Hello, it's me. I've been working so much that the blog has been on the back side of the cook stove.
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Hello, it's me. I've been working so much that the blog has been on the back side of the cook stove.
I am not even sure where to go with the blog; I've been working on everything from factory-finish installs to floating 3/4 solid sand & finish. The work has been great, but most of all the timing-right after the convention-has been even better. We did not want to have any down time, and boy, now I wish we had a little down time ... we've been on-point from the moment the plane hit the ground back home.
I want to do something that is way outside of my comfort zone: I've been reading the Contractor Blog and the strong words posted responding to Scott's last blog. We need to say thank you to Ricardo for his work on translating the Guidelines; it is a task that he did not take funds for doing. The NWFA has a huge reach, so doing the Spanish translation was a must to keep making it strong. As far as the harsh words, it is never right to blame the folks at the NWFA or magazine for doing what needs to be done. If we do not allow them to do these things, then we will go backwards, not forward. Just look at the convention; it was a wonderful turnaround. Their only concern was making the show work and getting the information in the hands of the folks that need it most-all of us.
The NWFA is asking for help; each member can join a committee and work on the tasks that go on day-to-day. If you want your voice heard, then call and ask to help on the teams they have to offer. I have been on a few over the years, and it is good to see more than one side of the coin. You get so much more when you take part of the programs-don't sit back and look, get in and help build the NWFA to all it can be for everyone.
Enough said on all that; I am sure that we all have worry with what is going on in our world, but please do not add to the fire with harsh words.
Now on to a tough request, as I feel that my day in the sun is done. Doing the blog has been great, but the one thing I miss out on is what is going on your jobs. So here is my request: It would be great to have a few of you share your "blog" with me. Any tough jobs you have had to face, homeowners you have had trouble with, builder stress, just what is going on outside Northwest Tennessee. My battle is in full swing: the high RH under the house along with getting the homeowner to understand that the floor will cup if they follow the little handout in the box of flooring.Mickey said it best: "Get the house ready for the wood, then get the wood ready for the house." Let the fight begin!
Here is a start for me: Went to a job site that's a new home in a flood zone, and FEMA has made the builder install 12 vents in the crawl space so that if the water floods the crawl space, it has a way to get back out. Now, this house is 1,000 feet of flooring and has 8 bricks high from the earth. There are over 4 feet of brick to keep it from flooding the house and the 12 vents in the brick. I walked away from the job, because it will cup! It is supposed to be 5-inch hickory with no control over the crawl space.
Tell us your story. Let's see how much we are the same in the day-to-day we face. Like I said, it is time I read your battles or joys in the market. You all have got to have a good story that needs to be told.