I had just written an entire post, and my new laptop mistook my fat fingered keystroke and deleted the entire thing. Couldn't get it back for some reason either. I hate key shortcuts, wish I new how to turn them all off.
Anyway, lets try this again. I was renting a real pile of **** building that was 20k sq ft. I had rented this place for the past 5 years and never missed a rent payment, never was late either. On Saturday Aug 1, 2020, right in the heart of the 'crisis', I showed up in the morning like I always did, and noticed a letter taped to the front door. I thought, wtf?, and peeled it off the door. It was from my award winning asshole of a landlord informing me he had my place rented to someone else unless I wanted to pay the same amount he offered, 4 times what I was currently paying! Sheesh, yeah, right. And, AND!, he gave me 30 days to get out if I didn't want to pay the increased amount. He knew he was being a dick, as a friend of mine works for him and he was laughing about it. What a duchebag. We did it, took all of my friends and all of the 30 days to get all my tools, equipment, parts, cars, etc all moved out. Had to have my friend and his renters move their stuff out of the part he was renting as well. It sucked! Well, after we were moved out, I started the process of getting the financing in place for the barn build.
First we need to back up in time a bit to 2018 when we bought our 10 acre farm, it was with the intention of building a shop and moving everything into it and out of the pile I was renting. So, with that in mind, I called a pole barn place to get some prices. I asked about a 60 x 120 and it would be 36k erected on my pad. I thought that wasn't too bad.
Fast forward to August 2020. I called and asked how much, then I picked myself up off the floor, dusted myself off, and asked how much for a 60 x 64? He said around 38k. I said, sheesh, ok. I explained I was getting financing in order and he said the quote was good for 30 days. i figured we'd beat that no problem. lol, yeah, right. So we got our financing all done in Feb 2020. Yep, that much later. I called the barn guy up and got my updated quote, 44k!!!!! Yep, had gone up that much in that short of a time. Damn. So I asked to go over the estimate, and we cut out a couple things he said really weren't necessary, and I got it down to 43k. I sent the check and signed the agreement. I asked, when will you start on it? He replied sometime middle of June. I made our first vacation the first week of June and the second one the last weekend of July, plenty safe right?
Most of June goes by and no word. I call and ask, when do you think you'll be out? You said June? He responded, well probably about 2 weeks. I said great, I'm going on vacation the last week of July and gave him the dates.
We leave on vacation that Friday of the 3rd week of July and head to Florida. I drove straight through with the wife, daughter and the dog. We get there and I unload and tote up to the third floor all the luggage, cooler, dog kennel, etc. I finally get to bed around 2 or 3 am. That Saturday morning, I'm laying on the couch surfing the net and decided to check my email. There was an email from the barn guy, so I opened it. He said, we'll be out this Wednesday to get started! i thought ****! I called him right away and he actually answered on a Saturday, I thought that was cool. I said, remember I'm on vacation this last week of July, he responded, I thought that was next week, yeah, the last week of July in August. lol. ****. So I asked when he could reschedule me, and he replied, 2 weeks, maybe longer. I responded I'll see ya Wednesday!!! I hung up and yelled, we're leaving Monday!!! It was very well received. We all took one for the team and headed back.
In April, I had a guy that said he could do the pad for me come out and 'prep' the pad. Yeah, right. This guy couldn't find his *** using both hands. I realized this when he showed up the day after he had dug up my field, with his laser level and informed me the pad tapered 18" lower from front to back. I thought, no ****? So you wasted all my time and money. great. I had 'gravel' brought in and he spread it all around and drove back and forth in his skid steer 'compacting' the gravel down. Yeah, right. He text me saying he had the gravel all lined up to lay down to raise it the 18" it needed and told him no thanks, I'm good.
I called around and asked my friends if they knew anyone that could do concrete and was given a guy's info to contact that did excellent work. He sounded professional and gave me an estimate that seemed high, but reasonable. He said call me when the building is up. I said ok.
We got back home and Wednesday morning a van full of Amish guys showed up with a trailer full of tools, and there were all the building materials spread all around my field. The guys wasted no time, and got out all there stuff, and the foreman came to me asked where I wanted the building. I told him I think here on this pad, he said are you sure? I'm thinking, no I'm not sure, I don't build buildings for a living. I said I guess so, and he pounded in the first stake and they started laying out the square of the building.
