Recent content by carlaisle

Check with whomever needs to sign off on your installation. Some locations frown on shared trenches, some don't care as long as certain clearances are maintained. I would run them side by side rather than one on top of the other. Whichever needs service will always be on the bottom.

To confirm I understand correctly: the pictured living room (very nice) is on the first floor, there are two bedrooms directly above with a shared wall that runs roughly across the middle of the living room and the trussish structure is in the attic directly above the wall separating the...

You may want to consider an in ground scissor lift with that fixed width.

The dirt can be moved via most any means. The bigger challenge is controlling the water. Your dirtscaper would need to create a swale to catch and direct that water away from the structure. Extending the retaining wall out a sidewalk's width or so is another option.

I don't know what kind of woodwork you are contemplating, but I would 100% skip the separate enclosed space. Those walls will get in the way of everything. Allocate some dineros to the dust collection budget and you'll be fine with a good dust collection system and infinitely happier with the...

Hand drawn plans?! Padfoot compactor?! (y)(y)(y)

The floor framing isn't really a big deal for you. Just add intermediate supports (piers) between the ground and joists to suit your wants/needs. I wouldn't want to park your mower on a floor with joists at 24" centers without first investigating the construction of the floor structure. If you...

You can tap into the water line anywhere on your property after the meter, although having a shutoff inside the house would be ideal. Nice thing about water is it's pressurized, so routing it is pretty forgiving. No one has ever regretted installing a spare 3" ABS or PVC conduit with a 1/4"...

Radiant offers fast recovery times but you need to decide you want heat a day in advance. Forced air provides heat immediately. The more time you spend in the space the more sense radiant makes. A moisture barrier under the slab always makes sense. The value of insulation under the slab and...

If you grasp the blue part and pull on the drawer pull looking end what happens?

Attempting to wash a car inside in an area not fully isolated for that purpose seems unwise. I don't see how you could do that - even with a sponge and bucket - without getting many things wet that should be kept dry. In full disclosure, I have never attempted it, so maybe I overestimate the...

That's a 200 watt solar panel, a 180AH LifePO4 battery, charge controller, and 2,200/4,400 watt inverter. You can piece it together for a fraction of that if your fairly handy and don't need the nifty suitcase packaging/portability. Inverter: 250 Battery: 180 Solar panel and charge controller...

What issue are you facing that has prompted this question?

The engineering/construction of those trusses was inadequate when they were installed. Good things that break get repaired. Bad things that break get replaced. Distinguishing between the two is a valuable life skill. Demo the building and build what you want - correctly - from scratch. I...

In your design the pickets are little more than aesthetic, so you can make them as light as you want. 11ga is about 75% heavier than 16ga. That extra weight hanging off the lever makes a difference. 1/8" for the mains would be plenty. If you use round pickets you can easily run them straight...