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

[Baggsy]

I was going to ask what's holding up the ductwork, and wiring?
I'm not sure that you should remove all that before, you have something in place to take the weight.
Maybe put in some metal strapping to hold it up first.
If you have the space, then after you seal everything, you could drop some hangars and put in a grid ceiling, which would give decent access to all the mechanical bits. Depends on how much clearance you have under the ducts.
Otherwise, you could go around it with metal stud and track. It tends to be a lot faster than wood. Pretty much all you need are a pair of aviation snips, and some screws.

I'll trade you issues, my PO did the plumbing on the cheap.

 

[mimico_polak]

I was going to ask what's holding up the ductwork, and wiring?
I'm not sure that you should remove all that before, you have something in place to take the weight.
Maybe put in some metal strapping to hold it up first.
If you have the space, then after you seal everything, you could drop some hangars and put in a grid ceiling, which would give decent access to all the mechanical bits. Depends on how much clearance you have under the ducts.
Otherwise, you could go around it with metal stud and track. It tends to be a lot faster than wood. Pretty much all you need are a pair of aviation snips, and some screws.

I'll trade you issues, my PO did the plumbing on the cheap.

The duct is held up still by screws into the old drywall...I didn't dare take it down. The wiring is being held up by it's own weight, but I literally just came back from HD with some 2x4, 2x2, and metal strapping just in case.

As for cheapo plumbing...been there done that. I'm still waiting for that **** show to start. 2 things that come to mind...

1. plumbing behind washer / dryer is horrible, and has started a very slow leak. It's all cemented together so I have to rip it all off and re-do the entire assembly, not the end of the world.
2. underground sprinkler system has a leak underneath my concrete slab...I'm not even sure how to tackle this issue. It's not really an issue at this point in time, but when I turn it on you can see water bubbling up through the joint.

 

[crankcall]

My dishwasher puked out on the kitchen floor, off we go to the appliance store. 5 weeks delivery...... north american shortage of appliances. Guess I'm washing dishes till August. Yes I could carry one home from Home depot today, but thats not the washer I want. First world problems LOL

 

[mimico_polak]

My dishwasher puked out on the kitchen floor, off we go to the appliance store. 5 weeks delivery...... north american shortage of appliances. Guess I'm washing dishes till August. Yes I could carry one home from Home depot today, but thats not the washer I want. First world problems LOL

Out microwave is making a horrible noise for close to 3-4 months now. Still works but I can’t find a specific one that’ll fit properly....so we continue with the noise.

good thing is wife hates microwaved food so it’s only used when I’m home.

 

[Trials]

Out microwave is making a horrible noise for close to 3-4 months now. Still works but I can’t find a specific one that’ll fit properly....so we continue with the noise.

good thing is wife hates microwaved food so it’s only used when I’m home.

Does it make a 60 cycle buzz or intense humm? The power transformer is making that noise, it's the steel plates rattling against each other.

 

[sburns]

Spent the last 2 days ripping off 50 year old drywall in the garage. I didn't know they made drywall in such small pieces! And they nailed them into the wood framing! 2 layers of drywall...plus a layer of cement / grout onto it...motherf'er...what a pain in the ass that was.



Was hoping to start spray foam tomorrow but the previous owner left such a Mickey Mouse job of the framing for the ducting that I'll be tearing that off and replacing with new...it's held onto the drywall that I'm taking off the ceiling...not the actual joists. Ugh.



What's best to use to frame the ducting? 2x4 or 2x2? Want something sturdy that will hold properly.

Also considering putting in wood verticals with carriage bolts to set up a storage space from the ceiling. May be better than hanging off the joists through the new drywall. But still not sure. Have about 12" of overhead space I can use...maybe 18" as the Odyssey is the reference for parking in the garage. Nothing else we buy will be taller.

Don't ya like surprises like that. I dunno how people come up with these ideas.
Looks like it will be a fun project. Good luck!

 

[mimico_polak]

Well did the base layer of spray with those DIY kits from HD...overall very happy with the result. No fumes, easy spray, and some left over but I tossed it in the bin.

it ain’t pretty but all joints sealed.

 

[Baggsy]

Make sure it's sealed up tight. The ductwork too. You don't want any exhaust fumes leaking through.

 

[Joe Bass]

Anyone have any experience mounting a fence onto concrete? my parents want to run a 6' tall fence (4x4 posts, 1x6 board) approx. 30 feet down the one side of their house. There is already a concrete pathway and the last owner seemed to have the same idea as there is a 6"x6" curb/footing running on the far side - basically like this minus the cast in place posts.

Was thinking of using something like these and epoxying in place. I guess my main concern is the amount of leverage the fence would be putting onto the concrete footing. I could install 2-3 tiebacks to the house if necessary. Curious to hear everyone's opinions. There is the option of doing a traditional post down to the frost line however they would need to talk the neighbor into pulling out part of their beloved hedge.

It's going to be a privacy fence? Because putting up a chain link would be much easier in this situation.
And I don't like those bases for a fence, especially a long run.
And even more so if there is wind there and the wood fence doesn't have decent gaps.
I would worry that it will fall over prematurely.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

 

[Mad Mike]

Are you at least using a dimpler? Super cheap and works surprisingly well.

I don’t like these, they are designed for low speed drivers. Use them in a cordless drill and you’re going to pop the paper frequently, especially on the lightweight air entrained board.

if you use one, be sure to palm the board tight before driving the screw. Real drywall guns have a larger ring that you use to push the board tight to the stud, the ring on these doesn’t work the same way, you have to use your other hand to press the board otherwise only the screw head pulls in the board.

 

[Mad Mike]

The duct is held up still by screws into the old drywall...I didn't dare take it down. The wiring is being held up by it's own weight, but I literally just came back from HD with some 2x4, 2x2, and metal strapping just in case.

As for cheapo plumbing...been there done that. I'm still waiting for that **** show to start. 2 things that come to mind...

1. plumbing behind washer / dryer is horrible, and has started a very slow leak. It's all cemented together so I have to rip it all off and re-do the entire assembly, not the end of the world.
2. underground sprinkler system has a leak underneath my concrete slab...I'm not even sure how to tackle this issue. It's not really an issue at this point in time, but when I turn it on you can see water bubbling up through the joint.

My kid used to fix underslab leaks, he used PEX. Most sprinkler lines are 3/4 poly, you can slide 1/2” PEX inside that pipe, (3/4 PEX inside 1” poly). You will lose some pressure/volume however this may not be an issue as most sprinklers are not engineered, the are just poly piped for cheap easy install.

 

[Lyndsay]

Ah ok....sure looked like drywall, and tasted it too before I put a respirator on. As for insulation...yes that's the reason this whole this was undertaken. Our floor above the garage was freezing, and the insulation consisted of paper with insulation material inside...about 30% of the space was not insulated. The insulation was 2" thick, and then 8" of empty space above.

I'm planning on using the kit from HD (A/B components) for a 1" base, and then throwing some Batt insulation underneath that. The cost of doing a 3" layer (approx) was close to $3800 from a company so I looked at other options. But before I get there I need to fix those duct 'supports'.

Be careful about going thin on the foam. If you aren't placing a new vapour barrier along the joists, you end up creating a condensation point which is in your batts. This is not a good idea. When I built my place, I used "flash and batt" and there were tables that showed how much foam was necessary to ensure the condensation point was in the foam, where there is no moisture to condense, depending on your location. You're not truly doing flash and batt, as the foam is against the warm side, and I don't know how much that would change things. Also you're in the garage, which is probably not going to get that cold, so it might not be an issue. The proper way would be to tear up the floor, and spray the appropriate level of foam, then fill the remaining gap with batts, but that is of course way too much work. Just one of the reasons I prefer building new as compared to renovations.

There was an article in Fine Homebuilding years ago on flash and batt. I'll ll\ook at home and see if I still have it. L

 

[mimico_polak]

@Lyndsay thanks for that. I’m actually considering getting another kit and going thicker. It’s not a whole lot of work and may be the way to go before I install the batt.

 

[crankcall]

Screw the house this week, I just picked up two stand up paddleboards and i'm going to the lake.

I know , SUP's are for guys that cant afford an outboard, but I think this could be entertaining.

 

[Chaos]

Note: I have not read the entire thread, so this might have been answered:

Is anyone doing renovations via a contractor (presumably with subs)? I am considering renovating my place but am wondering if things have remained on schedule, or delayed due to work stoppages?

 

[GreyGhost]

Note: I have not read the entire thread, so this might have been answered:

Is anyone doing renovations via a contractor (presumably with subs)? I am considering renovating my place but am wondering if things have remained on schedule, or delayed due to work stoppages?

In general or covid related? On-time completion is a unicorn in the best of times. The small projects (renovation or single house construction) that I know of that were happening during covid ground to a halt for a few months but are now operating normally. Large scale construction (subdivision/condo) didn't skip a beat (in fact some gained time because it was easier for people and material to get to the sites with less traffic).

 

[r3r3r3]

I deal with commercial construction for work but have been helping my parents quote a few larger projects around their house.

Labour backlog is somewhat of an issue but less now. There is still people content staying on CERB however there is a lot of people desperate and putting in long weeks. Highly skilled labour (esp. the old guys not worried about taking a summer off) can be an issue - however that was an problem pre COVID as well.

Demand is also up for residential. Lots of people sitting at home realizing how much they hate XYZ. (Good) Kitchen and bathroom guy's were saying they could schedule sometime late summer / fall while quoting in June. You might have a hard time finding someone to take on smaller low margin projects. At the same time i'd be very wary of the Kijiji fly by night contractors suddenly popping up, lots of people trying to reinvent themselves with entire other industries disappearing. I mean it can't be that hard I watch a ton of HGTV.

The CAD is also down and manufacturing was shut down / restricted for several months in a lot of places. Average cost for materials must (anecdotally) be 15-20% higher than it was last year and some stuff is hard to find. I remember paying $3.50-$3.70 for a 2"x4"x8' last year, seems to be more like $4.10 - $4.30 now. Don't expect that custom carrara marble vanity from Italy to be arriving anytime soon, etc.

 

[GreyGhost]

There is still people content staying on CERB however there is a lot of people desperate and putting in long weeks. Highly skilled labour (esp. the old guys not worried about taking a summer off) can be an issue - however that was an problem pre COVID as well.

That's a good point. I know of some contractors that are only working for cash right now as they are also claiming CERB.

 

[mimico_polak]

Note: I have not read the entire thread, so this might have been answered:

Is anyone doing renovations via a contractor (presumably with subs)? I am considering renovating my place but am wondering if things have remained on schedule, or delayed due to work stoppages?

Every single contractor I know is so busy that they’re refusing work. People have money to spend, and they’re doing lots of work. I’ve had guys outright tell me ‘sure I’ll do it....in a month’.

 

[Chaos]

In general or covid related? On-time completion is a unicorn in the best of times. The small projects (renovation or single house construction) that I know of that were happening during covid ground to a halt for a few months but are now operating normally. Large scale construction (subdivision/condo) didn't skip a beat (in fact some gained time because it was easier for people and material to get to the sites with less traffic).

For sure, nothing is ever on time, especially with one-off work. I am more curious if the one-off work was effectively shut down during covid. I would assume not entirely, but I have no idea the level of delays as a result.

I understand large construction has more or less gone on without interruption save for a period of time where no permits were being issued (I have friend and family in large scale construction that were affected to a degree)