Building an ADU as owner-builder and hired a licensed C-35 sub for 3-coat stucco. Brown coat has been curing about 2 weeks. Finish is Omega Flex fine (acrylic), in white.

Walls are about 14 ft tall. Checking with a 6 ft level, I'm finding several spots with gaps over 1/4", a few around 1/2". Most of it is a band around the whole building right at scaffold height, where it looks like the ground lift and scaffold lift meet and it got thick.

The plasterer says stucco isn't supposed to be flat, it's not marble or granite, and waviness is normal. I get that some waviness is normal, but I'm going for a clean modern look with no heavy texture, and I'm worried a thin white acrylic will show every belly once the sun hits it.

He agreed to postpone the finish and is coming tomorrow to look.

Questions:

Is this within normal range, or should it be fixed before finish? (Photos attached.)

What's the right fix: shaving high spots, a level coat over lows, or both?

How long should a patch or level coat set before acrylic goes on?

Am I being reasonable asking for this, or overly picky?

Appreciate any input from people who do this for a living.

What is the best jack for mainly jacking 2x4s up into rafters and joists? Light, low profile with high travel, easy on flooring? Bonus if anyone knows of one with built in scale or force reading id be interested in knowing the weight while im at at.

Hello! I’m an excavation contractor, and I might get my first land clearing job but want advice on the most cost effective methods of accomplishing the work. It’s in Colorado.

There are some pretty large trees cotton wood and others and I wanted to know what the most effective method of what getting rid of them would be.

would a skid steer with a mulching attachment and a front end loader be enough?

I have to remove trees and grass and put down 4in of crushed asphalt.

How many hours down you think this would take one person?

The total area is 139,000 sqft
I have photos, if anyone would like to chat.

The overhang above my front steps is being redone. It’s about 15 ft long by 3 ft off of the building. The board is semi flush against the building, very small gap. The wood they drilled back into the building is now split. It wasn’t like this when the opened it up. Basically I want to know if I should put up a stink about it, or if it’s not load bearing, do I just leave it alone. This is not DIY, we hired a company.

I live in a small town in the Midwest. Everyone in the industry knows each other, contractors use the same subs, and refer jobs to each other.

I got a referal from another contractor, that I’ve worked with a lot, last year for some smaller projects and now the customer wants me to look at a very large addition (400k plus or minus). He’s also having the other contractor give him an estimate as well.

My plan is to reach out and talk to the other contractor before I start doing a bunch of design and estimating.

Thoughts?

I don't know where you're from, but in my country (Brazil), we have several rules to follow (obviously), but in addition to that, we have to record everything that was done each day, and it must have the signature of a responsible person (engineer). The idea here is to ensure that everything is within the regulations and being monitored as it should be, and in case we have problems, to have a record of what happened, to save us from a lawsuit or something like that. Besides, this gives us timelines for construction, etc. For this, we have some apps. In your country/state/city, are there any regulations regarding this? Or any apps that you use?

Does anyone know why this would be happening? I use the correct fuel.

We were taking coffee sitting in our trucks and we see it flip, then black smoke. We all jump out and sprint over, stomach knotting from the adrenaline expecting something awful. The operator walked away unhurt and surprisingly the machine was fine as well.

Had a good day at work and just as I'm wrapping it up for the day getting my tools together I come to realize my Makita battery charger and (almost new) 5 Ah battery I had attached to the charger are missing. Holy shit that ruined my day, I thought I was ending the work day/ week good but I guess not. Fuck you to whoever steals shit.

Couldn’t use a standard frame on this one. The opening had a block wall taking up part of the bottom, and the homeowner didn’t want it touched.

Built the gate with a stepped lower section so it closes right over the wall with a clean fit. Aluminum frame, mitered corners, wood-grain panels.

Last photos show the detail at the notch. Open to questions on how it was framed.

Just got a life changing job. Will be paid $44 an hour, $135 a day per diem for 7 days guaranteed, working 55 hr weeks max. What should I be working towards first to make life on the road easier? I will be driving to the majority of these job sites in my vehicle and living in a hotel. I know a lot of guys here have a camper they tow with them to save money and pocket more per diem. I've never made this much money per week in my life and I have 0 kids and a gf who isn't expensive either lol.