Enough of COVID...what are you doing to the house? | Page 261 | GTAMotorcycle.com

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

GreyGhost said:
I am assuming you aren't planning on breaking up the slab. Shower for tub swap isn't a big deal. Laundry in old kitchen can be slightly more complicated but doesn't have to be. My parents have washer dishcharge into laundry tub. That has some advantages and disadvantages. No idea about code on that one. If it's allowed, that makes laundry plumbing super simple. I would probably install a trapped discharge stack as people expect modern laundry rooms to be strangely pretty.
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We are removing the kitchen counters and cupboards, so instead of a stove, we'll have the dryer (there's already a vent and the proper electrical) and instead of the sink /counter, we'll have the washer (all the water connections are there).
The old space for the laundry can ideally have my tools go there so i can have them a bit more organized

I don't think we'll need to break slab tbh. But the drain need to be "redirected" along with the piping for the shower
 
People i bought my garage wheelchair elevator from wanted $5000 to remove the 3 steps and build a platform for it. A friend did it for cost of materials. And when it was done, he said it was all off cuts. No charge.
I need to find someone to remove it and build steps.
 

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Going to switch to some LED panels in the basement drop ceiling. Tell me that most sparkys aren't this stupid?!?
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Wingboy said:
People i bought my garage wheelchair elevator from wanted $5000 to remove the 3 steps and build a platform for it. A friend did it for cost of materials. And when it was done, he said it was all off cuts. No charge.
I need to find someone to remove it and build steps.
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I would think demolishing that should be pretty easy, and couldn't you just reuse the steps by attaching them under the door?
 
Relax said:
I would think demolishing that should be pretty easy, and couldn't you just reuse the steps by attaching them under the door?
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Or move them to the side by the heater to gain back some garage width. Stairs to a door with no landing can get you into code trouble (many houses have that though).
 
Wingboy said:
Don't want to do it myself. Sue's brain injury in 2017 was from a fall off the top step.
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What's the goal of the project? Sell lift to make money/help someone else? Make garage space more useful? Free up garage space? Landing is far safer than steps to door but obviously uses up some space.
 
GreyGhost said:
Or move them to the side by the heater to gain back some garage width. Stairs to a door with no landing can get you into code trouble (many houses have that though).
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When did that take effect? I've never had a landing on my garage entrance, but then the last new build I purchased was completed in 2008.Also, what constitutes a landing, is there a minimum square footage, or is a step at floor level good enough?
 
Relax said:
When did that take effect? I've never had a landing on my garage entrance, but then the last new build I purchased was completed in 2008.Also, what constitutes a landing, is there a minimum square footage, or is a step at floor level good enough?
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Long ago but I suspect most houses use the 3 step rule to avoid it. As WB is tragically aware, three steps is more than enough to change your life.

There are rules for size but in the ballpark of 3'x3' as a first cut.


 
Wingboy said:
People i bought my garage wheelchair elevator from wanted $5000 to remove the 3 steps and build a platform for it. A friend did it for cost of materials. And when it was done, he said it was all off cuts. No charge.
I need to find someone to remove it and build steps.
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This is a pretty easy DIY project.

Remove treads from the existing stairs (save them), then break down the platform.

Pick up a couple of these from HD ($35 each), bolt them to the frame under your door, and reattach the treads.


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As long as your door swings into the house (and not out over the stairs), you're OK with the building code.
 
GreyGhost said:
Long ago but I suspect most houses use the 3 step rule to avoid it. As WB is tragically aware, three steps is more than enough to change your life.

There are rules for size but in the ballpark of 3'x3' as a first cut.


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You don't need a landing so long as the door at the top opens into the house and cannot swing over the stairs. OBC 9.8.6.2. paragraph 2.
 
Mad Mike said:
This is a pretty easy DIY project.

Remove treads from the existing stairs (save them), then break down the platform.

Pick up a couple of these from HD ($35 each), bolt them to the frame under your door, and reattach the treads.


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As long as your door swings into the house (and not out over the stairs), you're OK with the building code.
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His door swings into house. You can see the strike plate.
 
Mad Mike said:
This is a pretty easy DIY project.

Remove treads from the existing stairs (save them), then break down the platform.

Pick up a couple of these from HD ($35 each), bolt them to the frame under your door, and reattach the treads.


View attachment 58527
As long as your door swings into the house (and not out over the stairs), you're OK with the building code.
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Yes. I know it's something i could handle. But the strain of reliving Oct 21 2017 1:15pm would be too much.
I'm doing pretty good remembering the good times we had.
 
Mad Mike said:
You don't need a landing so long as the door at the top opens into the house and cannot swing over the stairs. OBC 9.8.6.2. paragraph 2.
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Need and good idea aren't always the same. For some the 9 sq ft saved is important. Others may be happy to feel (and be) safer by having a safe place near a door.
 
Wingboy said:
Yes. I know it's something i could handle. But the strain of reliving Oct 21 2017 1:15pm would be too much.
I'm doing pretty good remembering the good times we had.
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Your reason for farming it out is sound. I'd checked with friends (as you are doing here I'd like to think) or family who can recommend a decent contractor/handyman. I had to do that recently for some windows and doors. Normally I'd do everything myself and when the job just sounded a bit large I didn't know who to call.
Of course you must expect a wait........
 
Ouch. Was looking at smart thermostat as enbridge rebate plus black friday takes a bunch off the price. House was only wired with four wire thermostat wire. The plan is to install a heat pump next year so I would like at least 8 wires, preferably a few more for spares or humidifier/erv control. No good route for adding a wire with finished ceiling in basement. I might be able to run up into attic, around soffit to garage, down garage wall, through wall into furnace room. That will need a bunch of wire. Being an idiot I was thinking thermostat wire would be cheap as it's thin copper. Nope. Five wire thermostat cable is $1/ft when you buy it by the spool. That may be enough to re-evaluate the project.

Such a stupid system. I don't know why nest or ecobee haven't gone to communicating units. Install a breakout box in the furnace room, use three wires up to thermostat for power, common and data. Done. Even if that was an add-on that doubled the price, it's still cheaper than installing more wire. As breakout box has some brains (to decode data), it would be easy enough for it to be the master device and could function without the input device Obviously sensing temp in the furnace room not the living area but better than nothing in a pinch. If they were smart, if it lost connection to input device it would run the fan for a few minutes an hour and check temp in the return air to decide whether to fire the furnace.

It can't be that hard to make my own communicating thermostat from scratch. Or maybe I can get away with just the breakout box. It grabs dumb signals from the existing thermostat (heat, cool or fan) and modifies them appropriately (which stage of heating, which stage of cooling, engage reversing valve, etc.). Have a second dumb thermostat in the basement wired in parallel set at 50F as a failsafe in case the smart box takes a dump. That's easier than making my own hardware input device and having to make communication work. Something like a raspberry pi connected to wifi with an IO board, relay board and a 24V transformer gets me most of the way there wrt hardware.

EDIT:
FWIW, given my expected use, Nest is the clear favorite at this time. In the past, ecobee was slightly ahead imo.
 
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Just realized that my "suspended" ceiling in the basement is suspended by exactly four nails on the cross tees using clips.

Picture to follow.

I think either Mimico's previous homeowner had a house or relative in Ottawa, or the acoustic technicians are as bad as the electricians.

Edit:

Picture
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I will probably put some hangars in on the main tees for support. May look into safety chains for the lights, although they're not heavy.
I won't try to level it. :poop:
 
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