I finally stopped arguing with my framers over a 1/4 inch gap

Had a crew in Austin last month that kept leaving 1/4 inch gaps in the sheathing and I was ready to fight. Then an old superintendent told me to just spec a thicker fire caulk and move on, it's been saving me headaches ever since. Anyone else pick their battles differently now?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinwood10d ago

Yeah @ericjackson that tape thing is a perfect example. Small stuff like that has a way of snowballing because nobody wants to stop the line once they get going. It's the same with everything now, people are in such a rush to get done that they overlook the little things that actually matter down the road. I've seen it with door gaps too, where a quarter inch here and there turns into a whole house that looks like it was framed by a drunk. The old heads knew this, they'd stop after every row and check.

ericjackson10d ago

My neighbor had a similar thing happen with his crew but it was over drywall tape of all things. He was losing his mind over this tiny overlap and the guys just kept saying it didn't matter. Turns out the builder had been using the same tape brand for twenty years and the new stuff from the supply house was just slightly different width. Nobody caught it until half the house was already taped.

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