Cedar Compost Bin

 This is a cedar compost bin using non-galvanized exterior screws. 

It's approximately 2'x2'x2' and holds about 60 gallons. Common designs online show a lower door for extracting the processed compost, so I've included it with a lock to keep out pests. Purchasing the wood and hardware new from the big box store was about $200, which is a bit over half the cost of a premade cedar bin.

The gaps are 1/8-inch to prevent mice from fouling the mix. 

Parts and dimensions for the design I came up with.

All 42 planks made with the miter saw using a makeshift 2-foot guide to speed through cutting.

I thought It Came With a Dishwasher...

 I'm posting in the wrong order. This was months after settling into the new (old) house. I seemed to remember it having a dishwasher during the walk-through, but was actually storage. 

This seems to be a decent veneer update to an old kitchen. The cabinet space shown here is perfectly sized for a modern dishwasher, and located adjacent to the kitchen sink. Seemed like the perfect place. 

As per usual, I modeled the situation to find the best solution. The counter top is synthetic granite, and needs adequate support if I'm going to be climbing on top to reach high spaces. 

Here is a thick plywood side supporting three 2x4s laid flat. This is the only way to make enough room for a dishwasher without making a system of metal brackets.

Temporary supports holding the counter while I gutted the shelving. You can see the old laminate peaking through. I didn't want to tear that up and go any lower, for reasons a 1930-1970s homeowner would appreciate. Lucky me, the plumbing lines are PEX and easily accessible.

Transferred the old veneer to my framing for a seamless look. This Bosch dishwasher features auto drying, which means it opens after the cycle is finished to release the steam. I added a vapor barrier strip under the frame where the steam might contact the wood framing to avoid mold issues. A new circuit was added by an electrician for the plug per code. The inspector had me install a water hammer arrestor to protect the plumbing, which I also thought prudent to install on the clothes washer while I was at it.

Gable Vent Upgrade

 Nothing crazy. I decided summer is too hot these days, and the insulation I added last year isn't enough to stave off the heat that builds up in the attic. It gets over 110°F under the roof at certain times. There's two gable end vents, and vents around the soffit/eaves. Both existing can cause air flow turbulence, making it inefficient, so say the inspector. However, both are very poorly executed, so my path of choice is to force air out so it's pulling in everywhere else, cooling the attic rapidly. 

Photo of the existing gable vent. In the attic, there's two 2x4 supports right in front of the vent, blocking airflow. I want something modern so the house doesn't look cheap, like a hexagon. It's not big enough for an octagon, I know this much.

Look at that! Pshh, amateur hour.

 

 I did some 3D sketching to look at measurements, and decide how to approach the challenge.

 "I think this looks nice." -me

Cedar boards make the shape. The flat pieces have dowels and wood glue holding them to shape. The rest uses an abundance of Brad nails.

Sealing gaps to handle water runoff. The fin angles were tricky because they're tapered in two dimensions. The gaps were filled with caulk so there was a little slack on my craftsmanship.

Several layers of house paint. I wanted for the layers to dry and shrink before applying another layer to reduce the appearance of cracking paint.

Fan installed. I didn't want the solar panel version to increase the reliability, reduce the fire hazard of batteries, and improve the look. It's only 18-watts, too. The controller is temperature dependent and automatically turns off when the temp drops below the setting. The circuit is powered by a GFCI switch in the utility closet, for seasonal use. Between the vent and fan there's 1/4-inch hardware mesh to keep pests out.

Final product.

Garage Remodel 2022-2023

I'll keep this short with more pics. 

<life story> I was born in a forest with a garage full of tools. Now that I have my own to play in, it needs to meet my standards. 

Before times; the human door was an interior door with rot at the bottom, a cast iron stove that insurance didn't approve of, built in storage that smelled of mouse pee, and wiring sagging into headspace.

 

 Through the partition door (behind the photo above) more storage, a walled off area to the far back left, single pane window, sketchy beam that, turns out, was held in place entirely by gravity. I dig the wall panels and put up with it for the first year.

To budget and better plan out my attack, I modeled the garage based on real measurements. This is the accumulation of this entire project, adding as I went.
 

Sad state of the sill plate around 3/4 of the structure. It's a double plate made of (likely) untreated 2x4. This is the first place to start, so I ripped off the walls and worked in 8-foot sections.

A closer look at the rot. The spray foam I added earlier to deter pests.

 

 I found an old sketch online of a frame used to lift wall sections for this type of work. It did the trick!

Since doing this project in bite sized pieces and unsure of my workmanship, each major step in the structure was permitted and inspected. Due to the sill plate drying out over time, I also went in and re-torqued the anchor bolts months later. Some were even finger loose, so word to the wise. Inspectors may not catch everything and knowing how structures work and react is a good mindset.

 

 Removed the old stove pipe, leaving a hole in the wall.

To patch, I cut away the siding to expose waterproofing so I can properly overlap new material. Not photographed is the new sheathing and framing behind this hole. Basically plywood stitched on drywall patch style.

Turns out my bitumen tape was mesh, so stapled that on and coated it in bitumen based caulk. It did well and this should be sufficient to keep water off. Not that it's ever a problem with these eaves.

Found the same cedar siding at Dunn Lumbar. Applied paintable caulk between the seams, then primed for paint.

Previous owners left a large bucket of paint, making color matching a non issue (thank you!).

Ripped out the old door and replaced with something nice. This wall was actually out of plumb, but I've determined it's how it was made way back in ~'58. So I had to do some tricky shim work to make the door plumb without it being too visible.

There's proper waterproofing and runoff layering behind the trim, trust me.

Mysterious chimney hidden behind paneling. BTW I tested every suspect material for asbestos; clay chimney liner, concrete floor, fiberglass insulation, WRB in the attic, all clear. However some words of wisdom: Silica dust will do the same and it's unregulated. Mask up!

Demolition was rather fun. Fortunately the chimney didn't go past the roof, so no exterior work needed to be done.

New window! Reframed the window, not because the new one would be a different size, but because the old one didn't have a header above it. The top plate on this wall was doubled as usual plus a 4x4, which I believe was done to act as a header for the whole structure. Yes this means the ceiling is slanted.

Window framing done. You can also see the new joists above. These were added to support the drywall independent of the saggy rafter ties for a flat ceiling.

Exterior view. Properly layered for water intrusion. The window sill also has a slight angle to it that I've seen pros do, should the weatherproofing ever fail. This is a nail fin window, I ain't no fool.

Two ceiling vents added for some high CFM Panasonic fans, for smelly shop work.

Mice exclusion. This was actually the first task to prevent mice from getting in. They had eaten through the rotted sill plate and kept chewing through the spray foam I put in after moving in. Here I dug a trench around the structure and stapled galvanized hardware mesh to the cedar cladding. Bricks and rocks hold it tight against the slab.

Then back filled with dirt and drainage rock. This should also help prevent moisture from wicking into the sill plate and causing more issues down the road.

Next is the partition wall rebuild and beam replacement. I have a video showing how sketchy the beam is, but it won't upload. It's that green post and beam in the following image. First I built a support wall and shimmed it to level the ceiling due to the bow of the old beam.

 

After removing the beam and old partition wall, I had to dig a hole and add a footer. They don't call for rebar here, but why not?

Filled in with high strength concrete. The upper layer has glass fibers mixed in to fight cracking.

Building the new wall in sections, whatever will fit in my hatchback.

Completed wall. It's supported by bracing between two rafter ties using brackets, so should be good and strong.

Architectural grade glulam beam sized and specced by engineers per code. Went ahead and sealed the top and both ends to prevent checking and splits. This thing is over 14 feet long, nearly a foot tall.

Makeshift hoist. Seems dangerous, but kept myself out from under the beam at all times, and added wood under the beam every few feet should the worst happen. Using ropes this way cut the lift weight to 1/4 by lifting one side at a time in increments.

Beam in place. Nailing pattern is defined by the engineer I hired, no shortcuts.

Time for electrical! Hired an electrician to add a 100A panel to replace the 30A. It was actually an old 70A panel, but the wire feeding it was 30A. Rented a concrete saw from Home Depot and made a mess on my nice gate. After he finished adding the circuit, I added a few extra service tubes for internet.

Did the rest myself with guidance from my electrician brother and NEC 2020. Disclaimer: I already knew how to safely work around mains power. Don't hack it!

Mixture of 2 and 4 gang outlets, for a total of 80 individual 120v 20A outlets in the garage. The breakers are all GFCI except car charger, which has it's own fault system. I went back and added nail plates to all studs regardless of hole depth. Mock me, but the worst will happen. All boxes metal and covered in intumescent putty. (yes WAGOs)

More wiring. All holes plugged with intumescent foam.

ChargePoint added. Interior of this wall has another 50A 240v plug for whatever I want (fingers, paperclips, welder, etc)

Insulation is one of those steps that really changed how I perceived the space. With 12-inch rafter ties in the larger area, I got away with R-30. Went with rock wool for better moisture handling than fiberglass. Before this went up, I sprayed all exposed wood with Boracare + anti mold, adding peace of mind. The ceiling insulation has decking in the attic above, so added holes to the ends of the bays for airflow over the batts. These holes are then covered in mesh to prevent bugs from nesting up there. No spiders please.

I did put extra insulation in the partition wall. Didn't need to, but there will be a heat pump in the back room, so I can close the door between spaces and save energy.

Vapor retarder (not barrier) over all exterior surfaces. Also not necessary in this climate, but should help control airflow and again, spiders. Also added multiple X bracing to add stability, another "why not?" moment.

Furring strips on 16-inches to support ceiling 5/8-inch drywall. Why 5/8? Sound deadening, strength, and better with fire. The drywall lift doesn't care if it weighs more, and neither do I.

 First sheet going in. Bought a screw gun and haven't looked back.

All sheets in.

Taping layer. Since the shop section will be satin white with very diffuse lighting, imperfections will be less noticeable. The back area will have recessed lighting and grey paint, so I practiced in the shop first.

Satisfied with the walls, and painted (Sherwin Williams), I added a slat wall per my home gym design.Went with a product that had CARB info. Don't want to breathe mystery VOC from cheaper materials.

The lights here are low voltage dimmable. The controls have an access port, per code.

 Moved the attic hatch location to the shop, and added ladder access for storage. The gym area only has 2x6 rafter ties, so the 2x12s over the shop is better for storage.

12x 2x4-foot light panels in the shop. No shadows for me, thank you.

Added a typical blue stripe around the outlets, new non-permemant flooring, and metal wainscoting to protect the drywall. I really don't care the corners aren't clean looking, they'll be covered by items anyway and serves no additional protection.

Shifting gears, here's a stub out for the mini split heat pump in the gym. AC units are crazy expensive to have installed, so after getting my EPA cert, permitted my own DIY install of a nice Mitsubishi Hyperheat unit. I sized it based on a quote from a local installer. Although with the insulation I added, probably should have gone one size smaller for better de-humidification. It's fine.

Purging, pressure testing, and vacuum testing for a week. If this thing leaks, I'll be so embarrassed.

All covered up. Still running fine 6 months later. Although if I do this on the house, the condenser unit will be mounted on a ground pad. It's very quiet, but does vibrate the walls with a very low hum. Though not an issue for the garage.

The nicest room on the property.

Gym all done. Douglas Fir trim hiding ceiling strip lights. I've since cleaned up the wiring under the mirror. Reused my gym flooring from before the renovation.

Clean drywall edges around the window. More oiled Douglas Fir on the sill to tie in the beam, ceiling, and slat wall. Not shown, I added a nice grey window shade for privacy later on. I think I ordered it through Lowe's.

Lighting effect of the trim and mirror without room lights. I looked at custom lighting, but went with color changing Govee products. Some day they will break, and whomever is using it will be happy nothing is buried in the walls. The slat wall comes off in sections. The mirror is actually 3 $14 mirrors from IKEA on a frame I built, so no worried if it breaks, being in a gym.

Recessed lights on the garage. Spaced evenly so one lands over the door. This one's also voice controlled in case I get lost in the yard and my phone's on me...? Looks nice at least.

Last pic; finished shop space. No spiders!