Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house? | Page 147 | GTAMotorcycle.com

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

GreyGhost said:
Does that meet code?
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Mostly.

Where the building code says you need three-way wired connection (i.e in stairways that have more than 4 risers) when it's connecting a finished space.

I don't know when this entered the building code, there are a lot of 60's and back houses that don't have this, my house included.

When I redid my house, I put 2 and 3 button wifi switches in convenient places. For example, I have a 2-panel wifi switch in my master, the top switch controls the bedroom lighting, the bottom shuts every light in the house off through programming (not wiring). I have the same in my kitchen, a 3 way panel with one doing the kitchen lights (wired), another doing the detached garage (programming), and another doing all the outside accent lights (programming). This setup is not covered by code. There are a few others too.

I also have a Nest panel in the kitchen that can control everything. Killer deal right now, $70 at Bestbuy, I just bought a few -- they are awesome for home automation.
 
GreyGhost said:
Does that meet code?
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It will likely depend.... May satisfy building code requirements, IDK.

From an electrical code perspective if it was new build or the walls were open, no. If it was retrofit IMO the inspector may let it slide. In a retrofit (rewire) many things do not apply, for example in a closed wall wires do not need to be stapled, don't need to have an outlet every 12 feet (6 foot cord X2), etc. But that may depend on the inspector??? Many times people can't "easily" get there from here with the wires without major damage, I have the tools and tricks down that mostly solves all that.

As for smart switches etc. Doing a rewire I prefer to do it 100% right and then if I want to add them later I can--no cutting corners for my house. Something to be said for the old tech and having switches in good locations. Smart stuff really adds little value for me other than turning lights on and off from the couch and scheduling--don't need either. Another aspect, I pulled switches out that were functioning properly and were 80 years old, many others multi decades old, no way any of the smart stuff will last that long, not just a build quality thing but a changing technology thing. Reverse compatibility when the new tech comes out....a buddy that was an early adopter has already hit that wall and has been replacing...
 
How I would love to re-wire my house to something more clean and proper…..maybe I’ll start with the addition if we go that route.
 
mimico_polak said:
How I would love to re-wire my house to something more clean and proper…..maybe I’ll start with the addition if we go that route.
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Depending on the condition of the existing and the size of the service the addition may trigger some re-wire.... Might push to a larger service (specially if you have a car charger) etc.

Ball parking the age of your house.... If it is all copper NMSC (even the older 60°C--ie not the modern plastic sheath but the more cloth outer sheath) and it is good shape I would not care too much. If it is older copper NMSC I would check some lights to see if the insulation is burned up, any that could have had actual 100W+ bulbs in the past, kitchen is a good place to start.

Aluminum or K&T it is full rewire time IMO. Safety on the aluminum for sure (splices to copper and of course any outlets or switches that have been replaced are likely not aluminum rated) and of course insurance purposes. K&T is not that bad as long as it has not been messed with and the insulation is intact in the lights like above, GFCI outlets can be used to give proper three pronged receptacles etc. (BTW I have a bunch now that are used--for this purpose--and are now surplus to me) .... but insurance hates it.
 
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Scuba Steve said:
More fun with Kevin

Sent using a thumb maybe 2
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He never waterproofed the outside….but it’s also not necessarily from the outside.

Going to get a hole saw in order to check one drain which got covered up. 50ft snake is already in the garage.

But the clean out is blocked by the hot water tank so may have to replace it sooner than later.
 
mimico_polak said:
He never waterproofed the outside….but it’s also not necessarily from the outside.

Going to get a hole saw in order to check one drain which got covered up. 50ft snake is already in the garage.

But the clean out is blocked by the hot water tank so may have to replace it sooner than later.
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Before you start opening up the inside…

Check the outside of the house that the rain was driving up against. Check window sills for missing/cracked mortar and caulking around the windows on that side (I had this issue myself years ago).

Look for visible cracks in the foundation.

Also, check your downspouts are all performing correctly and draining away from the house.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Floor looks dry today...although there is a definite moist spot right where the tile floor goes toward the laundry drain.

Will see what the other drain looks like.
 
IIRC you have a concrete slab around most of the house. Sloped properly that should be enough to protect the basement from foundation leaks.

My problem was one section of over loaded eaves trough that was also under maintained. I just redid everything I could to rectify it short of excavation.

When did this happen and is there any link to rainfall. We've been dry here for a day or two.

PS One leak was traced back to a calking defect at a door jamb. Quick fix and no problem.
 
mimico_polak said:
Guess I’m ripping apart my basement to look for a leak. Motherf…er water leaking out from underneath my floor in the basement….

View attachment 52562
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The dimple barrier on the right is spooky - looks like an inside-the-house drainage repair has already been done.

That stuff is best on the outside of the foundation. A quick and dirty fix for a leak in the foundation is to chip out a few inches of floor where it meets the wall, run dimple board on the wall, set the dimple board into the trench, run it up the wall then fill the trench with concrete. Personally I'd never do this unless fixing from the outside was impossible -- and then I'd do a a continuous run around the entire foundation.

Localized treatment is often a bandaid, if hydrostatic pressure under the basement slab due to poor or blocked weeping, the interior dimpleboard is not a solution. As mentioned earlier look for blocked drain spouts and negative grading anywhere around the house.

I solved this one of my old houses a few years back by burying 2x8 sheets of 1" Styrofoam on a slope away from the house. I set the sheets 1' below grade on around the perimeter - worked like a charm!
 
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Another raccoons break-and-enter. Today's job is to replace a section of ripped out soffit. This must be a big one, I could almost fit thru the opening he created!

Should get 2 hats out of this one.
 
Mad Mike said:
The dimple barrier on the right is spooky - looks like an inside-the-house drainage repair has already been done.

That stuff is best on the outside of the foundation. A quick and dirty fix for a leak in the foundation is to chip out a few inches of floor where it meets the wall, run dimple board on the wall, set the dimple board into the trench, run it up the wall then fill the trench with concrete. Personally I'd never do this unless fixing from the outside was impossible -- and then I'd do a a continuous run around the entire foundation.

Localized treatment is often a bandaid, if hydrostatic pressure under the basement slab due to poor or blocked weeping, the interior dimpleboard is not a solution. As mentioned earlier look for blocked drain spouts and negative grading anywhere around the house.

I solved this one of my old houses a few years back by burying 2x8 sheets of 1" Styrofoam on a slope away from the house. I set the sheets 1' below grade on around the perimeter - worked like a charm!
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I got interested in an interior dimple sheet installation on behalf of someone else. For starters I called a couple of commercial waterproofing companies I had worked with and they weren't in favour of the idea, usually referred to as French Drains. I also called two different manufacturers for their take on the stuff and they didn't have any information on the system installed inside.

My main concern would be mold from any moisture trapped behind the barrier. We had the stuff installed on the outside at a couple of hundred dollars a foot of wall IIRC. Well worth it but could have bought a new car instead.

However the family member had little choice as going from the outside would have meant ripping up two driveways plus porches front and rear. They're happy and it's none of my business.
 
Mad Mike said:
Another raccoons break-and-enter. Today's job is to replace a section of ripped out soffit. This must be a big one, I could almost fit thru the opening he created!

Should get 2 hats out of this one.
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or some cold weather mitts for riding!
 
nobbie48 said:
I got interested in an interior dimple sheet installation on behalf of someone else. For starters I called a couple of commercial waterproofing companies I had worked with and they weren't in favour of the idea, usually referred to as French Drains. I also called two different manufacturers for their take on the stuff and they didn't have any information on the system installed inside.

My main concern would be mold from any moisture trapped behind the barrier. We had the stuff installed on the outside at a couple of hundred dollars a foot of wall IIRC. Well worth it but could have bought a new car instead.

However the family member had little choice as going from the outside would have meant ripping up two driveways plus porches front and rear. They're happy and it's none of my business.
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You've seen my house...I've got about 200ft of concrete thanks to Kevin around the house that would need to be ripped up.

Plus the shed
Plus the deck
Plus the stairs to the entrance
Plus the driveway
Plus the front garden

I'm actually tempted to do the work myself and just renting a mini-excavator and figure it out on the fly. I can always pay someone to operate it but I'm just not sure how to deal with the deck/shed...I'd prefer NOT to rip them up.

As for the concrete...sledgehammer or a chipping gun...not many other options. Or I can just cut 2-3ft of concrete away from the house and did there. Shed can stay up, patio can stay up and then just re-pour new concrete.

My neighbour a few doors down did it with a shovel and muscle...not sure if I'd want to undergo that process by hand.

My bank account hurts just thinking about it.
 
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