Finally, they are working on the shop

[TC Chris]

Nice looking timber frame! The rest of us are living in places with the structure very carefully covered up. The guy who helped me move the desk into my office is a semi-retired timber framer. He works to very exacting standards.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Thank you all for your tutorials on the Pioneer mini split system. I believe I'll be okay with that system. I requested the 230 volt version just to satisfy my mind. It will take half the juice to run it at 230 volts as it will on 115. I believe 12,000 BTU will work okay in AZ cooling and heating 400 square feet.

[Firedome]

I think you'll be very happy with the mini-split, they're state of the art for both heating and cooling, and clean, being all-electric.

Thanks for that Chris, I can't take credit for the frame. We had a tenant who moved out of a rental we owned in Burlington because he lost his job and they owed us for the last 2 months rent. He'd previously worked for Tedd Benson in NH who was well known for making the timber frame popular again back in the '70s, and he, the tenant, had a bunch of seasoned spruce timbers that he'd laid away for a future project, so he offered to trade it in exchange for rent owed. We knew another master framer (the tenant moved back to NH) and he built the frame for us using only scarfed joints and wood pegs as was done in the old days, no metal fasteners. The scarfed joinery is so tight it's hard to see. It makes for the rustic look that we wanted and should last a long time. I still have finishing work to do there..

[Hydrolastic]

Wow! The shop is looking fabulous. Timber frame Is not common with the crowd I hang with in the northwest. It will be a shop you will be happy to go into everyday.

[electra225]

Now we are fighting with the contractor over the mini split system! They took the 115 volt unit back and want to use a cheaper model and a cheaper make. Where does the outside part of a mini split system mount? Why would that system hold up the stucco project? These guys are getting on my nerves. They have messed around for a year, now their costs are out of control, so they want to pinch pennies. The 230 volt system is actually $20 cheaper than the 115 volt system, so I don't see their problem. I thought the outside part mounted on a little concrete pad like the big system for the house does. Does it fasten to the outside of the wall somehow? I'm not sure I like that. What happens to the condensate from the condenser? They also want to use a 9000 BTU system now, which is not big enough to handle the load. 12,000 BTU is the recommendation for 400 square feet. I may end up with a window unit from Walmart and be done with it. I'm so fed up with this project. I don't have words to say how fed up I am.

[William]

Greg! As far as mounting the condensing unit, most sit on a pad on the ground. That is the way mine is done. The do make special brackets to mount them on walls, but they are usually used when there is either no ground space available, or, they need to cool a second story or higher. If mounted on the ground, it should not hold up the stucco project and besides the mini-split can be installed after the stucco. 9000 BTU's will not be big enough to adequality cool your shop in AZ. The units power enters at the condensing unit. From there the power goes along with the copper tubing that goes to the inside evaporating unit that hangs inside. There is a tube that they bring out of the evaporating unit and it terminates by the condensing unit. That is where the condensing water ends up. As long as there is power provided by the condensing unit they are pretty easy to install. Place the condensing unit on it's pad. Drill a hole thru the wall. Mount the inside unit. Run the wires, copper tubing that carries the Freon, and the condensing water line. Plug the hole, then attach the trim to cover all of that up. The condensing unit, lines, and evaporator unit are all precharged. I had mine professional done, and I watched every move so I could learn something. It took them between 3 and 4 hours. I'll take a few photos of mine and send them to you. Hang in there!

Bill

[electra225]

Thank you, Bill. I was under the impression the condenser unit mounted on a concrete pad. They put these systems on RV garages on the "big" houses they build out here for the rich snowbirds. I need to speak personally with the project manager to get an idea of what they are thinking. I believe NOTHING these guys say, and only half what I see. This is all a big misunderstanding. They want to charge me extra for three 220 outlets, when I only wanted one. Don't these guys ever look at the blueprints? It plainly states "Square D Homeline breaker box with 100 amp service to project, main breaker in project box. 220 volt service to AC and one 220 volt, 30 amp service to air compressor". How hard is that? Thanks for fillng me in on this. Somebody made a mistake, sent the wrong unit. I asked him three weeks ago to check the voltage on the AC unit before they delivered it. I never heard back. They can't admit a mistake, they have to make a big deal about it.

[William]

Good luck, Greg. I hope you can get it straightened out.

Bill

[electra225]

I need to learn to be patient. That is not my long suite.

[William]

In todays world, me thinks everyone's patience is being tested. It's kind of sad that mankind has come to this way of life.

Bill

[19&41]

It seems like folks that do this line of work, if they can't do a straight forward good job, will do a job in this manner so when it approaches the assumed end, you will be happy to see the last of them. Then, when the shortcomings become apparent, you will be less likely to bother them with them, or at least not be so bothered when they never come back.

[William]

You are so correct, Rex.

Bill

[electra225]

I surely hope this doesn't jinx the project.....

They came today to put the lath on the roof and to load the tiles. They roofer says there is a little over 7,000 pounds of concrete tiles on that little roof. He said the tiles on the house weighed over 25,000 pounds. I reckon the reason buildings with tile roofs don't blow away is the roof holds them down. It has to set like that two weeks. Then the inspector comes, notices whether the building has fallen down or not, makes appropriate notations on the permit, and away we go.....

[19&41]

Yow! Weight like that for a roof would be akin to having a parking lot up there. No wonder the inspectors take such interest.

[electra225]

Now we know why they used 2X6 trusses set 24" on center. These trusses are free-spanned to allow for the storage upstairs. The windows still open and close as does the door, so I reckon it hasn't caved in yet. I don't hear any creaking or noise like something isn't happy. I wonder if the concrete tiles are heavier than the red clay tiles.

[TC Chris]

Found this online:

There is a significant difference in the weight of concrete and clay tiles. Concrete tiles weigh almost 40 percent more than clay tiles. While concrete can weigh anywhere from 820 to 1,100 pounds per 100 square feet, clay only weighs about 600 to 650 pounds.

Chris Campbell

[William]

That is a lot of weight. I have often wondered how much actual weight is on a Michigan roof after a foot of weight snow? Then, followed by more snow until you have a couple of feet up there?

That's good news, Greg. I hope the progress continues.

Bill

[electra225]

I reckon the weight of roof tiles here is not much different that snow load in your part of the world. Nearly every home in our 3500 home HOA has a concrete tile roof. Concrete must be cheaper than red clay tile. I see over about five miles west of here they are building 165 new homes with asphalt shingle roofs. Not cheap homes, either. I wouldn't want that type of roof out here. They use some metal roofing in new construction, but it's not popular yet like it is in the midwest.

The good news is, and I am fortunate to report, the building is still standing this morning.

[electra225]

Per the request of one of our long-suffering Global Moderators, here are some current pictures of the shop project with it's 7000 pounds of roofing tiles. The second picture shows the contraption they used to load the tiles to the roof. They took the tiles out of their trailer, loaded them on a cart with inflatable rubber tires then hauled the tiles to the back yard. They used the blue contraption to raise the tiles to the roof. It is attached to a 12' extension ladder. Powered by an ill-running Honda GX 120 engine, it powers up while winding a spring. Going down, the spring and gravity return the lift contraption to the ground. I wondered how they did that, I'd never seen it done before.

[electra225]

For some reason one of my pictures refuses to load. A redux if I may......

Hmmmmm.....

Finally! This is the tile lifting contraption they used.