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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 86 responses total. |
ball
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response 27 of 86:
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Oct 10 19:12 UTC 2007 |
To obtain a building permit for concrete work at the rear of the house
I have to submit a drawing, detailing the position of the slab in
relation to the property line. Today I bought a drawing board, set
squares, T-square, a 6H pencil and some paper. U.S. paper sizes baffle
me, but for the purposes of this simple diagram I bought a pad of 12"x
9" (305x229mm) drawing paper, which I subsequently found out coincides
with "Architectural A" size. I plan to tweak the margins so that the
drawing proper lives in a 283x200mm box, which will photocopy 1:1 onto
ISO A4 (297x210) paper and enlarge smoothly to other ISO sizes.
I need to find a builder's long tape measure and a friend to hold the
other end of it.
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keesan
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response 28 of 86:
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Oct 10 19:47 UTC 2007 |
Why not use a CAD program instead? We stopped using paper for this a long
time ago. Microcad for DOS is about $35 shareware and bug-free.
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ball
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response 29 of 86:
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Oct 10 20:14 UTC 2007 |
The only computer that I have set up at present is a 300 MHz Apple
iBook. It's in the kitchen, so I don't have a printer attached.
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rcurl
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response 30 of 86:
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Oct 11 05:55 UTC 2007 |
You don't need precise drawings. Use graph paper and a straight edge: no need
for T-square. (I say this, being experienced in "real" mechanical drawing of
objects for machine shop production - but that's not the kind of drawing you
need.)
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cmcgee
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response 31 of 86:
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Oct 11 14:19 UTC 2007 |
You're at the early stages of this. How about documenting "now" and do
the in-progress shots to share?
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ball
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response 32 of 86:
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Oct 12 02:40 UTC 2007 |
Re #30: The drawing isn't a big problem for me, having survived
"Technical Drawing" class in (the British equivalent of) high
school. I just had to stop and think for a minute about the
peculiar American paper size. A drawing board, T-square etc. have
been on my list of things to buy for a while, the permit drawing
just provided the extra impetus for me to actually go out and get
them. It's not an engineering or architectural drawing and
although I hope to make it approximately to scale, I don't expect
anyone to be taking measurements from it. I would use larger paper
for that kind of work anyway.
Re #31: I'll see what I can do. I don't have a tripod or a wide-angle
lens.
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ball
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response 33 of 86:
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Oct 19 15:13 UTC 2007 |
I didn't get to take the "before" photograph or to make the drawing.
While I was mostly out of town the builders obtained a permit and
commenced work. I think it has rained every day since the concrete
was poured. Hopefully it had time to skin over before the first rain.
I should start work on the well, or at least start to identify some of
the "3D Pipes screensaver" plumbing.
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keesan
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response 34 of 86:
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Oct 19 20:13 UTC 2007 |
Are you enclosing the concrete to make a sunporch?
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ball
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response 35 of 86:
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Oct 19 22:09 UTC 2007 |
Not this year, although I suppose it's a possibility for the future.
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keesan
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response 36 of 86:
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Oct 20 04:05 UTC 2007 |
It would have helped to put styrofoam insulation under it to retain any heat.
But you can use rugs on top instead and not have the heat go into the slab.
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ball
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response 37 of 86:
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Oct 20 05:11 UTC 2007 |
I have been giving some thought over the last few days to the furnace,
which someone decided should live in the crawlspace. I can't help
wondering how much money I will spend each year heating the ground
under the house. I should seal and perhaps insulate the ducting, but
I honestly doubt that I will fit into the crawlspace. :-(
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rcurl
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response 38 of 86:
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Oct 20 05:57 UTC 2007 |
I once installed a horizontal gas furnace in a crawlspace. I didn't think
it wasted any significant energy "heating the ground". It wasn't a
high-efficiency furnace so some heat was wasted, but if it is a
high-efficiency furnace nothing external gets very hot.
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ball
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response 39 of 86:
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Oct 20 18:43 UTC 2007 |
Well that's some consolation. I will have to try squeezing myself
into the crawlspace somehow to seel and insulate the ducts, insulate
(and identify) the water pipes, to install new television coax cable
and perhaps some new electrical wiring. None of these are jobs that
I'm looking forward to.
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rcurl
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response 40 of 86:
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Oct 20 19:25 UTC 2007 |
...and a gas pipe to the furnace, and drain if it is a high efficiency
furnace. I did pour concrete pads to which to fasten the furnace, but I
*think* they can also be hung from the joists (better check on that). But
bolted to the pads no vibration was transferred to the house.
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keesan
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response 41 of 86:
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Oct 20 23:09 UTC 2007 |
Andy, it might make more sense to insulate the crawlspace walls and retain
ground heat. Is there insulation in the crawlspace ceiling? You can insulate
the walls on the inside (fiberglass or foam) but it will be awkward. You can
add insulation on the outside but make sure if styrofoam that it has built-in
antproofing. They like to nest in it. Then cover with cement board. Dig
down about four feet around the foundation first. Or pay someone to do that.
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ball
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response 42 of 86:
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Oct 21 00:49 UTC 2007 |
The crawlspace appears to be basically a shallow pit dug under the
house. I have yet to stick my head far enough into the pit to see
whether there's any kind of wall around the outside of it.
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keesan
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response 43 of 86:
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Oct 21 01:01 UTC 2007 |
There has to be a wall to hold up the house walls. You can try to insulate
it in order to keep the house and floor warmer. Does your house itself have
wall or ceiling insulation? Judging from the water heater in an unheated
brick garage it sounds unlikely. Stick your head up into the attic if there
is a trapdoor.
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ball
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response 44 of 86:
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Oct 21 04:40 UTC 2007 |
The house has ceiling insulation, which I'm told is lose-fill
cellulose, so it should be easy to add more. I doubt the walls are
insulated. I'm considering a tankless water heater.
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keesan
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response 45 of 86:
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Oct 22 00:16 UTC 2007 |
Is the house wall brick? If you can get into the attic, you might be able
to pour loose fill insulation into the walls, or blow it in.
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ball
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response 46 of 86:
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Oct 22 01:44 UTC 2007 |
The wall is brick. I don't know whether there's a cavity.
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keesan
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response 47 of 86:
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Oct 22 02:28 UTC 2007 |
Brick is at least good for reducing air movement, and nice because it does
not rot or need painting. Around here it raised property taxes.
Jim drilled holes in the top plates of his walls and blew in bits of styrofoam
using a vacuum cleaner, from the attic. Can you get into the attic, or is
it one of those shallow roofed 50-60s houses?
I suppose you could drill holes in the drywall on the inside and blow in
insulation. It makes a mess, but the cellulose stuff is not dangerous.
What was last year's heat bill?
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ball
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response 48 of 86:
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Oct 22 14:21 UTC 2007 |
I've seen cellulose blown into the wall cavity of a brick house in
England. The blower, hopper and presumably bags of insulation were in
the back of a large van. Holes were drilled in the walls from the
outside, insulation was injected and then the holes were plugged. I
have no way of knowing what last year's heating bill was.
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keesan
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response 49 of 86:
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Oct 22 17:44 UTC 2007 |
In English brick houses might be built with two layers of brick and a cavity
in between (to keep the house a bit warmer). Here it is easier to drill holes
in drywall rather than brick. You can ask the company from which you purchase
your heating fuel about last year's monthly bills.
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ball
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response 50 of 86:
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Oct 22 23:36 UTC 2007 |
Yes, in Britain it's probably fair to say that most homes would be
built with some sort of wall cavity. Perhaps they're even pre-
insulated these days.
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ball
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response 51 of 86:
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Oct 30 20:49 UTC 2007 |
It turns out that the post in the crawlspace /did/ have a concrete
footing, but it was concealed by layer of dirt. The bottom of the post
had rotted somewhat, so it's probably fortunate that we had it
supplemented when we did.
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