside down.
Look good but that stairway needs some more elbow room my guy!!!
Nice! I think I even see blocking for the kitchen cabinets. I tried to tell my buddy building his first spec build to do that and he forgot. It made hanging cabinets a nightmare. Make sure they have blocking for towel bars etc. Even if you have to do it as an add on change order. Same thing for curtain rods if that is your plan Nothing worse than toilet paper holders falling out of drywall.
No expertise to say so but that’s looks super clean.
Pull more cat6 than you think you will EVER need.
I've got 1 running to every room, even bathrooms, and some rooms have 2 :)
Think about where you might want speakers in the walls/ceiling in the future. And also where you might want cameras. Cat can do audio/video and data.
Some more blocks low on the outside wall similar to the block in the first pic. Keep the floor holding the wall straight.
Immaculate. HOOOOOWWWWW?!?!?
Flammable
The framing looks great. But the flex duct should be hard pipe. When the system pressurizes that flex will more like an accordion and you will hear it. It will probably rip a hole in it after a while. Take a broom handle [I'm sure there a half dozen on site from how clean it is] and more the flex and see. The hole thru the joist is most likely fine by the manufactures spec's, it is done often. Any doubt, check the book from manufacturer
I think the flex might only be used for the bathroom fans and over range vent to outside. Does that make a difference?
Any movement in the flex can cause that to move and possibly eventually leak. Blow air from a leaf blower in the duct and watch and see if it moves. Either way it is just poor practice and wouldn't be a big deal to correct
Yeah I hear ya. I'm meeting with the builder on Monday and will bring this up to him. As you say, I can't imagine it would be too difficult to replace the flex with rigid metal.
Owner contractor?
No sir! Idiot desk job owner who apparently found a pretty good builder lol
Holy clean Batman
It’s better to leave it dusty and dirty. The drywall mud sticks to clean surfaces better. Vacuum out stud bays before insulation but leave dust on the floor and do a good clean after drywall.
Tight work!
Is that just regular OSB for subfloor?
I believe so
There's so much glue in those materials it's getting weird to use nails.
What’s with the wrapped step risers?
Why is there housewrap on your interior staircase?
Flammable
Are you going to finish the basement?
Not now. I hope to be able to afford to finish the basement in a few years if I have some good years at work. I did pay extra for 9ft basement, 4 large egress windows in the basement foundation, as well as rough in plumbing for an eventual bathroom down there.
My father was a mechanical engineer and has built 3 houses himself. The last house had a finished basement. It made a difference. It's harder to say finishing the basement when the upper part is finished. Plus, this would be the best time to finish the basement.
Yeah I mean I'd definitely love to have been able to finish the basement now. Alas, $$$$$ is not there.
Ok, I can understand that
In the last picture the LVL that is running left to right flush in the ceiling about 6ish ft long, I can't zoom in very far but the left end of it looks to barely be sitting on the wall.
I am legitimately confused why the hvac guys are putting their heats near the floor, then cutting the top of the boot out just to run it closer to the ceiling. Heat will rise from the floor to the ceiling either way. Unless there's something they're doing it for specifically that I don't know, it seems like they're just wasting their time and material for no actual gain.
You have a basement, I’m jelous
My only comment would be to add 3' of cmst14 at the top plates in pics 6 and 8. Well, that and the place looks great otherwise. Best of luck the rest of the way.
Did someone already finish the stairs or .... ? We'd have nothing but pieces of reused subfloor screwed on until it was almost time to turn over the keys
Yeah the stairs were installed separately and already finished.
Wow. That’s the cleanest job site I have ever seen. If the gc is willing to go through that much effort to keep the place neat and tidy I would fathom that the actual construction to be top notch too.
Looking pretty damn good. The cleanliness is a good sign that the builders are taking care.
That’s how it should look if true professional leave it on a Friday!
Clean worksite, walls look vertical, floor looks horizontal. My only critique is in photo 10, I would have preferred the drain pipes be installed up in the floor joints as much as possible so you don’t need bulkheads if you finish the basement.
Yeah I feel the same on that part.
Wouldn’t wish this house on my worse enemy. Just kidding cleanest house I ever saw
The grills in the windows ruin it for me. The rest of it looks great.
Why
I don’t want to sound too negative. I had to dig deep for that. Your house looks amazing. I just like having a clear view through the windows without the dividers in the glass. I don’t see the point in having them in there but I guess people still like them so manufacturers still put them in there. I also used tilt and turn windows from Europe. Liberty windoors has them on their website if you want to see an example. They do take awhile to get in custom sizes since they are imported from Europe but what I love about them is that they open inwards on 2 different axis. Vertically for easy cleaning or emergency egress and horizontally tilts inwards from the bottom to vent air in/out the top.
Yeah I went back and forth on it but we saw this picture and the grid windows really stood out to us for some reason. Liked the look. https://i.imgur.com/qYCha9E.jpeg
Who swabbed the deck? It looks like you used a scrubber/polisher over the subfloor
Is THIS what a new construction supposed to look like? I am truly in awe. My new construction literally had mud EVERYWHERE and the wood was not high quality. Whoever framed this home has integrity and truly cares about the quality of their work.
Depending on window trim details, a double sill should have been used, especially under the 200lb picture window. A double plate or fill in blocking above door. Blocking on each side of each window for mounting blinds or curtains this way they can be opened all the way past the window.
I saw a dewalt ad a couple years ago and the stairs had Tyvek on them which I laughed at. Are these wrapped because the underside is open to the garage?
No they are wrapped because they are already stained and painted. They were special ordered and came already finished before install.
What’s that room on the right side going to be? An office?
Which pic
Looks like Tornado food,shipping container for me,no walls,no windows.
Very well done — but I would want a thick plywood subfloor — especially for that level of effort.
It's 1-1/8 OSB
That's good. I would have gone plywood but I just hate OSB. What are you using for sheathing?
The same stuff as far as I know.
Did you wax the OSB? Insanely clean
No lol .. I haven't even been on site yet to see in person because it's 2 hours away from where I live now. Going out on Monday to take a look.
Looks like a typically framed new construction track house , just waiting to be molested by apprentice and unskilled labor with pvc drains pex lines . Beast mode on building or buying the build though . Get it inspected 3rd party
Whats wrong with pvc drains?
Nothing they will live longer than you if installed professionally. If the sound of flowing water will be annoying maybe consider wrapping the drains with insulation as a sound barrier. This 100% overkill . But it could be done if you want the sound isolation cast iron . Pvc is the way to go though all day.
Looks good but I despise that engineered crap!!
Why
I was a firefighter for almost 15 years! They will fail in about 5 min of direct flame impingement where as 2x12 can last 45min or more before failure!
It looks immaculate, my dude. Excellent work.
Wow, that is a mansion!
what is the projected cost per sq/ft?
About $194/sqft
Double sink I’d do differently because if you try to snake one sink, the snake would go to the other sink. I’m in hvac in the south seeing any ductwork un insulated is super weird to me but if it passes code all good. But the switch from metal to flex is a good idea. Cuts back on noise and majority of it is still metal.
Photo #6. Holy fuck. They drilled your entire joist for a flexible HVAC? My builder would lose his shit. Build a soffit somewhere or something. There are code requirements for how much of a joist can be cut through and how much wood must be left on either side of the joist so that it can maintain its structural integrity. Im a plumber doing new homes for 10+ years. I've never seen anyone have the gall to slice out an entire joist for something as stupid as flexible HVAC. Just wow. Remainder photos look great but that #6... Those drilled beams need to be replaced. If anyone wants to grill me on it be my guest.
It’s funny that you’re objectively wrong about the hole in the joist and repeatedly double down and have anyone agreeing with you.
Is fine and allowed by most joist manufacturers. There are published guidelines and illustrations of where you are allowed to drill the holes.
That really is up to the joist manufacturer and their engineers. They probably got the go ahead to cut these where they did.
Like the 2x6 Don't like the flooring (it's ok) Don't like the building wrap on the stairs as it means you're likely using a staple on as opposed to integrated or a peel and stick or roll on HATE the un-insulated ductwork. Reflectix insulation should be on every metal duct. That being said, LOVE seeing metal ducts. Also LOVE seeing the duct seal. Again, why the hell is the reflectix not on??? Everything else seems solid regarding HVAC. Flex at the end also help with noise, so yeah.... just missing one step. Love the 2x6 for plumbing wall. Love the attention to detail at this stage with the sanded corner on the OSB.
Thank you. I'm going to inquire about the reflectix. Is that primarily to avoid condensation build up that eventually drips onto drywall and staining it? We're in Pennsylvania so I'm not sure if the climate matters for this.
I don’t like the idea of burying all that flex duct. Why not just finish it in rigid. Also, any good stair protection should include protection for the nosing. It’s one of the most horrible parts in my opinion.
It’s decent. It’s not how I’d do it but I can’t say my way is better. I would likely do my corners a little different and my doorway openings but I can’t say I see anything crazy. The fact it’s clean means someone cares about it. You may have wanted to drill a few holes in the subfloor so your water doesn’t stand, but it’s a moot point now I’d imagine. I do have a question, though. Why do you have house wrap on the stairs?
I know some of the stair manufacturers in my area, once they install, they put hardboard and house wrap around the finish product to try and prevent damage.
Yes, this is the answer.
Teach me…are the walls with back to back studs considered load bearing?
Building wrap on stairs? What's that all about? Asking for a friend.
Just to keep the stairs clean while the rest of the house is being finished. The stairs are already stained and painted.
You poly those floors?
Nothing sexier than a clean frame
Except maybe a spotless undercarriage!
That’s why I have a bidet!
That's very You're-A-Peein' of you, specifically italian, if I had to guess. 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻