Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[fatnslow]

maybe this is not the right thread, but I don't know which one to turn to.
I have an old obese man fixing my dryer right now (he's delightful but terrible health) and he's trying to pick up the dryer to place back on the washer (they're stacked but my husband took the dryer off bc he needed access to the bottom.)
I've offered to help several times now and he refuses. He said he "picked up a thousand pound subzero the other day"
There's been a lot of grunting and heavy breathing and metal scraping for the past 10 minutes. I'm afraid this is causing him bodily harm that he can't spare. but of course don't want to insult him

911 ? I wouldn't give that fat bastard CPR when he drops !

[John_B]

Babybear that is the hardest I've laughed at the TRG in a while. Hopefully he is successful. Otherwise dial 9-1 and keep your finger hovering over the 1.

[lifelinksplit]

Don't use hurricane ties. Use HGA10 (installed with SDS screws), or (2) A35 framing clips. Both are Simpson Strong Tie products that are stocked at Home Depot or equivalent USP products at Lowes. If using HGA10, I would drill pilot holes for the SDS screws since old wood can split easily.

Quick sketch showing what's up.
Attachment 362594

Disclaimer: used to "beef up" connection. No structural design has been done or implied

A35's are the soul 7s of construction.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[Jethro]

I've got these two sets of halogen light fixtures in my kitchen, one starting buzzing at the base a month or so ago so I figured the ballast was going out. It quit working recently so I pulled out the ballast and googled all of the numbers and the only replacement I found was something non-returnable for about $100 from ebay. I went to a couple of electrical supply places and they didn't carry it, one of them actually found the same ebay listing and told me that should work and to get it.

It arrives and not only are all of the wires different colors, but there is one extra wire. Figured I'd call an electrician to come look. He said that the replacement ballast wont work, and there is probably no way to fix, tells me he hates these lights. He says that even though they aren't in fashion, I should just replace both fixtures with track lighting since they're easy to install and fix if they ever need it. I figured I'd ask the collective if there is anything I'm missing before I pull these down and replace with something else. I assume by track lighting he means standard surface mount track that you slide lights into.

Attachment 362596

Post a pic of the old and new transformers. Myself and others might have more info for you. Replacing a monorail transformer isn’t a big deal. Also, add up the total wattage of the lamps you are using please

[ntblanks]

I’m suggesting you just brute force a standard joist hanger into place with a big hammer and let it “V” out instead of getting it perfectly set.

Damn, I read your post way too fast trying to beat traffic and glossed right over that. I usually enjoy brute force. But this time I took a different route. Probably would have worked fine.

Don't use hurricane ties. Use HGA10 (installed with SDS screws), or (2) A35 framing clips. Both are Simpson Strong Tie products that are stocked at Home Depot or equivalent USP products at Lowes. If using HGA10, I would drill pilot holes for the SDS screws since old wood can split easily.

Quick sketch showing what's up.
Attachment 362594

Disclaimer: used to "beef up" connection. No structural design has been done or implied

I was seriously considering this and found the A35s @ HD. But they lacked the burliness I seek. Probably would have been fine, too.

It's not uncommon to use a wider joist hanger and fill with plywood cut to height of joist(or lvl or whatever) and width to around 3-4 inches.

This is what I went with in the end. Easy, strong, cheap, available. That's what she said.

Also got my first ever jack post and it feels like Christmas.

To the folks suggesting sistering in 2x4/2x6 to get to level - clearly an efficient approach. In my case I had already glued & screwed the subfloor (yeah, doing things a little out of order) so it would have created more work in this instance. Plus, I'm inexplicably obsessed with the idea (good or bad) of jacking the original burly joists to level and re-securing them. Probably didn't take the most efficient route, but the end result should be solid, durable and give me some new knowledge of better and less good ways of redoing a subfloor in a creaky older home.

Still going to study up on ledgers b/c I obviously don't get it yet.

Thanks again, all. Will post after-pics unless they're too embarrassing.

[SorryBro]

A35's are the soul 7s of construction.
[/URL]

All good. Don’t listen to the structural engineer who does this every day. A35 have a capacity of over 350lbs TL, which is well above what the joist end reaction is. Hence why I suggested HGA10 if you are feeling frisky.

If it were me, I would toenail in (4) SDWS screws and be done, but the clips make people feel better.

Maybe you could suggest something for him...

Ntblanks, if you want PM me. I do this everyday and am happy to help.

[ntblanks]

All good. Don’t listen to the structural engineer who does this every day. A35 have a capacity of over 350lbs TL, which is well above what the joist end reaction is. Hence why I suggested HGA10 if you are feeling frisky.

If it were me, I would toenail in (4) SDWS screws and be done, but the clips make people feel better.

Maybe you could suggest something for him...

Ntblanks, if you want PM me. I do this everyday and am happy to help.

Looked for the HGA10 but my HD didn't stock 'em.

PM incoming.

[lifelinksplit]

All good. Don’t listen to the structural engineer who does this every day. A35 have a capacity of over 350lbs TL, which is well above what the joist end reaction is. Hence why I suggested HGA10 if you are feeling frisky.

If it were me, I would toenail in (4) SDWS screws and be done, but the clips make people feel better.

Maybe you could suggest something for him...

Ntblanks, if you want PM me. I do this everyday and am happy to help.

Calm down. I've been doing commercial construction for 20+ years. It was a fucking joke. Come over and ski and we can have a laugh about architects/engineers/pm's etc..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[SorryBro]

Calm down. I've been doing commercial construction for 20+ years. It was a fucking joke. Come over and ski and we can have a laugh about architects/engineers/pm's etc..

Missed the joke... I like A35s since they are easy for anyone to install.

[Ted Striker]

Still going to study up on ledgers b/c I obviously don't get it yet.

It's an old school carpentry construction method that works on gravity and doesn't require any special brackets or fasteners. The only tools needed are a hammer and a saw. You often see them when you open up the walls of a hundred (+) year old house.



The studs are notched to accept the ledger board and aren’t weaker in compression because the ledger board takes up the space. It needs only nails because the load is carried by the jigsaw puzzle aspect of it.

In this example, the second floor subfloor is on a 45 degree angle to the joists, and the shiplap is at a 45 to the studs (prevents raking / keeps the building square) The shiplap also runs the full height of the exterior walls.


Getting back to your project, you don't need to get too fancy. Sistering with wider hangers will be fine. Same goes for sorry bro's brackets.

[lifelinksplit]

Didnt mean to come off as a dick. A35's are prob the most common bracket laying around a lot of job sites and while they work well in a whole lot of situations they usually aren't the "ideal" solution. I've used them more times then I can remember.

I'm doing a remodel with the exact same situation as above. The crazy part to me is they usually use only around a 3/4"-1" ledger for floor joists. Lots of old(1900ish) mining houses here. Also impressive some of the spans they covered with smaller dimensional lumber.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[ntblanks]

It's an old school carpentry construction method that works on gravity and doesn't require any special brackets or fasteners. The only tools needed are a hammer and a saw. You often see them when you open up the walls of a hundred (+) year old house.



The studs are notched to accept the ledger board and aren’t weaker in compression because the ledger board takes up the space. It needs only nails because the load is carried by the jigsaw puzzle aspect of it.

In this example, the second floor subfloor is on a 45 degree angle to the joists, and the shiplap is at a 45 to the studs (prevents raking / keeps the building square) The shiplap also runs the full height of the exterior walls.


Getting back to your project, you don't need to get too fancy. Sistering with wider hangers will be fine. Same goes for sorry bro's brackets.

Thanks for taking the time to explain TS. I think I get it now. We're looking at a stud wall with exterior sheathing, right? In my application there were no studs, just a beam on posts. That led to my confusion. Will include pics next time.

I do have lots of that ancient, dense, rough-hewn 1x for sheathing & subfloor. Great stuff...unless you're trying to remove it (plus 70 yrs of other flooring layers) back into a corner to make room for new subfloor. Hammer and chisel time.

The jack+hanger approach worked well (was just three joists in the end). Nothing impressive but I promised an after pic. The subfloor is still off-level but less so. For the shower pan will use shims & mortar and for the tile floor will use self-levelling underlayment to achieve level and address other inconsistencies.

[Ted Striker]

Thanks for taking the time to explain TS. I think I get it now. We're looking at a stud wall with exterior sheathing, right? In my application there were no studs, just a beam on posts. That led to my confusion. Will include pics next time.

There's no exterior sheathing on that house per se, because the shiplap is the structural exterior wall, and the siding is nailed directly to it.

Yeah, a picture is worth a thousand words because that gas line really dictates what can/can't be done there. That'll be plenty strong.

I do have lots of that ancient, dense, rough-hewn 1x for sheathing & subfloor. Great stuff...unless you're trying to remove it (plus 70 yrs of other flooring layers) back into a corner to make room for new subfloor. Hammer and chisel time.

I've pulled up a lot of floors, and feel your pain. The most recent was two layers of linoleum on mastic, leveling compound, OSB, and Armstrong vinyl on top.



A good selection of flat bars really helps, and if you don't want to damage the floor too much, some wood shims to act as blocks.

[old goat]

Old houses are interesting. Our house in Sacramento looks a lot like ntblanks' and Ted Striker's. The original roof was skip sheathing and wood shingle that we've replaced a couple of times--last with plywood and comp shingles but the wood shingle sure looked nice.
The kitchen cabinets were built in place with dimensional lumber, not sheet goods. The neatest part is the wood work all around the house--faux mahogany. When we added a second story about 30 years ago we found an old old edition of Old House Journal--it was about 8 xeroxed pages--that had the exact formula to perfectly duplicate the paint job and my wife was able to make it look just like the downstairs. I doubt all of the products we used are still on the market--toxic stuff.

[Ted Striker]

I'm doing a remodel with the exact same situation as above. The crazy part to me is they usually use only around a 3/4"-1" ledger for floor joists. Lots of old(1900ish) mining houses here. Also impressive some of the spans they covered with smaller dimensional lumber.

Agree. Old growth fir and cedar were obviously superior to today's wet and knotty lumber, but the skill and craftsmanship of the carpenters back then was really at a high level.

[ntblanks]

lol. I just use a circular saw on deepest setting and cut cut cut - at least in the bathroom where I'm laying stone and want a fresh start.

edit:

just discovered this:

under this (wtf?):


so I'll be applying your suggestions to save the wood. luckily, there's no adhesive between the layers.

[zion zig zag]

Post a pic of the old and new transformers. Myself and others might have more info for you. Replacing a monorail transformer isn’t a big deal. Also, add up the total wattage of the lamps you are using please

Having trouble posting photos with the app. I'll get some soon. Thanks for the potential help!

[lifelinksplit]

lol. I just use a circular saw on deepest setting and cut cut cut - at least in the bathroom where I'm laying stone and want a fresh start.

edit:

just discovered this:

under this (wtf?):


so I'll be applying your suggestions to save the wood. luckily, there's no adhesive between the layers.

Jackpot. As has been mentioned have a respected floor guy refinish. That looks pretty nice. But I hate to mention how shitty it will be if that is lathe/plaster on the walls. And now you have to re-trim with something nice to match the floor.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

[ntblanks]

Jackpot. As has been mentioned have a respected floor guy refinish. That looks pretty nice. But I hate to mention how shitty it will be if that is lathe/plaster on the walls. And now you have to re-trim with something nice to match the floor.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using TGR Forums mobile app

Yeah, got that message loud & clear.

The lathe is going away before I restore the floor, for sure. One room at a time. Only playing around in this corner of the bedroom because I'm bumping out a small cove to accommodate a larger sink in the bathroom. Stripped the carpet and linoleum just to get to a decent base for the sole plate for the framing. This was a pleasant discovery.

[shafty85]

the skill and craftsmanship of the carpenters back then was really at a high level.

This definitely made me raise an eyebrow. Similar to today - some of them had a high level of skill and craftsman ship and others bought a hammer the day before and decided to call themselves 'carpenters'.

[house]

I’m no electrical dentist but I’d take a look at the terminals on the receptacle in that box. One of those cables looks a little roasted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[powdrhound]

lol. I just use a circular saw on deepest setting and cut cut cut - at least in the bathroom where I'm laying stone and want a fresh start.

Prior floor in my bathroom was removed that way. They also cut 1/2 way through the subfloor, parallel to the 4x6 joists and in the middle of the 48” span. It could have been a trampoline.

I had to add a pier and a 2x12 beam in the crawl space under the cut, to get any stability. Then shims to stop any/all flexing.

No broken mortar or tiles yet, 20 years out.

PLEASE be careful with your saw.

[glademaster]

but the skill and craftsmanship of the carpenters back then was really at a high level.

Bullshit. Maybe if you're going back hundreds of years and referring to the guys who built some of the great cathedrals in Europe, but that's largely (albeit not entirely) false about construction in the US in 1800 and 1900s.

Less than 1 out of 10 old houses I'm in are anything less than full-fledged hack jobs when it comes to the framing. There were just as many shitty carpenters back then as there are now, and even fewer codes, fewer structural engineers, less detailed plans, and less oversight to keep them from cutting corners.

[Skidog]

Bullshit. Maybe if you're going back hundreds of years and referring to the guys who built some of the great cathedrals in Europe, but that's largely (albeit not entirely) false about construction in the US in 1800 and 1900s.

Less than 1 out of 10 old houses I'm in are anything less than full-fledged hack jobs when it comes to the framing. There were just as many shitty carpenters back then as there are now, and even fewer codes, fewer structural engineers, less detailed plans, and less oversight to keep them from cutting corners.

Weird cause I've lived in houses that were well over 150years old, and will stand for another 100 or more. Can I say the same about the shit I see built in 4 weeks these days? Nope....products might be better, but developers are still hacks and all about the bottom line.

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using TGR Forums mobile app

[glademaster]

I worded my statement in a way that is fully compatible with your anecdotal experience.