Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover

[Rockuf8]

Header was just too small now.

Looking great, def looking forward to progress on this.

 

[bdking]

Header was just too small now.

There's no load on that wall- the ceiling / roof is a laminated deck running parallel to this wall. (if there were load you would've seen deflection when he whacked the studs.) The header here is basically a beam stiffening the top of the opening laterally to keep both sides of the weather joint stable so the backer rod & sealant can do their jobs.

 

[Rockuf8]

There's no load on that wall- the ceiling / roof is a laminated deck running parallel to this wall. (if there were load you would've seen deflection when he whacked the studs.) The header here is basically a beam stiffening the top of the opening laterally to keep both sides of the weather joint stable so the backer rod & sealant can do their jobs.

Hence why I used the icon. Just busting b*lls since others gave him grief about it.

 

[housefitter]

Window rehung. It's good that my first window hanging experience was also my second and third. Despite my architect saying I didn't need big headers I looked at all the links and read up on window hanging and decided that I should do it the right way. So I did.

As an aside Ben (architect) said that I didn't need to bother even securing the top of the buck to the opening. He said that the window sagging was entirely supported by the buck and the framing below. The whole point of the big headers it to transfer load from above down and around the window so it was all for naught since there's no load on the wall. Oh well, it was a good experience.

If you see something wrong here don't tell me - I can't do it again. My wife is out of town and I'm taking care of my 2 and 3 year olds on my own so between the house and them and the cold I've caught I'm exhausted. Today I hung two sheets of drywall with no insulation behind before I realized what I was doing.

But I kept after it and got it done. One more wall and by the end of the week I should be good to go for primer and then the ceiling. I ordered a Graco airless sprayer today so I'll be able to paint the ceiling.

I also have been considering all the various floor options. Race Deck is too modern and hotrod-y. Epoxy is too much trouble. Floor paint just *****. Concrete is just too impersonal and cold. Ceramic is too Miami. Wood is too crunchy. In the end I think I like VCT as tile has the feel of a lab, an institution or a 50's workplace. I think it's just retro enough and just easy enough that it's the right answer. It will be easy to clean and the kids can race their cars on it and not get too dirty.

In other news the tankless water heater was going in today.

I'll tell you one thing - owning a house really screws with your money perception. It seems every time I turn around I'm buying something that would be the cost of a nice used motorcycle.

And we're really making progress on the ceiling. The one thing I haven't figured out how to deal with yet is that there are very small areas where you can't really get the whitewash off the cedar; either it's embedded in the grain or in a crack. Right now it's not too obvious but I wiped some mineral spirits on to see what a clear would look like and the wood got much darker and the white more obvious. About my only thought is to just mix up some paint that matches the final color and just cover over it. It seems like a tacky solution but from 10' away I don't think you could tell. Got any other ideas?

Okay it's almost 9pm and that's way past my bedtime...

Gregor

To avoid the trouble of picking paint out of the cracks... a semi-transparent exterior stain would "paint" your darker color over the paint remnants, could be tinted to your desired color or tint, and would still leave the grain of the wood fairly visible.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

"I think I might wait on clearing it until I can go around and deal with the small spots. Although given how often the paint is in the small spots between the larger tongue and groove cedar a cover might be a better option. "

The previous post on using a semi-transparent stain might be a viable option, but prior to that, try this trick - take a cheap, flexible putty knife of a 3"-4" width. Get the profile of the tongue-and-groove joint by using a piece of cereal box (?) slid into a gap at the end of a board run, trace the profile and cut the box material to the get the shape. Using this template, grind the knife blade to the profile shape; you've just made a custom 'groove' scraper. The broad blade rides the wood surface and allows you to grasp the blade close to the work just like a cabinet maker's scraper/burnisher (http://www.fine-tools.com/zieh.htm). Used just like a cabinet maker, you pull the tool towards you along the groove and peel all/most (?) of the paint that sits proud of the profile. Touching up the scraper with a file (just the groove profile) should keep the edge sharp to cut the paint free. Tedious work, but a good tool makes the job go quicker.

P.S.- A scraper is not sharpened like a knife; the honing is done perpendicular to the blade. Ideally, a well-prepped scraper has a miniscule 'hook' along its corners and the 'hook' is the cutting edge. Good Luck!

 

[jdp993]

I have removed paint from just such a ceiling. For the grooves used a can opener. The point is a little too acute but you can correct with a file quite easily. Makes a great scraper with a little less grinding than the putty knife. Plus the angle of the tip makes holding it and dragging on the grooves a little easier. If you use a little bit of a heat gun just to soften the paint it lifts out quite cleanly. It is, however, tedious beyond words.

Your doing a great job on the house, which given what you did with your KTM was expected. Have enjoyed your bike threads and the house remodel is equally enjoyable to follow.

Thanks

 

[sakurama]

So there's not much to post about the garage really. I finished the final wall with insulation and got drywall up and then finished the window's sill. Now I just have to seal the cracks, tape, mud, sand and prime. By next week the paint sprayer should be here and if I have time I'll learn to use it on the ceiling in the garage.

The thing that kept me from being too busy was a "real" job for the day. When I need a break I'll look for things I need on CL and while looking for a lawn mower I saw "compressor" in my search history so I hit it. Up pops a listing for a Craftsman 60gal 6hp compressor being sold with an engine lift for $400. It's a strange pair but I actually need both. The engine hoist is the only way to lift my 1000lbs welding table or my 1500lbs lathe and I was going to have to buy one at some point. I seem to only find deals on CL right at rush hour however so it took a while to get there. I negotiated it down to $340 put them in my truck.

That is about the last of the things I'll need for the garage so it's good to tick that off the list. It's also nice to know I'll finally be able to flip my welding table back onto it's feet.

Back in the house Jorgé is plugging along on the cedar.

So we tried a lot of the ideas save for the heat gun which I can't find in my collection of boxes. I made a custom scraper and it was okay but the "V" isn't really consistent enough to make that work. In the end the best combination is the Fein Multimaster followed with a chisel tip or knife and hand sanding. It's working out pretty well. The ceiling is another matter as it's tongue and groove cedar 2x4's and the gapping is inconsistent. Sometimes it's a bit wide and you can see some of the white and sometimes it's narrow and you don't. I think I'm going to address the easy areas and then cover it - with what I'm not really sure just yet - and then live with it for a while.

That last is mineral spirits wiped on just to see what it will look like. I'm really looking forward to getting to that stage.

The tankless water heater is finally in. I'm going to have to do some work to get rid of the kickout below there and then prepare the wall for the pex that I'm going to put in next week. The venting for that and the downstairs bathroom are all going up the old chimney passage but tight to the back so I can fur it out and make an linen closet out of the rest. I plan to make use of every single square inch of the house's "dead" space for storage. Maybe it's from years of living in 300-400 sq/ft apartments but I can't stand to see good space not utilized.

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

I have removed paint from just such a ceiling. For the grooves used a can opener. The point is a little too acute but you can correct with a file quite easily. Makes a great scraper with a little less grinding than the putty knife. Plus the angle of the tip makes holding it and dragging on the grooves a little easier. If you use a little bit of a heat gun just to soften the paint it lifts out quite cleanly. It is, however, tedious beyond words.

That's actually a brilliant - I'm going to have to find one now and try that. I'm a bit nervous to try a heat gun with all the cedar sawdust in the cracks and everywhere. While I have a Festool vacuum attached to the sander and it gets 90-95% of the dust Jorgé sometimes doesn't switch the hose from the rough to the finish sander and we've never put the vacuum attachment on the Fein. At a certain point you quit pressing the issue.

Gregor

 

[winnipegtibook]

I would suggest just leaving it. Nothing is entirely "perfect" and shows how the house has truly been lived in, and "restored" back to (as close as possible) its original state. I live in a 100 year old house, speaking from some experience and 7 years of work on it

 

[GuerrillaCycles]

This is a great thread. Before I began reading, I saw the picture of you welding and immediately recognized the factory windows, the heater, and the yellow cord reel hanging in the background. I turned around and grabbed my copy of Motorcycle Dream Garages, and sure enough, right there on page 119 was the picture that I've had as inspirational wallpaper on my shop computer for years now. I love these period homes, and this is a beautiful example. Great job, I look forward to reading more. Subscribed!

 

[abstamaria]

Gregor, what an interesting thread. I really like the architecture and the photographs. I am eager to see your progress.

Good luck from the Far East.

Andy

PS: That style was quite popular here. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a building in Manila, but unfortunately it will be giving way to a taller, more commercial structure. But many 50s and 60s homes in that design remain. By the way, when you begin to think about house numbers, FLW is associated with a font called, appropriately, "Prairie," which you might like.

 

[sakurama]

Yes, my old shop space was a "dream" but getting there was a nightmare. I think this will be fun as I honestly don't really know what it will look like yet. I have myriad ideas and inspirations floating around in my head but I think as I go the space will sort of dictate the result. Certain things either feel right or not. I'm sure the house will dictate certain things too.

Perhaps the best part (only) part of getting older is the confidence in your own beliefs. I rarely regret decisions but can take my time arriving at them.

Yes. That stair has to go! I pulled carpet from the first few treads hoping to find something great but its just raw treads. I may face the risers with the reclaimed siding and then do something else with the treads - just not sure what. Steel? Ben has suggested hot rolled steel for a lot of details and I think that may be a theme we carry through. I'm so looking forward to things like making the fireplace insert - that stuff is like dessert. Right now it's all mise en place.

Gregor

 

[TurboBrickMan]

My backdoor neighbor's house burnt down when I was a kid because a spark came out of their fireplace (had a chain cover) and found it's way to the cedar ceiling. This happened super close to you, over here in Tigard. Just something to think about.

 

[1953mercury]

if your not to far along, you might try abrasive blasting with a vacuum recovery type system. Plastic or walnut shell media would probably be your best bet, and I'm betting it would go pretty fast. Mike

 

[sakurama]

if your not to far along, you might try abrasive blasting with a vacuum recovery type system. Plastic or walnut shell media would probably be your best bet, and I'm betting it would go pretty fast. Mike

That was my first thought and plan. That was until I got the estimates back which were in the $3-6000 range and they also said that after they were done we'd need to sand the entire thing as the abrasives wouldn't leave a very smooth surface. So I tested out sanding it myself with an aggressive and then a finish sander and it went pretty fast. The blasting would have helped with the gaps but our hand sanding method will be 90% as effective and 1/3 as much.

If we had unlimited funds then sure, I'd blast then sand.

Gregor

 

[rhynotune]

Good luck!

I am interested to see how it all turns out!

 

[e-tek]

Holy SUPER BUILD!!! Great story. I almost married a girl from Portland - very laid back place. Funny how people used to not put in enough sockets - now we put in too many - LOL! Loving the photography too - another hobby you've taken to the nth degree? Sweet
Did I miss this part: Are you working in the motorcycle fab arena in Portland? Must be a good job with that budget!! I'll definitely be watching this one and learning!

 

[hippie2cams]

I too have a floor full of tools scaffolds cabinets, motorcycles, saws and other odd equipment that has to be moved everytime work is done. move twice,work once, move twice more times, move equipment needed to work, move everything out of way. work just a little and them move shi-stuff back.

 

[e-tek]

No fun living in disarray. Here's how I'm living this weekend due to hiring painters to do the house interior while the wife and kids are away....(I HATE painting!)

On the tankless water heater - I was looking into them and read you have to clean it yearly by running a vinegar solution through it for hours - that true?

 

[sakurama]

Okay, not much has been done to the garage but in the spirit of maintaining momentum I'll post a general update on the house.

Remember this:

We finally got to this:

By ruining many of these:

I've been finding many previous "fixes" like this special plumbing job that joined two pipes through the magical powers of duct tape covered in electrical tape.

Oh how I want to meet this genius. It reminds me of my ex brother in law, nicest guy you could meet, who once returned a cordless drill to Sears because it was "broken" and only unscrewed things. They pointed out the switch on the handle and explained how it could change directions. Yeah, that sort of person did "repairs" here. Egad.

So, all the plumbing was ripped out of the entire house. All of it. I ran pex throughout and went for a manifold system for many reasons but not the least of which is that it pleased me aesthetically that hot was red and cold was blue.

Isn't that pretty?

We've jackhammered up all the old tile and grout and I've learned about self leveler. Cool stuff.

We've put in a gas line because we want a gas stove. We put in a tankless water heater because we got a credit from the gas company but it's nice to know I could fill a pool with hot water if I want. Or wash a dirt bike (that I don't have any more because I had to buy a tankless water heater) with warm water. I'll get another dirt bike down the line.

Did I mention that right before our last scheduled inspection we discovered that the water main into the house was leaking somewhere under the foundation? Yeah, that was the only plumbing I didn't do. And then I did that too.

Through all of this it feels like no progress has been made. The place is still a wreck, it's hard to walk through and it was beginning to get depressing. 90% done and 90% left to go.

Finally there was some light at the end of the tunnel. It's like when you're building a bike and even though you're not quite done you lay some paint down on the frame or the tank - that's a window into the finished project that gives you a little energy. For me it was this:

We sanded the beams down and used auto body filler to smooth them and then sanded again. I found a small spot of original paint and gray was a color I love and was planning on using so I took a piece.

Matched it:

And painted that white brick fireplace a nice medium gray.

But the thing that gave me some wind in the sails was when we finally started putting down the paint on the beams and the poly on the ceiling.

So all my plumbing is under pressure, all my electric is roughed in. All my framing is complete. My inspection was postponed until Monday but I hope to pass without any trouble. Provided some clients come through with their overdue payments I'll be able to start closing up the house and making real progress.

Oh, there was one thing done to the garage through all this. We used my friends skid steer to flip my welding table. I bought that engine hoist but it was to sketchy to try to flip the table with it since the table is something like 1000-1300lbs.

Just having the table right side up and the 220 power in makes me feel more "complete". I even powered up the lathe to trim up a plumbing cap to adjust the size of the drain vent on the roof which went from 4" cast iron to 3" ABS and it was a good feeling to make something so small and simple but perfect.

So that's my update and I'm sticking to it.

Gregor

 

[Red Leader]

Wow, this looks like a lot of work! But it also looks like you are keeping the quality standard up very high. I love seeing threads/builds like this.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Gregor, you are getting closer to completion; just hang in there!

As long as you aren't trapped by one of 'Zeno's Paradoxes', you'll be living there trying to find some little project to keep from getting bored. lol

One of Zeno's philosophical mind benders - Before you can reach an endpoint, you must first travel half the distance, and then half the remaining distance, and, and, and.... The end result is that although there is a definite endpoint, you never get there.

By the by, what technique/tool for removing paint from the grooves did you find most useful?

 

[sakurama]

Gregor, you are getting closer to completion; just hang in there!

By the by, what technique/tool for removing paint from the grooves did you find most useful?

The Fien, a sanding block and then finally a knife to get the last little bit.

If we pass inspection today I think I'll get some real progress going.

Gregor

 

[LoRollinLS]

This place is coming together nicely. I'm enjoying the ride, but the finished product is going to be just awesome. BTW, I really like how the ceiling looks now stripped, with poly on it. It really brings a new look into the home. Good job!

 

[Greg-nwo]

Your place is looking great! What a pile of work.... but it will be worth it in the end. Just think about that 1M in rent you are not adding too

 

[draider]

What a great place. I can't wait to see more progress.

 

[SiGmA_X]

I absolutely love your ceilings! They look fantastic with the dark beam and the poly. Keep up the great work!!

 

[sakurama]

Thanks guys.

I passed my inspections to cover today so hopefully I can start to make some more progress and get moved in. If I can get it livable it will be much easier to work on the smaller projects.

Gregor

 

[-Brent-]

Having pretty-much completed my 18-month entire house remodel I can understand the moments of frustration and joy. Even though some little things like new doors needing to be painted and a bathroom yet to be remodeled - I still really enjoy seeing the results of all that work and knowing every inch of the place.

What's neat is that you're doing such a good job with the fixes that people won't ever be able to tell there was an issue in the first place. That's craftsmanship.

Nice work.

 

[ct71rr]

Wow, that's quite the welcome. Thanks!
The bike you see in that top photo was my first street bike, the "Incomplete Boxer" and the bike that really changed my life. ...

Gregor

WOW Beautiful home and gorgeous bike!! Another awesome thread that I somehow missed

 

[akapero]

I love this thread. Thanks for the update.

 

[tommyxgun]

Subscribed

 

[sakurama]

Having pretty-much completed my 18-month entire house remodel I can understand the moments of frustration and joy. Even though some little things like new doors needing to be painted and a bathroom yet to be remodeled - I still really enjoy seeing the results of all that work and knowing every inch of the place.

What's neat is that you're doing such a good job with the fixes that people won't ever be able to tell there was an issue in the first place. That's craftsmanship.

Nice work.

Thanks - it seems sometimes that there's no end in sight. I'm glad to hear it's possible. Can I give you my wife's email - I think she'd like to hear that.

Gregor

 

[-Brent-]

Thanks - it seems sometimes that there's no end in sight. I'm glad to hear it's possible. Can I give you my wife's email - I think she'd like to hear that.

Gregor

If you and your wife survive the remodel, you two can survive anything. My wife and I aren't big arguers but we had some major battles during the remodel. Take her frustration as a compliment, she wants to be around you. I didn't see it that way until after the house was done. Men see objectives needing to be met. I'm not sure what women see. A mess perhaps?

 

[floridaguy]

I just came upon this thread and I have enjoyed reading every page. I really like you ideas and views on bring life back into the Mid-Century you are doing a fine job and everything you have done so far is on point. Keeping the intended design and flow of the house and just enhancing, sort of Mid-Century 2.0. Keep up the excellent job looking forward to the completion.

 

[brum]

That wood interior is looking spectacular. Your sanding buddy must have some really strong shoulders haha. Mine hurt just looking at those pictures!

That area of the US has always interested me, but never been west of Utah. Seems like a pretty cool, artistic area of the NW
Keep it up!

 

[banana cognac]

What a great thread. I love seeing the detail in documentation. Also, your enthusiasm for motorcycles is off the charts. I can't wait to see the garage near completion.

Thank you for successfully killing nearly an hour of my day at work.

 

[m5hor]

such a sweet house

 

[JasonJ]

subscribing - I am enjoying reading about your house and the garage.

 

[M17715]

Nice house and garage!! Nice scenery too!!