Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house? | Page 146 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house?

backmarkerducati said:
It is absolutely required, I have one commonly used light on the smoke alarm circuit to meet code for this prupose. I also ended up with seven smoke alarms, my original design was for six but I needed to make a ceiling hole to get wires to a hard to get to light, might as well make it 4 inches round and put a seventh in, easier to patch... I did combo CO and smoke for all, one in boiler room, laundry room, bottom of basement stairs, first floor front hall, centre hall, then second floor hall and third floor hall both of those for bedrooms on those levels. One goes off, they all go off, way louder than battery only. The smoke alarms are a building code thing (one in or outside every bedroom, min one on each floor, etc.) so I am not sure how the ESA will care if none are there but as a home owner doing the electrical work you need to take everything up a notch to show them you are not an idiot, as most DIY are.
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Our house has similar wired combo alarms. Triggering one instantly sets off all. I really wish there was a one minute delay. Soldering in the basement one night and that touched off both smoke and CO. Screaming children, angry wife, good times. Smokes yell out "fire/feu, evacuate, carbon monoxide levels high, evacuate". With a slight delay I could have stopped it before they all went and imo wouldnt substantially affect life safety. No indication by voice or lights which one set off the alarm which is slightly annoying. I ran around to the rest wondering if something else had gone wrong st the same time. FWIW, soldering in the same location many other times didnt set it off.

Good to know code requires a light with the smokes. I've never needed to install snoke circuit from scratch myself so while I know good ideas, I have no concept of what code requires without some research. I havent checked ours to figure out which light (if any) they used. I have a suspicion that if they used one, it is a light that we rarely use (based on proximity to sensors). Ours have batteries in each detector (again both a good idea and probably required by code) and yell at you if the power is out and the batteries are low.
 
GreyGhost said:
Our house has similar wired combo alarms. Triggering one instantly sets off all. I really wish there was a one minute delay. Soldering in the basement one night and that touched off both smoke and CO. Screaming children, angry wife, good times. Smokes yell out "fire/feu, evacuate, carbon monoxide levels high, evacuate". With a slight delay I could have stopped it before they all went and imo wouldnt substantially affect life safety. No indication by voice or lights which one set off the alarm which is slightly annoying. I ran around to the rest wondering if something else had gone wrong st the same time. FWIW, soldering in the same location many other times didnt set it off.

Good to know code requires a light with the smokes. I've never needed to install snoke circuit from scratch myself so while I know good ideas, I have no concept of what code requires without some research. I havent checked ours to figure out which light (if any) they used. I have a suspicion that if they used one, it is a light that we rarely use (based on proximity to sensors). Ours have batteries in each detector (again both a good idea and probably required by code) and yell at you if the power is out and the batteries are low.
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It is also supposed to be a frequently used light like hallway, kitchen etc. This has been code for a very long time. But who decides what is frequently used, PO, "this is the light to my exotic german scheisse porno closet, I use it hourly....." :)

My only complaint so far is the ones I bought cannot be cancelled with broom handle (it is too fat) like the old battery only ones. Now I need to make some dowel stick contraption for when my wife is cooking.... It is all commonly wired with 14/3 with the red used for the low voltage signalling between alarms. All still require battery backup (ours all have 120v, plus two AA), better ones have a 10 year lithium.
 
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Can't find the post where someone indicated they have a bunch of the google nest/home speakers that they're not using.

If you have 1-2 and are willing to sell them let me know. I'd be interested in dipping my toe into it.
 
Long read but worth it .
Gal friend has nice house, early 80's ranchy bungalow , decides to open up the main floor , kitchen, dining , living . Main support wall taken down on centerline of the house and 16ft beam installed. Hires a construction crew that had just completed the same work across the street , which is where she gets the idea.
They come in and blow out the wall, great job with temp supports while they recess the beam up into the rafter/cieling joists and its a huge space . Piece of cake since they just did they same job on the indentical layout house across the street . Building inspector comes in and walks around , jumps a bit , goes into basement and comes upstairs a bit white , tells Gal to wait outside for him he'll be right out , just needs some photos.
Previous owner had removed the two cinderblock supports that held up the span of the main beam holding up the main floor of the house, that used to support the bearing wall holding up the roof.
The idiots she had in , never went into the basement , they assumed the supports were down there , just like the house across the street. Upon review , her home inspector never noticed it either.
Construction crew was able to come back THAT afternoon and start putting lally columns into the basement. They fixed in for no charge.
65K for interior renos and this is what you get
 
This is what we want to do…neighbour met a guy a few blocks away that did the same thing. Need to meet him.

Same side split layout we have as a base.

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That looks pretty good, I see quite a few 'stick on' additions that look out of place. That one looks good

Moving up costs a LOT less than moving sideways , and less than just moving house.
 
crankcall said:
That looks pretty good, I see quite a few 'stick on' additions that look out of place. That one looks good

Moving up costs a LOT less than moving sideways , and less than just moving house.
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I actually went back to show my wife and met the owner. He said it was painful for many reason but said he doesn’t regret it. Did it 5 years ago for 200k including Reno in the main living floor.
 
Renos have become very expensive in the last few years. About 8 years back I built a 1-1/2 story carriage house out back, 900sq of garage on the 1st and 500sq on the second. It cost me under $50K - $5k for 8 course foundation, $17K framing, $2K garage floor, $5K for doors and windows, $7K for stone stucco I built a house, $2K electrical, $5K plumbing, $3K HVAC, and $4K for drywall and taping.

I just had the same plan quoted for another place, vinyl siding (no stone/stucco), no plumbing or HVAC... $200K.

On another project, I was quoted $3200 for 24x32 gable roof trusses in June 2020 - COVID put thet on hold. Just got the quote for Mar 2022 delivery... $8200. Fak.
 
One thing the guy I talked to told me which really threw me for a loop was that even if I get a builder to build me a frame and enclose it…City may not provide an occupancy permit until a certain level of construction is completed as it’s ‘uninhabitable’.

Need to find out what that point is.
 
mimico_polak said:
One thing the guy I talked to told me which really threw me for a loop was that even if I get a builder to build me a frame and enclose it…City may not provide an occupancy permit until a certain level of construction is completed as it’s ‘uninhabitable’.

Need to find out what that point is.
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That's dumb. You will be weather tight and have a working bathroom and cooking area. I havent heard of them converting a house to uninhabitable for a reno/addition.
 
agreed @GreyGhost. His Reno was much more extensive where they moved the entire kitchen and main floor was also renovated. So maybe there was a misunderstanding between us.

I’ll call the city to get a better idea. We drove around a bit with my wife looking at houses and frankly…we’re leaning toward the Reno much more than selling and buying.
 
GreyGhost said:
That's dumb. You will be weather tight and have a working bathroom and cooking area. I havent heard of them converting a house to uninhabitable for a reno/addition.
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I asked about it 40 years ago in Mississauga and was told it had to be ready for trim to get an occupancy permit but that was for a new build.

Would MP be able to live in the rest of the house during construction or does it lose its occupancy permit as well? If not the cottage would come in handy but all it takes is a supply chain issue and work grinds to a halt.

After WWII out west people that wanted to build their own homes could live in the basement once the first floor sub deck was in place and waterproofed, usually with tar paper. There would be a lean-to cover the stairs.

The problem was once they got to that point, progress all to often stopped. I know some area of Manitoba had radon issues but I don't know if that was considered back then.
 
GreyGhost said:
That's dumb. You will be weather tight and have a working bathroom and cooking area. I havent heard of them converting a house to uninhabitable for a reno/addition.
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Brother in law bought a former grow op house after whoever confiscated it refurbished it, and it didn't have a working kitchen at the time.
He didn't seem to have any problem occupying it, and he later sold it.
 
Baggsy said:
Brother in law bought a former grow op house after whoever confiscated it refurbished it, and it didn't have a working kitchen at the time.
He didn't seem to have any problem occupying it, and he later sold it.
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I think the bar is somewhere around a single working sink and toilet and a hotplate. I've seen occupancy granted without a kitchen. Hot plate on a plywood bathroom counter and they were good to go. Homeowner was super ******, builder shrugged and said where's my money?
 
I'm pretty sure I'd get occupancy if the stairs/railings are up and installed (not temporary railing) and the addition is already enclosed.
 
GreyGhost said:
Here, I'm allowed a shed 14'9" tall. I havent found a definitive reference yet as to where to measure on the building. Some municipalities use the peak, some use half way up the slope and some use the break in a mansard roof. Zoning at our last house was break in mansard roof if you wanted to maximize volume. On a 105 sq ft pad, I had worked out a ~250 sq ft shed but never built it. Only slightly conflicted with by-law (i say ceiling joists with shear bracing/barrier to keep animals out, somebody else may argue it's a 2nd storey on the shed)


It's a little ridiculous that you can build 10x10.5x14.75 with no permit. That thing is asking to blow over.
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Most municipalities use 120sq' with a midpoint of 4m for a peaked roof, or 4m max height for a flat roof. Gambrel ir Mansard won't change things as they are measured like a gable roof.

You cannot have a loft, stairs, or plumbing in an unpermitted shed. You also have to meet building code.

120sq feet is a magic number for no permit. It not a limit for an accessory building - most municipalities let you cover 10% of your lot area with accessory buildings. My guess is you could build a 500sq' shed with a 250sq loft in Mimico.
 
backmarkerducati said:
Entertainment on the DIY electrical front, as noted before I really now hate Eaton switches and outlets, poorly designed but this here is not why.... three way switches....

Regardless some have made it into my wiring (how I figured out I REALLY hate them). If you mix them with Leviton in a three-way switch configuration and you do the travellers the same way at both ends and orient the switches the same on both ends they end up "out of sync" (off is one up, one down). Normally I would have never cared but our youngest has become obsessed with "synchronizing" the switches (all down is off--one up, one down is on). LOL, now it is starting to bug me! I guess I either need to switch the travellers (red and black) on one switch or flip one over.... I will switch the wires--have a half dozen to change now! Oddly, add a four-way into the middle of the configuration and it fixes it like our basement stairs.... The two brands are opposite inside...

This BTW is not why I hate them. The way they are designed they pull the wire around the screw while tightening the screws, which makes it difficult to get a proper tight connection. Leviton doesn't do this, the wire stays put more or less and the screw gets tight. Backstab is out of the question as it is one of the major causes of arc-fault nuisance trips over time (regardless of brand), new code arc-fault is everywhere. Now only my boiler, fridge and fire-alarms are not.
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I no longer use 3 ways, smart wifi switches eliminate travellers. You can put the second (3rd, 4th,5th...) anywhere.
 
Mad Mike said:
Most municipalities use 120sq' with a midpoint of 4m for a peaked roof, or 4m max height for a flat roof. Gambrel ir Mansard won't change things as they are measured like a gable roof.

You cannot have a loft, stairs, or plumbing in an unpermitted shed. You also have to meet building code.

120sq feet is a magic number for no permit. It not a limit for an accessory building - most municipalities let you cover 10% of your lot area with accessory buildings. My guess is you could build a 500sq' shed with a 250sq loft in Mimico.
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Previous municipality explicitly called out break in a mansard roof as the height. Gambrel, gable etc were mean of peak and drip.

I wasn't going to put stairs. A pipe along the front and a hooked ladder would gain access to the ceiling plenum (to check for leaks). No plumbing.

120 sq ft is over no permit limit for most municipalities I have looked at. Most are 10m^2 which is 107.5 sq ft.
 
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