Blog Archives

Wooden Support Posts

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

Wooden support posts are available in shaped sizes, as engineered products, and as timber posts. The shaped sizes are described by their nominal dimensions, such as 4 in X 4 in (100 mm X 100 mm). This is their size prior to the surfacing required to provide smooth and straight posts. Their actual size is typically less than the nominal size. A 4-in X 4-in (100-mm X 100-mm) post will therefore have an actual size of 3.5 in X 3.5 in (90 mm X 90 mm). The engineered products are made from laminated or pressure-glued wood and nonwood recycled products. Timber posts are round in shape.

All wooden posts are of breakaway design, with the intended fracture of the post near the base and less than 4 in (100 mm) above the ground...

read more

Setting a Pedestal Sink

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

Installing a pedestal sink takes planning, a lot of adjusting, and two people. For starters, determine well in advance the height of the 2x blocking needed to anchor the sink, so you can cut that board into stud walls well before the drywall goes up.

Preattach the sink’s hardware before mount­ing it on the pedestal. Next, level the pedestal base, shimming it as needed. Ribbed plastic shims (also called ribbed stability wedges) work well for this task because their ribs keep them from slipping, even if it’s necessary to stack wedges on a badly out-of-level floor. Once the base is level, set the sink atop it and check it for level in two directions—front to back and side to side—using two torpedo levels, as shown in the left photo on p. 295...

read more

STEP 5 INSTALL THE DECKING AND STAIR TREADS. the ready supply of redwood decking has disap­peared along with the big trees. Cedar decking is available in some areas, but at a premium price. More and more people are using plastic decking material or deck boards that are a com­bination of wood chips or sawdust and recycled plastic. Although the up-front cost of this high – tech decking is greater than that of PT wood, the new materials don’t warp, crack, or require regu­lar finishing treatments to maintain an attractive appearance. They are worth considering

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

If you’re installing wood decking, keep in mind that many boards have a tendency to cup because of their circular grain structure. If you see a curve in the end grain of a board, lay it so the curve forms a hill rather than a valley. Should cupping occur sometime in the future, water will run off rather than pool. Exposed PT or cedar decking needs to be treated with a good deck finish every other year or so.

On narrow decks, the boards are often installed at a right angle to the house. I usually attach the first board on the end of the deck where the stairs are (or will be). Let the deck board overhang the end framing by about 1 in.

I cut the boards slightly longer than the deck...

read more

PORTFOLIO OF HOUSES

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

Square feet: 172

House width: 8’-6” House length: 20’

Road Height: 12’-3”

Dry Weight: 7000 lbs

Great Room: 9%‘ x 5%’ Kitchen: 5%’ x 4%’

Bedroom: ІУЇхАУ*

Bathroom: 2’x7%’

Ceiling height: 7’ 6” – sizes are approximate

РОРОМО

The Popomo is different than my other portable homes in that it does not have a pronounced ga­bled roof or a loft. It does have a stainless steel boat fireplace, sink and stovetop, a refrigerator, wet bath, a full-sized bed, and a clos­et. The large glass wall is intend­ed to face south during winter for excellent solar gain. The house is shown at right with hot rolled cor­rosion resistant steel siding and at left with the same siding and the wheels removed.

1. Kitchen 2.Bedroom 3.Bath 4. Great Room

Square fee...

read more

Resilient Flooring

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

Although easy clean-up, economy, and a soft walking surface have made sheet vinyl a popu­lar flooring for kitchen and utility areas, vinyl flooring is associated with health hazards. The vinyl chloride fumes it emits are a known car­cinogen. In addition, in hot or humid climates requiring air conditioning the vinyl will trap moisture, which can promote delamination and mold growth or rot. We do not recom­mend vinyl in the healthy home.

Natural linoleum, also known as battleship linoleum, is made from linseed oil, pine resins, wood powder, and jute and is free of synthetic chemicals. When newly installed, this flooring does have a noticeable odor that some people do not tolerate. Cork tile is another natural choice for resilient flooring...

read more

Plasticity Theory Based Models

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

The plasticity theory based models require the definition of yield surface, plastic potential, isotropic hardening laws, and simplified accumulation rules (Bonaquist & Witczak, 1997 and Desai, 2002), or kinematic hardening laws (Chazallon et al., 2006). Some of these models have been used for finite element modelling of pave­ment. Now, the main concepts of these models are presented.

The model developed by Bonaquist is based on the plasticity model developed by Desai et al. (1986). These two models differ from each other by the simplified calculation method for large number of cycles. Consequently, the basis of the Desai model (Desai, 2002) is first presented and the different accelerated analysis proce­dures of each model are introduced.

The Desai formulation is based on the disturbed s...

read more

Steel U-Channels

Posted by on 21/ 11/ 15

The steel U-channel support is the most common type of single sign support used in the United States [19]. The steel U-channel is a unidirectional support available in different sizes and stiffnesses from a variety of manufacturers. The most popular steel U-channel sizes are 2, 2.5, 3, and 4 lb/ft (3, 3.7, 4.5, and 6.0 kg/m) (weight is prior to making the fastening holes). The channel is constructed with %-in (9.5-mm) holes on 1-in (25.4-mm) centers to eliminate the need for drilling to mount the sign panel. The posts are available with baked alkyd resin, with gloss enamel paint, or hot-dipped galvanized to inhibit corrosion. The stiffness of U-channel posts is a function of the material from which they are made, and the method by which they are shaped...

read more

Install the stringers and treads

Posted by on 20/ 11/ 15

If you’ve done the stair layout and cutting cor­rectly, the stringers should fit against the rim joist (or beam), with the level cut or cleat for the top tread located 71/2 in. down from the top of the deck framing. Snap or mark a line at that level on the rim joist so you can make sure the stringers are aligned.

There are several ways to secure the string­ers to a deck beam or rim joist. Sometimes the stringer butts against a post, so it can simply be nailed to the post and to the beam or rim joist. In other situations, a metal strap can be nailed to the bottom of the stringer, then to the beam or rim joist (see the bottom photo on the facing page)...

read more

Techniques LEARNING THE VOCABULARY OF STAIRS

Posted by on 20/ 11/ 15

 

EVERY NEW ENDEAVOR COMES WITH a new vocab­ulary that you need to learn before you can get started. Building stairs is no exception. Once you learn the names of the different parts and how they relate to each other, you can begin to put together a set of stairs.

Stringers: The diagonal members (here, PT 2x12s) that support the treads and risers. Three stringers are needed for a 36-in.-wide stairway, four for a 48-in.-wide stairway. A cut or open stringer has tread and riser cutouts and can be used in the middle of a stairway. An open stairway is framed with cut stringers. A closed stringer has no cutouts; instead, cleats are used to support the treads.

Closed stringers can be used on only the sides of a stairway.

Riser: The vertical part of a step...

read more

Codes and Regulations

Posted by on 20/ 11/ 15

Until building codes catch up with the environmental and social realities at hand, the question of how to meet or beat minimum-size standards remains. If guerilla housing, variances, or pushing to have your local codes changed hold no attraction, going with the flow may be your best bet. Most of the U. S. and Canada employ what is called the International Building Code. In spite of its name, the IBC is only really used in the U. S. and Canada. While the code is often tailored at the local level, it usually reads pretty much as listed here.

All houses shall have:

– At least one room of no less than 120 sq. ft.

– Ceilings of no less than 7 ft. (except 6’-8” in unfinished basements)

– No habitable room of less than 70 sq. ft. with no dimension smaller than 7’ (except kitchens)

– A windo...

read more