xman23
Minister of Fire
Looking great. you'll be dried in soon. Whats the heat and utilities going to be? Is the builder doing the interior finishes?
Garage Layouts and Desires
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- Start date
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will be dried in on friday. Builder is doing 90% of the finishes. My wife and I get the job of doing the landscaping (which was a much bigger project than we were hoping for) and the interior painting. They are just taping the drywall in the garage, which is not a problem. i might end up doing some tile work, and maybe an accent wall out of the original flooring from the cottage that was torn down.
We are doing Radiant Heat (https://www.radiantsystemsinc.com/) for the heating. 3 zones downstairs apt (bedroom, bathroom, living space) and 1 zone upstairs in the garage. This place is going to be really well insulated, and we will have solar on the whole roof to offset the electric bill (not to mention a separate electric meter for the whole apartment/garage).
No gas utilities, although I will have a line going there from our house if we need to at some point (i am going to put a line over to the kitchen area for a gas stove option in the future). On demand water heater for the downstairs, and a small point of use heater for the utility sink upstairs.
I will probably use some of them (maybe even in the laundry room, etc). I am not a big fan of using the deeper cabinets as storage, unless they have pull out drawers. I find that things get buried in the back, or there is a ton of wasted space. i plan on having as much in shallow cabinets as I can, with a work bench along the side with fixed storage as well. I plan on doing a shadow board for the wall behind the counter, but really need to make sure i have enough storage for all of the misc screws, etc. I am going to have a fold out work bench so I am not tempted to just stack stuff on it.
we have passed the roof inspection (and the inspector never got on the roof), and everything is dried in. Sheathing inspection failed because the panel that they had to remove to weld behind wasn't fastened, and when he pounded on the sheathing over the windows, it was loose (duh!)
lower level walls are up- View from the corner of the kitchen.
View from the laundry room looking into the kitchen/living space.
We are running into some issues with the way they designed the deck. the thing is basically completely overkill. They wanted to do a 15" LVL, then 2x10's doubled up over it. INSANE!
View from the laundry room looking into the kitchen/living space.
We are running into some issues with the way they designed the deck. the thing is basically completely overkill. They wanted to do a 15" LVL, then 2x10's doubled up over it. INSANE!
xman23
Minister of Fire
The framed out walls look to be off the floor, why? Whats the shim material under the walls? Not understanding the deck LVL beam. Is there another deck they haven't built?
Building code requires floating walls in basements, with a 2" gap and pressure treated wood directly on the concrete. This way when the floor shifts. The drywall doesn't become structural.
We are building a big deck that they haven't started yet. The deck goes over our existing roof and off the back.
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xman23
Minister of Fire
I haven't heard of the code requirement. I'm guessing the issue is the floor settlesand would take the wall down. So the walls are hanging and will have pins into the slab that allow the floor to slide.
The deck is over a roof. I see them done, but, what happens when you need a new roof? Are those LVL outdoor use rated. I ask because I've seen water get into them one version of them, separating the laminations. It looks like a beam, 3, 2x10's under the floor joist would work. I would set it back 2ft from the outside edge. And posts every 8 -10 ft. Make sure they do a correct double metal flashing where it attaches to the house.
The deck is over a roof. I see them done, but, what happens when you need a new roof? Are those LVL outdoor use rated. I ask because I've seen water get into them one version of them, separating the laminations. It looks like a beam, 3, 2x10's under the floor joist would work. I would set it back 2ft from the outside edge. And posts every 8 -10 ft. Make sure they do a correct double metal flashing where it attaches to the house.
yep, that is exactly the case. It is not international building code, but common here in colorado.
Roof was replaced in 2012, and this was definitely a concern. Given that the deck will be above it, I don't see a lot of potential to damage that isn't catasrophic. Worse comes to worse, we get creative with what needs to be replaced. LVL Beams are outdoor rated, cedar glue-lams, painted on the top with waterproofing. We are trying to work with the engineer to sign off on the stamp, since 2x10's would be more than sufficient. Originally the hot tub was going to go up there, but not any more. Even so, he WAY over engineered it.
If there is 1 thing that my PM is really good at, its wood and water control. He has a lot of mountain town experience with snow and water buildup, so he is constantly making sure that things are not going to need to be replaced in our lifetime. (actually, he is awesome at a lot of stuff, really glad he's our guy)
Ashful
Minister of Fire
My parents owned a property with this setup, 1972 - 2010’ish. In our case, the lifetime of the decking (not the PT frame, but the actual decking boards) was similar to the lifetime of the roofing. So, when the roof was ready for replacement at 25 or 30 years, so was the decking. Pull up decking, do a new roof (between deck framing, sort of a PITA, but do-able), and then install new decking.
With the newer and friendlier PT treatments, I imagine we may be reaching a point where some higher quality roofing materials outlive the deck frame, itself. What I’m seeing more frequently is that the fastener systems are failing prematurely, due to the ACQ PT treatment being very corrosive to even galvanized hardware. It’s likely this will have you replacing the deck long before that roof fails.
It gets a little interesting since only part of the roof will be covered, so we are going to get creative with the gutters and flashing, etc. I also thought about replacing the entire roof before we did he the deck, but don't really think its necessary.
xman23
Minister of Fire
When you started this, car garage above a living space, I had concerns you could get this designed and built correctly. It's obvious the engineering and PM know how to build a quality product.
You might consider doing this. Cap flashing the tops of LVL and the floor joists. My brother did this and 30 years later, perfect.
You might consider doing this. Cap flashing the tops of LVL and the floor joists. My brother did this and 30 years later, perfect.
semipro
Minister of Fire
Agreed. I gave up on galvanized a long time ago and use ceramic coated or stainless hardware now . The ceramic has a lifetime warranty but that's pretty much useless since they will only replace the screws. If they're corroded badly enough to need replacement then they'll be a bear to remove and replace. I'm only buying stainless now for ACQ use.
I also worry about the structural connectors used for decks (e.g. Simpson). Where I can I isolate them from wood contact with self sticking or vinyl flashing.
Well, I got the water line mainly in yesterday. Nothing like tearing a 12ft hole in the side of the house when there is a foot of snow on the ground! That was fun!
I did however discover why my stove room is always so cold and drafty... There is 2x6 construction with insulation, then fiberboard, then this (a 3" gap of air, with 1 random electrical outlet back there, that I have no idea if it is live or not:
Not very much insulation or air sealing in the corners either.... I guess now is my chance to blow some insulation in there, and seal it up good before I put the deck stairs on. I need to run a ground line to the plugs that are down there, so i'm going to do that while I am at it and everything is exposed.
Lower level windows are placed.
Rough plumbing is all done:
I did however discover why my stove room is always so cold and drafty... There is 2x6 construction with insulation, then fiberboard, then this (a 3" gap of air, with 1 random electrical outlet back there, that I have no idea if it is live or not:
Not very much insulation or air sealing in the corners either.... I guess now is my chance to blow some insulation in there, and seal it up good before I put the deck stairs on. I need to run a ground line to the plugs that are down there, so i'm going to do that while I am at it and everything is exposed.
Lower level windows are placed.
Rough plumbing is all done:
got the kitchen laid out
and here is a shot of the water line coming into our house... When I took off the shelf that was above this, I realized that we never actually painted the wall above it! Oops! I still have to put in 3 90's just to get to where I can run it straight for a few feet, then through the stone foundation, and to the main line.
and here is a shot of the water line coming into our house... When I took off the shelf that was above this, I realized that we never actually painted the wall above it! Oops! I still have to put in 3 90's just to get to where I can run it straight for a few feet, then through the stone foundation, and to the main line.
Well, another super bowl sunday, another day of tearing holes in the house!
They have the soffit and facia board up on most of the eaves, the wrap is done, and the rough electrical is being wrapped up this week. I really needed to get the water line completed so they can do the rough inspections. Of course that meant buttoning up the water line, running a new grounded line to my plugs, and adding some insulation.
After I tore off the back wall of our existing living room, I found this:
a partially insulated 2x6 wall, with a furred out wall for the new drywall, completely un-insulated.
This is the top plate, and the exposed plywood on the exterior of the house:
As I was poking around, I noticed that they had just draped the insulation over the can lights. I didn't really want to have to tear out all of the insulation and cover the can lights (especially since it is about 8" tall where the back one is), but I wanted to correct a few of the fire hazards and do it correctly. As I was tearing out insulation, i uncovered this gem:
yep, a buried junction box, consisting of ungrounded wires and no cover, surrounded by insulation. to Top it off, 1 of the wires had been cut and pushed back through the wall (this explains where the ungrounded exterior outlet came from, with no wire connecting it). I could not for the life of me figure out how this was wired either. after shutting off the entire house, the power still stayed on. I remembered that we had run a new circuit off of the hot tub to feed a grounded outlet on the other side of the room, so I turned that off. Bingo! I had thought that we were only feeding 1 outlet, but apparently every other outlet was powered by this feed. Given that half of them were not grounded outlets, I figured I would try and solve the problem.
I ran a new feed, snaked the outlets that were accessible together, and cut the power for the old ones. I cut a hole in the ceiling for a new junction box, and was able to run the wires there. I know I will have a 2 ungrounded plugs, but at least it will give me 4 more grounded outlets, and a junction box that I can access.
I was able to tear out a lot of the insulation, cut some tin flashing for around the lights (i had to get creative for the one way back.... this involved a broom handle, a lot of swearing, and some very awkward body positioning. My wife told me that that was my new home, and I had to live up there
Went to the Depot, and picked up some insulation, and the blowing machine. I went through 4 bags and completely filled the attic space and the wall. I tacked back up the Tyvek, and today I will use some solid insulation, then cover with some sheating. This will be mostly covered by deck stairs. I might even get under the deck before we cover it up and add some solid foam insulation on bottom side of the wall too.
They have the soffit and facia board up on most of the eaves, the wrap is done, and the rough electrical is being wrapped up this week. I really needed to get the water line completed so they can do the rough inspections. Of course that meant buttoning up the water line, running a new grounded line to my plugs, and adding some insulation.
After I tore off the back wall of our existing living room, I found this:
a partially insulated 2x6 wall, with a furred out wall for the new drywall, completely un-insulated.
This is the top plate, and the exposed plywood on the exterior of the house:
As I was poking around, I noticed that they had just draped the insulation over the can lights. I didn't really want to have to tear out all of the insulation and cover the can lights (especially since it is about 8" tall where the back one is), but I wanted to correct a few of the fire hazards and do it correctly. As I was tearing out insulation, i uncovered this gem:
yep, a buried junction box, consisting of ungrounded wires and no cover, surrounded by insulation. to Top it off, 1 of the wires had been cut and pushed back through the wall (this explains where the ungrounded exterior outlet came from, with no wire connecting it). I could not for the life of me figure out how this was wired either. after shutting off the entire house, the power still stayed on. I remembered that we had run a new circuit off of the hot tub to feed a grounded outlet on the other side of the room, so I turned that off. Bingo! I had thought that we were only feeding 1 outlet, but apparently every other outlet was powered by this feed. Given that half of them were not grounded outlets, I figured I would try and solve the problem.
I ran a new feed, snaked the outlets that were accessible together, and cut the power for the old ones. I cut a hole in the ceiling for a new junction box, and was able to run the wires there. I know I will have a 2 ungrounded plugs, but at least it will give me 4 more grounded outlets, and a junction box that I can access.
I was able to tear out a lot of the insulation, cut some tin flashing for around the lights (i had to get creative for the one way back.... this involved a broom handle, a lot of swearing, and some very awkward body positioning. My wife told me that that was my new home, and I had to live up there
Went to the Depot, and picked up some insulation, and the blowing machine. I went through 4 bags and completely filled the attic space and the wall. I tacked back up the Tyvek, and today I will use some solid insulation, then cover with some sheating. This will be mostly covered by deck stairs. I might even get under the deck before we cover it up and add some solid foam insulation on bottom side of the wall too.
AlbergSteve
Minister of Fire
Good that you're trying to fix some of the mess from previous diy'ers. We went through the same thing two years ago when we gutted a 1974 bungalow. It had been completely reno'd in 2004 by the previous owner, a "contractor" himself, but did everything half-a$$ed and on the cheap - really cheap. Cut wires, cut trusses, missing insulation, missing bearing under girder trusses, single layer torch-on roofing, reused old aluminum windows that he'd slavaged from another job...
sounds a lot like my house. When i walked into my master bathroom, I said, "i feel like i'm in a burger king, or a wendys"
Sure enough, it was leftover from a burger king that they were refinishing.
all wrapped up, we even have a door and an entrance way now!
Rough inspections today for plumbing, electrical, mechanical and framing. Air sealing and fireblocking happening right now. Insulation on Thursday...
They had to get a little creative with the ventilation because of the steel beam
Dryer vent and washer hookups are all ready
my pony wall for my kitchen is set up and ready to go to, so maybe I should start looking at what we are going to do for countertops!
All of my heaters, my ceiling fans and my vent hood showed up. Appliances are due for delivery 3/12....
Rough inspections today for plumbing, electrical, mechanical and framing. Air sealing and fireblocking happening right now. Insulation on Thursday...
They had to get a little creative with the ventilation because of the steel beam
Dryer vent and washer hookups are all ready
my pony wall for my kitchen is set up and ready to go to, so maybe I should start looking at what we are going to do for countertops!
All of my heaters, my ceiling fans and my vent hood showed up. Appliances are due for delivery 3/12....
came home to some exciting stuff yesterday!
Insulation guys showed up today at 7:30am, by the time I walked in there at 8, they had 1/2 of it done on the lower level!
Insulation guys showed up today at 7:30am, by the time I walked in there at 8, they had 1/2 of it done on the lower level!
Front siding is up and Trim is up!
Lower level is all insulated. I only found 1 box that was buried under the insulation that shouldn't have been
The deck posts are up and ready for the LVL. I helped get the flashing on for the corrugated metal on the bottom last night (not pictured) so I hope they got a bunch of the siding done today!
Lower level is all insulated. I only found 1 box that was buried under the insulation that shouldn't have been
The deck posts are up and ready for the LVL. I helped get the flashing on for the corrugated metal on the bottom last night (not pictured) so I hope they got a bunch of the siding done today!
they got the crane out late last friday to put up the lvl for the deck. They aren't secured yet, but they are at least notched out and up there.
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