Cottage Top Criteria... Lot's of Sleeping Accomodation

Every cottage, certainly in my vision, includes lots of places for guests to crash for the night.

A good way to accommodate all the grandchildren - yes I am counting my chickens before they hatch - is bunk beds...

Well we have added the first one.... More to come.

This is the first beds in the larger of the two bedrooms in the basement. Another set of bunks will be added.

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Create Easy Access Hatches for plumbiung, Electrical

It is critical to maintain access to key parts of the water and electrical systems. I discovered a really simple approach.

In the picture I have used a 12-inch square access hatch. It fits in a hole cut in the drywall with a spring-loaded mechanism. Easily installed and easily removed for access.

Where did I get them? Well I got this one at Home Depot but I have seen them or a similar approach at RONA, Home Hardware and Canadian Tire.

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How to Build Interior Doors Fast!

I learned a lesson!

From now on I will always use pre-hung doors.

It took me the better part of a day to do the two interior doors on the main floor - and less than a half day to do all five doors in the basement.

What was the difference? Simple! the basement doors were all pre-hung doors. Installing the pre-hung doors was a snap - just level, install the door and then the door knob.

The prehung doors were a lot of work, and not being a pro door installer they a a bit 'sticky'.

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Tips for a Beautiful (Trim) Paint Job

Lucy, my wife is clearly the best painted of the two of us. She has patience and a flare for detail.

The result is an absolutely beautiful trim painting job.

A few tips to ensure a great paint job:

1) Use the right Brush for the Job

• Use a narrow brush - say no wider than 1.5 inches for the door edges and trim.
  
• Use a small roller to put the pain on the door - but use a brush to smooth it out and maintain the grain
  

2) Use the right Amount of paint on the Brush
Too much paint and it will be dripping all over - too little and it will finish streaky...

3) Be Patient - Let it dry!
Leave the doors open for at least 24 hours, and at least 24 hours between coats.

4) Prime
Always prime bare wood - otherwise you will be painting another coat anyway.

5) Caulk, fill and Sand
Be sure to caulk, fill holes and sand smooth. It is a painful and timeconsuming step but ensures a professional look.

Related Posts:

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Professional Looking Window Trim....

In the previous post we discussed the installing of trim for doors and windows. Here is the result for the main picture window in the living room.

Notice:
1) Finishing nails are all filled and primed
2) the laps of the two pieces of trim on the top and bottom are at the top left and bottom right.
3) all the cracks are caulked

It is ready for painting.

Related Posts:

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Tips for Installing Door and Window Trim

Once the trim around the doors and windows is installed the room really starts to feel finished.

With the trim installs and the holes for the finishing nails filled and primed, I have to admit that the cottage really felt finished.

For a really great instruction on installing casing around doors and windows go to the






For a professional looking job here are a few tips...

1) Use pre-primed Trim
Painting trim is a pain in the a#$. So by using pre-primed trim at least one pass of paining is handled.

2) Use the

Image via Wikipedia

right tools
A mitre box saw is critical - a chop saw will make the job go much faster! An air nailer will make the nailing go wondrously!

3) Use a Paintable Latex Caulk
Nothing will align perfectly! Your trim will have gaps in some of the corners and along the edge with the wall. A little caulk in these areas will go a long way to creating a profession look.

4) Use 45 Degree lap cuts
For Doors there won't be a problem but windows that are wider or higher that 6.5 feet will require a splice if you are using the standard 7-foot casing material. The best way to make this splice is to mitre the joint at 45 degrees.

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Start Planning for the Shower Before you build the Bathroom

The installation of the shower is pretty much one of the last things you are going to do in the bathroom, however, just about everything you do and build in the bathroom will impact the shower stall. Here is a few things to plan for:

1) Layout of the Bathroom
Make sure they is enough room between and among the various facilities in the bathroom - the tub, the shower, the toilet and the sink. Keep in mind a window is a good thing, and make sure that there is sufficient ventilation....

2) Shower Drain Position
Each shower stall has a very specific location for the drain in the shower base. YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS VERY PRECISE DIMENSION WHEN IN STALLING THE WASTE PLUMBING. get it wrong and the base of the shower just won't fit!

3) Insulating the Water Supply
If the shower will be in an exterior wall ensure there is plenty of insulation to keep the pipe warm in the wall... TIP: create a false wall in the inside of the normal and insulated wall to house the piping...

4) Installation of the Shower Stall
Each shower has unique installation process. For instance the base of the shower stall we installed was inset in to the drywall so the walls when installed overlap the lip on the base - to create a water seal.

Advice: Buy your shower stall before to install the plumbing, and read the instructions first!

Related Posts:

Five More Tips for Installing a Shower - May 23, 2009

Installing a Shower: Part 1 - Oct 12, 2008

4 Reasons Why PEX is a DIY Plumber's Dream! - Nov 04, 2008

Plumbing Tip: Check twice, three times before soldering... - Oct 23, 2008

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Five More Tips for Installing a Shower

Where I made the greatest number of mistakes is in the series of tasks that end up making the shower...

Fortunately all of the mistakes were recoverable.

Here is a Few tips so as not to follow my blundering ways:

1) Check, and then Check Again!
When it comes to soldering in any component, especially the key shower faucet, be sure to check that you have everything oriented the right way. Once you solder it all together... fixing the mistake, is a frustrating exercize as I described in a previous post:

Plumbing Tip: Check twice, three times before soldering... - Oct 23, 2008

2) Test before you Bury Your Mistakes....

Plumbers know they can't bury their mistakes like Doctors can... They won't work or worse leak...

It turns out that even though I fixed the orientation of the shower faucet... it did not work.
Fortunately, I had the smarts to check the faucet before I installed the shower stall. If I had then I would have had to rip it all out to replace the faulty faucet.

3) Installing the Stall is a Two Person Job.
Don't be a loner... unless you have a third arm! There is just two many parts to align, square and level...

4) Use the tight Caulking
Pay attention to the kind of caulking that the shower stall manufacturer recommendations for sealing the edges. Silicon does not stick well to certain kinds of plastic - so you will have to get a latex-based caulk for those locations.

Silicon caulking with a fungicide in it is still the best for wet locations but they are not much use if they don't adhere.

Also, pay attention tot he colour of the caulking. I found that a set of three tubes of caulking worked perfect: white latex, white silicon and clear silicon, worked best.

5) Put the shower head higher than the tallest person you know....
I just hate having to bend to have a shower... Most shower heads seem to be placed about 6 inches too low! I recommend placing then at least 78 inches from the floor of the shower (not the floor of the bathroom), and going to 7 feet (84") would not be unreasonable.

Related Posts:

Installing a Shower: Part 1 - Oct 12, 2008

Cottage on the Edge: How to make Sh#t Flow Up Hill! - Jun 15, 2008

4 Reasons Why PEX is a DIY Plumber's Dream! - Nov 04, 2008

Plumbing Tip: Check twice, three times before soldering... - Oct 23, 2008

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Ahhhh! A Shower with HOT Water!

Three weekends ago i was able to complete the installation of the shower, however, I wasn't able to 'test' it that weekend -- the caulking needed to cure at least 24 hours.

Or that is what the instructions said on the side of the tube...

Anyway... with great self control I waited until the next weekend - which turned into two weekends because we attended our golf course's opening weekend tournament.

Suffice it to say the next Saturday morning I was in the shower and enjoying the first shower at the Cottage....

Coming Up:
-Tips for installing shower stalls

Related Posts:

Installing a Shower: Part 1 -Oct 12, 2008

4 Reasons Why PEX is a DIY Plumber's Dream! - Nov 04, 2008

Plumbing Tip: Check twice, three times before soldering... - Oct 23, 2008

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