X Marks the Spot: Knowing Where the Drain is

In every basement floor, by virtue of most building codes, there must be drain, and the floor must slope towards those drains.  However if you are finishing the floor, as we did with Dricore under-flooring with a laminate flooring finish, then these drains may be covered.

I believe it is important to at least remember where the drains are for future reference.  We have chosen to simply mark or measure and record the position of the drain.

What do think the correct practice should be?

1. Mark or record the location but keep covered? or
2. Cut a hole corresponding to the drain and install a low profile drain cover in the floor covering?

Related Links:

DriCore - The Revolutionary Subfloor System - Step-By-Step Installation Video

Search Amazon.com for laminate flooring 

;-)

Making the Crap Flow Up Hill

 When the water system is below the pipe to the septic system, you need to make the shit flow up hill, counter to the laws of physics.

How do you do that?

Well you do it with a pump which is inside a septic basin below your basement floor, and thus below the source -- all the showers, sinks and toilets in the basement.  This pump chews up all the 'lumps' and pumps them up wards and in to the pipe to the septic system.

The Check Valve: Stopping the Shit from rolling down hill
A key element of this system is the check valve shown in the picture to the right.  A check value only allows the fluid, and the 'crap' it contains to only flow one direction.  When the pump stops any material in the pipe above the check valve stays above the valve, and does not flow back into the septic basin.

That's how you make shit flow up hill, and stay there!

Related Posts:
installing the septic system - status
installing a shower: part 1
installing a toilet: part 1
;-)

Installing a Subfloor in the Basement

We started to install the subfloor in the basement last week.

We are using this prefab material from Dricore. This material is a complete solution to covering the basement floor and creating a dry and warm subfloor that is ready to accept finishing.

The Dricore has a built-in vapour barrier and comes in 2 foot x 2 foot 'tiles'. You basically use snap the material together.

Coming Up:
...More Installation tips for Dricore...

;-)

Drywall Taping & Plastering is Complete

This past Sunday I was up to the Cottage to review progress. The taping and plastering was complete.

I was a great job!

Here is a picture of the finished product - this is in the larger bedroom in the basement.

In this picture you can see that the drywall was installed horizontally. This may seem counterintuitive given that the drywall is 8-foot long and the ceilings here are 8-foot but this creates the best look, strongest bond, and the least amount of plastering.

The sanding process makes one heck of a lot of dust as you can see in the picture - on the floor and the shorty step ladder in the foreground.

It was great to see the finishing of the inside coming to an end!

Next step is priming the drywall.

Coming Up:
In the tomorrow's post I'll share the finished drywall after priming...

Related Posts:

Types and Sizes of Drywall - Nov 18, 2008

Why use 54-inch Drywall for High Ceilings - Dec 01, 2008

Cottage on the Edge: Drywall Tip: Greenboard for the Windows - Nov 30, 2008

;-)

Drywall Tip: Greenboard for the Windows

One of the last few cleanup tasks I had on my list last weekend was to complete the finishing around the window in the basement.

It has been my experience that these windows are subject to dampness. We use the greenboard drywall in bathroom to combat this problem, so I thought why not use it in this application as well.

In the picture you can see how I used the greenboard in the trim around the window.

I am very happy with the result!

Related Posts:

Green Drywall... Huh? - Nov 16, 2008

Cottage on the Edge: Framing Windows - No need to rush the view - Jun 24, 2008

;-)

3 Tips for Creating Ceiling Bulkheads

I have to say I am rather proud of my ceiling bulkhead in the basement ceiling.

Because the main waste pipe runs the whole length of the cottage, it gets quite low at one end. That is because a minimum 1/4-inch drop per each 1-foot of run is required to achieve the right slope of the waste pipe. Over 20 feet of run means a drop of five inches . Given that the waste pipe is already almost 5 inches in diameter, the bulkhead needs to be over 10 inches at the low end.

This means that the bulkhead would be below the height of one of the bedroom doors. Fortunately I was able to slope the bulkhead and hence avoid installing an extra short door.

A few tips:

1) Place your Wires and Pipes away from danger
The bulkhead is used to hide the pipes and wires, but it also hides their location. In the future you will not know where they are. Place your pipes and wires at lease 1.5 inches from the walls and bottom of the bulkhead to keep them from penetrating nails and screws.

2) Protect the wires and plumbing
Sometimes it is just not possible to place the wires and pipes out of nails reach. When that is the case use strategically placed steel plates to protect them. These plates stop nails from penetrating into wires and pipes.

3) Install Access Panels
Make sure to install access panels so that you can get at sensitive areas in the future. Panels should be placed anywhere where:

• You might need to drain a pipe to prepare for winter
• There is a valve, water gas or otherwise.

Related Posts:

;-)

4 Tips for Keeping it Dry

I learned a hard lesson!

I thought be throwing a tarp of it my boxes of siding material would be kept dry. I forgot that the boxes were lying on the ground. Consequently all the boxes were wet - some so wet that they fell apart.

So we moved the siding material up on the deck for the winter and placed the tarp over them.

I have been careful in placing all my wood deliveries, by placing them all on waste wood so that they were off the ground. My my mind must have been turned off the day that the siding arrived.

So some tips:

1) Keep it off the ground
Often the material will already be on a pallet or delivered on 4x4 support boards. Ask to keep them - and use them to place under your materials.

2) Use lots of support
Be sure to put plenty of support under your materials. Every 2 feet if you have enough waste lumber.

3) For loose materials - create a platform
My big mistake with the siding material was not using the scrap 4' x 8' material I had to support the boxes - and I had quite a few of them. This way the boxes of siding would have been protected from water seeping up from underneath.

4) Use a big enough tarp
I fortunately purchased a number of tarps of different sizes knowing that I would not be using the materials as fast as it arrived. If any of the lumber and other material stick up they will just wick water under the tarp.

Another reason to cover your material, even the lumber, is to prevent warping. If the wood drys out in the summer sun it will likely warp. Warped lumber is a pain to work with. Keeping it covered slows the drying process, and keep the lumber straight.

A NEAT STACKING TIP:
One of the yard workers at Dale's lumber yard shared with me a neat trick. If you have say a large number of sticks of lumber, say fifty 2" x 6" by 10', laid out in a stack 5 deep by 10 across, it is better to take the lumber as you use it in a vertical fashion. That way the lumber stays straighter.

Related Posts:
5 Tips to creating a Great Retaining Wall
framing the basement... status
;-)

Avoiding Frozen Pipes: Part 2 (of 2)

The best way of avoiding pipes freezing is to not place pipes in exterior walls. However, it is not always possible to do that.

It the main floor basement bathroom, I was able to design the layout so that only the shower plumbing would be in an exterior wall.

In part 1 I described placing the pipes in the wall but ensuring the pipes were insulated well on the external side of the pipes. What I did not tell you that this wall was on the inside of an 8-inch thick concrete wall which was under the grade on the outside. It is a good bet that this area is well insulated.

The shower in the main, upstairs, bathroom doesn't have the same advantages. While the wall is six inches thick I decided to error on the side of caution and created another wall inside this wall in which to place the plumbing.

The picture doesn't show this well but the shower plumbing is installed inside of a second wall on the inside of the exterior wall. The wall was constructed on 2" x 4" lumber. In taking this approach the exterior wall must first be completing installed with the required vapour barrier - leaving vapour tabs on the top and sides to connect to the vapour barrier of yet to come insulation activities.

Other things to Note in the Picture:

• There are support studs at key locations: at the location where the shower head extends out of the wall and at the faucet
• The drain for the shower can be seen at the bottom of the picture - just barely
• The bottom plate of the shower is actually just leaning against the wall
  
• All the plumbing was created using copper

Avoiding Freezing Pipes: Part 1

The best way of avoiding pipes freezing is to not place pipes in exterior walls. However, it is not always possible to do that.

It the basement bathroom, I was able to design the layout so that the shower and vanity plumbing would be in interior walls. Only the cold water supply tot he toilet need to be installed in the wall.

While the pipe needs to be installed in the center of the stud wall you need to place All of the insulation BEHIND the pipe. It the picture to the right you can see that this rule was followed in only two of the three stud openings. This was an error that was quickly fixed before the vapour barrier was stapled on.

Other things to Note in the Picture:

• We used white/grey PEX for all the cold water supply
• The drain for the toilet is in the bottom right corner of the picture
• We created our own stub-outs using 1/2-inch coper pipe
  

NEXT In Part 1:
Tomorrow I will discuss the second option for insulating pipes in exterior walls - creating a wall inside a wall...

We have Stairs! Another Milestone reached!

Another milestone was also reached this weekend!

...and that was being able to travel from the main floor to the basement without using stepladders or walking out the front door on the main level and walking around the cottage to the back patio doors to reach the basement.

This milestone was reached when the stairs from the main floor to the basement was completed.

The stairs in our case swing around in a U-shape using a landing about half way down. There are in total, including two landings that act as stairs, 14 steps. I used a close stair approach with a cut-out stair stringer and purchased treads (with a pre-finished rounds front) and risers. The steps are 11 inches in width and come in 40-inch lengths. The risers are 8 inches wide and again come 40 inches in length.

I already knew how to build stairs through previous experience building the 104 steps down the cottage lot to the lake but I purchased a stair building book just to make sure I wasn't missing something. I wasn't disappointed in the book when I discovered that it didn't tell me much more than I already knew.

I did learn a few useful tips:

1. Use the framing bolts ( I can' remember what they are really called) on your carpenter's square to lock in the rise and run for your stairs. This way you get the same and exact measurement for the stairs
2. A rise of 7 inches and a run of 10 inches works quite well.
3. Always remember to include the height of any finishing materials for your floors and landings when calculating the rise of the beginning and ending steps at the top, each landing and the bottom of the stairs.
4. Be sure to take in consideration how you intend to finish the walls in the building of the stairs. I added a second 'stringer' on the outside of each side of the stairs. With this spacer you will not have to cut a piece of drywall with a zig zag pattern...

Here are a few websites that provide the basics of building stairs:

• How to build Stairs

• How to Build Your Own Stairs in 3 Easy Steps

Here is the book I purchased:

• Basic Stairbuilding by Scott Schuttner.
  

ASIDE: When the stairs were finally complete, while the rest of the cottage was in various stages of construction and completeness, it just felt like a major milestone was reached - the cottage just felt more like a cottage then a construction site!

Framing the Basement... Status

The massive amount of rain in the month of July caused me to change the order of construction activities. Not able to work outside, I moved the framing of the walls in the basement much early in the schedule. In fact I had thought that it was a task that I would leave to next spring - concentrating solely on getting the main floor completed. But with time on my hands, I ordered more 2x4 lumber and framed the basement walls.

In the basement there will be:

• 2 bedrooms
• a laundry closet (in one of the bedrooms)
• a utility room, and
  
• a bathroom

Also also framed the walls to the stairwell

Given that it was the basement with 8 inch concrete walls I chose to construct 2x4 walls. Remember that the walk-out side of the basement has already been framed using 2x6 pressure-treated lumber - it is not a concrete wall.

I am realizing some benefits of completing the framing:

• I can now have my electrical contractor install the electrical in the entire house now, saving a second trip and money
• I realize now that I would have had to put up a few walls anyway to hold the electrical service, the tankless water heater, and the water pressure tank.
• I now can better plan for the routing of the plumbing from the main floor in the basement ceiling.
  

Tiger Foam... The Spray Foam Kit and its set up

The Tiger Foam Kit I purchased is a Tiger Foam 600 bd. ft. Kit - FR. It was shipped in two boxes as seen in the previous post.

The kit comes with:

• One tank of chemical A
• One tank of chemical B
• One hose and gun assembly
• 6 fan nozzles
• 4 straight nozzles
• Tubes of petroleum jelly
  
• Gloves
  

I also ordered extra nozzles, the Tyvek hazmat suit, and a Tiger Foam Particulant Respirator.

To that materials and tools list I added:

• Goggles
• A box knife
• A clean cloth rag

Set up of the kit was very straight forward:

1. Warm up the two chemical cylinders in the sun for about 4 hours. This is key to getting the system to work properly and to deliver ALL of the material in the tanks. The system works best between 75 and 85 degrees F - or when the tanks are warm tot he touch.
2. First get your self protected.
   >Put on the Tyvek suit
   >Install the air filters in the respirator
   >Adjust the respirator so it has a tight air seal around your face
   >Put on your goggles and gloves
3. Take the tanks to the location you will be using them
4. Plan out your spray foam operation
5. Connect the hose to the tanks (red to A and black to B) - make sure the connections are tight
   
6. Put a lump of petroleum jelly on the gun, and then snap on the nozzle you need - I used the fan nozzle 99% of the time.
7. Test the gun and nozzle...
   

My Experiences:

• The 600 bdft kit was just he right size to spray foam the basement. I had hoped to have some left over to do windows and doors but that didn't happen
• I use the fast rise version because I was predominantly spraying on the walls rather than spaces
• Be sure to read ALL the instructions as there are plenty of tips and trick to make the job go way and to not waste material.
  

NEXT: some tips and tricks

Tiger Foam... Doing Spray Foam the Mike Holmes way...

A critical element of framing a basement is creating a water barrier between the wood framing and the concrete wall. This can be done in a number of ways but the most common is to use a 6 mil vapour barrier.

Another emerging approach is to use a 1-2 cm foam coating on the concrete wall. This is the approach we used. Incidentally, this is also the favourite practice on the TV renovation show "Holmes on Homes".

The spray foam approach is not inexpensive but is definitely superior to the 6 mil approach in a number of ways:

• Save on heating and cooling as spray foam provides added insulation - about R-7 value per inch of thickness
  
• A better seal against moisture and air as it creates a complete vapour barrier behind and integrated with the wall framing
  

The challenge for cottage country is that the extra cost to have a contractor do the spray foam is excessive. The solution was a DIY spray foam kit that I found from Tiger Foam. Purchasing from Tiger Foam was an absolute delight!

• They have two sizes(200 & 600 BD ft) and two types (fast & slow rise)
• They ship next day in most cases
• Gave a quickie lesson on how to use it with important tip on the phone - when I ordered - AND maintain a call line for support
• The kit and instructions were simple and very easy to use.
• Provided all the accessories like the HASMAT hooded suit and air breather

NEXT: In future posts I will discuss:

• The Tiger Foam 600 bd. ft. Kit - FR
• How to use the spray foam kit
• Tips on DIY Spray foam
  

Our First Basement Flood

On Saturday evening and early Sunday morning, it rained causing the first basement (and hopefully the last ever!) flood in the basement.

AND, I discovered another reason why basement floors are poured AFTER the entire house is closed in.

Here is the story! After a long day framing, and a beautiful day weather wise, I procrastinated in putting the tarp back over the floor and to cover the hole for the stairwell. My fault - but tired and with supper cooking on the BBQ, I took a chance...

Of course it rained. And it rained very hard, not once but twice.

The result was about 3 inches of water in the middle portion of the basement.

The problem is that although the plumbing has been put in the floor, all the drain pipes are sticking out of the concrete and above the level of the water, waiting to be cut and be glued to a drain. Even if the drains were in the sewage basin doesn't yet have a pump.

I pushed the water our of the basement and out the space where the patio door is to go with a makeshift squeegee. An hour later the floor was dry - but I had wasted time that could have been devoted to framing.

A lesson learned for the next time... ;-)

Houston, We have a Concrete basement Floor...

When I arrived on This past Friday I was pleased to see that the contractor have poured the concrete basement floor.

The basement floor is usually poured well after the roof is on and the building closed in. This is so the concrete is not rained on or otherwise compromised by materials destroying the nice finish the concrete contractor puts on the floor.

It was kind of a nice feeling having the basement floor in - sort of a milestone of sorts... I could imagine what was to be built in the basement - two bedrooms, a workshop, bathroom and a laundry room, plus another living room area.

The floor is given a nice smooth finish and the concrete sloped, ever so gradually towards the drains that I install earlier. There are two drains. Can you determine where they are in the above picture? A clue -- there are a few water marks that give it away.

In a previous post (see "How to Make Sh#t Flow up Hill"") I described the process of putting in the plumbing under the basement floor. In the above and next two pictures you can see the almost finished product.

The first picture at the left shows, starting in the foreground, the water intake from the lake (with the wires taped to it), the sewage basin, the shower drain and the toilet waste pipe.

Of course these fixtures are not yet finished in that they need to be connected. each will have a specific adapter glued to it. For instance the toilet waste pipe will have something called a closet flange.

In the picture to the left, you see, from left to right, one of two floor drains and the wastes and vent pipe that will be used to drain the laundry tub and the washer.

The pictures don't quite do it justice but the floors are really smooth!

How to make Sh#t Flow Up Hill!

Yes it can be done!
You can indeed make the ugly stuff of toilets, showers and sinks flow up hill.

The problem is that the basement of the Cottage is below the septic system. This is a problem because I intend to build a bathroom down in the basement, complete with a toilet, shower and sink. Furthermore, the laundry room will be in the basement. I think we all realize that our modern sanitation systems make heavy use of Newton's discover of gravity to take our waste away. (BTW - that is the hole in the concrete wall that will eventually lead tot he septic tank.)

The problem is solved by burying a sewage basin under the concrete floor of the basement, into which all the sources of water, both black and grey water, in the basement are piped to. A special macerating pump is installed in the sewage basin which pumps the evil mixture up into the sewage pipe leading to the septic tank.

6 Steps to making Sh#t flow up hill:

STEP 1: Plan
You need to know exactly where your bathroom fixtures are going to be right down to the center of the holes (where the pipes go) for the toilet (usually about 16 inches from the side and 12 inches from the back), and the shower (this one is trick because every manufacturer does it differently - so pick out your shower and get its dimensions ahead of time.

STEP 2: Dig
...and I mean lots of digging!
After planning out the rough locations of the toilet, the shower (or bathtub), and where the other fixtures go, like the laundry tub, the washing machine, you will need to dig a trench for all the waste (sewer) lines and in the case of the sewage basin what seems to be a gigantic HOLE. The picture to the right shows the sewage basin and that hole, as well as the trench to the toilet.

Step 3: layout and Dry fit
It is very important that you get all the angles and lengths of pipe right before you glue all the pipes together. I found it important to lay it all out, fitting all the pipes together, and making sure it is all level and plumb. There is one rule! the pipes must all flow down hill at a grade of at least one quarter inch per foot of length. Sh#t really does only flow down hill after all...

These two pictures illustrate a few stages in Step 3 and 4.

Step 4: Level and Support
OK! I am going to tell you to do something again... Now that it is all together in a dry fit configuration, you need to keep for level and that quarter inch flow rule. THEN move the soil under the pipes to support the structure in the exact position it needs to be.

I found that the dry fit isn't as easy as it seems. When the pipes are dry (that means NOT glued), they don't really go all the way into their sockets, so this part is a bit of an art. You have to estimate the lengths.

Step 5: Gluing, and Final Leveling
Gluing is kind of neat. You put the glue on both parts: the pipe and the connector it is going into. Then move REALLY fast, because the glue sets very quickly. I quick back and forth twisting action makes the pipes go to get together really well.

TIP 1: Be sure to mark the place of each joint with a big long line on both parts so you know where and how they are to join. Also make sure mark goes beyond the area where the glue is going or you will loose the mark as it disappears into the connector.

TIP 2: Every structure is different but I found that creating logical assemblies and them putting the assemblies together really helped

Step 6: Bury your work.
Painful as it may be to bury your work of art you need to cover the whole works to maintain the level, stabilize it and to protect it from the weight of the concrete. And yes! Be sure to make sure all that burying hasn't put the structure our of level - so check constantly!

The next two pictures illustrate the finished structure with the crushed stone supporting and covering most of the pipes.

The first picture shows, in order from the front to the back, the pipes sticking up for the following: a floor drain, the waste and vent stack for the laundry room, another floor drain, the sewage basin which will eventually also have coming out from its top a vent stack, and the pipe to pump the water up to the septic tank line, the shower pipe and finally the toilet.

The second picture gives a closer view, going left to right, of the top of the sewage basin, the shower pipe, and the toilet pipe.

NEXT POST: I have so much to tell you I don't know what will be next - only to say there will be lots of next...

And the Foundation Contract goes to...

Another reason I was up to the Cottage Lot this past week end was to meet with one of the two contractors I asked for a quote to build the foundation.

In the request for quote each were asked to bid on the following:

• Excavate
  
• Install forms & pour concrete footings and walls per the supplier plans
• Install drainage tile
  
• Install water entrance sleeve (so I can bring in the water line from the lake)
• Install and pour 16 piers for the surround deck
• Pour the basement floor
• Backfill with stone and overburden as required

I met Saturday with Doug Zacharias. He has a company called Doug Zacharias Trucking Ltd and operates out of Otter Lake. I have used Doug previously to clear the lot and put in a driveway from the road. He also installs septic systems but I haven't contracted for that yet as I am waiting for the septic engineer's report.

Doug arrived around noon, and after a chat we got down to discussing the location of the cottage. Doug had some good suggests and recommendations on where the cottage should be placed. The changes were not dramatic if fact his suggest was to pull it away from the lake and towards the road about 15 feet. In doing so the lakeside knee-wall would not need to be as deep and/or high thus saving a lot of concrete.

We discussed the distance of the cottage from the east lot line, about 12 feet, and the potential location for the septic system. As for the septic system, that still needed to be confirmed by the engineer's report, however, having done a few I was sure Doug was right on in his prediction.

One final element was the window in the concrete wall. Doug offered to put these in at an additional $200. I liked the idea - one less thing for me to do - and it is better to embed them at pouring time anyway.

Bottom-line was the quoted price was good, and my past experience with Doug cemented (sorry for the pun) the deal.

To round out some of the logistics we discussed:

• Basement Floor: When I needed to put in the rough plumbing for the basement. This needs to be done prior to pouring the basement floor. His primary concern was that it be done when the cottage was built so the concrete is not affected by any rain and wreak the 'polished' floor. I suggested that right after the floor was put it would work as I intended to cover the floor with a tarp AND that the cutout in the floor for the stairwell would be perfect for access to the basement.
• Timing: I need the foundation to be completed before June 6th, excluding the basement floor. Doug agreed that target would be easily reached.
• Payment: This is still I'll get back to you on, as I suspect he needs to discuss it with his subs. But the last time it was pay at the end of the job. Give the size of the amount I would be prepared to pay in two installments, one up front and one after the job is complete.

So the first phase of the project, planning, is coming to an end, and execution is starting with the foundation going in by the end of May.

Doug can be reached at (819) ) 453-7830 or by eMail.