As a dumb DIY’er I have a question.
I have a partially finished basement, and wish to enlarge the existing windows, they’re about 12 x 24 now, and put in a sump pump/sewage pit. My sewer line exits the house about 24″ off the floor.
I’ve never done any concrete cutting. Except when as a kid I helped my dad put windows and a door in our basement. He did it with a star drill and a 10 lb. sledge. I don’t wish to do that. Not even w/ my SDS hammer drill.
My thought is to buy a used concrete saw, the chainsaw type, put a good diamond blade on it, and do one window at a time. Then all the basement floor cutting, pit and runs to bathtub and toliet.
I know the dust will be awful, as will the noise. Figured to mask everything off, keep it misted, and use my central vac and 4-5 shop vac hoses propped up in the area to contain the worst of it.
My questions:
– Do these saws work well?
– Should I only use this type for the windows & rent a floor saw for the basement?
– Should I just save up and pay to get it done? I was quoted a total of $7-800/window w/ excavation, sawing, cleanup, haul off, ect. Plus the cost of a window. Cost for 5 windows plus the floor goes over $4000 just for the concrete cutting.
Honestly, for that price, it’s never going to happen.
Sorry so wordy. But I’d love any inut.
Bill
Replies
IMHO, yes, you should hire this done if you don't know what you're up against for a multitude of reasons. But to answer what you actually asked, concrete saws work quite well considering the density of what you're cutting. They also tend to be a little pricey for a self described DIY'er. You can also rent them, even at the big Orange place if you have one near, or if you're not cutting through great thickness, you can buy concrete blades for your skil saw that work surprisingly well for as cheap as they are (I'm talking about the black coated, serrated edge stuff for $14, not the fibre mesh type). That should get you through or almost through the floor. Your walls might be another issue there. But perhaps you could do the floor yourself and hire someone to do the wall who will assure you they won't let upstairs and downstairs become one during the removal of part of your foundation wall.
In answer to your question regarding the saw, DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY a used saw unless you are sure of what you are buying and have some sort of a warranty with it. My advice is to rent it along with a good dry-cutting diamond blade. These work extremely well for both block and concrete. You can take the steps regarding containing the dust that you mentioned plus wear a rainsuit and have someone trickle a waterhose on the blade as you are cutting. I have found that the slurry created by cutting this way while messy is far easier to cleanup than having dust everywhwere. If you are mechanically inclined and reasonbly proficient with tools then you can easily handle this job. One other thing is to not force the saw. Best of luck.
Mark
Rent an electric, hand held, concrete saw. Visqueen of the area and wear ear plugs, goggles and a good dust mask. Get multiple blades. A diamond may be called for but I have had good luck with the cheaper abrasive ones. Take your time. Even given breaks a cut 40' long at 3" deep is a good working average in 7 hrs.
In my limited experience there is no need to go all the way through. Get 75% through and remainder should break out easily. The windows can be cut from both sides to give you a clean edge to work with.
Please be sure to consult with an engineer about the cutting. taking out concrete in the wrong area may cause a structural failure so be careful. The engineer may want you to install a lintel. Follow his/her advice to the letter. Screw this up royally and you may wish you had spent the $4k.
When making these sorts of cuts I usually snap chalk lines and then install cut nails about 1/2" on the keeper side. I string a taut run of tie wire between the nails. When the dust gets thick the wire can be felt long after the chalk line is obscured. Cutting close to the line minimizes patching and makes them neater.
Thanks for the hint about the wire guide lines. Never would have thought of that. I'm just gathering ideas. For this winter I'm going to cut down some windows I was given to add another pane of glass inside the existing single pane windows. I'll just build some simple frames and screw and caulk them in. They're so water spotted they're only good for light anyway.
Next year I'll get serious and replace the windows. The dollar amounts come from leg work my brother-in-law did to have the same thing done to his house. If I remember right he was quoted $200 a day for the saw and $400 if he broke the blade. I'd have to be convinced the blade was worth that before I agreed to such a thing. Seems to me they'd be hoping you broke their cheap scrap metal Chinese import blade so they could buy a real one. The most expensive blade I could find was $250 for a 14".
I appreciate all the input. I will definately get some real quotes next spring before I decide to torture myself. Right now I'm crawling around in the insulation in the attic adding air chutes in the soffits so I can stop my ice dam problem, so I have a pretty high tolerance for nasty jobs. I even enjoy plumbing, unless it's in a crawlspace or under a sink.
billy,
you could rent a wet cutting concrete chain saw , around here they go for about 250.00 a day.
hi billy. IMO the gas-powered demo saw is one of the most evil tools ever created. you can't imagine the amount of dust one creates making even small cuts. they go through block walls nice but cutting through a poured foundation can take quite a while. if you DIY, get ready for a crappy morning of cutting and a heinous clean-up.
>> you can't imagine the amount of dust one creates ...
Can't you run it wet?
Answering only on saw choices, RENT a Bosch with a new blade on it.
This is a common item at most rental places.
A good quality respirator and goggles is mandatory.
A strong fan to blow the dust away from the cut you're making also helps.
And it helps to hook up the saw to a 20-amp circuit.