Side Project

Started by flyingvan, February 19, 2016, 12:57:03 AM

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flyingvan

Just an update


     Fairly satisfied with the way the exterior worked out around this frameless window.  The trim piece for the bottom was cut with a bevel.  I tried custom making a metal flashing to go over it but it looked like hell; went to a vinyl patch instead, still needs sanding.  If, over time, a crack forms where the wooden framing meets the masonite trim, I'll upgrade.


     

  I'll leave that last bit of wall open as long as possible just so I won't have to walk all the way around the house to get it.

     

     

     The insulation is actually more to provide a little soundproofing on the side with neighbors.  They are not particularly noisy but we'll put a futon below the window here, and I know an insulated wall just gives off a more solid feel thus (hopefully) making the lanai more relaxing.  That metal pipe is my neighbor's electrical main.  Kind of hoping when I have him over for a beer when it's all done he'll decide it's worth moving it a little, but doesn't bother me enough to create ill will....Maybe I'll hang a big American flag from it
Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan



   First part of my old fence used to trim around the window.  The wood is 22 years weathered, but held up to shaping well.





     There isn't enough of the cedar fence pickets to do the entire interior so under the bar and the garden wall is just T-111.  The soundproofing is giving everything a nice solid feel and is worth the effort

Find what you love and let it kill you.

ChugiakTinkerer

I really love how that window turned out.  Do your daughters appreciate what a find that was?
My cabin build thread: Alaskan remote 16x28 1.5 story

flyingvan

  Working on the siding around it now...  Yes, the girls are pretty thrilled with the progress.   The planting wall is growing like crazy, the lettuce they planted seems happy there.  They've picked out the carpet, and stools, and table'
  Quick trip to the desert---my son got chased by a giant sand monster


   Back here again, started using the pickets for the siding.  I might even use the shaped ends of the pickets to form shingles for up in the gable.  I'll sort of play with it, see if it looks OK or not
   

    The girls have taken over the painting duties, further evidence they appreciate the work being done.  I'll get pics of the outdoor fireplace and the garden wall posted next



    The stools are cheap Walmart stools, my daughter is painting them grey to complement the old cedar pickets
Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan

#55

     Finished the wall around the window with the re-purposed fence pickets.  There were a few tricky cuts and angles, and they weren't all the same width, but all in all a simple process.  The antique bronze switch plate covers blend well.  The little bit of ceiling will have to wait until the roof is done and I can run the wires up over.

     

      Salad wall is thriving, and is now bug protected since all the screens are up.

   

   Even though the house wall isn't completely old picket clad yet, the girls couldn't wait to set up.  I always pictured low, comfy patio furniture here, but they pictured a sit up table.  It was made clear to me I only have the marginal task of financing, design, and construction---the more vital parts of furnishings are none of my business.  Not that I'm bitter.  There was some (friendly) infighting among them about the bedspread, the one in the picture is---"Too dormy and not cottagey".  (Being colorblind I don't care, and it wouldn't make a difference if I did) Solution was it is now on one of the beds inside, in favor of a 'more cottagey' one.

    I need to get a better picture of the triangles up in the gable.  If you read back a few you'll see some debate whether to completely fill it in, or to screen it in.  The windy rainstorm we got convinced everyone it needs to be rain tight up there but they wanted light.  My plan was to buy a sheet of the thicker lexan and cut two right triangles, 24" and 84" on the sides, put some weatherstripping on the edges and sandwich them in.  The lexan came in 4x8 sheets only and was $200---pricey and lots of waste.  I bought one panel of 'Sunlite' polycarbonate panel instead---24" x 96", cut in two diagonally.  $36 and it matches the window perfectly.

 

   The open cell ends got taped really well to keep spiders out.  Only one side of it is UV protected so I imagine the two triangles will fade differently.
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

 

    Built up the screens.  I'd never made them this big before except in sliding doors with a more rigid frame.  I had already pre-drilled holes for mounting, and I should have used those same holes to hold the frame shape while installing the screen.  I didn't, and was aggressive with keeping the screen tight, which pulled in the frame a bit on the long side.  Still usable as is and I'd trimmed the screen before realizing the concave bow so I'm just going to live with is.

Find what you love and let it kill you.

MountainDon

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

flyingvan



   Most of the end wall is done.  I decided to make a quick mantel out of some of the fence framing to give the girls some decorating options.  It doesn't project past the 4x4 posts and blends in to the already busy looking wall.



   Work has slowed down some.  We only have one immediate neighbor and their family just increased by 50%; everything stops when the new baby comes over.  The lanai was done just in time they could use it for the visiting in laws and out laws.  New Dad is picking up some $$$ getting the pickets up.  He's far more meticulous than I am.  It looks great.
Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan

Spent the night here for the first time.  Now that my daughters' room mate has left, if I'm between shifts or just don't feel like making the hour drive to the mountains, it's really nice to have the option.  City sounds and lights are such a different kind of sleep.  We are in Lindberg Field's flight path here but the planes stop at 10pm and start around 6am I think.  No clock radio required.



    I had enough material to do the ceiling over the futon with the same recycled fence pickets but decided (OK my wife decided) it would have felt like sleeping in a crate so T-111 it is.  Also that little fire column ($79 from Target) is a great little addition, you can easily move it and it takes the chill off.


I had heard Sea World wasn't doing anymore fireworks, bowing to every known environmental concern in the wake of 'Blackfish' and the simple minded people that don't see the big picture, or even the mid sized picture---so when the fireworks went off after all, I was pleasantly surprised.  The reflection off the wetlands is cool.




Daughter #1 discovered the futon as her new favorite reading spot.  I love seeing created spaces utilized.




     The ceiling lights over the futon are 35w halogens.  There's enough space above for the cans; not true for the main ceiling, so I used 12w LED 'flush mount' lights that attach straight to the junction box.  They are BRIGHT.  Since they are dimmable I might put in a dimmer switch.





   OK...Moving back outside, next step is finishing the rail.  The balusters from Azek that match the deck boards were really expensive.  Grade stakes, purchased in bulk, were 74 cents each.  The points were just cut off.  I played with the spacing a bit then put them in.  I'm going to let them just age and fade naturally, I think the salt air here will do that quickly.  THe idea here is that it looks a bit like those east coast dune beach fences people put in. 




    As the points were cut off I found myself setting them down in patterns.  The girls saved them from the burn pile and glued them into permanent art, now hanging from the wall. 

Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

I guess photobucket wants to hold my pictures hostage.  I'll do this one from FB and see how long they are supported....

    I know this project here is a re-build, not a new build--- but this roof solution would actually be a pretty cool way to build a small cottage I think.
    This house in Ocean Beach was built in the 50's when people were tougher and had more of a wide comfort zone for temperature tolerance.  It's built like a solar cooker---heat can get in but not out very efficiently.  The roof system is tongue and groove, then shingles--no air space, no insulation.
     

   I'd already built the beam along the property edge to extend the eave, for shelter and guttering purposes.  The natural angle of the roof would have brought things too low so here I'm cutting off the eave right at the wall line.
     Here's the roof all stripped.  You can see where I built the lanai in the background there.
   

    There is simply NO shortcut to this job.   It took two dump runs to haul this all off.

   

    In new construction, I think it would be cool to build the tongue and groove ceiling first then frame over it, like I'm doing here for the retrofit.  I went with redwood---it's lighter and more bug proof (yes, more expensive)  I'm adding a skylight for the bedroom too
 

    The eaves are very well ventilated, and each rafter bay is open to both sides of the pitch.  I couldn't find 24" insulation without Kraft facing but I wanted it all to breathe so I put it in then peeled off the paper.  Not fun.  I left a little at the top since it had to sit overnight and I didn't want moisture in the fiberglass.  It's all gone now.

   

    The roof decking OSB has the radiant barrier stuff.  Awesome, and required in some areas.  It has to be ventilated or it doesn't work.  You can see how the ceiling angle changes over the side yard.

     

     I'm trying out this Tiger Paw paper for the first time and I like it alot.  it's durable, doesn't slip, and doesn't get black stuff on everything.

   

     Probably the easiest roof job I ever did---low pitch, no valleys.  Wanted to show the tep flashing for the skylight

   

    All done.  I cut a ridge shape into the 2x6's so this house would still sort of match the other three neighbors, but still allow for a vented ridge.  My big mistake was, it moved the ridge to right where the furnace 'B' vent was, and the DWV vent.  THAT was some tricky flashing to deal with.  The house next door has the exact same (old) roofing, pitch and aspect.  My new roof resulted in a house that is 30 degrees cooler than the neighbor's in the afternoon, all from passive insulation and radiant barrier.

     

   


    Just to back up a little since it's been awhile---the side of the house opposite the lanai was extended too.  I want to keep all moisture away from the walls, and re-did the laundry room (more compact now, for stackables)  Note the complete lack of insulation prior.  ALso this house had a total of three circuits feeding everything, the roof was an opportunity to run 5 more circuits.  When I re-do the front wall the panel will get totally redone too.

   



 

   

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.

firefox

Bruce & Robbie
MVPA 23824

icanreachit

That looks great! Quick question on the ventilation: you said the eaves are open but it looks like you packed fiberglass in there so where is the air channel? Thanks for sharing!

flyingvan

    There's a half inch gap between the insulation and the OSB on the 2x4 side, and a two and a half inch gap on the 2x6 side.  In the picture it's riding up on the 2x4's going across the roof that I secured the rafters to (have NO idea what to call that particular frame piece) so I could peel the paper off.  They got pulled back down from the wall side.  Without the Kraft paper, vapor from the house will pass through the fiberglass and air will circulate out the vents.  The one rafter bay that didn't have any airflow was the one leading up to the skylight.  I drilled some 1" holes hoping it will be enough air exchange into the adjacent bays..
    On the 2x4 side, I drilled and installed those 3" aluminum round vents in each bay, way out in the eave past the wall.  The insulation stops at the wall so air can draw up there.  On the 2x6 side, I'll finish the ceiling above my walkway with T&G.  I'm putting screen material between the 2x4 and 2x6 that make up the beam along the property edge, and air can pull up through there---again, long before the insulation starts--then it can flow above the insulation and below the radiant barrier (which doesn't let moisture escape and requires an air gap to work)

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.


Dave Sparks

"we go where the power lines don't"

flyingvan

Thanks!


   With the roof done it's time to continue with rebuilding the walls and updating the electric.  The house currently has 30a service (!) I ran new wires through the new roof framing and working inside the walls.  The final wall will be the front wall that has the panel so I'll integrate it all then.
   The south facing wall, like the rest of them, had zero insulation.  So far all the framing has looked great.  It's 60 year old Douglas fir, and by the looks of the grain it's all old growth.  I was all set to do some major framing replacement work.



     Someone had stuffed some newspaper in a hole to patch the drywall.  It was from June 17 1970

      3 of 4 walls insulated now, along with the roof

   

     While working on the insulation from the outside, I noticed I could see inside through the little bevel where each T & G board meets.  Lots of little air gaps and spider access ports, so it all got caulked

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

    Those of you that live near the beach can appreciate what a nice commodity an outdoor shower can be.  Typically you just let it drain onto the ground, but this tiny house is perched precariously on a bluff; in fact, a huge motivator for this entire project was to eliminate runoff.  I can't help but think water cut with soap designed to break down dirt is a not so good thing to have running down your bluff.
     In order to get the proper 'fall' for the grid sewer, I had to raise the shower base 5 1/2".  This made the pan an awkward height.  Considering options, decided to order up an RV bathtub to use as the base.  It will make a great dog wash station, and if I fill it with ice it will make a great party beer tub.
     

      The shower and the laundry each have a 1 1/2" ABS pipe set in the new concrete, tying in to the sewer.  I worried about the laundry not draining fast enough; if it backs up it will then drain into the tub drain through the shared vent stack.  Also the tie in where the laundry outflow dumps is an oversized pipe that can hold 4 gallons.
       Tub drain---I wanted a little flex in the pipe so when the tub is full of water and beach goer and flexes, the pipe moves with it.  These plastic tubs are pretty tough but they'll crack over time around the drain hole.  So I took a little plastic ice cream container and cut a hole in it for the pipe, filled it with sand so it wouldn't float up, and poured around it.

       

     Then some trial and error putting the tub in and out to get the drain pipe exactly where it should be

   

     Used up some scrap radiant barrier to form the lip.  The heat reflexion for tub water with this is probably close to zero after the insulation is in, but it was scrap so what the hell.

   

   

    I probably won't ever actually take a bath in this.....

   

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

The surround....

   

      Actually the Hardiebacker was all cut to size first and the holes for plumbing cut out.  Then the Hardie was used as a template to cut the holes exactly where the plumbing stuck through.  A single roof nail held the membrane in place while the Hardie went up.
       
     

     

     The shower curtain rods serve double duty.  They support the partial wall....Having it go all the way up would have entombed the shower, contrary to everything I like about outdoor showers.   AnnaMarie will insist on shower curtains instead of doors, she likes the decorating options.  When showers are narrow the curtains are notorious clingers.  By having dual parallel rods, you can zig-zag the curtain so every other ring is on the other rod, forcing bends in the curtain and keeping it from sucking in to the shower-er. 

    AnnaMarie's job will be picking out the tile
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

#68
   The fourth and final wall is all insulated and sheer paneled now.  Each wall had its issues--for this one it was the subpanel.

   When the roof was re-framed I ran some new circuits.  The old electrical was 30a service for the whole house, feeding just three circuits---one of which was the dedicated fridge circuit.  I wanted the new laundry to have its own circuit.  Same with the new lanai.  Also wanted an outlet in the bathroom.
    So the power was all shut off and I demo'd the wall where the feed ends of my new circuits were hiding, waiting.  The wires feeding the sub panel were 10 AWG (perfectly fine for 30a) What wasn't perfectly fine-- at the main panel there was nothing whatsoever connected to the neutral bar.  The neutral feed to the sub panel was wired directly to the grounding rod.
    Upgrades---all new sub panel with 8 circuits total.  2-0 wire feeding it from new 90a main, properly wired to ground AND neutral.  GFCI breaker for the circuit feeding the outdoor outlets and light over the outdoor shower.  GFCI outlet with its own circuit in the bathroom. 
    I ended up with two empty spaces on the panel (went with the same brand, Murray, so I could re-use some of the breakers, they were not very old)  which happened to be exactly the size of the 30a double that used to feed the house.  I had everything necessary except for the wire to add a 220 dryer style outlet to the outside

   

    Why?  mostly because it was easy to do now... It might become the power source if I ever have a really big party here.  Maybe jacuzzi power.  Or perhaps someday I'll have an electric car to charge.  In a pinch I could use it to plug a generator in to power the house, though I'd really prefer to have the proper power transfer switch.

   Also built the doors for water heater, laundry, and storage so it's all coming along

 

   

    Might be my imagination but all the lights seem brighter and vent fans seem to run better. 
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

   I've been using the same roll of Tyvek housewrap since I built the two story laundry shed at Cuyamaca Cabin.  It was getting really thin and I thought I'd run out before finishing this fourth, and final, side of the beach house--


   I was a little concerned about the bottom edge since landscaping will get watered here.  I had a whole roll of window flashing so that got run along the bottom edge with 1" extension below the OSB.  The 1X4 went over that, careful to get it exactly level.  The Z-flashing over that, then the Tyvek got cut right at the step of the Z-flashing.  If that bottom trim board ever fails it won't be hard to replace it and leave everything above the Z-flashing intact.

   A new roll from Home Depot is $129.  I decided if I ran out I'd first try to scrap it in with the pieces removed from cutting out windows, then go with the $11 builders Kraft paper.  That strip on the ground was the last of it---it covered the remaining wall with just 6" to spare.

   

    That 4X4 up in the eave against the top of the wall...There's big ugly conduit that brings power to Andy's house down below.  The 4X4 had 2 1/4" X2 1/4" cut out to make a channel, then an angle cut to match the eave.  Looks OK.  Wish I'd run it through the new roof space instead.

    Tomorrow's goal is to get ALL the siding done.  The windows, doors and bottom are already trimmed, the material is stacked---as soon as I get off work (delay after delay due to fire conditions) I'll get to it.
Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan

OK.  I'm gonna get off shift, get a good nights' sleep after all this fire, then FINISH all the siding.
Nope... "Up in Wildomar there are people running down the streets while their houses burn down" (We are one of the few local resources capable of fighting fire from the air at night)

  It's hard to get pics through the NVG's.  Here's without--



     LOOONG night, here's next morning when I should have been working on the siding

   

    Ughh...That's one dirty copter.

   Got off work at noon---18 hours late.  Committed to a neighborhood Halloween party that would have been a faux pas to miss---go home and rest or get the siding done?  Elected to do the latter.

   

    I still have to box in the electric panels and do the rain gutters.  I wish there was a good way to hide the gas meters.  But, she's all insulated on all sides and top, all dual glazed windows, and ready for paint. 
    New builds are so much more fun than rebuilds.  Can't wait to be done with this to start the next ground up project
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

  This tiny house used to be considered a condominium.  A guy had his house (since replaced with multi family unit) and four tiny houses.  The power came in to my unit where all the meters were then went off to respective sub panels.
   Now only two of the meters go to houses.  There's a third meter with 20a service that might have served common lighting before the condo agreement was dissolved.  So the challenge was, hide the giant service panel mounted to the tiny house.
   
    One of the meters feeds Andy's house down below mine.  His conduit ran under my eave on the front of the house.  Ugly.  I cut out a large corner of a series of 4x4's to make a sort of long box to hide that.
   

     Then boxed in that entire service panel.  The whole front is held on with some screw so if anyone has an issue with it I can pull it.  Access to the house breakers is easy behind a hinged door, and the meters just poke out.

     

      Around the corner is my sub panel. 

      OCD ALERT---   This house a year ago had absolutely zero insulation.  Now all the walls and roof are well insulated---exception being behind the recessed-mount sub panel.  So, the box around it got insulated too.  I bet the net difference in the mild climate won't ever cover the cost for that 24" square of insulation, but I do like to think the whole place is buttoned up

     

     At the bottom of this picture you can see where I hid that 240v outlet.  The siding is screwed to a scrap of 2x6 that just friction fits into some framing. 
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

    Got the rain gutters up.  In spite of liberal and meticulous use of silicone gutter sealant, every single joint dripped---I think through the rivets.  It would have dripped (nightly dew fall by the beach) right on the new concrete, so I dried it all out really good and sprayed 'Flex Seal' over the joints.  I like that stuff.  It seems to have sealed the seams.
    So ALMOST the last of the concrete work, always made difficult by needing to carry it all up the long staircase....   The side walk on the south side of the house had sunken (before I bought the house in 2005) when the water heater blew and ran overnight.  The challenge was leveling it all because it sloped up back to where it should be.  How do you transition it to zero?  at some point it's too thin for rebar and it will just crumble.  One option is to cut away old stuff and dig down.  I'm going to do the pour in two parts and pour a step over where it gets thin---the step (3 1/2") will make it easier to get in and out of the outdoor shower and facilitate drainage of water that makes it out of the shower.  It will turn the corner to below the stacked washer/dryer, important because my daughters can BARELY reach the buttons.  The step should make it easier to keep the area outside the W/D free of leaf litter, too, and when I have to slide the appliances out for service it will be easier.

   Rebar and wire is cheap---use lots of it.  Also since this is new concrete over old, visqueen was put down first.





   (this side was over dirt but put visqueen down anyway)



Find what you love and let it kill you.