Tag: details

July 13, 2022 – Screw Sickness, Let’s Get to Work

July 13, 2022 /

At some point, I am going to write an article about dealing with siding penetrations and other unforeseen problems. To be effective, I would like to have pictures (or video) to go along with it. Since I do not have that yet, it definitely doesn’t make sense to do today.

In lieu of actual content, I will fill space with worthless words (just kidding). I am on the mend, no fever the last couple of days and energy feels good. I still have junk in the throat but the show must go on. Monday, I got back to work and in two hours I had all of the siding off. Yesterday’s goal was to cut the compromised drywall and remove portions of the panels.

I cut the bottom four feet off the offending panels. That should allow me to slap up new ones with the minimum of cuts. After that, I am going to add a Water Resistant Barrier (WRB in the lingo) which will actually be tar paper because that is what I have.

The key to fixing this failure is the details. Normally, T1-11 would not necessarily need a WRB between the panel and the sheetrock. But, because the HardiPlank was applied over the T1-11, water went between the two and stayed wet for an extended time which in turn rotted the T1-11 behind the lap siding. Proper products and flashing will resolve this permanently.

Before I do this, I have a couple of reservations. The first is I am not completely convinced that fire protection (the purpose of the drywall) is necessary. When nailing the HardiPlank back on, the only way to secure it is nailing through the studs. I have inspected the corner construction and there is no structure to nail the edges of the siding. This has me thinking that I should change the backing from drywall to sheathing.

Looking at the cost between OSB and drywall, they are nearly the same. And, HardiPlank is also fireproof. It will be the structure for nailing the lap that will help me decided how to proceed.

End Your Programming Routine: When this garage was built, I think it was done properly. I am pretty sure the lap siding was added later which is why the details were wrong. Or, at least that is what I want to tell myself. I guess we will all see as I go along, stay tuned for the proper way of doing things.

May 18, 2021 – Framing Basics, Planning for the End

May 18, 2021 /

After yesterday’s heavy self reflection, today we are going back to skills. I had fully intended to get through framing in one shot, but I got a little too wrapped up in pressure treated and the foundation part that I realized this was going to be too much for one post.

In this post, I am going to talk about the little details that will make a huge difference in the outcome of the overall product. So let us get into it. First of all lumber selection and conventional wisdom. Framing an exterior wall would be 2×6 studs and framing that is 16″ on center. This allows for the correct width and thickness of insulation, door openings would fit prehung doors properly and building materials are measured in these types of increments. A 4×8 sheet of drywall will fit perfectly when framed in this convention for instance.

Interior walls are commonly framed using 2×4 walls with 16″ on center. Sixteen inches on center means that the center of one stud is 16″ from the center of the next stud.

With the price of lumber, I examined a lesser used technique of framing 24″ on center. This amount of spacing is often used for sheds, outbuildings and value structures. But my number one goal was comfort. And unfortunately, the cost of 23″ width insulation was five times what it costs of 15″ insulation so the cost proposition was twice as expensive to frame in that manner even though it would have saved about a quarter of the lumber.

Another cost saving technique I did exploit is to use ‘Utility’ grade 2x4s. I found at a local bargain building materials store, I could buy Utility grade 2x4x8 for $5 a board whereas a stud grade (#2 or better) was $7.43. Now, this is not a load bearing structure and I am only using one face. But If I were needing two faces of the 2×4, I would want to be a little more picky. Below is a typical Utility stud.

When building new walls in an old structure, you have to account for non level surfaces. That means that each stud is nailed in place with a technique called toe-nailing or nailing at an angle into the bottom plate. In my back wall, there is about 1/2″ slope from the middle of the wall to the corner. The stud length varies across the run of the wall.

I used both techniques where possible. The traditional nailing through the wood on a flat surface is on the left and toenailing is on the right.

Also, there are some tricks to framing so that you have places to attach the inner surfaces like drywall and sheathing. The picture below shows some extra surfaces to attach drywall.

End Your Programming Routine: Trust me, I have gotten to the point where I am trying to hang drywall in space because I hadn’t learned to think ahead yet. Planning with the end in mind will help tremendously when it comes to cost or efficiency and even the best possible outcome.