30x40 Earth Berm Passive Solar in Maine

[ListerD]

I really can't wait to see this one completed. In a lot of ways you're doing what we're planning to do so it'll be interesting to see the finished product.

[Bishopknight]

I am concerned about something and wanted to ask what you guys thought. What if Sean or Runar fell while putting up one of the trusses. God forbid. ( Don't worry they haven't ). But still if they did, at first they may not think of suing me, but after a while, if they have to miss work, they may.

Does anyone know of any insurance plan that will cover something similar to "workmans comp insurance"?

I just prefer not to take a chance if I can. Especially with dangerous roofing work.

[glenn kangiser]

Looks great.

Not any great answers on the insurance from me BK.  It's a racket.  I carry S/E health insurance and try to never use it.  Roofing is about the highest in the workman's comp ins.  Absolutely outrageous.

Maybe the guys already have an insurance that will cover them?  Not likely though.  Standard here in that situation would be for the state to consider them as employees unless they are licensed contractors.

In that situation for day work friends I am sure to get ones that are not under the influence of anything and that prevents most problems but there is always a chance.  The rest are very well known to me or on one of my licenses. 

Constitutionally states may not make laws impairing the right of people to contract with one another, but ex-post facto laws are generally in favor of anyone who will feel damaged and wants to get an ambulance chaser to help them.

[Bishopknight]

Thanks Glenn,

Both these guys are good workers, free of drugs/alcohol. Friends of my neighbor. I usually tip them on top of the work they put in and I have good repor. Its probably 2 more weekends of roofing work. Good thing is, its only 1 story. If I had gone 2 story, any accident from that would have been much worse.

We'll see how it goes.

[soomb]

How are they compensated? Cash?  Do you have any written agreement (contract: I will pay you X if you do Y)  Does your property have any coverage (General Liability)?  I would guess it is just help for cash, and so-far-so-good and with just few days left I wonder if any contract or "hold harmless" would work, and as Glenn states one good ambulance chaser can burst that bubble.

How about a mattress on the ground below them... works for Bugs Bunny.... but somehow fails Wyle E. Coyote

[MountainDon]

Coming along nice. Fingers crossed on the weather for you.   

...there is no sense in making them yourself. The metal join plates would cost roughly $30 alone.

Not to mention that you can not hammer this type of plate in place. These are not the same metal joiner plates every lumber yard sells. Truss plates are rolled or pressed under high even pressure; you can not achieve the same result with a hammer. It's possible to make your own trusses with plywood gussets and waterproof glue but most codes won't accept them with the engineer's stamp.

[Bishopknight]

Hey Soomb,

Cash. As they say, "as long as theres no 1099, i'm good". No written contract. I have no general liability coverage on my land either. I'm going to call about it today and see if my insurance provider has anything like this.

The mattress idea is funny. Can you imagine what they would say if I brought one out there?

This is a tough issue, not just for me, but for anyone who is building their own home and hiring people out. You're right, no one wants an ambulence chaser.

MountainDon,

I didn't know that they pressed the metal joiners. Very interesting.

On a personal side note:

I'm picking up 5 Anderson Series 400 windows, still new in box, for at least 75% off retail price tonight. All 5 for $500.  One of them is a 4 ft , half round window which I'll likely put on the east side in the gable end. I think it will come out beautiful. Couple that with the 3 other windows I bought off craigslist for 50% off retail, I'm going to get all my windows for under $1200. I'm pretty estatic.

[Bishopknight]

Got the windows tonight. 3 of the 4 still new in box, 1 not in box but like new ( few scratches ). The 4' half round came with unstained wood interior and 2x6 wood jamb. I spent $231 for each of the 3 new Anderson 400 Casement 6x3 windows earlier this month. There is a 5x6 Anderson 400 picture window Im considering also for $225.

I'm almost done 'window shopping'





I might not have to modify the gable end support beams to fit the half round. It looks wider than 4' in this picture.

[glenn kangiser]

Cash is legal tender for all debts public and private.

Looks good, BK

[SkagitDrifter]

Smokin' deal on the windows BK- way to go!
I hope the weather gods continue to be good to you.

Are the guys tied off while doing the roof work- might be worth looking into.  I had a slip on a job site once and the saftey harness saved me from a possible bad situation.  They are a pain in the butt- until you need one that is.
All the best
Tom 

[Jochen]

Unbelievable.    I have to shop in the US when I need more windows.  I just checked the prices I paid here in Canada. 6 Windows 42" x 48", 1 Window 24" x 36" plus three exterior steel clad doors, outswing,  with venting windows cost me in 2005 C$4150.-

Jochen

[Bishopknight]

Ouch Jochen,

Skagit, since the danger is most likely in tying the trusses together, there isn't much structural support to tie onto. I'm not worried about it during the sheathing because its 6/12.

On another note:

I wanted to think out loud here about roofing material and insulation.

About metal roofs. I called 2 places which do them. Both their quotes came in around the $3600 range for cash ( $4000 if credit card ). It would be the 20" wide, 18' long , 24 guage metal roof paneling. 

I priced out shingles ( 48 bundles ) and that would cost about $800-$1000 for 3 tab architectural. Neither of these prices include labor costs. My thinking is that since I'm trying to cut corners and build this house as low cost as possible. Its tough to spend about 4x more for the advantage of snow sliding off it easier. I could do alot with $2800 elsewhere. I shingled the 12x16 cabin ( which was 8/12 ) and that was no problem. This one is 6/12 and it will be even easier with the backhoe lifting up the shingles in the bucket. That is, if I go that route. Still thinking about it. We do get alot of snow here.

On insulation. Lowes is running a special on insulation, spend $300 on LM fiberglass, get a $100 gift card rebate. I'm thinking R-40 fiberglass for the cathedral ceiling, since I will probably nail strapping to the trusses and then lay the insulation over the 23" truss spacings. And probably cellulose for the walls using a plastic vapor barrier to hold it in as I work up the wall. I've read that Cellulose has better R value per sq inch and fits around electrical outlets better than fiberglass. Some studies done have shown that fiberglass is almost never installed correctly leading to air gaps and reduced R values.

Anyone have personal opinions on these?

[Jochen]

That is also my experience with roofing prices. When I built my cabin I also wanted a metal roof, but the price for the material alone was four times more then for the shingles. And you don't see a lot of metal roofs here. It seems that they don't last so long in our salty air.

I agree with that cellulose should be the better material for walls then fibre bats. But what about loose fibre? Cellulose is for sure hygroscopic! And that would worry me, even when it will be treated with anti mildew inhibitors.

Jochen

[ListerD]

Cellulose is for sure hygroscopic! And that would worry me, even when it will be treated with anti mildew inhibitors.

Pronunciation:    \ˌhī-grə-ˈskä-pik\
Function:    adjective
Etymology:  hygroscope, an instrument showing changes in humidity + 1-ic; from the use of such materials in the hygroscope
Date: 1790

1 : readily taking up and retaining moisture
2 : taken up and retained under some conditions of humidity and temperature <hygroscopic water in clay>

I always thought myself a fairly smart fellow. I had to look that one up! 

[MaineRhino]

BK, are you going to use ice & water shield (Grace)? I would run it all the way to the peak.

On the matter of insurance..... You should be able to get a Workers Comp policy to cover labor for the house. Since there is a minimum charge for the policy, it would run about $1,000. 

Find an agent close to your area (in Maine) who writes W/C, and explain to them the casual labor situation to them. If they need an estimate of potential wages, I would guess @ $5,000. That will nearly cover your minimum W/C premium. The rate is currently $19.30 per $100 for residential carpentry (Class code 5645). Don't tell the agent they are roofers, that is a higher rated code. As long as they assist with other aspects of building the home, roofing is considered incidental to residential construction.


However..... there may be another, less costly option.
In Maine there is a form called the "Predetermination of Independent Contractor Status to Establish Rebuttable Presumption ". This establishes whether the status of an individual worker, group of workers or a job classification associated with the employer is that of an employee or an independent contractor.


The form can be found @   http://www.state.me.us/wcb/petitions/wcb261.pdf

Fill it out and FAX it to the # provided.  You should have it in the mail in 2-3 days.

If you need more details, contact me. You have my info.

Good luck, and always CYA!

[MountainDon]

Cellulose vs fiberglass insulation.

The type of cellulose used for insulating walls is actually referred to as spray in cellulose. It has a water mist sprayed as the dry cellulose is blown. The moisture causes it to stick to the exterior sheathing. It fills small spaces much better than fiberglass, around outlet boxes, pipes, etc. It is vastly superior in air infiltration resistance as compared to fiberglass batts. At least two days must pass to allow the cellulose to dry before doing the interior walls. The drawback to this type of insulation is that you need an experienced installer. It is not a DIY job. A first rate installer uses a moisture content meter to test the walls and will not authorize the interior walls to be sheathed until the moisture level is low enough.

I would have used it if I could have found an installer to go up to the mountains for a reasonable price. Most of them did not want anything to do with the trip over the dirt roads at all. The quote I did get was nuts because they didn't really want to make the trip.

Most of the quality energy efficient new homes being built around here are using the wet spray in cellulose insulation.

Here's a good article from U Mass...

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publications/articles/cellulose_insulation.html

[Bishopknight]

Hi Troy,

Thanks for that information. It sounds like if I do either one, I would have to withhold taxes from them. I bet they'd love that. Maybe I should tell them my concerns and recommend we put the extra bail of hay I have underneath Sean ( who does the dangerous job of nailing the braces to the raised trusses )

I didn't plan on getting the Grace underlayment. I was thinking just roofing felt. I do have quite a bit of 6 mil black plastic I could put down under/over the tar paper. I bought it when I was thinking about Mike Oehlers PSP method. That Grace shield stuff looks expensive.

Don,

Thanks for that article. I read the entire thing. Some of it I didn't know and the rest I found scattered among several articles. That's the best article on the subject I've seen. I saw loose fill is 3.5 R per inch so I might just do that. Maybe pack it in tight if I can ( to get closer to R4 ) and just staple the vapor barrier over it as I work my way up. Now that I think about it, I really only have about 70 ft of wall to insulate and most of that is already windows. That's why I like the cellulose idea. Those small spaces would require alot of fibre bat cutting which would definitely result in some miscuts. Even if its loose fill, its definitely going to beat fibre bats in this scenario.

[MaineRhino]

Sean,

You are not required to withhold taxes for subcontractor payments.
The W/C insurance covers them if they are hurt on the job. The predetermination letters PROVE that they are subcontractors, at least in the eyes of the state. This letter covers YOU from being sued by someone claiming to be an employee, when they are actually a sub.
I deal with this on a daily basis, and have met many people who have lost it all due to being sued by a friendly "sub".
If you do withhold taxes, that just reinforces the fact that they are employees, therefore you MUST have W/C insurance.

About the Grace....  The roof is no place to cut corners or go cheap on materials. The ice & water shield is your only (semi) guarantee that there will be no leaks in the roof membrane. With a 6/12 pitch there is more of a chance of ice backing up under your shingles. Grace is self-sealing too. Spend the extra money for it.

[Bishopknight]

Thanks Troy,

You've made me reconsider. I'll have Runar and Sean sign these applications this weekend. I also left a message for a workers comp insurance agent to call me back.

These guys are up pretty high.



As for the Grace, my local lumber yard sells it for $123.95 per 225 sq ft roll. Reading through user comments about it, everyone swears by it.  I would need 7 rolls costing $868 + tax ( or roughly $750 over the cost of tar paper ). I'll do some more thinking on it. I won't have to make a decision on this until next week anyways. We're going to throw poly over the sheathing if we get that far this weekend (to keep the ice/snow off temporarily).

[MaineRhino]

Glad to hear it Sean. Good luck this weekend. 6-10" of snow expected today and tomorrow, with a major ice storm coming Friday as well. Saturday & Sunday looks partly sunny.  Hope all goes well for you and your crew!

And the sub forms.... Don't forget to mail or FAX them to the state (there is no charge for this), otherwise they are no good.

Tell your crew that if they fall, the last thing they should yell is "I QUIT" !