Patio Concrete

We have fought the back yard area, adjacent to the covered porch, ever since we bought this house. It was a mess frankly.

We tried most everything. From fake grass

To sod

And everything in between. It was finally time to stop messing around and fix this problem once and for all and incorporate this area into the backyard/patio properly. That means concrete. There's one problem. It's behind the house and in an area that cannot be reached by the concrete truck. I could have arranged for a pump but I'm cheap. Wheelbarrow it is.

We spent the week prepping the ground. That meant digging out a couple of tons of soil, leveling, installing the edge forms along the fence and putting in the steel mat. Note that I took out the wall at the edge of the covered patio. We've gone from a sunroom to a true patio. I did put in another post to brace that long run.

Time for some concrete. I ordered 3.5 yards. I ended up being long again but that's better than short. $414.44 delivered including a $50 fee for the load being what's called 'short'. Anything below what the concrete company considers a full load is subject to that fee. For the moment ours is anything less than the max load of the truck which I think is something north of 7 yards. We had to clear out a path to get the truck as close as possible. I still ended up toting every cubic yard in a wheelbarrow.

Lu and her brother, The Principal. And thank you very much for the help. We literally wouldn't have gotten it all put in without him. Here's a thing about concrete that I plumb forgot. The weather is very hot and dry right now. Very. When concrete cures you want the water to rise to the top where it can be floated to a pleasing finish. On dry soil the water tends to get sucked down, away from the top. It starts setting up quickly and is very hard to work. My soil wasn't near wet enough and we had to really bust butt to get it worked and floated. It was a very near thing. Word to the wise.

After moving a couple of tons of concrete by hand in that little Ace wheelbarrow. Do I look a bit tired? I was beat and we were far from done.

Getting close. By this time is was almost impossible to screed the rapidly curing concrete. The time I spent actually moving the concrete worked against us. By the time I got most of it moved and on the ground it was already getting hard. Next time I go with a concrete pumper. Lu and I hammered away at it and eventually got it done but it was a huge and unnecessary waste of effort. Live and learn.

But in the end we persevered and it was done. I think it came out well. Lu is pleased.

We've now added about 400 square feet of usable space to the patio. No more dirt, mud, weeds and ants. It's now a permanent, low maintenance covering suitable for BBQ grills, patio furniture and generally hanging out enjoying life.

Next up is to epoxy paint the entire concrete surface, including the covered patio. Then I'll put the sun shade back up. The last attempt came crashing down in a heavy snow storm so this time I'll be beefing the whole thing up. The sun shade will include all the concrete we just poured. The kid's pool will go on that new pad in the last picture. The best part is this is all just off the master bedroom and immediately accessible through that new french door we installed. Ah, a master plan is a wonderful thing and it's gratifying to see it all come together as envisioned.

See you all for the next phase. But not today. Today it's rest, cold beverages and massive doses of Ibuprofen.
Six

Master Bedroom Remodel - Bathrom Shower - Final

It took a while but the master bathroom is finally finished (mostly) which brings the master bedroom remodel to a merciful close. It's been a long haul, interrupted from time to time by events better forgotten. Lu loves it and in the end that was most important to me. I gave her a free hand in selecting materials, finishes, accoutrements, and layout. I think I told her to indulge herself more than once.

When I put in the drain plumbing I was planning for a standard sized pre-made shower pan. That didn't work out. The drain ended up a bit offset so I had to come up with a new plan. That was to make my own shower pan and it's a pain in the toockus. I used a 6 mil (I think it was) plastic liner for my water barrier. You can buy it in pre-cut sizes precisely for this use. Over that went a fairly dry mixed mortar as a base for tile and to bring the floor up to the level of the drain. I went just over a quarter inch shy of the drain lip to allow for the tile and thinset. You can see the edges of the vinyl liner against the walls. I later trimmed it to 2 inches above the base before installing the wall tile. The corners are the tough part. They take a lot of fussing to get them correct and to lay flat. PITA. The vinyl is my water barrier if we have leaks and the mortar acts as the base for the thinset to stick to. The base must slope from the walls and threshold toward the drain for water proper runoff. Mark your walls before you start laying mortar.

We went with a 2 inch floor tile over the pan. That brings the floor level up to the edge of the drain. I like the tile but it is spendy at 9 bucks per square foot. Luckily we didn't need too much. It's really kinda necessary on shower floors. Larger tiles just get too slick from soap and shampoo. The smaller tiles and more grout lines give better traction.

  With the pan in and the floor tiles laid the walls were simple. We went with inset shampoo shelves and a nice trim pattern at the top of the walls. I had to make the threshold by hand.

A quick note about tools. I'm a big believer in never buying a tool twice. Buy quality once and you're way ahead of the game. I broke that rule on a tile saw for this job. Car Guy built a nice saw a few years ago that I 'inherited'. Well, it gave up the ghost during the first bathroom remodel and I needed something for this one. I'm nearly done with tile work (knock wood) so I couldn't see dropping 4 or 5 hundred on an expensive saw so I bought this one for 90 bucks.

It's the store brand at one of the big box home improvement stores (rhymes with Dome Hepot). Instead of a constant water feed the blade runs through water in a trough in the base. The surface extends for large pieces and the fence is adjustable. It even comes with an adequate blade. It cut very well. I had absolutely no issues with it. I'd never buy it for commercial or even heavy DIY use but for occasional or modest cutting needs it's the bomb. I don't know how it'll hold up long term but at this point I'm very happy with it. It's also very light and pretty small. It fits perfectly on a shelf for easy storage. Recommended as long as you understand it's limitations and don't treat it like it's an industrial saw.

Lu grouting. She's a keeper that one. She laid all the tile and did all the grout. I did the cutting and water hauling. Muscle and Skill. Fire and Ice. Leather and Lace. I'd hire her out but I'm too greedy. I'm keeping her all for myself.

Grouted with the shower curtain installed. Lu has since put up a second curtain on the left. You can barely see the shower drain. I'm loving this shower.

And with various toiletries so you can see how those shelves work. Looks nice, no? And it works as expected. The twin shower heads means we can use the shower together (heh heh) and the size gives us room to spare. At 3+x5 it's the largest shower we've ever had and feels like pure luxury.

We are a very long way from this. On the left is the shower drain. In the center is the toilet and the right is the vanity. Man, this whole thing was a lot of work. Dreams and plans become reality.

I still have to hang some accoutrements for towels and what not but for all intents and purposes it's done. Final totals on the entire master bedroom suite remodel was $6600 of which $2000 was to correct structural issues. The bathroom ate up about $2500. All in all not bad considering how much we opened up the space and improved our livability. The room is much larger, we added in a walk in closet and a 10x5 bathroom where none had existed before. The house has gone from 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. That second bathroom was essential, especially considering the grandkids are going to be spending considerable time here every Summer (Thanks DO!). And that french door has been wonderful.

This remodel was a tough project, I won't lie. It took time, effort, sweat, money and not a little pain. But the end result is well worth the investment. $6600 bucks is nothing in the remodel world. This could have easily run into the tens of thousands to have done professionally. It may not be exactly professional quality but it's very good and should last us a lifetime. Lu is happy and in the end that is all I really care about. This is well within the reach of most DIYers. Just roll up your sleeves and jump in with both feet. If we can do it anyone can.

We have a little concrete to pour before the kids arrive in June but the big projects are done for the Summer. We'll take a few months off and then begin the next phase of the house remodel; the spare bedroom, living room and kitchen. But that's for another day. For now we'll sigh in relief and enjoy our blessings and the fruits of our labors.
Six

MB Remodel Pt. X

Texture and paint. This is new construction so the equipment and techniques I used will be different than those for a repair. I'll discuss those differences where they come up. I invite anyone who has more experience and knowledge than me to chime in here or correct me where I get something wrong. Looking at you here Car Guy.

I use a compressor and spray gun to put on texture if the job is bigger than a small repair. Again, I don't have a gun preference this is just the one they had when I bought it a few years ago. It seems to work well. It has changeable apertures and an adjustable feed. If you're doing small repair the canned texture does work fairly well. Just pay strict attention to the instructions. Here's an example of where I used it on the California house spare bedroom. I know there are some out there who can apply it by flicking it on with a paint brush but that's a technique beyond my talents at present.

The screw adjuster at the back of the gun allows me to control how much texture is getting fed in so I can dial in the density of the spray.

Texture is not mud exactly. I think it has more to do with consistency than anything else as I've thinned down mud and sprayed it as texture but I recommend using texture where you can.

It tends to float the water to the top during storage so give it a good stir prior to using.

Then it's time to apply. There's really no finesse here, just load up the hopper and commence to spraying. I watch carefully to make sure I'm getting even coverage with as little glop as possible.

You'll end up with something like this. For us this was the final product, a pebble finish. Lu and I both like the look and it's easier to do.

But if you want a knock down look there's another step. First, you'll need a knock down knife. I like rubber 6 inch. The rubber gives me fewer lines and the shorter size gives me better control. YMMV. Clean off your knife after every pass, especially if you're getting lines in the knockdown.

Ok, If you're doing knockdown  this is where it gets tricky. You'll have to decide what size you want. I refer to them as large curd and small curd. If you're matching an existing finish you'll want to see what's there and go with the same. If it's new construction you'll have to decide on the look you want. That's important because knockdown texture is about timing as much as anything else. Large curd requires a wetter texture, small drier. Drier is easier to work, wetter harder and leaves more lines. Spray on your texture to a small area, or even better a test patch on a piece of discarded drywall, and then check it frequently until it gets to the desired moisture content. Check the elapsed time. That's what you have to work with. I did this very small patch of knockdown in an area of the closet that will be covered by stack able storage. This was about an hour after application and is an example of small curd knockdown. It's actually a little too small. I'd move up my timing by about 15 minutes or so if we were doing knockdown. If I wanted large curd it'd be about 30 minutes (or even sooner) but I'd check it very frequently to make sure. Monkey Wrangler, I hope that helps.

After the texture dried it was time to paint. New drywall will suck in paint like a dry sponge. Best to bite the bullet and use a good primer designed to prime and seal new drywall.

One coat of primer and then paint.

We have a sprayer but it chose this moment to fail so Lu ended up rolling the entire room. 3 coats, one primer and two paint. 2 paint coats were necessary primarily because of the texture finish we chose. That pebble look tends to leave some voids that are hard to see. Mom In Law came by to help which is good since I hate painting and will only do it at the point of a gun. Luckily Lu likes it and has completely consumed the job of our paint contractor.

One of her tricks is to lay out the trim and paint it prior to installation. Or even cutting to fit. She says it's way easier to patch seams and do general touch up once it's in as opposed to cutting in the baseboards after they're installed over new carpeting. Hey, I'm just the carpenter here but it seems to work really well.

You will find stuff you screwed up. Don't get bent out of shape about it. Just repair them and forget about it.

So. The room is actually finished. Paint was done on Friday and we spent the weekend doing all the little stuff. Carpet went in on Monday and I put in the baseboards and trim just after they were done. Then it was putting together the closet storage system and more fiddly stuff. I ended up drywalling the hallway just because I hate leaving bare stud walls visible. We moved in last night but I'm going to make you wait one more day to show you the final product. I think it turned out really well. I know that Lu is one happy woman and that's what really matters to me. A new bedroom and a happy wife? Doesn't get any better than that.

Six

We purchased every product we used and I showed I this post. No one compensated us or even asked for a review. This is just stuff we've used before and tend to like. YMMV.

MB Remodel Part IX - Drywall

I've said many time how much I hate drywall but there are a few things you can do to make it a bit easier. The first thing for me is to remember that mud and tape cover a myriad of sins. There's nothing worse than putting up a panel, find that it's a little too big and then spending 15 minutes trimming it to fit. I tend to cut everything a bit small and then rely on Lu's finishing skills to make it all fit and look good. Works for us.

This may be known to many of you but it was new to me. When cutting out openings for outlets and switches I've always relied on measuring and cutting prior to putting the panel against the wall with mixed results. It's awful easy to make a mistake here and either cutting too big or too small. Not to mention just plain missing altogether and risking ruining a panel of sheetrock. With the pot lights I had no choice but on the outlets and switch boxes I tried a new (to me) tool.

That's the Handy Mark. It makes marking the holes much easier and surer.

Here's how it works. It fits over and into the box. It has 6 small metal studs that stick out. Put the panel into place and press it hard against the box. The tool is supposed to be used on an empty box but I modified it to fit these that already have the outlet installed. You can see the cuts in the center if you look closely.

When you take the panel down the Handy Mark is stuck in the back side.

Remove the tool and you'll see 6 small marks.

Connect the dots and there's your outlet/switch box cutout.I added a little to the top and bottom to allow for the wings on the top and bottom of the outlets and switches.

I like my Dremel with a cutoff bit for this. Do a plunge to get started and then just follow your lines.

Perfect cutouts every time. It works for both outlet and single gang switch boxes. Nifty. I like this tool very much. It's now a permanent addition to my drywall toolbox. Works like stink.

Lu and I try to divide up the work where we can. I hung while she started mudding and taping. To that end I find panel carries very useful for moving individual sheets of drywall by myself. Hook them on and you can easily carry panels to wherever you need them with no assistance. Thanks to Car guy for giving me these. He swears he's done with big drywall jobs.

It was a very long day but by about 7:30 last night the drywall was finished. Starting to look like an actual room. The ceilings are hardest. I can hang walls alone but it took both of us to get those ceiling panels up.

The walk in closet.

Since there won't be a door here we went with a bull nose to finish the corners. It's a pain to put up but it'll look great when finished.

This morning Lu did a second coat of mud on all the joints while I did some clean up. Today we're waiting for that to dry, then we'll get in there and sand everything smooth. By tomorrow we'll be ready for texture. We went down today and bought 7 gallons of texture, 5 of primer and 5 of paint. When you're painting over new drywall make sure you prime with something made for sealing that new surface or you'll risk the paint soaking in and having to do a second coat. Primer is a lot less expensive than paint.

We're finally in the last stages of this remodel which is a good thing since carpet is scheduled for installation on Monday. That gives us 5 days (counting today) to finish everything except the trim. We have the trim and Lu will paint it when she does the room. Then we'll set it aside until the carpet is in. We'll cut the painted trim to fit and put it in. By Tuesday we expect to be moving in.

Getting so close. More tomorrow.

Six

Disclaimer. I paid for the Handy Mark out of my own wallet. No one asked me to try it or offered me any incentives. In fact no one even suggested it. I just happened to spot it on the shelf at the Big Box store and decided to give it a try. Most likely nary a soul on Earth even cares that I did. So there.