Home Improvements

[Seabiscuit36]

now it all makes sense

[smeags]

 

Like rome i took the asbestos off my house when inspectors wouldnt be around. Luckily the former owner put vinyl siding so the asbestos wasnt visable.


Funny but all that crap just kind of disappeared 

[Tomahawk]

At some point, I'm going to want to build a deck out of the back of my 2nd floor master bedroom. Since there's already a deck on the ground floor, I don't want to use support posts for the new one. How long does the 2x? need to be to cantilever it out 6'? Or would I need to use 4x?s?

[Diomedes]

Without seeing any of this site, the following is basically worthless, but that goes without saying around here and yet I persist.  FML.

If you want to hang a second story deck six feet off the face of your exterior wall, you are in for a serious project.

The way you're talking, which is a bad idea and stupid:  remove enough siding around the second floor level to gain access above and below the new deck level.  Remove enough sheathing for same.  Assuming the joists for your second floor are running in line with your deck (not perpendicular to it), you will need to sister the same dimension lumber onto these, twelve feet (twice the cantilever---I'm not an engineer though, so def. check this) inside the house.  There will likely be plumbing, electrical, and ductwork in the way.  Have fun moving those.  This will mean of course that you will have to remove either flooring above the second floor joists, or ceiling below them for access.   I would suggest gluing the hell out of the new lumber as well as nailing/screwing it liberally.  I'd also consider using an engineered material, rather than regular wood.  If you do go with wood, you'll need to use pressure treated, of course.  Once you've got all these joists poked into the house and secured, you can cclose everything up and start decking the cantilever.  You'll need to put a hand rail on it, keep that in mind when you design.  Be careful to flash everything properly around the new holes in the house made by your deck joists.  It will be very important to put a shade of slope on the deck to shed water away from the house, too.  If the joists do not run in line with your deck, I have no idea what to do.  I'd have to see it and probably ask people who know better than me for help.

In fact, I would never build a cantilevered deck onto an existing structrure without an set of plans fully vetted by an engineer and reviewed by a builder or two with more experience than I have.


The way I'd do it:

Take the floor plan of the deck below as my upper deck plan, or at least part of it.  Remove the support posts from the lower deck entirely, including their footers.  If none are to be had in convenient locations, remove decking from the first level deck to install full length posts in their place, in new concrete, which run through the second story deck level and reach to at least the height that the hand rail will make, or to the level that a roof structure or pergola/false roof will be built.  Remove siding at the location of the second story floor and install a ledger board to carry joists from the house to the beam that I hang off the aforementioned posts.  Frame it, deck it, button up the house around the new ledger, etc. 

None of this is to mention that you'll also be wanting access to the deck, which means putting a large hole in the side of the house for the door(s).  This  isn't a simple project either and if you don't frame it right, your house will cave in.  If you don't finish it right, you'll have a pond in your living room or kitchen, or whatever is below the master bedroom.

I could go on.  You're farged.

[Tomahawk]

Jesus...it sounded like a good idea until I read that. I'll just stick to ripping out the drop ceiling and carpet, drywalling, and laying a hardwood floor.

[General_Failure]

Ripping out a drop ceiling is always a good, messy idea.

[Seabiscuit36]

So I just replaced the weather stripping on an exterior door with a newer magnetic strip.  Why does the door, and every entry door have some rubber piece down near the bottom rail on the open side?  I cut the weather stripping just above that piece, and I can see light coming thru. 

[Diomedes]

I'm not sure I understand the question.  Did you trim the end of a rubber weather strip which slides onto the bottom of the door?

[Seabiscuit36]

You can see the small rubber blocker near the bottom.  I just cut the trim the same as it was before, but when the door shuts, it compresses that rubber stopper, and seems to allow air to sneak thru.  Not sure if i should just remove that piece all together?


I'm waiting for it to warm up and I'll sand that section, and repaint it all since its got 11 years of wear showing. 

[Diomedes]

I don't know what that's all about, almost looks like a piece of the original packing when the door was new that was never removed.  My inclination would be to remove it and run my fancy expensive new weather strip all the way to the deck.  Maybe it will come out without damaging, so if things are drastically worse without it you can put it back.

I'd add a good storm door and deal with the rotted sill (in the sunlight) too.

[Seabiscuit36]

Door gets sun from sun up until 2pm each day, problem was the flashing which we did get fixed, so all damage is residual from before.  Where that door is hopefully we'll have a screened in porch in the next 3 years so i may get away without a storm door for now. 

We did end up going with the Hardie Plank, and have to say I love it.  The trim work really pops with the composite being oversized.  All in all well worth the money.   We'll get the deck in hopefully by mid April, and we're ready to go. 

[Seabiscuit36]

I just ripped the thing out, and cut a smaller piece of weather stripping, seems to hold the spot well enough.  I can always put it back I guess if i feel like there's too much airflow. 

[SunMo]

i'm gearing up to replace carpet with laminate in a few rooms downstairs.  i want to paint the one room first but then i'm ready to go.  i hear lots of people say it's easy to put laminate down but i'm nervous about some funky cut ins i would have to do like my fireplace and the stairs.  i'm tempted to just get a professional installation on it.

[Seabiscuit36]

Laminate wood flooring?  It's pretty easy.  You just need to get the foam underlay down, stagger your cuts on the end so you dont end up with the same seams across the floor.  The cut ins arent awful, just buy an extra box figuring it may take a cut or three to get it down right.  Leave a gap on the walls so you can allow for expansion, and put up quarter round to hide the small gap. 

I did it twice in our old house, one suggestion, buy knee pads. 

[SunMo]

thanks SB.  where did you end up buying it from?  do places like Lowes or Home Depot offer the best pricing or should i look at a flooring place?


also, I was talking to a guy who said the most important thing to do is make sure to spend the extra money to get a longer lasting circular saw blade because the flooring really eats up the blade.  you have the same experience?