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** cold dormers **
here's our latest.... converting an attic space over the breezeway to a bedroom and bath.....natcherly... someone pulled the plug on the thermometer...
the coldest days we hid out inside, laying new Advantech subfloor and prepping for the front dormer..
here's mobilization... and the subfloor.... it was about 5 deg F. outside but our propane space heater and a 100 lb. tank made it decent and gloves off..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
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(post #128311, reply #1 of 87)
next we prepped the front roof for the new gable dorner...
stripped.....
open the roof....
maneuver the prefabbed gable end and frame the roof... and tarp
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #2 of 87)
next day we sheathed and made it weatherproof... installed a plastic window so we can move things in like drywall off a boom-truck.....
here's some of the interior framing...not all is in place.. just what we needed to close it in...
and a view showing the new next to the existing ....
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #3 of 87)
moved to the other side for the shed dormer... about a 12' hole here... the front one was 6'....... we spent a couple days cleaning up the front.... and prefabbing everything we could..... but the rear roof was so complicated i didn't want to cut rafters until we could get some more measurements...
here's some of the pre-fab..
and we stripped the outside and papered in with RoofTopGuard II.... and the sidewall..
surprise.. the siding subs must have taken a few shortcuts.. notice the Typar wasn't pulled down over the step-flashing.. it was all bunched up behind the shingles..
also .. they stapled the shingles so we will have to strip all the way to the roof.. no sense in trying to theif staples out...
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #5 of 87)
yesterday..... we cut the hole and framed and tarped..
here's the sheathing removed...
and Jim showing me his new tape..
and the new blue grotto at the end of the day...
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #8 of 87)
k5 open jpeg ...
Mike ..
I always thought the new scaffold went on the bottom ....
looks sturdier that way .....
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
(post #128311, reply #9 of 87)
just another example of how to do things backwards... did you see mike guertin and rick arnold shingling from the top-down in JLC this month?... mike says he usually works with his brother.. but i always see rick on his photo jobs..
hey... the new stuff always gets into the pics.. so we look like prosperous builders..
luka.. i'm going to try posting at half res. ( from Irfan) and see how the quality works.. (edit.... half res... gives me half size... whadda ya think ?)
here's yesterday's work.. closing it up... thursday we got a couple pics in the local weekly paper... talking about how cold it is outside.. well.. the pics were ACTUALLY from some more milder days... so we got paid back yesterday... 13 deg. with the wind blowing 15 knots... on the shady side of the roof..
and Jim came in but was pretty sick .. so we were down 1 guy... and friday is bookeeping day so i disappeared for 2 hours with the bookeeper.. all in all about as miserable a day as i can remember in the last 5 years
here's the ground shot... tight site.. no good camera angles.. unless you go next door to the neighbor's 2d floor window....
and a shot of the roof with our RoofTopGuard II and Grace in place... ready for the elements...
monday we can work with the heat on.. bring the shower unit in thru the window hole.... and finish the framing under cover
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 1/24/2004 8:03:29 AM ET by Mike Smith
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #10 of 87)
finished framing the ceiling /rafters... and put in the Propa-Vent
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #11 of 87)
Mike.
In the picture below, what is it that I have circled?
Can't figure it out.
Looks good...
but you knew that and probably don't need me saying it ;)
(post #128311, reply #12 of 87)
Looks like pink board insulation shaved to fit out of the way of the wallboard.
...that's not a mistake, it's rustic
...that's not a mistake, it's rustic
(post #128311, reply #14 of 87)
we used one of the 2x10 rafters we cut as a valley plate to land the jack on.. then i cut out what ever was in the way..... elegant , huh ?
the overhang can catch some drift.. but i always take pains with the flashing and membrane in those areas... no leaks yet (knock, knock )
before we reroof we'll strip the old ridgevent off so we can get good flashings at the intersection of the new and old peak...
this is just to keep us under cover...
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #15 of 87)
8" of snow... and waiting for the plumber, electrician, & HVAC to do their thing.. so everyone stayed home..
here's a view thru the snow of the rear dormer
same view... 2 different resolutions...
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 1/28/2004 1:01:39 PM ET by Mike Smith
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #16 of 87)
totally impressed w/ professionalism of your project and glad to see the Mike Smith prerequisite wood shingles
couple questions zipping thru your picsa here at lunch - photo K - 5 closed 106 kb i think do you have a temporary wall to the left of camera eye to hold that load i.e. under those collar ties?
on that header on the gable doormer are you able to end nail or do you need a factory authorized hanger for that baby to be installed later?
ah yes and then the insulation been here at brktime just a little while but two of the most pointed biases I've noted ( deservedly so ) are Piffin's compulsion w/ sheetrock screws and yours w/ fiberglass insulation - Is that from prior construction and you're feeling compromised having to work around it or are you sneaking some by us?
keep warm John
(post #128311, reply #17 of 87)
moi ?... sneak something by vous ?
hah, hah, hah.. lessee.. that wall WAS an exterior wall at the end of a hallway on the other side.. ie: this attic space was unheated so the insulation was ther when we go there.. my intention is to leave it in place and blueboard over it... it will give a little sound attentuation... and seperate a heating zone.. so it serves a useful purpose..
the hangers have not been installed on the ceiling joists/collar ties yet.... yet..
i made a judgement call on cutting the roof that nothing was going to move if we cut those rafters off and we could turn them into a site built truss during our framing... i'll try to get a pic of how we eventually nailed it all back together.. bottom line ..nothing moved.. and we turned them into site-built trusses.. sorta shade-tree engineering..
what else ?
how's that for tap dancing ?
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #18 of 87)
john... this pic , right ?
this is the part i felt would stay without moving... the new rafters were going to load only the ridge and the new exterior wall.. so we just cut them off..
in the pic below you can see how they became part of a truss again the cut off 2x10's are in the foreground.... the new 2x8 rafters span from the new wall to the ridge... and the collar ties / ceiling joists intersect the lower third of the rafters.. not shown is a strut from the mid-span of the new long rafters to the intersection of the old cut-offs and the collar ties.....alls well that ends well... i hope..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #22 of 87)
john ... this is how we modified the framing into a truss on the rear shed dormer
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #23 of 87)
In the picture with the window on the back dormer, I noticed you used a, what looks
like a site built box header(full of insulation I assume). The span looks to be pretty
long, was wanting to know how you size these, as I'd like to use them at some point
in time. Thanks for taking the time to post these pictures, as I enjoy every single
one.
(post #128311, reply #24 of 87)
in the code book it shows how to size plywood box headers..
the way we build them is with 2x3 frame & 1/2 " skins in & out ( makes up the same 2x4 thickness as the plate)... then we clue & nail with 6d on 4" centers..
i think this one is 9" with only a roof load above..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #26 of 87)
Mike, thanks for the reply, stupid question though, what "code book" are you
refering to as mine doesn't have this table (that I've seen). I'll look again to make
sure.
(post #128311, reply #27 of 87)
i'll see if i can remember to look it up.. it's either our old CABO with RI aendments or our new IRC with RI amendments
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #28 of 87)
butch... i looked it up..it's in the current RI code which is an amended version of the 2000 IRC.. my page 112.. section R602.7.1 Wood Structural panel box headers.
gives 2 sizes...9" & 15"....spans dependent on depth of house... up to 7' for 9"
& 8' for 15"... read all the notes.. and walk it by your inspector so he won't be surprised when he sees it.. mine likes them because of the extra insulation
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #29 of 87)
i posted this once , but the pics were a little big on the file size..
the HVAC guys are running central air as part of our contract.... this is the air handler for the 2d floor... we moved a couple rafters and headed it off to build a utility closet for them..
and we're priming and backpriming all our trim in the gargage so we can get the shingles on the roof
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #30 of 87)
our work is in the breezeway attic.. but when we did a thorough inspection of the main attic we found some pretty lousy insulation....
in this outside view the big gable dormer on the left is a cathedral ceiling over the dining room
the next pic shows what this area looks like inside..
generally we found about 8 recessed lights with large air gaps, a 2d floor bath vent was just stuck into the soffit.... the scuttle from the 2d floor was uninsulated and had a huge hole all around the lid..
and that attic area shown above was just a lot of gaps in the insulation... this is pretty much what i find whenever i get to inspect some of these new style neo-colonials with all of the volume ceilings.... terrible insulation detail... i find it hard to believe they can even heat them
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #31 of 87)
this attic is pretty typical.... R30 batts laid between the ceiling joists.. ( 2x10's).. gaps all over the place..
we offered a change order to insulate teh main attic along with the insulation work we are going to do in the new work..
to start. we build some chicken walks in the hole formed by the cathedral ceiling over the dining room...
all of the new ductwork for the central AIR CONDITIONING.. is in place.. so we built a 2x8 catwalk down the middle
later we'll blow a 6 " cap of cellulose over everything... including teh new ductwork
we'll extend all of the propavent above the new insulation line... vent the bath thru the roof with a roof jack
put caps over all the recessed lights
here's some pics of the prep work... catwalk.. & chicken walks
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #32 of 87)
we blew the old attic on Friday..... about a bag a minute.. 'course it took 3 hours for 40 bags... so most of the time was spent moving around ...
wound up with about an 8 - 10" cap... which should settle to about 6" - 8" ..
we'll insulate the new area as soon as we get the rough inspection from the Bldg. Inspector
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #33 of 87)
got our inspections... furred the walls with 2x2.. put up the insul mesh and glued it yesterday.. so today is our first time blowing a "mooney wall"....
here's the nozzle we use for dens-pak.... we also had a couple of floor areas that are out over a porch.. so we bored those bays and blew them too..
sometimes we use a 2" pvc nozzle.. but so far this one seems to work best...the main drawback is that it clogs easily..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #34 of 87)
here's the blowing operation... the material on the floor is what comes out moving from hole to hole without shutting the nozzle....
and the 2d pic. is the finished section... our first Mooney Wall.....
how about it Tim ?
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #35 of 87)
Mike,
What are you using for the insulation mesh? Seems to stay nice and tight, without bulging. Looks like a decent system to me. I might want to try it. That front dormer looks like it should have been there from the start, from an design perspective anyway. Nice job!! Sure alot prettier than the 45 yards of concrete we poured into the ICF's today. Atleast it was warm today 36 degrees, what a heat wave! Sure beats the below zero that we had here lately. Gotta love winter in the north!!
Brudoggie
(post #128311, reply #36 of 87)
i think it's trade name is InsulMesh.... but i'm not sure.... where are you located?
i've bought it in Indiana and right here in RI..
heat wave tomorrow.. supposed to be 45... we'll start the day by putting in the mulled window in the rear
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
(post #128311, reply #37 of 87)
Mike,
I tried to reply last night, but couldn't log in coming from outlook. I'm in NE Wisconsin, on the border of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Today, it's the Great White North. All local schools canceled due to a snow storm. About 4 to 5 down overnight, and expecting 8 to 12 more today. Good thing I love snow. Have to put the plow back on the truck. Spending the day in the office and shop today. Have a bunch of soft maple trim to finish milling. Might play hookey this afternoon, and go skiing, since the kids are off school. Looks like this weather is heading your way, after the weekend. Hope you don't get the freezing rain that's falling south of here. I'll check with some of my suppliers regarding the mesh. Things are a bit behind the times here. We just got our first spray foam insulation company in the area recently. Do you use a vapor barier over the dense pack? Or figure that there is no movement possible? I like cellulose, other than the dust when installing. Blown FG has gotten big lately here for attics. I tried it once, but switched back to cells. I don't think the FG is near as good a blanket. Thanks for the quick reply.
I don't post alot here, by the time I get on board, greater minds have already spoken. Better to keep my mouth shut and let folks assume I'm an idiot, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt!!!! :) Have a good one!
Brudoggie
(post #128311, reply #38 of 87)
Mike, I must say you look marvelous! There's little in life that's more fun than blowing cellulose. That comment may seem a bit twisted, but don't you enjoy watching the cavities fill?
Arguing with a Breaktimer is like mud-wrestling a pig -- Sooner or later you find out the pig loves it.
Andy Engel
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
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