DIY Renos

So far, I'm hitting all 12 cylinders!

That really is an old house. They only make those in 4 and 6 cylinders now!

 

That would be treat to find a Lincoln Zephyr V12 cylinder engine.

 

Attic Ladder - NOT!!!

Well the Insulator company's trouble-shooter/consultant came to check out my prep work status. I should him the new depth of the attic height and wondered if I really needed the Attic Ladder (still in the factory packaging). He was the one that told me to get one, but after seeing the new 2X8 joists, and the remaining 30" to the roof peak, he agreed that a simple hatch is all I need. Back it goes to Home Depot!

Anyway, there's a few Hatch DIY articles around, just as different as a recipe for cakes, but there's 2 things that preoccupy me.

1) Some of the basic ones must be made for places like Camelot - no real cold winters, and no real hot summer weather.

2) Most of them use the trim to support the panel.

This is the one recommended by our own Manitoba Hydro, which is what I won't do!


This one comes from an old document I got from London Ontario's old energuide site:


The problems with the first one is that it rests on the trim. If you lean a ladder on that edge, it will chip the trim or damage it, and since the attic and the house temperatures and humidity are always changing, the hatch panel will warp but it has nothing to tighten the gap. I'm surprised that Manitoba Hydro didn't dig further for a better design, especially for our region.

The second one makes more sense for here. I can use a proper seal on top of the ledger perimeter and clamp it snug with those window locks. No damage to the trim, which I will seal up anyway, flush with the drywall edge.

 

Tedy, I have a couple old PDF backissues of This Is Carpentry. I had them in an Attic Insulation subdirectory from a few years ago. The site is around and the articles are free to read. Good stuff on all things to do with the trade, as well as tool reviews.

http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/

BUT the real treat, my friend, is on the second to last pages. A section called Top Dog. Never looked at it before. Heres a couple samples:





They have a headline for this "Top Dog" section too:

"As common as tape measures in shops and on job sites, we feature one classy canine in every issue."

 

Its hitting the -40C c-c-cold again until Thursday, so I'm working on the wiring for the heaters and permanent lighting and outlet circuits over the next couple days. The insulators can't work their equipment (blown-in insulation around the knee walls) when its this cold, anyway.

When I wrapped up on Saturday, I just sat upstairs (I made a trap door, floor over the stairwell to keep the heat downstairs) for a while, and imagined all the walls up, and the furniture placed. Its gonna be awesome.

We've been at this since 2002, tearing walls apart, kicking out the old plumbing and ducting, building new walls and new floors. And moving stuff around to do whatever 'next-step' in the plans.

I told the wife that I'm gonna take a few days off, before I start putting up drywall, after the insulators come, then another day, to go through my notes and old To Do lists, and see if I missed something. Since the upstairs walls follow the roofline, above the kneewalls, I'll need extra blocking to fasten built-in furniture, etc. before the drywall goes up. After all that we've done, that will be a picnic.

The new basement stairs are routed out and ready to assemble and paint, but I have to wait for the insulators and do some wiring for the Up and Downstairs lighting. THEN, I can get a whole sheet of plywood down there to make the cabinets.

So the general plan is:
Upstairs
======
* Upstairs insulated,
* Basement stairwell cut and new joist headers for that stairwell,
as well as a new support wall below those stairs,
* Remove old basement stairs and extend original joists to
exterior joist stubs back to main house beam.
* Then, drywall upstairs,
* Bathroom fixtures installed (New shower, sink and potty),
* New built-in closets
* Paint
* New oakwood plank flooring
* New bathroom flooring
* New upstairs balustrades
* 3rd coat of urethane varnish on stairs
* New carpetted stair covering
* Pull our furniture out of storage and move it upstairs
* Open a bottle of champagne!

Kitchen and Pantry
==============
* Drywall the entire kitchen
* Finish old-style ceiling beams
* Build and finish lower cabinets
* Install new corner dual ovens
* Install new cooktop
* Plumb up a cold beverage unit (tired of buying soda bottles at $2 each)
* Build and finish upper cabinets
* Install new stainless steel on either side of cooktop and corner ovens
* Install an Aztec Ceramic tile behind cooktop up to the new exhaust fan
* Build the new Pantry cabinets and shelves.
* Build the new dining area in the kitchen (its a big kitchen 12' X 18')
* Open a bottle of Mouton Cadet red to go with the Prime Rib Steaks!

Basement
=======
* Finally drywall the shop, and install shelving
* All the wiring is done - plugs every 4 feet, fluorescent lighting installed
* Paint the walls
* Repaint the floor
* Install new work mats.
* Crack open a few cold brewskies!

AND THEN - Back to restoring my wagon!
* Buy and install one of those portable car shelters
* Get another parts car from Western Manitoba (Likely a 1982 Zephyr sedan)
* More brewskies!
* Get to playing!

 

http://www.nystrom.com/access-doors/fire-rated

insulated, gasket, even fire rated, 1 piece no BS install.

Emco ( or similar) should be able to hook you up, maybe not from the same manufacturer as I posted but....

Emco

Address:
801 Century St

Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3H 0M4

Phone:

204-775-4461


I've installed a few over the yearsand in a ceiling they don't look bad at all. There also should still be a option of getting it in a satin coat/paint bond if your painting your ceiling some off colour.

I have the same attic hatch as the one you don't like, although we don't get the humidity, we get damp and that makes wood have a mind of it's own at times yet I've never had a problem with mine twisting or getting stuck because of. The only thing I did to mine was liquid nail 3'' styrofoam to it.

 

Thanks Tedy, but I already built the beasty. Too friggin' cold up there to install it. Even the small heaters can't push back -43C with these winds. Crap.:banghead3:

 

WIMP,,,,,, get a bottle of Mexican Ta-Kill-Ya ( you mite have some conections for the real stuff) and get to work, work harder and you will stay warm!



EDIT...... No, forget the Ta-Kill-Ya..... I remember when you.... and then Andy had to..... because you fell through...... and then.......



........

It's cold Norm, Get a book and read, play on the PC, Take up knitting, etc, till it gets warmer, OK?

 

Knit some mittens and get back to work!WIMP X-2
This thing is turning into a book!

 

Its supposed to end up as an OWNER'S MANUAL!!! I've got a great memory, for a lot of things, but far more get left behind, so this thread will eventually end up in my Home Owner's Manual. If I croak first, the wife will have the details. If she goes first, I'll know what I did and why.

 

Sounds like a good plan. Only the next guy that buys the place will probably throw the Manual in the trash when he re- remodels.

 

Yup, Reading "War and Piece" would be faster


Hi Norm, now get back at it, none of this "It's to cold inside"!

Others are still outside building homes in Winterpeg!.........



:2_thumbs_up_-_anima

 

So that's how they make those iglos ? Always wondered where they bought those large ice cubes.
I'm sure the modern Eskimos get theirs at Home Depot or Lowes.
Norm could write another book.

 

Probably would give it the heave.

We've been stuck with a Mayor that likes spending our taxes on everything except fixing whats broke, and then finding new ways to tax us. One of those is PRE-SALE inspections and fines, for stuff not done according to building, electrical and plumbing codes.

And then the real-estate guys come along and swoon you that THEIR inspectors will pass your house and no charge, if they get the listing. Ha! If you switch realtor, the city inspectors mysteriously appear and fine the heck out of you. So my 'manual' keeps all the paperwork, permits, code references, and drawings. Just in case the Dirty Tricks crew ever casts their carcase shadows on my doorstep.

 

Rulz iz rulz. Just had a friend who lives on a busy street get fined for not having a building permit and licensed roofers putting on his new metal roof.
Then he had to hire one of the rip off permit guys friends to finish the job.
Can't believe they didn't make him tear off the first 2/3's of the finished roof.
Something about special updated hurricane codes. The last 1/3rd was done exactly like the first part, mine, and all others we've seen.
There ain't too many ways to install metal roof panels.
I feel for ya Norm. Better off to live in a box under a bridge.
Grow a beard, wear a pointy hat and become a Gnomie Normie!
Now git to work. We ain't got all year. It's gonna be too hot in the attic soon.