What Did You Do To Your House Recently?

[demetk]

Nothing crazy but here is essentially the ground level view that you'd see out the front of the larger aero house.

[guyprotection]

How to Finish a Basement: Framing and Insulating?


What are the other phases to finish a basement?



thanks

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

I went to building and safety and got an official address.

Looks like I'll be joining this thread. I've been paying on a small lot in the San Bernadino mountains and I'm getting ready to build a cool mountain retreat up there in a few months!

The plan is to build 2 Aero Houses and connect them with a deck, and (hopefully) some kind of covered parking in the rear.

Wish me luck, it's my first property and I'm stoked!

Oh yeah. That sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. How's the view?

Nothing crazy but here is essentially the ground level view that you'd see out the front of the larger aero house. The ground floor and loft will be raised in piers though, rather than graded and poured. I've already got some solar spotlights on those big pines and kissing the boulders, it's going to be a magical place when it's all done I'm super excited!



Also it will be an exercise in forward thinking technology, I'm going to put some cool inventions in there to accomplish some normally energy intensive home needs, and utilize solar power (photovoltaic and other ways) to power most if not all of the household.

Looks like a great place to do the Aero House. Any problems expected from the building code enforcement people. Can you "float" them on piers so that when the ground shakes they are less likely to be damaged?

[BimmerDan]

I added a much larger garage onto the house, Its finally all done, minus painting the house. Its nice to be able to put my truck in the garage.

[Acid House]

I went to building and safety and got an official address.

Looks like I'll be joining this thread. I've been paying on a small lot in the San Bernadino mountains and I'm getting ready to build a cool mountain retreat up there in a few months!

The plan is to build 2 Aero Houses and connect them with a deck, and (hopefully) some kind of covered parking in the rear.

Wish me luck, it's my first property and I'm stoked!

Oh yeah. That sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. How's the view?

Nothing crazy but here is essentially the ground level view that you'd see out the front of the larger aero house. The ground floor and loft will be raised in piers though, rather than graded and poured. I've already got some solar spotlights on those big pines and kissing the boulders, it's going to be a magical place when it's all done I'm super excited!



Also it will be an exercise in forward thinking technology, I'm going to put some cool inventions in there to accomplish some normally energy intensive home needs, and utilize solar power (photovoltaic and other ways) to power most if not all of the household.

Looks like a great place to do the Aero House. Any problems expected from the building code enforcement people. Can you "float" them on piers so that when the ground shakes they are less likely to be damaged?

I'm hoping for no problems with Building and Safety, from what I understand the aero houses are designed to be "earthquake proof" since they're originally from a Japanese architect. When I get a little further along we will decide the exact type of piers we'll use. I'm counting on a local builder to have a good idea of the area and the soil so we can anchor them nice and strong.

One step at a time! Lol

[vinceg101]

I went to building and safety and got an official address.

Looks like I'll be joining this thread. I've been paying on a small lot in the San Bernadino mountains and I'm getting ready to build a cool mountain retreat up there in a few months!

The plan is to build 2 Aero Houses and connect them with a deck, and (hopefully) some kind of covered parking in the rear.

Wish me luck, it's my first property and I'm stoked!

Oh yeah. That sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. How's the view?

Nothing crazy but here is essentially the ground level view that you'd see out the front of the larger aero house. The ground floor and loft will be raised in piers though, rather than graded and poured. I've already got some solar spotlights on those big pines and kissing the boulders, it's going to be a magical place when it's all done I'm super excited!




Also it will be an exercise in forward thinking technology, I'm going to put some cool inventions in there to accomplish some normally energy intensive home needs, and utilize solar power (photovoltaic and other ways) to power most if not all of the household.

Looks like a great place to do the Aero House. Any problems expected from the building code enforcement people. Can you "float" them on piers so that when the ground shakes they are less likely to be damaged?

I'm hoping for no problems with Building and Safety, from what I understand the aero houses are designed to be "earthquake proof" since they're originally from a Japanese architect. When I get a little further along we will decide the exact type of piers we'll use. I'm counting on a local builder to have a good idea of the area and the soil so we can anchor them nice and strong.

One step at a time! Lol

Not to split hairs, but no structure is "earthquake proof" just like things aren't 100% fireproof or waterproof; it may be more resistant to failure than other conventional construction methods but given the right temblor at the right frequency it will fail somehow. Usually the weak point is the foundation or more specifically the connection between primary structure and the foundation. You will probably get lucky and be able to hit solid rock shallow for your footings in that terrain.

Besides, on a site like that, I'd worry more about fire than an earthquake; the City/County will make you use non-combustible exterior materials (and there will be a fight with County Fire on what that really means) and likely a fire sprinkler system also. You will have a struggle getting a wood structure built up in that environment (permit wise).
We've had many issues with LA & Ventura County Fire up in the Malibu mountains with houses on remote sites; access for fire equipment becomes the primary stumbling block for most owners as they want fire truck access roads with turn-around hammer-heads. Then there is always the mandatory brush clearance at something like a 100' radius around the structure. It starts getting pretty crazy pretty quick with those guys.

What are you doing for water and sewer?

[LuczOr]

Poured my foundation a little bit ago.

[oldskool]

Removed the Christmas lights from my palm trees road side. What? Don't go therr.

[geordi]

Removed the Christmas lights from my palm trees road side. What? Don't go therr.

Mine are still up… going to see how long they last!

[Adam W in MN]

Installed a new water heater Sunday morning. Got a quote from a local plumbing place for $3k! WTF. I really didn't want to deal with it and I last soldered copper pipe about 10 years ago, but I did it anyway to save money over paying for install.

$600 later from Home Depot and it's installed and didn't consume too much of my Sunday. I did the same size and configuration, Rheem 50 gallon, no frills, 9 year warranty unit.

[wkohler]

$3k? Were they quoting a tankless unit? Nuts.

[Adam W in MN]

My wife was home for the estimate and I think the guy thought he could quote the most highly optioned unit available. It wasn't even tankless, but had a bunch of add-ons like a mixer valve or some $hit she told me about on the phone.

I'm pretty sure the Rheem I installed with a friend's help in our Chicago house circa 2002 or 2003 was about $200 at Home Depot plus some misc plumbing fittings and soldering supplies.

[Acid House]

Not to split hairs, but no structure is "earthquake proof" just like things aren't 100% fireproof or waterproof; it may be more resistant to failure than other conventional construction methods but given the right temblor at the right frequency it will fail somehow. Usually the weak point is the foundation or more specifically the connection between primary structure and the foundation. You will probably get lucky and be able to hit solid rock shallow for your footings in that terrain.

Besides, on a site like that, I'd worry more about fire than an earthquake; the City/County will make you use non-combustible exterior materials (and there will be a fight with County Fire on what that really means) and likely a fire sprinkler system also. You will have a struggle getting a wood structure built up in that environment (permit wise).
We've had many issues with LA & Ventura County Fire up in the Malibu mountains with houses on remote sites; access for fire equipment becomes the primary stumbling block for most owners as they want fire truck access roads with turn-around hammer-heads. Then there is always the mandatory brush clearance at something like a 100' radius around the structure. It starts getting pretty crazy pretty quick with those guys.

What are you doing for water and sewer?

The site isn't as remote as it seems, there is a fairly major road with sewer and water installed that abuts the property, so we will go through the local water group here.

That's very interesting point about the problems from a wood structure, the few neighbors houses nearby are wood, I've also seen a few with plaster or whatever and block. Although I'm sure the code changed since they were built however long ago, that is a possible roadblock to consider here that I hadn't thought about.

There will be access from the main road for a fire truck so hopefully that satisfies them but fingers crossed we ca. Find a way to get the aero houses approved.

[vinceg101]

Not to split hairs, but no structure is "earthquake proof" just like things aren't 100% fireproof or waterproof; it may be more resistant to failure than other conventional construction methods but given the right temblor at the right frequency it will fail somehow. Usually the weak point is the foundation or more specifically the connection between primary structure and the foundation. You will probably get lucky and be able to hit solid rock shallow for your footings in that terrain.

Besides, on a site like that, I'd worry more about fire than an earthquake; the City/County will make you use non-combustible exterior materials (and there will be a fight with County Fire on what that really means) and likely a fire sprinkler system also. You will have a struggle getting a wood structure built up in that environment (permit wise).
We've had many issues with LA & Ventura County Fire up in the Malibu mountains with houses on remote sites; access for fire equipment becomes the primary stumbling block for most owners as they want fire truck access roads with turn-around hammer-heads. Then there is always the mandatory brush clearance at something like a 100' radius around the structure. It starts getting pretty crazy pretty quick with those guys.

What are you doing for water and sewer?

The site isn't as remote as it seems, there is a fairly major road with sewer and water installed that abuts the property, so we will go through the local water group here.

That's very interesting point about the problems from a wood structure, the few neighbors houses nearby are wood, I've also seen a few with plaster or whatever and block. Although I'm sure the code changed since they were built however long ago, that is a possible roadblock to consider here that I hadn't thought about.

There will be access from the main road for a fire truck so hopefully that satisfies them but fingers crossed we ca. Find a way to get the aero houses approved.

Get familiar with the term "Very High Fire Severity Zone"; that site will be in one (hell, half of LA City is listed as VHFSV). It is the key to interpreting building codes on allowed materials and assemblies and what other active systems you will need (i.e. fire sprinklers both interior & exterior, additional water lines, etc.). The exterior will have to be made of non-combustible materials and assemblies. The glass will need to meet fire standards also(the entire structure will have to meet CA Title 24 Energy Code standards which will regulate your glass area and type anyway).

Codes have definitely changed since your neighbors homes were built (unless they were within the last 2 years), so you can't really look to them as example. Your best bet is to meet with the City or County Building & Safety (whomever has jurisdiction up there) with info on the Aero Houses and have them tell you what you will need from a code and approval standpoint. From there you will want to walk it over to the Fire Department (the Administration office, not the firehouses) and meet with whomever hands out the clearances for new construction. They can walk you through the requirements and process.

Good to hear about the services, remote sites become financially out of reach when you have to factor in service infrastructure upgrades. Your connections and underground work from house to street will still be a lot, but at least you won't have to install main line infrastructure.

[davintosh]

About 6 years ago we started repainting our house, and I've finally been making some progress toward finishing that job in the last couple of weeks. Actually it's more involved than just repainting it, because I'm stripping it down to the bare wood, sanding, priming, and then painting. And yes, it's as much of a pain in the arse as you'd think it is. I started six years ago with the intent of doing one side a year until it was done; I haven't been keeping up (I did have a good excuse the last couple of years though!)

When the house was built in 1948, the builder used redwood siding, and applied a natural finish. I haven't seen photos of it from back then, but the neighbors who've been around that long tell me it looked beautiful. At some point though, the owner decided that maintaining that natural finish was a pain in the neck, so he painted over it; white paint. And over the years it went from white to a chalky turquoise green, then to a brown, then yellow, then white again, then tan when we bought it in 1999. The siding didn't get prepped very well before that first coat of paint though; the paint was cracked and crazed and peeling and bubbling all over the place. My favorite part was the siding that was exposed to the sun; it would bubble with the heat. The south side of the house looked like it had some disease; that paint needed to go.

To strip most of the first two & 1/2 sides of the house, I had been using a heat gun and putty knife. Sometimes it would come off in big sheets like what you see below, but most of the time it was itty bitty pieces. Yeah, it was about as much fun as you'd expect. Tedious, but I kinda enjoyed doing it in a way. Lots of thinking time.



This last go-round though I was feeling impatient with the heat-and-scrape business and did some poking around online to find out if what other methods there were for stripping 50 year old paint from siding. I found a gadget called "The Paint Shaver"; I was ready to plunk down the $300 to make things go faster, but was able to rent it over the Memorial Day weekend. I got that whole wall done and sanded in a day. With the heat gun it would've taken me a week (or more) of evenings.



I thought about re-siding, but didn't want to trash the redwood. It's pretty amazing to see some of the craftsmanship that went into this house; it was a pretty upscale place when it was built, and little details like the mitered corners on the siding are nice touches. And yes, I considered going back to the natural finish, especially when looking at an expanse of redwood like that...

[unt0uchable]

Dave! That looks great. I enjoy the look of the red wood! Do you plan on stripping it down and then deciding on what to do? Or have you decided to keep the natural wood look and just seal it?

Speaking of paint and siding....last Friday, I commissioned our neighbors painter to start on our house. When we bought the house, we weren't crazy about the exterior. It's an old country colonial with reclaimed brick (I think that's the proper term?) and tan vinyl siding (which must be newer than 1978 because word on the street is that a previous Chinese man [or woman, was it?] which lived here shot a .410 gauge size hole through the back wall of an upstairs bedroom which would have resulted in needing new siding?? lol) with a burnt red sort of colored trim and accents.

The summer we moved in, we immediately had new fiberglass windows installed which started out the "We need to paint the house" talk. And after a few strolls through the neighborhood behind us, we decided on a color scheme of gray body with white trim and accents, along with some black subtlety thrown in there in the form of shutters.

We even practiced on the shed that I built 2 summers ago...



And so here is the fun part.

Before:








During:



(Not sure how he survived the ladder, but I would have had to straighten it out, lol!)





And After: (I need to get some in better daylight, these make the front look more blue-ish, but the color is called Cityscape by Sherwin Williams - the back photo shows the color much better)
I also need to paint shutters this weekend to go around the second floor windows...








The flower beds out front are newly redesigned and install as well. That project will be getting finished this weekend. I'm going to load up my FIL's pickup with dirt tonight and then we'll see where we get. I might be going back for more.

Here are some before and afters of that...because PICTARS!






And after:






Ok, ok, I'm done for now. Phew.

Annnddd along the same lines, I'll be trying to find time to get into my garage and finish my organizing frenzy. That place is a disaster right now (I started on the Friday before Memorial Day....and still haven't got back in there)

[davintosh]

Nope; we've already done most of the house and decided early on that starting on the natural look/reseal it every couple of years treadmill wasn't for us. As much as I like the redwood, we painted it. There were a few places where boards had to be replaced, and finding redwood siding cut to match what we had proved to be more than difficult. We were thankful to find a mill that sold cedar with the same cut, and decided to be content with that. And paint.

Your house looks great in the new color scheme, but I think I might have had serious reservations about painting over the brick on your house too. But that's just me.

[unt0uchable]

...I think I might have had serious reservations about painting over the brick on your house too. But that's just me.

Our neighbors house is painted brick as well, along with 2-3 other homes down our road. I guess maybe they had ugly brick like we had? I'm not fond of the multi color "reclaimed" look. Something about red brick just isn't our style, but like I said, the house was too good to pass up. At least now, if I decide we want to go a different color, I know it's primed well! LOL.

[Karl Grau]

We even practiced on the shed that I built 2 summers ago...

Are you sure the grid can handle that solar panel?

[vinceg101]

Dave: Looks good; don't ever get rid of that Redwood though, you will never ever be able to replace it (being able to replicate the old stuff that is).

Speaking of painting, we are finally getting moving again with our Kitchen remodel. The painters have been in there all week.
We set them up with a neat little spray booth in the back yard:


They sprayed the entire room, cabinetry and casework with two primer and one final for now. Once we get everything installed, they'll come back for the final finish coat.

Wood floor install starts Monday.

[geordi]

Just wa-wa- Wow! The single color (which like like very much) brings out the architectural details nicely.

[Mike W.]

...I think I might have had serious reservations about painting over the brick on your house too. But that's just me.

Our neighbors house is painted brick as well, along with 2-3 other homes down our road. I guess maybe they had ugly brick like we had? I'm not fond of the multi color "reclaimed" look. Something about red brick just isn't our style, but like I said, the house was too good to pass up. At least now, if I decide we want to go a different color, I know it's primed well! LOL.

I'm not crazy about red brick, but I really don't like the used brick look, even though it's considered desirable by some. To each his own, but you've got my vote on painting it!

[unt0uchable]

We even practiced on the shed that I built 2 summers ago...

Are you sure the grid can handle that solar panel?

The grid don't know 'bout that. Lol. It runs my shed lights and plugs without issue though. I've got it hooked to a single WalMart deep cycle battery and a 2000w inverter. I've run my 4.5" grinder, and a 10" miter saw with out a hitch though. Sure beats the hell out of digging a trench 60ft to the panel.... Haha.

[demetk]

Some progress to report. The bedroom is finished but I still have some work to do on the bathroom and closet.

It took forever but it went from this,



to this,





The 5 1/2" wide vertical strand bamboo floor is the shit.

I'm tired. So is Max who killed and plucked a chicken but was too tired to eat it.

[Tammer in Philly]

Dave! That looks great. I enjoy the look of the red wood! Do you plan on stripping it down and then deciding on what to do? Or have you decided to keep the natural wood look and just seal it?

Speaking of paint and siding....last Friday, I commissioned our neighbors painter to start on our house. When we bought the house, we weren't crazy about the exterior. It's an old country colonial with reclaimed brick (I think that's the proper term?) and tan vinyl siding (which must be newer than 1978 because word on the street is that a previous Chinese man [or woman, was it?] which lived here shot a .410 gauge size hole through the back wall of an upstairs bedroom which would have resulted in needing new siding?? lol) with a burnt red sort of colored trim and accents.

The summer we moved in, we immediately had new fiberglass windows installed which started out the "We need to paint the house" talk. And after a few strolls through the neighborhood behind us, we decided on a color scheme of gray body with white trim and accents, along with some black subtlety thrown in there in the form of shutters.

We even practiced on the shed that I built 2 summers ago...

I haven't been following this thread, but I approve the color choice! Here is what I did to my PA house back in 2010:


Also stripped the paint off the front door and sealed the wood with clear:


I still love the color and like that house better than the 80-year-newer house we have now in Chicago. On the other hand, the Chicago property has gained a ton of value in the past 2 years, while the PA house has been flat.

-tammer