House repairs...
 

Since the parasite (ex-wife) and her brats vacated my house, my g/f and I have been doing some house renovations as funds allow. This is the progress/plan:

1. Install CAT5 and coax.
   Every room (except bathroom and kitchen) has at least one network connection and one cable TV connection. The hardest part was finding the proper location where there isn't a wall stud or wiring in the way, and drilling up though the floor from the basement so that the hole is inside the wall (not in the room or outside). The rest was just a matter of cutting holes in the drywall, installing the brackets/plates, and wiring it up. All the wiring is neatly tied up onto the floor joists in the basement.
   
   
2. Tear up the old carpet.
   I know carpet places will do this when installing new, but I wanted to save a few bucks by doing it myself. Well, that sucked! Whoever did the installation last time used some kind of glue along with 35 million staples. :no: Man, old carpet is HEAVY! I had to cut the carpet in half for a couple of the rooms to be able to carry it out. Even then, it weighed close to 300 lbs, which is tough to carry by oneself, and I'm not small.
   
   
3. Paint all the rooms
   This is done and looks purty. :smile: And I found out that I hate painting.
   
   
4. Buy new carpeting ($3100 for ~800 ft^2 - ouch! :oh:).
   Now comes my first issue. The new carpet/pad is about 1" thicker than the old stuff, so I had to cut the bottoms of the bedroom doors accordingly. Since these are hollow-frame doors, there is not much "meat" at the bottom after the cut (the previous owner had cut some already). Now, I'm lucky if there is 1/8" of wood left at the bottom. Is there a way to strengthen the bottoms without buying new doors or new pre-hung sets, or tearing them apart to add more wood? Something like expanding foam that solidifies? Currently, I have a ghetto setup consisting of curtains in place of doors - not purty at all. :no:
   
   
5. Install sump pump.
   Since I get standing water in the basement just about every spring, I want to install a sump pump in the basement. I have the pump, hose, tub in which to put it all, and a stretch of clear basement floor free of underlying pipes to work in. However, I'm kind of at a loss as how to cut into the cement to dig the pit. The cement is around 30 years old, so is quite hard. I tried a hammer and chisel (yes, I did), but that didn't work so well - all I ended up doing was making a small dent, wearing out a chisel, and sending shards of cement all over the place. :oops: I was thinking of either renting a jackhammer or cement saw to cut through it, but don't know which would be easier, more effective, faster, and not as messy. Ideas?
   
   
6. Completely re-do the bathroom.
   The parasite and her brats were never very good about caring where the shower water went and now parts of the bathroom floor are rotting and need to be replaced. This will involve tearing out everything (tub, toilet, sink, etc) and cutting in new flooring. Even the walls will have to be replaced; they are some kind of crappy looking masonite stuff with a marble-like veneer. And since all the stuff I'm tearing out is a billion years old, I'm gonna replace them as well. But, I am NOT a good plumber! The last time I attempted fixing my plumbing, I crushed a pipe (with my bare hands - don't ask). So, I want this professionally done. Who would I call? A contractor? A "fix it guy"? I have about $5k set aside for this project (parts and labor). It's a small bathroom and I don't have expensive tastes, so hopefully this will be enough.

Sometimes, I think it would be easier to do a rain dance in front of the house and hope a tornado would come and demolish it for me so I can simply start over and design it the way I want.

#5- Just had to replace my sump pump a couple weeks ago, I get water in the basement about 9months out of the year living by a river.

#6- I have a bathroom that needs redoing as well, at least I have 2. Got a leak around the edge of the tub that has damaged the wall behind it. Only problem I have is that the water shut off to the house broke. I have to wait for the water dept to replace the meter also with bad shut off (soon) so I can put in a new valve.

Doors - there is not really a way to solve the situation you have, other than to purchase some replacement doors. Are yours painted, or stained? If painted, it gives you a few more options. You can often find those hollow core doors on Craigslist really cheap. If you do buy some, make sure you know which way they open when you look at them (in swing, right hand or left hand...)
If you dont replace them, at least make certain you paint or seal the new cuts somehow to prevent swelling from moisture.

Concrete - Jackhammer....very fast, concrete saw, very nice cut. Is there rebar? If so, you'll have to cut that too. Concrete saws do NOT like metal....

Bathroom.....he, he, he.....! I'm knee deep into my last bathroom remodel. I actually relocated ALL of the fixtures, so I had to completely redo all of the plumbing, including the vent lines. If you hire a General Contractor, he will sub out the plumbing. Or you can act as the GC, and hire the construction guy, the plumber, electrician, flooring, etc.,. I think 5K is sporty given what you stated needs replacing. I have that just in materials for ours ($1K just on the two stinkin faucets...!), and I've done all of the work. I found a book at a local plumbing shop - it was akin to Plumbing for Dummies, but it helped me a lot to know what code's and such I had to meet. Other than that, it was a matter of figuring out where to run the lines to both meet the slope requirment, and avoid other structural items. Since it sounds like you are just "replacing" stuff, I'd say that is EASY......but, if your not comfortable, then sub it out.

I just redid the master bathroom at the house. I did not have to fool with the flooring, but i did have to cut one wall up to get the old bath out. With the new bat, full tile around it, new vanity and tpad for the bath and vanity, set me back about 1500 bucks. Did all the labor myself, way too cheap to pay someone for that. Also did the kitchen while I was at it. Only paid 5k with all new appliances, bloody fridge was 2k by itself.

There is no real easy way to get through concrete! Anyway that you do it is going to involve lots of manual labor and a big mess! A saw will leave you with a square hole that is going to require you to mix up a few bags of concrete to fill in after the tub is in place. A saw will make the cleanest cut and create the least amount of mess initially, you'll still need a hammer drill of some sort to break up the piece and remove it.

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/webapp/..._192178_192137

One of these drills, rent or buy, will prolly be the best way. Your basement slab should only be about 4" thick. Mark out the whole, a little bigger than needed, and use a small 3/8-1/2" drill bit to drill a bunch of holes about 1"apart along the line, and some random holes in the center the more the better. Then switch the drill to hammer mode with a chissel bit and hammer away! Make sure you wear eye and ear protection!!! You will have a mess to clean up as well. These drills work great though and should require to much effort drilling.

I have never had to make such a hole in a basement floor but doing commercial HVAC I have cut many holes through brick and concrete walls, and drilled many holes for anchors.

Doors: No matter what I get, they will have to be cut down somewhat, right? So, I'm back trying to find a way to strengthen the bottoms. And yes, they are (or will be) simply painted.

Concrete:
Not sure if there is rebar or not, but sounds like I should play it safe and get the jackhammer.

Bathroom:
It's a small bathroom with just basic tub/shower, toilet, sink, and a wall-mounted medicine cabinet. Pretty basic. The biggest thing will be to cut in a new floor section, but I can do that myself if need be. However, I would want this done quickly as I only have one bath and I'm sure someone will have to potty at some point. I can shower at work, so I'm set, but I can't bring my g/f, her son, and our baby. :smile:

I HATE carpet....it stains easily, shows wear and needs to be replaced about every 5 yrs..( I dont care what their ratings are). I have 18" porcelin tile throught my house, I got sold on hard flooring in my first house

Can't you just hire a concrete core drill?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Concrete-C...lling&id=94282

- concrete -
Renta concrete saw and jackhammer. Use the hammer to bust through a very small are. If no rebar, go in with the saw all th way. If there is, do a very shallow cut to give you a pretty square....then go crazy with the hammer:party:

On the doors, I would buy new. Hollow core doors are relatively cheap and you can get endless designs. Going from flat panel doors to ones like 6 panel or others with designs drastically improves the look of a house. You can get these made to about any height/width you need.

For the concrete I would saw and drill. You can get better saw blades to handle the rebar but half the time older houses used much thinner (say 1/8" diameter) wire versus rebar. Also, you nedd to make sure and dig around and replace the moisture barrier (if you have one) so excess water does not seep in through the concrete.

The house actually has hardwood floors everywhere, but it was in bad shape and would have needed extensive refinishing to be kept visible. Which is probably why the previous owners put carpet down in the first place. And even if it was pristine, I did live in the house for the few weeks before the carpet came and I found it loud and echo-ey (I know that's not a word). Not to mention cold floors on bare feet during winter mornings - Brrr. Yeah, there are disadvantages to carpet, but I like it better. Now, kitchens and bathrooms MUST be some type of hard surface for obvious reasons...

Interesting, sounds like a concrete hole-saw. But how the heck am I gonna get a core drill big enough to cut out a 2' circle for a decent price? Not to mention securing it to the floor. :wink: Heck, the Home Depot guys in the "project center" gave me the deer-in-the-headlights" look just asking about a saw or jackhammer! :smile:

But, I might just rent a hammer drill and get a few 3/4"-1" masonry bits, drill holes in a circular pattern, and then break it up that way. This might be the least messy option, if not very easy.

Well, I would, but I'm cheap. I have three bedroom doors and four closet doors to replace. Even cheap $40 hollow-core doors will set me back around $300, and that's before the necessary modifications. I'd need to get a second job to have that many nice, custom-cut doors done!

Yup, this is an older house. And I don't think there is a moisture barrier at all currently. I live near a flood zone (see this, I'm near the bottom of E 41st), and water comes UP from the floor (not down the walls).

We're going to put down some Bamboo inour bathroom - 3 bucks a sq foot. At that price, its worth the try to me. Its got 5 coats of seal on it, so it should be ok - plus its a master bath, so no kids to splash around in it.

Brian

I know what you mean by the echo sounding you get with hard flooring especially when thier is little or no furniture I have placed area rugs throughout the house and that has helped here in AZ I will wear socks in the morning in the winter

brian your clicky does not work "this"

Hmm, it must expire or something because it worked earlier. It was just a map showing the flood zone which crosses the tip of my land, and my basement is under ground so...

If you live that close to a flood zone area, I would advise against penetrating through the cement floor of your basement right away. If the water is running through the ground it could be running under your house as well. The weight of your house might force water up into the basement when you punch through the concrete. It probably won't rush in, but it will come in nonstop all of the time and making any kind of water tight seal after the fact could be very tricky.

ok then, what should I do? During spring, water comes up through the floor anyway. Should I just accept that and put on my bathing suit? :wink: The worst it's been is during last year's flood - normally, only bad springs put water in the basement. Otherwise, it's fine for the most part.

The first step for water treating a basement is to always find the source of the inflow of water. In most cases, it is because of a faulty gutter system around the house that either leaks down the side of the house foundation, or the gutter is draining water to an area that pushes the water right back to the foundation. If you know that the water is definitely coming through the floor and not from the walls (if you have a block wall foundation it is more likely for water to enter through the walls than through the floor), I think it would be wise to wait for a time when you know the ground is drier before penetrating the floor for your dry well. If it is coming directly through the walls they should feel slightly damp to the touch, moreso the lower you go (obviously more water pressure the lower you go). The walls can be treated with a sealant for concrete that actually slightly permeates the block and forms a water proof barrier (this doesn't work 100% of the time, but it's far less money and effort to try this). That should be available at home depot. I would advise you to try treating the walls first to see if that stops your problem and go from there. I hope this helps.

Yes, I have block walls, but poured floor. And I have already tried adjusting the gutters and building up the land around the house where it meets the basement to divert the water. However, I have seen water literally coming up from the floor. Since the floor is not perfectly flat, water collects in various areas until it gets high enough to clear the high spots, then drains into the floor drain. To help control where the water comes in the floor, I drilled a 3/4" hole in a strategic location, and it does work, but not good enough. During last year's flood, that hole had a small "fountain" of water coming from it (just high enough to see it). The walls are actually pretty solid. There is one wet spot on the walls, but that's under a window, which is understandable (gotta do something about the window "well" outside the basement.

My g/f and kids are going to Cali next month for a week, so that provides me with a decent window to make a mess. So, I'm hoping to have a plan in place so I can set up whatever rental I need.

What Doug said on the doors is what I have done. Little glue and a brad nailer. If you are going to be doing that be careful about cutting through the part that is hollow. It will have a tendency to splinter the thin paneling with out the backer on it. Taping the area with wide masking tape then put your cut line down. It will help minimize the splintering.

Another option is to remove it from the top and and drill new holes for the hinges. The new holes for the hinges will probably be close to the old ones. You will need to reinforce that section of the doors edge first. Takes some wood dowels the size of the holes (wooden golf tees sometime fit) and some wood glue. Tap them into the old holes with some glue and cut them flush. This will allow you to drill the new holes without fear of them breaking into the space left by the old holes.

We have a Habitat for Humanity store here in town that sells the inside doors real cheap also. Everything they sale is donated (new and used items) and the procedes goes back into the community. Actually they sell everything at a really good price. Check around your area for one. You can get stuff at 1/3 the price of a Lowes or similar store. Caulking, tiles, electrical outlets, plumbing, paint, pvc, door handles, mirrors, nails, screws, nuts and bolts, light bulb, outlets boxes, windows, blinds, flashing, shelving, etc....

Hate pluming myself. Had to fix a copper pipe in a wall to the washer. I could not get solder to flow up into the coupler. I could of broken several things that frustrating weekend.

Yeah, I will probably just add more wood to the bottom. The problem is that I already re-glued the bottom and you know how solid wood glue is; I'll probably break the wood before I break the bond. Relocating hinges would work, but there is already a recessed area made for the existing hinges, which means I'd have to use wood putty or something to fill in where they were. Getting new doors is another option, but I noticed none of my doors are the same (or standard) size; they are all slightly different dimensions. Man, what a PITA it is to fix anything!

I used masking tape when I made my cuts, so splintering was minimized. I just sanded off the little splintering there was and use a little bit of wood putty to clean it up.

We do have a Habitat place in town, but they tend to not have enough of whatever I'm looking for. Seems a good place to go to replace a one-off item, but not good enough to replace a set of anything.

Man, what PITA it is to fix anyting! Spoken like a true homeowner. Still laughing about the parasite comment.

Didn't think about the recesses in the door for the hinges. Habitat is a hit or miss place. I've gotten a lot of lighting stuff from there. Street light and some halogens to turn my little track into Daytona at night. LOL

I call her the parasite (even in my phone that way) because the definition of a parasite is (the bold section in particular):

Feel your pain.
 

Yea I feel your pain BG. I can share stories that would really piss you off about my EXes. As for the house, well I bet there are a lot of us who wish some act of mother nature would remove what is there so we can start over and do it right. Builders really do some crappy work when they are in a hurry to please their boss, and we end up with the dirty end of the stick.

Carpeting is a PITA no matter how you slice it. I am like you, as we prefer carpeting for the comfy feeling on the feet, and the sound proofing it gives to a house.

Doors these days are really cheap unless you spend some bucks and get solid doors. Hollow doors are just not worth messing with at all.

The basement problem is one of those areas that you really want to make sure you get good advice to start with. If you punch through the floor to relieve one problem you will more then likely create even bigger problems if you already have a water problem to begin with. YOur best bet is to find some contractor who does that kind of work and take him out for a few beers. Once you have a few in him, then spring some questions on him about how to handle this issue. He will either give you great advice and probably want to see the issue at hand, but even offer you a great deal to fix the problem since you got him all schnockered up for the afternoon.

Good luck with your DIY project old timer.

re-your basement

If you get water coming up thruogh the ground and leaks in any way, go ahead with a quick-cut (conc. saw) and jackhammer. You can make the weak point where you want it. To go one step further you could spray the entire basement with 'Speedliner' or something similar. It's a very hardy waterproof lining but of course has a price.

Liner.
 

I would think that this is much like putting a new bed liner in an old rusty pickup truck. It may give you a nice look for a spell, but it really does not fix anything. If there is water already comming through the floor, then anything that one might spray or attach to the floor will never stick properly. Think about what would happen if you spray some kind of waterproof liner on the inside of a leaky boat. How would this help? We are talking about someones home. This is a large investment that you want to fix correctly once and be done with it. Talk with a professional and get the right advice BG.

yeh I retract the coment about the speedliner. Get advice.

I think I would talk to a basement company that specializes in this area and have them come take a look. Seeing as this is your foundation your house sits on I would be very careful before taking any steps to fix the problem. The foundation being to core of your house, I would hate to do anything to make things worse.

Exactly.
 

That is exactly the point that I am trying to make. Yea I know we are all looking for ways to save a few bucks and cut down on overspending, but when it comes to your home there are just some things that have to be done the hard way. Just hearing some of the points of view on this subject should really make you think closely before jumping into using a cement saw, or jackhammer. The thought of your foundation shifting, or having even more water come into your basement would scare the hell out of me. Like I stated earlier a few beers can go a long way in getting good advice.

Eh - why let fear and common sense stand in the way of a good DIY home repair story.....:intello:

I've never learned anything by doing it right the first time!

Limits.
 

We all have to know what our limits are. Ripping up carpeting is hard work but relaitvely easy to do from the thinking standpoint. Laying carpet is hard work as well, but you can hardly hurt your home if it is not installed correctly. Putting in a window or hanging a door can save you money, but will not make your house fall down if you do it wrong, so go for it.

BUT spraying sealant over a wet basement hoping that it will hold back the water is a waste of time & money, and surely punching holes in your basement floor can cause damage to the foundation of your home if you have flowing water under it. There are just some things that one should not do DIY if they have no experience in that field. One should weigh the possible outcome against the possible savings when trying to avoid spending too much money. How many times have we seen someone trying to skimp on a job and ending up with a catastrophy as a result due to a pure and simple lack of knowledge, which ended up costing them $$$$$$ to recover? We are all allowed our opinions, and we are all suceptable to our own stupidity or lack of understanding sometimes. That is why the voice of reason is always out there for us to hear. BOTTOM LINE you have to make your own decisions and be ready to accept the consiquences of our actions. Good luck BG.

I wasn't implying to jump in and do it on advice from a forum rather getting you to think about other options to regular pumping out. There are products that will seal in the wet even if it leaks from the other side. Speedliner probably isn't sound advice, it was just the first to spring to mind.

I'm sure Brian has his head screwed on and the outcome will be better than the current situation. On the other hand if the basement is constantly below the water line and has'nt been engineered to suit it might be opening a can of worms.

Spraying sealant on wet concrete is a horrible idea because the sealant would never be able to cure properly. Any type of sealant should be applied during dry conditions. The point that I was trying to make before was that there are other options that should be explored that are DIY before doing something more radical like chopping up the foundation floor for a well for a sump pump (which still doesn't solve the problem of the water entering the basement, it just provides a way to get rid of it). Also as far as some contractors go - he could talk to a "professional" that may say "you could do that, but in the end you'll really need this". I personally would take even their advice with a grain of salt - business is really down for most contractors and many of them are looking for that one job that can carry them for a couple of weeks. Maybe he'll get advice from a contractor that is spot on without the huge pricetag that goes with it, but I doubt it. I do agree with you that in the end BG will have to make up his own mind on what he will do and accept any possible consequences, however with that being said, I hate to see someone spend a pile of money going straight to a contractor without trying simpler and far less expensive alternatives first that in most cases do work (this is coming from someone with 15 plus years in construction - this isn't my field of expertise, but I know how contractors talk and I have picked up quite a few tips in my time).

Thanks for all the input guys. I fully understand the risks, which is why I sought some other opinions before chopping into the floor. I hesitate to contact a contractor because they are in it to make money and will most likely dishonestly advise whatever will put more of my cash into their pocket. Approaching a contractor I do not know and offering to buy drinks is a good way to make them think I am after more than their professional services. :wink:

I do not believe there is "running water" under the floor, or else there would be a LOT more flooding than there is. It's just a matter of a saturated water table. Last year's flood was the worst I have ever seen and even then the floor drain was more than adequate to keep up with the flow coming in. It was never super bad, just enough to cover the low areas of the floor.

I also understand the risks in cutting into the floor. Any hole I create will be at least 4 feet away from any walls to eliminate the chance of compromising the structural integrity of the walls. Yeah, I don't need the basement becoming the first floor. :smile:

The sealant would be a good idea if the floor was just prone to "sweating", but flowing water is powerful stuff and it will find a way in no matter what. So, trying to block the water is probably not gonna work. Even pouring another layer of cement would be a temporary fix if that, and all I'd get out of the deal is a lower ceiling. :wink: The idea behind the sump pump idea is to 1) drain water under the basement before it can come in (or at least reduce the intensity), and 2) control where the flow comes in.

I'm still doing research, but everything I've read points to the sump pump idea. It's just a matter of how I'm gonna cut the floor, which I think we've covered.

You should not be scared with cutting a 12x12 hole in the corner of your basement floor. I should do no harm. All along the outside of the floor where it touches the walls should be expansion joint which for sure is not water proof if there was running water under you floor it sure as well would be flowing out from this joint if anything the joint already has as much open surface area as the hole you would be cutting. My Mothers house is within 10 feet for a small stream. There is a 2 foot hole in the basement with a sump pump in it if it wasnt for that sump pump, every time it rained hard, there would have been inches of water in the basment. As long as you pipe the water a decent amount away from your house that sump pump will do no harm.

Update:

Sump pump has been successfully installed! What a PAIN IN THE ummm, BUTT! Because of the age and hardness of the concrete, I opted to use a cement saw. Using a jackhammer might have created cracks all over the place. Anyway, the cement saw worked well, but what a mess!!!! I used some plastic to make a little "room" around the work area to help contain the dust and I set a shop vac nearby to help rid the dust, but it was still an insane amount of dust. There were times I couldn't even see the saw I was holding about 1 foot away!

Getting the 2' X 2' X ~4" slab out was hard as well. That thing weighs a ton and I'm not a small guy. Then, when I started digging, I hit water about 12" down. The rest of the ~3' was painstakingly slow because of the dirt/water soup. Even then, the tub doesn't sit all the way down, but far enough to do the job (tested it fine).

Man, if I never have to do this again, it will still be one more time than I want to do it!

Happy to hear.
 

Well we are just happy to hear that all is well and that the job is completed. So how is the rest of the project going for you BG?

Slow. Finished one of the inside doors, and planning to start on the others slowly.

The bathroom remodel will have to wait until I come up with ~$5-7k to have it done right. Electrical/electronics are easy, but I seem to have "trouble" doing anything related to plumbing. In the meantime, I'm gonna start looking up general contractors and lining up some estimates. I just hate spending that kind of money for a place to poop. :no:

Feelings.
 

Yea we feel ya dog. The only problem is that women look at quite differently then we do. I believe that the poopie room is number one on most womens list of importance, next to the kitchen. And of course we have to keep them happy now don't we?