Side Project

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

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flyingvan

What a week!  We broke one of our two helicopters so my overtime was all cancelled.  Perfect timing.  Took full advantage of my new found time off---but two days of buying, hauling, and mixing two yards of concrete each and one 1,500# sourcing of lava rock has been a workout.

  Got the forms stripped.  I thought they would sit for 72 hours but the schedule change made it less than 24.  The concrete was still 'green' so had to be really gently with the forms.



   Next came bending the mesh wire in between them and lining the back with plywood.  I could have just poured against the soil, but there was about 22" of pilaster that went higher than the soil so it had to be formed somehow.  Then came placing drain pipes (1 1/2" ABS) and Jenga stacking the lava boulders part way up.

 

   Here's a view from the top.  The concrete has to be kind of eased in or you'll blow out your dry stacked rock wall.  The mesh wire helps, and you can even lean the rocks against it a bit.  The concrete is worked just enough to drive it partway between the rocks to really lock them in, but not so much that the concrete oozes out the part that shows.

   

    All the way up...

   

   Here's the top.  I have already formed up for the topcap/bond beam, I'll pour it tomorrow.  It holds the whole thing together.  The bottom of it is lined with visqueen so the concrete can gracefully form over the top rocks.  It also forms the plate for the far edge of the new porch going in.

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan





I'll get in there with the propane torch and melt away the last of the visqueen



  A little bummed about the concrete overflow that dripped on some of the lava rocks.  I'll try the pressure washer, I bet the concrete is stronger than the rock
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

  Found the cleanout.  I want to tap into it for the outdoor shower (a really nice feature to have near the beach) and the laundry, which currently dumps on the steep hillside.  This was under a concrete footing that was placed 30+ years ago.  Seriously, who pours a footing over the cleanout??


Plan A:  Remove the plug.  It's 4" in diameter.  Say 4 threads are contacting the cast---that's around 50" of metal to metal friction to overcome.  I'm going to soak the threads for awhile...

    Called my friend who knows about such things.  He quoted from an unscientific study http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/penetrating-oil-showdown.350800/ that compared penetrating oils, to find what works best---their finding was equal parts ATF and acetone.  I happen to have both, and made sure an LDPE plastic container was compatible.  It's mixed now.  Like salad dressing it formed a biphasic liquid, I'll shake it up prior to use.

Plan B:  Drill and cut the plug in half.  It's brass.  The cast iron pipe is in good shape and I'd hate to damage it trying to get this plug out.

   This plug will get replaced with ABS pipe.  The size and thread match exactly.  It will elbow off, and I'll add a cleanout in a useful spot under the deck.
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Dave Sparks

I was a boater out on the big blue ocean. Salt water and taking things apart with Liquid wrench and all the other elixirs was hit or miss for me.
The one thing I did learn after some time and re-reading the instructions was the part about vibration or a big hammer, reapply liquid wrench, and give it time to soak in. Repeat over about 4 days.
Once I started doing that I was fine and stopped breaking things, like transmission bolts, motor mounts, and watermaker bolts.
"we go where the power lines don't"


NathanS

I use the ATF + acetone mix. seems to work well.

Working on cars in the north east, every time you crawl under there you have to deal with rust. I've never had problems with nuts, but bolts sometimes have to be cut off. If you have a torch, applying heat probably works better than any rust penetrant. Also as Dave says, impact makes a big difference. Try beating on the pipe wrench with a small sledge.

I think you will be able to get it off.

Also really enjoy watching your progress. Really impressed by your concrete formwork.. something that not many people document. Thanks for posting.

flyingvan

Thanks Nathan!

   The cap had a lip on it so none of the magic elixer was even getting to the threads.  I was able to chisel it off.  Thank God for brass.



    I was able to soak the threads after that.  It broke free while hitting it at an angle with the sledge and chisel, but it really didn'twant to turn even after that.  Dug enough space for the big wrench.



   Victory!    Except that the cap is an odd size,somewhere between 3" and 4".  I'll have to try Ferguson to try to find an adapter.  You'd think that anything from a cast iron thread would be available, maybe not from a big box store
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

Maybe someone knows---if I measure the threads on the cap it looks to be 3 7/8" diameter, so I assumed that would be the 4" ABS adapter.  It isn't.  ANyone know what size to call it in case I do an online search?
Find what you love and let it kill you.

ChugiakTinkerer

Congrats!  Can't help you with the cap threads, but I wonder if you would rather add on a length of pipe to have the cleanout be more accessible?
My cabin build thread: Alaskan remote 16x28 1.5 story


flyingvan

Actually that's part of the plan.  I'm tapping in to this for the outdoor shower and laundry.  There will be a clean out in a better spot
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

   Took the cap to Ferguson (plumbing supply specialists) Guy behind counter said "3 1/2" Cast!  I'll order the 3" ABS adapter for you"....Ummm...You SURE it's 3 1/2"?  (3" is something like 3 3/16", 4 is 4 1/4".  This one measures something like 3 7/8").   "Well, is it bigger than a 3? (yes) Is it smaller than a 4? (ummm yeah) "Then it's a 3 1/2"! 
   So I'm hoping back in the day of cast iron (side note: still used in upper end houses if the DWV runs past a dining area or anywhere else plumbing noises are discouraged) everything was designed in 1/2" increments.  I can think of a whole lot of numbers between 3 and 4 if you're using fractions.  I will hope I didn't waste $39.80 on a special order adapter
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Bob S.

I think he ordered you the right adapter. If I remember right you do not measure the threads on a pipe fighting. goes by the inside diameter of the pipe. Witch is the bottom of the threads. Might be wrong it has been a long time. (like 45 years)
  Good looking project, but all of yours are. Bob 

flyingvan

Thanks Bob, I hope you're right.  I'll find out Tuesday.  Backup plan---press this cap into clay, mix up some two part epoxy, stick the 2" threaded adapter in the middle, and make my own.  It will work but this is going to be really hard to get to later if it fails so I'd prefer an actual ABS fitting
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

Had a few hours off and tried to beat the rain.



  It was raining too hard to get the "finished" pic.  The idea here is, this (footing? poured beam?) ties in the top of the side yard retaining wall to keep it from tipping out.  It's also the same level as the parallel rock wall I just finished.  There will be three footings poured perpendicular between the two that will support the deck joists.  The far end of this, outside the porch, needed support in the corner so it's formed 5 1/2" higher with anchor bolts for the plate.  Maybe it will make sense as things progress
Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan



    The black pipe is ABS drain going to the sewer, for the outdoor shower and laundry.  The white one will drain the rain gutters from the opposite side of the house; I'm trying to hide pipes for a clean look.  They are wrapped in foam where they pass through the forms before pouring the concrete





   Of course, it started to rain (and hasn't stopped) it was all I could do to use up the concrete mix.  I just need another 1,800 pounds to finish it off, then I can start dealing with dead trees for a welcomed change
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

I hope this doesn't make anybody dizzy.  I'm playing with the 'panorama' feature

 

      Here's the top of the pours that will support the deck joists.  They each have 24" wide footers that are now buried.  The one at the top of the picture is colored since it will form the backdrop for the planter next to the steps.  The perpendicular part is for a kick out that will hold a futon...It also will edge a little nook next to the house.  At the bottom you can see the two slabs poured---they will be under the deck.  The lower one will be enough room for storage.  The upper one, still wet in the pic, I decided to do for two reasons---this section will get indirect sunlight and I didn't want weeds growing through the deck.  Also I wanted any rain that falls there to shed away instead of getting trapped behind the retaining wall.  Below that, what looks like a bush, is actually the top of a tall tree growing from the base of the bluff.  The black pipe goes to sewer, the white one is for the rain gutter. 
      Also in the plan is a hydroponic system.  The lower slab will hold the reservoir tub for it.
Find what you love and let it kill you.

NathanS

Man that is awesome.

I just noticed the way you set your sill plate bolts - that is really smart.

flyingvan

Thanks---yeah I never liked poking them into the mud.  No matter how much you jiggle and twist them around I don't think you ever get the aggregate evenly around them again
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan



   I was moving some dirt around on this side, near the end of that white 3" drain pipe.  My 23 year old daughter was on the opposite side on the lower slab, catching some December rays... 20' away I could hear her breathing though the pipe so I started whispering "McKenna---Get a Job..."
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

    My wife got it in her head the downstairs bathroom had to get re-remodeled (last time was 20 years ago).  I told her we could pick out all the stuff, and if the weather turns bad it'll be a good indoor project.  Somehow she made it snow the rest of the week...


     Things dried out long enough I could get back to the beach house project.  I can't put joists down until I lag bolt three posts to the house to support the beams for the roof over the deck.  I can't install those posts until I rebuild the end wall and replace the old slider with french doors.

   

     Some things to note here---first, no insulation whatsoever.  Second, this wall must have been re-framed at some point, there was almost no termite damage.  Finally, the slider was gooped into place with liquid nails---no flashing at all.

   
   After much debate I decided to mount the insulation with the kraft paper out.  I scored it up a bit...I might put a hot tub just outside the wall someday, under a roofed area.  I'm thinking it will be more moisture outside than in on this wall....  This got covered with OSB then Tyvek.

   

   Worked late into the night.  My daughters are living here and I couldn't quit until there was a secure door...

    So, four sides to this deck.  Side A is the house.  Side B faces the one neighbor and some apartments.  Sides C and D are great views.  I plan on cantilevering the deck out a few feet for a futon.  That one wall will be solid.  I want some natural light to get through but want privacy.  I found the perfect thing for $50 on Craigslist



It's 58" by 28" and should work perfect

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.


ChugiakTinkerer

That's quite a score on CL.  I once made some leaded glass doors for a hutch that weren't nearly so intricate, and man I appreciate the skill and expertise of a good craftsman.  That window will be a gem!
My cabin build thread: Alaskan remote 16x28 1.5 story

flyingvan

Lumber is so much more fun than concrete, though I'll admit building onto a solid base is pretty rewarding.

   First step was cutting the bevels on the tops of the beams.  The ridge had a peak cut into it, the edge beams were a simpler bevel. 

   Simple is a relative term.

    I thought my roof was 4:1.  According to my trig calculations that should give me a 14 degree cut.  Double checking with the scraps from the sheer panel, they were more like 17 degrees.  Starting to think math is arbitrary....

    I wanted to cut those first, trim them to length, then use the cutoffs to push tight against the eave to accurately measure for the supporting posts.

   

   Next was getting the outside posts exactly square to the building and all the same distance.

 

    That conduit goes down to my neighbor's house.  It was clamped to the old crappy deck cover.  I had to figure out a temporary brace to support it until I got new beams in.

     It was very tempting to simply stack the crossbeam on top of the outer posts then stack the outer beams with the bevels on top of that--but it would have been low enough to block the view.  I cut lap joints out of the corners which brought the cross beam up 6".

   

    Also I like how the three intersecting bits of lumber look without visible connectors.  To hold it all together, things were forced together with a clamp, pulling against a temporary block screwed to the wood.  There's actually a Simpson post cap hidden in the lap joint, and I pre-drilled outward through the provided hole in the tie so I wouldn't have trouble hitting it from above---then once things were lined up went back down through that hole (so the bit went through the pre-drilled hole to the hole in the strong tie then into the other lumber)

    Cut a stainless rod to length and drove it in

     

     Looking at this makes me dizzy.  That stainless rod actually lines up with the cross beam.  The top of the crossbeam is lower than the bevel cut but in the picture it appears offset.  The stainless rod goes through the bevel cut beam, crossbeam lap joint, down through the end of the 4 X 4.  Before you go running calculations on my beams, there will be framing underneath them before I put the roof up
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

  I don't have any pics of the deck joists in place, I'll take some next time I'm there.  I wanted to span the complete 24' without any splices.  I borrowed a truck with a rack to transport the stock.  It was actually a surfboard rack but rated for the weight.  It doesn't go out over the cab , just the bed.  Really the wrong tool for the job but no problems were encountered.



   This family owned lumber outfit is awesome.  The yard workers always seem to be having a ball working there.  They had the exact T & G I needed---the ceiling for the covered porch will match the rest of the house perfectly.

   

   I'm building the ceiling first.  The rest of the house's roof system is composite shingles over T & G.  I'm going to furr it up and add insulation and radiant barrier then re-roof the whole thing so the exterior will be seamless roofline. 

   

   Thought I'd give this 'tiger paw' subroof a try.  I've only used felt and EPDM before.  It's very temporary until the proper roof is on, but should get us through this band of weather coming in.  I liked it---it was not slippery, it was sturdy, cut easy, and had grid marks, making square cuts easy.  I'd use it again.

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

    Back home in the mountains, it was time to replace the no longer white picket fence..  The pickets are all grey faded cedar with some remaining white paint.  They will make the ideal rustic siding material for the interior portion of this lanai.. There are 276 of them, hopefully enough.

    Of the four sides, one is the house---it will be sided with these re-purposed pickets.  To the left is a wall the leaded glass window will go in, providing light and privacy from the neighbors 

    Straight ahead is the view of the wetlands.  The girls insisted there be a bar on this side.  It will get spar varnish, and is easily replaced when it gets too weathered to re-finish.   It will be screened in as well.  I'd like the area to be secure, and this side would be very difficult to breach without a ladder.

    That leaves the fourth wall.  It divides the covered area with the fully exposed sun area.  A security screen door will be part of the wall, kind of pointless if the rest of the wall is simply screen---which provides great security from bugs, but not so much from people. 
     There will be a partial wall coming up 36", even with the bar.  Above that will be a hydroponic garden.  This wall faces South so it's perfect.  I still need to drill the holes for the pots.
     

     Speaking of holes---my old 1/2 horse drill was courteous enough to wait until I was done half drilling the final 3 of 15 holes before releasing its packet of blue smoke to let me know it was  all done.  That drill had a proud service life

   
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

Got the garden wall in.  The idea here is, the enclosed lanai should be somewhat secure so the double doors can be left open all night on warm summer nights.  The security door would be pointless next to a screen wall, but these pvc pipes would make it tough to get through.



The opposite wall has the nice leaded glass window.  It's set on thick foam weatherstripping then siliconed around the face.  The evening sunlight through it looks really good...That whole section is cantilevered out by 2'. 



My eldest daughter loves doing finish work---good thing, because I don't.  I'd left tools, nails and a varnish can sitting on the counter when the rain came through so she's sanding out all the stains that resulted.  Couldn't convince her it added character

   

   I decided to splurge and buy the hidden deck fasteners.  Close to $200.  I've always just face screwed decks in the past. 



     Couple of thoughts on these fasteners.  They lock into a kerf on the ventral sides of the deck boards, and they sort of have a mind of their own---you can push or tap them all the way in, then when you drive the screw in sometimes they turn a little or pop out 1/16" or so--no a big deal, but after a few boards you're not straight anymore.  I'm measuring every other board to the end of the frame now to keep them straight, and with 9 clips times 50 boards, it's going really slow.  That said, it's all worth it, especially for this project---the whole idea is to expand the useful area of this tiny house, and the more the deck looks like the interior floor the better.

 

   The pre-planning paid off.  The deck boards are exactly the same level as the interior floor.  The ceiling matches up perfectly inside to outside too.  You can tell by the threshold the double doors are mounted backwards----we wanted them to swing out instead of in.
   The heavy rain we had was timely in that we got a taste of how wet things are gonna get in the lanai.  After the half walls are filled in it should stay a bit drier.  I was in favor of filling in the triangles up in the gable as siding, the girls want it open.  The compromise will be glass or plexiglass custom cut to go up there.  Part of keeping the lanai dry-ish involves reducing airflows and I'm thinking there's some chimney effect going on.  Then I have to build the screens for the rest of it.  Deciding between fiberglass screen or aluminum.  Aluminum tends to bend, and plates/beer bottles/etc on the counter are bound to do some damage.  The rather bizarre issue with fiberglass screen?  Grasshoppers eat it.  No kidding.
Find what you love and let it kill you.