I will start this project this week (arch review & permits & ordering). It’s got 18′ Tuscan columns, a bracketed Juliet balcony, shop-made French doors, a slate porch, AND it’s on a good street across from a church – should be great advertising.
House is 1850s, with some unfortunate additions over the years – gonna make it all better.
I’ll post pix as I go – I’ve wanted the job for years; I designed it four years ago – finally the client signed on the dotted line!
Forrest
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Replies
looks like a great job.
Keep us posted.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Check this out...
Man, that's a sweet job!
Forrest
Your pic is way too big.
Try Irfanview
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Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
I have photoshop, but then I'd have to charga ya ;-)
Okay - finally ready to go on this cool circa 1875 project this morning. Passed the Historical Review Committee hurdle last Wednesday - had to run from my time on the witness stand right over to another municipal building and present!
18' columns are at my supplier; I'll get 'em delivered today; pick up my permit; drive my sign in the ground. Start laying out the fouindation - think I'm gonna' splurge and buy a used mixer for these small jobs.
Took so long 'cuz it had to advertised for one month (official city sign in front of the house, soliciting comment at the 12 July meeting) as to the modification in a historical district.
Gonna be a great job and just a super next 12-15 months - three big addition jobs lined right up after this. A 1905 Queen Anne, a 1956 brick ranch, and a 1982 log cabin.
Darn, but I'm diverse!
Forrest - lovin' life at this moment
Posted for public comment
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To start
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Peeled slab - got some sill rot to deal with. New slab ~ 6" thick to be poured over this. Just to different I'm gonna' hold it away from the wood structure and actually flash it ;-). It's about 22" thick now - many layers over the years.
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Nice columns delivered - 18' long X 20" diameter; fluted Tuscan - fiberglas.
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Did some design work last night afterwards. Scaled the Tuscan order architrave (soffit) from my 1903 "American Vignola" reprint. Gonna be fun to build!
Forrest
Edited 7/18/2006 6:04 am by McDesign
Decided to split the pour into two - slate tile will go on this, so I broke the pour at a grout line; I'll uses sanded caulk for that joint & drill in some rebar dowels. New slab sits "saddle-fashion" on the 2' thick layered old one.
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I've got a lot of sill repair to do, it turns out. I want to get the portico columns up and the roof on first, before I strip all the siding in the front recess.
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Still trying to contact the column manufacturer for hold-down/uplift engineering. City here requires nothing. I'm guesing I'll use SS angle brackets & redheads; concealed under the hollow plinth - something similar up top.
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Forrest - yes, I just went back before dark and steel-troweled it
We used two fiberglass columns inside to hold up a load-bearing beam - in earthquake country. I don't have the final drawings or pics, but the engineer ended up spec'ing angle iron (fairly thick, maybe 1/8" or 3/16", ~1 1/2" wide by ~2" long on each side).
The angle was bolted to the columns with 3/8" or 1/2" bolts and lagged into the beam and foundation beams (directly - through the floor). A little grinding to round the corners of the angle iron was required so the bases could seat correctly.
First time the GC or lead had worked with the fiberglass. We were all suitably impressed - much stronger than we expected.
Obviously this in no substitute for the engineers; hope it helps though!
Thanks for the input - good to hear that it sounds doable! I'll see what the column engineering department has to say, but I'll bet it'll be just what you said.
Forrest
Got the 18' columns erected today - all alone. Tied off 3 tiers of 6-8 walk-thru scaffolding to a tree to brace it, and pulled up the columns with a block and tackle from the other side. I rested the bottom against the piers so they wouldn't slide inward as I lifted.
Never could contact the manufacturer in time; went ahead with some heavy Simpson hold-downs, 1/2" bolts, and 1/2'x6" red heads.
Layout and hold-downs
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Bolted down
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One up; right column is tied, ready to pull
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Two up
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Bases and capitals installed
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Front view - need to trim some limbs!
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Corner view
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Detail of base - 27" square X 10-3/4" tall
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Designing the roof structure tonight.
Forrest
Got the basic entablature beams installed today and tied to the house. Basically 2x12 ladders; 15-1/2" wide; skinned beneath with 1/2 BCX. Underneath then gets 1x4 grids and 1/4 round to make recessed panels; vertical sides get 1X. Finished beam width will match the top diameter of the columns; 17".
Total height of the whole structure above the column capitals to the "flat" roof plane will be 29-3/4". Classical proportions call for the entablature height to be 1-3/4 X the diameter at the top of the columns.
Tough to get it all square and level and interface with the house, which is neither! I'm relieved I've got a square and level platform to build everything from now.
To tie everything to the tops of the columns, I made (2) 16-1/4" diameter discs of 1" plywood scrap, drove 'em into the top of each column, and put 18 screws through the outside circumference into the ply. Simpson angles inside the top beams fasten it all together.
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The front gable goes away. I'll also establish the porch ceiling plane about 10-12" higher than the original soffit level, so as not to crowd the top of the new French doors and the new balcony.
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Forrest - lovin' this project
Edited 7/26/2006 8:03 pm by McDesign
Looks good.In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.
<In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.>
Wait - do you have those plastic eyeballs?
Forrest - with a stain on my shirt
Lookin good Forrest, keep the pix comming.
If you gotta cut that damn tree down for the sake of the pix please do so, ya got my permission!
What are those columns, wood, fiberglass? I didnt see and I'm to lazy to go back and reread.
Doug
Fiberglas. About 300#. The bases and capitals are also fiberglas, not skinned foam like some smaller ones use.
Forrest
This is coming together nicely. Cool thread and nice job with the documentation. Thanks. I particularly admired your ingenuity in raising the columns solo.View Image
mc...... great job.....can't wait to see your roof detailMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'm noodling on the roof detail tonight. I think I'm going to put an extra layer of ply in there, just to give me a working surface to build my slightly pitched roof deck.
So - from the columns up - the 2x12 ladders I built today (with 1/2 BCX beneath); then 2x10 transverse joists on top of that to the same plan view; then a 1/2" ply walk surface on that, giving me a place to work while I take off that front gable; then tapered 2x8 "rafters" that rest on that ply, and give me drain pitch and overhang. Beadboard will be nailed up under the 2x10s for the ceiling surface.
I wish I could raise the ceiling more, and let the underside of the rafters be the porch ceiling, but I need a work surface before I build the rafters.
This is from ACAD - I first drew up the profile from the Tuscan order proportion drawings in a book, and then fit the 2x structure into it.
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Forrest
Edited 7/27/2006 6:01 am by McDesign
Today - got the thing joisted and decked.
Joists & Simpson strapping
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This pic goes to the city historian. There was a conjecture that this gable was added, and I think the old shelf or wall boarding covered with wallpaper under the shingles bears that out!
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Decking on - not the drainage surface; rafters still go top of this
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Gable to pull of tomorrow
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Forrest
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What are ya doing, laying down to take the pic!
Whats with the little vent above the bigger vent???
Looking good, keep the pics coming
doug
Lying down Yes! It's darned hot up there today, and my head was in the shade.
That goofy double vent is why that whole gable is coming off - just remuddled too many times. Just inside the attic, I found another, earlier louver dating from when the gable was put on - somewhere around 1900. House seems to be 1855; or at least before the late unpleasantness.
Forrest - up late, makin' a cake for my wife's 41st - my signature "Lady Baltimore" cake.
Mc..... have you thought about comming to TipiFest ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Got that old gable off today - HOT!!
Tore off the gable; threw the pieces all over the yard - gotta get to the dump tomorrow
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Interesting sheathing overlaps under the gable - looks like the gable had to be original.
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Cleared shingles and flashing
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Top cut and renailed, spaced 1/2" CDX to patch the center
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New rafter stubs
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Dried in - good, because it's thundering now!
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Forrest - sore and tired - glad it's the weekend!
I'd really love to, but it's just too darn far and a busy year. I'm trying to tell the DW we should have one here in GA!
Forrest
too bad.....you'd have a good time... and NY is probably as close as it's going to get to youMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Okay - got topped out and decked today.
Rafters on - mounted on top of my "walk surface"
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Real shallow pitch hip roof - 3/8"/ft
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Decking and edging on.
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Edge detail. I used 3/4" decking with a 4-1/2" overhang, and then screwed 1x4 CYP below it to thicken the edge and provide better anchoring for the galv drip edge. The 5-6" crown molding will help to support it
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Decking pie wedges all screwed down. The caulk is to keep the rain out of the joints if it comes down tonight.
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Next, the decking gets my favorite flat-roof material - Seal-O-Flex! I think I have enough. If the rain holds off, I'll get it on tomorrow. Also need to re-shingle where the gable was - think I've located the right Tamko Rustic Black shingle.
Forrest
very nice thread & projectman you should write the book on solo! ( you got some kind of social disease? )
then you write that they are 300 lbs apieceI'm still so amused one guy does thischeers John
I do have that Taunton book "Working Alone". I used the cover picture today - attaching a C-clamp to a sheet of 3/4" ply to take it up a ladder; then hook the screw on the subfacia - it really worked!
When my wife got me the book, she warned there was a whole series - also "Eating Alone", "Cooking Your Own Darned Food", and "Finding Your Own Friggin' Apartment". Guess I need to be home more!
Forrest
Today it was time for my favorite "flat" roof membrane - Seal-O-Flex. I like it because I don't have to use heat on old houses, it's quick, and it's great for a one-man band. I have also floated decks above this product.
Here's all you need: Pink stuff imbedding compound, 40 sq. ft. per gal, white top coat, 70 sq. ft. per gal, roll of fabric reinforcement. Roller & scissors
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I reinforce the edges of 3/4" BCX with galv drip; screw 1x4 underneath. 4-1/2" overhang here.
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Junction with main roof - use cant strips if any more acute than this. Fit it tightly and screw the joint together. Run the Seal-O-Flex up a foot or so.
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Roll down pink stuff, imbed cloth, roll on more pink stuff. Work across.
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First row done, extra reinforcement in the corners - potential of drain erosion.
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Complete fabric-bedded top. After a day or so, this all gets rolled in a white UV-protector top coat, and then again on the day after. Re-roll just the top in 5 years - I've pushed it to ten on my house.
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Former gable area - the juction gets another fabric strip 12" up the main roof tomorrow morning when I can walk on it. The shingles will come down over this, and be glued and top-nailed after the flat roof is finished.
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Tomorrow I'll rip off the old claps under the porch, and see how I'm to build the balcony and frame the French doors. It'll be good to have a day in the shade!
Forrest
This looks a lot like the Resource Conservation Technology system. IIRC, their stuff was over $250 for five gallons. How are prices on this?
-- J.S.
Right at $115 per 5-gal pail from Heely-Brown in Atlanta. The fabric is $175 for 1000 sq. ft.
Forrest
Thanks! I'll ask them if they have a distributor here in LA.
-- J.S.
Forrest:
Great thread. I'm learning a lot. You're one of my new role models!
For years I've been meaning to get that 'working solo' book. I should do it soon.
Very funny: "When my wife got me the book, she warned there was a whole series - also "Eating Alone", "Cooking Your Own Darned Food", and "Finding Your Own Friggin' Apartment."
-Allen
The standard for that kind of tie-in to a shingle eroof is 18" up under the shingles. Maybe you can get away with less down there in atlanta if it doesn't snow or rain too much. That looks like only about 4-5". That would scare me to death to gaurantee!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I was thinking the same thing, but we'd go about 10"-12" and then strip the top in with I&WS.
Are we there, yet?
http://grantlogan.net/
you guys may have missed it. Mc Said:"Former gable area - the juction gets another fabric strip 12" up the main roof tomorrow morning when I can walk on it. The shingles will come down over this, and be glued and top-nailed after the flat roof is finished."
Yup, I missed it.
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
Thanks for the correction. I'll go visit CU in the corner now. How long should my pennance be?;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
We'll have more fun over here in the corner than the rest of these guys are having.
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
Just watch where you put your hands
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Okay - to keep y'all from worrying, I did finish up my Seal-O-Flex flashing and transition areas this morning - I had gotten it "temporaried up" for the rain last evening. Now it's got nice felt over it this, and the shingles on the ground get put on tomorrow.
Corner / valley detail - this will get step flashed underneath, too.
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Top transition. Here with once-a-year snow that melts that day, most transitions go up just 6-8 inches. Here I went 14.
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The exciting work today was to remove all the old siding on the two-story recess on the front of the original house. Pretty sad shape - no sheathing, and lots of rot and old termite damage.
Here it is all stripped off - I think the DW is now structural!
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Lower left corner - the rim joist is gone - my best tool in this situation is a Shop Vac and my "wiggly fingers" technique. It makes it all disappear: I got about 40 gallons of crumbs from this cleanup. The corner boards and bead do get replaced.
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Lower right
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Second floor level on left side - this is okay - there are wall plates
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Second floor level on right side - this is not okay!
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Notice the plates are GONE
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This is fairly typical for what I run into around here. All this damage was caused by leaks from above, termites, and the sill in contact with the ground and the concrete stoop. Now that it's at least out of the weather, I'll come up with a repair approach and present it to the client. Most likely I'll replace the entire two story wall 2x6 or 2x8, and extend the porch concrete pour under it slightly. Noodling the details.
Meantime, I got all the wood delivered today for the entablature trim and porch ceiling. I'll roof tomorrow early (it was 110º Index today), then build trim. Found some old tall narrow full glass doors I can use for the French doors at a salvage place today.
Forrest - having fun
Hey. Seperate corners... you guys are trouble.
Hi McDesign
I Have a post regarding building a deck on a roof. How do you get your pictures to appear as part of the post?
Dan
It's harder now in Windows XP. First, I write a title and a first word or two in a new post. Then, I add all my pictures. Then, I post it.
Then, one at a time, I click on the pic in the posted thread, right click copy, hit the BT "edit" icon at the bottom, get to the EDIT screen, put my cursor where I want the pic, and right click "paste". Then I add any more text relating to that pic. Apply changes, and then continue, and you're back to your posted thread.
Do it again. And again. After the last pic has been pasted in, but before you hit "apply", go to "Manage attachments" and delete all your pics. Then, erase all the delete notifications at the bottom of your post, THEN hit your last APPLY, then CONTINUE, and Bob's your uncle.
Sounds goofy, but I don't even think about it anymore.
Looking forward to seeing your thread!
Forrest
McDesign,
Rez was correct "there is some great stuff buried in General Discussion"
Excellent thread and documentation. The photo gallery section is not the only place with fine examples of documented work.
JB
Thanks - it was before I knew how fast threads got buried in General Discussion.
Forrest
Thanks for this nice thread - Greek Revival is one of my favorite styles. Too bad my house got the High-Victorian-Colonial-Revival "upgrade" instead of the Greek Revival package that luckier houses around here did!
Got the red iron made and up today.
A fabricator made the brackets to my sketch, within 3 hours this morning - great service! I drilled and primed 'em. They are 4x4x1/4" with 4x1/4" top legs.
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Bolted them up level and plumb. I stiil need to put in a steel angle bracket at the top of the 2nd floor 2x8 double studs where they meet the top plate, to transfer the shear load from the balcony cantilever trying to tip them out.
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I learned that a 1/2" carriage bolt head sinks nicely into a 5/8" hole in steel without spinning. I needed a thin head so as not to crowd my RO for the French doors (that existing door goes).
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2x10 balcony joists will bolt through the angle iron horizontal legs.
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Balcony framing, insulating and sheathing front wall tomorrow.
Forrest
Good day today - got all my list done
Framed the balcony and tied it to the steel - worked very well, and is very stiff.
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Glued & screwed in some blocking to supoort the old DW.
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Insulated the lower part - note the solid blocking for the antique "under balcony" brackets.
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Lower done; insulating the top part. Bead board (ply) under the balcony.
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All skinned. The French doors I'm building will open outward (screen doors on the inside); I'll install the unit from the outside before I remove that existing 3-0 door from the inside.
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Balcony projection from the side. The finish floor will extend another 4" with various trim bits under it.
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Plan to do balcony decking, flooring (1x3 T&G YP), flashing and paper, and start trim tomorrow.
Forrest
That balcony kicks major azz dude. Great design. Great thread. Keep on truckin man.
Nice work.
For my own education:
How did you size the steel? Why the blocking so far down underneath?
Ummm the steel seemed ummm big enough . . . . and was really heavy . . .
No, actually, I paraphrased a simple steel rack that was holding a couple thousand pounds of 4-8' off-cuts at the fabricator I use. I also did some backup thumbnail calculations, assuming (4) 200# people on the rail (3' off the back wall), and comparing that to a normal wood 2x cantilever with the joists running 8-10' into the house. The load capacity was way overkill, but like most floor stuff, you wind up designing for stiffness rather than strength.
The blocking down low simply is for the neat old "decorative" curlique brackets I got from Walter ("The Slateman"). I don't plan on them carrying any real load, but I wanted to mount them securely - they are old and built up from many pieces.
Forrest - thanks for watching!
I have one question for ya, if you have already been through it tell me to pizz off.
Those steel brackets that are bolted to the house, any concerns about the porch possibly pulling the studs out?
I realize that the studs have been sheeted, just seems like alot of weight pulling on some studs.
Yeah, that would be how they would fail. They are double 2x8s, attached to a 2x10 bottom plate, and cross bolted at the bottom with the steel. (The angle iron legs are also bolted vertically down through the top plates)
At the top, I'll add bolted angle brackets to tie the top of the studs to the top plates, which are (5) 2x4s! - have to get the old door out first for access. Those top plates are tied into the plane of the ceiling and its joists, which resists the outward push, too,
Forrest
Thats what I was wonderin about, sounds like a good design to me.
Thats close to the way I thought about dealing with it. Double LVL studs and angle iron. I didn't realize they were 2x8's either. Rock on man.
Forrest, I'm dredging up an old thread here, but had a question:
Are these decorative porticos something you just knew how to make from past experience, or did you have a book or some such to help you along? I've got a couple framing type books, but can't find anything along the lines of your portico, or in my case one showing pediments.
I'm going to shoot for this view on a porch roof. I'd kinda like to do the decorative elements myself (having never done a pediment), but I will probably sub out the roof structure and roofing. If I get carried away, I may carry the look over to one of the gable ends on the house. But I have zero info on making a regular porch gable end look like this.
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jt8
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."-- Mother Teresa
I'm not ignoring you!
I want to get out to the office and post a list of the books I use, and scan some gable drawings.
Basically, they're reprints of old architecture books, like Palladio's four books of Architecture, Vitruvius's ten books, etc. Just measured proportion drawings and details; no info for converting from stone to wood, tho'.
Forrest - trying to come down from the attic
Whew - I still haven't answered you! Gotta find that book!
Talked to the portico client today. Her landscaper finally got around to the job on the front of the house, and all the repairs and painting are done.
Pix next week, she says.
Forrest - bear with me
bumpjt8
"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." -- Arnold H. Glasgow
More today
Shingled in after gable removal
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Seal-O-Flex top coat
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Portico ceiling in
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Skinning beams begins
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Gotta go - babysitting tonight - DW's off galavanting with my mom - some museum thing!
Forrest - hot today!
Gotta go - babysitting tonight
Book three? Cooking your own darn food?
Project looks great. Thanks for the pics. This is one of my fovorite part of the forum. I'm enjoying Mike Smith's project also.
Trim carpentry and planning today. Got the rotten wall measured and in CAD, and have a plan. I'll reframe it with 2x8, leaving in the original 2x4 structure so as not to open the walls. By thickening the wall forward, I can use the poured patio as a sill. Thicker door casing is nicer anyway.
Rolled on the second and final coat of Seal-O-Flex up top.
Got the ceiling done in beaded ply, put in a 150# box in case they want a big pendant light; encasing the beams in CYP, adding 4" crown; caulked and filled. Note the spacing of the crown off the old wall (left in photo) 4-1/2" for the new, thicker wall.
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Started the front entablature. Still got the 5" crown under the roof deck, a quirk under the outboard soffit, and a big half-round under that 5" crown to go. Getting shaky in the heat - thought it best to knock off! It was 104º, and lots of up and down the scaffold. Something about working under a big 'ol Magnolia - just seems like summer in the south - noisy leaves though - they keep sneaking up on me!
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Forrest - DW says I'm gonna' play on our house this weekend.
looking pretty elegant , forrestMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I've just gotta say, you are a machine! This is so cool to follow along and watch your progress. You're making fantastic progress for working alone. I work alone. It's the only way I can get things done. It gets kinda distracting just having subs on the jobsite.
I believe early on, you said you'd been waiting for 4 years for this project. After putting it off so long, I bet the homeowners are thrilled with your progress and glad they decided to do it.
Anyway, nice work and keep the pics coming but don't kill yourself doing it. As mom would say..."take plenty of breaks and try to keep cool"
Dang Forrest, you don't just waltz around...I'm enjoying this, too, and learning a whole lot of big, cool sounding arckytetural words, too boot...hey, take the weekend off! I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head
Thanks for all the kind words. I also find it really distracting to have people around. I think it's mostly because I try to do work that's in some way different from what I've done before, where I've got to spend a lot of time "noodling" out solutions; doing one thing while thinking of the next thing.
I never do complete new construction; there is always the interface between my design & construction with the existing structure, even if it's just a couple of years old. One of the ways I tend to characterize job complexity is by the proportionate size of the "interface plane" with the existing, probably out-of-square structure. New construction is very straightforward to design & build; you can quote it down to the last nail. Dealing with old stuff can kill your time estimates, and you never really know what you'll find until you start tearing the client's house apart.
Roughly calculated, this portico fits into an imaginary volume about twelve feet wide, twenty-one feet high, and nine feet deep. But, the floor plane has to be placed on a lumpy, skew old slab, the whole back wall interfacing plane has to be rebuilt / replaced because of rot, along with about 2' of the backs of the side walls, the roof has to interface with the old house roof 1-1/2" out of level, and the old front gable had to be removed and reframed.
This has become part of my "value proposition" to clients - that I can blur the line between the old and the new, repair junction areas, and make new changes and additions look like they belong or were always there.
Kind of wordy here, but hey - it's early Saturday morning! DW isn't up yet wondering why I'm not working on our house.
Forrest - supposed to bleach & pressure wash the outside with dad at 8.
I'm the same way as far as working by myself. Sometimes you've gotta make it up as you go. Just because it's something I've never done before doesn't mean I can't do it or do it well, with a thought out plan. The end result is always worth the effort for me and the homeowner. I'd say just about all the guys here are the same way.
Sometimes I feel I spend more time scratching my head and "noodling" as you call it, than actually working. My customers are very patient people, they know quality takes time. Most of em like the idea having just one guy work on their house instead of a big crew of subs, I guess they feel a little more in control of things. Not that there's anything wrong with a big crew. I just don't like supervising other people, sometimes it hard enough just supervising myself;)
Keep up the good work.
If it is not too much trouble, Forrest, show us how a Georgia Tech M.E. uses CAD in planning for the build.
Okay - let me wait until tonight - I'm inside eating lunch through bleach fumes (pressure wash day).
I'll attach some examples later, but primarily I lay out everything in AutoCAD, then dimension that and cut pieces to the drawing, not from field measurements. This insures that my structure is internally consistant - if it doesn't fit, something else is wrong, usually with what I call my "interface" with existing structure. Also gives me lots of self-checks as I assemble, and I don't have to be figuring dimensions in the heat.
I rarely use 3D - it's great for visualization, but I don't seem to have the need for that much - most of my clients know my work and I can demonstrate with elevation drawings and hand-waving, and that seems to satisfy them.
Forrest
Got the front cornice / entablature completed and primed, along with the ceiling. Moved the scaffold over to work on the left side tomorrow.
Pre-paint
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Front
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Three-quarter
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Edge detail
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Recessed panel detail
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Forrest - boy, I love classical molding
Looks great, Forest. But, don't you prime the endgrain or am I not seeing the pictures correctly?
What ever you do, don't flip the red switch on the dashboard, Gunner.
http://grantlogan.net/
Yeah, I do always prime the end grain - I just couldn't get to it from where I had my scaff today - I can reach it as I complete each short side, as I assemble the miters. Moved the scaff to one side this afternoon - always fun alone.
Forrest
This thread is great!
Fantastic job!
Thanks for that - my wife laughs when "I have to get pix posted before dinner" because people might think i wasn't being diligent!
Today I got the left side finished and primed; moved the scaffolding over to the right, got rained out. Trim sure takes longer than framing!
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Entablature height is about 30"
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Forrest
I know I am in awe of the work you are doing and also that you are doing this job alone!
can't help but think they will have you polish up more of the abode
is that a say 1 1/2" half round under the crown to the drip edge?
vbery nice work / we are all giving you superlative marks / now go eat your dinner
Eating my dinner as I type - I built one of those neat desks with a tempered glass window in the top and the monitor below it. Mostly for the kids, but I like it 'cause it's here in the kitchen - I eat early breakfast and sometimes lunch on it.
It's not exactly 1-1/2" half round. It's actually two pieces of 1-1/8" CYP quarter round biscuited together and screwed on. I was trying to come as close as possible to the exact Tuscan profile in a book without making any molding. That top 6" crown is supposed to be just a single big convex curve, with the half round spaced below it.
I cheated, but it is twenty-two feet up -
Forrest
Edited 8/8/2006 7:10 pm by McDesign
forrest.. what are you going to do at the 2d floor door ?
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a seashell balconey over the entry door ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
that's the entrance / exit for unwanted guests... Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Two 2'0 full glass French doors, and a tiny "Juliet" balcony with a turned balustrade from another old house. The balcony will sit on two cool old house brackets from Walter, The Slateman, in Maine.
Forrest
excellent.. did you get Walter's brackets yet?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Is this http://www.archantiquities.com/ who we are talking about, re brackets and other recycled parts?
No - Walter, The Slateman, is a guy here on BT who mentioned some take-offs from an old house he had. I should get them this week.
Forrest
Got the right side finished and primed today, and the scaff down. Now that that part is tucked away for the moment, tomorrow I start lifting and reframing the front wall with 2x8s; gotta make a larger top opening for the French doors - should prove interesting!
For the real balcony support, I contemplate having a couple of 1/2" steel plate "L" brackets made (like big framing squares) that bolt alongside the new studs and the balcony joists - they'll hide inside the framing so I don't have to count on the antique decorative brackets.
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Forrest
Designing the balcony today in ACAD. Picked up the doors, measured Walter's antique brackets; made an accurate as-built sketch. Talked to the steel fabricator about the L-brackets; measured the balustrade I'll pull off another house project (those cypress columns I made last month).
I mostly use ACAD for drafting. Gray is existing, red is the doors, blue is the proposed balustrade and balcony; black is the steel; green are the antique brackets (not load bearing here).
I'll add metal connectors at the ends of the double 2x8 studs that take the twisting load - balcony extends about 39", and is about 82" wide. Still working out trim details.
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Forrest
Ditto what those other guys said.
Allen
I just caught up with the progress you are making...awesome work man, awesome. I KNOW it is hot and dirty stuff...all I can say is Keep on keeping on, you have a great attitude!
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Enjoyning the finite of matter, in an infinite realm of possibilities...
Just saw your vacation photos in JLC...you got better, huh?and, again, very classy work. I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head
Just like in "The Holy Grail" - after the guy says "she turned me into a newt!"
Then, as people look at him, puzzled -
". . . I got bettuh. . ."
Forrest
Just like in "The Holy Grail" - after the guy says "she turned me into a newt!"Then, as people look at him, puzzled -". . . I got bettuh. . ."You really do know the classics, ha <G>"I'm not dead yet..." I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head
Just got my August JLC this afternoon, after standing by the mailbox all week. So I guess my arm is now famous! I think the guy with the knee has me beat on disgusting pix, though.
Forrest
bastid... you made me dig up my issue and peruse the article
pretty close to the bionic man for awhile there, 'eh ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Yeah - I got lots of bionic man kidding. But, let me tell you - it was better than a Lab in a red scarf at the beach for starting up conversations with strangers!
Forrest
Dude, my JLC just came today too. I read that injuries article first. Man, that looks like it musta hurt. All I could think about was getting that contraption you had snagged on something. It was making my eyes water just thinking about it! And how about that dude with the circular saw plunge cut into his thigh? That dude may have stolen the gruesome pic award away from you with the shark attack lookin' photo. View Image
The worst issue I had was stabbing myself in the forehead at night - I usually sleep on my back with my arms up over my head, and I continued to do it once my arm wasn't so tender. Finally put some of the kids' finger puppets on the screws - that looked weird! Sometimes the fixator caught on doorframes, but more my pinky.
I just showed the mag to my folks, and they think the saw guy wins, too.
Forrest
Got the brackets mounted and filled. The HO is ecstatic about the look.
Thanks, Slateman!
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Forrest - gonna' PLAY this weekend!
Wow they look really great!!!
I can't imagine doing a transaction with any better outcome than this.You're a first class guy ,doing super workmanship-your customer is one very lucky person to have such a fantastic looking end product.
Thanks for the kind words.from my end.
Best regards, Walter
>>>>>>>>>>>The HO is ecstatic about the look. Thanks, Slateman!Ain't breaktime a fantastic resource?You thinkin' Memphis in Nov?
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
GRANTT LOGANN - THE LEXINGTONVILLE COPPERWRIGHT
http://grantlogan.net/
Yes - the wife and I have penciled it in, tho' we're working around Thanksgiving in MD. Looking forward to it!
Forrest
Forrest, thats looking good!
Anxiously awaiting more pix.
Doug
Got to do some shop work today - another project (sump pump replacement for a long-term client) pulled my focus.
This is the balcony balustrade - each join gets a 10" and 6" x 1/2" lag; countersunk and filled.
Finessing and crossbolting the miters
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Balustrade assembled; then flipped it and primed the bottom
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Tonight I will make the feet, or risers that it sits on, and tomorrow will set it in place and trim the short sides to meet the wall perfectly. i also hope to get the French door frame mounted - it's primed and ready to go.
Gonna' have to have help moving it up the stairs and out onto the balcony - about 200-250#.
Forrest
Installation work today
French door frame (still gets crown) and narrow doors (outswing) mounted -
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Balustrade on site; gonna' get some big guys tonight and carry it up the stairs. It's flipped in the picture so I could prime and paint the bottom.
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Inside view showing new vs old doors - the new ones are at floor level. This door will come out, the opening will be retrimmed larger, and I'll make some in-swing screens.
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Forrest - goin' to an ice cream social now!
Very nice. I was wondering how you were going to get that balustrade up there. Bribing a few big guys with ice cream? I've found beer usually works better, as long as it come after the work!
Allen
Just balance on my head and walk up the ladder.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Man, that was tough. Just got back - took (5) 200 pound guys - had to take it up the stairs, two ahead, two behind, stop, and then lift it over the side rail to the biggest guy in the hallway.
Glad I made those oversized steel support brackets!
Houseful of nice stuff, and framed art up the stair.
Whew!
Forrest - eating a celebratory DeGiorno pepperoni
So uh? ( kicking dust with his toes) you wanna see the Columstrade and plaster capitals we yakked about?
I got 6 weeks to figgure the hard part...loooks like I am gonna be casting a new side of a missing Capital, from the extant on site..rubber mold, POP, and grace of GOD.
Then we still have to LIFT the bastid.
The H/O gave me Carte Blanche, and referrel to similar job, in the same town.
Wanna spend some time in KY, end of OCT?
Halfway to Memfest and all that..room and broad..( I swear, I can hit the local VFW and get ya one, they are like flys on rotting meat there...oh, wait..they ARE)
I'll have pics soon..this ain't pretty.
Yer job looks swimmingly fun..and I HATE your shop..LOL
Soon.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Dad had some ideas about clamping the columns for the lift - he's a mechanical engineer, too.
He imagined a pair of rolled 1/8" by 8-10" high steel half bands with turned-out bolting flanges . . .
Nah - I'll have to make a sketch. It involves some PVC shower liner sheet for friction and padding, too. Might be a good idea.
Sketch soon, I promise.
Forrest
I think a simple is our boom lift and a horse collar choker sling, but the hydraulics are real , real touchy..I'd need a bungee to absorb the ini/load transition...and a steady hand.
Just a fart of my brain, I am pretty good at the controls, but the delay between "do-it" and "done-it" takes a knack. And good hearing of the cylinders.
Not sure I can yard the machine anyway, in town.
Let us not assume the entasis is proud enough to anchor with..and assume the opposite, just for fun..I see a cinch sling with wedges. or mechanical both with upward tug/vs./ bottom heaving it up?
I remain..stupified.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
I've been waiting for so long to see what the other side of that wall looked like. I thought the project was looking sweet before, but this balcony is shaping up even better than I imagined. Thanks for sharing.
Andrew- Sitting in his office chair wishing he were building a portico
More balcony fun stuff today -
Took out the old 3'0 door and the inner wall framing around it - gonna' use it in my shop where I've got a solid 2-8.
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Here's the inside view - with the blue elephant in the hallway. We lifted it over that stair rail.
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These braces transfer the balcony load that tries to pull the 2x8 studs out at the top. Bolted to the old 4x6 top plate
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It's hard to see, but I cut tapered strips to support the sheetrock of the leaning old wall - 3/4" at the top, 3-1/2" at the bottom. I'll make the door casing plumb, with ripped strips under the sides
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Dad and I got the balustrade in! The HO was really worried that we/the balustrade/the balcony/something would fall. I had her video us to calm her - told her she could post a real accident video - too big to post here.
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Side view
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Full view
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Next week I'll bolt the balustrade down, prime it, repair the sheetrock, make the upstairs inner door frame and casing, the new front door outside casing unit, and - there's UPS - the pretty brass "Cremone" door bolts are here, I bet.
But now - I'm gonna' go play with the car
Forrest - happy weekend, y'all!
Don't know what makes me cringe more, the mention of pepperoni Za, or that wooden ladder. Pepperoni doesn't like me anymore and wooden ladders aren't made for butts as fat as mine.
But DANG IT! I'm caught up on this thread... NOW what am I gonna do?! No more new pics yet? The last group are like 45 mins old. ;)
jt8
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." --Albert Schweitzer
She is no the wood - she is the "loom-ni-num" and I am of the #220-ish today
She is of the round rung and of the old style - antique tools are trendy!
Forrest
Out of curiosity, you gonna lose the front entry door down at ground level? It's gonna have a hard time keeping up with its new surroundings.
Just wait for next week's exciting installment! I took all my measurements today for some more shop work.
Forrest
Count me among the anxious to see the new front door surround. And the finish work around the balcony door.
Allen
Okay - some trim pix - raining cats and dogs here - glad I'm in the shop
This is the interior upstairs French door casing in primer - mortises are for the in-swing screens.
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This is the Front door exterior casing in primer - it seems short because it will mount on a "plinth" of Azek that will abut the concrete / stone portico floor - sort of like a water table.
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This is a tiny detail I did to try to compete with WNYGuy! Competition improves the breed!
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Forrest - maybe installing some pieces tomorrow
What's going into it? A 2.25 thick one in pattern-grade mahogany would be nice! ;-)
For the time being, the client is keeping her existing stained glass door (and frame - if you remember, I thickened the front wall almost 8", so this casing abuts the existing casing with a little jog for a bead of caulk).
They feel affectionate about their old door.
Forrest
Here it is - I will refinish it.
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Forrest
I know all about affection for doors, but to me, it is just not "classic," and even when refinished, will not be able to stand up to its new surroundings.
exquisite!
Thanks! Here's more from today.
Got the inside about finished except for the ceiling crown, making the in-swing screen doors, and painting the top coats - the casing doesn't show up as well as I'd like against the primed wall.
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Here you can see how thick the wall is now - about 14"; gives it a great feel - you could stand between the screens and the doors with everything closed. Also the wall corner shows the crooked old wall - 3" out vertically.
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Neat Cremone bolts - each knob retracts and extends the surface bolts top and bottom.
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Stepping out - balcony floor and threshold get dark green porch paint.
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Looking up at it - no more baby blue balustrade!
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Side view
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Whole deal. No, the front door jambs are supposed to stop there - I'm thinking!
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Now I've got to get it sided - see my cedar bundles leaned up in the corners - maybe I can tomorrow; maybe I'll just make the corner boards with their 3/4 round of 1/2" PVC pipe!
Forrest - eating pizza again
Slick as snot!
I see a cool plinthe at that jamb bottom...speaking of which.
LOL.
Keep it up, you'll be on TV soon.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
>>>>Keep it up, you'll be on TV soon.He'll never know -he doesn't watch TV.
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
at least I have one in the shop, surely he would too.?
Oh, no, I get it. Some don't, and actually get some thing done..LOL.
Gotta love them weather channel gurls, on cold mornings, with fog. High beams in Atlanta...
Remind me to tell you about my 'trip' with a 'buddy' who fell in lust w/ the Heather...
Man that has duplicity, right there.
Hijinks-R-us...(G)
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Looking great.
Sure would like to know where you found those door bolts.
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
Thanks!
<Sure would like to know where you found those door bolts>
Van Dyke's Renovator's Supply, in the exciting town of Woonsocket, SD.
Not too bad - about $200 for the pair if you're a bidness - otherwide maybe 20% more.
Forrest
Yeah. I've seen their ads before.
Thanks!
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
Stunning. Superlative.
I was a little skeptical of the corbels initially -- was afraid they weren't "classical" enough in style -- but it's sure coming together beautifully. I even like the front door.
Speaking of corbels, what do you think of this one on the 1835 Campbell-Whittlesey House in Rochester (NY). Photos and measured drawing attached below.
Allen
Thats'a nice! When I read your post, I thought maybe you had drawn it up. You gonna' copy it for something?
Hey! - Maybe we can get Walter the Slateman to work on that house and get 'em.
Forrest
Forrest,
Great looking job.
That's nice you're lining me up for more work,but I'm a ways away from being able to perform.
Keep up the pics and fine craftsmanship.
Best regards,Walter
bumpjt8
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." --Albert Schweitzer
You have raised the bar!
I had a good time fitting cedar siding around all the darn trim today (whose idea was all that, anyway?)
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Here's how I made the corner boards - 1/2" PVC
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Close of today
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Maybe finish and prime tomorrow
Forrest
OK, I'll bite. What did you use to get your cut lines drawn on the siding?
For me, it would be 1X plots of the molding cluster, straight outta CAD, worked with a little story pole, and some 3M spray adhesive.
Actually, it's embarrassingly low-tech - I chop the board to length, hold it sort-of in place, transfer a couple coordinates, draw what looks right as I hold it right there, and then just cut it with a PC jigsaw with one of the tiny blades - kind of nibbling.
Once I get one piece done, I can at least trace the overlapped part onto the next clapboard above - these are 7-3/8 wide with 4-1/2" exposure.
When I get one to fit a molding profile, I'll trace it on scrap before I nail it up, to use (reversed) on the other side.
SS ring shank 6p nails - didn't split a board, even those matchbox-sized ones.
Forrest
Super work! That's just beautiful. Truly. I also want to know how you transferred the dimensions onto the beveled siding. And how you made the cuts.
Allen
Forest,The pvc pipe is cool, but I mill 3/4" 3/4 round. I hope the pic is not to large. Still working on pics ( On a MAC )live, work, build, ...better with wood
Yeah, that "wood" be more pure, but I like the way the .840" PVC stands a little proud of the 3/4" face.
I wish I had thought to kerf a little step in the face, to give a little standoff to the PVC - I don't really like the gap closing up without a "flat" in the bottom.
Interior I would definitely use wood, I promise!
Forrest
Too pooped tonight to wax eloquent - guess I'm getting the kids' diflucus of the ugag. Beautiful weather today tho' - sunny, breezy, and 75º. Got the rest of the siding up and primed. Still thinking about the bottom bit - I'll look tonight for any historical precedents for a sort of exterior "wainscotting".
Painting, I noticed I could stand and even jump on the balustrade with no movement or even creaking at all.
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Forrest
Hey Forrest - looks great. I'm curious how you attached the PVC "1/4rd". If you already mentioned it, I must have missed it.
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
6d galv finish nail through a pre-drilled hole; carefully sunk with a punch into the outer wall thickness and bondo over. About every 8".
Forrest
Finished the inside today, all except installing the screen doors.
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Balcony floor and threshold gets dark green paint.
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Client's going to get the floor refinished - there was a desk here, and the poly's pretty scratched.
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Truck gets a transmission rebuild this weekend (should be fun), and since I was just painting today, I got to drive the other work vehicle! Makes the neighbors wonder, when the painter shows up in a Ferrari.
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Forrest
A Ferrari, say what!!?? Got a trailer hitch on that thang?
Billy
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=79012.9Have you seen this thread?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yes - I had to post - thought it was funny that I had a silly pic from today, even!
Forrest
Man that was by far the best exposee(?) of a project on BT.
Whats the next big project and I hope you'll do another timeline photo op with it?
How's the arm and the latent malaria diagnosis?
Are you still planning on coming to Memphfest?
ANDYSZ2
WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Work like yours deserves to be rewarded with a Ferrarri.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
forrest.. is that corner a "quirk bead "
how did you fasten the pipe... just glue i t in ?
View ImageMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=73188.205
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
glowing.... nice backlit shot !
View ImageMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
>>>>>>>>>>glowing.... nice backlit shot !I was thinking the same thing. As nice a job as this is, I think he's made it look as good as possible with good photography.
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
Thanks - the upstairs hall's kinda' dark - the doors really do pull you out. I hear from the client that the girls already sit out on the rail and talk on the phone - wonderful to make things that get used!
Forrest
Your ears must be burning. Someone is talking about you:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=79145.1jt8
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." --Albert Schweitzer
Very cool. And nice touch with that detail!
Allen
Just wait for next week's exciting installment! I took all my measurements today for some more shop work.
That is what is known as a "cliff hanger". So STAY TUNED NEXT WEEK! SAME TIME! SAME CHANNEL!
;)
jt8
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." --Albert Schweitzer
Izzat an FM antenna wire above the stairs?
You all in Jawjah, needs ya some DISH.
Why'd ya not tote the ballustrade up from outside? Did I miss a chapter?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
What I was thinking. Couldn't be more than 200-250#
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I am spoiled rotten..had the boom lift for weeks on end....we clamp everything we could dream of, on the cage. I even hang my tool belt on it.
But, we will go back to climbing soon enough.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
The wire is a trendy hanging lamp.
Hated to rent a lift just for that lift; drove around some last night looking, but nobody close enough had one.
Plus, it was a bonding experience for the client and the daughter's boyfriend to help me and some friends fight it up the stairs in the middle of dinner last night.
Forrest
I'da turned the ladder upside down and used the pulley...LOL
Be good think I ani't and engineer
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
"Plus, it was a bonding experience for the client and the daughter's boyfriend to help me and some friends fight it up the stairs in the middle of dinner last night."Aww, how nice. About two weeks ago I was heading to my GF house in NJ. Her mom called the week before and said she had a project for me. Oooo, do I get to build something, what cho need, interior work, exterior work, crown mouldings? Nope, I got to remove 200 lineal feet of picket fence and chop it into little pieces. Made the old man happy though, so it was time and energy well spent I guess.I like the first shot of the balcony with the doors swung open. Majestic.
I, too, would have figured that with all that nice structure up above, there'd be a way to rig a block and falls, and make it fairly easy to do the lift. I'll keep his technique in mind, though, now that both daughters have boyfriends.... ;-)
-- J.S.
Forrest,
As always, Nice millwork. I think you mentioned earlier in you thread using cyprus for trim. What did you make these jambs out of? Are you going to be try to find operable transom hardware?
WNYguy shows you don't need all the high teach tools to do a good job.live, work, build, ...better with wood
No cypress on this project, except for some blocks under the balustrade. This is 100% Clear Yellow Pine (CYP). Jambs and all. Oh wait - some of the big crown is PVC, and the little crown is fir.
Forrest
and Goldilocks said, "Just Right!"
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Nice work Forrest, but I dont like the blue color of the balustrade!
Keep the pictures coming, and while your at it if theres anything inside the house worth photographing go ahead and shot a couple pix.
Doug
< I dont like the blue color >
Yeah, but tou should see the trim on that house where the railing came from - electric purple, I kid you not.
I'll prime the blue away Tuesday, I promise.
Gotta' keep the fans happy!
Forrest
Forrest,
Job is looking great. I've been following along but have'nt been chimeing(sp) in cause I'm usually helping the kids with homework while I'm cruising BT.
Anyway, its nice to see these old southern houses being done the right way. I'm prab'ly bout 50 miles from you and theres alot of old houses in this town but not alot of HO's with the budget to "bring em back". I do alot of work in Newnan and there's some really nice old houses there. If you're ever over this way you should check em out.They call Newnan the city of homes.
Keep up the good work.
I've heard that about Newnan, and I've lived here most of my life - I've gotta get down there sometime and poke around.
Yeah, a good budget is a pleasure to work with!
Forrest
Dang, slow down man. What are we gonna do when you get through with this job?
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
< slow down >
Thanks for that :-)
I've been feeling the last few weeks I've been caught up in other things, and this project hasn't been going fast enough!
Hope to get some good stuff done today.
Oh - and I promise the next two projects will be bigger.
Forrest
You are keeping me occupied watching you work. Maybe found something I can do well. <G>
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
This was before, if you remember - the new outer doors are actually in place, beyond the old 3'0 door:
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This is finished today, with the screens doors in place:
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Forrest - anybody lighten those?
anybody lighten those?
A low-tech solution would be to focus the camera on the wall to one side of the opening instead of the opening. It is picking up its light reading from the bright outdoors. Center the picture to the side where its darker and it should eliminate the dark areas (and probably wash the opening).
Some cameras will let you set the light.
Doors looks good.jt8
'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." ' --Stilletto
Apologies to the dial-up folks on the file size (5-6 min for dialup).
jt8
'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." ' --Stilletto
Man, I'm speechless! That's just so great! Called my wife over just now - makes the work look really perfessional!
I'll show it to the client tomorrow - tile and stone edging has been decided; that's next.
Thanks again
Forrest
Well He11, if I'd known you were going to give us such a demonstration of craftsmanship, I would have had you pick 2 or 3 points to stand and take a picture from those points each week as work progressed. IMO, the 'wow' factor goes up when you're seeing exactly the same angle as the work progresses. You're sitting there thinking, "Wow, look at the change on that house!"
When you get this one done, we want one from the angle that the current Flash ends on...and then a finished frontal pic.
I saw a plain-Jane 4-square about a week ago and thought, "man, just think what Forrest could do with this one!" I had visions of a variation of your portico...not quite as tall so that the second floor could use it as a balcony, but deeper so that folks could drive up under the portico. Add some Italianate overhangs and a couple other details and suddenly that 4-square would have been a showcase.
jt8
'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." ' --Stilletto
Edited 9/28/2006 11:27 pm by JohnT8
John
Cool!
A project like this deserves to be shown off.
Doug
If you get any interesting jobs, you should give us a thread like this. I've got a couple of your pics in my archive for future reference. Sent a friend that hinged bookcase deal you posted a while back. Motivated him enough that he is thinking about doing a variation on it.
jt8
'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." ' --Stilletto
John
I dont know if I'm going to get the project or not, may go to someone else, but we have a entertainment center to add to this house that I'm working on thats pretty cool, hidden flat screen, hidden door to the Mrs. office, a lot of book case work and storage area. I've seen the blue prints but dont know who's going to get it yet, I'm new so I only have so much bargining clout!
Even if I dont get the project I may do the "stand in one spot" and take progressive pictures just for the fun of it, the Mrs. Homeowner comes to the house every week and stands in the same spots and takes pictures, when I saw her do that I thought of your handy work.
Doug
Showed it to the client this morning - she loved it, said "where's the music?!"
Thanks again - I'll make sure the tiling pictures "fit in"
Forrest
I have no idea how this thread escaped me until today, but you're doing some very fine work. I just perused the whole thread, cant believe you did all that solo.
Great work.
I'm a little jealous.
your usual magic..
thanksMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike, do we have a final pic on Adverse yet? I think the last time I check in, your guys were working on gutter and some interior stuff.
Next time you get a project that big, we can try a couple different series spots. For instance #1 the usual exterior shot, #2 the K as it develops..
jt8
'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." ' --Stilletto
ok... got a fun one comming up... i'll get the crap out of the way in "adverse" for some final exteriorsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thank you! I'm honored you struggled through that many posts!
This upcoming week I'll be placing the rest of the concrete (120 bags to machine mix) and prepping for the tile, due in soon - it looks like travertine, but is porcelain tile that will live better in the weather. I will use real travertine for the edging /coping - $20 a foot for 50 feet!
Forrest
I wish he would have put it in the photo gallery section. Shoot, stuff in General Discussion gets buried too fast!
Maybe we can get one of the 'powers' to move it to the gallery.
jt8
'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." ' --Stilletto
Okay - next project will go in the photo album - this one jus' kinda' grew!
Here was today - got the slabs placed; tile and coping due in soon. About 3 yds - found a local company that would do a short load - still cost $458. 3000# with fiber. Lots of rebar - I had some there, so it's bomb-proof.
Client liked the look of the columns "with their skirts hiked up!"
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$458. I can't mix 80 bags for that. Good call.Chucklive, work, build, ...better with wood
$458. I can't mix 80 bags for that.
I agree. Hard to beat having the truck bring it. I just finished mixing up 8 pads in a crawlspace. Five 80lbs bags per pad, about 2-3 hours per pad (sitting in the crawlspace mixing it). The whole time I was wishing I had come up with another crete project and just called the truck in for the whole sheebang. Last time I priced truck crete it was running $80-130/yrd. The 42 bags I bought (just under 1 yard) cost $133 PLUS 16-24 hours labor.jt8
"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
> (sitting in the crawlspace mixing it).
That doesn't sound like any fun at all. When I had to do that, I made a hole in the laundry room floor, and did the mixing where I could at least stand up.
-- J.S.
That doesn't sound like any fun at all. When I had to do that, I made a hole in the laundry room floor, and did the mixing where I could at least stand up.
The subfloor is up. I had tried renting a wheelbarrow-style mixer, but it turned into more hassle than it was worth. Dragging enough planks and sheets of stuff in to roll it onto, then covering the joists so they didn't get coated. And then lining it up to dump is straight down into the form. I could have made a chute for it, but by then I was tired of messing with it.
jt8
"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Looks like a wedding cake in the sun!
Final coats of paint are on - only tile and stone coping is left; got that in the truck this afternoon.
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Still gotta paint in around the door jamb extenders / fitters
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Forrest
Looks fantastic, Forest. Clink that wine bottle against my beer bottle - cheers.
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
Forrest,
Looks great!
Is your final coat of paint brush or spray? I have always liked Chinese bristle.
Chuck S.
live, work, build, ...better with wood
Edited 10/13/2006 11:56 pm ET by stevent1
<I have always liked Chinese bristle.>
Thanks! I'm also proud of the way the Chineses are bristling now, what with North Korea and all.
I just used a Purdy 3" sash brush - the ones for "all paints" - not sure the bristles
Forrest - not a painter
Purdy brushes are the best.
Used one to prime these exposed rafter tails.
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live, work, build, ...better with wood
'Nother thing came up late this week - client's not sure she wants a big brass "lantern" fixture hanging from the 19' ceiling- I think it needs it, stylistically.
Told her I'd make a wooden dummy to hang up there and think about. Made this up in the shop from pine scrap, those wavy fasteners, and my pinner just now - primer and my favorite, gold spray paint!
It's 18" diameter X 32" high
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Forrest - it needs a lantern
Hey - one of the twin Juliets (for the Juliet balcony, of course) was crowned HS Homecoming Queen this weekend - here's a pic of my client, and both daughters even.
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Forrest
Two Qs re this:
1.) Did you design your light mockup in ACAD, and cut parts per the model?
2.) Did you anticipate the light requirement and bury wires and boxes accordingly?
Yes and yes. Back in the structural phase, I installed a "fan rated" box and brace for a 70/100# load, and a wire to an existing gang switch.
The dummy light was a quick "noodling" job; I first drew the guesstimated rough shape and scale superimposed on my ACAD basic elevation drawing. 18" dia. X 32" tall seemed "right"
I laid out the octagons in ACAD, just to see how long to cut the sections to be inscribed in an 18" circle (6-7/8"). I was going to Kreg screw them together, but it was easier to just bang them together with those wavy fasteners on each side. The verticals are just 1/8 x 5/8" strips.
Just went over this morning to hang the dummy - client was appreciative of the extra effort, and will call the decorator to get her opinion.
The framework of the that sort of lantern is so open that you really don't notive it looking out the 2nd floor French doors - you tend to look "through" it.
Anyone got any opinions on the scale and vertical position of the lantern? We're soliciting comments!
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Forrest
I think it looks good, maybe a foot shorter. Just seems like when you walk out onto the porch it might be in yo' face. Obstructing the view.
Thank you! Just the feedback I want - I couldn't really canvas the people walking by for church this morning - house is across the street from two big churches, but those @#$%^ trees are in the way.
It is kinda' "in yo' face" up there, but it's such a lightweight framework it's not too obtrusive. Actually, it seems kind of comforting, as our non-code-compliant rail is only 30-1/2" high!
Forrest
I am a tall goony bastid, my views of stuff are always different than others.
How far off the platform is the bottom of the light?
Roughly, I think it goes from about 50" to 80" from the deck.
Forrest
Stilleto's got a point.
Might be even a bigger obstruction at night with it turned on.
I'd like to see what it looks like from the balcony.
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
I'm wondering exactly the same thing. Is one staring into a light bulb, instead of Romeo's eyes? How about looking out the door with the light on? Do you see the trees, or just get blinded by the light?Not to mix my cultural metaphors or anything...
I could see the light as proposed (huh?) if there was no balcony.
Maybe we'll get some pics from the balcony with the light on, at night from ......
How many angles do we need to really tell?
His work is great and I think either way it will look good. But, we're trying for fantastic here, right?
Especially for those two in the newspaper pic. Could we get a larger pic?
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
Here's the other "Juliet" twin for the Juliet balcony - not the homecoming Queen, but the same week! Just super folks -
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Forrest
Let's say a 6'-2" romeo is up there on the juliet balcony, standing right up with his knees against the balustrade. He is leaning ever so slightly over the rail.
How much clearance does he have between his cute little hat, and the bottom of the fixture? There oughta be some.
<There oughta be some.>
Hmmmmm - there hardly ever is. The reason: 2nd floor ceilings are typically 8-9'. The lantern is sized aesthetically relative to the height of the porch (20'), and positioned within that height to "fit" as viewed from the street. With a 2-3' tall lantern, a foot or so down from the 8-9' ceiling, that puts the bottom of the lantern at 4-5' off the 2nd floor level.
As a consequence, as you walk down the hall toward the French doors, you look through the lantern - not too obtrusive, 'cuz it's mostly glass and air.
Thanks for the comment
Forrest - need to get a picture from upstairs tomorrow.
*Edit* Romeo should never be in the balcony - Juliet's up there saying, "whyfor art though Romeo..." Their parents aren't ever gonna' let them get together.
Edited 10/15/2006 4:10 pm by McDesign
I agree with the H.O. I think it calls for a ceiling sconce, the hanging lantern looks too obtrusive."...never charged nothing for his preaching, and it was worth it, too" - Mark Twain
Forrest, Something is funny about that big cage, maybe if it were rectangular? golden sectioned?...how ya changing the bubs<G>? "I am the master of low expectations." Georgie Boy, aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
<...how ya changing the bubs>
Ya' jus' stand flatfooted on the balcony and reach over - piece o' cake!
Client loved the visual aid; I believe they've found a real lantern that's just about that size - 1" smaller in diameter, and a little curly stuff on top to make it 5-6" taller. Hexagon rather than octagon.
Raining today; couldn't tile - last thing to do.
Forrest
> Anyone got any opinions on the scale and vertical position of the lantern?
I'd like to see those pix with people on the balcony. The proportions on the size and position look fine, but without a person there, it's hard to judge the scale. If you can really change bulbs just standing on the balcony, it may all be smaller than it looks to me.
-- J.S.
Person on the balcony
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From the balcony
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Forrest - thanks for all the input - client is still deciding
Tiling today - I got to be the helper, my wife did the tile - she says, "he may be fast, but he sure is inaccurate!" She gets really straight lines and really flat edges. Grout will be the yellow side of beige; joints should pretty much disappear.
I mixed and back-buttered and carried stuff!
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Forrest - tomorrow the edges and coping; grout this weekend
Sorry. Lose the tile. Shoulda been black slate.
Oh man - now you tell me! We worried it would be too big a contrast from the pebble walks, that are about that tile color.
Geeeee . . .
I went to this Garden party, . . . (Mac Davis)
Forrest
Sorry Forrest but I think "I went to a garden party" is by Ricky Nelson!
Doug
Artist: Rick Nelson- peak Billboard position # 6 in 1972- inspired by Rick's experience at a Madison Square Garden concert- Words and Music by Rick NelsonI went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friendsA chance to share old memories and play our songs againWhen I got to the garden party, they all knew my nameNo one recognized me, I didn't look the sameCHORUSBut it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourselfcontinued below...
People came from miles around, everyone was thereYoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air'n' over in the corner, much to my surpriseMr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguiseCHORUSlott-in-dah-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dahPlayed them all the old songs, thought that's why they cameNo one heard the music, we didn't look the sameI said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to meWhen I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leaveCHORUSlot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)lot-in-dah-dah-dahSomeone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. GoodePlaying guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he shouldIf you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luckBut if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truckCHORUSlot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)lot-in-dah-dah-dah'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson wellYou see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself
Spending too much time over on YouTube, Doug?
(I have. Have you seen "GPS Gang Bang?)
YouTube, I just heard of that in the last week or so, or maybe our cable co. down in TX didnt offer it.
I just happened to know that Ricky Nelson did "Garden Party", one of those thing that arent worth knowing but .......
Doug
http://www.youtube.com
has nothing to do with your cable company
WARNING - if you think Breaktime is a sinkhole <grin>
There is an amazing Janice & Big Brother song on there, some clasic 1967 or so Greadful Dead, Sons of Champlain, on and on (I grew up in the Bay Area, so..). And if your musical tastes go a different way, you'll find that too.
But I'm telling you, you gotta see "GPS Gang Bang."
I can't argue with you - too funny!
OH, I thought the utube was a cable chanel!!!
Its sorta like Fugly.com, and I dont need another site that eats up my time. :)
Doug
Oh, god, there's another one! Thanks a whole lot :-)
Meanwhile, back from the above HIJACK!
I finally finished!
The front of the client's house needs more work, front doors needs rework, trees will removed and trimmed, the yard graded away from the house, and the whole thing needs mucho prep work and paint, but that's another project - a cohesive plan needs to be developed.
Client will have the electrical install done - not part of my work; not in my permit.
Interesting for those of you with sharp eyes (second picture is best) - I did not taper the column plinths to accomodate the 1/4"/ft pitch of the floor - the 3/4" taper cut off of 4" tall was too obvious. Instead, I attached them uncut and parallel to the floor, and therefore "skew" to the columns.
This way seems less noticeable - if you look, you can see the space below the flutes and above the torus is greater in the front than in the back - a calculated risk. Hope most of ya'll agree!
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Forrest - really had a blast with this one!
Well that ought to turn into job security, because you've single handedly made the rest of the house and grounds look like crap. Fine job, Forrest. Keep 'em coming.
"Let's go to Memphis in the meantime, baby" - John Hiatt.
http://grantlogan.net/
> - a calculated risk. Hope most of ya'll agree!
Definitely a better choice -- in the photos, I can barely see it. If you hadn't pointed it out, I never would have noticed.
-- J.S.
Thanks!
Forrest
Great job Forrest,Your thread has been one of the best. Early on when you rebuilt the porch setback, you made it plumb and had to taper it to the existing Do you have any final thoughts/pic of that area?Once again, Great Job!live, work, build, ...better with wood
Really enjoyed this thread. Hope to see more. Good luck on all your projects!
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Ben Franklin.
Could you provide a link to your GPS video? I can't find anything worth watching.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
I think this is it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_isVdeRwnus
Yep, that's it. Now watch the "Kings of MySpace" rap video, and you'll get a good laugh out of the line about tight jeans.
Raise it, now that you have a picture of someone on the balcony.
Kind of a weird deal there, the lantern has to be big for the scale of the front of the house but then it gets in the field of vision.
Regardless the project looks great.
I'm with Stilletto. If you are on the balcony, that thing is in your face.A classic looking ceiling type fixture. A big roung one, maybe 20" or so.
FWIW, I agree with you. Raise it.
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
Forrest, I cannot tell from the photo taken from up at the doors, looking out.
Is the fixture out ahead of the railing? If so, how far? Looks as if the view down at visitors is largely unobstructed.
If it is actually out there, not even close enough to reach out and touch, I take away my previous objection. The design is in fact a good one.
But the fixture needs to be well designed and executed. Thin structure copper elements, and lots of glass. Never chunky.
Friends of ours own Charleston Gas Light, an outfit down and east of you doing custom gas lanterns for antique homes all over Charleston, Savannah, and other places. How about the romance of a gaslight?
My question would be what kind (if any) covering on the french doors? That like will be very bright located right outside the doors.
I agree with an earlier comment that the lantern is well balanced without the balcony, but that balcony is TOO beautiful to mess up with that light.
F1
Forrest,How will you address the risers? I think you mentioned the lower slab is floating.Can the light fixture be moved forward?.I like the proportions. I think the HO might go out there on a limeted basis.live, work, build, ...better with wood
Here's the tile job today - DW and I (okay, mostly her!) got all the vertical tile and the travertine marble coping installed. Grout maybe Monday.
Note to Gene - I hope you like it better now!
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Forrest - Got duct tape?
Forrest,As always, looks good. Did you use an uncoupling membrane between the slabs and the finished surface? What's the status on that addition/remodel? That one looks like a very involved, long process.Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
<Did you use an uncoupling membrane between the slabs and the finished surface? >
No - I'll use sanded caulk at that joint; no tile bridge the joint, and are held back a bit. I didn't use a paint-on membrane under the field tile, either - still learning about them.
Remodel planning is coming along - I hope to start the attic gut redo in the next week or so - I'll post some ACAD drawings on that thread tonight.
Forrest - fixin' to go to the church bazaar for the used book sale!
Lyric snip from a Stones song of long ago, "Paint it black."
I'm sure it looks better in the flesh than the photos here can represent.
Stilletto's right. The lantern looks fine from the street, but it's too big as seen from inside. You need a compromise that's smaller and higher, but not too small and high as seen from outside.
The problem of having a bright lightbulb in your face can be handled if you can secure the lantern so it won't turn. You'd need to put a small shield inside the lantern to block most of the light from the bulb on the side facing the house. This should be no more than just slightly bigger than the bulb itself. Instead of a solid shield, consider using several layers of screenwire so you still get some light, but not enough to be annoying. Movie crews do a temporary version of that by spraying a hair product called "streaks 'n' tips" on the side of the bulb facing camera. Another nice touch would be to include a diffusion material in the stack of screenwire, to spread out the light.
-- J.S.
I like the shield idea! I'll mention it to the client.
Forrest
I haven't read the rest of the replies, so I'm probably in the minority, but I don't think I'd like it, regardless of the size/style, unless it were hung quite a bit lower, and maybe not even then. I agree that some kind of light is needed/appropriate, but I'm not sure what...
Please give us some finish close ups of those corners where you used the PVC "1/4 round".
Looking great.
Almost hate to see you get through as much as I look forward to new progress pics.
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."
That's another really nice job. Where is it?
-- J.S.
It's in middle TN. I've been doing a lot of work on the back of the house and inside, nothing much on the front though.
Cool house and balcony - I love the sidelights and transom on the second floor - I may have to rethink my plan!
Today was a mess - rainy and windy and lightning and all - pleased the client that I kept going, but a lot better than being too hot!
I cut up or "finger-plunged" and removed more termite and rot-damaged wood, pretty much taking the studs carefully away from the back side of the sheetrock.
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I bolted down a 2x8 treated sill, once I chipped off the thinset flat down to the slab. Then I dropped plumb bobs from the very top of the house-side new portico ceiling crown. I found that the existing 2-story wall tipped out 3" at the top - that was good, because it allowed me to make a plumb wall, thicker at the bottom. I tied off the strings, and was careful to keep my new wall flat and 1-1/2" behind the string plane, leaving room for 1/2" sheathing and clapboards.
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I nailed down another plate, and studded it up to the new second floor plate with 2x8s. I tied these new studs into the old where I could. The double plate on top is a 2x6 & SYP 2x10, tied into the flanking walls and the remnants of the old 4x4 top plate.
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This will take the bending or twisting load that the cantelevered balcony puts on the front wall.
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I'll screw doublers to the new studs, and glue them to the back of the sheetrock to tie them together.
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I got Walter's, (The Slateman), antique brackets tonight, and they look super - I'll mock them up soon.
Tomorrow I'l make the second floor wall and enlarge the door opening.
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Forrest - finally dry
This is one of the best threads I've followed since becoming a BTer. Thanks for this.
Just wanted to say, again, that I appreciate your daily postings. Only problem is that I'm getting depressed seeing you accomplish more in a day that I manage in a week.
Allen
Thanks, but I'm REALLY tired and sore - I'm lying in the floor with the dog.
Forrest - Whoops, DW says corn and asparagus is ready!
I'm really enjoying this thread, keep the pix and discriptions comming.
Doug
Thanks for all the kind words.
Today I finished the repair framing and the flanking shear walls.
Framing complete - tons of blocking, nailing, and screws. Trying to tie it all together and make a load path from the portico roof structure down to the monolithic porch slab. Also pulled off the old corner boards - will replace 'em.
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Insulating the shear walls.
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Working up the taper - my new wall is plumb; front of the house leans out a couple inches!
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Complete and "Friday clean"
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Left shear wall complete. The idea here is that the twisting moment caused by the balcony load is transmitted through the 2x10 2nd floor plates to these tall walls tying to the front of the house and the internal fore-and-aft walls.
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Right shear wall complete
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No balcony framing yet, and no door sill framing - that existing door is a step up from 2nd floor level - the new 2 x 2'0 French doors will be at floor level.
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Forrest - balcony fun next week!
Where's the picture of the homecoming queen? Did I miss it? :)
This thread is great, isn't it?
Only thing it's missing is Mike Smith's finger. That dude has the most photogenic finger I've ever seen. It really gets around too. Like the Burger King guy.....View Image
This is a great thread for sure, lots of details.
I actually seen the finger on one of my jobs pointing at some stairs. :)
Burger King guy..........LOL
I think he he has an IKEA crew on night shift. NO fuggin way he is doing that alone..LOL
Dude makes me feel really lazy or incompetent..oh, I am.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Enjoyning the finite of matter, in an infinite realm of possibilities...
Man, I'm still a newby with under a thousand posts. I'm just lucky to be in a patch of jobs that really . . .
fit with my emotional needs.
Group hug!
Forrest
Forrest,
It's great how you took three months of photos and tell everyone that you did a weeks worth of work in one day... just kidding, that is beautiful work... thanks for sharing it with everyone.
I used to live in Atlanta; worked on some houses in Grant Park but mainly I was at G Tech.
Looking forward to the second story balcony photos.
Billy
Okay - balcony trim day.
Got all the trim up and the grounds for the decorative support brackets. "Grounds" are what I call the plates that the clapboard siding runs into. Basically, doubled 1X.
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I did prime all the backs and edges of the balcony flooring! Only because I'm being watched!
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All up and primed, with Walter's brackets un-re-finished
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Close-up of the brackets - only tacked up now - will fit better when rubbed on some.
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Corner view showing trim profile. I wonder if that top 1x3 needs a detail - I'll have to wait 'til the balustrade is up.
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Here's the balustrade I'll use - last month's project was the cypress columns. I've talked the client into a cool "cut work" balustrade to follow this fall.
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North view of whole project as it sits today.
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Forrest - Friday beer and pizza as I type!
no idea what you are flooring balcony with but that 1 X 3" might get a drip edge?! ( you were thinking aloud about whether to add something )
looking fantastic!!
I second the motion. Something this nice deserves a real copper drip edge.
-- J.S.
Forrest
If you don't mind I'd like to see you work Saturdays, I'm enjoying this thread and don't want to wait until Monday for the next pix's!
Keep em coming.
Doug
How about a week and a weekend! Back on it now; promise to keep you entertained.
Thanks for watching.
Forrest
The arm sore this morning? I hate it when I stress my old break as it seems to take days to get over it and it is a very unpleasant reminder.
A couple of questions.
1 How are you getting material and tools up your scaffolding by yourself?( I know its not impossible I was wondering what kind of systems you were using because you get so much done it is impressive.)
2 How are you hanging your trim are you on a ladder or doing it from above or preassembling and then installing?
ANDYSZ2
WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Arm unreasonably tender - why should that be? I thought bone healed up quick - it's been 15 months, and it's the other end of the ulna I bumped this time - guess I'm getting old!
Lifting - I like to use the 6'8 scaff, because I can slide up sheet goods from one level to another between the scaffold planks, resting on the planks of the lower level - they protrude a few inches. Long stuff, I lean it, climb, and reach down and pull it up.
Sheet goods up a ladder, I use a 6" clamp as a handle, hold it off to the right in my right hand, and make sure I've got a ledge to hook the clamp screw on when I get to the top - then I go on up, reach down and get the clamped sheet. DW says scaff work builds good legs!
I build the trim in place from ladder(s), usually from the top down, resting the pieces on temporary nails - crown, I scribe a line at my spring line dimension, then put some small finishing nails just below that.
I think the hardest thing is building up / taking down the scaffold by myself - got to haul stuff up stage by stage. I used to just throw the pieces down on takedown, but I started bending the tabs on the walk planks!
Forrest - thanks for the interest
Forrest
Have you ever set up a yardarm and bull wheel to raise things up that way.Masons use that procedure a lot and it works super.
Working alone makes it's use a little more problematic,but it can be done.
Just a suggestion to make the material hoisting less work.
Great looking job! Amazing that your able to do so much solo.
Walter
Yeah, I've seen that. It seems that masons are usually lifting heavy, compact objects, and carpenters are lifting heavy long or sheet objects. I need to figure a way to deal with the size and awkwardness issue at the top of the lift (the material, not me).
Hmmm - something to think about this weekend while I attack honeydos!
Forrest
My break is almost 4 tears old and I still feel it on long days or hard impacts.I have a 14" titanium shaft inside the leg bone and 4 stainless bolts.I have been thinking about having the bolts removed but I am not sure it will improve my situation.
One of the things that has crossed my mind is a lift on a ladder like roofers use.
Scaffolding is one of those things that really test your resourcefulness and determination.
I have got a backup as my 17 year old son will help me if I really need it but he hates this kind of work and has a job in a pizza place that he likes.I pay him twice as much as he makes there but it still doesn't change his attitude.
Now my 11 year old daughter helps and she likes to make money so its easy to get her help when available.
The 6 year old boy has the most potential of all of the kids he likes to work and has a natural feel for it.During the summer I had them work with me instead of daycare and they did really well.They would carry lumber and hand me stuff and get tools.
I would break early and take them swimming etc. and alot of the jobs had pools so we would take breaks and swim then go back to work.
Point being that finding help on the difficult days should be a consideration even if they only helped handle materials and lifting.
I would look at temporary help companies for day labor as they are insured and all documentation is handled by the agency.
I work by myself most of the time but I can see where a gopher could make certain days much more profitable.
Being self employed means no paid vacations but I found away,I bought an old Porsche and joined the club and now I help a buddy take his racecar to the tracks and crew for him.In return I get an escape and he pays all expenses including drinks and these events have pretty good parties.Going to Road America in 2 weeks, by far the best party of the bunch.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Grey Squirrel to Red Fox requesting a reply
Do you copy?I'm only half as dumb as I look.
10-4
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Length isn't a real problem-not having a ground man to help hook on material is more of an issue.
True, I played around some with making a big hook out of 1/4" steel rod, and fishing. I had room to line up 3-4 sheets with clamp handles on them, hook the first, go pull it up, and then try to fish for the rest. I doubt it saved a lot of time, but it sure saved some climbing. ;-)
-- J.S.
How is the porch coming and how is your arm doing?
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Okay - back in the portico harness. Our home tour is over (yeah, it went super, big ego gratification), my arm bruise is over, my hot flashes have stopped . . .
Shop prep work this week.
Here is the balustrade I will refit for the new balcony. It will be white - my previous client where I got these just had her house painted, this blue and some other colors. Darned heavy, about 200 lbs each section, and I believe original to that house; '20s or so. Both the top rail and bottom rail are true 8" wide and 2-1/2" thick heart pine. You can see the cross section of the bottom rail on the double 2x end pieces I used for a brace. Yeah, I was careful not to scratch my (green) truck.
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Working on the doors, too. I'll make an outswing frame, fill those borings, and use a surface-mount type of lockset (forget the name, but it's in the Restoration catalog) that allows both doors to be opened at once - linked brass surface bolts go to the top and bottom. You'll be able to walk to the doors, grab a knob in each hand, and swing the doors both out as you walk thru, onto the balcony - tres dramatique' for Juliet.
Got the double-insulated slabs for $75 each, essentially matched, and I can trim them to about 22" wide to look "skinny". With the surface bolt set-up and its small doorknob, I don't have to worry about 2-3/8" backspacing stuff, and can have a narrow rail.
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Starting to strip on the Walter brackets -
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Detail of "as delivered" - lots of coats of paint.
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Both are in first primer this evening; a coat of tinted shellac-type BIN, then Plastic Wood and sanded, then another shellac. After they are up and caulked, they'll get normal Porter WB primer and paint. I'm going to spray the fluted areas gold.
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Glad to be back on this baby -
Forrest
Edited 8/29/2006 7:07 pm by McDesign
Got past the fevers OK?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Seems to be - maybe it was the stress absorbed from DW about the home tour - she's been panic-stricken since May. I do have an evaluation Dr.'s appt. "soon" in Kaiser Permanente-speak - late September I think.
Forrest
Forrest,
Nice looking work as always.
You must be looking forward to the completion.
Best regards, Walter
See your heat gun there.....
did you strip all of it with heat or use some chemical stripper?
Looking great.
"It's always better to have regrets for things you've done than for things you wish you had done..........."ponytl
Heat gun for this, a sharp 1" chisel and a couple of shave hooks. Kind of relaxing with a Book on Tape. If the part's not too awkward, I'll avoid stripper just for the mess. Also, sharp shave hooks can actually do some minor planing and flattening, and you can see better without the goop.
My goal is to try to remove / flatten everything in one pass, then come back and 120 grit the flats and hand paper the corners
I just sprayed the flutes metallic gold. Whew, it's bright! Guess it'll match all the new brass door hardware.
Forrest
More shop work today:
Resized and hinged and filled the French doors - just finished priming them tonight. I like to use cypress for this because it's soft and will sand flat before I gouge the door wood.
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Brackets - still just in primer
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Bracket bling detail - looks like leaf!
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French door frame - will get crown once it's installed
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Balustrade work tomorrow
Forrest
"Cremone Bolts"
From the Van Dyke's Restorers catalog
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Forrest
This is my new radial saw guard rail -
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Not really! I cut down the railing this AM; now have to finesse the miters and sink some big lags within the rails.
No, it doesn't meet code - it's too low and the spacing (7-1/2") is too broad. My friendly arch review board says okay - they feel that since it came off a period house 2 blocks away, it's no more dangerous than it was!
Forrest - playing with French doors now
Looks like a witness stand, put a chair behind it and your all set for court.
Doug
Mount it up about four inches to gain some safety.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
We've negotiated for 2-1/2" riser blocks.
Forrest
Thanks for the support! I'm having a blast with this, and I think it makes me more organized and neat.
Speaking of the finger, during college my brother and I used to deliver cars out west for PayLess rent-a-car to get a free road trip during quarter breaks.
Most of our "scenic attraction" pictures have a windsheild wiper in the bottom of the frame.
We did one 16-day 10,000 mile wonder from Atlanta that included 3 cars, Tijuana, Banff, Pacific Coast Highway, and dual speeding tickets in Moscow -
Idaho.
Forrest - needed less sleep them!
You're really doing a bang-up job with that project. Man, I really mean it. A lot of times I'll say nice things when someone posts a project that they're proud of.... but in my head I'm thinking about what I would have done differently or better or faster. (In my head anyway..... not like I'm Norm Abrams or something).
So what I'm trying to say is that, man, you're just kicking azz dude. The design is great. Your workmanship is great. Your progress is borderline amazing for a solo act. Your attitude rocks. And even the thread documenting the project is a smash hit.
I'm officially a McDesign fan. :)View Image
I can only kick myself!
over and over. . .
Forrest
Is this a hoax? Did you really do all that in the last couple weeks? Today is the first time I've seen this thread (I've been too busy for BT). I'm amazed- your work looks great, and your speed is somethin else in that sort of heat.
Keep it up, and keep posting lots of pictures- I'm learnin lots.zak
"so it goes"
Forrest great job and a very impressive project history portfolio.
I have one question, Now that you plumbed up the back wall and the front wall tilts out 3" how are you going to do the 2 side walls so that the tilt dissappears or is the 22' height enough to hide the 3"?
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Actually, Friday afternoon, that's exactly the first thing the client noticed, as I was working near the top of that left shear wall.
I explained, since I had already talked to her about my new wall (she wondered what the plumb bobs for), and luckily she thinks crooked old houses are cool. I'll adjust the clapboard lengths instead of tapering the corner boards.
She was coming around the corner of the house to notice - from the front I don't think it will be that jarring.
Forrest
You could shim the back of the front corner board at the bottom out a little and you could taper the side cornerboard down a little and the second story deck should hide some of the view and you can adjust your inside corner a little.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Another thought is you could put a band at the same height as the second story deck and duplicate your trim detail and that would break the site line of the siding.
ANDYSZ2
WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Edited 8/13/2006 11:01 am by ANDYSZ2
Hmmmmmm!
Forrest