I guess I’m more concerned with drilling a bunch of large holes in the roof and then causing a leak somewhere else. This seems to have worked fine for years so I’m wary of making a big change like that.
I believe ridge vents are the best way to ventiIate vaulted ceilings and since I live in MN ice dams are a big issue with poorly insulated and ventilated roofs. I’ve got a different roofer coming out to look at it, maybe it’s just a shitty install job or a simple fix
So I know little to nothing about home maintenance but have tried to acquire some knowledge over the years. Plumbing remains a mystery though. I noticed a good amount of water on my basement floor. Upon further inspection it appears to be coming from the basement ceiling, which is directly below my kitchen sink area.
I checked it out under the kitchen sink and sure enough it’s pretty wet, not pooling though like it is in the basement. It definitely was not like this last night, so it appears to have happened very recently which is good, I think. I know water infiltration/damage/mold can be a bitch to fix.
I have a garbage disposal in the sink that occasionally backs up if extra food gets accidentally washed off into it but a flick of the switch on and the water drains without an issue. It hasn’t been cold enough here yet to be concerned about frozen pipes exploding but does this sound like the case of a bad/leaky garbage disposal or a larger issue? I’ve got a buddy who is a jack of all trades coming to take a look but thought I’d get some advice from our internet posters too!
It definitely sounds like a leak from the waste side of the plumbing. From the supply side it would be a lot worse.
Put a bowl under the disposal and towel under the whole area, let it get clogged by whatever is easily chopped up by the disposal and backed up and then take a look imo.
Alrighty, cool thanks. I did put some towels down and dried to the best I could for now. Doesn’t appear to be ongoing leaking but we shall see when someone takes a look that knows what they’re looking at.
So that seems to be the issue. Maybe it’s been happening longer than I thought because based on what I’m seeing under the sink, there’s a ton more water in my basement than what seems to be the sole cause.
I also have literally no ambition to do this myself. Not to sound too douchey but I always said I went to so many years of school so I didn’t have to learn anything like this or anything related to fixing a car (besides changing a tire obv). So, I appreciate the feedback from those that know much more than me.
So my fantasy life has taken me towards building a tiny home on cheap land with no services. I have an irl friend who is into this idea as well - perhaps setting up a commune. Not really, but like a shared vacation/camping spot.
Thoughts on aircrete or foam concrete? Insulation is good. Resistance to rot, mold and infestation is a key point for a structure that might sit for long periods. Fire resistance - might be in an area prone to fire.
Thoughts on construction method
Pour perimeter foundation - normal concrete
Build a 2x4 frame with vertical members only at the corners and adjacent to windows and doors
Pour aircrete panels something like 6-8" thick and 12-18" wide and the length that goes from 2x4 post to 2x4 post
In pour of the panels either have holes for the 2x4 posts or notches and set panels horizontally on edge for the walls - also a notch in the form so the panels fit together like tongue and groove boards. (panels reinforced with steel mesh)
Wood posts would ensure that the building goes up square. Joining the posts with sill and top plates would keep the building from falling down and stuff. Absolute max size would be 400sf, but thinking of much smaller - like 150sf footprint. Pitched roof - like 14-16’ tall at the tall end with a loft.
concerns
another plus
For the roof I’m thinking very thin wood or steel framing with maybe some spray foam and/or polystyrene and tongue and groove wood siding on the inside with corregated steel on top.
Comments from anyone - obviously - but also paging @zikzak
I think this is probably the best place to ask this. I am moving out of a rented house and into an apartment. Due to poker, I often have a significant amount of cash. I would like to install a safe, but there is no convenient place to drill holes and secure it somewhere. There is no closet in the bedroom. Everywhere is carpeted or tiled and drilling a hole would be noticed.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to put a safe somewhere? I would have to be able to carry all materials by myself. Anything involving welding is a no go. I’m not particularly handy in general. I’d prefer to spend under $200, including the safe.
If you can’t drill into something structural, there’s really no great way. A safe should have some mounting holes where you can put a bolt with the head inside the safe. You could mount the safe to something that makes it really hard to carry off like a couple long pieces of strut - but maybe something that’s even harder to cut.
Safety deposit box at the casino?
I’d suggest you keep the money on you and just carry a gun, but then you’re the one we’re all worried about.
You don’t need a safe, God made buttholes for a reason.
@microbet why foam concrete? Does it solve some specific problem for you or were you simply drawn to it because it’s different and cool and the hippy kids talk about it or whatever?
Like almost every other professional builder, yes I am extremely skeptical of all these alternative building methods that have been around for decades yet have completely failed to capture any significant segment of the market. And I say that as somebody who has worked hands-on with several of them. There are very good reasons why we keep on using light frame wood construction for most buildings instead of all the the other stuff. It’s because it’s faster, cheaper, and easier than anything else out there, and you’re going to be very hard pressed to come up with a building material that’s more ecologically responsible than a carbon sequestering crop.
If you’re especially worried about insects, rot and fire, you could do light gauge steel framing and metal panel siding/roofing instead. Goes up exactly the same as wood framing and doesn’t cost that much more. It has even been adopted into prescriptive building codes so you don’t need to guess about how to do it right or trust some dodgy website or uToob.
Why a perimeter concrete foundation instead of pier and beam?
Where are you planning to build that you’re so concerned with insulation?
Most of the things I found seemed to be focused on gun safes. The easiest thing would be to have a big safe and add enough lead bars to make it difficult to move, which goes over my budget. And I am not going to bolt it to a huge piece of steel.
I’ve done a lot of research on this, so I’ve already seen those sites you mention. I was just wondering if anyone here had considered this problem while grinding live poker.
Foam concrete functions as insulation too - roughly the same as regular insulation. Cost of materials is supposed to be lower, though that may well not be true.
Labor will be higher than stick built, but maybe that’s not necessarily so dramatically true for an individual as opposed to a framing crew with just throws walls up so fast.
“Aircrete” is not popular, but there are a fair amount of commercial products that are similar (autoclaved aerated concrete). A professional building crew just doesn’t have the time to let sections of the walls cure for 7 days.
Meh? Houses I see with piers and beams usually have a concrete perimeter. You need something like that so that even a little tiny earthquake doesn’t make it fall down, don’t you?
Not exactly sure where it would be, but could be in the mountains.
I’m sure you’re right about the ecological footprint being better with conventional insulation and wood or steel framing. The concrete construction CO2 emission being not too high depends on the calculation that the structure lasts a long long time, but this is not a building that’s likely to sit there for 300 years.
As far as infestation goes though, it’s not so much the framing rotting - I like the idea of pests (mice and such) not being able to ever be inside the walls.
I assume you’re talking to me and not about the safe.
I mentioned 400sf max, but probably more like 150sf with a loft. Budget is unknown. Depends on if others are interested. The guy I know irl who is has reasonable cash. I’m thinking on the order of a few thousand for the building materials. The land cost is a bigger deal though - even in a somewhat remote area without utilities. It’s not going to be like the absolute middle of the Nevada desert or anything. Seems like you can find spots that seem possible at like $20k+ though.
No, especially not for a small cabin. I’d think your best bet would be to stick it on the ground and not have a foundation at all. I’m not super up on seismic engineering, but one of the more common tactics is to decouple the structure from the ground as much as practical. In a tiny building you can do that by just letting it sit there unsecured to anything.
Would you just lay out some gravel and have like a couple of floating treated boards as the “foundation”? Rail road ties?
I’d probably go pressure treated 4x4’s at 8’ OC with 2x6 joists on top, also PT.
Or go 4’ OC with the 4x4’s and use 2x4 joist framing and it’s one comfortable step up from the ground to the interior.
Thanks. If it happens I’ll definitely be posting a lot about it.
My budget is $200. I was looking at Amazon Basics safes for under $100. Nothing fancy. If I can’t mount one to a wall, I am looking at some options like a diversion safe. Because of other meanings for the word “safe”, it is a pain to search online.
Oh, if you do end up building somewhere cold you’ll want to change that floor design for deeper insulation. Bare minimum of 2x8 with spray foam insulation, or 2x10 with fiberglass batts.