Truss issue on a new building, would like some insight.

[Old and gray]

This should have been your call. This will not settle out. That the contractor put metal roofing on that tells me the whole crew doesn’t know what their doing. Sorry that you have to go through this.

 

[woods89]

I did put a string and rule on them with the foreman if you missed that detail. He made several calls and was told do go ahead.

I'm kind of left without words here.

If you are out replacing trusses because your first set looks terrible with metal on it, it stands to reason that the next set has to be laser straight, as everybody knows the customer is going to be looking at it like a hawk. I try to not be overly judgmental of situations I'm not personally familiar with, but something like this makes me believe that things are not working in the supervisory structure of this company.

The "it will settle out" line is concerning as well. The reason we buy trusses is so they don't settle.

As has been mentioned, with the way they build trusses these days, someone almost had to mess with an alignment pin. This makes me believe they have a flaw in the engineering, and didn't change it from the first set to the second. This can be what happens when you have a company that is overly reliant on processes over common sense.

At this point I'm not confident that this company will be able to adequately resolve this issue.

Just one internet guy's opinion.

 

[Tod osier]

This should have been your call. This will not settle out. That the contractor put metal roofing on that tells me the whole crew doesn’t know what their doing. Sorry that you have to go through this.

You also have to take into account where I'm at in this process. On day 2 of the first time around I told them the crew can't return to the property because they had set the posts so sloppily and left the site such a mess, 2 posts had to be removed, and more should have been. I stupidly let the crew back with the assurance a training supervisor would be on site (he was but was checked out). I've thrown so many fits (literal and figurative) over so many stupid things that it is hard to have perspective. Keep in mind I've worked with this company before and their reputation is top notch.

I get that the trusses will not settle OVER TIME and know that the sales guy was just throwing the idea against the wall to see if it would stick and I would accept it.

In my reading after the original build up to the rebuild (and what I've thought) was that some trusses are built with a slight camber in the top chord so that when they installed the truss squats a bit (immediately settles) so that there is no camber. Can someone confirm this? That is the only reason I allowed them to be put up was that the idea is that they would flatten when installed. Once up, it was sort of out of my ability to evaluate.

 

[pacoalcracker]

Cut your losses, call out the company and move on. Either that or get your wallet out and lawyer up for the long and expensive battle. The company isn't going to or able to make it right and they will just string you along until you get tired and go away. For them the talk isn't costing them anything but for you it's going to cause months of heartache and time begging for resolve. They likely already wrote you off.

So much for that stellar reputation you mentioned. Your task is to prevent the next client from getting screwed. Report them to the BBB.

 

[Tod osier]

I'm kind of left without words here.

If you are out replacing trusses because your first set looks terrible with metal on it, it stands to reason that the next set has to be laser straight, as everybody knows the customer is going to be looking at it like a hawk. I try to not be overly judgmental of situations I'm not personally familiar with, but something like this makes me believe that things are not working in the supervisory structure of this company.

The "it will settle out" line is concerning as well. The reason we buy trusses is so they don't settle.

As has been mentioned, with the way they build trusses these days, someone almost had to mess with an alignment pin. This makes me believe they have a flaw in the engineering, and didn't change it from the first set to the second. This can be what happens when you have a company that is overly reliant on processes over common sense.

At this point I'm not confident that this company will be able to adequately resolve this issue.

Just one internet guy's opinion.

I hear you. This is a huge company that produces beautiful buildings, but this branch is obviously struggling.

We WERE thinking that given the poor look of the roof and the delay to get there and the general hassle that we would accept some sort of price reduction.

HOWEVER...

On friday when the sales guy said he was going to bill us full price even though we were unhappy, I was pissed and went out to measure the trusses. I found that some of the truss the lumber is moldy, water stained, had been water saturated after kiln drying, has some rot evident (I do have the training to say this), and there are truss plates not fully seated again (gapping over spec).

(I get it that some may again say it is on me to not reject moldy trusses, but I can't evaluate every piece of material that they bring on site, especially if I'm trying to live my life and elk hunt a lousy elk tag most of that week. Also the top truss that I looked at was the best for mold and staining (shocker).)

So what do you do now? My issue made it very high in the corporate structure last time. Moldy, water stained trusses with some rot with sloppy plates make the building immediately less valuable even if it is warrantied (if I die, my wife will probably want to sell the property and move to town, for example).

I have not heard from the person who would make the decision how to proceed at the company, he is the one that worked out the plan how to fix the last time and seemed reasonable.

Lawyer up is always thrown around... this is a big company to fight and I'm reluctant (but I do have a candidate that specializes in construction litigation identified). What would one settle for given the situation as far as money, how would that even be calculated? Really, looking for thoughts. We are both tired of it and there is a consideration of how much of a toll something should take.

 

[HuntHarder]

What kind of warranty are they offering? Maybe get a price reduction and an extended warranty? I think at the point you are at, this may be your best option.

You could also get a quote from another company to fix what is wrong and sue for that. That would make you whole, which is what courts intend to do. You have already given the original contractor a chance to fix it, you are within your right to look else where imo.

 

[pacoalcracker]

See, they want to be paid in full even though they know you are not happy. Like I said, they already wrote you off. They are moving on regardless of what you do from here.

If you don't pay the balance, they will just put a mechanics lien on your property. If and when the property sells, they get paid first.

 

[Tod osier]

See, they want to be paid in full even though they know you are not happy. Like I said, they already wrote you off. They are moving on regardless of what you do from here.

If you don't pay the balance, they will just put a mechanics lien on your property. If and when the property sells, they get paid first.

You have to understand that it is hard to take advice from someone like yourself that comes across as so bitter in every post in nearly every thread you post in.

 

[Fowl Play]

How much left do you owe? If you were not to pay a cent more would you be ok with it? Their warranty is likely shit anyway after what you’ve been through. Your only bargaining chip at this point is the money. I wouldn’t pay a penny more and try to resolve it at that. No one is going to remove steel and replace trusses at this point.

 

[Tod osier]

What kind of warranty are they offering? Maybe get a price reduction and an extended warranty? I think at the point you are at, this may be your best option.

You could also get a quote from another company to fix what is wrong and sue for that. That would make you whole, which is what courts intend to do. You have already given the original contractor a chance to fix it, you are within your right to look else where imo.

I'm on here as part of the cooling off process, so all advice is good. The warranty is very good, not prorated and includes labor, I'm not worried about that. Maybe making sure it would transfer, that is a thought.

I'm more and more thinking outside help is needed, so yes that is an option as you suggest..

 

[Tod osier]

How much left do you owe? If you were not to pay a cent more would you be ok with it? Their warranty is likely shit anyway after what you’ve been through. Your only bargaining chip at this point is the money. I wouldn’t pay a penny more and try to resolve it at that. No one is going to remove steel and replace trusses at this point.

$12,700 left. Quite a chunk, but wouldn't do a thing to fix the issues if we wanted to approach it that way. I think we would have been OK with just the lousy looking roof if the final payment was waived, but with the moldy trusses, I don't know. That really changes things. Last time he offered a fix or waive the final payment as his first offer, the building looked like absolute crap WAY beyond the trusses, so we wanted it fixed. They put 200 man hours of extra labor into it, all new steel and new trusses, so they are in deep.

We have absolutely no intention of paying anything right now.

 

[Fowl Play]

$12,700 left. Quite a chunk, but wouldn't do a thing to fix the issues if we wanted to approach it that way. I think we would have been OK with just the lousy looking roof if the final payment was waived, but with the moldy trusses, I don't know. That really changes things. Last time he offered a fix or waive the final payment as his first offer, the building looked like absolute crap WAY beyond the trusses, so we wanted it fixed. They put 200 man hours of extra labor into it, all new steel and new trusses, so they are in deep.

We have absolutely no intention of paying anything right now.

Ah, I guess I missed it where they actually did put in those extra man hours to “fix” it. Honestly that was the time to watch them like a hawk, check everything, and ensure it was right. At this point, I’d refuse payment and see what happens. If it’s going to escalate to a lien on the property though, likely not worth it.

 

[pacoalcracker]

Sorry you think I'm bitter. Getting a raw deal is a hard pill to swallow. Deal with fact's not fantasy. I won't comment any further, but I do hope you find resolution.

 

[Old and gray]

200 man hours of repair work? Must have other problems than just the roof.

 

[woods89]

I hear you. This is a huge company that produces beautiful buildings, but this branch is obviously struggling.

We WERE thinking that given the poor look of the roof and the delay to get there and the general hassle that we would accept some sort of price reduction.

HOWEVER...

On friday when the sales guy said he was going to bill us full price even though we were unhappy, I was pissed and went out to measure the trusses. I found that some of the truss the lumber is moldy, water stained, had been water saturated after kiln drying, has some rot evident (I do have the training to say this), and there are truss plates not fully seated again (gapping over spec).

(I get it that some may again say it is on me to not reject moldy trusses, but I can't evaluate every piece of material that they bring on site, especially if I'm trying to live my life and elk hunt a lousy elk tag most of that week. Also the top truss that I looked at was the best for mold and staining (shocker).)

So what do you do now? My issue made it very high in the corporate structure last time. Moldy, water stained trusses with some rot with sloppy plates make the building immediately less valuable even if it is warrantied (if I die, my wife will probably want to sell the property and move to town, for example).

I have not heard from the person who would make the decision how to proceed at the company, he is the one that worked out the plan how to fix the last time and seemed reasonable.

Lawyer up is always thrown around... this is a big company to fight and I'm reluctant (but I do have a candidate that specializes in construction litigation identified). What would one settle for given the situation as far as money, how would that even be calculated? Really, looking for thoughts. We are both tired of it and there is a consideration of how much of a toll something should take.

I wish I had some answers. I feel for you a lot, and like you say, the toll of the ongoing issues gets exhausting.

 

[Tod osier]

200 man hours of repair work? Must have other problems than just the roof.

New trusses, new roof, all new metal above the wainscot, all new trim. The building was a mess, it is nice, save the trusses, now.

 

[Fatcamp]

New trusses, new roof, all new metal above the wainscot, all new trim. The building was a mess, it is nice, save the trusses, now.

Move on.

 

[waspocrew]

Move on.

Agreed.

If I'm reading this correctly, at this point, everything had been redone, but now the trusses have been replaced with those made from questionable lumber. Probably a tall order to get them all replaced correctly again.