Building a new hobby space...oh and a house too

Post by **Johnj** » Fri Sep 02, 2016 10:51 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote:I forgot to mention some of the drama of the last month for those missing reality TV

Five bags of cement "stolen", then one Friday a worker walks past me from our worksite to his boss' truck with five bags of cement....hmmm
When I point this out the boss guy, who hides in his truck the whole time, says "those bags are my property"...bit of an exchange there of harsh worlds from me

Two huge squeaks in the flooring, in areas I did the screws. Turns out the floor joists were not well nailed to the beams so they would flex. One fixed, other needs floor ripped up. How many more will develop over the years due to poor framing???

Sudden water leak from bathtub above my shop. Happened one morning, then no further water?? No explanation as to how, but looks like a lazy tiler tried to fill a bucket in the tub and got the shower instead. None of these have their fixtures on yet. Seems he let it run into the wall cavity until he figured it wasn't working. My wife comes in and sees a leak in the shop and then he comes from downstairs "oh yea, there is something dripping there". I have had guys take off my ceiling drywall in the area and will leave it until plumbing proves to be ok above.

OMG the exterior door guy. He is a scam artist and has poor reputation in his industry. Is COD (cash on delivery) on any products he orders from manufacturers, so has to rob Peter to pay Paul kind of thing. Represented himself as a door manufacturer but only cuts holes in the doors he orders from elsewhere for a markup. We got suckered in. Our doors are three months over due. Good door company is helpings sort it out and will make things work. We have to cancel the wood front door from the joker or we will never have a door...or it will be so shitty it wont be funny. This has been very frustrating and I have threatened him legally.

We come near a three day Labour day weekend. Guys have not shown up for work this week when promised and I bet my left nut on one will be there on Friday so they take a four day holiday. Trades very difficult to get and just don't show or answer phone /text or e mails.
This is the BUILDING SUCKS part of the thread!!

I really do take my hat off to you scott. Tradesmen can be extremely hard to manage, it's taken us the best part of 20yrs to get first class tradesmen that work as one unit with none of the issues your having just now.
Your home looks stunning and in a few short weeks you'll be able to sit back an enjoy it and all this hastle will be distant memory

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Fri Sep 02, 2016 2:44 pm

Thanks John, I appreciate it. ALL of the credit goes to my wife. She is the one in the daily battle of it

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 6:41 pm

Some good progress over the last couple days
Garage with finish stucco coat, it gets a black steel door next Friday

More stonework progress

My inside steel workshop door with a porthole!

Post by **Johnj** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 6:51 pm

Looking good scott

not far away now !

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 6:59 pm

Johnj wrote:Looking good scott not far away now !

Thanks John
Those doors get fitted then off site for paint or stain.
Working with an awesome, professional company compared to the exterior door guy
The stone mason is a decent person as well

Post by **Lysus** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:16 pm

I see a workman, and it's not you!

Post by **Stokesy44** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:16 pm

That stone cladding looks superb. Goes really nice with the darker tones on the upper floor.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:19 pm

Lysus wrote:I see a workman, and it's not you!

THAT is why a took a picture..actually working after 3:30 pm!!!

Stokesy44 wrote:That stone cladding looks superb. Goes really nice with the darker tones on the upper floor.

Thank you. There was much agonizing over colours and arrangements
I am happy to say the stone is a local source as is the manufacture of the cherry aluminum accent siding.
Tried to use as much local stuff as feasible.

Post by **Lysus** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:20 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote:
Lysus wrote:I see a workman, and it's not you!
THAT is why a took a picture..actually working after 3:30 pm!!!

Post by **digger303** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:03 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote:Some good progress over the last couple days
Garage with finish stucco coat, it gets a black steel door next Friday

builders are a messy lot, take no effort to place all those buckets and rubbish in one place. They walk back and forwards often enough.

Stone work is a great feature...

Post by **Johnj** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:27 am

The stone cladding will look amazing when completed !
What are they using as spacers scott ? Also what is it pointed with ? I cant see a normal sand/cement mortar staying in place if it's only going to be 40-50mm deep.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:31 am

Ya you are right bud.
In their defence, they have premixed the acrylic colour mixture into some of those buckets and are storing them in dry area to avoid any rain.
BUT they chuck plastic lids everywhere, coffee cups, smoke wrappers and cigarette butts.Arggg!
I do a garbage/recycling clean up on the weekends and pick it all up.
Guess who put all the lining paper down on the garage cement floor before it all started??. Moi, I learned the hard way from the mess of the drywallers in the house.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 3:38 am

Johnj wrote:The stone cladding will look amazing when completed !
What are they using as spacers scott ? Also what is it pointed with ? I cant see a normal sand/cement mortar staying in place if it's only going to be 40-50mm deep.

I took a close photo for you John because we are out of my area of expertise

There is a rough stucco scratch coat cement laid over a tar paper+ metal screen. Then he has put these stones one by one in mortar. They are in there solid in the photo, I cannot pull them out. Then he will do a grout to seal in between. Not sure what he is using specifically so that it holds up. I would say it isn't normal cement though.
It goes up high on the chimney and needed engineering check off and a secondary metal support due to height.

Up the street they slapped large tiles on the outside corners without any of the metal screen or scratch coat...it passed inspection .....

Post by **digger303** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 5:24 am

I have done this process with my fire place. It is a normal mortar mix with an additive to make it stronger ( I can't remember what ) then go back when dry to add normal plain mortar mix with colour. Although on the outside exposed to the elements perhaps a water proofing additive might be applied. Especially with freezing problems you must experience.

No spacers...all done by eye or a string line to keep it roughly level. Biggest pain is getting all the pieces to fit and blend nicely without having to many big pieces together or conversely too many small bits. doesn't look right if that happens.

Post by **chalkyw** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 7:22 pm

The stonework looks great alongside the timber cladding and I love the clean lines to the roof edges.........words cannot express how jealous I am of this house and you must be really chuffed by how its all coming together now despite the trials and tribulations of the journey so far

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 8:27 pm

chalkyw wrote:The stonework looks great alongside the timber cladding and I love the clean lines to the roof edges.........words cannot express how jealous I am of this house and you must be really chuffed by how its all coming together now despite the trials and tribulations of the journey so far

Thank you sir, it is coming together nicely
Getting lots of lookey loos = people driving or walking past and gawking

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:35 pm

Hobby space door is rough installed.I want the porthole surround painted chrome

Post by **Johnj** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:54 pm

When is the housewarming scott ? So i can get my flights booked

I hear what your saying about the neighbours cutting corners . I'm with you on that

Sorry to be a bit obsessive with the stonework, i havent seen too much of this style in housebuilding. My main area is decorative brickwork but even thats thin on the ground these days and i'm always looking for new ideas to try and stay ahead of the competion/keep things fresh.

Today was the most technical i've been in a good while and that was just cutting a floor slab to fit round a steel post (it did have to be super accurate though) i'm pretty sure there was some pictures taken of it to show the client if your half interested

Your both doing a fantastic job with it !

Post by **Lysus** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:57 pm

Getting so close. I don't know what I'll do after you move in and this thread completes its run.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:10 pm

Johnj wrote:When is the housewarming scott ? So i can get my flights booked
I hear what your saying about the neighbours cutting corners . I'm with you on that
Sorry to be a bit obsessive with the stonework, i havent seen too much of this style in housebuilding. My main area is decorative brickwork but even thats thin on the ground these days and i'm always looking for new ideas to try and stay ahead of the competion/keep things fresh.

Today was the most technical i've been in a good while and that was just cutting a floor slab to fit round a steel post (it did have to be super accurate though) i'm pretty sure there was some pictures taken of it to show the client if your half interested
Your both doing a fantastic job with it !

No worries on the questions, always good to hear other views
Love to see some pics of your work
I may have to turn it into a Bed and Breakfast for all the UK'ers wanting to visit...they can bring along model kits and feel right at home.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:13 pm

Lysus wrote:Getting so close. I don't know what I'll do after you move in and this thread completes its run.

It will feel very weird moving in and actually living there.
I probably wont show too much more of the overall house finishing
The thread will live on and morph more into me making benches and such for the workspaces upstairs and downstairs
That should be fun

Post by **digger303** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:33 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote:
Johnj wrote:When is the housewarming scott ? So i can get my flights booked
I hear what your saying about the neighbours cutting corners . I'm with you on that
Sorry to be a bit obsessive with the stonework, i havent seen too much of this style in housebuilding. My main area is decorative brickwork but even thats thin on the ground these days and i'm always looking for new ideas to try and stay ahead of the competion/keep things fresh.

Today was the most technical i've been in a good while and that was just cutting a floor slab to fit round a steel post (it did have to be super accurate though) i'm pretty sure there was some pictures taken of it to show the client if your half interested
Your both doing a fantastic job with it !
No worries on the questions, always good to hear other views
Love to see some pics of your work
I may have to turn it into a Bed and Breakfast for all the UK'ers wanting to visit...they can bring along model kits and feel right at home.

Canada seems like a good place to holiday....

Post by **Lysus** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:36 am

digger303 wrote:
Twokidsnosleep wrote:
Johnj wrote:When is the housewarming scott ? So i can get my flights booked
I hear what your saying about the neighbours cutting corners . I'm with you on that
Sorry to be a bit obsessive with the stonework, i havent seen too much of this style in housebuilding. My main area is decorative brickwork but even thats thin on the ground these days and i'm always looking for new ideas to try and stay ahead of the competion/keep things fresh.

Today was the most technical i've been in a good while and that was just cutting a floor slab to fit round a steel post (it did have to be super accurate though) i'm pretty sure there was some pictures taken of it to show the client if your half interested
Your both doing a fantastic job with it !
No worries on the questions, always good to hear other views
Love to see some pics of your work
I may have to turn it into a Bed and Breakfast for all the UK'ers wanting to visit...they can bring along model kits and feel right at home.

Canada seems like a good place to holiday....

BC is fantastic in the fall. Especially October...

Post by **ForbesHutton** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 12:37 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote: My inside steel workshop door with a porthole!

It's not too late to change out that window and get some blue paint on the door...

Post by **Lysus** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 1:22 am

ForbesHutton wrote:
Twokidsnosleep wrote: My inside steel workshop door with a porthole!

It's not too late to change out that window and get some blue paint on the door...

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 2:25 am

Sorry never been a Dr Who fan
I doubt things will be ready October.....especially my building portion

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 3:55 pm

On with the finishing inside
The workshop door getting framed in

Selecting the floor for the garage and the workshop. The latter gets the blue chip small sample and the kids voted the grey black one for the garage in upper part of the photo.

Post by **Lysus** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:16 pm

Excellent choices. Bright garage floors look great for displaying trophy cars, but for cars that occasionally like to drip a little precious fluid they can get dingy too quickly

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:18 pm

Lysus wrote:Excellent choices. Bright garage floors look great for displaying trophy cars, but for cars that occasionally like to drip a little precious fluid they can get dingy too quickly

Ok I will relent then.
I thought it should have more of the white flake in it but got outvoted 3-1 and now 4-1

Post by **Lysus** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:23 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote:
Lysus wrote:Excellent choices. Bright garage floors look great for displaying trophy cars, but for cars that occasionally like to drip a little precious fluid they can get dingy too quickly
Ok I will relent then.
I thought it should have more of the white flake in it but got outvoted 3-1 and now 4-1

Ha! As a non-citizen of your family unit I have no vote

It's your garage, but you can't argue with the family. I've found that since doubling the size of mine the weight of my opinion has dropped from second to fourth place.

Post by **Johnj** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:45 pm

Oh, getting close now scott

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 5:57 pm

Johnj wrote:Oh, getting close now scott

Yes, it is feeling that way. All the pretty stuff now.
Looked at hot tub and decking stuff as well this weekend

$$$

Post by **digger303** » Wed Sep 14, 2016 12:45 am

just pick a workshop floor and material color that's easy to locate styrene on.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Sep 14, 2016 1:00 am

digger303 wrote:just pick a workshop floor and material color that's easy to locate styrene on.

If I drop anything on those floors, I will be toast....really busy with all the colour chips.
BUT, I am planning to have assembly upstairs in the 'clean room' that has a nice smooth wood floor.
The workshop is for rough and tumble messy work, spray booth etc
Sound like a pampered bugger, don't I

Post by **digger303** » Wed Sep 14, 2016 3:53 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote:
digger303 wrote:just pick a workshop floor and material color that's easy to locate styrene on.
If I drop anything on those floors, I will be toast....really busy with all the colour chips.
BUT, I am planning to have assembly upstairs in the 'clean room' that has a nice smooth wood floor.
The workshop is for rough and tumble messy work, spray booth etc
Sound like a pampered bugger, don't I

That's half the fun getting it all rightly organized.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:15 am

Photo for John

That is the grouted chimney middle section. You can see a black steel support bracing at 10 foot location

Lots of inside action....all white internal windows boxed and framed, all door surrounds done, the baseboards cut and placed but not final install due to cabinets and baseboard heaters to be located. Wooden windows will get straight grain Douglas fir wraps and there is a band of fir running around the main room...wood ordered this week next week install. Finally doing the basement linoleum that managed to match the upstairs wood very well. Very exciting to see stuff come together

Post by **digger303** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:56 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote:
digger303 wrote:just pick a workshop floor and material color that's easy to locate styrene on.
....really busy with all the colour chips.

Sound like a pampered bugger, don't I

I don't know if you should have used that phrasing......

Looks great I do like it.

Post by **Stokesy44** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 9:07 am

Loving that stone cladding. Sounds like the pace is picking up inside too!

A clean room for kit construction? A hot tub? - AWESOME!

Post by **digger303** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 2:09 pm

Stokesy44 wrote:Loving that stone cladding. Sounds like the pace is picking up inside too!

A clean room for kit construction? A hot tub? - AWESOME!

A sloping floor, very good. Then all the styrene will go to one point....

I wish I thought of that.

Post by **Johnj** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:43 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote:Photo for John

That is the grouted chimney middle section. You can see a black steel support bracing at 10 foot location

Lots of inside action....all white internal windows boxed and framed, all door surrounds done, the baseboards cut and placed but not final install due to cabinets and baseboard heaters to be located. Wooden windows will get straight grain Douglas fir wraps and there is a band of fir running around the main room...wood ordered this week next week install. Finally doing the basement linoleum that managed to match the upstairs wood very well. Very exciting to see stuff come together

Thanks scott. I see what you mean now

The cladding is thicker than i thought. Belts and braces stuff scott, at least you know things are being done correctly. Nice one

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:05 pm

Excited to see the garage get its roll up door. A couple of spy photos of the work
Before

Inside views..the door rolls up into a roll at the front of the garage, thus leaving the ceiling space more open

and from the outside closed

Really happy with this...much less expensive than others, lots of ceiling space and super quiet.
Floor gets done in two weeks

for looking

Post by **Pierce** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:51 pm

Putting our house on the market soon and going to build our last and final house. Not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 4:16 pm

Pierce wrote:Putting our house on the market soon and going to build our last and final house. Not sure if I'm looking forward to it or not.

At least you end up with something close to what you any and will work For you.
Nothing worthwhile is easy

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 4:22 pm

Stone fireplace jigsaw puzzle
Before

After inside

And outside

Post by **Lysus** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 4:26 pm

Post by **Stokesy44** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:17 pm

Ditto!

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Mon Sep 26, 2016 3:50 am

Thanks guys, it is pretty cool and Jimmy the rock guy is very proud of it
The utility-mechanical room needed painting around the plumbing manifold and vinyl planks laid.
Painters left supplies there and floor guys had three boxes of extra planks.So I did it all myself.
Grid drawn out

Left side grids covered

It is hard work and I am covered in glue. Still have to go back finish off and clean up
Needless to say four day weekend, less than an hour of modelling time

Post by **digger303** » Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:54 am

[quote="Twokidsnosleep"]Thanks guys, it is pretty cool and Jimmy the rock guy is very proud of it
The utility-mechanical room needed painting around the plumbing manifold and vinyl planks laid.
Painters left supplies there and floor guys had three boxes of extra planks.So I did it all myself.
Grid drawn out

My god look at the plumbing.... refining your own oil. Is that the heating system ?

Post by **Lysus** » Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:18 am

Tankless water heater and a furnace? A stealth furnace?

Post by **kiwigav** » Mon Sep 26, 2016 6:09 am

That fireplace looking sweet mate TV in and your set!!