Construction Nightmares

The ShantyWorld Flickr Construction Nightmare PHOTO Group is now alive and active.
If you thought YOUR contractor was stupid, take a look at these other guys..
The Flickr group is free, and I hope it will be informative and fun for visitors and members alike.

Special note to Licensed Home Inspectors, please post your photos of bad construction.

Home Owners & Realtors: Please post your photos of bad construction & repair work.

Please do not post Full nor company names of these crummy "contractors" !
DO NOT post specific addresses, but the city and neighborhood location would be OK. We don't want people -- especially not me, to be sued.

Flickr Group name: Home Inspection Nightmares
Flickr Adminstrator: shantyminister (no spaces)

If you want to view or share your own photos with this group, you'll need to sign up for either a (free) Flickr account, or you'll need to use your Yahoo mail (or SBC Global or ATT DSL) account to post to the group.

This Flickr group will be monitored.
Let's Post !

© 2008 ShantyWorld.com

Construction & Home Inspection Nightmares

As Americans tighten their belts with respect to their own disposable income, you can be sure more property owners will move to repairing and renovating their existing properties instead of trying to upgrade to new digs. As a result, more home owners are bound to find themselves face-to-face with the reality that their existing property may have (existing) defects that need to be corrected. It's also likely that these same property owners will also encounter a contractor that may (or may not) actually complete the renovation work correctly.

Coincidentally, as I listened to the rebroadcast of Tavis Smiley's, the State of the Black Union (2008) on C-Span, a displaced New Orleans resident spoke about her experience with contractors who promised to do repair work to her New Orleans home, took her money, but never showed up to finish/complete the work. I have said (even here) many times, that that is not a problem unique to the victims of Katrina. [ See my post on Mike Holmes, Contractor.]

So when I stumbled on (yet again) Home Inspection Nightmare examples on the This Old House website, courtesy of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) , it reminded me that I need to post examples from right here in Chicago. The "Home Inspection Nightmares" section on the TOH web site is their MOST visited section. Most visited! Amazing. On a positive note, it does point out that anyone who owns or is looking to own property, should learn how to avoid (financial) disaster by learning from the mistakes of others.

There were a few patterns that appeared as a result of this "worst of" American homes...

1. That the states with the most lenient Home Inspection (HI) laws (i.e. laws regulating the selling of property), tended to have a significant number of dangerous construction problems. The states having more lenient HI laws included California, many southern states, and yes, my beloved Illinois. (Illinois came in the lower 35% percentile. Calf. was one of the worst in the nation, followed by many southern states.)
2. Communities with more relaxed building codes, tended to have high incidences of shoddy construction, and a high percentage of homes with dangerous existing conditions. [Makes sense, doesn't it?]


Unfortunately, there were fewer correlations between location and the number (or severity) of construction. Shoddy construction seems to know no real demographic. (Even well prepared property owners experience fraud.) While it is true poorer households do suffer a high rate of contractor fraud, middle and upper income households experience a significant rate of contractor fraud as well. In fact, some of the most egregious construction practices occurred in homes valued over $750K. (The primary difference between the rich and the less rich, has more to do with resources available to the household to later seek out a remedy-- to sue the contractor. Of course, suing a contractor usually comes well after a breach of contract or trust, when the damage is already done.)

Let's dispense with the chit chat, and get to the examples..

This contractor seemed to think no joists and no sub-floor were required under the bathroom. They just went ahead and installed new drywall over a wall that had no joist and no sub-floor supporting it. The GC is being rightly sued. Unfortunately, in the 4+ years when this work originally was done, this group of Contractors have worked on many other homes and will probably continue to work on other homes in the Chicago area. What is so sickening about this is, none of the trades involved in the job (the plumber, the dry waller, painter, etc.) did anything about trying to get this situation corrected. How do they sleep at night?

Photo of this same area from below.

Notice how the floor joist was totally cut away by the moron that is the plumber. (Actually two floor joists were completely cut out, but it's hard to see that in this picture.) The white dashed lines show where the joist material SHOULD have been. This contractor later came back and instead of correcting the problem, covered it up with a mudset coat, and literally painted the area (to disguise water damage, the old areas from the new, and the fresh cut wood. )

From the same moron Contractor..


This same house (photo below) was suppose to be undergoing repairs as of a result of damage sustained by a fire. The General Contractor didn't think anyone would notice that the sub-floor should have been replaced--even though it was in his written contract that the sub-floor be replaced. (Uumm, how do you replace a sub-floor AFTER all the new drywall and walls have been installed? This GC repeatedly ignored directives to install materials in the proper sequence.)





In the photo below, why remove, clean & reinstall the radiator, when your position [as the GC] is that the home owner is too stupid to care about the details of how things get installed ? Just cut out the new wood floor AROUND the radiator leg. This "method" saved some dumbass floor contractor the hassle of having the GC's HVAC contractor move the radiators. Notice how that wretched sub-floor (above) shows through under the "new" wood floor. Almost too stupid for words.. Disgusting work, yet typical.






I hope the rest of these photos speak for themselves...
























































Electrical outlets and switches in wet areas (including showers) are abundant.


And just in case you new homeowners are feeling secure... It appears that a large share of these kinds of mistakes are present in a considerable portion of NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION as well.

So, those of you buying a NEW HOME should ALSO hire a licensed Home Inspector (and/or hire an architect) to help you during the buying process.

I am starting a public FLickr pool of Home Inspection Nightmare shots. I'll post a link to the FLickr pool later. We can share photos and learn from one another. (Or send me your shots. Photos need to be UNDER 1 MB in size if you email them to me.)
- © 2008, ShantyWorld.com

Tesla Update - Video Test Drive

I was surfing for my usual Mac Podcasts several weeks ago, and came across Revision3.com's video podcast (April 2007) where they managed to get a test ride in the new TESLA (all electric/green) Sportscar. (It's not your mother's Prius.) You can download the HD video from iTunes or can view the stream from the Revision 3 website. (For iPod and iPhone users, the file is video iPod-ready.)

Tesla has been plagued by personnel changes in the company, battery and other technical delays. Tree Huggers & motorheads alike can hardly wait 'til the Roadster hits the market. Read my earlier post (11/9/2006) about the Tesla Roadster.

They're From Around the Way

Shanty "Pre-Fab Quickies"
Work has been crazy, but I wanted to post a few quick items so my 2 readers won't think I've fallen off my drafting stool and have forgotten about the blog. I'll call these quick posts, "Pre-Fab Quickies." Corny, I know..

Not unlike former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, I've always loved Chicago. Once you get to know the City, it's easy to see why visitors and natives alike can list-- with considerable ease, those items, places and people that shape why Chicago is fabulous. Over the last few months, I've added a few reasons to my list. (I'll share a few of those reasons in later posts..)

For those who want a quick visual slice of Chicago, I encourage you to visit the Flickr pages that have "Chicago" as part of the tag. This designer is particularly fond of the fabulous amateur (and pro) photos posted of Chicago Architecture on the Flickr site. The photos are just fabulous. (This one reason why I love the internet..) What makes Flickr.com so great is not just that images are there for all to see, but that Flickr has a way to search for images by topic, subject, interest. One such example is a photo by "Menlo" on FLickr of Marina City (shown above left).


Crooks Don't Go Away, They Just Find New Chumps

From the continuing saga of "Lies My Contractor Told Me" , come more contractor horror stories. (You can also substitute the word "Developer" for "Contractor". ) My friends and clients know that I've been warning them for 15+ years that it's not a matter of IF, but WHAT your contractor will lie to you about. (The "when" starts almost immediately..)

That is why I was so glad to stumble on a really good Cable TV Construction show from Discovery HOME Channel called, "Holmes on Homes". The entire premise of the show is about lying, incompetent contractors, and the damage and danger they've been leaving behind. The show takes place mostly in Canada, although one episode was recently shot in the US.

Enter this burly, Canadian Alpha male contractor named Mike Holmes to the rescue. In each episode Holmes breaks down (for some unlucky homeowner) how and why the previous contractor's work was wrong/unsafe/not code-compliant, etc. Then, Holmes and his crew rip out the crummy work and do it the right way (more or less).
Apparently, there are a lot of incompetent, lying contractors and developers in Canada too. (Pheeew --it's not just the Chicago area that has its share of lousy contractors. Again, feel free to substitute the word "Developer" for "Contractor".)

While the designs are builder-esque, the craftsmanship of the work seems very solid. Check your local listings for air times. (In Chicago, the show is on cable TV daily, with several repeats during the day. How did I miss this show the first 6 years ??) Alternatively, you can buy the DVDs from the previous 6 seasons from Amazon.com.

A lot of people think I'm crazy when I tell them I've never NOT had a contractor lie to me about some aspect of a project. And it doesn't matter [to the contractor] the client demographic, location, project size, complexity, dollar value (of the project), nor project type: public vs private, commercial nor residential.. I have found that nearly all contractors lie -- at least here in the state of Illinois. It must be a genetic requirement for being a contractor. Nonetheless..

Newbie homeowners (and those looking to work with a contractor) really need to educate themselves before they buy into a development or hire a contractor. When you don't, this show explains just how badly a project can go when an incompetent contractor is hired by an unprepared homeowner.


SouthSide Blogger

I stumbled on a fun blog that Chicagoans and Condo owners (regardless of locale) should check out: "I Hate My Developer".
(found at ihatemydeveloper.blogspot.com)

"I Hate My Developer" chronicles one southside Condo Owner's trials with her Condo Association's developer, city officials, contractors and neighbors. It's smartly written, and very funny. It's both comedy and tragedy (in a good way.)

See, I too, live in a Condo.. and I've often thought the story of the shenanigans in my not-so-little condo community would make a great 21st century reality TV show. If we could get Hollywood to document (and pay us) for all the drama we get to live through as residents, all of our Association's financial problems (and special assessments) would be alleviated in the first season's airing.

Think: Melrose Place (the 1990s TV Dramady soap opera) with all the racial conflict of a Clinton / Obama Democratic primary battle, set in Chicago's multi-cultural Hyde Park. This show could be good stuff, people.

First, you have to understand that I live in a LARGE, 700+ multi-unit complex-- which makes consensus gathering nearly impossible. Competing agendas and wide-spread incompetence makes for lively Association meetings. Don't get me wrong, as an architect, I love the architecture of the building. The complex is done in a sort-of International, Miesian-lite kind of style.

It's a late '50s modern high-rise with a largely glass facade, and NewYork styled, tiny galley designer kitchens without the starchitect pricetag.
Who needs to live in the high-priced Mies van der Rohe 860-880 Lake Shore Drive apartments when you have Meisian-lite here on the southside? All the drama, but none of the property tax, gawker tourist problems. The southside is such a bargain.

Secondly, we have all the cliche reality show storylines that make for a hit show. We've got generational, race and class issues, prostitution, comic relief (from incompetent Board Members, employees and residents), we've had murder, suicide, domestic violence, and the occasional resident celebrity siting.

As a prequel to the series, we'd have to re-enact the episode where a 50+ year-old Board member tries to open-flame bar-be-que in one of the apartments. (Did I mention we don't have balconies-- and this person was cooking on a carpet and claims to be a Univ. of Chicago graduate ?) That episode would probably earn high ratings, ala the Jessica Simpson Chicken-of-the-Sea Tuna type humor. So many story lines are possible...

Our "building" is home to a cadre of D-list (mostly local) celebs, authors, TV/radio personalities, and we even have a few "has-been" national celebs. Our building is often used for TV/ movies shoots, and we have some of the best lake-front views of the City of Chicago. (I have a wonderful view of Lake Michigan.) We're a stones throw from the University of Chicago campus, the World famous Museum of Science & Industry, the DuSable Museum, and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama lives in the neighborhood.

I have episode outlines...I just need someone to option the show. Takers?

©2008 ShantyWorld.com. All Rights Reserved.

Rural Studio's $20K House

For many years, the architecture students at Auburn University have been exploring planning and Design/ Build issues up close via hands-on experience through work done as part of Rural Studio (RS). Rural Studio examines the many facets of planning, affordablity and the challenges of providing real-world replicatable architectural solutions. As part of its project for 2007, Rural Studio (RS) has completed an interesting housing prototype for Hale County (Alabama). The target cost: $20K (labor and materials). Rural Studio (at Auburn's School of Architecture) was the brainchild of architect/educator Samuel Mockbee & D.K. Ruth. Mockbee passed away a few years ago, but the program is still operational and has produced an interesting student project for 2007: an affordable residence built for about $20K for some of the areas' low income residents.

Very much borne out the southern shot gun vernacular, this structure is all about utility and fulfilling basic [housing] needs. The Katrina Cottages (designed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, $30-100K each) share some of the same (albeit abstract) vernacular as the $20K House in a direct response to the problem of readily erected & affordable housing. After all, the lack of affordable housing is probably the single most under-reported and oft ignored socio-economic problem facing the US -- moreso than even health care or exaggerated threats to our national safety. (The US housing market should undergo further, perhaps even more dramatic corrections in the months head, imo. But I digress..)

The students & faculty have briefly documented the project, posted photos on the process, etc., on a blog devoted to the project. Surf over to Auburn's School of Architecture to read and hear more about the $20K House. Also, Public Radio has done a piece featuring this project entitled , "The Architecture of Decency", (airing November/Dec.). Visit speakingoffaith.org to hear the broadcast (mp3 format).

I'd like to see the ledger on the cost for this particular project, as the number of workers and the time invested if calculated at fair market (or even minimum wage) seems as though it would have pushed the true cost well beyond $20K --even adjusted for regional cost differences. (Info & photos on the blog suggest that about 40 or so people have contributed their work, money and/or time to the project.)

Perhaps RS will publish a data accounting and a more detailed outline of costs, labor supplied, man hours, challenges, etc. Publishing that data would prove far more useful than keeping it limited to the interested participants and sponsors. I mean, if you are really concerned about affordability, you help others make affordable housing a reality in other communities by sharing data, methods, experiences. Otherwise, you create the proprietary mess that surrounds the human genome industry.

Strida Folding Bike - Pedal, Coast

[See 6/08 update, scroll way dooown.]
With former V.P. Al Gore winning the Nobel Prize for work relating to Global Warming awareness, it only seemed appropriate to post a little info about a product squarely in the "Green Transportation" class: the Bicycle. One of my favorite bikes is the Strida Rida [www.strida.us]. Invented [at least] some 22 years ago by British inventor/designer Mark Sanders, the Strida Folding Bike is a great little transportation device that hasn't received enough attention here in the States. [Click on the photo left, to open animation in a new window showing how the bike folds.]


The Strida sports an aluminum frame, so it's very light and portable at 19.4 lbs [9kg]-- unlike MOST steel folding bikes. Not only that, but the Strida goes from compact to full working size in literally seconds unlike its cumbersome (and over priced) competitors. (It really is the easiest bike to fold and unfold without the need for special tools or anything.)

The light weight and quick assembly make the Strida easy to ride to the local commuter train/bus station, then fold up the bike and board the train/bus for the trip to work or out of town. (See the photo in the folded position, below.) The Strida folds down to the size of a large tennis racquet sports bag. It's also light enough to throw into the back seat or trunk of the car, so you can unload the bike and take a nice ride along Lake Michigan or your other favorite waterway path.


For apartment dwellers, the compact size makes it easy to store in a closet (instead of a remote common locker room where it might get stolen. You can buy a duffle-sized bag from Strida for storing & toting your bike. )
My Strida has no greasy chain (it's some kind of space age Kevlar or something), so handling the bike doesn't get you (or your clothes or car) exceptionally dirty.

The center of gravity on the Strida is a bit different than a traditional bike. But after an hour or two of riding, you adjust as you would to any new bicycle.

The latest version of Strida has two price levels: Strida 3.2 (starting at $499 USD) and Strida 5.0 (starting at $799). The Strida comes in 12 different colors / finishes -- depending on model. I "tricked-out" my Strida with a saddle bag, some lights & a bell which makes it safer for city riding.

I bought my Strida about 4 years ago and it's still working fine (although I admit I don't ride it as much as I'd like to.) See the web site for videos on its folding action and for more specs and photos...

The Strida comes in basically one size. (So very tall or short persons might not find the Strida comfortable to ride. Strida is not a bike for smaller children. ) It works best for persons over 5 feet tall and under 6'-3", less than 230 lbs.

But, if you live in an urban area & don't want to lose your parking space because you need to run out to get a newspaper, or you just need a quick ( green) way to get to the train/bus station, consider getting a Strida. They're a lot of fun and it beats paying $3.40/gallon for gas.
[UPDATE: gas in Chicago is now $4.80/gal for super a mere 8 months later. Read how I cut my gasoline cost by over 32% at practically NO COST, without buying a new car & without driving less. I just changed my driving habits. Read my upcoming post on how I did it. ]

© Shantyworld.com 2007

Uber Wind Turbine

From NewConsumer.com, "UK's Hottest Ethical Lifestyle Magazine" [their words, not mine], comes an Uber Wind Turbine located in Swaffham, Norfolk. The Wind Turbine stands some 219 Feet [67 meters] tall and boasts an observation deck that is open for public access /viewing. According to Ecotricity (the turbines' operating electric company), the Turbine can power about 1000-1500 houses.

Visitors can climb the 300 steps inside the Turbine's structure to get a view of the town and see the MASSIVE 3-ton, 30 meter long Blade span up close. (30 meters ?? Holy Cow!) The Turbine was made in Germany in 1999. Ecotricity has plans to roll out at least 6 more Turbines throughout the UK. Get a load of the hum made by 9 tons of blades spinning by !

Click To Play - Turbine

You'll need Flip4MVW or Flash to view the movie, or go to
Green.tv who also has posted clips (in various video formats) of this report.

Home owners should note, space allowing, smaller scaled Wind Turbines can be utilized to help power a single family home. Wind Turbines are a good alternative power source (when solar panels are not feasible.) I'll have more info on Wind Power in coming posts-- including info on a Chicago based Wind Turbine company that is making headlines with their innovative technology.

Post your thoughts -- Shanty Minister

Designing A Green Thumb

Landscaping and the design of outdoor spaces is just as important as designing structures and their interiors.. So, it's always a challenge finding simple solutions to introduce a bit of greenery into busy urban lives. Who doesn't enjoy a lovely garden? Well, these two products are a long way from being the perfect garden, but they provide a good start for the [good] design conscious among us.

From the UK, the self-watering WET_POT for plants (for those who travel a lot or otherwise kill their plants by watering them too much or too little.) The manufacturer says the special glaze on the outside of the pot allows --through capillary action-- the water in the surrounding reservoir to slowly be used by the plant as needed.. Kinda like nature, I suppose... (Altho' I can see that clear reservoir getting cloudy and yucky if you don't wipe out the water stains regularly..) Pots come in 3 sizes and I think they'll ship to North America. It's cool looking just the same...
.............................................................

And from RephormHaus (Germany), the Steckling Balcony Flower Pot. it straddles the railing for all you urbanites who need a little green on your balcony. The "Steckling" comes in 3 colors and they even have a Trellis prototype that makes for vertical climbing greenery. At least the pots won't be swept off the balcony by a gust of wind. Sweeeet!

Designed to Love

Sometimes the great abundance of bad design and poor taste can give fans of [good] design the blues. With the pedestrian lakefront housing designs proposed for the Chicago 2016 Olympics, it's easy make the case that poor taste will never go out of style. Then one day, you flip a magazine page and stumble on a beauty -- relieved that some structure or item other than the local Starbucks is NOT the best designed thing in your city or neighborhood. (OK, that might be overstating things, but the beauty of blogging is being bombastic.)

So, from the "Designs I Love" files, I'll be introducing (or jumping on the bandwagon) in presenting some items for creative consideration.

Let's start with the Pedro and Ines Footbridge (November 2006, Rio Mondego) in Coimbra, Portugal. A collaborative design by Cecil Balmond and Antonio Adao da Fonseca. (Thanks to Hugo for the pics.. Check out his site at Flicker.)

VM Housing - Orestad, Denmark

I was surfing e-architect.co.uk, , and came along this project near Copenhagen. At first glance, the project looks almost hostile-- like steel and glass shards ready to cut passerbys. (That's probably my urban/public housing background bias talking..) After a more careful investigation, the layout shares little with the large American multi-family layouts from the 1950s. Considerably more attention is given to light, air, views (from the units), unit privacy, and even some personal outdoor space (via balconies) for some of the luckier inhabitants.



VM Housing (Orestad City, 2006) was a collaborative design by PLOT Architects (no longer in business). It's got interesting massing and interior layouts, an exterior that channels abstracted Rietveld, and the requisite modernist glass and steel curtainwall vocabulary. This project is part of a larger master planned multi-use development underway in Orestad over the next 17 or so years.


A brief description from the architects' website:

"The manipulated perimeter block is clearly defined in its four corners but opened intrenally and along the sides. The vis-a-vis with the neighbour is eliminated by pushing the slab in its center, ensuring diagonal views to the vast open fields around...All apartments have a double height space to the north, and wide panoramic views to the south. The logic of the diagonal slab utilized in the V house is broken down in smaller portions for the M house. In this project the typology of the unite d'habitation of Le Corbusier is reinterpreted and improved: the central corridors are short and get light from both ends, like bullet holes penetrating through the building."

PLOT Architects is now divided into two different firms: JDS Architects and BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group)--both of whom have more info and photos on the VM project on their respective websites. A quick Google search yields some photos from the forum group "Skyscraper City - The Big Huge Copenhagen Orestad Thread Part 2", showing the complex under construction. Check those photos out as well.

Looks to be partially pre-fab, huh? Can anyone tell me if this is rental or affordable housing? And what is the cost per unit (monthly in comparable USD) ?

Be sure to also check out Buildings All Over the World Photo Pool. (A Flicker photo blog)

Too bad the high-rise condo boom in downtown Chicago isn't as interesting.