"Are these piss bottles going to be a permanent part of the attic"?

"Will you finish on schedule?" Now that question will get laughs.

“Can you stop throwing your trash underneath my porch?”

The gaps in the flooring are not for preventing squeaks. They are to prevent the floor from buckling due to expansion of the panels due to moisture and temperature changes.

I don't think you should ever be afraid to ask silly questions so long as you're asking respectfully and from a place of genuine curiosity

These questions aren't silly to a homeowner. Many are intrigued. If you're a pro builder then you won't mind "silly" questions as it means the client is interested in your work.

"What are you doing on my property?"

Don't ask any of these below?? They're silly! #1 - are you licensed? #2 - did you pull a permit? #3 - are you bonded?

Our builder made us sign a contract that stated we agree not to view or visit the property until it is completed, else we void the warranty and our completion date may be pushed back by 6 months or longer. Should have been a red flag.

“Why are there beer bottles in the dumpster?”

It wasn't that my builders forgot to cut out the window, they forgot to frame the window. A couple of them actually.

“Why are you drunk rn”

"Why are you making fun videos instead of working? "

Why are you pissing in my back yard

"are you only using wood?"

Always ask all “stupid” questions or you’ll kick yourself later.

My family is having a house built in South FL. This weekend we went to see the progress....In one of the bedrooms we noticed it only had 1 vent in the ceiling where there should have been 2 ( 1 is an air out flow and the other is an air intake for the central air) when they put up the ceiling they covered the outflow vent! We took hundreds of pictures through out the building process....and in the pic for that room it clearly shows the 2 vents. Now the ceilings have all been textured, Ceiling lights are up....and the frigging vent is covered. It takes a special kind of special person to screw this up! We notified the builder and it will be corrected....We usually go up to see the house at least 1-2 times a week, but with Christmas this week and I was sick the week before we didnt have a chance to look the last 2 weeks. My advice is...If you are having a house built....Take pictures of everything, every time. Especially the electrical, Plumbing, A/C work....Everything going on behind the walls and ceiling....And go as often as possible. AND Bring Bug Spray every time and spray the framing, in the cinder blocks around...Clean out all the GARBAGE that is thrown in the walls (Chicken bones, food, cans and bottles of drinks...) Bring one of those grabby sticks to reach in the cinder blocks to reach the garbage....and put bug spray down there. Also before the cabinets are installed, spray that area also...under the cracks in the walls where the cabinets will go.

"can I help your team to cut down on labor? I built a shed once..."

Working around new builds just about every day, there is one thing that stands out to me, more than anything else. The yards. There is gravel everywhere. They don't remove the mess they make, and they leave rocks and ruts all over. I can feel the gravel crunching under the sod. And just walking in some yards, is a real challenge for my ankles. This is across the board. Not one builder in particular.

Number 4, are you going to make my house out of something that won't fall over with a light breeze.

They don't always cut that board out of the doorways lol. I remember working in a house and the door to the closet in the laundry room still had that board in the doorway. Apparently Jose the tile guy didn't know to cut it out and tiled around it! That was friggin hilarious when I saw what he did. 😂😂😂

"why are you building my house out of wood?"

No: Ask them ALL if the silly questions. It's their job to answer them professionally and not make you feel stupid.

I was decking a roof with a crew of 4 people on a very large house with like 6 valleys and they home owner asked if we could get it done In 2 days. Boss man said “yeah if you can find a night crew”

More than once, I have seen crews forget to cut out windows until the house was almost finished -- usually ornamental windows, higher up, but still on the plans nonetheless.

"I think that angled brace going to be in the way of my bed..."

When do the bricklayers start?

“Do the cigarette butts come free with the house?? I like to recycle them.”

Problem is builders that don’t want to answer any questions from a customer and then fuck something up.

#2 makes me think of the short where the owner had a window inside the home, but not outside. Turns out they didn't go back and cut it.

"u sure that wood will keep this house standing"

“ why don’t you use screws instead of nails ?” “Did you put liquid nails under that ?”

I worked a job once where my job was just to cut blocking and such things like headers for windows and doors. On one we did, the home owner we were building the house for came over on the week end and decided to 'clean up'. He piled up and burned all the pre-cut blocking and headers. He burned every thing that was not a full length or sheet. He even burned up about 20 pre-cut studs measuring 92-5/8 because he thought they should be a full 8 feet , 96 inches. He burned up half a days worth of my cutting. My boss and him had a very long and loud chat about that.

"Why arent you using materials that will survive for a few more years?"

Are the 20,000 cigarette butts part of the build as well?

Well when I'm paying your wage, I'll ask the silliest questions ; )

'Why isn't it level?' Usually asked while I was in the process of fitting the damn thing.

If I’m paying the bills I’ll ask the contractor whatever the hell I want and he’d better answer politely and completely

Alternatively, what are totally legit questions a homeowner might ask?

"You forgot to cut out the window." That isn't a question, it's an accusation.

Considering how these builders behave these days, these are necessary questions.

“Don’t ask these questions” Also “maybe sometimes ask”

I have plenty of screws and nails in my shed.. I trying to save money

As a German I still think that’s crazy. We don’t have that in Europe. Still amazing work. Lots of wood working skills 🙌

you missed my favorite statement by owners.. " Oh this is just beautiful, but I thought this window would be bigger.. oh and by the way what room are we in?"

"don't worry, we will be back" never seen again 😁

If I'm paying them I'll ask them whatever tf I want

Putting temp treads on the stairs… “Are these the final stairs?” Putting temp stairs into a house… “Are these going to stay?” After the house is finally framed and doors and windows are in… “This window doesn’t line up with my sink faucet, can we move it 1 1/2”?

Sometimes the framers do forget to cut out the window, so it is probably better to make sure they don't forget. Lol

I've had the "why are you using plywood I asked for hard wood walls"

There’s actually a gap in the deck for expansion and contraction. So they don’t buckle.. screw and glue for no squeak!

Is it ok for all that OSB subfloor to be in the rain? 🤣🤣🤣

I actually saw a house video tour that they had left those in the doorway.

Silly question number 1: "do all your subs have papers?"

Not so much for the framers but make sure your bathroom vent goes through the roof. I’ve seen countless Ryan homes have the vents running inside the attic causing mold all over the place costing about 4-6K to remove.

Will my house be done in 2 weeks?

“What smells like weed??”

"Why's that kid playing with the handsaw?"

I asked a lot of questions : Why did you frame up 8' walls on main floor when contract specified 9' Where is AC air exchanger..contract specified AC but builder didnt install Why are you using hemlock utility grade studs on second floor?

Man, American houses are something else. Basically a paper box.

What's a change order?

"You finished quicker than you estimated. Are you going to knock something off of the final draw?"

1) ytf am i getting backcharged for a door? 2) ytf am i getting backcharged for the windows? 3) ytf am i getting backcharged for the floor?

It’s hilarious how american homes are built! I am also building one in Europe with wood but it’s different 😉.

"Why have been on your phone for the last hour and a half. I have you recorded."

“I don’t like how this looks that i picked out and now i need you to do the job over 5 times until i make up my mind, is that okay?”

"When will my house be done" "Is this milk jug sopposed To be yellow inside"

Ask them whatever you want. You're the owner and control the purse!

Actually good info thanks

pretty big shed, what does the house look like?

"Well where's the roof!?"

America builds really nice sheds

If I’m paying hundreds of thousands of dollars, there are no silly questions.

I’ll never understand how anyone could live in a house made of wood.

Soo... Why are you building my house out of toothpicks ?

That large "gap" will just be filled with leftover liquid nails!

the gap is not for for preventing squeaks but rather they're required by code in most places to allow for swelling when humidity changes, so what else did you get wrong?

Would anyone build a "house" like this in Europe?

"Nice, you made wooden markers. When are the bricks coming?"

I've seen builders not cut out windows. Drywall go up and then it is forgotten until it is way too late.

One thing I've always wondered is, if it rains and the framing gets wet, does it cause any damage like rusted nails or warped/rotting wood down the line? Does it have to be replaced?

Last summer we tossed some 25ft lvl beams up on the horses, prepping for install. Homeowner was there, and asked if we could get real lumber. He didn't want us to use "crappy plywood"

"Why are you building my house out of cardboard instead of solid German bricks like any fucking house should be build?"

Ask your builder everything because you are paying them. If your builder doesn’t want to answer questions I would switch builders or hire an inspector to supervise them

"When can I move in?"

"Why do you build houses that can easily burn or be destroyed by a hurricane, when bricks and stone exist?"

Is this frame permanent or just temporary till the bricks arrive?

#4 'Will there be any dust'

Ask questions, what may be a silly question now may actually be an oversight they missed. Never discourage questions. I work quality and i encourage all the questions.

Its funny because I asked my builder of my first home #2 when I noticed there were 2 windows missing from the side of the house. After some back and fourth they said those windows were only included on the model house but not offered as an option so my plan did not get them. I told them my lawyer and bank rep who disperses their draws would find that excuse humorous but asked when they will be getting installed, the framers were back 2 days later ;)

Another silly question: "Um... you realize you forgot to put the roof on. Right?"

“why are you recording my pre-built home for a tik tok ?”

Thank God you made this video you don't know how often I hear this.

I had a client tell the framing crew not to use lumber to brace their walls. He thought once the four walls of the rectangular home were up, they'd just stay put and not move. He also got mad when I told him, "No, they're going to continue doing that because it's SOP and it's giving them peace of mind that walls won't fall on them."

Do you own a square? Do you own a level? Do you know how to use them?

as a flooring contractor vinyl sometimes comes with a name like Armstrong printed over and over to advertise before and during installation, customers would ask how do you clean the name off I would usually stand up scratch my head and say come off? it's so your friends know what kind of flooring you bought, it's permanent. I sometimes would say that why you got a good deal, after a moment of silence I would smile and say don't worry I will clean it before I leave

It's not silly if you aren't a builder. they don't know! Just politely explain it to them and move on.

Good patient contractors know there are no silly questions because their customers are not contractors. That's why they hired them.

99% of contractors know what they are doing so stay out of the way

I love it when people point out unfinished work. Like, yup, I'm working on it. Thank you. 😂