adding on a bedroom [updated 11/15, new pics]

your room is looking great! Something you might consider doing that's not expensive but makes a huge difference in efficiency and comfort is caulking. Fiberglass will stop cold from radiating but the air can still get in. Run a bead of caulk along the subfloor and bottom plate. You can also do the seams on the subfloor and when the sheathing goes on, caulk along the top plate and sheathing in each stud cavity. Also where the new room attaches to the house. You can do the whole stud cavity to eliminate air movement in the walls. The contractor box of ALEX caulk is not expensive and will keep cold out in winter and humidity out in summer.

Yesterday we found a 14/ gap between the sheathing and top plate in our corner bedroom. That corner was always cold and we had an ice dam in that corner roof a couple of winters ago. As soon as I caulked it warmed right up. Hubby is going to caulk each gable end like that from the attic.

Hey that's a great idea! I'll definetly do that since I have a whole case of caulk left from when we remodeled the inside of the house.

I use silicone caulk on all stud bays, top plate, bottom rim, everywhere, it makes a huge difference. Not a breeze to be felt.
I was up in the attic Sunday till midnight crawling around stuffing all wire holes with steel wool and siliconing. Have a mouse up there, and want him gone, I think I caught him in the trap, will release him today at the wetlands.
My attic is all trusses and I can't stand up in it, and most of the wire runs were along the outside walls, not the most pleasant time, but its near do near now.
Also found the misr chewed at the wood sheathing n both sides of the chimney. I stuffed one side with coarse steel wool, and left a spot on the other for the mouse to get out before I completely seal it up.
Might take some mortar up there and lay it over top the steel wool to full the gap.
A couple words of caution to anyone working in a low attic or near the eaves. Don't bang your head into the roofing nails coming through the roof sheathing, it tend to hurt. And if siliconing, it is kind of strong up there, and may may ya gag a lil.

Hog, Thats funny about the mouse. Think you only have one? They do look the same.

yeah, about those "expectations".... just got in from screwing down metal roofing in the dark with 1000 watts of halogen shining up on the roof. as the sun was going down, and we had 3 pieces screwed down the wife says "if you get a spotlight you could get the rest done in about 30 minutes"

thanks honey!

anyway, we got 5 of 6 pieces up, just have to rip the last one to about 1.5' or so and the metal is knocked out

obviously no pics since it's been dark about an hour

It's tough to get work done in the evenings this time of year . . . it gets dark so soon . . . it seemed like only two or three weeks ago I could at least work until 7 p.m. or so before it got too dark to see . . . now I have to pack it up by 6:15 p.m.

Yeah, and we have the time change coming up too... so it'll be dark before most folks even get home. I wish they kept it DST year round.

That would make for some very dark mornings. The sun wouldn't be up until well after 8 in December!

that's ok... I'd rather be going to work in the dark than coming home. obviously that wouldn't work for everyone, but I can dream can't I?

In the winter I drive to and from work in the dark.

Same here . . . a bit depressing . . . and it makes it hard to get any outdoor work done around the house.

a little update, got the sheeting and electrical done last weekend.. went ahead and installed some floodlights for the back of the house too. we were seriously lacking in lighting for the back of the house. this weekend so far we've caulked everything and insulated. and we have paneling up on the back wall and ceiling. I think we'll be trimming stuff out and ready to paint next weekend... *fingers crossed*

10 years ago I was able to add onto my house and not have to follow codes. A few ago they made it where the entire county now has to follow building codes. I'd love to be able to add onto my house "My way" again.. Good luck and looking forward to seeing more photos.

got most of the paneling up and the opening cut to the rest of the house. this week i'm working on putting up some furring strips on the wall of the old house and getting the door in. all that's left is to frame the closet in and put up trim and paint.

Cool old planks on the origional part of the house. Don't paint those bad boys they look too good as is.

this evening I finished the paneling on the last wall and tacked up the door. will get started on the closets thursday and hopefully trim and paint this weekend

finished up the closet, put up bifolds, installed crown, and trimmed in most other stuff. next are the strips over the paneling joints, then prime, caulk, paint

got the other side of the door casing up... have some oak glued and clamped up ready to go in for a threshold


window trim and crown molding


baseboard too


his and hers closets... probably mostly hers


and a storage area above the closets

ok, got all the painting done this weekend and shelves in the closets

trim's done


ceiling painted




all the paint's done, view from my office






can you spot the mistake?

Light switch on the wrong side of the door? Looks good to me.

you win the prize! I can't believe I did that... I'm going to re-hang the door to open the other way some time later after I'm sufficiently annoyed with having to reach behind the door the turn the lights on

No occupancy permit for you.


Looking good.

yes nice job!

You did a nice job on the addition I am surprised no one has said anything about the block supports laying on thier sides. I think you will be sorry in a couple of years for laying the blocks on the side. They are alot stronger if you stand them up the way they were meant to be laid.