Steve's workshop - Painting the outside walls

[Graham Orm]

Good stuff Steve, good luck with the trusses.

 

[OLD]

Trusses you may find this utube interesting about one third in where they fit them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mkwbqObws8

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I felt good about mine until I watched all that! :mrgreen: It's more than twice the size of mine.

I don't like his roughcast finish very much but I do like his floor and was interested to hear him putting in floor and ceiling outlets. I'm planning to do the same. But 200 Amps is twice the size I have for my entire house!

Also I agree about windows. Originally I was planning 3 velux in the north slope of the roof, but they make the ceiling more complex. Then I thought about having three clerestory windows facing the house. They would be south-facing, which, as he discusses, is a pain for filming, but under the eaves, so at least it would not be direct light.

But I'm now veering towards having no windows at all, but three sun-tubes in the roof. I want natural light for working, but controlled illumination for filming. They are about the same price as Velux windows. And the fewer apertures there are in the building the fewer opportunities there are for Little Scrotes. I do expect to be visited. The house over the road is now boarded up because it was burgled while workmen were renovating it, after being empty for a couple of years. Four break-ins in one week.

I was interested in his roof. Those tiles look heavy. They don't overlap very much, do they? I was going to sheath the roof and use felt shingles, but Ray has pointed me to man-made slate product, which works out about the same price per square metre, but is much quicker to install, will last longer and will look more like the original slate rooves of the properties around here (although most of them, including mine, have had the original slate rooves replaces by modern concrete tiles). The other advantage is that they are designed to be used without sheathing, so provided I brace the roof properly, I'll save myself a few hundred quid in OSB, not to mention the work involved in fitting it. I have already bought 18mm OSB for the job, but it can be used either on the internal walls or underneath the top layer of flooring.

Right, I have some work to do. Trusses arriving in less than three hours.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

On the issue of burglary a policeman friend of mine gave me some very sage advice some 20 years ago. The vast majority (unlike American Heist movies) are opportunistic with the scrotes after drug money etc. So they take the path of least resistance. Thus all you have to do to provide a deterrent is make your building a more difficult target than the one next door.

When I was building the house I currently live in my copper friend told me to install the outside flashing lightbox bit of a burglar alarm as an interim measure before we had the proper alarm installed. So we did, it was battery operated and all it did was have 2 flashing lights. The would be scrote didn't know that though

Longer term you really should plan on installing a proper movement sensor infra red alarm system. They're not very expensive and work extremely well save the odd spider setting them off that's way too big for its own good. When you consider you may have £30K plus worth of kit in there, I doubt you'll get insured if you don't get one anyway. You also know what its like personally right? Not nice, so IMO that's the right path.

 

[Graham Orm]

What about break ins through the roof if it's tiled Steve? Mine is modern corrugated sheet (squared sections). I've added 2" angle iron bolted through the walls. all the way round the perimeter so it can't be lifted.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Bob - My bil said that years ago. He had a system that in his words was crepe, but there were six houses on his street and he had the only alarm. All he had to do was make his house more difficult than the house next door.
I'm going to put "smile you're on candid camera" signs up. "Smartwater" (there are others available) systems are not expensive, and well worth looking into - you can sometimes get discounts on your insurance. Virtually everything I own worth more than £30 is marked, including the boy's tennis racket, phone, I pod etc.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

That's it...just up the anti on the risk the burglar thinks he's taking and they literally just go next door. The thing is there are enough people that take no security measures whatsoever to make it easy for the opportunistic thief.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Have a look on Youtube for "Inferno". It's pretty impressive.

This morning I put right another couple of cock-ups. I didn't realise yesterday that I had been a bit gung-ho with the Paslode and had sacrificed accuracy for speed:

so I went round and sorted that out. It was in a couple of places.

Trusses. Well Truss-Tech rang at about 12 to say that the driver had returned early from his previous drop and could he come early. I said I had a team ready at 2pm. If he wanted to come earlier, that's fine, as long as he doesn't mind hanging around until folks arrive.

So he turned up at one and there were just the two of us.

"That's OK", he says, "we'll manage". We he might be used to doing this all day but I'm not. Fortunately Bob arrived in the nick of time, though with a bad shoulder he was not expecting to lift anything heavier than a camera. But soon after, Ray appeared, too.

 

[Steve Maskery]

So with them all off the lorry and safely stacked against the house, we had to get them down the garden. Doug B and his son turned up, too, which was a great help. Even if Doug did rub it in a bit by carrying one truss down the garden all on his own. I wanted him to repeat it for a photo but it didn't happen.

The only snag with what they have supplied is that there are some boards of OSB for bracing, but they are 2.4 x 1.2 rather than 8x4. So they are not going to fit. I did tell them they were on 2' centres not 600mm. They are no use to me. So they are going back.

So this is where we are now. We plan to raise them on Saturday. I have a team of 6 lined up, which should be enough. We have one scaffold tower high enough and some ladders. It should be an interesting day...

 

[Woodchips2]

Trusses you may find this utube interesting about one third in where they fit them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mkwbqObws8

This video is well worth watching if you want to see American construction methods. The nail gun is huge! All the different trades seem to work at a fast rate and the erection of the trusses was interesting and innovative.

Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed the whole 30 minutes.

Regards Keith

 

[PAC1]

Steve, those look heavy trusses
As for the "cock ups" they are "design developments" or if more serious "modifications". It seems to me to be going very well.
In relation to windows I would want them as I would not want to be in a windowless environment for any length of time. You could always install internal shutters and daylight lamps for filming

 

[renderer01]

Hello Steve, lol Im not gonna hassle you, seems you have a lot on your plate. One thing mate seriously think of the damage you will do to yourself if you fall again and think of the good advice you would give to someone else in the same position. That being said get on with it. SAFELY MATE.

All the best matey.
Rend.

 

[Lons]

Steve, if you don't mind me putting in my twopennerth. (Great thread btw, I've followed it for ages).

Roof trusses - I always use 11mm OSB sheets for the following reasons:
1) It makes a stronger roof
2). More difficult for thieves to break though (noisier and takes longer so they don't try)
3). Better support for the underfelt (less inportant these days with synthetics) and less chance of water pooling.
4). I can fit them as quickly as other methods and can handle 11mm solo if not a windy day. I always use a nailgun btw.
5). No internal 100 x 25mm bracing necessary
6). Much easier and safer to work on a roof with OSB as you don't need to worry so much about where you put your feet.

The downside is that you need to fit counterbattens as well. What I do is rip down lengths of 25 thk slaters laths which works fine as it's only to raise the felt where it meets the trusses thereby avoiding possibilities of ingress via nails.

I've just done a new extension with man made fibre slates (Jewsons - Cembrit, similar to Eternit). Doddle to fit though the copper rivets are fiddly and it looks excellent.

Bob

ps
I've fitted a number of "sun tunnels" over the years and the best available IMO is the Velux suntunnel. There are cheaper ones but it's a flat profile just like a velux window, glass not plastic and gives an amazing amount of light but it isn't the cheapest. I have one in my own house btw.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thank you for the input guys.
I don't have a bottomless pocket for this, although it is budgeted for, by and large, and I don't want to spoil the ship for a ha'porth o'tar.
But to tell you the truth, I'm just getting more and more confused.

I hope this rain stops.
S

 

[Doug B]

Pleased to have been able to help Steve, sorry I cant do more with weekends.

Have you thought about installing a couple of windows but recessing them behind doors, similar to what I've done with my patio door, if you sited them facing the house but under the over hang it would give lots of natural light & the doors would give you security. The windows wouldn't need to be anything special as the overhang would give protection from the elements.

 

[Steve Maskery]

That might be a good idea.
It's a bit late for knocking the front wall about, stud-wise, But at 24" centres there is scope for what you are suggesting.
I'll have a think.

 

[OLD]

You seem to be still developing your design ,i think you should finalise it. We see lots of tv programs that show this is not a good way to build. Altering something on paper costs nothing. I am lucky i have a son an architect who produces great plans and they allow you to concentrate on the task in hand knowing that it will all fit and work, it takes a load off.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well yes, in principle I agree with you. And I thought that it was all decided. But if someone comes along and points out possible pitfalls, or another option which appears to be both better and cheaper, then it seems only sensible to consider them.

It was absolutely piddling it down when I got up and it is still rgey and miserable, but at least the rain itself has stopped.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You seem to be still developing your design ,i think you should finalise it. We see lots of tv programs that show this is not a good way to build. Altering something on paper costs nothing. I am lucky i have a son an architect who produces great plans and they allow you to concentrate on the task in hand knowing that it will all fit and work, it takes a load off.

I assume he's the mythical architect we keep hearing of? The one whose plans actually work, from start to finish?

 

[Lons]

You seem to be still developing your design ,i think you should finalise it. We see lots of tv programs that show this is not a good way to build. Altering something on paper costs nothing. I am lucky i have a son an architect who produces great plans and they allow you to concentrate on the task in hand knowing that it will all fit and work, it takes a load off.

I assume he's the mythical architect we keep hearing of? The one whose plans actually work, from start to finish?

A very rare breed. I've dealt with many and not found one yet. :lol:
Both as a supplier of materials where they've specified and then called me in when the materials won't work because they haven't absorbed the specifications fully and from a builder perspective where some of the "designs" just can't practically or safely be carried out on site. #-o