Steve's workshop - Painting the outside walls

[JakeS]

Square of Thales

I'd never seen one of those before - what a neat idea! I presume the shorter bar can be loose to swivel and just needs to be mounted exactly halfway along the longer bar and be of exactly half the length (unless my geometry is lacking)? I imagine if that's the case they're probably pretty easy to make from any old lengths of wood you have lying around, as well...

 

[Steve Maskery]

Correct. The points line up exactly at each end. If all three point touch it is square. If the small arm is too loose the angle is too small. If the big arm is too loose the angle is too big.
Thales was the first recorded philosopher and is credited with being the first to recognise that the angles of a triangle always add up to 180 degrees, which is what makes this little gizmo work.
S

 

[wcndave]

I suggest you look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7RdAQj8nFc
where some oddball chap is demonstrating!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Everyone knows the 3x4x5 sqare, but I'd not seen that one before - it's certainly more portable. Many people don't know 5x12x13 gives a right angle as well.

 

[monkeybiter]

Steve re. the floating floor; Do you intend putting battens on the concrete between the insulating slabs?
I ask because my extension was built with chipboard over insulation but without the battens. The result is that there is movement in high traffic areas and at some point in the future I will have to retro-fit battens myself. Heavy machinery possibly being wheeled could have a greater compression effect.

 

[kostello]

Re the floor insulation..... I think extruded polystyrene has the greatest load capacity before compression.... Celotex and expanded polystyrene would squash some....

http://www.foamular.com/foam/products/f ... -1000.aspx

 

[Steve Maskery]

Mike, how thick is your chipboard? My understanding is that if I get the right insulation (Jablite? I'll have to consult Cowboy Builder again) I'll be OK with two layers of 22mm chipboard directly over the insulation.
S

 

[Gimlet]

Steve's 'Mudsill' is also referred to as a 'Sole Plate' within the timber frame industry. The sole plate is usually made from the same material as the walls although more often celcure treated and bedded with sand and cement over a DPC to ensure a good level surface from where to erect the wall panels. Sole plates are half lapped together to the give the overall size of the building - any external finishings. Sole plate anchors are simply pieces of stainless steel bent at 90, fixed to the outer edge of the sole plate, lay under and within the bed of muck used to bed the sole plate. They project into the room space where they are fixed down to the over site. This preserves the integrity if the DPC.

The importance of getting the sole plate level cannot be over emphasised as any humps and bumps are compounded as the panels are erected. On a single storey building it is not so bad if there is a little hump but as you can imagine, over two or three storeys the error is compounded greatly as you go up. Assuming your trusses are manufactured to the same size as the sole plate, the last thing you want is for there to be any deviation at the head of the panels at roof level.

Often there are also 'head binders' used on each wall panel..... This amounts to a double head plate; the top head plate is cut back 600mm from the intersection of each panel and an infill piece 1200 mm long is nailed across the panels joint to provide stability.

Lintels, 2x44x196 for 90mm studs, with a cripple stud or two, depending upon the span, supports the structures above.

Watching with interest Steve... So glad you are making some positive headway now and wish I were closer..... I could do with a bit of a work out!

Best regards

J

 

[kostello]

Mike, how thick is your chipboard? My understanding is that if I get the right insulation (Jablite? I'll have to consult Cowboy Builder again) I'll be OK with two layers of 22mm chipboard directly over the insulation.
S

extruded polystyrene is what you need

I've got 2 layers of 18 mm chipboard glued and stapled floating on 100 mm extruded polystyrene..... it's as solid as s concrete floor

it will follow any undulations in the concrete base if it's not flat

 

[Steve Maskery]

Ah, yes, anchoring down like that would obviate the need to puncture the DPC. Ah well, it's a workshop, not a house (but it's going to be a fandabbydosey workshop!). Tucked away at the back of the brain for next time. :shock:

 

[Steve Maskery]

More progress today.

But first let me show you something I forgot yesterday.

This why buildings are nailed together rather than screwed together. I took these out of the shuttering. They had been in only a month. They were 90mm long when they went in...

They have simply snapped.

Anyway, this morning I ordered the trusses (a mere £1870 including PTG*). A three-week lead time, so I do have time to do a bit of other stuff beforehand, like digging out for services and building the headers for over the doors.

On the way home I acquired another couple of bags of insulation, but got stopped by a bloke in a very clean hi-vis vest and a clipboard asking me what I was doing. I said I had asked and been given permission. "Well, I don't have a problem", (doesn't sound like it), "but if you are going to take stuff make sure it is tidy around this skip. Look at all this stuff on the ground." I pointed out that it was a damn sight tidier now than when I arrived 5 minutes earlier, because I'd picked up most of the bags of plaster so I could get to the skip itself. Anyway, the gaffer who had told me it was OK turned up and smoothed things over. "See the men right for their trouble", was the clipboard man's parting shot. Not sure what trouble I have caused them, but I'm more than happy to show my appreciation. So after enquiring after his tastes, I have to do something I have never done in my life. He would like 40 Regal King Size. Given that I am militantly anti-smoking that is going to hurt.

This afternoon I set out the top and bottom plates. I had a moment of serendipity. The mudsill/sole plate had ended up at 7890mm and so my top and bottom plates needed to be the same. I'd previously cut all my studs at 2.9m from a 3.6m length, so had a pile of 700mm lengths I was planning to use as noggins. But as I started to build my plates, I found that two 3.6m lengths plus one 700mm length made exactly, and I do mean exactly 7890mm. If I had had to measure and cut them for the job they could not have been better. I'm not quite sure how that happened, because a saw kerf is not 10mm, but it was right, so that saved me a bit of time and was very material efficient.

So to assembling a wall.

I clamped the four plates (top and bottom for two opposite walls) together and marked out where the studs should go. From the second stud, I marked off every 2 ft and set a cross to the side of the line where the stud would sit.

I got the Paslode out and - nothing. I couldn't get it to work at all. I figures I'd got something set wrong, so rang up the kind owner and went round to see him. It didn't work for him either. Phew! But we fiddled and shoved and changed the (brand new) fuel cell and got it to fire a few nails. OK.

Got home and - nada. Well the odd hit, but it was, miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- miss- hit- miss- miss- miss- miss- hit- hit- miss- miss- miss- miss-....... Very frustrating. But I persevered and got the job done. Are Paslode's supposed to smell of gas? I can still smell it now as I am typing. Really. Either it is pernickety or I am handling it wrong, but it's not a happy relationship yet.

Are you feeling lucky, punk?

So as the sun sets over Maskery Towers, and I collapse completely knackered, I do have two side wall frames built, all on my ownio.

Ray's back tomorrow, so I have every confidence that the barn-raising is definitely on for Saturday.
*PTG = Pleasing The Government

 

[Peter Sefton]

It looks like its really taking shape Steve.
I have a Paslode which is great when it works but I have found it to get more temperamental the older it gets. I haven't used it for some time but my feeling is its now dead.
I hope you can get it working it saves so much time and arm ache!
Cheers Peter

 

[monkeybiter]

Re. the floor, I have a feeling my chipboard probably isn't thick enough, and I bet the insulation's not the right sort either. I ought to check really, builder came highly recommended and wasn't the cheapest. It's certainly not as good as kostello describes.

Looking great so far, I agree it's all fun once the base is down. I've done four in the last decade, all from my mixer, bloody hard work. Once you're going up you can see progress daily which is very good for the mood/motivation.

 

[Racers]

Steve why not bake the builders a cake as well, it should go down a treat, providing they don't have a dog!





Pete

 

[Paul Chapman]

Looking good, Steve (the progress, not you in your Rambo outfit :lol: )

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[johnny]

wow what a story !
I just read the entire thread over breakfast and I have to say its 10x better than a TV Drama!

This week I have been agonising over the demolition, reconstruction and extension details of my little 4.2m x 3m timber shed, which in comparison with your enterprise is like comparing a back yard dunny with the Taj Mahal !
My main worry has been the potential reaction of my neighbours as I don't want to get complaints to the local Planning dept. Its surprisingly difficult to achieve sufficient internal headroom and keep under the 2.5mt height restriction and still have some sort of rainwater fall on the roof when your conc base is 200mm above ground level ! :?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Nice work Steve....its going really well
The paslode misfiring by the way....it's your gas. It'll be past expiry date I guarantee it. I had the same problem with mine, bought new gas and works every time. It's a bit like modern unleaded petrol...it goes off over time. And yes they should smell of gas, that's the spent fuel being exhausted.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Those nailers are more trouble than they are worth. A 28oz framing hammer will be cheaper and quicker on a single job.

Have a look at the "Very efficient carpenter, building walls" DVD. The Guy ( a 76 year old ) sank 4" nails in two smacks, he was building the frame quicker than the guy behind him with the air framer and he wasn't even breaking sweat.

No time wasted looking for fuel cells or begging tools from mates.

He even had a bandana similar to yours.

David

 

[Steve Maskery]

We've built the other two walls today. Beautifully warm and sunny this morning and the prospect of half an inch of rain this afternoon. It's now 6.30 and we've not yet had a single drop...

The only hitch was that I can't count. We were two studs short so had to make some emergency cuts. On the up-side, Mrs. Paslode was in a much better mood today. I wouldn't go as far as to say we were on matrimonial terms, but she is, at least, speaking to me.

So the pics are more of the same, I'm afraid.

So tomorrow we have to move the front wall onto the grass (it's in the way), then we can raise the back wall and the RHS, then shift the other side wall to the left and raise that, then raise the front wall.
At least, that's the plan.

A couple of people I was hoping would be helping can no longer come so I'm a bit short-handed tomorrow. So if you can make NG17 by 10am tomorrow, there will be bacon rolls and beer on offer as well a sense of achievement.

I bought the **** today. I felt guilty doing it.
S

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Those nailers are more trouble than they are worth. A 28oz framing hammer will be cheaper and quicker on a single job.

Have a look at the "Very efficient carpenter, building walls" DVD. The Guy ( a 76 year old ) sank 4" nails in two smacks, he was building the frame quicker than the guy behind him with the air framer and he wasn't even breaking sweat.

No time wasted looking for fuel cells or begging tools from mates.

He even had a bandana similar to yours.

David

Horses for courses, they can be very useful. One real advantage over the hammer and nails is you can use them one handed so you can mark (a noggin for example) and hold with hand 1 while you nail with hand 2. That's definitely easier and quicker than doing it manually.