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.

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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.

Blue State Tyranny Or Why Do California Democrats Hate Women And The Handicapped And The Poor?

Warning: Rant with some unsafe for the kids language.

I got a call from Car Guy today. We are unhappy campers. I was scheduled to head out to his place in California on Saturday to help him replace his roof. The shake shingles are old, worn and leaky and it needs to be replaced. It's a job he and I have done many times before. We're not exactly licensed professionals but we're pretty damn talented DIYers. We're friends of many decades. Really he's my brother by choice as opposed to by blood. That doesn't even really matter. He could be a neighbor, casual friend or even just sum dood and if asked I'd still help him with the task. It's what we do for each other as members of a civilized society.

But no. It is not to be. Why? Because the ever so caring and concerned (Democrat controlled) state of California has decreed that if one replaces their own roof on their very own house they cannot be helped by anyone who isn't a blood relative who lives under that same roof. I'll give you a minute to re-read that last sentence and absorb the wonderfulness that is liberal politics. Done? Cool but wait, there's more.

When Car Guy went and got his permit, that he paid the very same fee as roofing companies do but that's for another post, he was informed that the city would forward his application information to the state and that said state inspectors were actively checking roofing sites to ensure compliance with their draconian rules and regulations and had in fact already issued 'several' citations. The fine? I am so glad you asked. $100,000.00.

One Hundred Thousand Dollars. Contemplate that for a moment my friends. ONE. HUNDRED. THOUSAND. DOLLARS. Minimum. Which means it most certainly will be more if the state can see any way to squeeze you for more. For having a friend help you roof your house. But hey, that sounds totally fair. I mean, it's roofing being done by the unlicensed! How horrid!

I'm not talking about inspections to make sure the work is done to code. No no no. I have no real issues with that. I'm talking about doing to code work with the help of a relative or friend who isn't authorized by the state to do the work. It's not rocket science or brain surgery or even food preparation. It's roofing. It's not that fucking complex or dangerous. It's ROOFING!

But just hold on there a second there Mister Six, you say, how exactly is that hate on women and the poor? Aren't you really nothing more than a shill for the Republicans who and a closet Islamohomogynophobe? You're nothing but another rich banker fat cat one percenter hating on the state for ensuring that no one who isn't a licensed roofing professional is allowed to expose their tender hides to the unmerciful elements and risk their very lives doing something only the select few should be allowed to do. Sit down and STFU Mister Six lest you die.

Well, let's do a little scenario role playing shall we?

Let's say I'm a husband and father of 2.5 bright and wonderful young children. I make a decent living and my wife works part time. We get by and even manage to put away a few bucks every month. We scrimped and saved and managed to put down enough for a down payment on a fixer upper house. It needs work but it's in our price range and it's close enough to schools and shopping that we can even walk. I have basic construction skills so am planning on doing the necessary work on the house to make it the home we've always dreamed of. I'm a nice guy so I also have many friends as well as family, all of whom are happy to pitch in where and when needed. Comes a strong storm and we lose some shingles. Suddenly the roof leaks. Badly. The damage is severe enough that a new roof is required. Ok, life happens and I'm not totally unprepared. I have just enough in savings to cover materials cost and I can totally do the work myself. Except that I was in an accident a few years ago and my back/legs/arms don't work as well as I'd like. No problem. I have lots of friends and family who can do the heavy lifting. All is well. What's that you say Mister City/County/State public employee? If I get anyone to help it'll cost me my house and me, my wife and my lovely elementary school age children will lose everything we've worked our entire lives for? Instead I should hire a licensed roofing professional for 8 to 15 thousand dollars which I absolutely do not have because I'm totally unqualified to do the work on my own house myself? I can't make my own decisions? Yeah, that sounds totally fair.

Or how about this. I'm a single woman, living alone because that's just how I like things. I love my little house but it needs a new roof . On my modest salary I can't afford a licensed roofer. I do have some very close friends who are totally into things like that though so for a fraction of the cost of hiring licensed professionals I can get a new roof. Isn't this a great country? No? I can't do that because it'd ruin me financially? Oh, I understand completely. Hand me that pan would you? I need to catch this leak.

Or. I have a house that's slightly under water (thank you House and Senate Democrats). I'm renting it out and can just make ends meet because I signed on the bottom line and am the sort of person who takes their obligations seriously. Rather than abandoning the house and adding another foreclosure to the unending list I'm trying to be part of the housing crisis solution. But. The house needs a new roof and as the landlord I'm obligated by California Rental Law to make the necessary repairs or face slumlord sanctions. But I no longer live there. I fact I live in another state where it's cheaper just so I can meet my financial obligations. I load up my tools and fill my truck with 4 dollar a gallon gas and head out because I can afford the materials and can do the work myself but I can't afford to hire licensed professionals. No? One hundred thousand dollar fine you say? Here ya go Mister Mortgage Holder. Here's the keys. Have fun finding a buyer. Sorry about that Renter Family. I know the rent was reasonable and there's nothing available at a cost you can afford. Hope your parents have room in their basement.

That last one? Yeah, that's me. Lu and I actually subsidize the rent to the tune of 800 bucks a month rather than just throw in the towel and default. Think we're going to hire out thousands of dollars in repairs or upgrades? Not in this economy Governor Brown. I'll kick out the renters and abandon the fucking thing before I so much as spend a dime on licensed professionals to do work I can do myself.

Or or or or. I could go on and on and so could anyone with an ounce of compassion or common sense. But both of those things seem to be missing fro the State of California. They'd rather see the proles go without than permit the common folks to work on their own property. They're not licensed you see. They don't know what they're doing. Doesn't matter that they have access to someone who does, he's also not licensed. Doesn't count. If you can't do it, all by yourself with no help but those who actually live with you and share a common ancestor it's just not going to be tolerated.

It's the nanny state gone wild. It's those who claim the high road selling out to special interests and the lure of a fast, budget propping buck. Taken from the picked over carcass of already over burdened tax payers. It's a prime example of why businesses and productive citizens are fleeing the state in droves. It's about money and control and it's fucking outrageous.

The worst part is this is hardly a single instance. It's everywhere from Pate de Foie Gras to guns to child care to health care to anything and everything you'd care to name. It's politicians pretending to champion the little guy sticking their finger in that same little guy's eye, plucking out that soft orb and then skull fucking him to death. And don't give me any shit about it's both parties. Not in reliably blue California. Other places yeah but not in the People's Socialist Democratic Republic. It's Democrat run from top to bottom and it's rocketing to financial ruin on the dead bodies of those who have tried for years to prop up the monster through hard work and gobs of wasted taxes. They tried to outlaw circumcisions for Grapp's sake until they passed a bill to outlaw outlawing circumcisions. Really? This is what you in the state house are worried about and arguing over? Circumcision? Calling it a freak show is insulting to fat bearded ladies the world over.

Lu and I have always planned on moving back someday. As soon as I get the Utah house to the point where it would make financial sense to sell it. Now? I'm split. On the one hand Car Guy lives just a few blocks from my house and I'd dearly love to see him every day. The other hand is shit like this that no sane person could endure if they could avoid it. The gripping hand is I see no end to the abusive foolishness of that state.

 So. That's where we are on this fine Tuesday morning. I'm still going out to see Car Guy and his lovely bride because I love them and I want to spend some time with them. I will sit on my fat ass on the sidewalk and shout singularly unhelpful tips to Car Guy whilst he toils away on a job I should be helping him with. A job he's still going to come out here and help me do because I don't live in a Liberal Paradise and can actually take care of my own property in the way that seems best to me, the property owner. I will not stiff arm salute the state inspector when he comes with his demands of "Papers Please". I'll even keep my mouth shut and not talk to him with a bad fake German accent while goose stepping around the property because he'd only take it out on Car Guy like all the good little Liberal Nazis do and Car Guy doesn't need any more aggravation. And I will cry at what's been done to a state I once loved and a Country I still do because this is just a taste of what's to come.

It's Blue State Tyranny. Coming soon to a state near you?

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Laundry Room Part 1 - Tear Out And Electrical

When we bought this house I was acutely aware that the laundry room was in the storage building, behind the main house. That means that for the last two years Lu has had to trudge back and forth from the house to the laundry and back in hot, cold, rain, snow. You name it. All with nary a single complaint mind you. Lu's a good soldier. She also knew that there were other things that took priority and that I'd get to a new laundry room just as soon as I could. Well, that time is now. Sorry it took me so long honey.

This is the room we've taken to calling the Mud Room. It's where both Chrisi and Angus spent a good deal of time. The dog door is there and we used it as 'temporary' storage as well. Time to strip it down to bare walls.

Everything had to go including all this wood paneling.

Behind that door is access to the main water lines to the house. The lines run behind the walls stage left in this picture, outside to the old water softener and then back to the main house feeder line. There's some 110 outlets but no 220.

Nice ceiling huh?

Getting started stripping the walls. Note the storage area on the left. We tend to accumulate stuff and temporary becomes semi permanent pretty quick.

This is a shot of the end grain of the paneling. Kaibab, straight from the Kaibab forest just north of us. This is probably circa 1950 or so.You can't find stuff like this anymore, at affordable prices anyway, so I'll hang on to it and try to find a good use for it later. No idea where but I am a pack rat.

Down to bare walls but we're still not done with deconstruction. All that needs to come out as well, right down to naked studs. Heh heh. Naked studs.

The wood on the walls is firring strips that the wood panels were nailed to. With about half a million nails.

Getting down to the stud walls. That is most emphatically not dry wall. It's a type of cheap wall board that is both flimsy and difficult to remove. I hate it with a red hot hatred of hatiness.

After a couple of days of pulling and hammering and prying and toting and lifting we're down to bare walls at last. Oh happy day! You can see the plumbing hookups over in the corner which is going to simplify the plumbing something fierce. That piece of white wall board behind the vent pipe? That's the old window opening in the original building. Just on the other side of that block wall is the kitchen.

Ok, time for some new wiring. I've complained for a long time that every 110 outlet in this house is ungrounded. That is simple two prong outlets. In time I will completely rewire the entire house, starting with this room. The yellow line is Romex, 12/2 with ground. One outlet on this wall for the washer (with GFCI) and one on the wall to the left for general use. The orange is 8 gauge with neutral and ground. That's the 220 line for the dryer. It also gets a GCFI breaker.

This is the north wall where the new water softener is going. It gets a 110 line for the softener and a wall switch for the overhead light.

And the overhead light. I always used to get confused when wiring up light fixtures to wall switches until my buddy clued me in. Here's how I remember how to wire a single fixture/switch. Remember that with Romex the white wire is neutral, the black is power and the bare copper is ground. At the service box you connect the cable normally to the breaker with the bare copper going to a common ground. From the breaker you run a line to the light fixture box then another separate line from the fixture box to the switch box. Ok. At the light fixture box you wire nut the two ground wires together. You're left with two white and two black wires at the fixture, one set from the breaker and the other from the switch. The black (power) wire from the breaker gets wire nutted to the white (neutral) wire to the switch. You're then left with the black (power) wire from the switch and the white (neutral) from the breaker. You then just hook up both the light fixture and the wall switch. It sounds confusing trying to describe it but in use it works great. When done correctly you've got power going to the switch from the breaker (through the fixture box) and then to the light from the switch and a neutral from the light back to the breaker which completes the circuit plus a common ground for the entire circuit. All you have to remember is at the light box you want white from the breaker, black from the switch. Hook everything else together with bare copper going to bare copper and black going to white. Hook up the switch (including the bare copper ground) and wire in the light fixture and you're golden. Easy Peasy.

All wired up and the dryer in place. Everything works just fine. I've covered the outlets and switches but left the walls bare for the time being. I have plumbing to run and walls to move so no drywall for a while yet.

Tomorrow plumbing. Here's a sneak peak.

 
Pex and Shark Bytes aka Plumbing for Dummies. Oh yeah.

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Screen Porch

Among the many projects around here I've wanted to enclose the back porch and make it into a screen porch. With Summer upon us Lu decided we needed a cool place to BBQ and hang out with the dogs so she made the executive decision that it was going to be the next project. What She wants She gets. Please bear in mind that this is roughed in. Rough construction. There will be errors but nothing I can't cover with paint, molding or finish carpentry.

View of the area we're enclosing from the house. I've already done a little concrete work as well as putting up the 4x4 corner post. If you look at the base of the post on the right you can see some lighter concrete. It was about a 5'x5' patch. Since it's in the backyard and kinda hard to reach I mixed and filled by hand. It took 520 pounds of hand mixed concrete to fill. Yeah, my back still hurts.

This is the view from the yard. You can see I've put up the headers and faced the soffit. All structural lumber is 2x6.

The door isn't going exactly there but it'll be close. Just a few inches to the left, near the edge where the concrete ends.

With the headers up it's time for the roof joists. It's a flat roof, sloped down and toward the outside edge for drainage. Because it's a porch and I'm using 2x6s I can spread them out just a bit. Instead of 16 inches on center they're 24, put up with joist hangers and screws. I ran into another problem here. The porch isn't square and the house is at an odd angle relative to the back yard. I decided to keep the joists in line with the house and have a wedge shaped section along the outer edge. This will allow the eye to see proper dimensions on entering the space and most people probably won't even notice the last joist at all. Besides, Lu is already making ceiling sounds so I'm guessing I'll be covering the whole thing up anyway.

The joists are up and it's ready for sheathing. When I re-roof the house a little later I'll be extending the shingles to cover the porch. There's just enough slope that I won't have to do tar and gravel.

I decided on OSB for the roof sheathing. It's tough, easy to work with, code compliant and fairly inexpensive. You can see how much coverage we're getting. It'll be a nice space when I'm done. I'll be adding a hip wall across the front, enclosing the right side (where the fence is) and adding screen from the top of the walls to the roof. Flooring will be grey indoor/outdoor carpeting after I fill the huge cracks and voids in the existing concrete.

Once the porch is done I'll be addressing the yard. I want to do ornamental concrete but I'm open to pavers. It'll depend on cost and ease of installation. I'll be adding posts as the work progresses. Stay tune, I have power tools and delusions of competence so this could be a complete disaster.

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Pirate Ship Update - Finished (Mostly)

It's been a while since I posted about the Pirate Ship I was building for the grandkids. I managed to break Lu's camera and still haven't replaced it so when the DO got here she took some pics for me. Click any picture to enlarge.

Here's where we left off. The main cabin structure without siding and the beam laid on for measuring. No prow and no landscaping.

Because I was sans camera I didn't get any further build pictures so here's the finished project. I'll just have to talk you through what I did, how I did it and why. I was overruled on the whole two story thing by higher command. I just cut off the 4x4s at the rear of the ship and used the two in front as rigging. The 4x6 beam is bolted to the roof with the end held up by a 1/4 inch steel 4x4 that's 10 feet long. The steel 4x4 is set 3 feet into the ground with 160 pounds of concrete. The beam has a swing, a tire swing and a climbing rope.

The prow is set on another pier block and attached to the main cabin with 2x6 framing. The floor is OSB over 2x4 floor joists. When I decided against it being two stories I went ahead and roofed the main cabin with shingles. The sheathing is more OSB with 2x4s and 2x6s for support. Everything is either nailed or screwed together.

Lu and I were at an antique store when she found this rock. It's fiberglass and it is way cool. 75 bucks. I love finding stuff like this and it added a nice climbing rock to the play area.

We had some old fishing net floats that Lu contributed to the build. I hung them on the sides and used some nylon rope as rigging.

Here's another view of the swings. I wanted to keep the ship theme so used wood and rope everywhere I could. Lu tested everything out. Just to be sure it was safe of course.

 
You can see the steel 4x4 post here. At the top I took two pieces of angle iron, welded them together to form a U bracket, drilled it, welded it to the post and lag bolted the whole thing to the beam. It's solid as a rock. That was Sarges idea. I was going to use an A-frame but this is both stronger and takes up a lot less space.

I bought a small basketball goal and mounted it to the end. We're planning on having some epic HORSE games. I went down to Ace and bought two gallons of brown paint. The paint guy asked me what shade and I told him Pirate Ship Brown. He offered a color, I accepted and it's now officially known at my local hardware store as Ace Pirate Ship Brown. He still chuckles whenever I come in.

Every Pirate Ship needs protection and this one is no different. This is a gun ship not a sissy merchanter. If you look closely you can see the cannon mounted on the side of the prow. That is most emphatically not a Nerf gun. It's a period correct replica of a repeating cannon manufactured in the 17th century by Theodor Geisel Armaments commonly referred to as a Ma Seuss. It's NFA of course. You can also see inside the main cabin. There's a 4x4 post just inside the doorway that holds the ships wheel. I put down some old carpeting I had from the bathroom/hallway remodel for padding. It's snug, cozy and a great clubhouse.

All in all I'm please with the result. The ship measures out at 7 1/2 feet wide by 20 feet long and 8 1/2 feet high not including the spars. It's surrounded by outdoor carpeting with gravel around the whole thing. It has swings, ropes, a basketball hoop and a rock to climb. The kids seem to enjoy it so I'm calling it a success.

Here's a random photo of Angus enjoying the play area just because he's so cute.

The yard was originally dirt and weeds. Lu took care of the weeds and I covered the rest with landscaping fabric, outdoor grass carpeting and gravel. That's 10 tons of gravel I moved by wheelbarrow, shovel, rake and a 5 gallon bucket. Each and every pebble. It really looks quite nice with the ship surrounded by a green sea and gravel shoals. There's plenty to do and it's a nice place for adventures and fantastical voyages of imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed the build with enthusiastic help from Sarge and Lu. It was all done off the cuff and straight out of my head. I think that's called seat of the pants engineering. All you real engineers should probably just look away. I tended to over build and it's managed to stand up to hard play and the usual Hurricane winds. This place is aptly named. The kids are going to take some paint to it and decorate it to their hearts content. It also needs a name. Monikers are being bandied about and as soon as one is chosen it will be painted on the prow.

This was a true labor of love. We managed to turn a couple of hundred square feet of dirt, mud and weeds into a play area for the kids that will hopefully allow them good, clean fun and a chance to exercise their imaginations as well as their bodies. I hope it reflects that.

 
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