DIY Network

Colorado Ski-Country Home: Roofing and Contractual Considerations From "Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes" episode DBCV-108

	Glen and Dawn Morgan opted for a galvanized steel roof for their Colorado vacation home.

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In this episode of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes we meet homeowner Glen Morgan who acted as his own contractor on the construction of his "mining-shack" style cabin at the base of the Rocky Mountains in central Colorado.

In this segment, Glen discusses his choice of special roofing material to withstand Colorado winters. He also discusses challenges he faced in the placement of his heating equipment.

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Who's In Charge Here?

Glen assigned as many contracts to the smallest number of contractors as possible, so far as it made practical and economic sense. For example, the framing sub-contractor basically drew the building plans from Glen's CAD design, supplied the framing, provided windows and doors and installed the siding. Glen had worked previously with this contractor when building his main residence. The two met several times to discuss details, and Glen made all final decisions.

Contracts, Clauses and Other Details

Glen's wife Dawn wanted a roof of galvanized metal, and it was also important to use a material that would withstand the harsh Colorado winters and heavy snow loads common in this area (figures A and B). The roof he selected was a commercial product, and well suited to the weather conditions. For selecting the roofer to install it, Glen went with the time-honored tradition of letting his fingers do the walking. "The yellow pages provided me with several of my subs," he says. "It's always nice to have a direct referral, but referrals can go badly as well. As I did in the case of the roofer, you can always ask for specific references and go look at their work."

Figure A

Figure B

Homeowner and do-it-yourself contractor Glen Morgan.

Glen found the sub he wanted, but made an important discovery just before the roofing work was ready to start. He found that the roofer had not initialed the portion of the contract agreeing to indemnify himself against all liabilities. "Having insurance particularly for a sub doing dangerous work like roofing is critical," he says. "At that point, we simply stopped the process. I used the internet to find contract clauses that we could add to our existing contract, as an addenda, making [the subcontractor] responsible for any and all injuries caused as a result of doing the work here on my property."

It's vital to ensure that all subcontractors have the proper insurance. Another thing Glen suggests: have the subcontractors sigh your contract, not theirs. "We wrote a very tight contract," says Glen, "that not only included the amendment, but actually specified dates. He came in on time, showed up exactly when he was supposed to and got the job done in less time than he estimated it would take."

	Figure C
	Figure D

For the heating in the house, Glen opted for a side-arm boiler (figure C) with baseboards. That boiler provides both the heating for the house and the hot water. Originally, the boiler was placed in a small mechanical room adjacent to a bathroom. The state plumbing inspector, however, pointed out that the location of the boiler was in violation of local codes. The county heating inspector confirmed that the boiler needed to be moved. Despite the fact that the inspectors had previously signed off on the plans showing the boiler in the mechanical room, they now said it could not remain where it was. Glen therefore had to frame a small room in the garage, at a cost of about $3000, to relocate the boiler (figure D).

Glen's advice after this experience: "Put a clause in your contract for every sub that 'all work will meet all applicable codes.' If I had had such a clause, we might still had to have moved the boiler, but it would have been at the expense of my heating contractor."

In the segment that follows, Glen gives some final thoughts on his vacation-home project and offers advice to those considering a similar undertaking.

RESOURCES :

Investing in a Vacation Home for Pleasure and Profit
Author: James H. Boykin
Order this book from Amazon.com
Publisher: South-Western Educational Pub (2005)
ISBN: 0324314116

How a Second Home Can Be Your Best Investment: New, Tax-Free Methods for Using a Vacation Home for Recreation, Retirement and Investment
Authors: Tom Kelly, John Tuccillo
Order this book from Amazon.com
Publisher: McGraw-Hill (2004)
ISBN: 0071429700