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Southern Heel posted:Gotcha - they have quoted £1k to line, insulate and panel about 30sqm - seems that the materials will be roughly £300 and rental of a panel lift roughly £100 for the weekend. How long roughly should I budget for it, assuming I'm doing it basically by myself? You can buy a cheap Plasterboard lifter for that and not have to rush to get it done in a weekend.
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Jul 29, 2018 08:35
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Has anyone tried to replace *just* their condo unit's doorbell/intercom system? My doorbell is the old-school just buzz the unit's intercom system and it's located in a really inconvenient spot in my apt. I'd like to send the doorbell ring to my phone so I can buzz people in from the roof, from example. Most of the smart doorbells I've found require replacing the downstairs unit for the whole building. Has anyone done this or has an idea of where to look?
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Jul 29, 2018 19:49
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taco show posted:Has anyone tried to replace *just* their condo unit's doorbell/intercom system? Unless you're really, really into microcontrollers there's no way to do what you want. Your current system is basically a small telephone system with individual wires running to each unit. It's not a smart system by any means and is probably still using some very dated telephone technology. You'd have to get super creative, wire up a micro to pick up the signal for when it's ringing, I have no idea how you'd even attempt to get voice to transmit but it wouldn't be easy, then you'd have to get the micro to mimic the "open door" signal for the door controller to pick up. Of course, you'd also have to design the app/interface for this too. I honestly would strongly advise against loving with it in any capacity because spare parts are probably looong gone and if anything broke it would have to be replaced completely. What I've seen done in some places is condo owners wiring their own personal smart doorbell to the front entrance with a label like "unit ##", but that's expensive and not all condo boards are okay with it.
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Jul 30, 2018 03:12
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I don’t think it’s as hard of a problem as that. If you’re already willing to open up your intercom and risk breaking it you could do it really simply. Connect the “open door” button and light/buzzer wires to a micro controller. Use a relay or MOSFET to simulate a button press. Watch for your light/buzzer input to go high, for doorbell presses from downstairs. Then just code it up to do what you want, a raspebery pi would work and make it easier to expose as a web interface or as a plugin for your favorite home automation software.
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Jul 30, 2018 05:04
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I'm pretty sure there'd be some extra steps and circuits, since it's phone based tech it probably goes from DC standby to AC when transmitting voice with voltages reaching probably 70V AC, not uncommon with voice stuff. Also, depending on the age of the unit I wouldn't be at all surprised if there wasn't a distinct "open door" wire-pair but instead the door controller picked up the Open Door tone. It could be simpler to make a robotic arm to push the button with a micro that just picked up the door chime.
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Jul 30, 2018 11:09
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You guys are way overthinking this. I live in NYC and I see a bunch of people who've done this: 1) Get a self-contained smart doorbell and mount it with a Command strip 2) Use masking tape to cover your old doorbell, possibly with an arrow pointing to the new one That's it. Charge the new doorbell every couple months and don't gently caress with wiring at all. The only downside is that this system is just an intercom and video, it won't actually buzz them in, but you can always run down or drop your keys down (or let them enter a PIN on the off-chance your system's already set up that way).
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Jul 30, 2018 13:17
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i like nice words
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No that’s the problem- I want to be able to actually buzz them in from the roof instead of having to go up and down a bunch of stairs every single time. One of my neighbor’s units has a much newer (and relocated) buzzer than I do so I figured it was possible, but I guess I gotta dust off my EE books to figure this out.
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Jul 30, 2018 15:34
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taco show posted:No that’s the problem- I want to be able to actually buzz them in from the roof instead of having to go up and down a bunch of stairs every single time. Ask them?
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Jul 30, 2018 16:17
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H110Hawk posted:Ask them? But how to find them? It's not like he can just press some magical button and speak to them.
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Jul 30, 2018 16:23
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tetrapyloctomy posted:But how to find them? It's not like he can just press some magical button and speak to them. I knew there was a fatal flaw in my plan.
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Jul 30, 2018 16:28
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H110Hawk posted:Ask them? ETA: Actually I might use this: https://www.switch-bot.com/ taco show fucked around with this message at 18:30 on Jul 30, 2018 |
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Jul 30, 2018 18:21
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autism ZX spectrum posted:I'm pretty sure there'd be some extra steps and circuits, since it's phone based tech it probably goes from DC standby to AC when transmitting voice with voltages reaching probably 70V AC, not uncommon with voice stuff. Also, depending on the age of the unit I wouldn't be at all surprised if there wasn't a distinct "open door" wire-pair but instead the door controller picked up the Open Door tone. It could be simpler to make a robotic arm to push the button with a micro that just picked up the door chime. You're overthinking this, you don't actually need to handle the "phone" parts of this system, you're just automating the mechanical parts of the operation. When you pick up a receiver you don't have to understand the signal you're receiving to know that the phone has been picked up, it's just a contact that gets triggered with mechanical action. Same with the button to buzz someone in, you're just completing a circuit. All you need to do is use a relay or MOSFET to complete a circuit.
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Jul 30, 2018 20:46
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taco show posted:I have lol. They just have a newer, shiner, non-90s-era unit, which you still have to be physically in front of to buzz people in. I took the buzzer off the wall last night and it seems like the door button just completes a circuit when pressed so I might be able to wire something up. Why not just make an Alexa controlled finger to push the button for you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afPxj0LS0LU
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Jul 31, 2018 05:03
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Does anyone have a recommendation for plumbing design software? Ideally, I'm looking for something that will audit my design to tell me when I do something inadvisable or against code (Canada/BC). I'm starting to plan out the bathroom reno we're going to be doing in a few months. The house currently has one main cast iron stack going up to the roof, and that seems to provide all the ventilation there is to the system. The walls will be open in the main bathroom and it seems like a good time to bring the plumbing up to (or closer to) code. However, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around where to tie a new vent into the system. just another fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Jul 31, 2018 |
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Jul 31, 2018 15:58
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 This is the result of an improperly flashed deck that caused water damage to the plywood behind it. The house is solid log construction but the first three "logs" are siding over plywood, which is over the foundation / basement. The water damage below the door level was professionally remediated; they removed the old siding, cut out the lovely plywood with recip saws, put new plywood on, then put new siding over it. I asked them to not deal with the lack of deck and stairs, because for better or worse I figured I could do that myself. (We don't care about the deck). I'm going to attach some stairs under this door and also cut out the rotted bit at the bottom of the door trim, cut it so it's even, fill it with wood filler and then nail a small piece of wood there. Probably that whole door should be replaced but that's an issue for later. I am just wanting to attach 3 pre-cut stringers to the siding, for a total width of 48", and I got cedar planks to use as steps. (I'm not doing risers). I am planning on attaching the stringers to the house with these: https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-LSSU210-18-Gauge-10-Inch-Adjustable/dp/B001I3IHDU My question is, is it acceptable to attach these hangers directly to the siding, or do I really need to go to all the effort of removing a ~6x48" section of siding, put a piece of flat wood there, and put the hangers in to that? Obviously the siding is not perfectly flat, so if I attach the hangers directly to the siding there will be some gaps behind the brackets where the siding curves away, but I am not convinced that's a problem, and it's a hell of a lot easier to not gently caress with prybars and having to cut the siding to match -- and I'm also not convinced that it's a problem if the brackets and siding are not completely flush, given that each bracket is going to be attached to the house in 12 places. edit: a friend with experience with this kind of work has convinced me that trying to connect directly to the siding is going to be a great way to get cracks, get water going into the plywood, etc. So I am either going to bolt a piece of PT wood over it to screw into, or, more likely, go to the hassle of removing the siding, cutting it, leaving a 6x48" gap, and bolting a piece of cedar or PT wood on there. Cabbages and VHS fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Aug 2, 2018 |
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Aug 2, 2018 17:14
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X-posting from the fix it fast thread What should I replace these front steps with? I plan on getting rid of the storm door and Florida windows soon, and I will most likely refinish the concrete floor of the porch as well. Stone veneer concrete? Wood/Trex? Brick veneer? I just want to get the best looking front entry without spending a ton of money or time. 
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Aug 3, 2018 16:40
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One of our lovely dripper leads popped off the trunk line and is giving the eave of our garage an undercarriage wash. I'm sure that is totally OK and not causing any hidden damage at all. Thankfully it's 100F out every day.
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Aug 3, 2018 16:59
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The back door on my house has that type of window, I never knew what they were called! I love them!
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Aug 3, 2018 17:22
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:The back door on my house has that type of window, I never knew what they were called! I love them! If you're searching for them, "Louvered window" will get you more results.
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Aug 3, 2018 17:25
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:Stone veneer concrete? That's a ... front door???!! I vote for Trex smash or building a wood deck over the whole drat steps and flower boxes.
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Aug 3, 2018 23:16
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peanut posted:That's a ... front door???!! Storm door leading to enclosed porch/sun room which leads to the actual, lockable front door. Usually happens when someone decides to enclose the front porch well after the house was finished.
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Aug 5, 2018 07:10
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Guys, I have just two very small questions: With regard to lighting - my garage is going to have interior pitched ceilings with exposed tie beams. Right now there are flouresecent tubes which are screwed to the inside faces of the old ties which looks terrible and casts loads of shadows everywhere. The roof isn't very high (probably 10' in the centre and 8' as it meets the wall, and the ties are 8' off the ground) so I was thinking of putting all-in-one LED spots in, into the drywall of the pitched ceilings i.e. something like these: https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-cosmoseco-fixed-fire-rated-led-downlight-contractor-pack-chrome-500lm-4w-240v-10-pack/5957x - does that make sense? If not I'll be hanging shop-lights down between the rafters - but that seems like it would reduce the percieved height of the room, if the top of it is shrouded in gloom constantly. With regard to insulation - my garage door is a roller type common in the UK and as such I can't really insulate it. My thoughts were to box out the opening as snug as possilbe the inside just like the rest of the walls, but leave it fixed with something very weak like tape/etc. so that I can remove it and use the garage door in the summer/when we sell the house. Does that make any sense at all?
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Aug 5, 2018 08:54
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I'd go with led tubes over spots if shadows bug you, spots will make harsh point source lights. Can you screw tube fittings to the bottom of the tires? The upper 2' not being illuminated probably won't be noticeable or you'll get used to it and ignore it quickly. Are you not planning to use the garage door? Can you frame up a removable wall/insulating panel and just fix it in place with a couple of screws?
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Aug 5, 2018 09:02
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cakesmith handyman posted:I'd go with led tubes over spots if shadows bug you, spots will make harsh point source lights. Can you screw tube fittings to the bottom of the tires? The upper 2' not being illuminated probably won't be noticeable or you'll get used to it and ignore it quickly. Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking for the garage door space - using screws, tape, something easy to remove - I don't want to preclude using the space as a garage in future and when we eventually move out I'd like to be able to revert it, or during a heatwave/etc. With regard to LED tubes - I can screw them to the bottom of the ties - it'd certainly make life easier than trying to route cables to the right place before putting up insulation and then plasterboard and threading the cable through to add the spots. I figured that enough spots (say, 8 on each side of a 15' x 20' room) would give a big enough diffuse glow? If I'm making the roof simpler, maybe I can do it myself - the roof is felt ontop of boards, ontop of rafters which are 4x2 roughcut with noggins in place already. So I gather I'd - Cut celotex to the right size and no-nails it in each space between rafters and noggins - Seal up joins between celotex panels with aluminimum tape (to act as vapour barrier) - Screw in tapered drywall/plasterboard sheeting to the rafters/noggins ontop - Tape and plaster over the tapered joins Is that correct? Southern Heel fucked around with this message at 11:05 on Aug 5, 2018 |
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Aug 5, 2018 10:51
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Southern Heel posted:If I'm making the roof simpler, maybe I can do it myself - the roof is felt ontop of boards, ontop of rafters which are 4x2 roughcut with noggins in place already. So I gather I'd Yes, though the alu tape on the celotex is optional given you're going to have small gaps between the insulation and the rafters anyway. Plus it would be totally fine to use wool-like insulation and that's not vapour proof. Edit: also when you say "plaster over the tapered joins" you mean that in addition to plastering over the rest of the board, right?
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Aug 5, 2018 11:14
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Jaded Burnout posted:Yes, though the alu tape on the celotex is optional given you're going to have small gaps between the insulation and the rafters anyway. Plus it would be totally fine to use wool-like insulation and that's not vapour proof. I assumed the alu tape would bond to the foil front of the celotex to give a kind of vapour barrier? With regard to plastering, I'm not a plasterer and I don't rate my chances at properly skimming the whole ceiling, so I was just going to plaster up around the joins and screw holes and paint it, and then revisit with a full interior plastering at a later date?
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Aug 5, 2018 12:13
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Southern Heel posted:I assumed the alu tape would bond to the foil front of the celotex to give a kind of vapour barrier? Re the alu tape, sure, but why? What are you protecting from moisture and where is it coming from? Re the plastering, a full skim is like 3-4mm thick, so it’s gonna look really weird if you’re trying to feather it, and I don’t think you’d be able to plaster it later without ripping it all out, especially if you paint it.
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Aug 5, 2018 13:39
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Jaded Burnout posted:Re the alu tape, sure, but why? What are you protecting from moisture and where is it coming from? So I'm just getting my head around it, but I was under the impression that you always needed a vapour barrier to stop warm, wet air getting into/onto the insulation and condensing as it cools, getting between the plasterboard and the insulation as water. Am I totally wrong? Re: plastering - fair enough, I'll leave them as plain sheets for now. I shudder to think how much it'd cost to get the whole lot plastered 
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Aug 5, 2018 13:45
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Our whole house just has plastergoo over the seams and screw holes of the drywall, then wallpaper on top (for both walls and ceilings.)
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Aug 5, 2018 14:09
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Southern Heel posted:So I'm just getting my head around it, but I was under the impression that you always needed a vapour barrier to stop warm, wet air getting into/onto the insulation and condensing as it cools, getting between the plasterboard and the insulation as water. Am I totally wrong? Well, it depends. I'm not an expert but I know my house doesn't have (and never had) a vapour barrier in the roof. I'm just trying to think of a situation where you're going to have warm moist air entering through your roof (isn't it already waterproof? you don't have tiles on that building, do you?) and still being warmer than the inside of the house already is. BUT! If you've seen different from more experienced people on the internet then you can ignore me. Southern Heel posted:Re: plastering - fair enough, I'll leave them as plain sheets for now. I shudder to think how much it'd cost to get the whole lot plastered About 500 quid? Maybe a bit less.
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Aug 5, 2018 14:37
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Southern Heel posted:Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking for the garage door space - using screws, tape, something easy to remove - I don't want to preclude using the space as a garage in future and when we eventually move out I'd like to be able to revert it, or during a heatwave/etc. With regard to LED tubes - I can screw them to the bottom of the ties - it'd certainly make life easier than trying to route cables to the right place before putting up insulation and then plasterboard and threading the cable through to add the spots. I figured that enough spots (say, 8 on each side of a 15' x 20' room) would give a big enough diffuse glow? Is there any sort of ventilation in the roof? Maybe you are already planning this, but ideally, you should leave an air gap between the Celotex and the roof boards to allow for air movement fr the races to the peak of the roof. But, that would required vents on both ends. As I understand it, not doing this would quicken deterioration of the roof sheathing (and apparently voids the warranty for some brands). Venting would also greatly improve heat removal in the summer, as well as moisture removal in the winter.
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Aug 5, 2018 16:07
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Southern Heel posted:With regard to LED tubes - I can screw them to the bottom of the ties - it'd certainly make life easier than trying to route cables to the right place before putting up insulation and then plasterboard and threading the cable through to add the spots. I figured that enough spots (say, 8 on each side of a 15' x 20' room) would give a big enough diffuse glow? You won't get a diffuse glue with more spots, you'll get more shadows. If you've already bought the spots and insist on using them spread them out, otherwise get some led tubes or panels.
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Aug 5, 2018 17:45
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^ definitely not bought anything yet - LED strips on the ties works for me.Mister Dog posted:Is there any sort of ventilation in the roof? Maybe you are already planning this, but ideally, you should leave an air gap between the Celotex and the roof boards to allow for air movement fr the races to the peak of the roof. But, that would required vents on both ends. As I understand it, not doing this would quicken deterioration of the roof sheathing (and apparently voids the warranty for some brands). Venting would also greatly improve heat removal in the summer, as well as moisture removal in the winter. Right now no, this is what it looks like:  On the other side of those boards is the roofing felt - I'm making the ties visible, and looking to board up against the rafters - so if I understand correctly then I'll need to break through into the air gap on each side of the roof, between the boards and a thinner layer of celotex? I just assumed I'd bung 100mm in there to be flush with the rafters and call it a day!
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Aug 5, 2018 19:09
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Southern Heel posted:^ definitely not bought anything yet - LED strips on the ties works for me. Ah, I see what you’ve got there. That’s...not ideal for insulating. Probably the best option you have is to hang a ceiling on those tie beams, insulate above, then add gable vents on either side. Second best might be to add a ridge vent, knock out those fire block (structurally, they don’t appear to really need to be there) if local code allows. In far third place best would be to do as you proposed, but you need to have impeccable moisture control on both the roof and ceiling sides. Otherwise, water will almost definitely get in, either from the roof side in the next driving rain or when the next ice dam forms, or from the inside when warm and wet air hits the underside of the roof in the colder months, cools and condenses.
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Aug 5, 2018 20:52
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Mister Dog posted:Ah, I see what you’ve got there. That’s...not ideal for insulating. Probably the best option you have is to hang a ceiling on those tie beams, insulate above, then add gable vents on either side. Second best might be to add a ridge vent, knock out those fire block (structurally, they don’t appear to really need to be there) if local code allows. In far third place best would be to do as you proposed, but you need to have impeccable moisture control on both the roof and ceiling sides. Otherwise, water will almost definitely get in, either from the roof side in the next driving rain or when the next ice dam forms, or from the inside when warm and wet air hits the underside of the roof in the colder months, cools and condenses. Counterpoint, one of the bedrooms in my house has a flat roof with a very similar set up, with just some fibrous insulation and plasterboard, and it's been fine for 40 years. We also don't really get ice dams in the UK. But I've only got the experience from my house so it's quite anecdotal.
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Aug 5, 2018 21:24
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Jaded Burnout posted:Counterpoint, one of the bedrooms in my house has a flat roof with a very similar set up, with just some fibrous insulation and plasterboard, and it's been fine for 40 years. We also don't really get ice dams in the UK. But I've only got the experience from my house so it's quite anecdotal. drat, busted. Unless your house is drafty enough that moisture doesn’t have a place to trap. This is frequently the case with old houses . I should add an addendum, tho. I’m not an engineer, so please don’t seriously consider knocking out fire blocks without checking with someone who knows what they’re doing.
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Aug 5, 2018 22:08
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I was looking for good photos of spinny factory rooftop vents and found INSPECTOPEDIA hot nuts this site covers everything  https://inspectapedia.com/ventilation/Roof_Ventilation_Specs.php
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Aug 6, 2018 00:13
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peanut posted:I was looking for good photos of spinny factory rooftop vents and found INSPECTOPEDIA hot nuts this site covers everything It's like WebMD for houses, except instead of Cancer everything is asbestos
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Aug 6, 2018 01:58
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peanut posted:I was looking for good photos of spinny factory rooftop vents and found INSPECTOPEDIA hot nuts this site covers everything Hot drat, peanut, nice! I had no idea this existed.
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Aug 6, 2018 02:34
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So the outer roof is going to be guaranteed by my roofer or 10y, and I'll be sure to ask them about a guarantee on the interior too - the use of celotex/alu tape and plasterboard was their idea originally. The soffit boards above the garage door and on the wall opposite are just 3/4" plywood - could I potentially have a vent there instead of between the roof and the insulation? Mister Dog posted:...Second best might be to add a ridge vent, knock out those fire block (structurally, they don't appear to really need to be there) if local code allows That's the main wall material (medium density concrete blocks) - the ties and rafters are sitting ontop (ontop of a plank laid horizontally)
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Aug 6, 2018 07:29
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