What are you doing? - (Hobbies Thread)

[meiroy]

On 3/3/2022 at 11:04 AM, ERICOPOLY said:

I have never done much work around the house before.  Lived in them, other people built them and fixed them.

 

I am closing in a few days on a 900 sqft "crack house" in California built in 1920.  $90,000.  For that price I get a house that people cannot get financing on.

 

Hobbies:

I am learning wiring.

I am learning plumbing.

I am learning lath&plaster repair.

I am learning sanding and refinishing wood floors.

I am learning insulation.

I am learning framing.

I am learning tiling.

I am learning window restoration (pulley and weight sash windows)

 

Everything in the kitchen will be gutted.  

Everything but the bathtub will be gutted in the bathroom.

All electrical will be ripped out and replaced.

All plumbing will be replaced.

All ducting will be replaced.

Unfinished basement will become a legal apartment (not sure if I'm doing all of this part myself).

 

Oh, the dream project!  Endless hobby.

 

Once ready, it's less than 2 blocks from the Upper Sacramento river and will be my fly fishing retreat. 

 

10 minutes to Mt. Shasta.

 

Amazing!  So, what's the youtube channel?

[meiroy]

17 hours ago, Castanza said:

Recent project I did for a neighbor. Completely rebuilt this mantel from the ground up. Never did this before so it was a fun project. Not perfect, and a few things I would do differently but turned out alright. A few finishing touches missing in the pic but that's the latest I have. I think they are going to put a gas insert in at some point so this was the immediate solution. 

 

- Pulled off old sheeting

- Reinsulated duct work

- Added canless lights, new outlets from circuit from box, and hidden media box behind TV with dedicated ethernet. Samsung Frame mounts flush which is pretty cool.

- Also thought the picture mode looked pretty real if you got some high res paintings (one pictured is not)

- Re sheeted in 3/4 veneer core finish ply

- Custom milled trim 

- Custom built beam (shoutout to Sheppard Brackets <- use these)

- Removed old insert cleaned and painted brick/fire box

 

 

 

 

Lovely, you guys are impressive doing all this stuff...

[gfp]

10 hours ago, ERICOPOLY said:

 

Have you tried a few coats of polyurethane on them to seal them?

We have used a product called Waterlox, which is a penetrating wiping varnish - it is like many thin "in the wood" solvent based finishes as opposed to "on the wood" film finishes like thicker poly.  Waterlox is basically mineral spirits, oil (probably modified tung and linseed) and resin (like urethane).  I'm not sure they even sell solvent based finishes in California.  

 

These types of countertops tend to hold up fine on a kitchen island that doesn't contain a sink, where we edge join the slabs together to make large island countertops.  The wiping varnish (Waterlox) type products make quick refinishes between tenants fairly easy.  We use a non-glossy satin for the final coat.

 

Another problem we run into down here is that a big slab of wood (even one made up of many smaller pieces glued up) doesn't like being sealed only on one side - and it is uncommon to pre-seal all of the cuts and underside of the butcher block countertops before installation.  You can have a situation where a warm, steamy dishwasher and unconditioned under-sink cabinet area conflicts with the dry air-conditioned area on top and the big slabs want to cup - this is more of an issue on bigger slabs, like a peninsula, where two countertop slabs are glued up to obtain depth for the overhang over the half-wall and barstool area. 

 

We have never tried building up a film on top of the wood like traditional thick polyurethane.  We use one called "Behlen Rockhard" in satin on other stuff but I can't remember if that would leave rings where drinks are set down.

 

Still can't put anything hot on it.  I know granite can be ugly, but there are quite a few better looking granites available plus any of the manmade quartz countertops - they can all handle hot pans right out of the oven and the acid from citrus, vinegar, etc...  Carrera marble is cheap and beautiful but even with the best sealers it will etch from citrus and eventually take stains - better in a honed finish but will still etch and scratch, marble is very soft.

 

My apologies for the long reply

[ERICOPOLY]

5 hours ago, meiroy said:

 

Amazing!  So, what's the youtube channel?

 

"This Old House" is good.

 

For the lath and plaster repair these are good:  https://plastermagic.com/video/

 

Electrical is the more complicated part.  My father did it all for himself so he is a resource and he will help with replacing the main electrical panel -- it helps that the house already has 225Amp service.  Otherwise it's learning the codes which takes some time.  

[gfp]

I think you will find that modern electrical work is one of the easiest skills to master.  I actually kind of enjoy electrical work because it is so easy to do yourself.  I got started by wiring a few complete houses (open wall) alongside my electrician so I learned his methods and pet peeves, etc.  Fishing wires in closed walls isn't nearly as fun but it sounds like you have access from below.

[ERICOPOLY]

1 hour ago, gfp said:

I think you will find that modern electrical work is one of the easiest skills to master.  I actually kind of enjoy electrical work because it is so easy to do yourself.  I got started by wiring a few complete houses (open wall) alongside my electrician so I learned his methods and pet peeves, etc.  Fishing wires in closed walls isn't nearly as fun but it sounds like you have access from below.

 

Yes the access from below is the key.  There is a bunch of wiring that was done illegally.  Like you'll see a splice from a ceiling fixture instead of inside a junction box.  Or an extension cord going around the outside of the house then in through a bedroom window and connected to an outlet that was just screwed to the exterior of the closet door trim.  It's so bad.  

 

Because plaster/lathe is a pain to deal with, we're just going to install new outlets in the baseboards and easily accessed from the basement/crawlspace.

[rkbabang]

9 minutes ago, ERICOPOLY said:

 

Yes the access from below is the key.  There is a bunch of wiring that was done illegally.  Like you'll see a splice from a ceiling fixture instead of inside a junction box.  Or an extension cord going around the outside of the house then in through a bedroom window and connected to an outlet that was just screwed to the exterior of the closet door trim.  It's so bad.  

 

Because plaster/lathe is a pain to deal with, we're just going to install new outlets in the baseboards and easily accessed from the basement/crawlspace.

 

Oh my god, that sounds crazy.  I had to re-wire a good portion of my lake house only because it was old 2 wire (no ground) electric with a fabric like insulation that crumbled when you touched it.  I didn't have any extension cords going outside and back in through a window though.  

 

Like a lot of people here I spend a lot of time on house projects, I pretty much do everything myself.  My lake house was a fixer upper when we bought it and we are almost done with it now.  One more big project left will be putting in a bathroom in the finished basement.  That will be next winter though.  My other hobbies are investing, shooting, hiking, boating, reading, cooking, and drinking a hell of a lot of coffee.

 

[Castanza]

@ERICOPOLY Whatever you finish the wood tops with, make sure it's food safe. I believe Waterlox is but some Poly may not be. 

 

https://www.cuttingboard.com/blog/what-type-of-oils-are-safe-to-use-on-your-cutting-board/

[ERICOPOLY]

35 minutes ago, rkbabang said:

 

I had to re-wire a good portion of my lake house only because it was old 2 wire (no ground) electric with a fabric like insulation that crumbled when you touched it.  I didn't have any extension cords going outside and back in through a window though.  

 

 

Yes we have that crumbling stuff too.  It is a mixture of original two prong outlets with original knob & tube wiring and the new stuff illegally installed.  There are a few modern 3 prong outlets that look legit.  But I'm running all new wires.  I want to reposition a lot of those wires anyway for the finished basement apartment.

 

The only heat in the house is a kerosene monitor in the living room.  The original giant kerosene monitor from 1920 is still in the basement -- the handyman neighbor and his wife bought their home as a fixer 10 years ago and she unbolted their monitor heater with her sisters and removed it themselves.  It belongs in a museum -- the entire house.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2022 by ERICOPOLY

[ERICOPOLY]

29 minutes ago, Castanza said:

@ERICOPOLY Whatever you finish the wood tops with, make sure it's food safe. I believe Waterlox is but some Poly may not be. 

 

https://www.cuttingboard.com/blog/what-type-of-oils-are-safe-to-use-on-your-cutting-board/

 

We were wondering about that -- polyurethane is supposedly okay when it's all set, according to the FDA.   At the cafeteria at Microsoft the food service was provided by Marriott and the black plastic knives melted when you used them to cut into an orange peel.  We notified the staff and a cafeteria manager came out and said they were FDA approved knives.  Love the FDA.

[ERICOPOLY]

This video shows how easy it is to add outlets through the baseboard:

 

 

[Castanza]

1 hour ago, ERICOPOLY said:

 

We were wondering about that -- polyurethane is supposedly okay when it's all set, according to the FDA.   At the cafeteria at Microsoft the food service was provided by Marriott and the black plastic knives melted when you used them to cut into an orange peel.  We notified the staff and a cafeteria manager came out and said they were FDA approved knives.  Love the FDA.

Lmao gotta love that. Whenever I make cutting boards I just use mineral oil but make sure to pick it up from a pharmacy. Some of the stuff at Lowes and Home Depot is distilled differently and not technically food safe. All about the same price. 
 

I do like the look of butcher block counters or island. Definitely a timeless look if incorporated right. 
 

also love those This Old House vids. Tom Silva saved my ass a few times. 
 

HomeRenovision DIY is also a good Youtube channel. Canadian guy who “helped” me sort out some things for a bathroom like Kerdi board, tile etc. 

 

Good luck! 

[boilermaker75]

On 3/2/2022 at 10:42 PM, Blugolds11 said:

Currently remodeling a lake home in prep for sale… I do everything myself. 

 

Other hobbies include woodworking, I have another cabin I am going to build a garage at in the spring and will use that shop to hopefully start building a drift boat. I previously worked at a boat shop restoring old wooden boats, ChrisCraft , Hackercraft, Garwood, combining woodworking and love for boats was great. Some archery, but mainly construction/woodworking related. My hobbies change depending on the project, usually my projects are large, so take a while and then I move on to the next interest. I spent 5 years restoring a 1968 Camaro that I still have, so at that time my hobbies were more automotive in nature. 

 

My first car was a 1968 Firebird.

[boilermaker75]

I collected a few Mont Blanc pens, but many didn’t feel very substantial and accidently dropping one usually caused damage.

 

Then I discovered Retro 51 pens. They are extremely well built and many have interesting themes. Retro 51 does several for the Smithsonian. For instance there is a Vega after the red Vega plane Amelia Earhart flew over the Atlantic that is at the Smithsonian.

 

I guess it became a hobby/obsession. I have about 50. They ranged in price for me from $35 to $55.

 

They do special editions that are numbered and they only produce a couple hundred to maybe 2,000 depending on the expected popularity. They often sell out in an hour. I just bought the red dragon, which they only made 300, and I know I got one of the last ones.

 

https://www.purepens.co.uk/products/retro-51-pure-pen-exclusive-the-red-dragon

[ERICOPOLY]

Plumbing looks very simple with PEX.  Does anyone have a word of caution?

 

Explanation:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/pex-pipe/

 

Shopping cart:

1x  A PEX Manifold with 24 ports is $224 at Home Depot.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-24-Port-PEX-Manifold-with-1-2-in-Brass-Ball-Valves-6907924CP/202709904

2x  300 feet of PEX-A 1/2 inch tubing is $109 at Home Depot.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-2-in-x-300-ft-White-PEX-A-Expansion-Pipe-EPPW30012/302740664

 

 

I'm looking at a total cost of around $442 for all the tubing and the manifold which will replace 100% of the hot & cold water pipes through the entire house using a dedicated tube running from each of the manifold ports directly to the endpoint (at the kitchen sink for example) with no connections in between.

 

And the tubing is flexible so it doesn't matter if the water freezes.

 

You don't need to shut off the house water when you want to work on a sink:  you just turn the valve for the sink's hot/cold tubing at the PEX Manifold.  Similar to shutting off a branch circuit breaker when you want to work on the wiring in a room instead of turning off the main breaker for a house.

Edited March 7, 2022 by ERICOPOLY

[gfp]

Supply lines are easy with pex.  The trickier part with diy plumbing is knowing all the rules for venting the drains.  I have also inadvertently run pvc drain pipes too tight up against framing to where it is loud when hot water travels through the drains and they try to slightly expand against the framing.

 

Is any of this work going to be inspected?  

[ERICOPOLY]

3 hours ago, gfp said:

Supply lines are easy with pex.  The trickier part with diy plumbing is knowing all the rules for venting the drains.  I have also inadvertently run pvc drain pipes too tight up against framing to where it is loud when hot water travels through the drains and they try to slightly expand against the framing.

 

Is any of this work going to be inspected?  

 

I think it will be inspected if I want to get a legal apartment designation for the basement conversion.

[Castanza]

12 hours ago, ERICOPOLY said:

Plumbing looks very simple with PEX.  Does anyone have a word of caution?

 

Explanation:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/pex-pipe/

 

Shopping cart:

1x  A PEX Manifold with 24 ports is $224 at Home Depot.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-24-Port-PEX-Manifold-with-1-2-in-Brass-Ball-Valves-6907924CP/202709904

2x  300 feet of PEX-A 1/2 inch tubing is $109 at Home Depot.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Apollo-1-2-in-x-300-ft-White-PEX-A-Expansion-Pipe-EPPW30012/302740664

 

 

I'm looking at a total cost of around $442 for all the tubing and the manifold which will replace 100% of the hot & cold water pipes through the entire house using a dedicated tube running from each of the manifold ports directly to the endpoint (at the kitchen sink for example) with no connections in between.

 

And the tubing is flexible so it doesn't matter if the water freezes.

 

You don't need to shut off the house water when you want to work on a sink:  you just turn the valve for the sink's hot/cold tubing at the PEX Manifold.  Similar to shutting off a branch circuit breaker when you want to work on the wiring in a room instead of turning off the main breaker for a house.

 

PEX can still burst but it's not as likely to do so. Make sure you're using the crimp ring style if you're putting it in an area you can't access (behind a wall etc.). SharkBite push to connect fittings are great and simple for areas you can access. Big benefit is you can go copper to pex without a problem. Saves so much time. I haven't had any problem with mine. I even have a 1 inch push to connect line which is copper to pex and my PSI is definitely a bit high at 85PSI. 

 

Get the ball valves and use a lot of them. I recommend the ones with the bleeder/drain port. This is incredibly useful for future projects or changes that you might not think of now. Easily allows you to drain a line without having to turn all the water off and you can isolate sections even more. 

 

Cost wise it's a no brainer. 3ft piece of 1/2 copper is what $20 right now? No soldering, no cutting, no mess. 

[Blugolds]

On 3/4/2022 at 1:45 PM, boilermaker75 said:

 

My first car was a 1968 Firebird.

 

As you know the 1st gen Camaro/Firebird share the same bodylines for the most part, thats a great looking car!. I actually prefer the 68's over the 69's and I like the 67 side vent windows...

 

I bought the car as a basket case and went through the entire thing. I dont have many completed pics on this computer but enough to give you an idea of the project. All numbers match, 327 car with 4 speed. Literallt every nut and bolt replaced, upgraded vintage air system, full disc brake setup, all new interior...completely new car including backup cameras and apple car play with microphone in headliner. I actually dont like the wheels/tires on it, I got them for a great deal and couldnt pass up, but will be going back to the rally wheel look, I upgraded things tastefully to keep relatively original looking. 

 

As purchased: (Looks cleaner here than it actually was, after media blasting, there are no secrets...)

 

 

 

 

[ERICOPOLY]

10 hours ago, Castanza said:

 

PEX can still burst but it's not as likely to do so. Make sure you're using the crimp ring style if you're putting it in an area you can't access (behind a wall etc.). SharkBite push to connect fittings are great and simple for areas you can access. Big benefit is you can go copper to pex without a problem. Saves so much time. I haven't had any problem with mine. I even have a 1 inch push to connect line which is copper to pex and my PSI is definitely a bit high at 85PSI. 

 

Get the ball valves and use a lot of them. I recommend the ones with the bleeder/drain port. This is incredibly useful for future projects or changes that you might not think of now. Easily allows you to drain a line without having to turn all the water off and you can isolate sections even more. 

 

Cost wise it's a no brainer. 3ft piece of 1/2 copper is what $20 right now? No soldering, no cutting, no mess. 

the bathtub and shower head connections are made inside a wall — the other type out there is the expanding sleeve type PEX fitting which I thought may be more secure than a crimp, but maybe too awkward to implement inside a wall.  
 

as for the ball valves, that is why I want to do end runs to every fixture back to a PEX manifold.  I see now that SharkBite sells a PEX manifold with 24 ball valves that are all push to connect.  The valves will all be in a central location at this manifold.  Ball valves in the hot & cold input lines feeding into the manifold would be a good addtion.

[Blugolds]

52 minutes ago, ERICOPOLY said:

the bathtub and shower head connections are made inside a wall — the other type out there is the expanding sleeve type PEX fitting which I thought may be more secure than a crimp, but maybe too awkward to implement inside a wall.  
 

as for the ball valves, that is why I want to do end runs to every fixture back to a PEX manifold.  I see now that SharkBite sells a PEX manifold with 24 ball valves that are all push to connect.  The valves will all be in a central location at this manifold.  Ball valves in the hot & cold input lines feeding into the manifold would be a good addtion.

 

When I built our vacation home I used this:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Viega-49143-1-2-Inch-PureFlow-Manabloc/dp/B008LAFEIE/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=manablock+pex+manifold&qid=1646706766&sprefix=manabloc%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-5

 

Worked very well, simple and orderly, even got a compliment from the building inspector. I had initially planned on building my own manifold but the price to build my own vs a commercially made manifold was not even close, so I just bought it and saved time/money. Each location is labeled with provided stickers and each run hot/cold can be shut off individually. Regardless of the brand, a manifold is the way to go, no brainer. 

 

As a side note, I have never personally had a pex connection leak, I always pressure the system up and hold, especially in areas that will be covered. I HAVE had sharkbite fittings leak to my surprise, they make a tool to ensure that you are 100% seated in the fitting, but I swore that it was seated after pushing in with all my might...sure enough had another 1/16 1/32 to get it totally seated...so Im personally a little leary sometimes using them but there is nothing easier when transitioning from copper to PEX, it beats soldering a connection. 

[Ross812]

A few thoughts:

 

Use copper stubs so you can use compression fittings at fixtures.

 

Apply for a the trademaster program at supplyhouse.com. The website has higher quality parts than homedepot and is cheaper. 

 

Don't install electric behind the base boards, just use an angle grinder and cut a 6 inch channel in the plaster and lathe. Patch with drywall shimmed to match. 

 

I think the manifolds look nice but you end up running a lot of extra pipe so it depends on your access and length of the runs.   You can run 3/4 and branch off the main line.  Put a few strategic valves around the house to isolate rooms. 

 

Installing minisplit heat pumps ducted or wall hanging is not hard and will save you a ton of money.  

 

Don't overlook ikea cabinets if you like the look. I did two kitchens over ten years ago in our rentals and they have held up great.

 

 

 

 

 

[Castanza]

10 hours ago, Blugolds11 said:

 

When I built our vacation home I used this:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Viega-49143-1-2-Inch-PureFlow-Manabloc/dp/B008LAFEIE/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=manablock+pex+manifold&qid=1646706766&sprefix=manabloc%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-5

 

Worked very well, simple and orderly, even got a compliment from the building inspector. I had initially planned on building my own manifold but the price to build my own vs a commercially made manifold was not even close, so I just bought it and saved time/money. Each location is labeled with provided stickers and each run hot/cold can be shut off individually. Regardless of the brand, a manifold is the way to go, no brainer. 

 

As a side note, I have never personally had a pex connection leak, I always pressure the system up and hold, especially in areas that will be covered. I HAVE had sharkbite fittings leak to my surprise, they make a tool to ensure that you are 100% seated in the fitting, but I swore that it was seated after pushing in with all my might...sure enough had another 1/16 1/32 to get it totally seated...so Im personally a little leary sometimes using them but there is nothing easier when transitioning from copper to PEX, it beats soldering a connection. 

 

Yeah the push connect fittings can have small drip if it isn't seated properly or if you're going copper to PEX and the copper side isn't cut perfectly square. I could be wrong but I believe it's against code to use push to connect fittings in areas which cannot be accessed. The compression rings ( @ERICOPOLY) are what I meant, Forgot their was also the crimp rings. (Example) I took some extra PEX and crimped two pieces together and tried to pull them apart with two people. Couldn't budge it....As bluegolds alluded to there is a tool "Go-NoGo" gauge which let's you know if you did it right and the crimp tool itself is kind of a ripoff but I haven't been able to find any other off branded ones on the market. The manifold is definitely a good idea if all the plumbing in the house is already isolated but you for sure will use a lot more pipe, where you could just branch off a main line. Thinking about it as an engineer it would look wayyy cleaner though and PEX isn't that expensive. 

 

[Ross812]

Push to connect fittings are rated for concealed use, but some jurisdictions do not allow them. For pex fittings - stainless is actually cheaper than brass right now!

 

https://www.supplyhouse.com/PEX-Crimp-Fittings-365000 filter for Boshart!

[Ross812]

Remodeling, woodworking, and rock climbing are my hobbies. I have turned the remodeling hobby into a nice handyman side gig. My wife said I had to stop taking things apart at our house, so now I mess with other peoples houses. I do a lot of trade work - electric work up to replacing the panel, plumbing except for concealed drain lines, hvac, framing, and finish work (except large drywall projects).  

 

Here was the last bathroom project at our house (before): 

 

After: