Working on the House....

[Tom Ginefra]

Have to figure out how to jack up the wall so I can get the bad sill out.

I would chainsaw it at each end and pry it out from the slab side. You could replace it by hammering back in in a piece of pressure treated lumber the opposite way it came out...but I would just make a quick lightweight form and replace that sill section with poured concrete. It'll never rot and you can overfill it slightly to meet the bottom of the studs. Did this on a section of my detached garage at my old house.

 

[dllubin]

Have to figure out how to jack up the wall so I can get the bad sill out.

I used my engine crane to do something very similar. In my case, I had to replace a 4x6 post that was holding up a section of my house via a 4x10 beam. I put the boom under the 4x10 near the bad post and jacked it up until the load was off the post.

 

[lookforjoe]

I would chainsaw it at each end and pry it out from the slab side. You could replace it by hammering back in in a piece of pressure treated lumber the opposite way it came out...but I would just make a quick lightweight form and replace that sill section with poured concrete. It'll never rot and you can overfill it slightly to meet the bottom of the studs. Did this on a section of my detached garage at my old house.

I used my engine crane to do something very similar. In my case, I had to replace a 4x6 post that was holding up a section of my house via a 4x10 beam. I put the boom under the 4x10 near the bad post and jacked it up until the load was off the post.

Thank you for the advice, gents.
I'm going to have to figure out what approach will make the most sense.

Today
It did indeed rain all day today - this is what the back of my yard looks like whenever we have heavy rain. It's a very high water table, there is a stream that runs around the outside of the property between me and my neighbor, and the soil only goes down maybe 2 ft or less before it becomes clay



For perspective, this is the view from the house (different day) right-hand side (West) is where it pools..



Even with that, the back of the garage did not get very wet or have any accumulation to speak of. So, I think I can just backfill that area with gravel.



Since I couldn't work outside, I just did some more cleanup inside. Added sheathing to the inside of the garage doors, as those were pretty darn drafty and also a little wonky.



While I was at it I also put some primer on the new shelves and upper sheathing



Rain is supposed to stop later today, so hopefully tomorrow I can start with the jacking and replacing of the sill sections.

 

[lookforjoe]

So it took me literally hours just to set up the posts & plate. First I screwed the plate to the rafters, then levelled the posts & jacked it carefully using 2 bottle jacks & then a floor jack in the middle (cut all the stud nails first!). Then I cut 2x4s to fit (95") & clamped then screwed them together







Added some cross bracing, since it's gonna be there a couple days, since it took me so long to setup .





Found after that that the corner post is toast so I removed it entirely









Extra large end opening now. Have to do the sill first, then the corner post , then tie the door frame to the post, then address the studs



Doors will be much more level than before, once it's all tied together



Cleaned the foundation, packed some gravel in the openings & added some concrete (not finished) - I'm going to add another anchor bolt at the west end to the 8' section going in

 

[fastx19]

Sure you don't want to put a sill plate at the bottom, treated wood? Nice job on jacking up the wall and good bracing!

 

[lookforjoe]

Sure you don't want to put a sill plate at the bottom, treated wood? Nice job on jacking up the wall and good bracing!

I am - this was just cleanup of the existing foundation & adding cement to strengthen it, adding a 2nd anchor bolt

In order to make sure this is taken care of before we leave town on Sat., I took half a day today. Put down the sill seal, with a 1/2" strip of butyl squished along the outer edge.

new pressured treated 2x10 sill plate, 8' section starting from the East end. 4x4" post in place, and dimensional 2x4" post for the door frame. Wall studs still to be addressed.

Outer panels in place for this corner. Sealed the sill at the corner also. Have to get new siding for the bottom 1' of the wall - I'm going to use concrete backer board for at least the lowest run (6") off the sill

These garage doors have been unusable for at least 10 years, wedged shut. Now I can open & close them (after trimming the righthand one), I need to address the latches to properly secure them, and replace the pane of glass I broke.

 

[kmead]

Pressure treated sill, PT bottom plate, PT short Dutchmen to trimmed existing studs, PT studs sistered to existing studs.

I would be tempted to keep going down the wall along that entire side

Nice to reclaim functionality of those doors

 

[lookforjoe]

Pressure treated sill, PT bottom plate, PT short Dutchmen to trimmed existing studs, PT studs sistered to existing studs.
I would be tempted to keep going down the wall along that entire side
Nice to reclaim functionality of those doors

I was going to use sections of the dimensional lumber I have around - the studs are all 2.5"x4" - hard to make that work with 2x4's. I will add PT studs as sisters. I wasn't going to add a plate on top of the sill, there wasn't one originally. You think that would be wise?
I am going to do the rest of the sill, just not until after we get back from Barbados.

Another detour today - since I started aligning the barn doors, I decided I needed to address the floating center post

Had to cut out 16" of the dimensional 4x4 center post, and about 12" of the dimensional 2x4" door frame/posts. Fortunately I have saved sections of old posts I've cut up for other areas, so I had sufficient lengths to get clean sections for here. I tied two 2x4 together to get the center, set that on a piece of pressure treated sill, and then added the side posts





The external plates needed to be actual 1x, so I got 5/4" x 6" decking & cut the width down to 4.5", to get the total 9" width needed



Covered the center area with butyl wrap before putting the external plates in



Replaced the wood screws with 3" 5/16" lag bolts, so that should hold up. Don't have any in the left door yet, ran out of time & light. I'll deal with that after work tomorrow.

 

[kmead]

I was going to use sections of the dimensional lumber I have around - the studs are all 2.5"x4" - hard to make that work with 2x4's. I will add PT studs as sisters. I wasn't going to add a plate on top of the sill, there wasn't one originally. You think that would be wise?
I am going to do the rest of the sill, just not until after we get back from Barbados.

Another detour today - since I started aligning the barn doors, I decided I needed to address the floating center post

Had to cut out 16" of the dimensional 4x4 center post, and about 12" of the dimensional 2x4" door frame/posts. Fortunately I have saved sections of old posts I've cut up for other areas, so I had sufficient lengths to get clean sections for here. I tied two 2x4 together to get the center, set that on a piece of pressure treated sill, and then added the side posts





The external plates needed to be actual 1x, so I got 5/4" x 6" decking & cut the width down to 4.5", to get the total 9" width needed



Covered the center area with butyl wrap before putting the external plates in



Replaced the wood screws with 3" 5/6" lag bolts, so that should hold up. Don't have any in the left door yet, ran out of time & light. I'll deal with that after work tomorrow.

A bottom plate is a good thing to add in this case due to the proximity of water, it just keeps the bottom of the studs higher and hopefully dry, the studs are basically straws after all The Dutchmen don’t have to be perfect, you are just trying to maximize load transfer and stability. A few extra nails is always a good thing…

In your case you could put the bottom plate in alignment with the inside of the 4” dimension so you have something to nail any interior finish to. Your sill isn’t a good nailing surface for sheet materials. The sistered 2x4s could align that way as well versus to the outside sheathing.

The additional bottom plate isn’t absolutely necessary. In my basement I added one so I could have a nailer along the bottom for the drywall so it didn’t have to be near the concrete. I am holding the drywall 1.5” up so if there is any water in the future.

There are two things in a building that I worry about. Water and fire.

 

[lookforjoe]

A bottom plate is a good thing to add in this case due to the proximity of water, it just keeps the bottom of the studs higher and hopefully dry, the studs are basically straws after all The Dutchmen don’t have to be perfect, you are just trying to maximize load transfer and stability. A few extra nails is always a good thing…

In your case you could put the bottom plate in alignment with the inside of the 4” dimension so you have something to nail any interior finish to. Your sill isn’t a good nailing surface for sheet materials. The sistered 2x4s could align that way as well versus to the outside sheathing.

The additional bottom plate isn’t absolutely necessary. In my basement I added one so I could have a nailer along the bottom for the drywall so it didn’t have to be near the concrete. I am holding the drywall 1.5” up so if there is any water in the future.

There are two things in a building that I worry about. Water and fire.

Thank you Karl
I don't foresee water being such an issue, as the rot is clearly from ground contact, which will not happen moving forward. Water accumulation is not an issue (any more) - we used to be in a flood zone - the town fixed that with a multi-million dollar drainage / retention system set in the mountain just South of us, where the road dead ends. In any event, adding a plate would make it easier to secure the cement board, so aligning it with the outer wall makes sense there. I can cut down a 2x6 so that it aligns with both the inner face of the studs and the outer siding. I'm not going to remove the siding to sheath the outer wall, at least not in the foreseeable future..

 

[lookforjoe]

Got the left door hinges attached this afternoon, the pane of glass installed, and some glazing putty on a couple other loose panes, then primer on the replaced wood, in time for it to dry (hopefully enough) before the rain started.

got some top coat on the doors and jambs, sorted out the door latches

 

[lookforjoe]

Worked on the replaced sill area today. Added a plate to further remove the studs from any possible damp/water contact. Spliced in stud sections.



Added a 2x6 header(support?) above the Southeast door - there are 3 plates there (see left of pic for reference ) - I figure this should help stiffen it up a bit. I'll jack the center a hair before I tie it to the plate sandwich



Added some cross braces to stiffen up the wall after the corner post for the existing top plate.....



......and the new header post were in place. Have to add splints(?) to the repaired studs



Next I need to clear this out so I can get the Z inside while we are out of the country for a week



Feeling better now it's going back together. I can't work on the cars until my stuff is out of the way & back where I can find things as needed

 

[lookforjoe]

Small stuff in the garage. Trying to figure out what I wanted with the forward lower half of the (repaired area) south wall

I decided to pegboard down to about 2', then I'm adding another 2x4 plate on the bottom to make a raised "shelf" - I need a place to store heavier odds and ends that I keep in these plastic bins. This will work out fine. The shelf is total of 8" depth, so doesn't extend in beyond the sill plate



After I added the 2nd from the top 8" deep x 63" shelf, l added some more 7.5" x 22" corner shelves - I've set sheathing on top of the 1-in insulation, in between the studs, so I can use the maximum depth for the shelves (added approx 3" additional in the recess). I decided I didn't want any additional full width shelves, trying to keep this wall as open as possible.



Had time to prime. I can't do anything with the other half of the lower, until I address the sill on that area. So that's going to just stay the way it is for the time being.

 

[lookforjoe]

This morning I had time to get a top coat on the shelves. I mixed a slightly lighter grey - the earlier version I felt was too dark for the sides





Started putting stuff on them this afternoon. I'll be rearranging crap for sometime

 

[lookforjoe]

Just been futzIng after work - cut 4 PVA vertical strips for the door to frame "seal". I added the soft brush style sealing used for vinyl windows (at least I think that's what it's intended for). Also leveled the tops of the doors and added PVA caps to fill the gaps in varying sizes. I'll add a brush seal to them also, to minimize the air gaps. With those I'll probably put the seal onto the PVA on the door, as it doesn't really like to stick to wood painted or not. Sticks just fine to vinyl. Have to deal with the irregular door bottoms also, now those are the main draft (visible in last pic of last post )





Started on the eave(?) above the doors. Removed the damaged one, to find (of course) that there are additional issues.



need to add a 1.5" strip to seal the gap that exists behind the eave.



I'm going to cut it from the extra PVA I have, don't have to worry about rot with that.



I bought 1X6 pine instead of the shallower 1x4 for a deeper overhang of the doors

 

[lookforjoe]

Made a wheelie cart to hold the bins I have. Now I need to make another for the narrower bins that I was going to put against the wall



Decided I might as well make it a mini bench with a small vice



Eave test with scraps - cut to 12 degrees, with a 3/8" filler also cut to 12 degrees



put the PVA in the siding gap



cut & fitted the actual eave. Made a center support, since I couldn't do a single 18' run





and got primer on it. I'll caulk it tomorrow.

 

[BEEK]

Just going to say, I look forward to updates from this thread above all else. Could have easily knocked it down and replaced it for the time and effort involved (provided local codes and such would allow). This is what its all about, repairing, rebuilding and making it better for the future (not on a soapbox). I totally applaud the efforts and the skill involved in doing this. Plus being a teacher by day! ( I teach high school auto shop, so I know what its all about). I just hope my efforts to build a shop come remotely close to this feat of work and engineering. Much less the work on the historic house. I am in envy!

 

[lookforjoe]

Just going to say, I look forward to updates from this thread above all else. Could have easily knocked it down and replaced it for the time and effort involved (provided local codes and such would allow). This is what its all about, repairing, rebuilding and making it better for the future (not on a soapbox). I totally applaud the efforts and the skill involved in doing this. Plus being a teacher by day! ( I teach high school auto shop, so I know what its all about). I just hope my efforts to build a shop come remotely close to this feat of work and engineering. Much less the work on the historic house. I am in envy!

Thank you

I used my little cart vise today to hold the ballnut from my chop saw, the thread strip and I had to put it insert in it. The vice was perfect for that . There is now a harbor freight, within about 5 minutes of my home, so I can easily get a locking caster if it should become a requirement.



Fabricated the other wheelie cart for the narrow trays this one will hold eight, it is on the toll side, however they are all essentially lightweight as I use them to contain rubber bushings/grommets, body clips, various sealants, and so forth. Rained on and off all day today - so not much else accomplished. I did get this primed, and also I did get the caulking on the other side of the eave in the front of the garage.







Really cool display yesterday evening -


it's rained again after this one, and by the time we got to town, there was a clear double rainbow. Hard to photograph. It was also in the first one, but less obvious, to me anyway

 

[lookforjoe]

Been going around in circles (feels like) with the garage wiring. Initially, I just wanted to replace the existing old wiring with new, keeping the basic circuit as it was, then adding new circuits for the outlets and lighting I want to expand with. However, it's going to be better to run all the circuits now, so I know the conduit will fit where it needs to go, even if I don't have the new mains supply in place. My normal car-related method of some planning & some winging it really isn't going to work with the garage. I need to write this all down, as it's just going round & round in my head.

1) I can't find online what the code is for placement of the underground rated 6/3 UF-B I bought (to allow for 240v outlets), in terms of termination at the supply (house) and at the garage. From what I can ascertain, where the wire enters the structure, it needs to be joined in a junction box (code for specific height off the ground?, don't know), rather than feed continuously through the structure wall. I'm going with 2' burial depth based on online info, then where it needs to come up & enter the basement and garage, I can fit it in 1 1/4" PVC sched 40 conduit. Can't be smaller as the 6/3 cable is too rigid to roll or squeeze to reduce width. I don't think conduit is required by code, however it will be where the cable comes above ground, so it seems to make more sense just to have conduit from start to finish.

EDIT: reference for appropriate receptacle wiring

,
- they don't use conduit in the "raceway" (?) - they poured concrete though. I think I'll just get conduit.

Edit found this regarding connections at either end (link):

So, I could just run the 6/3 all the way to the main panel, where I will have a mains breaker to disconnect the entire garage.

Or, if joining outside, use split lugs in the appropriate 6AWG would seem to be OK for this junction, either sealed versions or wrapped. It looks like I need 2 x 8' grounding rods at the garage. can't figure out if there is a code for how the grounding cable is supposed to exit the garage & attach to the closer rod.

2) For inside, I bought NM-B wiring; 10/3 for (30a) 240v outlets, 12/2 for (20a) 120v outlets, 14/2 for lighting circuits, 14/3 for the one 3 way circuit that governs all the existing lighting. I'm using online guides for load rating.
As far as I can determine online, NM-B does not need to be in conduit placed over 7'6" - up in the rafters & top plates, basically, which was one reson for buying it. However, since this is the garage & not a basement, I want to make sure all the wiring is protected from potential harm, and I can't figure out if there is a local code requirement at play - that info is not made public, I don't know why - besides the fact that they only want electricians doing all the new wiring. In any event, I really want to make sure I'm meeting potential code requirements, even though I don't know what they are

I started running 1/2" PVC sched. 40 conduit to replace the old (MC?) cable, routing it along the existing path, but adding some junctions to allow for some flexibility. Separating the new outlets & light into a new circuit. For the south wall receptacles, I am running 3/4" PVC conduit (to make sure there is not a fill issue) for the 10/3 and 12/2 combined - from the north wall, over the west wall, to the south wall. I'm going to have the outlets approx 4' off the floor, in conduit going to exposed boxes. The single 240V receptacles will be in a 4" square box adjacent to the 4" double duplex 120v receptacles, that way I don't have 2 separate conduit runs along the middle of the south wall, and over the west wall coming from the mains panel on the north wall.

EDIT - going to remove one 12/2 branch from the 3/4 conduit shown below, and run it in a separate 1/2 conduit

New lines replacing the original single circuit switched lighting and (3) duplex outlet boxes. Loose MC cable for attic lights will join the junction box shown. May have made sense to use 3/4" conduit & reduce the number of runs. Shouldn't matter here, as I'm not going to run any additional wiring on the center beam. I don't want to run any wiring over the north wall at this time, as that is where I want to make the 14' bump out.
EDIT - will remove the 14/3 from the 1/2" conduit shared with the 12/2, and run a separate 1/2" conduit for that to the box shown in the following pic

Need 120v outlet and 3 way lighting switch at the garage door (old layout) and I want a (30a) 240v receptacle below it - 10/3 will be added in a conduit & pass though to lower 4" box. I have exposed work 4" metal covers to house the switch & receptacles

14/3 for the 3 way, 14/2 is for the 15a outlet just used for lead lights & battery chargers (edit - probably going to pull the 14/2 & replace with 12/2 so I can use the 20a outlet here)

More to follow

 

[Ernie]

Since it looks like you're well under way, my input might not be so useful.

But, you said you had trouble finding local code information. This might be similar to what I ran into when I wired my hobby car garage in Huntsville. I had to download the National Electric Code and go by that because I was "out in the county". If I was in city limits, the rules are local, controlled by the Fire Marshall and building inspector people. Tough guys.

Basically, NEC says if the wiring is enclosed, it can be romex. If not enclosed, it has to be conduit or BX.

The mysterious part for me was completely understanding the external ground part. In some cases, you ground at the external building and not others. I guess I got it right since I passed the multi-point inspections.

Life is simple out here at the farm. In Lawrence county all they care about is you deal with the health inspector for sepic systems.