mikehejt
12-05-2004, 04:44 PM
I am perplexed. My builder who is adding a second story to a portion of our house that is currently one story is having a difficult time explaining why he needs (wants) to charge us an unforeseen $6700 for footing drains.
The existing single story area of the construction was built in 1978 on concrete slab. The second story construction is such that we needed to add two footings to the existing construction to support the new story. When they dug up the foundation they uncovered nicely placed and pitched 6 inch perf pipe around the foundation. One of the new footings is at the low point of the drain (i.e. the pipe that leads past the new footing actually runs underground away from the house about 100ft downhill.
The builder is saying that the existing drainage around the foundation could damage the footing that he installed and says that he needs to install a completely new set of drains just for the footings.
So my questions are:
1) Why wouldn't the new footings just utilize the same drains as the rest of the existing house drain pipe?
2) If the footings do need their own drainage, then wouldn't that have been a known element of the project from the start? And therefore included in the GC's "all-in" bid covering all anticipated costs?
3) Cost: I can dig a 1 ft deep 100ft long trench in about 10 hours with a pick axe (I did it at my neighbor's a few months ago) - how could this possible cost $6700? At that rate my hourly wage would be $670 / hr - maybe I should switch careers.
Help please !?!?
Thanks
Mike
_________________
The existing single story area of the construction was built in 1978 on concrete slab. The second story construction is such that we needed to add two footings to the existing construction to support the new story. When they dug up the foundation they uncovered nicely placed and pitched 6 inch perf pipe around the foundation. One of the new footings is at the low point of the drain (i.e. the pipe that leads past the new footing actually runs underground away from the house about 100ft downhill.
The builder is saying that the existing drainage around the foundation could damage the footing that he installed and says that he needs to install a completely new set of drains just for the footings.
So my questions are:
1) Why wouldn't the new footings just utilize the same drains as the rest of the existing house drain pipe?
2) If the footings do need their own drainage, then wouldn't that have been a known element of the project from the start? And therefore included in the GC's "all-in" bid covering all anticipated costs?
3) Cost: I can dig a 1 ft deep 100ft long trench in about 10 hours with a pick axe (I did it at my neighbor's a few months ago) - how could this possible cost $6700? At that rate my hourly wage would be $670 / hr - maybe I should switch careers.
Help please !?!?
Thanks
Mike
_________________