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Jack Farnlacher Residential Construction Experience -- User-Selected Expansions
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Experience in home construction and remodeling:
- removing the old foundation and over 400 cubic yards of virgin clay;
- placing a new poured foundation under house, adding eight feet to its length;
- installing new steel beam and pipe columns under house;
- laying up two masonry chimneys with customized recirulating fireplaces;
- removing old internal walls and creating new rooms with proper load-bearing walls;
- removing old roof and building new second floor and new roof;
- installing all new plumbing, wiring, ducting, furnace and air conditioner;
- installing new windows, drywall, and finishing work;
- installed two kitchens including all appliances.
- blueprint preparation (drafting skills, structural planning, consulting with engineers and other specialists);
- foundation digging (hand tools, wheelbarrow);
- back hoe operation (new excavating, back filling);
- concrete forming (basement foundation, stairwell, walks, and porches; design & build movable forming system, place forms, place concrete, strip forms);
- concrete reinforcement rod re-bar (learn size needed for this work, placement at correct locations within forms, handling and cutting of re-bar);
- masonry (concrete block laying, mixing mortar);
- masonry chimneys (footers and foundations, customize recirculator fireplace design, 12-gauge steel ducting, cutting and welding changes, recirculator installation, fire brick installation, insulation, concrete block laying);
- structural steel (structural design, beam placement, pipe column support design);
- rough carpentry (2x4, 2x6 wall framing, 2x8 roof framing, 2x12 archway spans, new construction and remodeling, flooring, roofing, structural bracing, following building codes for correct use of sizes);
- finish carpentry (install door and window molding and other finishing work);
- windows and doors (specification work, installation, finishing);
- stairs construction (winder stair plan layout, stringer design, pattern creation, cutting and installation of stringers, tread and riser installation);
- kitchen and bathroom cabinet installation (site preparation, blueprint preparation, work with custom cabinet manufacturer, install cabinets, preparation for counter top installation);
- plumbing (ABS, PVC, copper, black iron; drain, waste, & vent; potable water; design, purchasing, installation, finishing; site preparation, pipe installation, fittings installation, and finishing; bathrooms, kitchens, laundry service, exterior bibs);
- electrical (120/240 VAC residential; service entrance panel installation, sub-feed installs; 14 & 12 Gauge Romex, flexible shielded cable; site preparation, cable running, finishing work; low voltage lighting systems design and installation);
- heating and air conditioning (heat gain and loss calculations; ducting installation; specialized duct design, component fabrication, and installation; furnace and air conditioner installation; sheet metal and fiber glass composite ducting);
- welding (electric arc and gas envelop welding, adult education course on welding, recirculator fireplace redesign and customization);
- shallow well (design, fabrication, deep well pump installation, plumbing, wiring);
- landscaping (groundwater rerouting project; grading and
recontouring of land around house--about 140 cubic yards).
1974 March - 2001 December Major reconstruction and remodeling of my home
I rebuilt "this old house". Not only that, I also learned the
correct ways to do each task and studied national building codes, even
if they weren't required in the county where I lived. I worked part-time
on the home as I lived there. It is presently owned by my first wife. It is
half-way between Marion and Cardington, Ohio. I served as architect,
general contractor, and worker for major rebuilding and remodeling of this
home. Major components of this project were:Besides these basics, there were special features. Every other electrical outlet had a second outlet beside it. This provision provided separate wiring for alternative energy. We could have used solar cells, wind, or storage batteries and made this energy available through the special outlets (they were brown and had a different pin arrangement so an AC fixture could not have been accidentally plugged into the alternative energy outlets.
There were also (what is already in here?)
I worked part-time on this project. As this list indicates, I have acquired a large amount of experience in residential construction and remodeling. I learned from watching others, from reading, and from doing. I applied self-taught skills and was self-employed. I supervised others hired to help me on various projects and performed most of the subcontracting project duties. I have learned about building codes and used these in my work. I created The Jack Of All Trades Co. and established commercial accounts with local supply companies. In situations involving structural concerns, I have consulted with engineers and architects before proceeding. I have contracted with local companies for services and to fabricate custom components used in the construction.
Here is a summary of the skills I acquired, and some P-A-Rs on special challenges:
P - The entire south half of the house had no basement. My dad and I had begun the task, but knew it would be back-breaking work. It meant that we needed to remove over 200 cubic yards of virgin clay - with pick, shovel, and wheel-barrow - in just this section of the excavation.
A - I contracted with a local builder to use his bulldozer. His price included our providing all the cotton he needed to protect his ears (the dozer was loud under the house!), and all the beer he cared to drink.
R - His bucket attachment hauled out the dirt in less than two days. He would not, however, remove the protective cage (to protect him from the house above him). This meant that the excavation needed to be more than nine feet below the house. This put the finished floor of the basement low enough to create 8'6" ceilings.
P - The center of the remodeled home would be supported by a 40-foot long, "8W17" steel beam. It weighs 680 pounds. How would I get this long, heavy steel beam under the house?
A - I bought the steel beam from my employer, Fairfield Engineering. I rented a backhoe and its trailer to move the beam (and backhoe) to the worksite and there to unload it. I borrowed several pulley idlers from the used equipment lot at Fairfield. Then, I invited ten engineers and technicians out for a "Beam Placing Party".
R - The men formed five, two-man teams. The five teams were spaced evenly along the length of the beam and lifted the weight (68 pounds per man) of the beam. Each team used a length of 2x4 with a rope sling - looped around the beam and tied to the 2x4. The five teams lifted the beam, walked it out into the road, aligned it with the house, and rested the beam on the nearest idler. As each team disconnected their sling, they walked down under the house to be sure the beam didn't get out of control and roll out the other end of the house. All this happened in less than five minutes. My wife walked out to be a road guard; when she turned around, the beam was already under the house!
P - Air duct manufacturers did not make all types of ducts and fittings that I needed. If I had to use only manufactured pieces, I felt the quality of my work and the overall job would be diminished.
A - I created three-dimensional plans for each piece. I cut the pieces out of galvanized sheet metal, bent, drilled, and pop-riveted each piece together. Fittings were then installed along with conventional pieces as needed.
R - My work produced a professional-looking installation with a minimum number of bends and most efficient air-handling capability.
P - I purchased a furnace and complete central home air conditioner from a local subcontractor. When I tried to fit the air conditioner evaporator coil on top of the furnace, it was obviously much larger. The manufacturer assured the subcontractor that both units matched the heat gain and heat loss requirements that I had specified.
A - I used a three-dimensional graphics computer (at Marion Power Shovel) to create a transitional hood. The bottom fastened to the furnace. The inner hood pieces transitioned from the furnace opening to the evaporator coil drip pan (air flow) dimensions. The outer hood pieces transitioned to the outside drip pan dimensions. I cut the pieces out of galvanized sheet metal, bent, drilled, and pop-riveted everything together.
R - This transitional hood - along with other sheet metal components - made a professional-looking installation. It moves air very well and has efficiently heated and cooled the home for many years.
P - I wanted two "perfect fireplaces". Each needed to be a recirculator shell and connected to the furnace ducting so it could circulate heated air through the home. It needed outside air ducts with adjustable dampers to supply outside air to fuel the fire -- air that would not come from inside the home. It needed a log lighter and an ash drop. In the 1970s, such products were not available.
A - I bought the needed recirculator fireplaces and modified them. I took an adult welding class and bought an arc welder. I designed the necessary duct pieces and had a local shop fabricate and bend them using 12-gauge (1/8") steel. I welded the ducts together and attached them to each recirculator fireplace unit. Completed recirculator units were lifted into place with a crane. Each masonry chimney was designed and built to receive the completed recirculator units. Sheet metal ducting connects the recirculator ducting to the cold air return plenum.
R - These fireplaces are energy-saving extensions of the forced-air furnace and can be used with or without it. Yet looking at the fireplaces, you would never know what what lies behind the stone facades.
P - I wanted each fireplace to have a natural stone ("riff raff") facade, but I also wanted to use glass front enclosures to control air movement in the home and to isolate heated and cooled house air from chimney draft air.
A - I purchased good quality enclosures and planned the necessary fireplace opening size. I laid-up firebrick to match the size of each enclosure so that only natural stone would be visible. The glass front enclosure hides the firebrick.
R - This provides a finished, contemporary appearance for each fireplace, controls air flow inside the home, and prevents heated air loss up the chimney.
P - This old house had an inadequate shallow well, unsuitable for a modern home, a family, its appliances and lifestyle. With the old well, you could take a shower, flush the toilet, or wash some clothes, but only one at a time.
A - I bought three dry well sections from a Findlay, Ohio company. I bought a six-foot square sheet of 3/4-inch steel from a shop in Marion. I asked my neighbor to check the location we had chosen (she was a genuine "water witch"). Then, I contracted with a subcontractor experienced in digging shallow wells. Then I contracted with a crane company to stack the stack the dry well sections and steel plate in the hole.
R - When it was finished, a submersible pump supplied adequate water for three bathrooms, toilets, baths, showers, washing machine, dish washer, and two kitchens -- in whatever combination we needed. The well holds approximately 1200 gallons of water, all the time.
P - The house sits on high ground; toward the river, the land slopes downward to the flood plain. Here, the same gravel vein that feeds the well comes very close to the surface. The ground is so spongy, saturated with water, that you cannot walk on it. Riding mowers sink into the soil.
A - The previous owners had tried to solve the problem but were not successful. The solution was a two-foot deep trench, running the width of the property (c. 150 feet) with side trenches to especially wet sections of ground. Near the bottom of the trench is perforated plastic 4-inch drainage field tubing which is held in place with a foot or more of gravel. At the lowest point of the trench, a concrete block collecting basin sends the water via 4-inch bell tile under the flood plain to a protected outlet near the river. The basin is covered with a double-thick, waterproofed 2x8 cap, buried under the surface.
R - This entire project took almost an entire summer to complete. Now, the only evidence of its existence is the continuously dry soil and the absence of any sponginess.
2003 April - 2003 August -- Apartment Maintenance Technician
Dragoo & Associates, Inc., Columbus, OH. Professionally managed
town home apartment communities. Performed punch-out work on apartments
during summer surge period.P - Without supervision, I was to perform all repairs needed to return each town home to rentable condition. I was assigned one apartment and expected to complete the work myself.
A - I analyzed the repair work; pulled needed parts; performed repairs to plumbing, electrical, ceiling fan, floor tile, doors, door frames, garage doors, re-screened windows and doors. Installed new blinds, mantels, sinks, faucets, wastes, disposers, ceiling fans, receptacles, GFCI devices, and re-pinned lock cylinders. Recorded work and schedules on time sheets.
R - As part of the maintenance team, I helped complete all necessary work during the available summer months.
1999 January - 2001 December -- Telecommunications Data Technician
MicroCom.Net, Inc. (a.k.a. Micro Consultants), Marion, Ohio. Install,
terminate, and repair data networks. Experience with Category 5 UTP, Fiber
Optic, and Coaxial cable.P - Experienced workers would complete assigned work but would not find their supervisor for new assignments.
A - After each assigned task, I returned immediately to ask "What's next?".
R - I earned a reputation as a reliable, conscientious worker.
P - When more experienced workers were busy on other sites, no one was available to terminate cables at hubs and router panels.
A - I volunteered and learned these skills.
R - I became part of the top level of workers, capable of terminating all types of cable.
P - The State of Ohio required that each SchoolNet project be accompanied by correct documentation - reports showing cable locations and labelling.
A - I volunteered, learned the protocols, and helped the regular report preparer.
R - I completed almost half of all reports done by this company.
P - This small company had technical needs but no employee qualified to do them.
A - I learned enough Access, VBA, and SQL to create a basic database search tool; I also created a second generation website for the company.
R - The website stayed active and online for several years. The database tool was not powerful enough to meet the expectations of management and was never used.
P - On a difficult assignment at a resort hotel, other workers became frustrated over work conditions and asked to be reassigned.
A - I was subsequently assigned to the project, because I had the analytical skills needed to maintain records of the work as it progressed and the patience to successfully interact with the owner-builder.
R - I helped complete all telephone, data, and music system cabling work before an EPA work stoppage derailed plans to open the resort.
1977 December - 1979 June -- Residential Property Management
Work was done by my company, The Jack Of All Trades in Marion, Ohio. We purchased
an older home, intending to use it as a rental property. We installed new
electrical and plumbing systems; repaired windows, floors, plaster walls,
and subcontracted to have new linoleum laid in the kitchen. We wrote a
comprehensive lease document; advertised the property; screened prospective
tenants; rented to several tenants; maintained house and property; and
interact with tenants as needed. We sold the house in June, 1979.
1972 July - 1972 September Home Construction Worker
After my two years in the Army, I returned to Ohio and helped in minor ways
with the construction of the new home for my parents in Dayton, Ohio. I
helped to install subsystems in house - television antenna and intercom
wiring. I also helped to build stone retaining walls. I worked there until
returning to The Ohio State University.
1964 & 1965 June - September -- Exterior House Painter
I was employed by my father in Dayton, Ohio to earn money for
college. My duties included setting-up ladders and spreading drip cloths;
scraping loose paint; applying exterior paints with 4 brush and window frames
with a trim brush; and equipment clean-up.
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Jack Farnlacher 614-288-1524 jack@thnc.org