Inglewood Cottage Kitchen- Before and After

The kitchen at my Inglewood Cottage project needed some creativity to get to the shape it's in today- fabulous!!

(Professional photos by Zach Goodyear.)

Here are some of the challenges that were overcome:
1. Open the wall up between the kitchen and dining area and make it an arch to match the other doorways in the home (this post).
2. Make a spot to install a dishwasher next to the sink (this post).
3. Add counterspace on the wall next to the range where there previously was none.
4. Build a cabinet next to the dishwasher and over the range to hold the new hood (this post).
5. Level the floor around the back door (this post).
6. Make it all look like it fits with the character of the house.

I'd say we accomplished our goals.


The old kitchen had some good parts, namely, the cabinets. They were build to last and there was no reason to replace them. Instead, everything else is new- floors, counters, backsplash- but the cabinets just got some fresh paint and new hardware. Actually the cabinets are probably better built than many of the budget cabinets available today.

The subway tile backsplash is one of my favorite parts of the renovation, as well as the cabinets I got to build for above the range and next to the dishwasher. Nothing fancy, but it was fun to build a new cabinet and try to make it match the old so well that you wouldn't think it was new.

In addition to the cosmetic changes, the kitchen also got all new wiring and plumbing. It's ready for business!

By the way, when we got finished the homeowners listed the home for sale on a Friday and had it under contract before the open house on Sunday! Wow! I new it would get some attention, but that's an amazing story, especially in our current real estate market.


Check out all the articles related to this project at this link.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Tile for the Inglewood Kitchen

It's been a while since I wrote about the Inglewood Cottage project. I finished my part to let the homeowners get everything painted before they put it on the market. I wanted to wait until after they were finished to get some final pictures.

Somehow, this home from the 1940's has retained much of it's character by still having the original hardwood floors and even the unpainted trim and doors. (A rare thing in this part of Inglewood). To continue the character into the remodeled kitchen, the homeowners wanted me to install a white subway tile backsplash and a ceramic tile floor.

When I got to it, there was an old backsplash made up of 4" off-white tile with a laminate counter that had actually been installed right over the top of the original countertop! I took it all apart and installed the new high-grade laminate counter (see this post) over the new dishwasher and custom cabinet that I built to fill it out. (see this post)

The new flooring tiles are 12" glazed porcelain, but they have the look of marble. I think it's a nice look for this older home. Part of the floor had to be leveled before tiling (see this post) and that turned out great.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Install a Roof Vent for Your Bath Exhaust Fan

Unless they've been remodeled along the way, most older homes don't have a nifty exhaust fan in the bathroom. Sometimes it can be a chore to add one, but they come in handy when you want to clear the air... :)

Adding a bath fan takes two major steps. First, is installing the fan and a switch to control it. The next step is venting it outside. You don't want it to vent into an attic space because the moisture in the air can cause mold or rot or numerous other problems. Don't worry, it's a fairly basic process, assuming you don't mind getting on the roof!

1. First, I like to go into the attic above the roof vent and locate a good spot for the roof vent from the inside. Steer clear of rafters and other items that would interfere. Usually, I can find a spot directly above the fan. I like to drill a hole through the roof at the center of the spot I've picked out.

2. Drilling a hole through the roof helps me locate the exact spot from the top side. I head outside, taking all the safety precautions so I live to write about it... I can find the hole I drilled and the use a jig saw to cut out a 5" hole centered on the spot.

3. Test fit the vent and cut the shingles so that the upper courses will over lap the flange and surround the vent like the picture. Once it will fit, you can put in in place and put a few galvanized roofing nails around the edges. Remember the upper nails will be under the shingles, while the bottom corners are nailed from the top.

4. Seal the vent with roofing cement around the edges, under the overlapping shingles, and on any exposed nail heads. Grab your tools and head back to the attic.

5. Now it's just a matter of hooking up both ends of the hose that came with the roof vent kit. I secured both ends with the included plastic straps and then covered each with aluminum foil tape to prevent any leakage. (sort of like duct tape, except it's really meant for sealing ducts and it seals much better)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Tips for Cutting and Installing a Laminate Countertop

It's pretty amazing to consider the options you have available for countertops these days. From some of the most beautiful polished stone designs and custom concrete to solid surface or less-expensive laminate.

For my Inglewood Cottage project we wanted the high-end look without the price tag (who doesn't, right?) so the homeowners chose a textured black custom laminate top that had the look of a natural stone. My job was to install it. Here are some tips for cutting and installing a laminate counter.

CUT THE COUNTER LENGTH
This was a simple galley kitchen that would be just a matter of cutting the counter to the right length and then making a place for the sink. I measured the space and cut the counter around 3/8" short so that I have enough wiggle room to side it in.

To make the cut I first put painters tape across the counter. This serves two purposes: 1) It helps me see my pencil line on the black counter & 2) It helps prevent any chipping or scratches from my saw while I'm making the cut. I use a jig saw to first cut through the backsplash and the back corner. Then I cut the rest from the front.

After the counter is in place on the cabinets, it's very important to get it level. This is especially important because I'm tiling the backsplash and I want it to be level along the top of the counter. Leveling is a matter of securing the counter at the high point and then shimming the low points to bring them up to level before adding screws in those areas. It's worth the time to make sure it's level both left-to-right and front-to-back.

CUT OUT THE SINK

Cutting out the sink is a time to measure at least twice. If anything, make the hole a little small. You can always make it bigger... :) Usually, it is centered on the sink cabinet. Look inside and see if there are any braces that will get in the way. In my case, I wanted the sink to be as far back on the counter as possible. This would give me just enough room to get the sink in these particular cabinets.

I like to start by using a hole saw to make a hole in each corner. Sink corners are normally not square, so this allows for more of the counter to support the sink. I then use a reciprocal saw and carefully cut along the back before I use the jig saw to cut out the rest. However, before you completely cut out the sink hole, place a board across the opening and screw it to the piece that's in the way of the sink. This keeps it from falling or breaking off before you're ready.

Mounting the sink requires a little silicone caulk under the lip and sink mounting clips underneath. You can usually get these wherever you buy sinks, but make sure they fit your particular sink. I've had cases when I'm reusing an old sink and they need a unique sink mounting clip. Unfortunately, they aren't one-size-fits-all.

With the counter and sink in, I'm ready to think about the upcoming subway tile backsplash. Stay tuned for that,

Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

How To Level the Floor Before You Tile

Before you tile a floor you want to consider the structure below and make sure it's suitable for tile- strength, deflection, etc. It's also important to make sure the floor is pretty much level or at least flat.

Many times the back part of an older home presents a problem because it's often a porch that was enclosed, or in the case of my Inglewood renovation, likely an old breezeway. The floors are often a problem because the structure just wasn't constructed as well in the beginning.

The floor at my project mainly had a large dip around the doorway leading to the old garage that is now a den. It felt very solid and has likely been like this from the beginning. I don't think it has sunk over time. Here's how I took care of the problem using a nifty product called self-leveling cement.

1. First we need to define what level is and how bad your situation is. Often, you're dealing with an isolated part of the room. If it's a widespread problem, you will likely have framing issues to deal with. In my case, I could place a level on the floor and see that there was around a 5/8" dip from the edge of the kitchen to the den doorway. The bottom of the dip was actually very flat, it was just low.

2. Since the bottom of my low spot was 5/8" below level, I nailed a piece of 5/8" thick plywood there. This serves a couple purposes. A) It gives me a guide so that I know where level is. B) It makes a barrier so the self-leveling cement is contained in the kitchen and doesn't spill into the den. C) It saves me some extra cement, which means money. It runs around $33 for a 50 lb bag.

3. I'm now ready to fill the area between the plywood (the low spot) and the kitchen (identified as level). This project took at least an entire bag of self-leveling cement, if not a little more. I applied it in 2 batches, leaving the first one overnight before finishing with the second.

4. Basically, you just add water and pour it on the ground. Read all the installation instructions on the bag to get a good mix. You've got about 10 minutes to work with it, although there isn't much you need to do. I used a small piece of scrap wood as a screed board (like used to smooth concrete). This is mainly to push the cement around to the right spots and make sure it's evenly distributed. It will level itself all on it's own.

5. In small amounts, it will dry really quickly and you can even tile over it the same day. I'll give mine a day or two before I lay Hardibacker over it and then tile.

It's a little extra work, but in the end you'll be glad to have a level floor, especially if you're planning to sell to a discriminating home buyer someday.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Drywall for an Arched Doorway

The Tudor inspired home that I'm currently renovating (see these posts) has several arched doorways with curved corners. I recently widened the doorway between the dining room and kitchen in this smaller home to open up the space and improve the traffic flow through the kitchen.

Check out this post to see how I did the framing for the curved corners. Now it's time to drywall those curves.

There are a few ways to approach hanging drywall on a curve like this. You could use very thin 1/4" drywall that is somewhat flexible if your curve isn't too sharp. I've even heard of wetting the drywall and letting it hang between a couple sawhorses to bend into a nice curve. I'm going to use a different approach.

First, I cut the piece to the right width and then marked on the back where the curve would be. Then, I made a series of cuts to score the back every inch or so. This allows the drywall to curve (and I didn't have to get it wet.. :).

After the drywall is in place, it's time to add a product called flexible corner bead. Normal corners have a rigid corner bead, but this one is meant to be bent around a corner. It works great, but you'll likely have to add a lot of screws around the flexible edge that's made up of a lot of small tabs. You want to make sure they are laying down flush with the wall and not sticking up where they'll become a problem when you mud the corners.

In the background of this photo you can see the arched doorway into the living room that I was trying to match. Hopefully, future homeowners will just think it was always like this!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Build a Basic Cabinet

After removing some kitchen cabinets next to the sink to make room for the new dishwasher, (see this post), I had a 36" space to work with. The dishwasher is only 24" wide, so what should we do with the extra 12"?

Let's build a cabinet.

The homeowners wanted something simple so I thought I could make a 12" cabinet to match the originals in the kitchen, except it would have two open shelves rather than any doors or drawers. Here's the basic process:

CABINET FACE

1. The hardest part is to make the face of the cabinet. Before you start, consider the exact width and height and exactly where you want the shelves and toe kick. For this project, I could easily measure the existing cabinets and design mine to match.

2. Once I had the dimensions in mind, I ripped some old boards that came from the house that were the same thickness as the original 7/8" thick cabinet faces.

3. Make the joints. The original cabinets were assembled using something called a half-lap joint. It's made by removing half of each piece so that when they are joined the surfaces are flush. It's sort of like working with Lincoln Logs... :)

I cut the joints on my table saw by setting the fence to the maximum depth of the joint, in my case, 1 1/2". I set the saw depth so that it would cut exactly half-way through the piece. After the first cut, make successive cuts from that point all the way to the end of the piece or as wide as the notch needs to be. (By the way, use all the appropriate safety precautions so you keep your fingers.) It's a great idea to test fit a couple pieces and adjust the height and fence until you're sure that the pieces will fit snugly and flush with each other.



4. I dry-fit the face of the cabinet to make sure it was right and then assembled it with glue and clamped it in place until it was dry.

CABINET BODY
5. Next, I needed to make the body of the cabinet which would consist of plywood sides and back. I cut the sides first out of cabinet-grade 3/4" plywood which is sanded smooth and free of knots, etc. The quality for this is not all that important because it will be hidden. Mainly, for this cabinet, I'm trying to match the quality of the original cabinets that were 70 years old...

6. The last piece would be the plywood for the back. This adds strength and holds it all together. Usually, some 1/4" plywood is fine for this.

7. With a smaller cabinet, this is a good time to think about shelf supports because it's easier to install them before the cabinet is assembled. Usually, a simple piece 3/4" plywood along the side is enough to hold the shelves. Make sure that you adjust the height of the supports so that the shelf height is flush with the face frame. This allows the face piece to hide the edge of the shelf and makes it look much better.

LET'S ASSEMBLE
8. This cabinet would be painted, so It wasn't as important to hide all the fasteners and get too fancy. Remember, I'm trying to keep it simple and not spend to much time (and money) to get this cabinet done. So, instead of assembling with biscuits or even pocket screws, I stood the pieces up, made sure everything was square, glued and nailed them in place with my finish nailer. With a little putty those nail holes will disappear after it's painted.

9. All that's left is to cut a couple shelves to the right size and add the toe kick. I suppose you wouldn't have to nail the shelves in place, but I like to secure them unless they are adjustable.

10. Lastly, add a corner brace or two in the places where the countertop will be secured. You'll be happy you did when you go to screw down the countertop.

Paint it and you're done! For mine, the paint will come later. It was still fun to create a functional piece like this that will get a lot of use and match the original cabinets.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Add a Dishwasher and Save the Cabinet!

Of course, our Inglewood project house from the 1940's wasn't designed with a space for a dishwasher. However, it's almost a requirement for today's lifestyle, especially if you want your home to be more appealing to home buyers.

This kitchen had one bank of cabinets along the exterior wall while the stove sat on the interior wall. There weren't many cabinets to begin with and even less counter space. We knew we wanted to replace the counter and add a new tile backsplash, but how would we fit a dishwasher into this space? Could we also add more counterspace while we're at it?

Yes!

At first we tossed around the idea of building a separate cabinet that would contain the dishwasher next to the stove. This may have worked, but presented problems making the plumbing connections because the dishwasher would be on the opposite wall from the sink.

The better option would be to remove some cabinets and add the dishwasher next to the sink, saving and repairing the cabinets to be placed on the interior wall next to the stove. This plan would solve the plumbing issues and give the homeowners nearly 36" more counterspace next to the stove. That's a win-win!

(I also widened the doorway in the kitchen picture above to help the traffic flow and better connect the kitchen to the cozy dining area. See this post)

After removing the old tile and countertop, I carefully thought about how to cut out the cabinet that was in the way of the forthcoming dishwasher. If I did it right, it could be easily repaired.

I started at the edge of the sink cabinet and made a vertical cut using mostly my jig saw, but also the reciprocal saw in the places (like along the back) where the jig saw wouldn't fit. The most important part would be the faces of the cabinets. In our case, this would all be painted, however, I still needed to make straight cuts.

These cabinets were originally built as one large unit, rather than individual cabinets. This meant that once I made the cuts, I was left with a cabinet that was open on the end. I wanted to repair this so that the cabinet could be reused.

I started by making a new end piece for the face. Thankfully, I had some scrap of the original stock that was around 7/8" thick. (Typical stock nowadays is 3/4"). If possible, it's best to match the original materials as exactly as you can to make it look like it's always been there.

I ripped the board to the same width as the rest of the cabinet face pieces and attached it using wood glue and small finish nails. The big thing here is to make sure the pieces are attached squarely so that the door and drawers will fit and not rub. If you need to, you can sand or plane the door as needed.

Once the face was fully assembled I just needed to cut out an end piece from a sheet of cabinet-grade plywood that I had picked up. Higher grade plywood is nicer because it often has more plys (making it stronger) and less defects on the sanded surface. Mine had zero knots and would paint very well.

With a couple coats of paint, this cabinet will be ready to go.

If you'll remember, we removed 36" of cabinets to install a 24" dishwasher. What about those extra 12 inches?? For that, I built a small two-shelf cabinet from scratch. I'll cover that in my next post.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Drywall Over a Plaster Ceiling

The Inglewood home we're remodeling is full of plaster from around 1940. Earlier plaster walls consisted of coats of plaster applied over wood lath that supported the plaster. In the 1930's something called "rock lath" was developed which was basically a pre-manufactured gypsum board made of plaster between two layers of paper. It's very similar to today's drywall, except that it was generally 16" or 24" by 48".

Throughout our project house, the walls have held up fairly well, though there are often cracks at the points where the old rock lath are joined. We've left most of that, repairing the worst ones.

The living room, has suffered more damage because of the failure of the roof flashing around the chimney. This has been fixed and now we're putting the ceiling back together. Because of the many cracks and previous patches to the living room ceiling, we've decided to drywall over it. Leaving the plaster in place serves two purposes: 1) It's way less mess and work involved & 2) the current ceiling insulation will stay intact.

The ceiling joists are nearly 16" on center. I say nearly, because it's not quite consistent throughout. Our drywall needs to be securely secured so we'll need to first add furring strips that will support the drywall.

To make furring strips I ripped a 2x4 into thirds, around 1 1/8" each. I attached these to the ceiling using screws after marking the ceiling joists so that my screws would actually hit something solid. My furring strips were exactly 16" apart giving me plenty of places to attach the drywall.

Don't forget to adjust any electrical boxes so they are flush with the new finished surface.

Once again, the drywall panel lift was an invaluable tool for helping me raise the nearly 12 foot pieces to the ceiling. It rents for around $30 for 4 hours from Home Depot and is worth every penny.

After three coats of joint compound and a sanding, the living room has a perfectly new ceiling. Although, I'm not sure anyone will appreciate it as much as I do...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Make Arched Corners for a Doorway

The home that I'm currently working on has quite a few Tudor characteristics throughout, including a couple arched doorways in the kitchen and living room. The homeowners wanted to open up the wall leading into the kitchen with a larger doorway and match the corners to the others. Here's how I did it:

1. Open up wall and reframe the larger opening with new header. Our wall IS load-bearing so I had to build a simple temporary wall on either side of the opening to carry the weight of the ceiling joists while I installed a new header and removed part of the wall. (Opening up a wall? See these posts.)

The opening would be around 5' wide, so a built-up 2x6 header would be called for. Make the header at the height equal to the highest point in your arched doorway.

If you wanted to keep the square corners you could just drywall over this new framing as it is, however, we want to make curved corners. These curves are for cosmetic purposes only, they will not carry any load, but rather just support the drywall.

2. Frame the corners. Depending on how large of a curve, you'll have a few options for this. If it's a larger curve you may want to cut the profile out of a piece of plywood for either side of the wall and then frame in between to hold it together. Mainly, you want to have plenty of places to screw your drywall, especially along the edges where you'll add the cornerbead.

Our curves weren't very large, so I was able to cut the entire profile out of some scrap pieces of 2x6 lumber. I made the first one by tracing the curve onto it from one of the existing doorways. Once one was complete, I used it as the template to make 3 more, giving me enough for both of the corners.

At this stage, remember where you want the finished wall to end up. If you're adding 1/2" drywall, the curves should account for this. I'm actually matching mine up to the old plaster, so I left them 1/2" from the surface of the plaster so I can patch with drywall and just tape and mud all the joints.

The curves can be nailed or screwed into place and you're finished. Be gentle so you don't split them and have to start over. The drywall will come in the next week or so as I begin work on the kitchen. Read it here.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Tips for Installing a Pedestal Sink

At my Inglewood Cottage renovation project (these posts), we're trying to put things back together in a way that fits the older character of the home. This means the bathroom has new beadboard wainscoting and cool black-and-white hex tile. Next, of course, is the pedestal sink.

A pedestal sink is a common choice for a smaller bathroom when space is an issue. In this particular bathroom there is a huge toiletry closet behind the door, so there is plenty of storage. This is sometimes a concern when there will be no storage in the bathroom vanity.

The homeowners picked out a beautiful Kohler pedestal sink and it was time for me to install it. The old sinks usually had some metal brackets that first attached to the wall for the sink to rest on. I guess that was too easy... :) Now you have to find a way to attach the sink through the two holes provided. Because of the location of these holes under the sink where there's not usually any elbow room, you have to approach this differently.

Step zero: install the faucet and drain. It will be much easier for you if this is done before you attach it to the wall. You could wait to attach the connectors, but go ahead and get most of it installed.

Then, unless the hole is located right over a stud, you'll want to pick up a couple toggle bolts to attach the sink. I'm going through quite a bit of plaster and drywall, so I bought 4" toggle bolts.

Set the sink up with the pedestal and use a level to get it in the right spot. You want the surface of the sink to be level front-to-back and left-to-right. Once it's there, mark the two holes on the wall.

Next, drill a couple holes sized as recommended for your toggle bolts. My holes were 3/4". When that's done, you can put the toggle bolts through the sink and then insert them into the holes. Make they've sunk deep enough so that the 'wings' spread out against the back of the wall.

Now you need to tighten the toggle bolts. Some pedestal sinks may be designed so that you can actually get a screwdriver in there. However, many are not and you'll go crazy trying to figure out how to do it. Here's the secret: get a right angle screwdriver.

There are many versions of the ol' right angle screwdriver from fancy ratcheting ones, to cheap ones like mine that get the job done. I mainly just use this for installing pedestal sinks, but it's the right tool for the job.

Once it's secure you can hook up the plumbing and go have a nice day...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Three Headaches to Avoid When Installing a Toilet

Toilets aren't much fun to deal with, however whenever you're renovating a bathroom, you'll probably need to remove and reset the toilet or possibly install a new one. Here are three tips that will save you some frustration when you go to put the toilet in.

1. This is a biggie: Make sure that the toilet flange bolts are at least 12" away from the finished wall. (Sometimes called a 12" rough-in.) This is the minimum amount of clearance that you'll need to fit most standard toilets. The problems often come after you've added something to the wall, such as tile or beadboard wainscoting, that reduces the room you have for your toilet. Take this seriously and think about it ahead of time.

The best fix is to move the flange over if possible. This is what I did for this project, however, if you're dealing with old cast iron pipes in the crawlspace you don't want to hear that. You might be able to install something called an "offset flange" that will buy you an inch or two and may save the day.

If you're stuck with a flange that's simply too close to the wall, you'll have to go shopping for a toilet that will fit. The big home stores usually stock 1 toilet that will fit in a 10" space (measuring from the bolts to the wall.) You could also search the salvage yard for an toilet that will fit. Yep, that would be a used toilet... :)

2. Make sure your connections are right. Especially when you're replacing an old toilet, you may have a connections that aren't compatible with the modern 3/8" compression connectors. You may need an extra adapter fitting to get everything to connect. Also, the height of your new toilet may be different than the old, needing a longer connector than you have on hand to make it work.

3. When you're installing the nuts, don't forget the plastic covers. Install the plastic base before the washer and nut. IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure the plastic base is installed with the correct side up. It will probably say on the top "this side up." This is important for making the cover snap together with the base piece.

You can probably tell that I've dealt with all of the above situations before. If you think ahead in these situations you can save yourself some frustration and perhaps a couple extra trips to Home Depot.

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Eye-Catching Hex Tile for the Bathroom

With the tub and surround installed (see this post) it's finally time to do some tile.

This bathroom was desperately needing some charm when we started. Well, it's going to get it, starting with some old-fashioned-looking white hex tile with black squares.

The old vinyl flooring was installed with adhesive over a thin layer of 1/4" plywood. This was all removed to discover a layer of 3/4" oak boards over a 3/4" pine subfloor. Many of the oak boards had water damage around the toilet, so I went ahead and removed all of them and added a layer of 3/4" plywood throughout the bathroom. This will give me a nice solid surface to tile over.

Before tiling, I installed a layer of 1/4" Hardibacker cementboard. I like to use this product because it won't soak up moisture and expand the way that plywood does. This helps to prevent cracks in the tile and grout over time. We want this tile to last a long, long time.

Like other small tiles, this comes on sheets to aid in installation. I love the look of this tile. It's a very classic design, yet quite remarkable nonetheless.

(Side note: Did you ever see one of those geometric calendars that are supposed to contain a hidden picture if you stare at them and let your eyes focus beyond the picture? Well, try it with a floor like this sometime. You might see the black squares 'popping out' of the design and make some interesting figures... ) (I'm okay, really)

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Custom Fit for Tub and Surround

Everything seems a little more difficult when you're working on an old house. My current project is a 1940's home full of plaster walls and original trimwork. Nice to look at, but tricky to work with. I guess it's a good thing that I like a challenge...


PROBLEM 1: WINDOW IN THE SHOWER
The bathroom was probably not originally designed to include a shower so the window was never a problem. Now, a shower is a requirement, so the question is, "What to do with the window?" There are a few ways to deal with a window in the shower:

1. Remove it completely. This might be easier with a wood-sided house because you could patch the hole. This home is brick, making this a more expensive and difficult option.

2. Replace with glass blocks. This is also expensive and labor-intensive. It's also tricky if the window hole is not the appropriate size for 8" glass blocks plus mortar lines. It would be a better solution if the surround was going to be tiled. Irregardless of cost, this is probably my favorite solution in most cases.

3. Replace with an all-vinyl window and vinyl trim. Not a great idea, but probably better than wood. In an older home, it would be expensive to get a window that matched the others. You'd still want to get some kind of frosted glass for privacy, and a plastic curtain might still be a good idea to keep water out of the window sill.

4. Leave the old window and put a plastic curtain over it. Quick and easy, right?! (And cheap!) This was the solution that this homeowner decided to go with. It would also work okay with the new acrylic surround, except that I'd have to carefully cut a window out of the surround as you can see in the picture. The trim will come right up to the cut and get caulked with waterproof caulk throughout. When we're finished a small plastic curtain will be installed so that the water will be deflected from the window.


PROBLEM 2: ROOM IS TOO WIDE

The distance between the original plaster walls was 60". However, the new tub and surround is supposed to attach directly to the studs. After removing the plaster the space for the tub was 60 3/4" wide, making the hole 3/4" too big.

As I told the homeowner, who is a musician, this was a time for some improvisation. :)

The solution that I came up with was to slide the tub to the left. This means that only the right side had a problem. I needed to build it out 3/4" by attaching some scrap 3/4" plywood to the studs. I could now install the tub and surround. This worked great, but it meant that I'd now have to cover the entire wall with a layer of 1/2" drywall to finish out around the surround & tub.

The problems with older homes can normally be solved, but these are the reasons why sometimes it's just easier to gut the place in the beginning and start over... not that I'm suggesting that or anything...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Time For a New Basement Door

The small home that we're renovating has a full unfinished basement with a concrete floor. This has made our under-the-house repairs much easier. However, there's also an exterior door down there. It had completely rotted and been boarded up. Time for a new one.

First, let me mention that many of these older homes are built with downstairs door just like this. The huge problem with this is that water will pool at the bottom of the stairs and eventually damage the door and possibly get into the basement. The very best solution is usually to build some sort of roof covering over the stairs so that it stays dry. For our project, I would just be replacing the door, but using materials that might last a little longer.

I started by ripping out the old door, which was pretty easy considering its condition. The homeowner bought a salvaged 32" exterior door at Hailey's Salvage. My plan was to first build the door frame out of pressure treated 2x8 and then install the unit and trim around the edges to close the gaps as well as possible.

Knowing that water would pool at the bottom of these stairs, I wanted to prevent the door from sitting in the water as much as possible. For this reason, I actually made a threshold out of a treated 2x8 and then put door stop trim all the way around the inside of the jamb, including across the bottom. Not only will this close the air gaps, but hopefully also be another roadblock to any water entry and get the door up off of the floor.

To attach the frame to the masonry walls I first attached some plywood nailers on either side using some long Tapcon screws. I actually had some treated plywood scraps around that worked great because they are less likely to split than using other lumber. This held quite well and once they were installed it was just a matter of installing the door frame, leveling it up and nailing it in like any other door installation.

The entire door frame is made out of pressure treated lumber, ready to battle those elements...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Solder a Simple Copper Connection

The cottage renovation is in full swing. We're starting at the bottom and working our way up. That means that we needed to replace a few pipes in the basement that were old galvanized steel and deteriorated to the point that it was reducing the water pressure.

Mostly, I was using PEX with copper crimp rings and barb fittings, however, there were a couple copper connections needed near the water heater. (You're not supposed to use any plastic pipe, such as PEX or CPVC within 18" of the water heater.) Anyway, I thought I'd share the simple process for a solder joint when working with copper.

To get started you might pick up a basic soldering pack at the hardware store. It might contain a small propane torch, solder, flux, and flux brush.

1. Cleanly cut the copper pipe. It's best to use a pipe cutter meant for this purpose because you'll get a square cut. It's much more difficult with a hacksaw.

2. Clean the pipe. I've got a helpful little tool with steel brushes for both 1/2" and 3/4" pipe. A small piece of sandpaper can also do the job. You want to scrub the pipe until the copper is shiny. Family Handyman, in this article about soldering copper, calls cleaning the pipe "the A-1 key to copper soldering success". Don't skip this step. (By the way, you can even reuse old copper pipes if you clean it properly to make a good connection.)

3. Brush some flux on the areas to be soldered, both the end of the pipe and the inside of the fitting. Flux is a chemical composition that helps clean the copper to prepare it for solder and it also helps in the heat transfer.

4. Heat the fitting with a propane torch. Notice I said to heat the fitting. This is important. Specifically, you want to apply the heat to the female end of the fitting that's receiving the pipe. The flux helps the heat to also heat up the pipe inside. Move the flame back-and-forth across the fitting to heat it evenly.

5. Hold the solder on the joint in a spot opposite the flame. This is the coldest part and you want it to be hot enough to accept the solder. When the fitting is hot enough it will just 'suck' the solder in and you're done. Enough solder should be taken in that it drips out the bottom of the fitting, but there's no need to overdo it. The heat will do the work.

6. Let the pipe cool. It will stay hot for a while. In my case, I later attached some 1/2" PEX to the barb on this fitting using copper rings with a PEX crimp tool... but, that's a lesson for another day...

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com

Flip This 1940's Cottage

I started a new project this week that will consume my time for the next few weeks. One of my favorite clients is a real estate investor who has enlisted me to help him renovate a brick cottage in Inglewood. I thought I'd share some 'before' pics to give you an idea of what we're dealing with.

The main bedrooms and living room are full of beautiful old stained trimwork. Thankfully, the trim, doors and windows have never been painted and they still look great aside from a few careless paint drips. We're hoping that some matching hardwood floors can be resurrected after the carpet is removed as well.

In addition to some upgrades to the plumbing and electrical systems, most of the work that we'll tackle will be cosmetic, which means we get to do some really fun stuff.

The kitchen will be a main focus. The cabinets will stay, but there will be new counters with a tile backsplash and floors as well as a new dishwasher.

The old bathroom is quite small, but will be completely redone with new fixtures, hex tile floors, and beadboard wainscoting. Hopefully, I can add some of the 'old-house character' while including modern conveniences.

The living room is actually in decent shape aside from where there was a leak beside the chimney due to failed roof flashing. The roof repairs are done so we'll soon begin patching the walls and drywalling over the plaster ceiling which is full of cracks.

It seems like quite a bit of work at this point, but it will fly by. Stay tuned to watch the progress!

-Peter

www.CarpentryGuy.com