The Importance of COMMUNICATION: A Lecture

Prior to my retirement -- 6 1/2 weeks ago -- I spent much of my professional career managing various projects. Some were very small, some were  hundreds of thousands dollars in value. One covered tens of millions of dollars in consultant fees for my firm alone.  I've taught classes on project management. I have generally been successful -- though I have made my share of mistakes. And from each mistake I gained experience. My quote is: "Experience comes from those mistakes you are willing to remember." Today you might learn from my most recent mistake.

If I had to roll everything that leads to a successfully managed project into one word. It would be, unquestionably: Communication.

Today 3283 felt the consequences of  "less than appropriate" communication. I will take my share of the blame, since it was an area of the project that I had some uncertainties about. I should have pressed for earlier communication and more communication. Had I done so today would have been less stressful.

The cottage is an old structure. The electrical system has been modified, added to and reworked over decades by numerous individuals both professional and amateur. I expected that some electrical "re-work" would be required during this initial phase of the work. I knew we would replace the overhead service connection with underground. I knew the water heater and well pump wiring would need to be cut and reconnected. I knew that code would require certain lights within the new basement. And, I had planned on attempting to use the current electric breaker box.  This work was to be done by an electrical sub-contractor as part of my Deitz contract.

I had met the electrical sub only once. That was a month or two before my contract signing when Dan Deitz brought all sub-contractors to the site for an extensive visit and "crawl through." [An excellent communication opportunity.] Following that meeting my communication with the electrical sub was only through the general contractor. But, I know my comments were relayed appropriately....since both the scope language I saw and the contract amount changed.

Once the house was raised onto the new foundation and all the electrical wiring was exposed I should have made sure that the electrician was on site with me to fully understand what his experienced eyes saw and what the options to proceed would be. I didn't to that. He was on site but we did not coordinate well enough  to assure we met there. Dan Deitz did schedule a time for us....but the contractor was late and I had to be at a meeting at the Township Building Department. So, we missed each other...and didn't reschedule.

Today the contractor's crew showed up with an understanding of the work to be done that was based on thinking from last fall. Most of it was correct...but some of it needed to have had more face to face discussion between the contractor and me. Discussions that, had they happened sooner, could have saved us from relocating a bathroom and that associated cost.  And, maybe other framing and plumbing decisions would have been made differently. I know I would not have been nearly as frustrated with the additional costs with which we are now being faced.

I will be getting a totally new electric service box. All circuits will be brought to the new location. I expect to have older existing wiring put into some "order" as it is connected to the new service. But since this is beyond what was covered in the initial contract, I will be digging into a ever shrinking contingency fund to cover the additional costs. And I still expect that much of that old wiring will still eventually be replaced...by me, at less than electrician rates.

Had communication been better between me and the electrical sub-contractor the end result may not have been much different. But, neither of us would have been upset today and there would have been no surprises. Additional costs sometimes can not be avoided. I realize this is especially true in renovation work.  But all contractors need to understand that surprises -- surprises that are accompanied by additional costs are very, very hard for owners to handle.

So, to those of you reading this I leave the simple advice: Communicate.  

Make a total pest of yourselves until you understand exactly what will be done and what won't be done. Understand where one contractor leaves off and another [or you] pick up. If a meeting is missed, reschedule it. Although most of the time "things will work out," don't rely on that. Meet all the contractors and sub-contractors. Meet them as many times as you need to feel right...to be comfortable.  Make sure you get good feelings about each of them. Make sure you and they communicate well. If there is one sub that you are less than comfortable with...ask the prime contractor if they can be replaced. Ultimately we as the owners have to be satisfied.

The best client I had in my consulting career used to often remind us that "The Devil is in the Details." He was so very right.  If you understand the details, how they will be handled...or at least the options for handling them life will go much smoother for everyone.

Anyway, some real work did take place today. And I was able to get a few pictures of the electrician team of Andy and Andy doing real electrical work before my trips to the Township Building Department and SEMCO Energy to arrange gas service hook up. They are below....and there will be more over the next few days.

Much of today was pulling wires and installing lights in the basement.
Andy #1 is working around yesterday's plumbing.

Code -- and good practice -- requires a light over the new basement door.
Andy #2 is installing wiring for that light.

We will end up with a new, modern, electric service panel.
And, It's mounted at "Bona Height" thanks to Andy #2's observation.

They installed a spacer board behind the meter housing to allow siding to be  installed.

My "blog writing tools" on frustrating days.
Remember, Communication can eliminate frustration.
Cheers!!!

The Home Stretch --- For Phase One

The contract we have with Deitz House Movers consisted of disconnecting natural gas, plumbing and electric; lifting the house; excavating the basement; building the basement walls; building interior structural supports; setting the house back on the new foundation; backfilling the excavation; and reconnecting the utilities. I've considered this major effort Phase One. We will have a lot of future "phases" with roofing, insulation,  heating and air conditioning, interior finishing [drywall and floors], and so forth.  But, Phase One is by far the most complex and the foundation [pardon the pun] for the entire project.

After yesterday's "break" in the work, today was truly the beginning of the home stretch for Phase One. It's end is in sight. Three team members worked today. They were all at 3283 at the same time. But, I'll talk about them individually. 

B.F. Masonry was on site to finalize their portion of the work. They made a few stress relief  saw-cuts in the basement floor that was poured on Friday.  And, most notably, they finished the concrete block work by filling in the openings in the back wall.  Just before lunchtime Fred handed my his business card, told me to call if I had any questions or if the smallest problem popped up....and they headed home.

Brian [the "B" in B.F. Masonry] works to fill in the south opening.

The small opening under the end of the back porch needed three block to close it.

OK, I did make him pose for this picture.
But Fred [the "F" in B.F.] is actually setting the final block in the foundation wall.

Patrick and John from Deitz also spent much of the day at 3283. They moved more sand from the stockpile out in the woods and backfilled the excavation around the addition.  Once these "holes" were filled they spread more sand to bring the grade around the structure to the proper level. This is the final 'rough grade' that will be where Phase One ends.  Final grading will be part of a future [yet un-numbered] phase.

Patrick is filling in next to the west wall of the addition.

Backfill along the north wall of the addition was difficult due to the narrowness of the lot.

We will eventually terrace the slope down toward the basement door.

The front even with only rough grading is looking pretty good. 

We wondered how the slope toward the tree would work.
Seems like landscaping will work well here.

The back [east] side rough grading was done today, too.

The third team member at 3283 today was Bob Tolsma Plumbing. who began to reconnect the plumbing. In fact, the re-connection is substantial replacement of drain and supply lines throughout the cottage.  Before the structure was lifted it became obvious that plumbing was not salvageable and that it would be more efficient to do replacement up to existing 'fixtures.'  We also have included a new bathroom in the addition and are providing connections for a washer and dryer in the new 'hallway' to the addition.

Out with the old.
The toilets and the porch bathroom sink were in 'less than ideal' condition.
New ones will be installed.

Bob is feeding the drain line up to the washer location.

Ben is working on the main drain line that will collect flow from:
all three bathrooms, the washing machine, and the kitchen.

The drain lines are nearly complete and some of the first water supply piping is in place.

The most 'wall removal' was required behind where the washer and dryer will  be.

It was a very busy and very good day today. It wont be long before the Deitz Team moves off the site. Right now I couldn't be happier with the progresds thsat has been made and the quality of the work that has been done.

Weather ... Schedules ... Teamwork

Today's post is less "news" and more "editorial."

The weather became more like Spring today. The temperature here finally hit 60. Grand Rapids TV weather said it was the second latest date on record to have reached 60. The rain held off until after 5:00 pm.  It could have been a good day to work on the cottage.

A construction project requires coordination between numerous players. It requires contractors that work well together as a Team. It requires patience with material deliveries. It requires understanding of the weather conditions....and dealing with weather delays. When all these things line up precisely, exactly as planned the Team would have a project go perfectly.

Projects never go perfectly.

The work at 3283 has been plagued with cold and wet weather since the beginning. The Team of contractors brought together by Deitz House Moving Engineers has worked together exceptionally well. Materials have shown up when scheduled. The work to lift the structure and build the basement went very well: the house was put on beams; lifted; basement built; and the structure set down on the foundation with no damage at all. The project is within the expected schedule.  The Deitz Team is great and I have been very satisfied with each and every day's progress.

That's why I had to sit back and smile today.

It was the nicest day of the spring.

And no work was done.

I had expected the masons to finish their work and the electricians and plumbers to begin reconnecting those systems.  But their schedules didn't mesh with 3283 today.  They will be back on site over the next few days -- but the weather isn't supposed to be nearly as nice. And, the project will stay within schedule.

The day wasn't wasted, though. I met with a couple heating and roofing contractors. I'll have their proposals shortly and I will be able to select one of each and schedule their work once the first phase is done.

More news tomorrow.

Work photos, I hope.

End of the Sixth Week

The renovation of 3283 began six weeks ago today. A lot of work has taken place. The past five days have been wet, very, very wet. But the wet weather didn't deter the contractors. The framing team and masonry/concrete teams were busy on site today.  From the outside there wasn't a big change but key interior milestones were reached.

Jeff Sparks and his guys finished sheathing and house wrapping the east wall of the addition.

Bill has put the last piece of sheathing in place and is setting up to install  house wrap.
Contractors worked well together. You can see the concrete chute feeding the basement floor.

The house wrap was handed out the opening for the future bathroom window.
Bill stapled it in place as a concrete chute fed workers installing the basement floor.

Here's how the addition looks on the north side of the cottage.

Closing off the temporary opening isolated the main floor of the addition from the cottage proper. This led to one of the milestones I mentioned.  Jeff and John helped me properly locate the door opening between the cottage and the addition. The door we plan to install is a pocket door so we needed to make sure we could open enough of the wall to fit the whole width of the extended frame.  Once its location was determined, they removed the set of windows that was in the location; cut through the siding and interior drywall; removed the studs that were in the opening; and installed a header and supporting studs.  

The cottage and addition are now connected ... we can walk into the newly created main floor space.

After the window was removed,
the crew removed the drywall from the room in the cottage.

The siding was cut down to floor level where the door will open.

John is nailing a header into place.
The header needed to extend over the entire width of the pocket door frame.

Here's the opening looking from the cottage into the addition. 

Here's the opening looking from the addition into the cottage,
The wide opening in the new studs at the left will be another pocket door to a bathroom.

The second milestone completed today was the completion of the basement floor. Fred, Brian and the masonry crew worked in the basement today. They made final preparation for arrival of concrete to pour the north "half" of the basement floor.  The process followed the same steps as the south portion did earlier this week.  I have fewer pictures because access was more difficult.

The same large redi-mix truck [or one of the same fleet] brought concrete for the floor.

Once fed by chute to the basement, the concrete needed to be spread over the entire area.

The floor needed to be finished around the penetrations for
the underfloor plumbing, including the pump station.

The whole basement floor has now been completed,
The addition is to the left.

It has been another good week. I can begin to see the end of the first phase of the project.  The masons will be back Monday to fill the openings in the block. I expect that the plumbing sub-contractor to return early next week. And, the electrician will be here to try to make sense of the under house wiring and re-connect the house to the "grid." Then, after some final carpentry [basement door and some exterior trim replacement], back fill and grading  .... the Deitz contract should be complete.  

I need to make final roofing and HVAC contractor selections. Then, I can watch their work and write about them.

Here are a couple pictures of 3283 at the end of the day today, April 12, 2013.

Back [east] Side of 3284 -- April 12, 2013

Front [west] Side of 3283 -- April 12, 2013

Despite Lousy Weather ... More Great Work

Michigan weather continued to be anything but Spring-like. It was cold. It was rainy. A stiff wind blew all day from the east. The rain continued to come in waves....20 or 30 minutes of heavy rain punctuated with 45 min of consistent drizzle. I'm guessing the wind-chill was in the 30s all day. I don't believe there was any period when it was "dry."

Two crews were on site despite the weather. Fred and the guys spent the morning in the north half of the basement preparing the final grade for concrete, and Jeff and his crew continued to work on the addition.  The remaining part of the basement floor is scheduled to be poured tomorrow.  The framing of the addition should also be wrapped up by the end of the week.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
I didn't get many pictures of the basement work. Let it be known that the crew finalized the grade for the basement floor north of what was poured last week. This includes the floor of the addition and where it will have to wrap around the bottom of the stairs, the sanitary pump-station, the rough plumbing for the bath, and the plumbing for the basement floor drain.

The north half of the basement floor is ready for concrete to be poured tomorrow.

Jeff, Bill and John worked through the day in the rain to substantially complete rough framing of the addition. Building upon the walls and ceiling joists completed yesterday, they started by cutting and installing roof rafters.

John and Bill are fitting the first of the rafters.
Proper angles were calculated, cut, trial fit, re-cut and finalized.

The remaining rafters went faster.
Like the original structure, the addition will have exposed rafters in the overhang.
The 2x10 rafters were cut back to 4 inches to match the existing look.

When all rafters were completed the overhanging portions were cut to length.

 When you are working on renovation of a place like this you often need to make decisions between using "modern" techniques, procedures and products or matching the methods that were used during the original construction.  The roof of the cottage was framed in 1x6 boards while today roofs are constructed using plywood or OSB. Our roof will be built with both. The large portion will be OSB, but Jeff used 1x6 boards to cover the exposed rafter ends and the overhangs on the east and west gable ends.  This way the under side of the addition overhangs will match the look of the cottage proper.

The first 1x6 goes into place.

The overhang on the north side has 1x6 board sheathing and will match the rest of the cottage.

Sheets of OSB were used to sheath those portions of the roof that would not be visible from below.

Since the weather has been very wet, and since we are uncertain how soon
the  final roofing will be installed, Jeff covered the roof with ice and water guard
which will be the first layer of roofing.

Once the roof was completed the carpenters moved back to finishing the framing of the walls. First the sheathing and house wrap on the north wall was completed. Then the studs for the east wall were laid out, cut and nailed in place. To allow temporary access the opening for the window was not completed. The OSB sheathing was nailed in place and the addition was basically "walled in."

The sheathing and house wrap is being finished on the north wall.

Sheathing goes onto the east wall...
as rain covers the window I'm looking through.

More sheathing on east wall.
The opening will have a window framed into it.

Before quitting for the day the guys framed the interior wall that will separate the bathroom from the main room. The addition is nearly completely framed in. Tomorrow the east wall will be completed and the doorway between the cottage and addition cut in.

This is the beginning of the west wall of the bathroom.
A pocket door will be framed into this end of the wall.

  The weather wasn't any better as the day ended.

Here's a look at the addition as we headed out for the day.

Rain Delay: Work Called After One Inning...er Wall

Another wet day in Holland. Standing water along the roads. 3283 had some wet spots and the sand was very wet.....but no puddles....even at the basement entry door. A good test.

Jeff Sparks and the carpenters gave it a valiant try this morning. They were here early and managed to frame in the north wall and install the ceiling joists.  But then today's game was called on account of rain.

And, today's post will be a short one.

The north wall has been framed and tipped up.
They are using the nail gun to fasten it in place.

The first three ceiling joists are in position and being nailed in place.

I can almost picture a bed's headboard between those two --future-- windows.

The east wall is yet to be framed.
It will likely remain that way until the door is cut through into the cottage. 

Here's a look at the new north side of 3283 from our neighbor's yard.