Ask a Building Trades Professional

[peter grimes]

The landlord had her furnace guy come out and replace the valve, problem solved. He also changed the exhaust valve, and the Radiator is a million times quieter. So that's cool.

But...

The other night (Thursday, I think?) I noticed a strange sound in the kitchen. Something on the stove, but I wasn't cooking

Turns out there's water dripping from the ceiling. That's bizarre, because the upstairs apartment has a stove right there, too I texted them to see if I could take a look.

We go into their kitchen and there's a seam running all the way across their kitchen ceiling dripping water. They had been cooking in there 15 minutes earlier and there was no leak.

Joe and i head up to the roof and I'm walking through alternate areas of 10" of snow and 5" of standing water laying on (what turned out to be) 3" of ice.

I found the downspout back by the fire escape and figured out where it passed through the parapet, so I knew where to start chipping away at the ice.

It was cold - water over ice. Luckily I have city-style foul weather gear, so everything but my hands was warm and dry.

The storms dumped snow. The poor insulation above the third floor apartment melted the bottom layer of snow. The water pooled in a low spot about 15' from the scupper port. The gutter had a few leaves or debris in it, so water wasn't draining - and that water froze.

I tried to use a 10' section of garden hose as a siphon, but we couldn't get it started (and the slushy slurry clogged it anyway). Finally I decided to break through the elbow at the top of the gutter where it meets the parapet. It worked, thanks to my trusty spade.

The low spot is an issue, and I don't know what we can do to keep this from happening again.

We might get another 3" tonight.

 

[Cutlass]

You'll probably have to wait until everything is melted off. We're supposed to get warm weather for the rest of the week, after tomorrow's storm. I don't know if you're willing to shovel off the roof after that, but the more snow you remove, the more the ice will melt when the weather is in the 40s this week. As to a permanent repair, that will depend on what type roof is there, and what the budget is for repairs. If it's a tar roof, going over that with a rubber membrane roof might offer a better solution.

 

[peter grimes]

I strongly suspect they won't want to repair the roof, they just had it re-papered last spring. They'll have to do something, though.

Would it help to salt the roof to prevent ice from building up? Or maybe there exists some heater element you can lay around the gutter & scupper to prevent ice from forming in the first place?

 

[ReindeerThistle]

I strongly suspect they won't want to repair the roof, they just had it re-papered last spring. They'll have to do something, though.

Would it help to salt the roof to prevent ice from building up? Or maybe there exists some heater element you can lay around the gutter & scupper to prevent ice from forming in the first place?

I don't know about salting the roof, but a simple roof repair where there is an identifiable tear with wet/dry repair mastic and fiberglass mesh would hold (my roof repairs in Cleveland last Fall have held up to crazy Great Lakes weather). But they also make electric de-icer elements for roof edges, but a roof leak is a roof leak in rain or snow.

 

[Silurian]

Don't put salt on the roof it will cause rusting in the roof.

You would be better off using urea.

If there is a leak in the roof should the people who fixed less than a year ago do it for free.

If the water was deep enough it may have been going over the top of the water proofing and down behind it.

 

[peter grimes]

Yes, I think the leak wasn't the result of standing water, but rather the depth of the standing water. Once the roof had drained to a certain point my upstairs neighbor reported that the leak tapered off significantly. By the time her husband and I stopped shoveling ice, water, and snow off the roof, there were no more drips from their ceiling. I'm guessing there was still seepage, but no drips was a drastic improvement over what we found at 9pm!

I also wonder how much of the leakage is the result of the roof surface stretching as the weight of the standing water and ice creates a dishing effect. Obviously I can't take a measurement of the deflection while this is going on (or can I? ), but I'll certainly try to grab a laser level from work and chart the low spots once the roof is dry.

 

[Cutlass]

A flat roof should be slightly higher in the center than it is around the drains. But 2 feet of standing snow and ice may be enough to overcome that. So if it's a tar roof, pushing it down can also cause it to crack. I think you probably had a weight problem that caused the puddling problem. The fact that you probably don't have much insulation in that ceiling meant that the bottom layer could turn to ice and water. If the roof doesn't spring back up when the weight is off it, it may need to be propped up.

 

[Silurian]

The roof water proofing should be able to cope with the small amount of stretching caused by the deflection from weight of the water.

the timber will most likely move more by changes in moisture content.

 

[Cutlass]

 

[peter grimes]

Fracking Hipsters.

This is an "ask" thread. Punchlines belong in Arts & Entertainment.

 

[Cutlass]

Well I figured the people who use this thread are the ones who would appreciate that particular image.

 

[peter grimes]

Oh I do! I'm just making jokes. Resisted making the obvious ask/aks joke at least, since I would want to be infracted in an RD thread

Interestingly, tools with wooden cutting surfaces are not unheard of, though I've never seen one myself. I suspect they are only relied on when iron or steel are hard to come by. Think ship repairs on a Pacific Island by marooned sailors.


I have used pine and bass to burnish the sanded surface of cherry and maple - it's a suitable method for preparing a surface for an aging treatment.

 

[warpus]

I'm remodelling my office and have a couple questions.

1. First of all.. Is it a bad idea to install a new floor in the winter? I bought 15mm thick panel flooring for 2 rooms upstairs, and it seems to make sense to maybe wait until spring, so that it's easier to cut the floor panels outside. Right now it's kind of cold, and in the winter I'd have to for sure do it inside somewhere.. So.. Is that a bad idea? Should I wait until spring? I don't mind keeping all the boxes of flooring around, it's just sitting in my bedroom, out of the way.

Let me post my plan for what I want things to look like after the floor goes in:

(Everything in this picture has been measured and is exactly to scale, except for the office chair, which is not really rectangular, but I didn't have time to screw around)

The part of desk thing is a swivel thing for my IKEA desk. Some of you may be familiar with it by that description alone. The plan is to put a monitor on it, so that guests can enjoy youtube videos and other such entertainment right from the comfort of the couch. Or it could be swiveled towards my face during lonely time.

2. It would be amazing if the bookcases were one on each side of the window, but there is a vent on the right hand side that prevents that from happening. The bookcases can't be side by side either, because then the couch wouldn't fit.. and I have too many couches downstairs and one of them needs to be migrated to the office, which would just be too awesome, so I need to do it.

3. I want to turn the closet into a cool sort of storage space. I want there to be shelves where I can store all the stuff I use for travelling purposes: flashlights, kits, cooking utensils, whatever. Also all the other things one might find in an office.. and random junk. But my main thought I guess is a good space where I can organize various things.

This is what the closet looks like right now:

Spoiler :

edit: In the corner there you can see my trusty hiking stick, which I acquired in New Zealand

I have no idea how to do anything like that though, what it might look like, or how to begin. I'm thinking that I should probably go to IKEA and buy one of those multipurpose box-like storage systems, but maybe there's a better way? IKEA is 2 hours away anyway, and I don't really want to pay for shipping either. I'm thinking that the doors probably need to go, so that the storage system can be front and centre, and easily accessible.

4. Is there anything else that's stupid with my plan that I'm overlooking? Right now my desk is facing the wall, and the window is just to my right. Both bookcases are behind me. There is clutter everywhere else. I'm basically moving everything around to accommodate the couch, that's essentially why this plan exists. The floor is just in there because my mom saw a real good deal at Costco.. and I knew that the floor had to go at one point or another... and I liked the floor a lot.. so I bought a bunch of it.

5. I've thought of painting the ceiling and/or the walls. There is a stain on the ceiling by the window, and I'm not sure what it's from, but I'm assuming some sort of of a supernatural phenomenon. Either way, I wouldn't mind if it were gone. Any tips for painting the ceiling? This room was painted 7 years ago when I bought the house, but the years are sort of starting to show.. I'm thinking it might be a good excuse to just go crazy and paint the whole damn room before the floor goes in. Maybe? What's a good office wall colour? Right now it's basically a light beige skin type of colour. I'm not quite sick of it, but I can probably do better.

6. Should I paint the baseboards before they're put in and stapled to the wall again? Or after? The baseboards I bought for the basement are amazing.. They weren't even baseboards.. I thought they might look good as baseboards, and they were cheap.. and they DO. I think it's mainly that they're just kind of high.. so they make you feel all fancy when you're prancing around down there. That sort of experience could translate very well up here in the office, but maybe I'm forgetting something. It would definitely no longer match the baseboards of any other rooms on the floor. It's the last thing on my mind with all these crazy office plans, but I figured I would ask anyway..

7. Completely unrelated question: Is early October a bad time to get my AC serviced? I've been procrastinating on that and holy crap it's almost winter. Are there any cons or pros to doing it now? Will they think I'm crazy if I call a place about it?

 

[GinandTonic]

Is the filing cabinet full or half height? I'm guessing it's half height since you seem to be using it as side table next to the sofa.

I'm not sure about the layout that means you cant really open the closet. A pair of Ikea bookshelves seems an insufficient reason to have a sub-optimal layout. If you are going to redo the skirting board that removes the trickiest part of building nice fitted bookshelves.

I'ld suggest keeping the desk under the window and building box bookshelves on either side of the window. That means you can not only have shelves around the vent but that you could make a less that beautiful vent less intrusive. That also means the sofa can move over to let the closet open. Get a cable tidy tube and, if necessary, some longer cables so you can shift the tv/ monitor from the desk to opposite the sofa. Could be on a coffee table or you could use the half height filing cabinet.

I you wanted to really pimp it you could go for the monitor on an articulated arm to keep the view out of the window clear. Need to make sure you get the right type of monitor arm that can quick release, but I got the cheapest arm available and it does.

Vis the stain, just grab a can of stain block. The aerosol stuff avoids the potential for it to give you a slightly weird texture. The two things to bear in mind are to check there isn't a leak that caused the stain and to rub down the ceiling first.

EDIT -

Re the closet. Don't try to put some storage units in it. Find some boxes. Plastic for cheap or wicker-type stuff if you want it nice. Should be able to find sets with different sizes at the same depth so they still fit. Then build some shelves in. Given it's so hidden it would make a good place to get your eye in before anything round the window.

And love the stick.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

First of all, winter is THE time to install a new floor. It is the driest time and will give you the best fit.

More to come...

 

[warpus]

Is the filing cabinet full or half height? I'm guessing it's half height since you seem to be using it as side table next to the sofa.

It's about the height of a coffee table, so let's say half height. quarter height?

I'm not sure about the layout that means you cant really open the closet. A pair of Ikea bookshelves seems an insufficient reason to have a sub-optimal layout. If you are going to redo the skirting board that removes the trickiest part of building nice fitted bookshelves.

The thing is that I wouldn't know the first thing about building my own bookshelf. Before I could get started, I'd need to learn woodworking and get good at it, so I'd need a couple starter projects before I attempted a full bookcase.

You're right though, the closet door would be tight. That's one of the reasons why I'm considering an open-door storage system there. 1. I sort of need it, 2. the doors get in the way anyway, 3. I think it might look better, if done properly, 4. I'm limited by how things will fit, etc.

I'ld suggest keeping the desk under the window and building box bookshelves on either side of the window. That means you can not only have shelves around the vent but that you could make a less that beautiful vent less intrusive. That also means the sofa can move over to let the closet open. Get a cable tidy tube and, if necessary, some longer cables so you can shift the tv/ monitor from the desk to opposite the sofa. Could be on a coffee table or you could use the half height filing cabinet.

Good ideas, but like I said I'm nowhere near comfortable building bookshelves. Plus the ones I have I really like. I'd love to be able to keep them around. That would be more than ideal.

I've also considered mounting a TV on the wall across from the couch. But.. room is at a premium. I've seen swively TV mount solutions that might just be perfect though. And TVs are super cheap these days.

I'm going to move things around and try a new layout though, I'm going to see what sort of setup I can have with the desk where it is now. (by the window, but not facing it) .. I like facing the door, but the room being as small as it is.. facing the wall is probably smarter.

Re the closet. Don't try to put some storage units in it. Find some boxes. Plastic for cheap or wicker-type stuff if you want it nice. Should be able to find sets with different sizes at the same depth so they still fit. Then build some shelves in. Given it's so hidden it would make a good place to get your eye in before anything round the window.

I really wish I knew anything at all about working with wood.. It would give me a lot more options. There's no way I could build something on my first try that would work and look good. I'm gonna mess it up.. It'd be like writing my first computer program - it's best to start small, and not attempt to write an operating system on your first go. At least that makes sense to me.

And love the stick.

First of all, winter is THE time to install a new floor. It is the driest time and will give you the best fit.

Oh really.. What do you recommend in terms of.. .. where do I set up the saw? For the basement we did that outside. It was great, all the dusty woody garbage just flew away.

I also thought summer was the ideal time to install a floor, because it would never expand to a much larger size.. while if you install it in the winter, you have to leave more wiggle room. But if winter is the time to do it, that works for me PERFECTLY. Just remember that I live in the most annoying part of Canada - in the summer it's hot and humid and often feels like 30-40C.. in the winter it's not unusual to see -20C temperatures. So there is a lot of variance in terms of temperature - does that make a big impact on how I approach the floor?

 

[GinandTonic]

Re shelves in a closet. This is the perfect learner job. All your mistakes will be hidden by the edges of the closet. Work out what depth planks you need. Cut one to size to check, and err on being a mil or two short.* Screw a baton of two by one, or two by two for heavy duty to one end of the closet at the height you want the shelf to be, with wall plugs. Ready another baton for the other end. Put the shelf in place with a spirit level on top. When it's true mark the bottom of the opposite end against the wall with a pencil. Screw the other baton in. Place plank. Back off and check your level shelf actually looks level in the room - it's no good having a true shelf if the room is on the piss.

Congrats, you have a shelf. Repeat as required, using the existing shelf to make increasingly perfect shelves at each level, and not assuming without checking that each shelf will be exactly the same size - walls shift and plasterers may not have skimmed perfectly.

The only remaining issue is how to support the middle of the shelf. Cheap and cheerful is to put a section of baton against the back wall in the middle. Just turn the plank sideways against the wall so it cant flex and mark under it with a pencil. Then screw a baton into place and put the plank back. You could use the 45 degree indicator built into every wood saw to make it slightly prettier by cutting each edge so the top is longer than the bottom. More than fine for a closet. Oh and def two by one for that.

* The extreme edges of the bottom plank will be hidden unless someone sticks their head round the edge of the door at knee level. Anyone so drunk they find themselves on hands and knees with their head in the corner of your closet wont remember anyway so it's fine. In fact the very bottom and top shelves are a good place to hide anything less than ideal. It's only the two or three at eyeline that need to be perfect. And even then, it's a closet.

EDIT - There are a couple of method notes vis "screwing the baton into the wall" too, but trivially simple.

 

[classical_hero]

First of all, winter is THE time to install a new floor. It is the driest time and will give you the best fit.

More to come...

That depends on where you live. Out here summer rarely gets humid and winter is often the wettest part of the year.

 

[peter grimes]

Though that's true, it's airborne humidity that affects the wood cells. Cold air has a lower capacity to carry moisture, but if your winter is much wetter than your summer you could indeed have a better time installing stuff like that in the summer.

Personally I wouldn't worry about waiting for the spring or anything unless I were laying a solid wood floor. Sounds like Warpus has a composite or laminated flooring product (he called them panels) so wood movement isn't really a concern there.

But don't take my advice at all in this thread - I am NOT a building trades professional.

 

[warpus]

Re shelves in a closet. This is the perfect learner job. All your mistakes will be hidden by the edges of the closet.

The way I tend to learn things is I do the first couple jobs in a very horrible fashion, and then learn a lot from my mistakes and end up looking decently competent or even maybe good after a couple tries.

If I could find a step by step guide with very exact directions, pictures, explanations, etc. I would probably be willing to do it, but it's a bit of a custom job so I'm feeling a bit antsy about it already. I'm not incompetent, I've just never built anything out of wood before. You should have seen the first cake I ever baked. It was almost inedible. The first shelf I ever put up was a piece of wood nailed to the wall with a brick. The first girl I ever tried to talk to didn't even understand what I was trying to say.

The first couple DIY jobs done around the house (new floors put in, new shed, new baseboards, painting, etc.) were all coordinated by my parents. I just didn't know anything. I was there as manual labour. I've learned a bunch of stuff since then, but I feel like for what you suggest I'd need very detailed step by step guidance.. and nobody's got time for that. I mean, I would, but anyone qualified who could build a custom wood based storage system is probably doing more important things than spending a couple days dealing with me.

Having said all that , a shelf system that fit in the closet PERFECTLY would be awesome. But how would I draw up blueprints? I think I'd need a plan where everything goes, where all the nails would be put, the indentations in the wood.. It sounds way too daunting, but it would be neat.

Here's a revised plan I've drawn up for the office. The desk is back to where I have it now, and I've also measured the closet. The line sticking out of it is the clearance required for the door to open fully. There's also a new small IKEA cabinet thingy right by the door. I have two of them and I have nowhere to put them, but one kind of might work there.

Spoiler :

It means I wouldn't be able to put a TV on the wall, but maybe just maybe that's getting a bit too fancy? I should be saving money for Norway, not spending it on TVs. Having a monitor set up well on the swivel thingy is something I'd be willing to live with. The only problem seems to be that I can't swivel it in close enough to be used as a second monitor for personal use... I don't think. But that doesn't bother me too much. I think the couch is going to be mainly used for me taking naps, reading, relaxing, etc. anyway. Maybe the TV idea was just me trying to be too fancy.

What's the benefit of leaving the closet doors in, btw? I think the whole setup could look a lot slicker with them out, provided that the storage system inside is worthy.

edit: This is the sort of thing I initially wanted for the closet... at least it's the first thing that came to my mind. I THINK that you are able to buy individual doors for some of those compartments, but I could be wrong about that.

The thing is that the closet is about 150cm across, while this thing is about 120cm wide. 40cm per thing. The two bookshelves I hvae now are BILLY too - and the'yre 80cm across each. If my closet was exactly 160cm, I'd just stick them both in there, but it's unfortunately a bit too small.. I wish they had more variance in the sizes.