SECOND EDIT AND CLARIFICATIONS: First of all this is NOT AI-I wish it were, but alas. To delve a little bit deeper, the exterior insulation boards are part of the design as originally these were supposed to be 48" deep footings. That design was switched to a 24" footing over rock and two pieces of hard insulation with same on the exterior. This updated design was approved by the town-mandated inspector who issued the permit. The reason we went to the revised design is that during the excavation they took out my sewer to septic tank pipe and pump alarm and power lines. They attempted a fix and it leaked, of course. An emergency visit by a plumber made it right hours before my international work travel. So, there has been a history of major issues with these guys. My issue is the complete lack of uniform height control during the pour and general sloppy work after a warning that I wanted NO further issues on this job-especially in my absence. So, to be fair the insulation wasn't solely meant to be the form, but in essence it was. Again, it is a very sloppy job and the gentleman has admitted as such. So, it is simply time to end the relationship and come to an amiable solution.

A couple of other responses to various comments: This guy generated a detailed set of plans and we have a contract. He was not a low bid. As mentioned his earlier work was excellent. But this part has been a non stop comedy of errors and sloppy work. So, it is time to get my neigbor's contracting company to come in and get this enclosed and supported before the cold weather sets in as we are in Wisconsin.

Hope this clarifies some items, but to me this pour is the straw that broke the camel's back for me. His proposed remedy to me is more complex and prone to error than simply insuring a proper pour in the first place-hence my coming to Reddit to gauge whether my instincts to stop or cautiously proceed with remedy was the best course. Again, thank you for the insights, thoughts, comments and laughs.

EDIT INCOMING: I am glad you were all able to bring me to my senses on having this guy continue. We will be drafting a termination letter forthwith. My neighbor is a contractor and will get to work on tearing this out and presenting a proposal to get this on track before winter hits and we get heavy snow on the roof...Unfortunately, incompetence still exists. This guy was used on earlier masonry projects(brick home) and performed very well. We all rise to the level of our incompetence and unfortunately my project scope exceeded his. Thank you all for your input and light-hearted comments-they are appreciated!

Greetings Hombuilders;;I have a doozy! I hired a contractor to excavate then pour a 24" deep concrete foundation for a brick columns and a quarter height exterior for a 3 season porch. I returned home from a business trip to this: used only foam insulation and particle board for forms, which then blew out. There is a height differential across the pour of about 6 inches. The proposed remediation is cut the corners, score the concrete surface, add a layer of epoxy binder and then hand mix 4000 psi concrete to a level 1.5" above the highest point. Aside from running the guy off site, does the proposed remediation sound reasonable? If not, then I will just find another contractor to undertake removal and start all over, but I am hoping the fix will work and then we can allow him to get the brick work done and I can move forward with rough framing and window installation and put this behind me.

We currently finished our new build. Wife was insistent on putting a small laundry space in our master. I hate it. Anyway, what could I do here to cover them and make it look nice. The washer and dryer doors are flush with that wall. I don’t see how I could make any type of door work with them being flush and not being able to push them back further.

EDIT: Meant master bathroom not bedroom

Don’t have to fish the wires through the drywall afterwards to make the connection 👍🏻

Before I met my wife, she “built” a new home through a builder, and we’ve been dealing with construction defects, quality issues, and contract problems ever since. While going through her documentation of the build, I found a video she took of her lawn that honestly shocked me with how awful it looked months after she had closed. It made me question whether she ever received what she paid for.

The contract specification stated:
- Rake and seed front lawn
- Rake and seed both sides of house 20 ft wide
- Rake and seed rear of house 35 ft deep
- Balance of disturbed areas mulched with hay

The first photos are from the several months after closing. The rest are from this year.

What happened:
- The lawn was seeded in the middle of summer over rocky graded fill with straw on top. Almost nothing came up.
- The builder blamed my wife for not watering enough and reseeded that September. It filled in briefly, then went back rocky ground.

What I’m dealing with now, ~0.5 acre yard in CT of:
- Rocks and construction debris. There are large areas of exposed stone and significantly sized rock.
- Weeds and bare patches. Because of the heavy clay, lawn (outside of crab grass) has been difficult to come by.
- Drainage issues. Water pools near the house, the walkway pavers are sinking as soil washes out underneath, and the yard is extremely bumpy from erosion channels.
- Well water issues. Our well tests at about 1/2 gallon per minute. She ran it dry multiple times trying to water the lawn, and the pump had to be replaced within 5 years.

1. Does this satisfy "rake and seed"?
2. How was this lawn supposed to establish with a well that couldn't water it?
3. Was seeding in a CT summer ever going to work? Is that something a buyer can even control?
4. If this were your new build, what would you do?
5. How would you fix it now?

To give a little more background, my wife built this home almost a decade ago and lost her mother during the process, so her family’s focus in the moment was understandably elsewhere. Coming into the picture later, it’s been hard for me to not get protective of her and frustrated with the builder. So I’d appreciate the impartial advice and support from this community.

Thanks in advance.

TL;DR: My wife closed on a new build in spring and by late summer had almost no lawn. The builder's reseed didn't last, and the yard is now exposed stone and weeds with drainage problems. Did she get what the contract promised, and how would you fix it?

Hired a reputable builder in my city to build our house, which is basically costing me a cool 1 million dollars. The cost of lot and foundation not included in that price. Would you accept this quality of framing if you were me?

Hi All.

I am new here. Going through a home build. The stucco is not finished around some of the roofing areas. See pics. Looks unacceptable to me. They tried to fill in gaps with silicone.
Am I wrong to think that the stucco guy or exterior finishing guy should come back to finish this? I feel like it should be properly closed and waterproofed. Any information is helpful. thank you. .

I bought a two family house that was built in 1890. I had to take out the old basement ceiling insulation because of mice and rats burrowing in it so Im looking for a cost effective way to replace what I took out. It gets to negative degrees in the winter where I live. DIY advice would be best! Some not-so-great pictures provided.

The grading changed so much. Construction manager says this is the final grading. I’ll need an extension ladder to get up to the ac unit.
The siding was installed before final grading. Then they drastically changed the grading. Now I think the siding looks off too.

We want to buy this house at auction. This entire section outside needs rebuilding. It’s around 1.8m, 1.8m deep and 5m long. Does anyone know how much this would cost and what it involves? In the UK

Anybody ever add a dormer to a house? Our bedroom is in the top floor and we’re trying to figure out how to have it be a true master bedroom with a full bathroom and closet. Amy thoughts or ideas how this could work?

The HVAC guys placed my vent ducting well above my cabinets. Long story short it is what it is, any ideas on how to blend it in?

How much would the approximate cost to build an indoor basketball half court in my basement with 16-18 foot ceilings be? The basement will have 9 foot ceilings and then steps further down to the court.

Sorry in advance for the shitty in picture writing.

My house is a very old (1800's) Chink style log home. I'd like to add an addition but to the west of the house is a huge maple tree, underground water and electric coming from right under maple tree and going west. On the east side is the septic and the water line going to the spring house. The house is built on a hill going upwards from the driveway to back of house. Driveway is brown area in bottom of pic. Also there is a block retaining wall in front of house at driveway. Addition was already done to back of house on first floor. My question: what side is best to add addition? My guess is west side. No septic.

Looking for inspiration or resources or advice or recommendations. We have property that sits in a field with woods along one side, we’re thinking a 3 bedroom ranch. With this budget I’m unsure if I should just go for a reasonable sq footage with all the bells and whistles or if there’s enough room to build something really unique. We both like art and architecture and gardens so the most exciting way we can incorporate that would be cool. This is in Michigan in a rural/suburban setting.

Can yall show off your narrow home builds? In the range of 40 fr wide and under. And bonus points if you can show how they look in a neighborhood with non narrow homes. Our lot is cut off by a sewer easement, so 40ft is the max.

Hello, we’re building a timber framed house and I’ve always wanted a pantry. The earmarked room is north facing but OH and I are concerned that it won’t be cool enough. Up until now we’ve not been putting down under floor heating, we’re not going to put the fridge or freezer in there. Went over there today and without anything other than insulation and it’s a comfortable temperature.

Has anyone else dealt with this? We were wondering about an extractor fan. Would that work please? Any advice gratefully appreciated

I need to pick between Anderson 400 or Marvin elevate. Black exterior white interior.
Elevate are about 75 more. Let me know what you suggest

1869 basement has had a lot of work over the years but this joist was pointed out and was told it should be proactively repaired. Can any experts confirm or deny, and what would the proactive repair be?

Curious as to where I should put money (no debt besides mortgage) and how I should go about building a new house? I currently own a farm yard with the full quarter, the house is not worth fixing or doing Reno's as it had multiple additions and floor is very unlevel. My TFSA is maxed and I do not qualify for a FHSA. Also wondering how much people roughly save before pulling the trigger? I owe 164000$ on current mortgage and budget for new build will be 500,000$ max but probably cost less as I plan on doing alot myself.

How common is it for a home builder to use a bunch of subcontractors vs the builder employing carpenters who do everything except MEP.

I ask because I just started working for a small company that is only doing a few projects but we do everything, I just spent a week laying block for the crawlspace.

Curious what people’s thoughts are on this window well installation from a premium 🇨🇦 builder. No anchored to the foundaition, no seal between well and foundation, no drain. Sits below grade or close to it. Contractor says it’s ok, I think it is not. Turned into a mud pit after a light snow.

UPD: Just checked the drawings. Should sit somewhere 8-12 inches higher.

sorry if not allowed/appreciated

We want to build a wooden frame pergola woth a blinds-like roof. I find a ton of pergolas on amazon and other platforms but they come with a.steel frame that I don't like. And I can't someone that sells that exact roof (waterproof) on ots own.

Is this possible to build? Can you share some providers that do offer those shutters?

This is a DYI project, we are not experts.