Inflation

[TomD]

View attachment 206638

Are the studs attached to the lolly column?

Typically not but I'm seeing a detail that I've not seen before. There is a treated bottom plate with another non-treated bottom plate suspended an inch above with an air gap between. The outside wall isn't framed like that but it looks to have two bottom plates too. Usually, there's just one bottom plate, treated if on a slab and bolted hard to the concrete.

 

[hammerhead]

I'm just trying to figure how the studs stay in place.

 

[TomD]

I'm just trying to figure how the studs stay in place.

Nailed through the top and bottom plates, usually with 2 x 16 penny nails per side. Usually, the wall sections will be built laying on the floor; build the wall and then stand it up.

 

[hammerhead]

Nailed through the top and bottom plates, usually with 2 x 16 penny nails per side. Usually, the wall sections will be built laying on the floor; build the wall and then stand it up.

That's a way to pin them.

 

[TomD]

Talking this AM to the local manager of Ferguson Supply, the largest supplier of piping and plumbing materials in the US, about price increases. Prices have literally doubled in the past 30 days. Neither of us has ever seen anything like it.

I asked him how in the hell could I give someone a quote for later notification whether or not I get the job. He tells me that I have 30 days from the quote date to lock it in and 90 days from that to take all delivery. I'm pricing a job now on which I would have somewhere around $1.9 million in storm and water pipes, valves, fire hydrants and a huge underground detention system. The job duration will be around 1-1/2 years so normally I'd take delivery over maybe 12 months but now, I would have to take it all up front and figure how to store almost $2 million in piping shit. 10's of thousands of feet of pipe from 18'' to 30'' makes a really big pile. No place on the jobsite so it will have to choke our yard, get two or maybe three jobs like this and -------

 

[Goldhedge]

Typically not but I'm seeing a detail that I've not seen before. There is a treated bottom plate with another non-treated bottom plate suspended an inch above with an air gap between. The outside wall isn't framed like that but it looks to have two bottom plates too. Usually, there's just one bottom plate, treated if on a slab and bolted hard to the concrete.

Reason for the gap is expansive soil. Bentonite clay expands 10x when wet. If water did get under the foundation the wall would compensate for the rise and not push the wall through the roof.

The foothills of the Rockies are rife with bentonite. I've seen million dollar homes that were reduced to zero because of expansive soils.

I was in one with a basement that had (I kid you not) 3" rise in the floor and a 2" split (crack)!! Bentonite clay.

Walls were reinforced with walls (I forget the name) but the blue wall had the orange/yellow in concrete every 10ft along the wall and bentonite clay made child's play of the attempt.

 

[Goldhedge]

View attachment 206638

Are the studs attached to the lolly column?

there are spikes (1, 3, 5) you can see that the floating wall 'rides' on. They're tight on the spike, but not so tight that if the bottom plate rises it pushes the spike through the top plate above it.

Here is a local building inspector checking out a basement frame job...

 

[Goldhedge]

Already mostly framed.

What about ceiling? Rock it or acoustical?

rock, Not a fan of acoustical tile.

Only framed bit is the staircase. That pic is merely an online example of what a 'floating wall' looks like. The stairs are covered by 'stuff'.... difficult to photo.

The white plastic is covering (holding) the insulation behind it. It is code for unfinished basements. I'm going to frame up to it the same as the stairs you see.

 

[Goldhedge]

Talking this AM to the local manager of Ferguson Supply, the largest supplier of piping and plumbing materials in the US, about price increases. Prices have literally doubled in the past 30 days. Neither of us has ever seen anything like it.

I asked him how in the hell could I give someone a quote for later notification whether or not I get the job. He tells me that I have 30 days from the quote date to lock it in and 90 days from that to take all delivery. I'm pricing a job now on which I would have somewhere around $1.9 million in storm and water pipes, valves, fire hydrants and a huge underground detention system. The job duration will be around 1-1/2 years so normally I'd take delivery over maybe 12 months but now, I would have to take it all up front and figure how to store almost $2 million in piping shit. 10's of thousands of feet of pipe from 18'' to 30'' makes a really big pile. No place on the jobsite so it will have to choke our yard, get two or maybe three jobs like this and -------

WOW!

I better get down to the HD/Lowes and make an order quick! I got the $ to buy it all.

 

[TomD]

Reason for the gap is expansive soil. Bentonite clay expands 10x when wet. If water did get under the foundation the wall would compensate for the rise and not push the wall through the roof.

The foothills of the Rockies are rife with bentonite. I've seen million dollar homes that were reduced to zero because of expansive soils.

I was in one with a basement that had (I kid you not) 3" rise in the floor and a 2" split (crack)!! Bentonite clay.

Walls were reinforced with walls (I forget the name) but the blue wall had the orange/yellow in concrete every 10ft along the wall and bentonite clay made child's play of the attempt.

View attachment 206973

I've worked in engineering and construction for over 40 years and never knew about that.

 

[Goldhedge]

I've worked in engineering and construction for over 40 years and never knew about that.

It's amazing stuff! Bentonite
Not so much for foundations though.

I remember doing a 7 day lemon cleanse years ago.

I'd put psyllium seed husks in a jar with bentonite clay and apple juice.

Shake it and chug-a-lug. The clay would expand - giving you a 'full' feeling and the psyllium seed would act like a roto-rooter in your intestines cleaning out any debris.

Apple juice was to make it palatable.

Stuff really worked! I also had to ingest vitamins to make up for the food I wasn't eating.

The things clay can do....

 

[chris_is_here]

Though I'm supposedly retired, I still work part time in the construction industry. I do construction estimates, play with contracts, get the job set up, permits pulled, dogs walked, whatever need to be done to get fairly large projects underway from customer contact to start of work. And monitor it after work starts.

Doing a couple now I'm at the point of getting scared at how hard and fast price increases are coming in. For most of my career, 6 month old pricing info was usually good and if off, it would be only a little. Now, 1 week old pricing can be off 10%-20% off. A couple of weeks ago, we had a hundred $thousand dollar + quote on piping, valves, etc that I tried to do a PO for and all the piping had moved 15%. Any steel product is insanely volatile. Have a one-month-old quote for a 10,000 sf metal building package. Ha! Concrete: once a month increases. Lumber. It's across the board.

I make estimates for people and they come back a few months later and don't want to hear it. But the only way I can guarantee a price is if I'm given a go ahead so I can lock in the prices. Next Thursday, I'll finish a proposal for an around $5mill sitework job and I'll have to put in materials cost allowances based on my quotes plus put in a clause in case diesel exceeds $4/gallon (which we are pretty sure will happen this summer). The job will involve importing 25,000 cubic yards of dirt and around 30,000 tons of rock, a lot of fuel at 3mpg fuel burn for an 18 ton capacity truck on over 40 mile round trips. Not to mention the fuel burn from all the onsite equipment.

Something is happening and its happening fast. I've been in the business for quite some time and not seen anything like this. When/if this hits consumer level stuff, it will be vicious.

You need to get in touch with the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, those jack-wagons are still telling everyone that inflation is running at 1.5% per year. Anyone that actually buys things knows better.

I'm at the point of almost hoping the DNC burns the whole system down, I see know other way to awaken the TV-cell-phone-addled masses. Reaon won't work on them, so let's just drill into their limbic systems and let fear do the work. Of course, when it all fails, the MSM media will point backwards at Trump and the conservatives for setting the stage for collapse. The big news item this week seems to be Matt Gaetz and his alleged involvement with a 17 year old. Meanwhile, Hunter walks free, with no bad press. I never thought so many people could remain asleep with things this bad. It's astounding how stupid the masses really are.

 

[TomD]

It's astounding how stupid the masses really are.

You could almost consider it an indictment of the concept of democracy?

 

[edsl48]

Don't store them inside. The reason Home Cheapo's lumber looks like hockey stick fodder is because of them being inside for an extended time.

Thats pretty funny and yes its correct. I have and still do buy considerable lumber at the local HD and they often put some aside for me when they have large bundles of it preferring to have me haul it out at one time rather than put it in those clearance carts. Anyway once I told HD that by putting the lumber indoors, particularly the pressure treated outdoor stuff, they were encouraging warpage etc. I was told "Look the system that we have works now as it is and it seems to work pretty well for you too." Yep...life goes on and you wouldn't believe the outdoor pile of PT lumber I have stored at an old farmhouse I own...yep it works for me. LOL!

 

[hammerhead]

It's amazing stuff! Bentonite
Not so much for foundations though.

I remember doing a 7 day lemon cleanse years ago.

I'd put psyllium seed husks in a jar with bentonite clay and apple juice.

Shake it and chug-a-lug. The clay would expand - giving you a 'full' feeling and the psyllium seed would act like a roto-rooter in your intestines cleaning out any debris.

Apple juice was to make it palatable.

Stuff really worked! I also had to ingest vitamins to make up for the food I wasn't eating.

The things clay can do....

Bentonite has been used out here in western mass to cap landfills.