Derek Lewis

Asbestos?
Next to a fireplace.
Old house, Stockholm Sweden.

Somebody please help me understand if this framing stage looks normal because I genuinely don’t know enough about construction to tell anymore. We’ve spent around $21,500 so far on this home addition and today the framing crew got the walls up, but now I’m staring at temporary braces, exposed studs, uneven gravel around the slab, cords and tools everywhere, and a structure that still feels surprisingly unfinished for how much money has already gone into it. The contractor told me “framing always looks rough before the exterior goes on” and assured me everything is level and engineered correctly, but visually it just feels chaotic to me. I guess I expected it to look more solid at this point instead of resembling a giant wooden outline of a room. The whole thing honestly looks like one of those DIY projects that starts with confidence and slowly turns into a stress-induced group effort 😭 For the builders and homeowners in here… does this stage look pretty standard or should I be asking more questions before they continue?

Somebody please help me understand if this level of damage is normal after a ceiling leak because I honestly don’t even know where to start anymore. We already spent around $11,200 between plumbing inspections and water mitigation, and once they opened the ceiling they found soaked wood, damaged pipes, rotted framing, and what looks like years of water damage hidden above the living room. Now there’s a giant hole in the ceiling, debris everywhere, buckets on the floor, and exposed plumbing hanging overhead. The contractor told us “it always looks worse once we open it up” and said the repairs are “totally manageable,” but standing underneath this feels terrifying as a homeowner. The whole thing honestly looks like one of those disaster restoration commercials before they bring in dramatic music and slow-motion cleanup shots. For anyone who’s dealt with hidden water damage before… is this considered repairable without completely rebuilding everything, or should we be seriously worried here?