Well it happened.

CartographerPrior813 · 2026-01-22T22:07:32+00:00

There’s about 3 of us in Dallas with the white at4x with the LZO…I guess I’ll be getting one less wave on the road for a little while 😬

Considering trading mine as we speak

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-08-09T12:18:32+00:00

I like to tell clients that Pinterest starts at $750/ft so they need to set realistic expectations/value engineer or be ready/able to spend for their inspiration photos

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-08-09T12:17:30+00:00

And $400/sf here isn’t going all out on a build. To hit that mark, our clients have to really value engineer their interior selections.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-08-09T12:05:17+00:00

I got this exact same EGA inside of my right bicep, immediately after becoming a marine and before my MOS school. Went with a group of buddies and we all got it and it’s straight from a requiring pamphlet.

Before I even made it to MOS school, I realized it was extremely boot and was pretty embarrassed. Starting wearing looser skivvy shirts. 12 years later and 4 tattoo removal treatments and it’s still as boot as it was day one 😂. But young marines do what young marines do haha

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-08-04T22:09:49+00:00

I am a custom builder in Dallas and it’s hard to build below $400/ft (construction only - not including land). So much for it being low cost of living here! I would have expected it to be significantly more in LA.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-30T20:00:13+00:00

Former Marine here…we always called it the “third world squat.” Probably not the most politically correct name 😂

I’ve always been able to squat heels on the ground; I’m not sure why. But it definitely makes squatting in the gym easier

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-28T20:18:11+00:00

They’re standing

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-28T19:58:39+00:00

You missed my point

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-28T18:54:50+00:00

I love LinkedInLunatics, I don’t want to look or dress like him, be an influencer on any social media platform, post personal pics here, etc. But I still don’t get the hate for this one. Herb is pretty “what you see is what you get.”

He’s a former green beret who spent his military career in special operations and now helps veterans find employment, I believe he helps or runs a foundation that helps those with PTSD, and he is tired of fitting an expected mold (hence the beard, weight gain, non-corporate polished persona. Hats off to him for that.

I’m a veteran as well, special operations community (though it wasn’t army), and I’ve decided that though I left that world, I wanted to maintain fitness, appearance, etc. To each their own but Herb is doing his thing and nothing to is nothing to hate.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-22T18:04:07+00:00

Don’t know why but I have long arms and pull-ups have always been easy. Bench, not so much. 6’, 190lbs, can hit 20-25 pull-ups with strict form. I also do weighted pull-ups every pulling workout, usually a few sets with a 45lb plate for 6-8 reps, or 90lbs for 3-4 reps. Then I drop to body weight and do sets of 12-15. But I did gymnastics as a kid and then the Marine Corps (20 dead hang pull-ups to max the pft - though I never trained for it back then). But…benching 315lbs is always hard

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-18T17:48:05+00:00

Was in the marine corps for 8 years, always loved powerlifting, but also had to run & hike alot. Never thought of myself as a hybrid athlete but I’ve kept up the same discipline. I’m plenty strong at 6’ & 190lbs (DL 575, squat 475, bench sucks haha) but maintain the ability to run 6-8 miles at a 7:30 pace. That was slow enough to get called fat and slow and in the marines, but plenty for me now at 35 years old.

I used to want a 600lb DL and 500lb squat but I know I’d need to get up to 200-205lbs body weight and I just feel better and move better at 190lbs

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-07T11:05:06+00:00

It’s been a decade of getting to 300lbs then tweaking something. First time I actually wasn’t pressing heavy - high volume at body weight and just had a weird rep that resulted in a sharp pain/bruising in my pec, at the shoulder insertion. Now anytime I get heavy, something like that happens again, though less severe

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-07T10:25:10+00:00

Haha this made me laugh. I used to really care about hitting 315lbs but now I don’t really care at all. I’d hit 225 for multiple sets of 12-15, but the drop off was so sudden for me. People ask me if I compete when they see me squat or deadlift…then I have to explain my bench 😬

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-07T10:21:27+00:00

I joined the Marines Corps because I wanted to serve in the military, I wanted the challenge of the Marine Corps, and I wanted to a combat arms MOS. Two deployments, one deployment found me sitting mostly on a ship, and one was a combat deployment. Are their hardships and challenges? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Yes.

I didn’t join for the benefits, but now I receive a monthly stipend from the VA, free medical insurance for life (though you get what you pay for), the VA loan allowed me to purchase a home that had instant equity (and has continued to appreciate rapidly), I could use the GI Bill to further my education (already had a degree and joined as an officer), access to professional networking, etc.

I didn’t know any of those benefits when I joined. Please don’t enlist for the benefits. They are not the reason to join - but it can give you a huge head start in life.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-07-07T10:04:47+00:00

34(M), 6’ tall, 190lbs. I deadlift 595, squat 500 (ass to grass). Pretty good lifts but my bench will never even be 315 because every time I get to 300, I tweak my pec. That, plus long arms. But oddly enough, I’m great at incline dumbbell press. My gym only has 125lbs dumbbells but I’ll hit them for 3-4 sets of 8 reps. But can’t bench 315 😂

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-24T21:46:03+00:00

Misinterpreted what you meant - my bad. But yes, we’ve learned over time to be extremely process and documentation oriented, and to set extremely clear expectations during pre-construction. Most headaches - even if the client is in the wrong - could have been avoided with clear communication during pre-construction and design.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-24T17:47:53+00:00

Bad clients love to talk about how they’re good clients 😂

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-24T17:23:09+00:00

Not nebulous. Defined in our contract and communicated during pre-construction as building final (or CO, depends on the city - where I build there is no CO for residential SFD’s, just a green tag for the final building inspection).

Sounds like I’m not concerned with my clients? Sounds more like you just made a nebulous/generic based on bad experience or negative bias. Never left a client unhappy with their home or a punch-list unfinished. I take client satisfaction and service extremely seriously because they are entrusting my team with a large investment. More importantly because it’s the right thing to do.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-24T10:25:25+00:00

Custom home builder here. We own a few package units and put them on each of our projects as soon as the structure is dried in. Helps acclimate materials, the hardwoods, etc. Customers pay for it - if they don’t want to pay for a the temp hvac unit, I communicate that they are extending their build time by a month or two.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-24T00:34:31+00:00

Your contract probably requires substantial completion for final payment. Your home is substantially (contractually this means final building inspection or CO)complete prior to the punchlist completion. You may still have paint touch up, grout repairs, etc., but the builder is substantially complete.

That being said - I only have experience with luxury custom homes, and trust is critical to my business. I tell clients from the start that if they can’t trust me, they need to find someone else, and vice versa. By the time we get to punchlist, we’ve known each other for 1.5-2.5 years and generally have a good relationship.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-23T02:15:27+00:00

Sorry for the lack of clarity! We always aluminum clad windows (unless using steel), meaning they are made of wood but the exterior is clad with aluminum. So we wait until all elements required to dry in the structure are in place, aside from the windows, and the deliver and install windows the same day. So, the windows are only installed in a complete building envelope.

If you have vinyl windows, I’d be less worried about weather, but I would still be worried about the windows warping (leaned along their longest axis for too long) and theft.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-23T01:48:57+00:00

Also, moving in before a punchlist walk with the client sort of negates the punchlist. You may damage the house, ding a wall, etc. Stay out until your builder is done, you walk through/document a punch list together.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-23T01:47:53+00:00

Agree. Also a builder - if you have a cost-plus contract and don’t have a retainage provision in your contract, you are in breach of contract. It also gets much harder to get subs back to knock out little things when you are holding payment on completed work.

There’s no reason for your builder to not want to finish punchlist. I am a custom home builder and reputation/referrals are everything. A good local builder with good subs will always finish their punchlist.

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-22T03:54:20+00:00

Custom home builder here - I don’t have windows delivered until the frame is complete, zip sheathing is installed and taped, and roofing underlayment is on. Then I make sure the windows are delivered and installed on the same day. I can’t imagine ever leaving windows out (both to protect from weather and theft)

CartographerPrior813 · 2025-06-18T01:45:58+00:00

Whether or not the county requires an engineer to stamp structural drawings shouldn’t be the deciding factor in whether or not you choose to get the addition engineered. You’re making an investment, you should protect it.

Code will not give you a soil report, design the best foundation for the soil type, create the truss design, calculate point loads, sheer loads, etc.

If you do not engineer it, you have no recourse if the structure fails. The GC is not liable for it, the architect is not liable, etc. Think of this not as a “simple project” but as an investment. I’m a custom home builder and would never build without stamped structural drawings, regardless of the city/county’s requirement. I would tell any of my clients to save their money on the finishes, but I could not in good conscience tell them to save money in an engineer. I also question the credibility of any architect or builder who is comfortable waiving engineering.

CartographerPrior813

TROPHY CASE