Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

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Originally Posted by shroom

we're getting warmer

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My first thought was barbed wire or electrical, this fucking dog is killing me. I've built a huge amounts of fence for this dog, who has jumped over parts (make it taller!) and dug under it so I've had to line the perimeter with big rocks/boulders. Every flower garden (and one big vegetable garden) also has a fence so he doesn't pee on everything or dig things up. We have fences in fences here. The gate has been an ongoing battle, I built it pretty-looking but weak, instead of for Cujo. Slowly fortifying a shitty design has not worked out.

not sure what everyones fascination is with spray foam, shit is the most toxic building material you can put in your house then again this opinion is coming from someone who has never owned a microwave, people are building houses so eco and air tight with heavy duty insulation that bad shit is happening and they don't have a clue

Here you go, a seminar for you . They'll be in Denver in the Spring

https://buildingscience.com/events/b...sku=BSF-17-001

The fee is steep but the event will be very informative

A bunch of related pdf's listed at the bottom if you can't make the event

Good site with lots of info on the WHY of building

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Originally Posted by old goat

back to Rontele--since I asked you where you live. I would definitely insulate. We lived in a brick veneer, uninsulated wood frame house in Sacramento. In the summer the bricks insulated fairly well during the day but radiated heat into the house at night. In your area without insulation the brick will be radiating a lot of the heat from your dual heating system into the outdoors, as well as heat into the house summer evenings, although obviously not as bad as in Sacto. Trimming out the windows for the extra wall thickness is usually very simple, compared to the rest of the process of furring out, insulating, and replacing the drywall.

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Was back at the house this morning. We are going to go through with the insulation and replace some windows since they have a internal weight system to open and close, which is hard to insulate around and defeats some of the purpose. Likely a 2 x 3 frame out with spray insulation, blue board and dry wall. Think we can get it up to r30.

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Originally Posted by acinpdx

Here you go, a seminar for you . They'll be in Denver in the Spring

https://buildingscience.com/events/b...sku=BSF-17-001

The fee is steep but the event will be very informative

A bunch of related pdf's listed at the bottom if you can't make the event

Good site with lots of info on the WHY of building

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Nice find.

One of those PDFs sounds helpful for Rontele: BSD-114: Interior Insulation Retrofits of Load-Bearing Masonry Walls In Cold Climates

Here are gate pics, acinpdx. Before you make fun of the flimsy design (but by all means do, I don't mind: it sucks), know that I didn't know the dog was gonna put 80 pounds of weight on it multiple times a day.

I need a better, sturdier frame design, of course. And I bought some time fixing it last night, so while it's not a do-or-die priority anymore I'll start this week on it.

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Also, I'm considering a remote water spray system that I can trigger every time he leans against this fence. I wouldn't know where to start, any ideas?

Fence building aside, maybe a training collar would help: http://gundogsupply.com/dog-training...ers-guide.html

I have one for each of my dogs for off leash time

You wouldn't have to be standing there to work on not bashing the gate.

(Remember it's a training collar, not a punishment)

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Originally Posted by old goat

back to Rontele--since I asked you where you live. I would definitely insulate. We lived in a brick veneer, uninsulated wood frame house in Sacramento. In the summer the bricks insulated fairly well during the day but radiated heat into the house at night. In your area without insulation the brick will be radiating a lot of the heat from your dual heating system into the outdoors, as well as heat into the house summer evenings, although obviously not as bad as in Sacto. Trimming out the windows for the extra wall thickness is usually very simple, compared to the rest of the process of furring out, insulating, and replacing the drywall.

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I thought you lived in Truckee.

Brick veneer, wood frame....let me guess. Land Park.

Sturdiest might be to put a 4x4 steel tube set into concrete as your post. Second might be to set a wood post into concrete.

How is that post base working for you? Seems like it should be fine as the jamb side of the gate...

That gate itself could be stiffened up by making a full perimeter frame with diagonal bracing (similar to what you've got going in in the lower 2/3, but with verticals to complete the edge). Alternately, use a sturdy metal gate frame kit.

The way you've got it seems like it twists when pulled/pushed on from a corner. It may not be swinging as smoothly as it could because there are different pressures on the different hinges.

Move hinge up to yellow arrow
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...fd773ad48b.jpg

Secure the hinge post if it's not already. Put another latch at the bottom of the gate to keep the gate from flexing out. Add a rod or cable that connects the top and bottom latches so lifting the top also lifts the bottom. Put a caster under the left corner of the gate. The mix of picket gate and post and rail fence is kind of weird.

I recently moved into a residential area with dog bylaws & shit. I had a dog that kept jumping the 6' fence and fucking off/getting caught. I bought an invisible fence and strung the wire on the fence, he learned really quick to stay away from the fence. Way easier than fucking with making your gate burlier.

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Originally Posted by Beaver

I recently moved into a residential area with dog bylaws & shit. I had a dog that kept jumping the 6' fence and fucking off/getting caught. I bought an invisible fence and strung the wire on the fence, he learned really quick to stay away from the fence. Way easier than fucking with making your gate burlier.

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we live next to an environmental area and aren't allowed a proper fence, so we have an e-fence too... i was cynical about it working, but it works very well (doesn't keep other critters out tho)

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Originally Posted by acinpdx

Sturdiest might be to put a 4x4 steel tube set into concrete as your post. Second might be to set a wood post into concrete.

How is that post base working for you? Seems like it should be fine as the jamb side of the gate...

That gate itself could be stiffened up by making a full perimeter frame with diagonal bracing (similar to what you've got going in in the lower 2/3, but with verticals to complete the edge). Alternately, use a sturdy metal gate frame kit.

The way you've got it seems like it twists when pulled/pushed on from a corner. It may not be swinging as smoothly as it could because there are different pressures on the different hinges.

Move hinge up to yellow arrow
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...fd773ad48b.jpg

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Awesome, thanks so much! Post base with the latch is sturdy, but it hasn't been tested as it just got drilled into the concrete properly. Post on the house side has always been rock solid. So I'll leave it for now. And yes the gate twists a bit as-is, that is a big issue.

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Originally Posted by Mazderati

Secure the hinge post if it's not already. Put another latch at the bottom of the gate to keep the gate from flexing out. Add a rod or cable that connects the top and bottom latches so lifting the top also lifts the bottom. Put a caster under the left corner of the gate. The mix of picket gate and post and rail fence is kind of weird.

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Great advice no doubt, but the style comment is wrong IMO, ha. But I'm thinking of making it match the fence anyways to make it easier to build though. Less cuts, etc.

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Originally Posted by Beaver

I recently moved into a residential area with dog bylaws & shit. I had a dog that kept jumping the 6' fence and fucking off/getting caught. I bought an invisible fence and strung the wire on the fence, he learned really quick to stay away from the fence. Way easier than fucking with making your gate burlier.

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That is everyone's main access in/out, so the dog has to go through the gate daily and would get shocked. Not a bad idea for the rest of the yard though.

DO: put T-stops on your plumbing inlets at the shower faucets before installing permanent tile to prevent water hammer sounds when you turn on the shower every time.

Pretty funny though I just found out the solution as I was searching for the term water hammer. It looks like I'll have to install an expansion tank at the hot water heater to take up the excess water pressure. I'd prefer that than lowering the water pressure with a pressure valve.

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Originally Posted by fastfred

not sure what everyones fascination is with spray foam, shit is the most toxic building material you can put in your house then again this opinion is coming from someone who has never owned a microwave, people are building houses so eco and air tight with heavy duty insulation that bad shit is happening and they don't have a clue

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Shit fucking works. What do you prefer, fiberglass bats?

New puzzler for the collective.

Here's my latest home rehab conundrum. My house, built in 1886, still has 3 cedar posts holding up beams in the cellar. (There are also another 6 Lally columns). The question is do I replace one or all three of them. (DIY with supervision from an experienced contractor. I've got some construction/concrete experience and am a big DIY cheapskate)

The particulars:
1. This cellar is more dungeon than basement with a stone foundation, beat up old thin concrete floor, low ceiling height and pipes and duct work that I'm forever bashing my fucking head on. So it's never going to be finished space.

2. We'll be selling within 5 years.

3. None of the posts show any signs of rot.

4. Two are bearing weight and doing their job. One is actually loose! But there are no signs of any structural shift. It doesn't look like this one is one a footing just set on the old (probably very thin) concrete floor.

5. My primary reason for even considering this is because I'll be looking for beacoup bucks (metro Boston) when I sell and I'm concerned the cedar posts will freak out potential buyers.

Will potential buyers give a shit about this? If So do I replace all three cedar posts with steel and grout Lally columns with new footings, or just replace the one with a Lally column (with a proper footing) or pour a new footing and reuse the cedar post or fuck it and worry about sumpin else.

What say ye?

No clue on the posts but old houses are cool. Take a picture.

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Originally Posted by Obstruction

New puzzler for the collective.

Here's my latest home rehab conundrum. My house, built in 1886, still has 3 cedar posts holding up beams in the cellar. (There are also another 6 Lally columns). The question is do I replace one or all three of them. (DIY with supervision from an experienced contractor. I've got some construction/concrete experience and am a big DIY cheapskate)

The particulars:
1. This cellar is more dungeon than basement with a stone foundation, beat up old thin concrete floor, low ceiling height and pipes and duct work that I'm forever bashing my fucking head on. So it's never going to be finished space.

2. We'll be selling within 5 years.

3. None of the posts show any signs of rot.

4. Two are bearing weight and doing their job. One is actually loose! But there are no signs of any structural shift. It doesn't look like this one is one a footing just set on the old (probably very thin) concrete floor.

5. My primary reason for even considering this is because I'll be looking for beacoup bucks (metro Boston) when I sell and I'm concerned the cedar posts will freak out potential buyers.

Will potential buyers give a shit about this? If So do I replace all three cedar posts with steel and grout Lally columns with new footings, or just replace the one with a Lally column (with a proper footing) or pour a new footing and reuse the cedar post or fuck it and worry about sumpin else.

What say ye?

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No good answer is going to come via the internet - too many variables. Hire a structural engineer to come look & give some direction. Otherwise, leave well enough alone

So, since demo is going to happen in a couple of days, should I block off heat registers to keep the construction dust from hitting the rest of the house? Seems like a good idea, but the internwebz warn that I could damage my furnace. Is it really a big concern for a month or two, with the furnace not cranked up high?

should prolly just plan on a duct cleaning after the crew leaves
blocking the registers helps but doesn't really stop the dust

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Originally Posted by Obstruction

What say ye?

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Let it be. Your ROI will be 0 the project and for all you know, the buyer might scrape the place.

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Originally Posted by Danno

So, since demo is going to happen in a couple of days

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May god have mercy on your soul. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

I've done it, but I have an awesome girl who got touchy at points, but we've finished 2 kitchens ourselves and are working on a third.
So we were our own GC. It wouldn't work for a lot of people.

We've gone through the bad contractor scene and one really good contractor which we still use. Don't tolerate the bad ones.

Suggestions:
0) Do things one at a time; don't try both bath and kitchen simultaneously.
1) Have good temp kitchens and hopefully a second bath to rely on. I'm suggesting summertime, not winter to manage cooking outside for example.
2) Gut the things yourselves, don't bother to pay goons to do that.
3) Put in the best appliances for your own pleasure as well as resale potential.

One process involved buying a 2 burner propane stove and getting set up for outdoor cooking (we had a 4 yo and a 2 yo at the time).

Then we gutted the kitchen down to the studs. That was a bitch, particularly tearing out the old floor.

My wife found a cabinet maker she liked (she interviewed at least 5) and he built custom cabinets for not too much. She also chose nice appliances like a viking 6 burner stove, miele dw, subzero, etc. The installs were taken care of by the cabinet, countertop and the flooring doods. All in all it ran about $30k + our time.

As usual, your experience may vary.

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Good advice. But $30,000 total? You've got at least $14 or $17,000 just in stove and reefer alone! $5 or $7000 for the Viking....$9 to $10,000 for the Subzero. So, $16,000 or less for the rest of the remodel is pretty damn sweet.

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Originally Posted by muted

Here are gate pics, acinpdx. Before you make fun of the flimsy design (but by all means do, I don't mind: it sucks), know that I didn't know the dog was gonna put 80 pounds of weight on it multiple times a day.

I need a better, sturdier frame design, of course. And I bought some time fixing it last night, so while it's not a do-or-die priority anymore I'll start this week on it.

Attachment 192044

Attachment 192045



Also, I'm considering a remote water spray system that I can trigger every time he leans against this fence. I wouldn't know where to start, any ideas?

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Well, maybe the dog didn't read the fine print at the inside bottom of the gate post. Get him to read that and maybe he'll stop.

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Originally Posted by acinpdx

should prolly just plan on a duct cleaning after the crew leaves
blocking the registers helps but doesn't really stop the dust

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Well I know it won't stop the dust. I'm not looking to keep my ducts clean, I'm trying to minimize the amount of dust in the rest of the house (I know I can't stop it). But don't want to do so if it'll damage my furnace.