Under the Radar

As a professional residential remodeler, I feel that it is my job to ensure that all of the other remodelers are playing by the same set of rules. So when I see a project that requires proper permits to accomplish, naturally I get nosy. It is not that I am the only one that is qualified to do the work, but there are folks that have no business doing intricate structural projects, or those jobs in the historic district, without the proper approvals.

That being said, I noticed a fairly involved remodeling project occurring in the neighborhood without a sign indicating that it might be another remodeler attempting to do a project “under the radar” so to speak. Of course, I checked to make sure that a permit was taken out. I noticed several trucks with out of county license plates, so I figured it was just a couple of friends doing the work. To my surprise, there was a permit. The project involved bearing walls and a rather substantial addition on a pre 1978 home. When I asked which contractor was doing the work, it became obvious what was happening.

Boise City

The home owner had taken out the permit. Stunned, I got to thinking: in whose best interest is it to have the home owner take out the permit?

This is not the typical situation That we have seen over the years, where a “trunk slammer” handyman that gets the work for cheap and never even gets a permit. This is a new twist and a seriously disturbing case. First off, it minimizes the importance of the remodeling profession. It also opens up the home owner to a boatload of potential problems that I am sure are underappreciated by all parties.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

• Can you represent yourself in a court of law? Yup. Is it a wise move? Who knows? If you win, you might say so.

• Can you read about how to surgically remove an appendix? Are you prohibited from taking your own out? Nope, Is it a wise move? I suppose if you survive without complications you would save a bunch of money.

• Take home birth, however. What could go wrong? It is a game of odds, I suppose. I have delivered lots of healthy babies, and there were minor complications, that I dealt with. Despite that fact, I chose to not take a chance on my own children.

So why not remodel your own home?

BENEFIT

1. 

   Building Permit

   You get to save a few bucks, because there is no markup on materials or labor.

2. You are ultimately responsibility or the quality of the project yourself.
3. You have no one else to blame if something goes wrong.
4. Everyone is an hourly laborer, so you can yell at them when they go to the bathroom for too long or are taking excessive cigarette breaks.
5. You can fire the lazy ones and just hire other people when you want.
6. The permit cost is the same whether you are a contractor or home owner
7. It may have taken longer, but getting an architect to draw the the plans will be comparable.
8. Your time getting the permit is free. Or is it?
9. You as a home owner are not responsible for doing LSWP (lead safe work practices) and can easily con some guys into taking the risk.

PITFALLS

Framing

In a recent case, I took over for an owner that had hired a masonry contractor who was working beyond his capabilities and was about to do something that made no sense to the owner. He was fired and I was hired to complete the work. There was additional cost involved and a wasted several weeks not to mention the confrontation and the anxiety.

• The home owner most likely had no lead testing done. Odds are that the home that is leaded will be remodeled the old fashioned way and poisoning the family and workers will be a crap shoot.
• This does not exempt the workers from being responsible for taking all the same lead safe work practices that I have to take. If there is any compensation, you must be a lead safe firm and have at least one lead safe certified worker as well as document the lead safe work practices and do clean verification.
• There is no general contractor, so they most likely just hired some guys that build homes to come do the work for an hourly wage.
• One of my clients had a heart attack doing this (fortunately it was a small one)
• There is no contract so if anything goes wrong there is a enormous liability to the owner.
• There is no schedule, so it is anyone’s guess as to what is happening. There is  a fairly steep learning curve as to when required inspections are due, but with some help it can be done. The inspectors are reasonably helpful in this area. It is the ones that don’t have inspections that are at a greater risk.
• Ordering time sensitive materials can be a problem, but with some planning ahead it can be done.
• Once the place is framed in and sheeted anything on the inside can be done be a handful of other subcontractors out of the phone book. And before you know it, you have completed your first remodeling project.

Here is my take on why this is happening: money is tight, so why pay someone like me to do anything? If cost was not an issue, sure, have the work done by a professional.

RISK

How Much Risk Do You Want?

Those of you that are risk adverse should not consider this. Here are some of the real life concerns that I have:

1. None of the carpenters have workman’s compensation insurance. If one falls from the roof of cuts a hand off. Who are they going to go after?
2. Say one of the subcontractors who you pay decides not to pay their concrete bill for instance. Who is going to get the bill?
3. Say they cut into a water line and flood your home? Who is responsible for that?
4. Say the roof is done, you’ve saved some money, and the guy seemed really nice, but the roof leaks into your nice new room. So you call the roofer and they say it is the framers fault, who is responsible for that?
5. Say that a year from now, the addition starts to sink into the earth and the doors don’t fit right anymore.

The point is that I can go on and on. Is the up side of flying under the radar really worth it?

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

CSI

Let’s first outline the subject matter. I recently published a similar blog on foundation moisture to review the senses and how they can be used to ferret out what is wrong. In this post I am exploring how I use my senses in a broader way. I work like a Crime Scene Investigator or CSI when it comes to remodeling. It gets easier with time but it requires concentration and some reflection when it is all done. The standard 5 senses work just fine for most things, however it is the 6th that often solidifies the course for my recommendations.

Common sense is not so common. What sets Levco apart is our willingness to get opinions from multiple experts. I realize that despite our experience, not all problems are simple to solve. Every contractor has an opinion, we reserve ours until we get corroboration from experts on complicated or rare problems.  At Levco we run toward unusual situations, we are stimulated by the unusual and love to solve home problems. Our goal is to develop a plan that works to address the problems that are found.

Homes tell a story and a brief inspection using your senses usually helps you find clues about what the home was originally. You can also determine what had been done to keep it functional over the years as well as uncovers some mysterious things. On a very recent outing I found a large aluminum box adjacent to the stairwell. The owner told me that the HVAC guy said it used to be hooked up and was central air conditioning. I examined it and found a very early version of an electronic air cleaner.

Something smells off

SMELL: I just had a flashback to Grandpa Ben’s shop. Turns out that I developed a habit or reusing paint thinner, the sludge settles and the thinner is still good so when I opened the top I realized that this was an old grandpa Ben trick too. He was a child of the depression that stood in bread lines and ate hardtack at the orphanage so it comes as no surprise that he was thrifty.

I use my sense of smell most commonly on initial inspection; a whiff of something musty may mean mildew or mold. Some folks have a real reaction to mold, I do not, but that is a good thing to have. Sycamore trees give off a nasty thing at certain times of year that makes you cough and give you a scratchy throat. Dead things give off a powerful smell. Pets can ruin a home and their urine can really make a place stink. I recently smelled lots of naphtha or moth balls at a job site.  Perhaps they had an infestation, it is an old remedy. Other smells are clues too such as cigarette smoke and occasionally coal; the important thing is to be aware that what you smell is as important as what you don’t smell.

One of my favorite stories about smell involves a close call with natural gas. We were smelling it in the neighborhood in the mornings and it was pretty strong. This had gone on for a few days so I brought my combustible gas sniffer and went to the neighbor’s house. I had it on as I knocked and when the door opened it started to scream. “GET OUT!  I YELLED!” It was winter and they all filed out and I turned off the gas. After investigating I realized that the furnace was malfunctioning. I was able to fix it quickly. Did I save the neighborhood? Possibly, incidentally they had taken the flue off to get more heat in the home. I guess they had so many broken windows the carbon monoxide went out with the exhaust gasses. I fixed that too.

Hearing

HEARING: Less helpful but there none the less. Creaking hardwood floors, sparking switches, outside noises while inside often means poor insulation or missing windows. Rattling fan blowers may indicate a poor exhaust fan or HVAC blower problem. Clogged exhaust fans make a weird noise too.

Touch

TOUCH: Moistness, damp feeling, temperature, I used my fingernails to identify Celotex, an old type of insulation/rigid board that made a nice printable ceiling. (In my research for this article I discovered that Celotex may have asbestos in it as a result of being mixed in back east. Touch is often used in conjunction with other senses to verify something that is not quite right.

Sight

SIGHT: The most powerful sense, looking for cracks, wavy walls, things that are out of place. Painted over wallpaper is a good example of a recent find. Occasionally we can find where a doorway once was. Other items include loose handrails, (your feet touch too)  loose tiles, misaligned thresholds and transitions, stuck doors and door knobs, leaks and water where it doesn’t belong or fresh paint, so I ask myself, what are they hiding? Over spanned lumber or timbers. uneven flooring, scary electrical situations, Fungus growing on siding, bug infestation. I found a great site for things seen on home inspections.

Our eyes have an amazing ability to forgive and see past things especially once you get familiar with a place. That is why first impressions are so important. The eye sees it all, it takes a brain to determine if something is off.

Taste anyone?

TASTE: Not used often, although one time I was offered some tea and cookies, so taste came in handy at least once. To be honest I can’t recall a time when this sense came into play for determining anything of interest.

Common Sense

COMMON: The final and most important sense is common. I have seen so many homes that have been carved up without thinking. I am working on a home where they excavated beneath a poured cement floor. I see sagging floors only to discover that the supporting structure had been partially removed on several. I have yet to respond to a home cave in. I am certain it is just a matter of time. Faulty electrical wiring is a huge problem. We just removed a bunch of Romex wire that was stapled on the outside of the home that was abraded and deteriorated. Kids were playing around it. I love telling the story of my dad giving a remodeling seminar and a fellow asked seriously…”I am considering taking down my brick chimney… Do I take it down from the bottom or the top”. I suppose those questions are fewer and further between thanks to the internet and quick access to good information.

Tools of the trade include a Moisture Meter, Flashlight, Camera, a poker to jab into the soil around foundations, Magnifying glass, Thermometer (instant read laser) Electrical Tester. Just to name a few.

Top as is / Middle & Bottom as was

I just successfully completed another trip to the Boise City Historical Board. They are charged with determining the appropriateness of remodeling projects in the city’s 7 historically significant areas primarily in the older parts of downtown Boise. The process is reasonable enough… first you meet with staff and they have authority to take in your documents and approve things that don’t involve the front facade of a property. If it does, they prepare you for the commission meeting. This usually takes 4 weeks. Then the hearing has several predictable steps including having ample time to make a case for your project. Then citizens can voice concerns, Then all of the commissioners having and opportunity to voice and opinion and make motions to solidify their voice on the issue and vote if they propose a motion.

In 1992 when the historic areas were designated all the homes were inventoried and photographed. Then someone in their infinite wisdom was given the power to decide whether the home was contributing or not. There are multiple principals that help the person make their decision but only some of them need apply. Having had a major alteration should equal elimination from consideration but, as I have found, that is not always the case. The problem is that the front facade of the home becomes essentially locked, in an as is state. The battle is created when folks go to improve their properties and discover that they are prohibited by the historic standards that are applied. The joke is that a neighbor with an noncontributing home can do whatever the heck they want to.

The frustration I had was with as case just like this one where it should never have been considered contributing. Unfortunately I asked the person that made the determination and she took it personally making my uphill battle even harder.

Proposed

I found an original photo of the home which should have been enough to convince the commission that the home had been significantly altered and should be removed from contributing on the spot. Unconvinced, they allowed a continuance. Thank you commissioner Smith.

In the months between hearings I was able to find and internal document that guides just such commissions through out the country on how to make good judgements and exercise wisdom in determining tasteful alterations so as not to lock the front facade of contributing homes.

At my second hearing we were able to produce a fantastic sketch in the form of a rendering of the proposed new front porch.

Our stated rationales for the project were:

1. To improve security because the use of the property had changed from tenement house to a single family home with two apartments.
2. Eliminate the lights from the Co-op parking lot from shining directly into their home.

In the end the commissioners voted in our favor after arguing esoteric things about mimicking a historical look. They unanimously voted to remove the home from contributing which allowed us to create our project, citing that the neighborhood had substantially changed that these alterations were both practical and sensible.

The victory is bittersweet because the commission wimped out in my opinion by removing the home from contributing status too. This prevents anyone in the future from saying that they allowed a front facade alteration to a contributing home in a historical district. The joke is that had the home been left contributing the commission could have used this project as a feather in the cap for how to do a tasteful alter a contributing home. I suppose that would have made their job more difficult in the long run.

The bottom line is that I won, (Wahoo!) and get to do what the owner wants. There will be more battles to fight in front of the board, and I made a convincing argument without offending anyone. I know more about the process than I did when I started so here we go, time to get a permit and see what she looks like all finished.

Post Script:

Finished Project

2-8-2012 As a foot note we are nearly a year later. Last night I appealed a technicality about a window all the way up to the city council where, I won again this time in a split decision. Finally the threat of fines and misdemeanors have been lifted from my head, and the project can be considered complete.

My contention is that there is a huge misunderstanding of how to make decisions at the staff and at the historical board level based upon their overly strict interpretation of national guidelines as laws.

The Mayor and city council seem to have a better handle upon the problems that exist with the historic preservation department than I thought. Mayor Bieter recused himself from the hearing on grounds that he grew up down the street stated that this home was his first lawn mowing job.

After the hearing, The Mayor asked to meet with my client and I. He wants to discuss the issues that frustrate and stifle homeowners and contractors within historic districts, with the intention of improving the process.

When the dust settles, something very good may come of these exhaustive hearings, endless anxiety about law breaking, not to mention the real dollars spent unnecessarily, and hours wasted.  The lost potential productivity within the city government alone was astriomical. My dream is to be a part of the solution.

Jason placing the PEX

Now we concentrate on the plumbing. We were fortunate that the city was in the process of replacing the water line from the street to the meeter at the same time we were replacing ours. Levco also enlarged the line from the meter to the home to 1″. That is a huge advantage for increased pressure because over the years those old line get filled with mineral deposits and don’t allow the flow they once did. Our project was done by Jason of Pristine Plumbing Demolition was don during the early phases of the project and like the electricity, everything was gutted.

Moen shower valves

We used PEX pipe and fittings so the process went quite quickly. We also used PVC and ABS piping which updates the Cast Iron pipes that were in residential work many years ago. We also used two shower valves and placed them where you don’t have to get wet to turn them on. Everything went smoothly and as a bonus we had a sewer line camera run through the line to ensure we wouldn’t have to replace it. I won the bet as to what it was made of and Jason owes me lunch. “Terracotta” not Orangeburg. Not only was I correct… but like his company it is in pristine shape.

Even a Chicken Coop Needs Plans

When the architect went to meet with the historic folks there was a funny interaction. As it was reported to me this map was pulled up and the guy asked Mr. Neifert to pick the historic district his house was in. After looking at the map for a moment he pointed to the photo of his home in the top right. Feeling quite honored to be working on one of the three homes that were selected for the map I felt it was important to post it. Incidentally, this project was passed by the historic folks at a staff level with kudos for design. The only snag was a neighbor who held the project up for a few weeks with a concern for potential damage to a telephone pole by having an alley loaded garage. Fortunately the commission unanimously approved the project.

Boise Historic Districts

This map shows the 10 historic districts in our town

The plans and specs were hand drawn on a drafting table. Unheard of in this day & age, but reminiscent of my dads office back in the day. This home is small for these days standards 860sf but perfectly suitable for a family in the early 1900′s. The plan includes expanding the home in two directions by adding a master bedroom suite to the rear and a pop out for the kitchen to the side. We will be modifying the existing one car garage into a studio and adding a two car alley loaded garage.

Existing floor plan

This first drawing is of existing conditions, the second is proposed

Proposed Plan