Featured Project: Questions and Feedback

The Owner builder is in the process of framing the interior first floor walls. So in the meantime, I’d like to share some of the questions and feedback from the Client that came up on Day 7.

1. Question from the client:
Q.) I would like to put on a field installed top plate on the walls. Will this change the fit of the roof?
A.) You should always go by the building plan as well as the production drawings that have been approved by you and the building department.

2. Client Feedback: The bits for the hexlock sip screws only last for about 50 screws. There are 250 in a bucket and there are only 3 bits in the bucket. This leaves 100 screws that can’t be installed without more bits. I would recommend including more bits in the package. It is not fun when the crane is holding up a panel a one cannot attach it because all the bits on site are stripped.

Clark, thanks for the suggestion. The bits are packaged standard from the fastener factory. I’ll address this with the manufacturer and see if we can have them add additional bits to the orders for future use.

3. Client Feedback: The tongues for the 22.5 and 45 degree panels were nicely cut to match the angles. However, they had to be hammered in place and being 2 inches deep the 16d nails would not hold. I put 4 1/2 inch Hedlock bolts and glue to hold them in. When we went to try to fit them into the other panel we could not get them to go in. We had to remove the panel 2 times, cut a bevel on both sides, and reset them to get them to go in. This took over an hour with the crane sitting there. We precut the remaining panels and there was less wait time, but still lost time while the crane waited. The next day we had it done before the crane got there so no lost crane time.

Comment: Thinking ahead and measuring the panels for areas like these 45 degree angles will save you time of course. The crane time is expensive and we understand the major concern. As the client stated, he prepared ahead for the next day and made minor fabrication for the install the next day. In most cased this type of problem will not arise. The complexity and angles of the design created some new angles that have not been produced before. As we try and cut every angle correctly for easy install, we can’t anticipate the exact measurement or location of owner installed bottom plates or minor miscalculations of the framing of subfloors or slabs.

THIS IS A CRITICAL POINT TO REMEMBER WHEN INSTALLING SIPs. YOUR SUBFLOOR AND SLABS NEED TO BE SQUARE AND LEVEL TO ACCEPT THE SIP CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. SIPs ARE NOT AS FORGIVING AS TYPICAL STICK FRAMING OR BLOCK CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES!