Category: Building

Updates

10/10/2012

Just though I would throw some updates on here, things have been very busy since the last post. Just built and installed a tv mount for the Innovation Center. The interior design is industrial/innovative, so I used 2" sqaure tubing and 1/4" plate and went from floor to ceiling. supporting 30 lbs of tv.....no problem. Also, just finishing up privacy issues in an office for another commercial client. Black out flim on glass doors and installing verticle blinds in front of 9 foot tall windows, that should do the trick.
The entry wall in my house has been framed and drywalled, currently waiting for mud to dry so I can sand and apply the next coat. I'm thinking of putting marble on the floor for a grand entrance. Over the summer I have also installed some new windows and insulation and removed alot of plaster and lath.
A couple of large projects still in the works and I'm hoping these will come through to get us through the winter. Keep checking here or an FB or Pinterest, or LinkedIn for updates and project info and even pics.

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Tip of the Week

12/6/2012

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Sanding drywall: When sanding drywall seams, it's good to follow the seam instead of going against it. It's better to go in circles, this way everything is blended and faded instead of getting that "path" from over sanding. Use a scrap piece of lumber or something hard and flat to put under your sand paper, this will keep things uniform. Using your hand can result in high and low spots which ultimately leads to more work. Also if you need the seams to dry quickly, try mixing your own "mud" instead of using the premix. The powedered mix comes in drying times of 20 minute, 45 minute, and 90 minute. The work times aren't very long with these so keep moving!

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Tip of the Week

5/6/2012

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Pane in the glass: So a window has just become the victim of a solid object traveling at a fairly good speed, now what do you do? (If you have traditional windows in your house or garage, follow these steps. If you have thermal pane or other insulated glass, call a glass company to order a replacement unit.) Time to remove the glass from the frame, this is better done from the outside if possible because the glass goes in from this direction. Wearing gloves and eye protection use a pair of pliers to grab the shards, if the glass breaks under the galzing a chisel will work to remove both. After the area is free of glass and glazing measure the opening and give yourself 1/8" in both directions. Call your local glass company and have the glass cut, if the frame isn't completely sqaure a wood chisel can be used to "adjust" the opening to accomodate the new pane. Also, pick up a box of points from the glass company, thses are used to hold the glass in the frame. Apply new glazing and you're done.

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Tip of the Week

10/4/2012

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If you are planning on building a structure on concete, please remember to use treated lumber. Also some sort of moisture barrier (between the wood and concete) would be advantageous, like roofing felt, quality house wrap, ect. These things may cost a little more up front, but they will save you in the long run.

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What's In A Home

13/12/2011

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Throughout the year with projects both for customers and my own, I have often wondered "What's this made out of?". Asbestos has popped up a few times this year and I have even been asked about asbestos abatement. We all know what the old pipe insulation looks like, the corrugated cardboard like stuff cased in a cloth like material and normally painted white. By the way, if you see that stuff, don't bother it. However, what about the vinyl floor in your kitchen or bathroom or the adhesive that holds it down? What about the drywall that isn't drywall, but you think it is? What about the joint compound on your walls, or caulk on your windows, or tape on the seams of the duct work in your house? Yup, it's even on your roof. Asbestos has crept it's way into every aspect of a house, though outlawed around 1990, it's still hanging around. It's in your walls, on your ceiling, on your floor, and maybe even in your hairdryer (unlikely, but maybe). This is why it is so important to be educated on the projects you plan to tackle and what products were used during the life of your house. Asbestos can cause several medical problems and some fatal. Are you willing to risk your health or the health of others, including your family, because you did not know. Here is your wake up call. Also, building materials from foreign country's may still contain these harmful materials.
So what do we do? Dig big holes and bury the very houses we live in? No. We have to change our mindset as to how we are going to prepare to do a project. Will it be more time consuming? Yes. Will there be more steps involved? Yes. Will we all benefit from the proper procedures during a project? Yes. Anytime that you are going to drill, cut, or grind something and you are not sure if it has asbestos, lead, or anthing else potentially harmful, here are some safety and protection steps to take.
Prepare the site: Hang plastic on door ways and over widows and cover the floor. 2 mil or greater will have the strength to take some abuse. Make sure and tape all seam to prevent dust from getting around the plastic. Make sure vents, returns and exhaust, are covered, we don't want that dust blowing back into the air once we are done. If a door way has to be used or is in a heavy traffic area, cut a slit in the plastic or spend a little money and get the self adhesive zippers to make access through the plastic. the main thing is to prevent the dust from spreading past the work area.
Protective gear: Wear a respirator or mask suitable for the job at hand, not those thin paper masks meant for painting, I'm talking an N95 with hot air exhaust or reuseable respirator with replaceable cartridges. Coveralls, Tyvek or suitable brand that covers to the wrists and ankles. Gloves, something nitrile and puncture resistant. Safety glasses, self explanitory. If your coveralls don't have a hood, then a hat of some kind that covers your hair and maybe the back of your neck. Boot covers, these may or may not be needed depending on your project. Hang warning signs that will tell people of the potential dangers, LEAD work in progress or High Dust Area or ASBESTOS. This will be a small investment, but the point of this is: 1) to protect you and your health and 2) so that you have something to remove and dispose of so that you don't take the dust and fibers home.
Work smart: Try and demo in one day so that clean up can begin as soon as possible. This will be especially important if your work area is in a high traffic zone. The longer removal takes the high the risk of dust and fibers contaminating areas outside the work zone. Use heavy duty trash bags or contractor bags for debris, use a HEPA vac to remove the air in these bags before closing them and tape them shut. Also, place discarded potective gear in bags and remove the air in the same way and tape shut. Remember to wash your hands and no food or drink allowed in the work area PERIOD.
Clean Up: This is a critical step, it is as important as the finished product. When you are ready for this step there should not be any demo work left to do. There should be dust and small debris on the plastic. How do we handle this, vacuum right? Use a HEPA vacuum to get up the dust and small debris, take down the plastic on the walls and over the windows and place it on the plastic on the floor. Our goal is to remove all the plastic from the house in one step. Fold everything up and place it in a contractor bag. Even the ground outside should remain clean from hazardous materials. Wipe down any horizontal surface that has dust on it, now the improvements can begin.

Lead and asbestos are fine where they are until they are disturbed or are in areas that have deteriorated. If you don't feel comfortable with any of these steps, seek out a professional for help. Remember, it's your health and the health of your family at stake.

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Chimney Rebuild

3/10/2011

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I completed a partial chimney rebuild last week. The house was built around 1900 and I wanted to keep the character of the house and chimney. The original chimney was covered in a soft membrane that was supposed to be waterproof. Turns out it wasn't and water collected in the bricks and mortar. After years of this abuse, the bricks were spalling and crumbling and the grout was like loose sand. I was able to salvage some old bricks and I had our local brick place (Richmond Builders Supply) hand pick new bricks that matched the old as close as possible, picked up a new precast crown, new rain cap, two new liner tiles, and had custom stainless steel drip edge made. All in all a good project and very thankful for the opportunity.

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Maybe You're Born With It

9/7/2011

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No, this isn't a commercial for cosmetics or eyelashes, although I do like eyes of the female persuasion. Anyway.....back to the subject. Some of us have the unique ability to fix anything we come across, whether mechanical or structural or cosmetic (really, I'm not thinking about eyes....). Are these lucky few born with a natural knowledge of exactly how things in the universe go together or exactly which screw to turn to make that d*** electrical thing to work? Maybe, but more than likely these were developed skills. "People don't live that long", you might say, I would argue that it's not about life's longevity, but about having a mind that can take a certain skill and apply it to any situation. Take a peanut butter sandwich for instance (no really, hang with me on this one), every kid has made a peanut butter sandwich, right? How can that be applied to repair of a house or completion of a project or even engine building? Well, there is an order of operations, remember that from math class (M-D-A-S), you can't exactly put the peanut butter on your hand then the bread. For the people out there who need complete and accurate instruction, try this, you can't get the butter knife in the jar if it (the jar) isn't open. So, we have order of operation, what's next? Application, one must apply the peanut butter to the spreading apparatus and then on to the edible medium, this could also be called "construction" or "building". This skill can be used in tiling a bathroom or finishing concrete or even gasket making for engines. Thin set must be "spread" onto a floor or wall for tile to adhere. Obviously houses and engines don't have to many edible parts, unless you're a bug or rust, but the concept is the same. To achieve a certain result things, lumber or pistons, must be put in their proper place and in the correct sequence of the of the project. This is where the terms "ground up" or "inside out" come from. Next you would have the Options phase. Some people like jelly or honey or syrup on their peanut butter, even without these things the sandwich is almost complete. Options might include wiring a house for sound or video or putting the high dollar copper gaskets between the heads and the block on an engine. Options are going to vary from project to project, but the same rules apply, they must be done correctly and in the right order. Finally we get to Completion, we might have been there already, but we're making a whole sandwich. After the walls are up and the house wrap is on, what's next? Siding on the outside and drywall on the inside. "But all we have to do for a sandwich is put the other piece of bread on", you might say. Really? I beg to differ. You can put the bread on, but then only the sandwich is complete not the whole project. "How"?, you ask. In order for the sandwich to benefit you, it actually has to make it to your stomach. Believe me, siding is nothing like putting on that other piece of bread, neither is finishing drywall, but the mechanics of what to look for and the stamina to complete are skills developed in sandwich making, well in the eyes of a five year old it's stamina because they are all "starving to death". Enjoy the fruits of your labor, savor the fact that you completed a project, regardless of whether it was necessary or just because you felt like it. In my line of work, if my clients are happy, I'm happy. The best way to develop a well rounded skill set is to find someone who is doing what you need to learn and volunteer your time to pick up some pointers or to hone what you already have. OJT is sometimes the best teacher. Now, I'm gonna go fix me a sandwich.....later.

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Maintenance Agreements

2/6/2011

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Property Serv does offer home and property maintenance agreements. These are set up so that you do not pay a monthly fee, we charge by the job! Why pay for something when you don't need it. This will give you peace of mind to know that all you have to do is pick up the phone and call. From maintaining the landscape to fixing broken pipes, we've got you covered. No more shopping around trying to find someone you can trust or has your best interest in mind. Property Serv is making Richmond and the surrounding communities a better place to live. Contact us to find out more!

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Composite Decking

16/5/2011

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I had the opportunity to go out and look at a deck that was damaged by fire today, for the purposes of fixing it. This deck was constructed of a treated wood frame and a composite shell. What is "composite" anyway? It is a combination of recycled wood, dust or fibers, and a plastic or some kind, like PVC. When I thought of "composite", I knew it was a recycled product and normally maintenance free, that's part of the draw. I thought that this product was somewhat superior to wood, it ought to be for the price. After looking at the deck today, I'm not so sure. The fire started on an outside corner and spread to the entire underside of the deck, driven by wind. All of the joists were burnt and the flooring charred. Though the top of the decking wasn't affected, I'm not sure of the structural integrity of it after being burned on the bottom and subjected to intense heat. This got me wondering what the fire rating of composite decking was. After some research most of the decking available locally has a fire rating of "C". That is the same as wood, but unlike wood this has a plastic in it. A plastic fire seems to be a little harder to put out and not to mention the smoke and toxic fumes released when burned. The house the deck is attached to definitely has smoke damage from the burning composite. My hope is that others would not falsely assume that because this product is a "composite" that it is somehow more fire resistant than regular wood. The ease of use and low maintenance make this a good product, but the same care should be taken as with traditional materials and the cost of replacement taken into consideration.

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Updates

Tip of the Week

Tip of the Week

Tip of the Week

What's In A Home

Chimney Rebuild

Maybe You're Born With It

Maintenance Agreements

Composite Decking

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