At Home In The Woods

[dstig1]

Dave,
What is kickout flashing?
Thanks,
Obed

It's basically exactly what you think it is. Here is a pic of one variation (search google for pics of kickout flashing)that should give you the idea:

You want it to "kick-out" the water away from the wall to get it past the joint.

 

[walleyed]

Flashing/Siding/Brick/Roofing Question

We are trying to figure out a good way to keep water from running behind the brick at the spot in the picture that is circled in yellow. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Obed

I wouldn't want any place like that up here in the frozen north . I think it would eventually leak. Here most would build the wall out flush with the brick and flash and side as normal. Looking good Obed

 

[patrick_g]

If I'm not too late... I used electroluminescent panels (like the Indiglow stuff in illuminated watches) for night lights to allow guests to navigate the hall to the bathroom etc. For ease of replacement and upgrading as new things may come around I had duplex outlets installed in strategic locations on the ceilings. The night lights just plug in. Although I use the electroluminescent ones, motion detector types or electric eye controlled ones could be swapped for what I have, easily as it is a plug-in.

The electroluminescent type night lites use so little electricity (literally a few cents worth a year) it is not economical to control them. Just let them run 24-7 as it would take several decades to pay for a controller on energy savings.

An alternative I thought of but did not incorporate was a separate circuit running all through the house connecting the ceiling mounted outlets to a relay which would be controlled by an electric eye so when it got dark all the nite lites would come on. That too would take FOREVER to break even considering the extremely low energy consumption of the electroluminescent lights.

One of my favorite ceiling locations for a night light is in the master bath over the commode. It lights the bathroom with a soft glow, just enough for navigation and illuminates the sinks enough for my wife to get a drink of water in the middle of the night (routine occurrence) and is bright enough right under it (9 ft 1 inch ceiling) to illuminate the target for a "pointer." Of course maybe someone else doesn't mind an eye searing bright light in the middle of the night. I do.

Pat

 

[mikefromnh]

Flashing/Siding/Brick/Roofing Question

We are trying to figure out a good way to keep water from running behind the brick at the spot in the picture that is circled in yellow. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Obed

Seems like that will always be a problem spot if you try to change materials. I would think continuing brick would be the best choice.

http://www.thehomeinspector.com/MMMPhotos/2006/JLC/Brick1Lg.jpg

Monday Morning Messenger - Latest Edition

If you don't want brick then maybe you could fur out the sheathing to be even with the brick and then have the vinyl siding overlap the brick 8" or so -- a vertical j-channel on top of the brick would terminate the siding. Won't look great but should work.

 

[dcyrilc]

Seems like that will always be a problem spot if you try to change materials. I would think continuing brick would be the best choice.

http://www.thehomeinspector.com/MMMPhotos/2006/JLC/Brick1Lg.jpg

Monday Morning Messenger - Latest Edition

If you don't want brick then maybe you could fur out the sheathing to be even with the brick and then have the vinyl siding overlap the brick 8" or so -- a vertical j-channel on top of the brick would terminate the siding. Won't look great but should work.

I have to agree that designing that area to have carried brick all the way up would have been the best option and would have looked the best.

But with that said, I like your idea for furring it out as an alternative.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Seems like that will always be a problem spot if you try to change materials. I would think continuing brick would be the best choice.

I agree. Have the framers put the proper amount of support under the roof and have the brick continued up to the end. It will also look better in my opinion.

Chris

 

[dstig1]

I wouldn't want any place like that up here in the frozen north . I think it would eventually leak. Here most would build the wall out flush with the brick and flash and side as normal. Looking good Obed

You know, this is an even better idea. You still would want to flash it properly (including a kickout at the roof/wall joint), but building the wall out flush would would go a long way towards preventing problems down the road. Gonna be a PITA to get up under that eave though...

 

[PAGUY]

Obed - Have it framed out thickness of the brick then apply siding. Typical flashing will then keep water from entering. J-channel will need caulking against brick.

 

[Obed]

Two Long Hard Days
Now that the brick is finished, we need to backfill the footers so that water doesn't collect on them. So we started that job Saturday. Around 8 AM Saturday it rained long enough to make everything muddy and not fun to work in when you are doing digging work.

Since we don't have much depth between the framing and the footers around the basement foundation walls, I worked on cleaning all the junk left on the footers by the brick workers, mortar, bricks, sand, etc. Cleaning the footers was hard labor; my back is very tired. At about 7 PM we got caught by a heavy rain shower and we got drenched. I worked through the rain and stopped working close to dark.

My wife worked on gluing together the drain pipes shown at the end of the retaining wall. It was very tricky getting all the pipes put together and glued just right. My wife glued the contraption together the first time with the cleanout-T put on backwards. She was very frustrated at that point. However, I did that once a few months ago myself. She had to throw away her work and start over. After a lot of measuring and cutting, she got it right.

Today I worked again on cleaning the footers and backfilling. Tomorrow I get to go to my regular job and get some rest. However, this week after work I will be doing more the same stuff I did this weekend.

 

[Obed]

The work on the back porch and deck started yesterday (Saturday).

In addition, all the main floor walls got insulated Saturday. I'll have to post pictures later.

I'm pleased with the brick cleaning. One big concern we had when picking a brick mason was that we might get sloppy brick work. When the brick work was going on, we had no feel for how clean the "dirty bricks" would get. The bricks are very clean. Yay!

 

[srs]

Obed, regarding keeping the bricks clean I've seen some guys put bales of straw up against the brickwork to keep mud from splashing up against the bricks. If you just put dirt against the brick with heavy rains it could splash up and "dirty" the bricks. Just a thought! The brick layers did a terrific job! You've got to be very pleased with their work.

 

[nhkabotab7800]

Obed,

the middle pic in your last post gives a good over all view of the area that you plan to have vinal siding. My opinion is that a kickout flashing will be plenty to take care of your issue. I say this due to two things, first the roof overhang is such that not much water will see the kickout, and second it is a small area that will have vinal siding. OK maybe three things the valley above will direct most of the water coming off the roof away from that area as well.

 

[Diamondpilot]

One thing I have learned is your tractor has been a necessary tool. I have had tractors for a long time but reading this thread from day one I see many of the same chores you use yours for I do also. You forget how handy they are until you see someone else breaking their back.

Chris

 

[Obed]

We had lots of conversations with the framer and the vinyl guy regarding the back porch. We originally wanted the triangular area (see yellow arrow) at the ends of the porch above the beam and below the roof to be screened in. However, it was getting tricky to do that and make the beam and vinyl soffits look good. We also had a dilemna regarding how to transition from the eyebrow to the porch. Inthe end, we decided that we will fill in that triangular area with siding on both ends of the porch.

The bottom of the beam is 9 ft above the floor. The framer was going to make the beam 8 ft until we talked to him. The extra foot makes quite a difference regarding the view of the woods. The ceiling will be "cathedral". I'm not sure if that's the correct term since it has a shed roof instead of a gable. The porch will be screened in. The screens will be removable; we plan to remove them during the cooler months when bugs will be less likely.

The wife took me out to the porch and said, "This is really going to be nice." With all the stress she's under coordinating the building process, it was good for to her momentarilly see, however brief, that she might actually enjoy the house. With everything going on, with all the problems we have to address and solve, we have difficulty seeing the end result.

On the other hand, last night I did more footer cleaning and backfilling around the basement. The weather was wonderful; things have cooled down some. I enjoyed the work with the pleasant weather and the hope that we might soon be in the house. My wife isn't there yet; she is working everyday coordinating with subcontractors, suppliers, and doing research. I'm looking forward to when my wife will be able to step back and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Obed]

Obed, regarding keeping the bricks clean I've seen some guys put bales of straw up against the brickwork to keep mud from splashing up against the bricks. If you just put dirt against the brick with heavy rains it could splash up and "dirty" the bricks. Just a thought! The brick layers did a terrific job! You've got to be very pleased with their work.

The wife picked up some straw to protect the brick.

 

[Obed]

One thing I have learned is your tractor has been a necessary tool. I have had tractors for a long time but reading this thread from day one I see many of the same chores you use yours for I do also. You forget how handy they are until you see someone else breaking their back.

Chris

Chris,
Yes, the tractor has been indispensable. When I first got the tractor, the backhoe seemed mostly just a toy. I found that I didn't use it very much. But when we started building the house, that changed. The BH has been a valuable tool. During the house build, I've gotten fairly proficient with the backhoe. I can now pretty much move the bucket however I want it to go. I couldn't say that before we started building the house.

If I didn't have the tractor, I'd have to pay someone to do all this work and it wouldn't be done the way I'd do it. For the cost of the tractor, could I pay for all the work to be done? Yes. But then I wouldn't have a tractor.

At my last house, we owned 8 acres in the country. I didn't have a tractor. As a result, things like badly needed bush hogging got neglected cause I hated to pay $300 - $500/day to rent the equipment. I don't have any excuses now.

Obed

 

[Obed]

Screened Porch Flooring Question
The composite flooring manufacturer instructions indicate to leave 3/16" to 1/4" gaps between the boards to allow for expansion. Will mosquitoes come through these gaps? If so, it seems that screeing in the the porch would be useless. Please help.

Thanks,
Obed

 

[Obed]

I wouldn't want any place like that up here in the frozen north . I think it would eventually leak. Here most would build the wall out flush with the brick and flash and side as normal. Looking good Obed

That's a great idea. Wish we would have thought of that earlier. At this stage in the game, it looks like we will go with the kickout flashing.

Obed

 

[Ranger Rick]

Screened Porch Flooring Question
The composite flooring manufacturer instructions indicate to leave 3/8" to 1/4" gaps between the boards to allow for expansion. Will mosquitoes come through these gaps? If so, it seems that screeing in the the porch would be useless. Please help.

Thanks,
Obed

You could you staple screening material on the top floor joists before you put your flooring down. This would keep the bugs out and allow the spacing that you need.
Rick

 

[Obed]

You could you staple screening material on the top floor joists before you put your flooring down. This would keep the bugs out and allow the spacing that you need.
Rick

Rick, that's not a bad idea.

Has anyone out there built a screened porch with the flooring boards spaced 3/16" or more apart? Have biting insects become a problem?

Obed