Home ownership can suck sometimes..

Ypedal said:
Oh man.. i tell ya whut ladies and gentlemen.. if you can afford to have something like this done vs doing it yourself.. pay up !!!!!!!
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One guy & his dog. 5 work days. Safe/Working fireplace. New fire proof liming, new fiber enforced plaster exterior (any color & water proof)

Labor/material. $2500.00 cash or $2999.99+tax check after done.
(price includes espresso all day for home owners)
 
Hmm.. you got a portable espresso machine in the work truck ? :p

After dealing with the exterior, cleaned up the yard, filled up the trenches left by the dumpster bin, siliconed flashing, etc.. i had enough of this project !

However... this is what i'm looking at on the inside !
 

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The dumpster was still in the front yard at the time and a friend who used to do drywall for a living suggested we tear the fireplace out completely ! :lol: oh god.. the project continues...

We tear down the fireplace, mantle, make big mess in living room.. then, looking at the big hole in my wall, he suggests we keep going !!! as it's easier to board up a whole wall vs patching a crappy wall .. helllooo can of worms..

So, we keep destroying.. good thing too !! there was NO INSULATION AT ALL up to the ceiling above the fireplace, only thin wax paper stuff, huge R value drop..

I discovered something i hate more than plumbing !!!!

Pink Insulation !!!! .. iiiitchhyyy !!
 

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I would rather repair 2 cammycc batteries than deal with that stuff.. but it has to be done.. so it got done..

6mil vapor barrier, acoustic seal, proactively installed 2 outlets with 12g wire, fed wires downstairs to panel, i will coil them up and fix to the rafters for next year when the electrical gets done..

What a difference in comfort level in the house !! Incredible ! Last saturday i finally caved in and turned on the heat.. +2 celcius outside.. ya know. gettin chilly.. and the furnace ran for only a few minutes vs what used to be 30!!!.. and much longer between cycles... this winter will be awsome !
 
Ypedal said:
However... this is what i'm looking at on the inside ! (fireplace)
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You could hang at least four bikes in that space when it's done.
 
Itchy pink stuff was worth it eh? I guess that chimney was just a big hole in the roof, R value wise.
 
You Canadians must have polar bear hide!

When renovating my house, I told my wife I wanted 8" studs in the wall for more insulation if we ever build our own house (live in Texas).

I look at that pic of the wall and see 2x4 studs...in Canada no less....

My understanding is that there is more to gain from insulating the attic, but the coldest it gets here is 20F (-7C). We have more worry about keeping heat and moisture out.
 
Larsen truss is a non-load-bearing wall extension for the sole purpose of adding a false wall a foot away fron the existing (or whatever thickness you choose). Its like a light-weight wooden ladder thats very narrow, and you attach one of the sidebars to the existing wall. It is then (of course) filled with insulation.

The biggest heat-sink in a house is usually the windows (even double paned ones). Some day I want a house with plain/flat window trim on the inside that allows a separate flat-framed non-sliding window to be set over the entire inside of the house-window. If your window can slide to open for fresh air, they leak. Also, significant heat is lost throught the glass (even double-paned) A third non-sliding pane that is only used during the coldest part of the year is a big help for both problems.

A Russian Stove is a big mass of masonry that is in the center of the main home space (not attached to a cold outside wall). Typically between the kitchen and living room. a very hot fire is stoked for an hour or so, and that way no creosote is formed. The masonry absorbs the heat and radiates it out the rest of the night without having to tend it.

The firepit can have openings on two sides (behind glass) but it must be air-tight to enable throttling the airflow to the intake. Many designs have what looks like a "pizza oven" above the firepit. They can be multi-fuel to take wood, propane, natural gas, etc...

masonrystove.d.jpg
 
Heating costs must have been minimal back when this house was built, but i've put alot of work in it..

Outside used to be cedar shingles, about 8 years ago it was removed down to the planks, and covered with " House Wrap " material that's like 1" dense fiberglass insulation with radiant foil backing, then vinyl siding over it..

2nd Year after moving in i did the attic, previously you could see the studs in the attic, barely any insulation at all, Picture of the crawl spaces before :

This " red top " stuff seems like steel wool inside a paper sleeve, advanced in it's day !.. crap by today's standards..

what you see on the floor is insulation that was packed in solid from the attic down into the crawl space ceiling panels..
 

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The after picture !

I installed foam vents between each rafter, then fresh dry pink insulation, then 6mil vap barrier..

In the attic itself ( very tight space, hands and knees type thing ) i piled up an 18" thick blanket of pink.. that itself was incredible on the heating bill and conform level of this place !
 

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Ypedal said:
a friend who used to do drywall for a living suggested we tear the fireplace out completely ! :lol: oh god
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Oh well. Some time ago in Seattle, ah.....1982 or so.... real estate section of PI listed all components of a home values.... lot (if in good area) & masonry (if done right) was only two to go up in value, masonry 300% higher in 10 years.... all others, dropped like a new car off the lot, some like hugo's.....

80 psi home unit & starbucks ground.... guaranteed buzz.... I think the commercial ones hit around 120psi
 
The never ending story continues..

2 weekends ago, made it to Home Depot in search of paint.. 5 minutes later i picked my color and had them mix me up a 5 Gal . ( Neighbor's wife was besides herself how someone could make a decision like this in 5 minutes... . lol )

Took 2 days to paint the living room and dining room, open concept so if you start a wall you have to keep going.....

Good o'l Neighbor !.. Thank god for good friends !
 

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Well.. that brings me to the floor..... While painting, the neighbor's wife comments on how horrible the flooring looks and that i really should do something about that.. heh.. well.. yeah my floor sucks, it's what was below 1" shag carpet before i got the place and the previous owner just painted over the plywood.. Fast forward 5 years and it now looks like this :

Me and my big mouth.. Told her i'd get it done by Christmas ! :wink: ( As long as her husband was willing to help me install it ! :D )
 

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So last weekend, back at the hardware store, Walnut 12.3 mm laminate flooring on sale 2$ per sq ft . Did the rough math and the room is 408 sqft, that means 25 boxes + 2 for good measure and screwups.

Started friday night after work, it's -15 celcius out here this weekend and cutting outside is not very much an option.. compromise was to use the jig saw in the laundry room... ( yes, i'm single and i can do things like this if i damn well please :twisted: )

So by saturday 7pm the deal was done ! oh man i'm sore.. i work in an office and this much work kills me ... but the pain feels kinda good in a sick twisted kind of way......

So voila !
 

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ypedal :) you got some ability there . not the first gent from that burg that ive seen with talent in before either . seems the kids on the coast here are getting soft but evertime i run into a kid that seems to be capable these days hes from your neck of the woods.

I dont know if youve ever pondered westcoast lifestyle but you could make a fortune out here doin that stuff on the side never mind full time.
 
you know i understand the added r value in wrapping a home in plastic i do BUT ive done my share of reno work in the lower mainland , even have a small reno biz named after my first son, and im here to tell you that fully sealing a wood frame structure in an envronment that sees 4 seasons is just not good for a few reasons. you may get a lower heating bill yes but you sacrifice the rest of the buildings longevity and in my outspoken but humble opinion the air quality within said building .

to wrap the outside in plastic and the inside as well traps moisture that the now non existing airflow can not deal with fast enough. the end result is premature rot and mold with the walls themselves. i would not personally tape that poly joint . but then if i could get away with it id omit the poly all together.

this is more an opinion formed over the last 15 years of doing some reno work on a few heritage homes locally that all were more than 90 to 100 years old. no plastic , minimal insulation and drafty as could be, BUT no rot .

newer homes with tyvek and poly almost always have some degree of mold or dry rot.

my2 cents.
 
Lesss, after reading that i went into the crawl space with my roll of TuckTape, that line you painted was taped but the seam up against the ceiling was not ( every time i step outside and see the snow melt over the rafters i was reminded that i had to get that done.. well.. it's done now ! :wink:

enoob, i agree, this house is 55 years old, it was built when materials were cheap and with real lumber ( 2x4's are really 2" x 4" !! and most of it is 2x6 !, main floor joists are 2x8 spaced 10" apart ! Windows leak air, attic is well vented, i still loose heat but at least moisture is controlled.. neighbors have a pre-fab house and without a de-humidifyer running all the time it gets really stuffy in there..

I still have to buy a hole pile of 1/4 round trim to hide the gap from the laminate, the original casings i wish i could remove, strip, and re-varnish but they are nailed down with spikes and OLD.. ie: easily crack, .. I've removed a few pieces being ever so carefull but doing all the trim in this place would be a 6 month project... i love perfectly varnished and polished wood but unfortunately this house's trim is getting painted pretty soon... :oops:

My next big reno job will be electrical, and boy oh boy do i have big plans for the electrical !!!... :twisted: 240v in the office and to an outside outlet, sub panel in the garage, etc etc etc... this one i'm going to hire out as i want it done right and without compromise..

New floor makes real nice backdrop for the bike pictures however !! It did NOT come together very easy either, 2 boxes in i almost took it back to the hardware store, even slight imperfections in the floor make some pieces not snap together as they should, you have to muscle them in place and pin them down until the next row.. to get all the seams to close tightly took alot of work on a 34 ft run ! wooo..
 
electrical contracting is a field right up my alley. sounds like youll have tons of fun with that. are you going to upgrade your main breaker panel, perhaps a 200 amp. but may i ask one question, what is being powered by 240 in a office?
 
enoob said:
def215 said:
what is being powered by 240 in a office?
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:D he's an ebiker soooo its either a welder or a gigantic battery charger
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Ding Ding Ding !
:wink:

I already have a 200 amp entrance but it's old and the main panel is roasted with age... the current sub panel is a " Push Matic " type rig, advanced in the day but most of the house is 2 prong and no ground, some outlets have been changed in the house but no grounds connected.. :roll: .. i plan to have the entire thing gutted and replaced with new.. and since holes will be made all over the place, run extra wire for audio/etc.. that will be one expensive reno..
 
I just finished some work on my place this last week YPedal Man...Old pergola on side of house
was built in the early 1980s the Jarrah was looking shabby the paint non existant, the latci work was
in tatters check it out now all ready for a roof and more workbenches!!

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Grrr damnit second pics blury

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Our houses here look a bit different from what you have to YPedal Man..

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Home ownership (not the 'bank ownership' LoL) is the best can do what you want and
you have no one to answer too...

KiM
 
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