here’s a job we figured last fall.. and here we are building it…. a year later
this is out on Beavertail… sticks out into the West Passage of Narragansett Bay..
there goes the new fast ferry from Quonset to Martha’s Vineyard..
here’s the exterior of the sunroom as it looked last fall..
the interior wall supports the 2d floor
and there is also a balconey supported on one of the slider headers
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 9/28/2005 12:00 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 9/28/2005 12:00 am ET by MikeSmith
Replies
the plan is to take out all of the sliders and picture windows.... raise the floor, insulate it , install RFH.. remove the sliders that seperated the kitchen from the sunroom and the living room from the sunroom
at the same time we will eliminate one of the steps into the sunroom so it will just be one step down instead of 2..
the raised floor will also give a better view of the Bay
taking out the sliders and changing and raising the headers ( the new balconey had overloaded the old header )
we use screw jacks i inherited from an old house mover when i started in business in the '70's.. first thing we do is nail a furring indicator to the top plate with the bottom resting on the floor... when we start to jack... it picks the furring off the floor so we know exactly how much we are raising the structure
here's the furring with the bottom hiding in the shadow behind the floor beam
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Edited 9/28/2005 12:08 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 9/28/2005 12:10 am ET by MikeSmith
here we are jacking against the 4 x 12 rafters ( 4' OC. ) so we nailed wedges to the rafters to keep our jacking beam from rolling
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we'll take out the 2x10 headers, the cripples, and the bottom plate, and replace them with triple LVL's (7 1/4" )... that will give us the room to raise the doors
once we had the doors out and the new headers installed , we framed a 2x6 floor right over the old slab and installed 5 layers of 1" EPS borate treated foam between the joists
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 9/28/2005 12:16 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 9/28/2005 12:17 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 9/29/2005 6:30 am ET by MikeSmith
then we glued and nailed our 3/4 Advantech subfloor over that . and started installing our grooved QuickTrack RFH panels
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QuickTrack sends a silicone glue to seal the 3/8 pex tube in the grooves.. installed with a rubber mallet..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 9/28/2005 12:20 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 9/28/2005 12:22 am ET by MikeSmith
I'm lost.
yer raising the floor .. that I get.
Yer jacking up the roof?
where's the roof pics? Are we raising the "whole" roof .. flatening the pitch?
what's going on up there?
was the old 8ft and we're keeping 8ft? Why we jacking things up ...
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
This is the result from jacking up the roof.Chief of all sinners.
Oops! forgot the pic.Chief of all sinners.
that makes my head hurt
did i say we're raising the roof ? we're raising the door bottoms... which raises the door tops, which means we gotta raise the headers that SUPPORT the roof..
go back up and look at post #3 again.. i fixed it just for you
the roof doesn't move, only the headers... and since one of them was deflecting ( from the new balconey someone added ) we changed the headers to LVL's when we raised them..
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theres the old header on the left... and the new header on the right
comprenez ?
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 9/29/2005 6:10 am ET by MikeSmith
Edited 9/29/2005 6:32 am ET by MikeSmith
after we got the heat tube installed, we laid 1/2" fir underlayment ply for our ceramic tile base.. so we've got 3/4 advantech, 1/2" Quicktrack, & 1/2" ply for our tile ..
next was to get rid of the post that supports the header between the 2 sliding doors seperating the kitchen from the sunroom
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we used a triple 11 7/8 LVL .. spiked together with 20d
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 9/29/2005 6:41 am ET by MikeSmith
here's the new header.. and the new view from the kitchen
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 9/29/2005 6:41 am ET by MikeSmith
Good stuff Mike. Reminds me of a sunroom I did. Except yours has better views! And your RFh is cooler. Maybe I'll post some pics .Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
blew the dens-pak cellulose on Friday...
here's a closeup of the Insul mesh... we staple it on, then roll Elmers White Glue on, let it dry overnight , then blow our walls the next day
closed off the kitchen to keep the cellulose out of the rest of the house..
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/3/2005 10:03 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 10/3/2005 10:03 pm ET by MikeSmith
Mike - I'm interested in the cellulose application. Do you do much of this? Any special training other than OTJ? Do you rent the blower or own it?
Don K.
don.. when my insulator decided not to cover his guys with WC, we started blowing our own.. our blower setup is from the early '80's... bought a new Hurricane blower for it last year
we like blowing our own..
the special training is watching other guys do it for 20 years.. believe me.. if they can do it... you can do it
most of what we do is straight off the Regal Industies site...
we use insul mesh , stapled and glued, next day we blow the wall thru the mesh .. just make a small cut every 16" or so..
you can see exactly what you're doing.. you can also do it blind , thru the drywall ( or blueboard ).. after a short time you can tell, by the sound of the machine and the material moving thru the hose, just how each bay is goingMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Timing is everything my friend, and your timing is perfect. Either the end of this week or early next, I need to get to insulating a big chunk of the second story (cielings, roof and kneewalls) on the house I'm working on. I've been thinking about the blown stuff for a while , thought of calling in somebody, and said the heck with it, just use fiberglass. Now, you got me thinking. (No telling what problems that might cause. LOL.) Thanks.
Don
don..from when i started ( about '62 or so ) until about 10 years ago.. we were still using a lot of fiberglass insulation.. it was just easier..
when i found out the benefits of cellulose over FG we tried to use it exclusively... but we were always at the mercy of our insulation contractor.. he could blow cells.. and we could wait for him.. or we could go buy a roll of FG and do it ourselves.. it had nothing to do with which was better..
now that we can blow it ourselves , we use only cells... and some sheet foam stock ( EPS PerformGuard )
and some gun foam
i a lot of areas you can rent blowing machines so the choice is easier..
and , another consideration.. you can get cells treated with amonium sulfates ( probably 75% of cells ) or 100% borates .. typical cost would be say $7.00 /bale ( 26.5 lb) for Amonium vs say $7.80 /bale for Borates..
i prefer working with borates and am willing to pay the premium.. not all sources of supply can get you borates. also, i have to take 31 bales / pallet for borate vs. buying onesie -twosie for amoniumMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Couple questions ; Why not use duroc for the floor instead of ply for the tile underlay?
Where do you get the mesh ? Menards and HD don't have it in my neck o'the wood.
durock is more money... my tile guy likes underlayment ply... the ply has more flexural strength than durock
the mesh..
first couple of time i special ordered it from Regal Industries ( make sure you get insulmesh... you don't want the 1/4" open mesh ) also the glue
now we get it from our insulation supplier ( InsulMart in Seekonk, Ma ( first exit past East Prov ).. and we use Elmers White Glue , which we find superior to what we were buying before
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike,
How many employees do you have? Seems like you always have pretty involved projects going.
Thanks.
me and three guys.. and i always try to make it more complicated than it has to be..Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
here's another shot of the dens-pak cells
and Pete is grinnin cause he's sneaking this tile job in before he dives into a bigger one
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and a longer view of the 13x13 tiles
one last shot of moving the kitchen island for better use of the new space
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/11/2005 6:25 pm ET by MikeSmith
nice looking job. How do ou like the quick track product. I want to use radiant heat in my current project. Do you have a preference between the quick track and a staple up installation ? Is cost a major factor?Tom
Douglasville, GA
job last summer was staple -up..
i like the QuikTrack ... i'd use it again.. seems to be less work than the staple-upMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
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What?? He doesn't use those rubber spacer thingies???? OMG!!!
The sky is falling!!!!
Only thing worse than tile work in the rain is tile work in the freezing rain or snow.
Good guy you got there.
EricIt's Never Too Late To Become
What You Might Have Been
[email protected]
<and i always try to make it more complicated than it has to be..>and danged if you don't<G>Hey, I always appreciate you walking us through the process. And, those house jacks are the cat's rear end. Are they hard to turn? "what's in a name?" d'oh!
with a little grease they turn by hand for light loads... a big load takes a 12" bar..
they are definitely some of my most prized possessionsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Sorry, but I missed what you used to patch the holes??(the holes you cut to fill the cavity) Wouldn't want the stuffing to come out of the teddy bear... or in this case the wall. Or do you just slap the drywall up before the cel has a chance to work its way out the holes?
jt8
"Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. " --Theodore N. Vail
it's very compressed... it doesn't fall outMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
tate... check out the "face lift " thread....
Chuck got the mdf beadboard on the newly relocated island
and the Owner showed me some pics of how she'd like the corners.. so i obliged with some hemlock newels..
cut a quadrant out so they would wrap the corners.. this used to be a major set up on a table saw..
pulled the EZ guide out of the trailer and went at it... my regular EZ was 1/8" shy on these.. so i got out my 8 1/4" Bosch EZ and made short work of it...
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no clamps.. just lay the guide on the marks and rip
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/18/2005 9:52 pm ET by MikeSmith
here's the finished corners...
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and Roy was busy foaming the jambs so he could put the extension jambs on
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/18/2005 9:56 pm ET by MikeSmith
Roy always uses a biscuit on his miters...
and he really likes the Clam Clamps we bought from Chestnut Tool..
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/18/2005 9:59 pm ET by MikeSmith
here's what one of the newels looks like in place
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meanwhile Chuck & Mike are back from that roofing job and proceeding with the redecking.. changing the old 2x6PT to 5/4 x 4 Ipe'..
the 2x6 was nailed with 16d Hot Dipped Galvs.. no way this deck would rip. so we sawed it up with a chainsaw..
then we cleaned the joist tops, installed Grace , gave the old joist hangers a triple coat of Cold Galvanizing
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and started screwing the Ipe' with SS deck screws
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/22/2005 6:22 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 10/22/2005 6:23 pm ET by MikeSmith
Are you using trim head screws or bugle head? What length? I'm starting a deck in a couple weeks with 5/4 mahogany, and I'm wondering if I should use trimhead SS screws, or bugle head SS with plugs.
What is the theory behind the Grace on the joists? To seal the screw pentrations into the joist, or am I missing something?
we're using a #10 x 2 1/2 ... i'd rather use a #8 x 2 1/2 but i couldn't get any..
we just did about 200 SF.. and we're about to start the next 800..
i've ordered some GRK i think they're # 9 ..
anyways.. this deck was built in '82... the framing is PT.. but the decking nails were 16d, so there are a lot of holes in the joists to let water in.. the grace will help keep some of the water out and extend the life
i'll let you know how the GRK screws work outMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks.
this job is out on Beavertail.. the end of Jamestown that sticks out into Block Island Sound
anyways , heres a couple shots of the surf from that nor-easter we caught today, off the lighthouse about a mile south of the job
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/25/2005 11:53 pm ET by MikeSmith
That looks pretty rideable....and i bet the water is still tolerable...but the air...a bit chillly!Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
working on the Ipe' decking..
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while the Owner was staining her new oak nosing
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/28/2005 11:51 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 10/28/2005 11:52 pm ET by MikeSmith
Salvaging the old deck planks? Some places people pay extra for that weathered look.
What are ya going to do with the deck posts, cover them?
jt8
"Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. " --Theodore N. Vail
there is no salvaging the old 2x6... they were nailed off with 16d HDG adn the nails stay until the wood around them is destroyed.. we tried a couple different things..
wound up just cutting them into 16" pcs between the joists
i'll show you the bench supports when we get done.... what you see is what you getMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
there is no salvaging the old 2x6... they were nailed off with 16d HDG adn the nails stay until the wood around them is destroyed.. we tried a couple different things..
Sawzall between the plank and joist? Rusty nail head adds to the 'rustic'. :)
But shoot, you're paying those guys by the hour...they don't have time to fart around with trying to save the old planks.
jt8
"Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. " --Theodore N. Vail
john... we put a 4' crow bar under the 2x6.... the wood comes up... the nails stay
there is no salvaging this decking.. believe me ... i'm yankee.. if we can salvage it ... we do.. we always use it if it's useable... or at least we store it for 20 years until we get sick of moving itMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
What species of wood is your new decking? Will it retain its color through time or will it grey like PT?Chief of all sinners.
Ipe'. ( Ironwood ).. and yes, it will get greyer.. unless you put a finish on it.. even then it will change colorMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
very nice project indeed! thanks for your fine presentation
feel a little like the tv shows where it seems like all the progress happens in a day and one half
please elaborate that you began the day after the 4th of July and you were held up when the new windows arrived w/ so & so's miracle finish rather than the cladding as stated on your invoice
and if it hasn't been that long don't let us know how little time
the decking was a Change Order.. we did about 900 SF..
5/4 x 4 Ipe' , face screwed with SS ( GRK 10 x 2 1/2 )...
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/16/2005 8:11 pm ET by MikeSmith
the painters took over while we loaded up..
here's Craig trying my new PC sander.. ( Eddy went to buy one but they were out of stock )
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and Eddy getting ready to prime the new kitchen island
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/16/2005 8:12 pm ET by MikeSmith
anyways ... alls well that ends well... the guys were demobilizing.. i had Mike hookup the trailer , while i took some pics..
here's Chuck showing Mike my handy- hitch-helper.... yeah , i know.. looks just like a golf club, don't it ?
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and Roy organizing the floatsom & jetsom..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/16/2005 8:17 pm ET by MikeSmith
and here's the pic we are always trying to get... a smiling customer , happy with our work !
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/16/2005 8:19 pm ET by MikeSmith
Mike,I must be dense.How do you fasten the golf club to the hitch?
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
yup.. u r
when i'm backing onto the hitch i can't get a good visual about exactly where the hitch is in relation to my ball..
so i usually ask someone to put a stick .. or a broom stick.. or a piece of furring..right over the hitch socket
then i can usually get the alignment and distance 1st time
the golf club just happened to be in the cab.. BTW.... i think 9 irons work best..
must work pretty good.. young Mike got it the first time and he'd never driven my truck or hooked up to a trailer before..
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/16/2005 11:27 pm ET by MikeSmith
went back to see how the painters made out...
and the Owner was still happy !
and raggedy ann & andy were having a little tea party
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/29/2005 8:23 pm ET by MikeSmith
here's how it looks with the view to the west...
and the east ..
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and a detail of the box-out for the chandelier
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/29/2005 9:21 pm ET by MikeSmith
That's a lot of glass. wonder how hard it is to keep it warm in there.
jt8
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."-- John R. Wooden
john... just went looking for this to answer a RFH thread..
the heat works fantastic !
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
don....... do you have a new screen name now ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You got a problem with "Donk"? Kinda like when you forget how low the rafters are and stand up too fast. DONK!
jt8
lotsa worse things happen to better people than me every day. --Snort
no... it was an old thread and i was wondering what happened to him...
just like i wonder where you are when you don't come around for awhileMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike,
That PC sander, best thing going! We use it often, rental yard around here rents one for $27 a day plus sanding disks. We also put red rosin paper down on the floors before we mud on additions or basements. Customers love it!
Mike, do you have that surf pic in a larger size ?
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
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probably not... i found that the one resolution i'm shooting at is more than adequate for my needs... so i don't shoot at high res any more..
is that what you mean .. or would you just like me to print it out and send it ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
That's the one, Mike.Thanks.As it turns out, you have enough pixels per inch in there that it works pretty good, blown up to make wallpaper from.This works. Thanks.=0)
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
hey, that 's cool .. i didn't know you could do that.. i just right clicked it and sent it to my desktop.. now it's wallpaper !Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Yup !!And your pic is dense enough that when blown up to 1024 by 768, it does not end up looking all pixellated.Most pics posted here are so light on the pixels already, that when you blow them up, the screen just looks all grainy. Yuk.This is a pretty cool wallpaper !!Maybe someday you can get a similar pic down there on the shore near where you live ??You know, where we all hiked down and skipped rocks and such...It would be a cool reminder for anyone who hiked down there.=0)
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Mike - What tools are you using to cut the old flooring out and back? The concensus seems to be the Fein Multi tool. (I don't own one yet, so I wound up with a circ saw and a sharp chisel.) Your thoughts?
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
don.... we have a fein.. but here, Roy used a spade bit..
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and cleaned it up with a router
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 11/16/2005 11:04 pm ET by MikeSmith
when we moved the kitchen island , it exposed a triangle of missing oak floor..
Roy rescued some from the back where it will be replaced by tile.. and is piecing it in
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pretty good matching , huh?
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everything from my hand to the opening has been pieced in
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/22/2005 6:27 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 10/22/2005 6:29 pm ET by MikeSmith
First I've seen of this post.
What's is going on; is Taunton holding these posts in a closet somewhere??
Nice looking work Mike. Always is with your jobs.
I'm glad to see you using plywood for your underlayment. The TCA, Boris and half the board is groaning out loud at this point. I use it all the time, but often refrain from admitting such on the board for fear of being flamed by all the staunch advocates of cbu and Hardi.
How do you avoid nailing (hopefully screwing) into the loops when you apply the underlayment?
Eric
It's Never Too Late To Become
What You Might Have Been
[email protected]
eric.. the QuickTrack is very uniform we marked the layout on the plywood as we laid it.. then made sure not to put any screws there..
also , pressurized the manifold so we'd know immediately if we had hit anythingMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
eric.. the QuickTrack is very uniform we marked the layout on the plywood as we laid it.. then made sure not to put any screws there..
The tops of the loops is what would worry me............time to take your time I guess.
Thanks MikeIt's Never Too Late To Become
What You Might Have Been
[email protected]
Does your boiler man have any problems with you installing the loops?
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
no ... we installed the QuickTrack... he installed the PEX.. one of my guys ( Mike ) worked with him
special silicone mastic and PEX hammered into the QT grooves with a rubber mallet
Sam is the one driving the mallet.....
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Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 10/12/2005 6:56 pm ET by MikeSmith
Do the world a favor and buy Sam some of those long tail tees from Duluth trading company.;o)
so sorry...
para. 3.01.12...."proper attire for plumbers / heating specialists"
... prescribed 6" crack visible for not less than 150 deg. from any rear observation "
duluth long tails are just one more whiny liberal attempt to tear down the moral fiber of our countryMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
ROFLMAO
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http://www.duluthtrading.com