Allan

2nd footing poured

by

Two days ago we rented an electric jack hammer and gasoline-powered auger, so I bored a hole what I thought was 2 feet deep.  It turns out to only be about 18″ deep.  Good enough for a footing, considering it is now about 30″ long!  Trying to keep at a reasonable length using a shovel was a challenge as it was all sand and collapsed in.  I augured this.  (Get it?  Auger, augur?  Look it up.) 

So now I have a 12″ by 30″ by 20″ deep footing.  It is long enough to place two teleposts atop it – one permanent, one temporary while the rest of the corner of the building is exhumed.

It will likely take a month of Sundays to cure.  I should put a thermal camera on it to see if any reactions are going on within it.  In the mean time, before any other digging and removing of slumped soil happens, we wait, as this is where the next beam will be placed. 

Read more

wiring, wiring, and more wiring

by

I finally got some more 14-3 wire for the smoke detectors.  The last of three is in the entrance, on the first floor.  Why there?  ‘Cause it’s a separate floor. 

 

The new breaker panel is now wired through the old via the back.  I had to get some new cable connectors to fit.

Read more

moving bathroom window, caulking, flashing

by

I made a mistake in … I was going to say in my drafting, but the mistake was from lack of drafting.  The window opening was 1-1/2″ too low.  This, after flashing it all in Blueskin butyl flashing tape – expensive stuff to waste!  HFT and I talked about whether to fix it or just live with it.  I, in my stubbornness, decided to fix it.  Because of the framing style, it wasn’t too difficult to fix.  New window opening: 

After moving & reinstalling:

Read more

insulation, Stucco, flooring, vapour barrier

by

Installation of the insulation.  Say that five times.  Anyway, no one likes a cold shower.  This Rockwool insulation is so easy to work with.  It cuts like a loaf of bread.  It is fire retardant and soundproofs really well.  Plus, it doesn’t make the installer itchy like that fibreglass stuff does. 

Read more

2x4s, shower base, flooring

by

One doesn’t usually get too excited about 2x4s, but these are actually 2 by 4, or close to it.  Plus, they’re fir, not just SPF.  What do I need these heavy monstrosities for?  I need to replace four tie beams (bottom chords) tying my rafters together.  Some crackpot notched one badly, two more are split and compromised, and one more has been drilled through it so many times that there’s no way it is actually holding structurally anymore. 

 

Thank you, Windsor Plywood, or bringing these in!

Read more

shower drain

by

YouTube is not always my go-to as there are so many opinions, regions with different building code, lines of products, regional variations within products, etc.  But this was helpful. 

what a pane

by

I finally got a piece of glass for the front porch of the house.  The roofing company accidentally broke the window as they were throwing down refuse from the old roof.  The same guy who came to tell me, on a different day, that he put his foot through the ceiling of the porch also told me about the broken glass. 

 

I told them not to worry about it as I had another pane in the basement, but it turns out someone else broke that one.  $25 later, it is now replaced.  Needs putty though.