Duck tape... or Duct tape?

If you are like me, you snicker when you hear someone refer to "duck" tape because, of course, we KNOW it is DUCT tape, for taping A/C ducts. Well, I read recently that in fact, the tape is actually named for the cloth that gives the tape its strength. The cloth? Cotton duck. So it IS duck tape after all.

Any way, I got to use a LOT of du(ck/ct) tape this weekend. I finished installing the duct (not duck) for the bathroom exhaust fan. This was another of those projects that took much longer than expected. Of course a pro would have had it done in a couple hours, but I would never have guessed it would take this long, so why bother paying someone else? The challenge, or complication, is that the bathroom is not adjacent to an exterior wall, so the duct is relatively long. Since it is long, I wanted to avoid using inadequate duct, which would reduce the effectiveness of the fan. So I used 10x3.5 inch rectangular duct.
The good news was that the fan is very quiet. When I connected the internal plug and flipped the switch I thought I must have connected it wrong because it was so quiet.
This means I need to replace the fan in the upstairs bathroom. We new that it was loud, but now we know exactly how much quieter a good fan could be!!

Power Tools

The hardest part of this project is having to buy power tools.

While framing around a replacement window I realized that cutting the compound angles necessary would be challenging, at best, with a circular saw. The obvious solution, I realized, was to buy a table saw. I planned to do this eventually anyway. When I am building cabinets and storage areas I will want the table saw, so it was only a matter of convincing myself that I needed to buy the table saw sooner rather than later. Well, and convincing my wife also.
I had been checking them out at the local hardware store, so when the time came I was ready to move. I bought the saw, assembled it (no small task), and got the window framed in the same afternoon.

Continuous Forward Progress...

Despite the lack of blog posting, there has been progress over the past month... Slow, but steady progress.
The framing of the main room is just about done. This is the third week I have said that, but now it is even closer to being accurate! The bar/closet is framed, as well as the railing around the stairs and the framing around the drain pipe at the bottom of the stairs. Still to frame are the window and the two columns.
I also haven't installed the duct work for the bathroom exhaust fan or the drier vent.

But we're getting there. Hopefully I will have some pictures soon.
And we need to start framing the second room... but first we need to empty it! But that is why we have the lawn ornament (a forty foot shipping container to store all the stuff that had to come out of the basement!)

And only a month behind schedule!

I finished the framing in the main room last weekend. Well, to be more precise, I finished most of the framing. I haven't done the closets or the bar yet, or the soffits around the pipes and wiring.[NOTE: I just read this post and noticed that the Blogger spell check had changed soffit to soviet, and I had accepted that change!] But I am close enough that I can say, with a straight face, that I have framed the main room.
I also still need to box around the electric panel and the small basement window. But of course there is a complication: the local big-box hardware store doesn't sell windows small enough to replace the window. So I can't frame around the window yet.
More significant: we haven't even cleaned out the other big room that is being finished, so there is still PLENTY of work to do!!

... and there was much rejoicing.

Well, I passed. The electrical inspector came by Saturday morning. He like what he saw... except that dicey arrangement with the plug for the kitchen stove. The picture at right (looking up at the basement ceiling) shows the plug for the oven which is overhead in the kitchen. The inspector nearly turned on his heels and walked out when he saw this. I quickly explained that this was the handiwork of the previous owner and I had nothing to do with it, but that we will be replacing it when we renovate the kitchen (our next project!). "What kind of ceiling are you putting in?" he asked. Initially I misunderstood his question and started to explain that I would replace it by cutting through the floor from above. Then he reminded me that it is a code violation to have a junction box or any kind of connection in an inaccessible location. Presumably if we had been planning a suspended ceiling then he might have left it at that.
Since we are putting in sheetrock, however, he insisted that the whole arrangement (there is a junction box not visible in the photo) be replaced before the ceiling is put in.
No problem.
The next step was to make the final connections for the laundry area. The main reason we wanted this inspection just for the bathroom/laundry room before the rest of the basement is wired was so that we can set up the washer and drier in their proper places. So right after the inspector left I started wiring up the outlets and switches. Oops... the outlet I had bought for the drier was actually a range outlet. Damn. So I had a trip to the hardware store to add to the day's itinerary. Since I would be working in the main electric panel to connect the three bath/laundry circuits ( the 110/220 drier circuit, the dedicated laundry circuit for the washer, and the general light/receptacle circuit) I figured what the heck, I might as well replace the troublesome oven outlet as well.
So I consulted my reference books for info about requirements for a range outlet. First I noticed that one of the books had conflicting information in the text and in an illustration. Hmmm... So I got out another book and found... yet another variation. A little investigation revealed that the first book not only had an error, it was also published in 1992, but the electric code changed in 1996! Fortunately I had bought that second book (actually I had already owned it, but bought the new edition; good thing! Moral: more books are better.)
Eventually I found the supplies I needed, got the laundry all connected, got the wiring for the stove disconnected, and then quit for the day.
This could have resulted in a disastrous situation: with the stove disconnected, It would have been difficult to make coffee Sunday morning. The solution: a quick run to Dunkin' Donuts. And then I was able to finish wiring up the oven and get back to framing.
The update there: about half the main room is framed now. We are way behind schedule on that, but I should be able to finish up next weekend.

Bathroom Wiring

I THINK the bathroom rough wiring is done. Of course I won't know for sure until the inspector OKs it... and chances are he will find something wrong somewhere. But I can't see what it will be.
Last weekend (10 days ago, now), I did all the roughing in. Most of it is pretty straight forward. Drill holes in the middle of the studs... make bends in the wire not too sharp (10 times the diameter of the cable, per code).
Of course there were some small snags. I bought a 50-foot box of 10/3 cable (that is, three strands of 10-gauge wire plus ground) for the drier. But it turns out that about 52 feet of cable would have been better. I even moved the receptacle box one stud closer to the get an extra 16 inches on the other end. I think I will be OK; there is enough cable at the main panel to make the connection, but not any extra if don't trim the ends well the first time!
Installing that cable was also a pain. It is not very flexible. Also, I had cheaped out and not rented a right-angle drill. Since my electric drill and 5/8-inch auger bit are to big to fit between two studs, each hole is slightly angled. In retrospect I should have made the effort to straighten out the holes (by straightening the drill out as I drilled). It turns out I also should have paid more attention to drilling the wholes at the same height. The un-evenness is amateurish, made pulling the cable more difficult, and used up precious inches of cable!

Exhausting Work

Who would think that one of the most difficult decisions we have yet faced would be selecting and locating the bathroom exhaust fan.
The complications started when the plumber mentioned that he didn't think that venting the drier and exhaust fan under the porch would meet the code. I called the building inspector to ask him about requirements for the exhaust fan. "I know there are limits and requirements for drier venting (minimum bends, no screws into the duct, etc. to avoid lint build up which can lead to a fire). What about exhaust fans?" I asked.
He said that the requirements and limits are even stricter for the exhaust fan. The bottom line is they don't work very well. It is better than no ventilation at all, but they simply don't do a great job removing moisture from bathrooms, so you really need to avoid anything that will reduce the efficiency of the fan. Like long duct runs.
Normally an exhaust fan can be located close to an exterior wall, and can be vented right through that wall. In our case, however, the bathroom is not actually adjacent to an exterior wall. It is close, but the laundry area is between the shower and that exterior wall. We figure that the fan will remove steam better if it is located relatively closer to the shower versus closer to the exterior wall. That will mean a longer duct run, though, so we figure we need a somewhat stronger fan than would otherwise be needed for the size of the room.
So we trooped first to Lowe's, where we bought a fan that we later decided was undersized. So I went off to an electrical supply company in Norwood, a nearby town. But they had moved to Canton, on the other side of town. So I stopped at Home Depot and bought a larger fan... but really much larger than we need.
So I actually ended up tracking down the electrical supply house in Canton and buying a THIRD exhaust fan. This turned out to be the Goldilocks fan: not too big, not too small: just right. The lesson is that the big-box stores (Lowe's and Home Depot) may have just about everything... but not necessarily the right size. And of course, the guy behind the counter at the electrical store was actually helpful!

A sports fan's nightmare...

Tonight I thank God for picture-in-a-picture.
Of course I knew Lance had already won the Tour de France, but I spent the evening on the couch switching between OLN's prime time coverage of Lance's triumphal ride in to Paris (with the ever-exciting race for the sprinter jersey) and ESPN's coverage of the Red Sox-Yankees post fight baseball game.
I missed last nights game/fight ( I would have loved to see team leader par excellence Jason Veritek get in the face of player extrordinair Alex Rodriguez)...
So I got to switch back and forth between the majesty of the Arch de Triumph (sp?) and Fenway, between Keith Folke and Ivan Basso. It was a night mare, but a hell of a lot better than having to pick just one.
This line from the New York Times coverage uses my favorite Tour euphemism: "...Joseba Beloki (who crashed spectacularly in a high speed decent during last yeas's Tour, causing Lance to ride cross-country through a field, hop a ditch, and remount his bike)...was without a team because of injuries and lack of form." Lack of form. Ouch. That has GOT to suck: to be with out form.
Can you imagine your wife/husband/partner saying, "Honey, I don't think you should go to work today; you lack good form."
Come to think of it, that's how I feel. I lack form.

Wiring up next

I worked on finishing the framing for the bathroom last weekend. I didn't get quite as far as I had planned, because along one wall I need to notch all the 2x4s to fit against the main beam and around some wiring that I can't move (yet). A pain in the butt.
But we submitted the wiring permit application. It turns out you don't actually get a permit in exchange for the application and $40. You just call in when ready for the rough inspection. According to the inspectors office, people routinely do the rough-in first, then file the application. I had been hoping for some feedback from the inspector on my wiring plan... but I guess not. Apparently he really doesn't subscribe to the view that the inspector is supposed to be helpful; he simply ensures that the work I do isn't dangerous. That's OK; it is exactly what he had told me going into this.
On Sunday we bought the all the lights for the bathroom/laundry room except for the vanity light. The others are all recessed lights and under-counter lights, which I need to have in hand when I do the rough wiring, which should happen this coming weekend.

Power Tools(!)... Shower In

Last weekend I did a little more framing; not enough to justify renting the nail gun, but enough for me to appreciate how much difference the nail gun makes, both in the speed and quality of the work. During a break, Spouse and I discussed the economics of purchasing a nail gun. After tossing numbers around for a while, we realized that if I rented the nail gun for four weekends it would be cheaper to buy it. Now, it is not at all certain that I WOULD rent it for four 2-day weekends: if I could prepare the entire basement and frame it at once, it might go faster than that... or it might not, and I really don't want to do that. Besides the pure dollars and cents, there is a major convenience factor to having the tools readily available.
So the next day (Monday, July 12) the plumber calls to tell me he actually needs more of the wall behind the washer hook-up done. I had thought of this previously, but forgot about it over the weekend. So, having decided to buy the framing gun, and needing to do some framing that night, I took the plunge. But of course nothing is that simple. The big box store where I went (it was, after all 6:15 pm when I started shopping; who else was open?) had several manufacturers combo deals that included a compressor and a nailing gun. The combination I ended up getting included a smaller, but still adequate compressor and two (count 'em, two) nail guns: a finish nailer and a brad gun (poor Brad). And separately I bought the framing gun. So I ended the evening with three nail guns. As one friend said, "Boys and there Toys." But I reminded him that now my toys need pneumatic assist....
Oh yeah, and the plumber has been busy. The shower is in (though he had to apply some force and a chisel to the framing I had done. Part of the wall had crept 1/2 inch in when I wasn't looking.), and he will finish roughing in the copper today.
And finally, the electrician upgraded the electric service from 100 to 200 amps yesterday.

The walls start to go up

It has been a busy week!! The plumber finished roughing in the drains last Thursday, and I filled in the trenches and cemented them on Saturday. That was a fun job :\ Shoveling all that sand BACK in to the trench, then Carrying sixteen 80-pound bags of cement from the car to the driveway (I made one trip with half the bags in the Subaru wagon, and the other trip in the minivan), then mixing them by hand with a hoe and pouring and spreading it... That lead to a sore back. Fortunately, I quite work early that day and went to a couple of Fourth of July parties, which helped!!

The next day, Sunday, July 4th, I started framing. The first step was to lay out the walls. The plumbing had been laid out in relation to a wall to be built adjacent to a foundation wall. All of my framing needed to be laid out in relation to the plumbing. Most important, the walls around the shower needed to be precisely placed with respect to the drain, but all the walls have drain vents in them which dictate the wall location. After marking the wall locations, I nailed down pressure-treated 2x4s using a stud gun, a nifty device that uses a .22 caliber charge to drive a nail through the wood into the cement. The framing went pretty smoothly. I finished most of what I wanted to get done so the plumber could start the roughing-in... but it turns out he won't be here until next week anyway.

Plumbing has begun

The Plumber started roughing in the drains for the bathroom. That's good, as far as it goes, but for the second time in three days we discover that my fancy high-tech construction plans are more precise than accurate. Or, more to the point, a detailed plan isn't necessarily a good plan.
In this case, the plumber pointed out that the plan didn't leave very much room between the shower on one side and the toilet and vanity on the other. There is space to move the wall 8-12 inches farther out so there would be plenty of space in the bathroom. But he wanted me to review the measurements before he does that, which I can't do until I get home from work tonight, so he quite for the day and will finish up tomorrow. That is fine; I am not scheduled to start filling the trench and cementing it over until Saturday.

Fun with a Jack Hammer!!

Another life-achievement to cross off my list: I used a jack hammer to cut a hole in my basement floor! Saturday morning, bright and early, I rented an electric jack hammer. Before I could start digging, we had to go to the plumbing supply store to select a shower stall so that I would know where, exactly, the drain for the shower would need to go.
Once I got started, I had a blast!. Most of the work was pretty easy. The jackhammer is pretty heavy, but but most of the time you just have it standing vertically, so it isn't so bad. The real fun came on Sunday when I had to actually dig the trench out. Digging a trench below the level you are standing at is no fun. Well, less fun than jack hammering.
One interesting note: while laying out the cuts for the various drains, I discovered that the laundry room area was not big enough for the washer/drier on one side, the sink opposite, and space for the drier to open in between. Part of the explanation is that my original drawing had the shower (which backs up behind the sink) too narrow, so when I widened the shower, the laundry space got narrower. But I widened the shower by six inches, while the laundry space was a full foot narrower than it should have been. Go figure.
After digging the trench to the desired depth, I switched from working down below my feet to working up over my head. I finished stripping all the old furring strips off the ceiling, and removing the lighting and some dodgey wiring that was down there. I was reminded, several times, how important it is to where a hard had and safety glasses all the time. Fortunately, I was!

Big Excitement Coming This Weekend

On Wednesday night we met with the plumber to plan the cuts I need to make in the floor for the new drain pipes. After considering a number of possibilities, he told me where I need to cut trenches so he can install the below-floor drain pipes for the new toilet, shower, and also for the laundry sink and clothes washer. The exciting part: tomorrow I rent a jack-hammer! Talk about the uber-cool handyman tool! By Saturday night I should be numb and deaf from the vibration and noise.
We also have decided to rent a storage container to allow us to empy out the basement more than we could have otherwise (and save us making a thousand trips to a self-storage place.

Started Demolition!

Over the weekend I started tearing down the wall and work bench that were in the way of the bathroom work. It was very gratifying to get the space fairly cleaned up. I'll have photos up eventually (I have to get a digital camera!)

Got estimate from plumber

We got the estimate from the plumber over the weekend. It was, I guess, in the ballpark that I expected. We asked him to revise the estimate to provide two heating zones in the basement. The basement will have only two finished rooms, but one, the family room, will be used fairly regularly, but in the afternoon and evening, while the other room, the family day care facility, will only be used in the morning and will have many days and even weeks when it isn't used at all. So clearly the two rooms have very different heating needs. And for $450, the plumber can add a second zone.

Talked to Plumber

Last Saturday we talked to a plumber about the work we want to do in the basement. He will prepare an estimate for doing all the plumbing for the bathroom and a separate estimate for the baseboard heaters.

got the building permit

Today we picked up the building permit from the inspectors office!

Talked to an electrician

Today we talked to an electrician about upgrading the electric service. The house currently has 100amp service. We will be upgrading to 200amp service. This is work that only a licensed electrician can do.

filed the building permit application

The building permit application was completed and delivered to the inspectors office.

getting started

After years of procrastination and delay, I met with the building inspector to review our plans for finishing the basement. I showed him my drawing, and reviewed some of the details. He made a couple of suggestions: since we will be reducing the room size around the furnace, I need to provide vents in the wall. We discussed my interest in doing the electrical work myself. He lectured me on how it is not trivial work, that I have the legal right to apply for a permit, but the electrical inspector will only give it to me if he thinks I can do the work well.