Building Confidence

Welcome to Dave's Shop Talk's Home Improvement Newsletter of questions from our members on their construction projects, a Tip of the Month and a home remodeling article, both from our website at http://daveosborne.com.

What's Happening

We added a new article and category, Concrete Work 1: Exposed Aggregate Driveway. Check it out. On request of a member, Dan added the calculation for the volume of concrete columns in our Concrete Calculator. Thanks, Mike. Dan wants me to write a newsletter twice a month. Imagine that! Are you readers up to that? My problem is to remember to write them on the 15th and the end of the month. Good Luck, Dave! Wish I was a webmaster!

Tip of the Month

To nail brads or very small finish nails use a brad pusher. Ref: Basics 3: How to Read a Tape Measure.

Ask Dave!

Hi Kelly,

No, I would not put poly on the cold side of the wall, always on the warm side - between the insulation and the drywall. No problem with a breathable tar paper, though, which keeps moisture in but lets vapor out.

Looking forward to the weekend, although every day is a long weekend when you are retired. We are having a mini family reunion at a park not too far from here so that is always good!

Later, Kelly, enjoy the family on the long weekend!

Dave

Hi Vic,

I need to have more info to figure out the beam. Any beam over 10' should be engineered. I am not an engineer, but can look up tables for you, to give you an idea.

What I need is:

• the number of floors supported by this beam
• does it support a roof?
• what are the sizes and lengths of floor joists on each side of the beam

Dave

Hi Vic,

You need a 5 ply 2x12 beam for a 16' span with 10' joists on each side of it. The beam could be built out of Douglas fir or hem/fir or spf (Spruce, Pine, Fir).

Dave

Hi Ron,

I used our calculator to get a drawing of your rises and runs. I think it may be better to go with a 6 3/4 rise with a 10 7/8 run. This gives a nice slope and comfortable step. This will also match you total rise and total run of 76" requirement.

Here is the drawing:

Usually, with concrete steps, we angle the riser back on the bottom to give a wider step, since there is no nosing like on wood stairs. Another thing we do is angle the bottom of the wooden riser for the form, so we can finish the tread right to the riser with a trowel. These two tips are shown in the article.

I'll show you a bit later how to form the inside wall so you can easily remove the risers, very important, especially for exposed aggregate. I wanted to show you the risers and runs that I came up with, to get your opinion on them.

Later,

Dave

Hi Ron,

The tips are in another article on concrete stairs, here is the link: http://daveosborne.com/dave/articles/concrete-steps.php

To make it easier to attach and remove the risers, make up your stringer out of 3/4" plywood. Cut the angle back on the stringer, as shown in the above article, and in the drawing below. Then form up the inside walls on each side, allow room enough to attach the stringer to the back of the inside wall form, facing the steps. Mark out the stringer on this wall; measure 1 1/2" over for the risers to come against the plywood, since you will be using 2x ... material for the risers. this way the end of the riser comes against the face of the plywood form. The stringer would attach to the wall form and hold the riser in position, like as in this drawing:

I think what the other website was saying about the 1/4"gap at the bottom is for expansion and contraction. So the new concrete stairs would allow them to expand without buckling the existing sidewalk. This I would also recommend.

Hope this helps,

Dave

Hi Ron,

Those concrete steps, In #7, are made differently than your steps. They are designed like a slab on grade, where there is no walls on each side of the steps. The entire stairs is like a footing. I designed the bottom step stronger than the rest to act as a footing, as well.

In your design with the walls on each side of the stairs, these walls should have footings, like a standard house footing - 8" deep x 4" wider on each side of the wall with 3 rows of rebar across the middle of the depth, running the length of the footing. The wall should be tied into this footing. The stairs should have at least one rebar near the nosing and tied into the wall. The stairs should be poured onto a compacted gravel/fill bottom. You could make the bottom step a bit bigger on the bottom to act as a beam/footing between the two walls, poured against compacted fill or gravel. This would prevent the stairs from sliding down the hill. I wouldn't put in any piers. If you live in an area of extreme temperatures, where the frost line is 8' or so, the bottom of the wall footings should extend down to this level. You may want to consider pouring the footings and walls in one pour and the stairs, between them, in another, leaving rebar stubs out to tie onto, later.

Dave

Our stair calculator is set up for the first step coming 1 rise below the upper floor. If you want a drawing of your stringer, you can fool the calculator, a bit. I already entered the 19" total rise, so I know the riser is 6 11/32. Add 6 11/32 to the total rise of 19 = 25 11/32. Enter this amount. You will get a drawing of your stringer. The drawing of the stringer attached to the floor is wrong so disregard that one.

Here is a drawing of your stringer:

I hope this helps,

Dave

Hi Ron,

Retirement is good. The last few months, we have spent lots of time on fixing up our house - painting the trim, power washing and pouring our driveway. It really looks good, even the neighbours are saying so! The website is doing well.

I think that pipe is a vent for a buried oil tank. See how the two elbows are attached to face down to prevent water coming in, this is a good clue.

Those zinc strips are supposed to work, alright.

Well, Ron, good hearing from you. Take care.

Dave

Feature Article of the Month

(taken from our website: DaveOsborne.com

Remodeling 13: Cutting Wide Crown Molding and Cove Molding

When cutting crown molding wider than 3 1/2", we find that when cutting the wide crown molding to length, we have to lay the crown molding face down rather than upright on the turn base of a slide compound saw.

There are two common angles in the wide crown molding and cove molding of today...

I hope you are familiar with inside and outside miter joints. Refer to the previous article Remodeling 12: How to Cut Crown Molding for a picture of these. Also, remember that for every miter joint there are two pieces. We will refer to them as the left and right hand pieces as viewed in relation to the miter joint. Note: This is different than the previous article Remodeling 12: How to Cut Crown Molding where I referred to the left and right hand piece in relation to the wall.

The bevel angle of the saw is the...read more at http://daveosborne.com/dave/articles/how-cut-wide-crown-molding.php

Almost the End

Well, that does it for another month. We hope some of these questions and answers will help you with your own projects. If you need more advice, join our website, then send me an email.

Thanks, Rick for your plan idea of a firewood rack from our previous newsletter. I'll work on it.

Thanks for your emails and support.

Hi, I'm Dave Osborne. With over 50 years experience as a journeyman carpenter, foreman and contractor in heavy construction I enjoyed working with apprentices and sharing the tricks of the trade that others shared with me. Now I get emails from Members all over the world and we include many of my answers in our Free Monthly Newsletters. Some of my answers include drawings and instructions specific to a project, but may also answer your questions. I use correct construction terminology, so you can confidently inform your building supply dealers or contractors exactly what you need.