Tag: framing

First Window Installation

September 25, 2013 / Matt / 0 Comments

With the prep work for the radiant heating complete, we can focus on getting the windows and doors installed. I came up with the plan a while ago after reading up and watching some Building Science materials. The first was the back window in what will be the office. It’s the only double hung window, but the reason I decided to do this one first is that it opens onto the enclosed porch. That meant it was easier to install and it was covered in the event we ran into snags.

Original window removed

Sarah’s dad Mike, Rob, and Aaron helped me re-frame the window opening, moving it about six inches over to allow for the future stair landing when we redo the back porch. We mended and sistered a stud that became one of the king studs and put in a proper header with ½” insulation separating the 2x6s. This resulted in a somewhat ridiculous 8″ of solid framing in the wall. Good thing we’re putting on exterior insulation! Then we installed new sheathing in the closed up portions and cut back the siding around the opening, then caulked all of the seams.

The next step was to build the plywood box that extends out from the exterior wall so that the window was properly supported on the outside after we add two inches of foam. We added the Tyvek house wrap to the sheathing and then the glued on two 1″ layers of polyiso rigid insulation, ensuring that the seams didn’t align and taping everything with Tyvek tape. Normally these would be attached by screwing furring on, but the siding is a long ways off and we’re planning to use metal furring strips that we don’t have yet.

Re-framed opening

We added clapboard at the bottom to slope to the outside and installed a WeatherMate drain pan on top of it. Next we used flashing tape along the sides and put the window in place with shims at the bottom. We secured it with straps on the outside face that were screwed through the foam and into the studs. I’ll need to finish the interior with some Great Stuff and backer rod. I’d like to thank Mike, Rob, and Aaron for their help and their patience with my non-traditional window installation!

Completed window

This window was kind of a prototype, so I have a few lessons learned. First, the project took all day for the single window, and we had three people working on it. I need to streamline the process for the remaining windows. Some of the time was because we hadn’t done it before, but I’m also hopeful that if I pre-cut the material (studs, foam, plywood), I can install them faster.

Window sill detail (Credit: Building Science)

Next, I’m a bit confused by a couple of details of the Building Science plans. First, their instructions leave the entire window sill area (highlighted above) effectively un-insulated, though it is air sealed and drained well. I think in future windows I’ll use spaced shims rather than beveled siding so I can fill the space under the pan flashing with expanding foam.

Window head detail (Credit: Building Science)

Second, considering how thorough the plan is when it comes to water management, the plywood extension box seems strangely left out, particularly at the top (highlighted above). The house wrap is underneath the foam specifically to handle water that might get inside, but the water is then directed onto the exposed plywood and trapped there because the foam is taped to on the outside of the plywood. We wrapped the corners of the housewrap to the plywood with Tyvek tape, but I think I’ll wrap the housewrap over the plywood at the top for the rest of the windows to create a better drainage plane. I may even try to add a slope to the sides so the water can continue to drain down the wall, but we’ll see how ambitious I get.

There are six windows to go: three along the side and three in the bay in the front. We also have the front door and the back sliding door, though the back sliding door will have to wait, since the porch stairs are in the way. We’re planning to install the door next weekend and hopefully I can get all the windows in the following week. Wish us luck!

Wet Wall Expansion

September 20, 2013 / Matt / 0 Comments

Wet wall

I like to think I’m a planner. I spend at least as much time figuring out how I’m going to do something before I attempt to do it, occasionally far more. Sometimes this planning pays off and sometimes I realize that I failed to consider an important factor. The wet wall was one of the latter. It’s comprised of two full 2×4 walls with a narrow space between them, except for the end, where the refrigerator will sit further back than the rest of the kitchen wall, allowing the front to be at counter depth without being an expensive counter depth fridge.

I researched refrigerator dimensions and decided that the kitchen wall should be six inches forward of the wall behind the refrigerator. I spent time researching how to support the wall when it doesn’t sit over a joist, decided to double up the bottom plate so that when we install the radiant floor and hardwood floors we’ll still have a large enough nailing edge for drywall. I measured and installed the wall bracing on the kitchen side exactly where the wall cabinets will hang so we have a continuous nailing surface and don’t have to hunt for studs. I used screws to put the blocking in the ceiling rather than nails because I know that when we redo the second floor we’ll have to replace that floor joist. All of this constituted good planning, but I neglected to consider the other reason the wet wall has a narrow space: it’s a wet wall.

The wet wall contains all of the plumbing that support the second floor. The toilets for the second floor bathrooms will use 4″ PVC drain pipe which will travel through the wet wall at an angle. The gap between the two walls was only 2½”. The only way to install that would be to notch out the studs, top plate, and bottom plate. I decided instead to expand the wet wall I’d just framed.

The good news is this wasn’t terribly difficult. I cut the nails holding the top plate with a reciprocating saw and tipped the whole stud wall until it rested against the chimney. Then I was able to cut all of the nails holding it to the floor, tap it a measly 2½”, and tip it back into place. A lot of time with a measuring tape and a level got the wall aligned properly. I picked up some 6″ screws to go through the double top and bottom plates into the joists and with Sarah’s help, got them all in.

Expanded wall

Like every project, there are a couple of punchlist items. I have to put some studs into the outside wall for drywall nailing edges, which means I need to put in spray foam since the studs will close up a couple of spots. I’ll also try to remember to think things through a tiny bit more in the future. At least we caught this right away, and not when we’re actually trying to install the drain plumbing.

Wet Wall Re-frame

September 5, 2013 / Matt / 0 Comments

Floor joists

After the wet wall demo and finally resolving the drain cap issues, we were able to get the wet wall re-framed. The first stage was sistering to two of the existing floor joists, which I did with Mike’s help a couple of weeks ago. These joists are in the kitchen, directly below where the cabinets, refrigerator, and oversized range will go, so reinforcing the joists will help support that weight without it flexing overmuch.

The existing joists are not level, due in part to the outside walls not being at the exact same height as the beam and in larger part to the joists themselves bowing, tapering, and generally being wonky. We compensated for some of this by jacking up the old joist before gluing on the new ones, but in the end I wound up using my laser level and a planer to bring down all of the high spots.

After that was done, I installed the new joist that replaced the rotted one, which was thankfully much easier to make level. Lastly, I installed blocking between the new joist and the next joist over in order to support the wet wall itself. Normally walls parallel to joists sit directly above them, but in this case the wall needed to be in line with the PSL column, which is between joists. The blocking is installed every 16″. Because I had planed down the joists to be level, installing the blocking was pretty straightforward.

Level subfloor

I then installed the subfloor. This was complicated by all of the pipes, and I had to cut notched sections and piece it together. I managed a decent job and I’m pleased to say that the subfloor is as close to level as anything in this house is likely to get. There were some low spots in the joists, so when I glued down the OSB subfloor, I only put screws in the corners. Then I let the bead of glue cure, acting almost as a shim. I’ll follow up with the screws afterward. My fancy collated screwdriver is missing its screw bit, and the screws I bought are square drive anyway, so I’ll wait until the new bit arrives to put those in.

Ceiling blocking

I was all set to install the wall itself when I realized I needed blocking at the top as well. Unlike the nice and level floor, the ceiling was incredibly warped in both directions and partially rotted. I had to custom cut and fit each piece of blocking. This was easily the biggest pain in the whole project. I installed them with screws so I can adjust them from above when we do the second floor. At least one of the ceiling joists will need to be replaced at that point. We’ll be able to do that without disrupting the first floor because the first floor ceiling will be suspended on furring under the joists. When we install the furring, we’ll skip the joists that need to be replaced.

Wet wall

With the blocking in place I was finally able to frame the wet wall. It’s two rows of 2x4s, with the kitchen side not extending the entire length. This will create a nook for the refrigerator, so it sits flush with the counter without being counter depth. I installed bracing between the studs (not pictured) to add rigidity, bring the studs parallel with one another, and create a continuous nailing edge for shelving and cabinets.

The wall will eventually extend another couple of feet past the column, but that can wait until I do the rest of the subfloor. I’ll also frame an access panel for the plumbing, but I’m not in a rush to do that either. The main focus is getting the wall up so that the radiant heating plumbing has something to be attached to. Lester will be coming on Monday to start that work.

Wet Wall Demo

August 23, 2013 / Matt / 0 Comments

Keeping in mind our current focus of having heat this winter, we need to re-frame the wet wall so that Lester, our radiant heating installer, can run the radiant plumbing up to the second floor, where we’ll be installing two new radiators. That means we have to take the old wall out.

Wet wall before

The first step in this process was to remove the old toilet flange where the original bathroom was and replace the rotted floor joist. In the process I realized that the 6″ x 8″ rim joist along the outside wall below where the bathtub had been was completely rotted as well. Fortunately I saved the old center beam and columns from the basement, which are the same size, so I can cut a replacement piece to fit.

Toilet flange and rotted joist

After trying a rented snap cutter, I wound up using carbide blades on a reciprocating saw to cut off the old cast iron drain and cap it. I also used the reciprocating saw to cut off the unused vent pipe. At some point over the years the original (correct) drain venting had been disconnected in favor of just wet-venting through the soil stack. This is less of a problem now that we’ve gotten rid of the first floor connections. We’ll come back and replace all the above-ground cast iron with PVC and put in proper venting at the same time.

Wet wall removed

I cut back the floor boards so I could get the rotted joist out and then took out the remaining studs, which by this point were hanging from the ceiling. At this point the only semblance of a wet wall was the two drain pipes, the two supply plumbing pipes, and the gas line. I need to cut back the subfloor a bit more to fit in the new OSB.

I spent some time planning out the wet wall, including where plumbing would go. The challenge is toilet drains, since I don’t want to notch joists. I realized that when we do the second floor I’ll need to replace two of the joists with engineered I-Joists so that we can cut 4″ holes in them. I also need to put in some 16″ O.C. blocking to support the wet wall, since it doesn’t line up with an existing joist. Instead it lines up with the PSL column we put in, which sits between two joists.

The plan is to get this done this weekend. I’ll pick up the lumber tonight and hopefully get the subfloor done tomorrow and the wall framing done on Sunday.

Mechanical Room Panel

August 22, 2013 / Matt / 0 Comments

We finished the first half of the mechanical room panel last weekend, which includes the water filter and heater and a space the future boiler will occupy. The second half of the panel will hold the manifold, pump, and expansion tank for the radiant heating system. I couldn’t build it until the old water heaters were out which, predictably, required the new water heater.

Before

Tuesday morning, Sarah’s dad Mike and I got the two old water heaters disconnected and moved over to the scrap pile. Then we marked out the location of the studs to attach to the wall. After the door delivery, he and Dean ground the brick wall smooth with angle grinders while I cut the lumber to size. I finished grinding down the wall Wednesday and put up the framing. I put sill gasket behind each stud to prevent moisture from seeping into the wood and attached them with Tapcon screws. I found that in several cases the screws wouldn’t go all the way in, despite using an air compressor and vacuum to remove dust and re-drilling the hole several times.

After

I discovered the best solution was to drill the holes as I had been with the rotary hammer, then come back and re-drill the holes with the drill bit that came with the screws. Even though they were both 5/32″, something about the included bit worked better. With everything in place, I came back down after dinner and filled the cavities with spray foam. I just need to cut back any places the foam expanded past the front of the framing and it will be ready for Lester to install the manifold panel.

Spray foamed panel

The only remaining item on my mechanical room preparations (aside from cleaning up the huge mess I’ve made) is to run a short length of EMT conduit from the junction box over to the panel and fish a 15 amp circuit for the radiant system.

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