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In Remodeling, Precise Communication is Key

April 1st, 2010

It’s April Fools Day.  I had a trick played on me today that was prompted by my own foolishness.  About ten days ago I went to a prospective clients home to meet with them about a lower level finish.  We talked for awhile and I did my best to listen to their wants, needs and desires.  They were very interested in a ballpark figure and I explained to them that it was very difficult to pin down a dollar amount for any remodeling project but it should be between forty and fifty; depending on the wet bar which was his desire, not hers.

It was a basic lower level finish with a full bath, wet bar and finished oak stairs.  The bath was already roughed in and everything was clean and dry so I was pretty comfortable with my “ballpark” figure.

After spending many hours drawing and estimating we arrived at a price of $48,579.00 including the wet bar, which had me very excited because that was within the range I had given them.  This morning at 7:00 AM, I was at their door to present them with the floor plan and costs we had come up with.  When I told them the price they both deflated visibly and asked, “Why is it so much?  You said it would be between $40.00 and $50.00 per square foot!”  I meant $40,000.00 to $50,000.00 for the project but they were thinking in square foot costs.

I flashed back to our original conversation and remembered them talking about square foot prices and me explaining that remodeling doesn’t work with square foot numbers.  There are too many variables with remodeling, such as the age of the home, design and working with existing conditions.  To give them a square foot price would do them an injustice and because we never look at costs that way, I really had no idea what that number would be!

I learned a valuable lesson this morning about being more precise with my words.  By my not communicating well enough, I had disappointed a potential client and wasted their time, mine and that of my staff.  It was a rough way to start April Fools Day!

Here at Riggs Construction & Design the costs for your project is an actual job price, not a square foot figure subject to overruns and change orders.  We have over 50 years of experience in the accurate pricing of all materials, trades and selection items that includes all the variables so you don’t have any unpleasant surprises along the way.

Tom basement remodeling, remodeling

My Favorite Kitchen Remodel Ever

March 1st, 2010

People often asked me, “What was your favorite kitchen/bath remodeling project”?  I think they are always surprised by my answer because it isn’t about the biggest, fanciest or most costly job I’ve ever done but a decent sized kitchen project we did back in 1998.  That was when I realized the value of a good kitchen and bath designer.  Becky Fisk did the design for us and she turned a very average kitchen/breakfast room space into my client’s dream of work space efficiency and beauty.

The house was average in size and appearance but the people who lived there were anything but!  Becky and my clients hit it off immediately because Becky was smart enough to listen to what they wanted instead of coming in with pre-conceived notions of what she thought they would want and afford.  She also realized the husband was just as involved as the wife in the planning of the kitchen and he loved to cook as well!

What took place over the next few weeks was absolute magic!  My clients had a good idea of what they wanted and were able to communicate that to Becky.  Becky was tuned in to them so their dreams and her imagination and knowledge flowed together to create the best kitchen layout I’ve ever seen.  It was full of creative ideas and little amenities that would make any homeowner/chef gush with excitement.

Have you ever been to a party where everyone was gathered in the kitchen standing around talking and the host(ess) had to shoo everyone out so they could prepare hors d’oeuvres?  The working space in this kitchen was integral to the rest of the kitchen and the kitchen was integral to the main living space on the first floor.  No matter where you were during their parties, you were connected to the kitchen and as the host(ess) you got to enjoy the party because you were right in the middle of it!

What made this kitchen so special were the island cabinets that created a “barrier” around the working space yet still invited people in.  While working in the kitchen, the cook could still be involved in the rest of the living area yet be free to stay within the working kitchen.  There were many more cabinets along the perimeter of the kitchen and the refrigerator was right along the edge of the “barrier” so it was accessible to the cook and everyone else.  The curved island has a bar top counter with stools for socializing and eating and there is a large breakfast table as well.  The entire layout is comfortable and inviting for everyone.  It has all the right features such as a hanging pot rack and double ovens, yet for the person doing the cooking everything is at their fingertips.

Of course, having such wonderful clients makes any project more enjoyable and we’ve certainly had our share of them.  We’ve since updated the tops, fixtures and appliances in this kitchen but the cabinets are classic and timeless so this kitchen collaboration between Riggs Construction & Design, Becky Fisk and our clients will be enjoyed for many years.

Tom Kitchen Remodeling, remodeling

Remodeling Today is all about Needs

February 12th, 2010

Need verses Want Remodeling

When the great recession hit in 2007 -08, Riggs Construction & Design was rolling along with a nice annual revenue which represented about 50 jobs each year.  Maybe 30 of them were small jobs for past clients and friends of the company, and the rest were within a range of $50,000 to $400,000 each.  Just about every year, just two jobs would generate at least $1,000,000 in revenue.

Today, times have changed.  While I didn’t haul out the books to get exact numbers, 2009 brought a much larger number of jobs completed, but each with a smaller price tag.  Overall, we did about 80 jobs and it took our 6 largest jobs to reach the one million dollars mark.  We knew this last year was going to be down in volume and we expect next year to be as well so we were prepared for it and are doing quite well, thank you.  But it speaks volumes about what the remodeling indsutry is dealing with - and that is a need verses want mentality in the market place.

Three years ago people <i>wanted</i> a new kitchen blending into a family room addition with a master suite above.  Today, they <i>need</i> upgrades and repairs done.  It could be based on the need for new windows and more insulation to keep their utility bills down as opposed to wanting the latest and greatest style.  Whole house remodeling and additions were popular before the crash because people could stay in the neighborhood and still get what they wanted.  Now they are settling for scaled back projects like a new kitchen and a face lift in the powder room.  Many of our projects are repairing damage that is worse than it would have been if caught early.  But people are even deferring some projects like caulking, painting and weatherproofing until the damage becomes so obvious that something has to be done.

Some clients did choose to do large remodeling projects last year but as the numbers above suggest, they are fewer in number than I’ve seen in forty years.  I’ve seen some “slow” times before but never for this extended period of time and very few economic prognosticators are calling for this economic situation to end any time soon.

Moving towards a smaller scale, need-based project type calls for a different system of production for remodeling projects - and at Riggs we’ve responded to that shift well.   Our average sized job used to take a crew of three carpenters a month to get under roof.  Then, while the mechanical trades, drywall work, hardwood flooring and painters were getting it ready for our trim carpenters; our framing crew would be working outside on siding, exterior trim and a deck or other such structures. Although our Mission Statement and dedication to our clients hasn’t changed, we’ve learned to become much leaner and efficient on smaller projects. Now, many of our projects take one or two men a week to demo and make ready for the other trades and they are moving those trades in and out at a much faster rate.  A schedule for projects such as kitchens or bathrooms is much faster paced, but the same trades are needed as would be for a huge addition.

We have the same project managers and crew as we’ve always had and they have adjusted to this new type of work very well.  I think they all long for the bigger projects where they get the opportunity to form lasting relationships with our clients and all the trades aren’t piling on top of one another; but they know that need verses want remodeling is the driving force in the market and will be for some time to come.

Tom remodeling

It’s Cold Outside! Home Maintenance for Winter Weather

January 4th, 2010

Over the New Year’s weekend the furnace in our office stopped working and it was 37 degrees when I arrived this morning.  I knew it was on its last leg because it shut down last week and I had to do some emergency repairs to get it running again.  The sad fact is I didn’t want to spend the money on a new one; just yet.

It got me to thinking about our clients and what they must feel about the improvements they are making on their homes.  Most of what we do here at Riggs Construction & Design is work with homeowners on voluntary improvements to upgrade their home life and environment but there are a significant number of clients who call us because of something that has to be done.  Things like new shingles on the roof or an HVAC system that is so old they have concerns about it lasting through the winter.  Other concerns we run across are moisture infiltration and rotten exterior trim (sometimes one in the same).  These owners have to spend their hard earned dollars on something that we call, “the un-fun stuff” as opposed to a new bath, kitchen or master suite that they can truly enjoy day after day.

Some of those expensive “un-fun” repairs could have been avoided with a more aggressive maintenance program but life expectancy on shingles, mechanical equipment and other building products have to be taken into account when doing a yearly home budget. I mentioned earlier that I didn’t want to replace the furnace just yet.  Our year ends January 31st and since I didn’t have a new furnace in this year’s budget, I was trying to prolong its life just one more month.  I didn’t do what I say to do and it caught me rather flat footed and red in the face!

We offer a maintenance program to many of our clients that includes a checklist of things we do every six months.  Some are simple, like checking all the caulking around the house and walking the roof for possible damage to shingles and flashing.  Some are more complex like having the mechanical systems serviced but they are all geared toward preventing the “un-fun stuff” and keeping those products with life expectancies in top notch condition to stretch that life as far as possible.  The clients we do this maintenance program with feel that the small cost of yearly checkups is much better than what can happen if the roof leaks or the furnace goes out when it’s 4 degrees outside.

As I write this, our space heaters aren’t working very well to warm up our offices and Schraut Heating & Cooling is downstairs replacing the furnace.  I’m going to print out a copy of the spring and fall checklists that I insist our project managers take with them when they perform the maintenance program on our client’s homes.  Before I finish the 2010 budget, I’ll be going over that checklist on both my office and my home!

Tom Home Maintenance, remodeling

Bad Things Happen

December 26th, 2009

A few weeks back, most of us in the St. Louis remodeling community were surprised to hear a very prominent Remodelor closed their doors.  They were a firm that had deep roots in the community and a very fine reputation.  Specializing in high end projects, it wasn’t unusual to hear that they had a couple of million dollar projects going at the same time.  We will never know the entire story but it is known that they started a commercial remodeling division just prior to the start of the recession and it never truly got off the ground.  They also had two of those huge residential remodeling projects go south this year.  Then the phone just stopped ringing.  With the cash that was never recouped from the commercial division and the loss taken on the big projects, there wasn’t enough new business to generate cash flow.  The bank shut down the line of credit and the rest has been tragically well publicized.

From the bad things that happen to ourselves or others, we need to take notice and figure out what lessons we can learn.  Unfortunately, it usually takes something terrible to happen before we choose to look within and make some changes.  What happened to this remodeling company has been a common occurrence leading up to, and during, this recession.  They stepped outside of their expertise at the wrong time and they didn’t adapt their business model to reflect what was happening in today’s economy.

Taking risks is part of any successful business.  Expansion and/or diversification are healthy and help make small businesses become big ones.  It’s an excellent model for growth in America’s free market system.  But, for those that have the courage to take the risk, one must also have the wisdom to know when to pull the plug and accept that the gamble didn’t work.  Hope is part of the entrepreneurial spirit but when funds are being drained to keep that hope alive, courage of another sort must come to the surface.  The courage to say, “I was wrong, it’s time to stop the bleeding”.

Adaptation is the key to survival in today’s market.  What was once a successful business model a few years back might not work in today’s marketplace.  Remodeling companies that were set up to do large jobs had plenty of work when the economy was rolling but there are far fewer wealthy homeowners who are willing to spend large amounts of their cash on grandiose remodeling projects.  Even those who can afford it are downsizing their desires and focusing on what they need, then want, around their home.  Not recognizing this change in attitude and adapting your marketing, sales and production teams to focus on this, could be the difference between success and failure.  If you are known throughout your community for your “big expensive jobs” you won’t get the calls for the smaller ones without letting the market know you are the best company for those jobs as well.

Here at Riggs Construction & Design, our average size job in 2006 was somewhere around $200,000.  Over the last three years that average has dropped to $60,000.00.  The larger jobs in ’06 ran in the $700,000.00 range where as now, our larger jobs run in the $300,000.00 range.  We have adapted our systems to fit this change and are servicing each and every client as if they were a “big expensive job”.  What wasn’t done until our peer shuttered their door, was re-evaluating our place in the market for 2010.  We waited until something really bad happened to look inward and make some changes.

About the time you think you’ve got it figured out, you better look again.

Tom remodeling

Time Management

September 17th, 2009

My father began teaching me about managing time when I was about 5 years old.  He was very much from the old school of work hard, earn your keep and keep your mouth shut.  I vividly remember him stopping me in mid stride and asking, “Where are you going?”  I replied, “I’m going outside to play.”  He said, “Well, take something with you when you go.  Don’t ever go anywhere without thinking about what you could take with you to save a trip or what you should get done before you go.  Always be thinking two steps in front of where you are.  If you do that, you’ll never waste time or energy”.

I thought he was crazy!  I heard him say that same basic phrase at least a thousand times over the next 10 years and I still thought he was crazy.

It wasn’t until I went to work for him as a laborer that I really started to understand the importance of “keeping two steps ahead”.  He had me carry wall framing materials from the drop site onto the sub floor where the carpenters were going to build the outside walls of the house.  He took a red marker and drew lines on the floor and told me, “I want the wall studs right here and the plates right here. Put the sheathing right here and don’t let any of the lumber get outside these lines or I’ll make you do it again.  When you carry lumber in, stack it like I told you and when you go out for more, don’t go empty handed.  Grab some trash or debris and throw it in the dumpster.  You’ll note it’s right next to the lumber pile out there.”

I thought he was crazy!  All I was doing was stockpiling lumber for the carpenters.  What difference did it make if I stayed within his lines?

The next day, when the carpenters showed up, I got to help build those walls.  The foreman started laying them out and we started building them.  As we were working, it came to me that the subfloor was cleaned off so we weren’t stumbling over a bunch of junk that would slow us down. I also noticed my lumber pile wasn’t in the way of building any of the walls.  There was room to swing a hammer, raise them up and brace them off.  Not one stick of lumber had to be handled twice!

Maybe he wasn’t so crazy after all.

You see, his business depended on how well he managed his own time and how well the carpenters he employed managed their time.  He taught his men never to go anywhere empty handed and to make sure that every step they took was thought out far enough in advance that they wouldn’t work their way into a corner.  He would say to them, “Think first.  Think about the big picture, then think about the steps you need to get there.  If you do that, it will be right the first time, every time and you won’t have to work so hard.”

That is time management the old school way.

Tom Life In General, remodeling , , ,

Basement Renovation Challenges - Headroom

August 19th, 2009

In previous posts about basement finishes we’ve talked about the challenges of egress and moisture.  There is one more design challenge - headroom.  If you live in an older home you are already aware of low basement ceilings and HVAC ductwork or bearing beams that are potential head bumpers.  The floor structure at the bottom of your stairs is another place you may have to duck or you wind up with a knot on the top of your head!

To maximize headroom and minimize the expense we at Riggs Construction & Design start a finished basement design by determining if we can give our clients the room they need and still build as much wall as possible directly underneath the bearing beams.  This not only covers the beam and columns but allows us to rout all the HVAC trunk lines on the unfinished side of the basement.

Other items such as electrical lines, A/C refrigerant lines and gas pipes can be covered by firing the joists down with a 2 x 2 before we hang drywall.  This will lower your ceiling by 2” but it is higher than a suspended ceiling and gives the room a much more finished look.  Remember that all electrical junction boxes and shutoff valves have to be left accessible so with a drywall ceiling and walls, you will have to put removable plates over the electric junctions and an access panel for shut off valves, meters, plumbing cleanouts or other items that need to be accessed.  Fortunately, these access panels are readily available at any supply house, are low profile and can be painted the same color as your walls or ceilings.

Basement stairs can be a bit of a challenge in older homes depending on how they are configured and what is above the bottom of the stairs.  The stair opening can be made longer thereby increasing the headroom and still not affect the floor above with some creative structural design.  In fact, the existing stair opening structure can be supported with new piers under the concrete floor so that the structural integrity is not compromised and it even furthers your options.  If you are lucky enough to have a closet on the first floor that is directly in line with the stair opening, that closet floor can be raised enough to allow you to build a new staircase with the proper tread depth and riser height and still leave you with enough headroom to meet codes.  No matter how nice your finished basement is, if it starts with a steep staircase where you have to duck to get down them, it will take away from the pleasure of using your new space.

Tom basement remodeling, remodeling , ,

Basement Renovation Challenges - Moisture

July 30th, 2009

Moisture infiltration is the enemy of a finished basement.  If you plan to remodel your basement, the absolute first step is waterproofing your foundation.  It doesn’t matter where in the St. Louis area you are, but it seems like Kirkwood, Webster and the surrounding areas are the worst for old leaky basements.  A lot has to do with the age of the house and its foundation.  The old stone foundations are the toughest to waterproof but there are many concrete ones that are just as bad.

St. Louis is known for its elastic soil and that is where the problems start.  The soil has a heavy concentration of clay that absorbs moisture and swells then dries out and shrinks throughout the year.  Usually, in the winter and spring it swells tight against the foundation walls and in the summer and early fall it dries out and pulls away.  This same process is what causes your patios and sidewalks to rise and fall with the seasons.  Once the clay has absorbed all it can, the remaining water will push through the cracks that have formed in your foundation due to the tremendous force of the swollen clay.  In the summer, when things normally dry up and the clay is moved away from the foundation, the moisture can run right down the foundation wall and find its way into those same cracks much easier than it can be absorbed by the clay!  It’s a loose, loose situation!

Foundation cracks can be sealed using epoxy injection and there are number of qualified companies that specialize in that area.  Unfortunately, moisture will find another way in.  It can enter through the seam between the footing and foundation and work its way through the joint at the floor or is will travel to the first available crack in the concrete floor itself.  If that doesn’t work, it will form new foundation cracks to find a way in.

It sounds like I’m equating moisture with some evil alien that is bound and determined to invade your home!  That is how you should feel, because once water has infiltrated your finished basement there are a number of serious consequences.  First and foremost is ruined carpet and personal property but what goes on behind the walls is far worse.  Moisture is absorbed by the wood framing, insulation and drywall and that can mean an expensive repair.  Drywall has to come off, insulation has to be replaced and many times, the wood is rotten and has to be replaced.  With all of that, the mold and mildew can be the biggest headache.  Although easy to eradicate with a double dosing of half bleach, half water, the smell of a wet basement due to mold and mildew can be hard to get rid of.  It’s important to go much further each side of a leak than you would imagine because the water will travel a long distance along the inside of the wall before it shows up on the outside.  Most homeowners and many remodeling contractors may not realize just how far it can travel and they repair just the immediate area.  Two weeks later, the smell is still there and no one can figure out why!

There is a solution to this challenge and it’s expensive but worth every dollar spent.  An interior drain tile system with a sump pump will solve all moisture infiltration in your finished basement.  The better new home builders are putting them in before the basement floor is poured and that’s a plus.  Older homes don’t have them which means breaking out the floor and digging down to the bottom of the footing, about 18” from the wall, around the entire perimeter of the basement.  A layer of rock is then put in the trench followed by a sleeved, perforated drain tile then more rock.  The drain tile is terminated at both ends into a sump basket that is set in a large hole and rocked in place even with the top of the basement floor.  Then concrete is poured into the trench and around the basket and finished at the same level as the old floor.  Then a sump pump is placed in the basket and piped to the exterior of the home.  Along with the drain tile, there is a product called cove base that goes between the floor and the wall that allows any moisture running down the wall to go into the drain tile instead of on to the floor.   We at Riggs Construction & Design recommend a dedicated circuit for the pump and a battery backup just in case the electricity goes out during a storm; when you might need that sump pump more than ever!

With a properly installed drain tile system and epoxy injection of existing foundation cracks, you can be 99% sure that moisture will not ruin your newly remodeled basement.  Just remember that uninvited water in your home is the evil alien that can destroy your most cherished possession, your home.

Tom basement remodeling, remodeling , ,

Basement Renovation and Remodeling Challenges

July 16th, 2009

When I was a young man, I spent many weekends and nights working on side jobs to supplement my income as an apprentice carpenter.  Starting pay for a 1st term apprentice in 1968 was about $3.75 an hour and with time missed because of inclement weather or lack of work, I needed it!

One of my favorite projects was finishing a basement for my friends and neighbors.  I learned how to do a little bit of every trade.  Plumbing, electric, drywall taping, HVAC; you name it.  Finished basements included all of it.  It was warm in the winter and cool in the summer so working conditions were ideal.

With today’s new ordinances and codes, finished basements aren’t so easy anymore. In fact, most would be almost impossible for me to accomplish on a “weekends only” schedule.  The biggest challenge is egress, or means of escape, from the basement in case of an emergency such as fire.  It’s a very good change in the codes but often a costly one.  An egress other than the basement stairs can be a life saver.  If there is a bedroom or bathroom in the basement, a second egress is required by code.  In a full basement that means you have to dig out an area outside your foundation big enough to put in a window no more than 42” off the floor and big enough to allow a firefighter in full gear to get in or someone on the inside to get out.  Once that area is established the 8” thick concrete wall has to be cut away to install this window and the opening above has to be reinforced to carry the load of the floor, wall and roof.

Now that the opening is in and properly engineered you wind up with a big hole in the ground alongside your foundation!  Fortunately there are a number of products made just for that hole.  Our pick here at Riggs Construction & Design is “Scapewel” (www.scapewel.com) made by Bilco Corporation.  It is designed to secure against the foundation, provide the required steps to climb out of the unit and even comes with an optional cover that can be unlatched from inside or out.  The recommended installation includes digging the hole much bigger than the unit and placing clean rock under and around it and a drain pipe out the bottom to allow for drainage.  The challenge to the drainpipe is how far it may have to go before it comes out in a lower spot than the bottom of the well or into an exterior drain tile at the foundation’s footing.  On many properties there is no such low area or drain tile and it’s against the rules to pipe it into a waste or floor drain inside the house (Often called a “French Drain”).

The only solution then is a sump pump system that will pump the water out of the well and onto the ground where is slopes away from the house.  If it’s in the well, you have to run a waterproof, G.F.C.I. outlet on a separate circuit that has to come from within the house in conduit, through the concrete wall and attached to the Scapewel or foundation wall.  Of course, a battery backup is highly recommended because the one time the sump pump is needed most is during that huge rain storm the knocks out electric in your neighborhood!  Even an exterior sump pump is not a perfect solution.  The winter around here can be severe and water will freeze solid and expand enough to burst pipes and/or pumps.  Timing is everything when it comes to pulling out and putting in your pump so it lasts for more than one season.  If you pull it too early you can get an early winter rain that fills your well and if you put it in too late in the spring, it will flood then as well.

The final solution is to run the drain inside your house into an interior sump pump system that then pumps it back outside.  This method is the best but even it has its problems.  The penetration of the foundation for the pipe has to be sealed very well or you’ll have leaks on the inside of the basement and if the pump malfunctions the chances are you’ll have water all over the floor!  This method means breaking out the concrete floor and setting up the sump basket with gravel all around it and then patching in the concrete.  An outlet still has to be run for the pump and it really should be on a separate circuit.

We started installing egress windows in basements using “Scapewel” some years back and it takes a lot of expertise, time and hard labor.  It’s expensive but it will be worth the investment if a fire blocks the stairs to the main level of the house.

Next up is why we absolutely, positively won’t finish a basement without installing a full drain tile and sump system along the interior perimeter of the foundation.

Tom remodeling ,

Get the maximum living space out of your attic

June 22nd, 2009

Understanding your attic space options and limitations is essential to maximizing its living space. The most important factor in designing attic space is determining the exact dimensions of the existing interior space and being able to calculate the finish dimensions after floor buildup and ceiling build down. As you look at your attic space and dream of its potential, there are a few things to consider:

Ø Windows. Skylights can bring in much needed light without the expense of dormers, or pop-out windows.

Ø Exit. Incorporating egress, or an emergency exit, is highly recommended for the space, even if you don’t plan to use the attic as a bedroom. Any time spent in the attic space without egress is “borrowed time.”

Ø Rafters. Spending the time and money to even out the surface of the interior rafters is a must. Roofs are built to be even on the top of the rafters, not bottom. Hips and valleys make the bottom side very uneven. Increasing the rafter depth or building down the rafters decreases headroom and floor space, but it ensures a clean ceiling line and all the odd angles in an attic space. It’s expensive but necessary. If not done, it can result in improper attic ventilation and insulation, drywall and tape problems, and a very poor finished look.

Ø HVAC. HVAC systems must be extended or, better yet, zoned for an attic space. They will be much warmer in the summer and winter than any thermostatically controlled floor below it.

Ø Stairs. The space taken away from the floor below the attic to build a proper staircase to the attic must be considered.  If an area above the home’s existing staircase can be utilized, that is the least invasive and may remove only a closet from that floor. In some instances, however, it means an entire bedroom is taken away.

Ø Walls. From a design perspective, knowing where to stop the slope of the roof and come down with walls is quite the challenge. Closets are a good point to make this transition. But with the continuing slope of the roof, it’s important to know just how “low you can go.”  Traffic patterns and furniture placement is extremely important otherwise those valleys can be head bumpers.

Ø Floor Support. Support for the attic floor must be calculated correctly for the live-load requirement. Most ceiling joists are 2 x 6, but they are only carrying the plaster or drywall finish. Once an area becomes living space, the load calculations change completely. If the load is not supported, the ceilings below the attic will show wear and tear. Plaster will crack, and drywall will start with nail pops and eventually tape joints will crack.

Ø Collar Ties. Collar ties, or the wood that horizontally connects opposite roof rafters, are another challenge. They are typically set at two-thirds the distance from the ceiling to stiffen the roof structure. They may not be located at ceiling height, and it’s assumed they could be moved up. This two-thirds distance is the maximum height a collar tie can be placed. Above that height, the roof structure is marginalized. The only proper way around this dilemma is a heavier ridge beam to support the roof load or engineered midpoint walls that will take the place of the collar tie.

Without careful planning, both contractor and homeowner can be caught off-guard and unhappy with the results.

Tom Attic Remodeling, remodeling