remodeling for geeks

Single Handle Faucets and Countertop Surprises

My grandfather taught me, "If you don't have the time to do it right, where are you going to get the time to do it over?"

I am a lazy guy. If there is anything I can do to avoid working hard, I will spend lots of time figuring it out. Go ahead and laugh, get it out of your system. I'll wait. From cleaning to building, anything that will make my life easier, I will be first in line.

One of the things I am a fan of, are Single Handle Faucets. Kitchen, Bathrooms, Showers. Single Handle Faucets have the virtue of 50% less moving parts, half the number of replaceable parts, and need 2/3 less holes for installation. Having one small area to clean around rather than the deckplate that most faucets have including that place in the back next to the backsplash, is less time cleaning and more time for other things.

My current client is on the same page. In doing the previous bathrooms, Master Bath Project, Guest Bath Project we had the ability to control the entire process as we gutted and rebuilt them.

 One of the things to do in a bath project is to select the fixtures first.

A couple of reasons. First, sticker shock. Some of those elegant fixtures, and especially sets sink, tub/shower sets, are expensive. Now that you are over that, look at towel bars, hooks, t.p. holders, grabbars if you are so inclined, and try to match the finish to the fixtures you have sold your children for, remember what the goal is.

The Third Bath Project is a refresh rather than a total gut job. We are keeping the vanity and countertop, keeping the tub and tile, removing the old shower door, and reshelving the closet.

This is the new faucet for the vanity. This is a Price Phister, an elegant faucet in a brushed nickle finish, selected for style and repairability. Why would I think about fixing a new faucet? This is Arizona. We have hard water, full of minerals, which grind the moving parts into leaking. Replacement parts are widely available. Having spent a significant amount of time selecting a fixture, as well as a not inconsiderable sum of money on it, It makes no sense to buy something that will cost as much to repair as it cost in the first place. 

A lot of other plumbing fixtures, most notoriously Kohler, do not have parts that can be picked up at your local hardware or supply store. Having to wait for parts is not at the top of the list of things you can be doing with your life. And if you use a plumber, he will have to come twice. Once to confirm that it needs repair, and again after ordering the parts, getting them in and rescheduling.

Having been through two bathrooms we were ready. So we just need to remove the old faucet and pop in the new one.

Surprise, Surprise,  Surprise!!!!

I have mentioned how I like surprises before,This is what was under the old faucet.

Not one hole or three holes but TWO holes. The tape measure shows that they drilled the holes on a 4 1/2 inch center, not 4'' which has been standard for years.The pin hole is for the stop rod for the drain that they managed to drill off center as well. It puts a crimp into the single hole faucet deal.

There are some things I have had no experience with, fewer every year, but repairing solid surface is one of them. So while I did other things, the client tracked down a company, PRO TOPS, 623-388-0660 who said that they could make this go away. 

Since I like to share, here is the setup.

First, the top goes wall to wall, Actually imbedded into the wall. Secondly the mirror goes wall to wall, up to the ceiling. Around 12 feet. The problem is getting the top out without breaking the mirror, or destroying the top. It can't be repaired in place.

Mike from PRO TOPS showed up, took a look and called Mark. Mark showed up, and ten minutes later the top was out, and on saw horses ready for repair. Notice that they left the mirror back splash in place, only removing the side splashes. The drywall damage was from the original installers. Remember I said that it was in the wall.

  A couple of hours later it was back in place. With a single hole.

We had the counter left from the Guest Bath project for material to match. This is at least 10 year old Corian.  Repairing holes requires a lot of routers, sanders and a buffer.

First you use a big V profile bit to enlarge the hole, to receive the plug. Next you make plugs using an even larger bit that cuts a large hole outside, and a matching V profile inside to fit it the hole. Then you use colored adhesive to seal the plug. Sand it down, and buff it out.

It took a couple of hours because Mike is one of those guys who does what needs to be done to get it right. The plugs were a problem producing. When he got two he liked he installed them. When he got through, one of them has a faint white line. Called 'Bruising'. I mean it was a faint line and you has to look real hard to see it. He re-drilled it out and replaced it. This is the finished product.

You live in Phoenix or nearby, these are the guys to call.

Fun with Plywood

Having decided to build my own cases for DVD's,I built another one. I realize that I will need to build some book ends or some other sort of end as my collection builds so they are not flopping around. I am not a knick knack person so I don't have a large collection of figurines or other weird stuff to act as blocks for partially filled shelves. Besides. I am doing this because I already have a dust problem.

18mm plywood note: The 18mm plywood has a paper thin veneer which chips when you cut it. There are ways to minimize this. Beware, or plan the face sides. I used to work in an architectural millwork company and ran a Holzma Panel Saw. It had a scoring blade as well as a main blade for just such a deal. It had computer controls, air tables for moving material, and could cut 3'' of 5x10' material. Yes they make it that big.

I build my first paperback case the other day. I used 3/4" 7 ply A-C sanded plywood. It has a much thicker face than the 9 ply. Same deal with the shelves being a 1/2" smaller than the width of the books. 9 shelves. I filled this one up with the loose books floating around. I still have boxes I have not unpacked yet. Next to it is a standard birdshit particleboard bookcase. The plywood case is lighter, stronger, and fits my books better. I will be running the old cases to ReHabitat so somebody can use them until they build their own cases. I just happen to have one about a mile from the casa.

DVD Storage

I own lots of DVD Movies. Storage is an issue for me. I don't like what passes for storage in the stores. So I decided that I would build my own. I measured my DVD's which are taller than paperbacks, shorter than VCR's and have their own widths.

This unit is 83'' high, 23 1/2'' wide and 6 3/8'' deep. 9 shelves, it holds 324 single DVD's. 38 singles per shelf.

It took 1 sheet of 18 mm. 8 ply birch faced plywood, 1/2 sheet of 3/8'' sanded ply for the back.

The sides are 6'' wide, the shelves are 5'' wide. The DVD's stick out beyond the shelf edge by about a 1/2 inch. Finger tip access. I did this so that I have very little horizontal surface for dust to collect. I have three dogs, two double dog doors, and a lot of dust in my hood.

It is raw and unfinished. It is a proof of concept. The production units will be dadoed so that the back is flat to the sides. 50 bucks in materials. 4 hours to build. It is screwed together with 1 1/4'' deck screws. I drilled pilot holes with a countersink bit, to prevent splitting. I have two 5 inch rips for shelves, one 6 inch side, and a complete back left.

I will play around the width to see if a 30 inch unit will use material better.

Wall Anchors

So you want to hang stuff on your walls. Okay. You need an anchor of some sort. I have used just about every wall anchor made for hanging stuff on walls. Toggle Bolts, Plastic Anchors, twist anchors, and some things that should never be mentioned.
These are the pick of the litter.
WalDriller Screw In Drywall Anchors

They come as a set with the anchor and the right sized screw. They screw in. You use the same phillips screwdriver to install the anchor that you use for running the screw. They come in a variety of weights for hanging your stuff. You really really want these.

Consider the odds of having things to hang on your wall that will balance on a 16'' center, with a wall that has one stud in the center of the wall for you to work from.

As an added bonus, when you move your stuff and need to patch the hole, just screw the anchor just below the surface, prime and paint.

Highly Recommended.

Fireplace Freshen 2

Here is the face ready for primer and paint. The fireplace door guy was by and measured for the fireplace door. About 4 weeks out.

Dust Control Drywall Mud Progress Report
This is for Jenni at 1311Vernon and Jennfier at Tiny Old House
Why didn't they invent this stuff 30 years ago? At least I get to use it before I die.
Good Golly Miss Molly. This is the greatest stuff for remodeling since Loctite Power Grab.
The photo below shows the dust from sanding the side wall from the ceiling to about 2 feet from the ground. I took this photo about 10 seconds after I got through sanding. Regular mud would have been spread to hell and gone, and you would have seen noting but white dots obstructing the photo. It sands like a dream, clumps and falls to the ground as advertised.
Look at the blue tape line where the trim meets the wall.

Here is a closeup of the same area. I am using sanding sponges for sanding. I am using them dry. The stuff sticks together and drops to the ground. As an added bonus, look at the bottom of the bullnose bead. See the overage? When I use the knife as a chipper to knock most of this off, it comes off smoothly. Regular mud and speed set has a tendency to fracture, and pull out chunks.

The only thing that you need to watch for is that it does fill up the sponge quickly and does need to be 'tapped' clean. A small price for the lack of dust and white boogers that regular mud sanding causes.
This is gonna make Smoothwall skim coating a pleasure...relatively speaking of course.
Why didn't they invent this stuff 30 years ago? At least I get to use it before I die.

First Paint Coat

Dust Control Drywall Mud

Taping and sanding drywall are two of the messiest parts of any remodeling project. Sanding is especially nasty as until recently dust control was a real problem. Not anymore. The other day I mentioned that I was trying a new product for taping drywall.

USG, who literally wrote the book on drywall has come up with a new product.

Sheetrock® Brand Dust Control Joint Compound

This is amazing stuff!! It spreads smoothly, shrinks very little, sands like a dream and does as advertised. Dust clumps and drops to the floor. I will never use any other premix product for taping ever. It's that good!

Master Bath Project Episode 8

Solid Surface Hell
One of the earliest design decisions made was solid surface for the shower. If you have a tiled bath/shower enclosure, you have experienced the heartbreak of keeping it clean, grouted, sealed, killing mold and mildew.
Since we were building a custom shower in both size and function, we interviewed a number of companies. Most could not produce the off center shower pan. Most of them were installers using buyout materials.
We finally found a local company who could produce the shower pan, and manufactured their own solid surface.

In addition to the shower pan, and side panels, they were also making the vanity top with integral sink, the makeup top, tub surrounds, modesty panel, and the caps for the pony walls.

We explained that we were going to have a swinging shower door with a simple glass panel on the top of the pony wall. ON the Inside Edge. Horizontal surfaces in showers and baths are breeding grounds for mold,mildew, and dirt. They were brought onsite early enough to be able to discuss their requirements for installation. Which is one of the reasons that we left the bottom sheets of drywall off until the shower pan was installed.

The day of installation arrived with a couple of stout lads as this pan was heavy. In wresting the pan in place they chopped up a corner of the pony wall. It sucked but I can fix anything.

The first major problem is here, where they brought the edge of the pan completely into the opening and created an area that would have the water splashing onto the floor. Remember the shower door and glass were to be placed on the inside edge of the ponywall and inset on the other side. Also floor tile selection was finalized.

The next morning, I hung, corner beaded and taped the rest of the drywall, and bagged off the solid surface, cabs and counters so the texture guys could come and spray the walls.

After some discussion as to fixing the drainage issue the solid surface guys showed up to install the walls. They must not talk a whole lot as there is a new problem. See in the corner where they did not extend the solid surface to the floor? Yep, looks like crap.

The decision was made to fill in the edge and machine it in the field. There was a lot of delay in what they said was a color matching issue. This is weird because this material was a 'standard' color from their collection, and should have been a no brainer. It wasn't. It took multiple applications, a lot of sanding which creates a dust storm to rival anything you see on National Geographic.

Complicating this was the scheduling of the tile. The tile was laid and they had to return with a new crew and redo it.

There was no reason but carelessness for the first tile job. There were no cracks, bumps, or other problems that prevented them getting it right the first around.
Not square, flat or consistent in grout lines.

1/2'' gaps on the edges and incomplete grouting was an issue as well.

The second time got the job done.

Smooth, flat and consistent.

I will be reluctant to recommend either of these two companies, as a first choice unlike my plumber and texture guys. To be fair, both of them did repair their mistakes, but it did push the project into February.

The New Temporary Workshop Episode 1

Two of the most dreaded words in remodeling are ''what about''. In other circles this is known as Scope Creep.
Scope Creep is when you have a project nailed down, and then bright ideas begin to appear.Tthe 'what about' moment

Let me demonstrate.
The original idea was to pour a small slab behind the house, to be able to open up the original rear doorway, and tuck my refrigerator into it. The slab also was going to contain a spot to enclose the water heater. At this point a 4x8 slab with a small roof and a door for access to the water heater would have done the job. Couple hundred bucks, maybe 10 hours and I am done.

Well, having won a few bucks at the lottery, allowed me to get the block fence, and the driveway. The siren song of expansion began eating into my brain.

I had already contracted for the little slab, but I noticed that I have an impressive collection of garden tools. Lawn Mower, wheelbarrow, rakes, weed eater, leaf blower, shovels, axes, and so on. Quite a collection of stuff for a guy with no grass. So I talked with the concrete guys and for a few dollars more, could make my slab 8x10'. This would allow me to build the fridge alcove, get my water heater under cover, and have enough room for my garden tools.

Now the back of my house would have this slab jutting into the backyard, and I would have my garden tools put up, but I just got a new 10'' Table saw, and for a few dollars more could get another slab poured at the same time. It was inexpensive as they are already on site, and concrete gets cheaper the more you order.
The old temporary workshop is where I enclosed the carport two years ago, to build an office.

Now I have a 10x21' slab that will become the new temporary workshop.(the endgame is a freestanding 18x24 shop with a 18x12 patio)
Having said that, on the left is the back wall of the laundry room. So I will pull plumbing out of it, and be able to install a sink in the new temporary workshop. I will also be able to reroute the dryer vent to scavenge waste heat in the winter.

It will be a modified Post and Beam construction, the posts being 4x4'' with a built up 4x6 beam. The beam members will be 2x6 boards with a 1/2'' plywood gusset in the center with staggered joints, allowing me to span the entire distance with one beam. Built up beams used to be standard building practice before the advent of glulams, and TGI Joists. They are more time consuming to construct, but are cheaper in materials.
Nowadays the only time you see them is over small windows. The other reason is that there are too few folks calling themselves framers that can read lumber and crown joists correctly.

I have the post anchors installed using Simpson ABU44Z anchors and 1/2''x 4'' Red Head Sleeve Anchors. Trust Me, if these ever lift in a storm the rest of the house will be in Kansas, it is that good an anchor system.

So I have gone from a small shed for my fridge and water heater to a 300 square foot enclosure, that will hold my garden tools, my remodeling tools, and will double as a workshop for building cabinets and other things.

The Walk In Closet Project Episode 9

Now that the bases are done, and covered with plywood, it is time to build partitions. For this project, we are using 24x80'' hollow core door blanks. There are a couple of reasons. They are dimensionally stable, pre primed, and inexpensive. Around 20 bucks a piece. A 24'' panel allows you to center the closet rod at 12'' giving you lots of room for hanging your clothes. With a few screws and some Powergrab, you have a strong stable structure.

We also are using the doors for the top of the partitions as well. We build the top in one piece out of a number of doors that we doweled on the ends.
Here is one view. The chrome strip on the top are steel studs we screwed to the 'roof' assembly to allow us to put it up in one piece. They will be detached and the screw holes filled prior to painting.

Here is another view. This one is from the new doorway.

Our trims are MDF pre finished flat moldings, which is great stuff to work with.

Since it is also primed, painting will be easier as well. We used a 2 1/2'' molding for the top and the ends, a 3 1/2'' molding between the partitions which allows us to hide the ends of the closet rod support brackets. The closet support brackets are 5 1/2'' MDF.

CFL Compact Fluorescent Lights

Compact Fluorescent Lights are the new darling of the eco green set. With good reason for using less electricity.
Lighter Footstep has a couple of good guides on CFL's.
How to live with CFLs
This is a good overview of the lights, especially in sizing them as standard fbulbs and CFL bulbs radiate their light differently.

Lasting 3-5 years gives you time to do other things. The down side is that CFL's contain mercury, which is sort of the aw shit, which wipes out the attaboy of using them.
5 Ways to Recycle a CFL