Volume 19 Issue 11 ISSN 1923-7162 |
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 https://daveosborne.com.
When working by yourself, use a nail or spike (a nail 3 inches or longer) as your third hand to hold the end of a long board up.
If requiring a straight line to start in the middle of a board, rather than the edge, drive in a nail to hold one end of the chalk line.
Hi Wayne,
I'm not into gluing the drywall on. I would build a light framed wall, 2x3 or 2x4 econo, with a 1" space. With 2x4 econo, you can insulate with fibreglass and poly vapour barrier. Then screw the drywall on. This would give you a good strong wall and well insulated.
Dave
Not too much going on this month, so I went back a few years to select a question or two that may be of interest to our readers. I found this one from November 2014, from our good friends and loyal subscribers, Pat & Pete:
Hi Pat,
I saw your situation many times around our area, being so humid most of the year. Yes, about 10% bleach; 90% water is a good solution to cleanup and prevent more mold. After cleaning it, you can dry the area well with a hair dryer. I'm glad Pete filled the void with the foam - which expands and fills the area well. I've seen the plate and studs just like black mush, which I had to remove and reinforce with new stuff. Try to caulk the outside where the water was coming in, when the weather cooperates. Sometimes these thing happen only during a strong windy rain coming from a different direction than normal.
Thanks for the interest in our books, looking forward to the reviews. Will give Dan your regards. I keep him busy on our website and now the 10 eBooks. Dan is involved in developing a website - for the past two years. He keeps pretty busy, which is good. Thanks for the good wishes.
All the best for you both,
Dave
We use the bottom part of the mortar joint in between the bricks, every few brick lengths, or so. If there is nothing there just drill a 3/8" hole, or less to fit the mortar joint. We usually don't screen the weep hole off. We just have garter snakes up here. There are little round metal/plastic vents that slide into a hole, but I don't think they come this small.
Dave
If you are reading this, Pat or Pete, how did you make out with the drip vents? Hope you both are doing well.
Dave & Dan
(taken from our website: DaveOsborne.com)
I built a backyard wood deck about 22" off the ground, off the back of our house. I didn't want to install handrails so I decided to install seats around the perimeter instead. This article is more about how to design a backyard wood deck than the structure of the deck. The structure is the same regardless of the height of the deck off the ground. A backyard wood deck still requires footings, posts, beams, joists and decking material. You can refer to the first article, Deck 1: Raised Backyard Wood Deck on how to construct a backyard wood deck.
According to the building code, backyard decks lower than 24" from the ground do not require handrails around the deck. We don't want our guests to step off backwards either, so I put in seats around the perimeter of the deck. We've had many people sitting around chatting on our backyard deck.
Where the herb box sits, I originally intended to build a set of deck stairs go down to the lower front of the house. I changed my mind, so the planter box filled in the gap nicely, and is quite functional.
The steps coming off the backyard deck are very simple in their construction. I designed a box using treated 2x6s, ripped to the correct height of the first riser, less the treads. I attached another box on top of this one to provide support for the second step.
The seats on the backyard deck are supported with 2x4 frames every 16" apart with 5/4 x4 rounded edged cedar decking material. These boards are a full 1" in thickness and are the same ones used for the deck surface itself. The boards are spaced 1/4" apart to allow rain water to pass through. I used the same boards for the skirt to keep wild critters out from under the backyard deck, as well as giving an aesthetically pleasing finish to the underside of the deck.
An advantage of designing a deck like this yourself is adding extra options you may want. I always need storage space for construction materials, so I incorporated storage and an access under the deck, as shown below and in the top photo, as well.
I hope this article shows that designing a deck for your own use is not that difficult. Look at magazines and websites for articles and photos for various ideas to incorporate into your own design.
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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.
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