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Living in an Attic: Part Two


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Living in an Attic: Part Two
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World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2006-07-03, 23:03

I'm back with an update on my ongoing destruction/constructon project to turn a 100 year-old attic into my living space. You may remember Part One where I started my adventure.

At this point in time I've started the construction phase. All of the old wood is out, and everything that wasn't supporting the roof or floor has been trashed. It was a lot of work to pull out all the floorboards, but it was worth it. My dad and I decided that 3/4" sanded pine plywood wood be our best bet for the floor, considering our semi-tight budget. It was pretty hard to get 4x8 sheets up into the attic, but we managed (we had about an inch clearance in one spot). After we get everything screwed down, I'll re-sand most of it and put a nice, protective finish on it. I like the unique grain patterns in the plywood.

I picked out some expensive but nice screws to fasten the plywood with. They are stainless steel with a square head, and I think they will accent the "semi-inductrial" look of the attic. I'll have to keep them in line so they look professional, but that's what chalk-lines are for. Here's a picture of them:


The drywall is coming after the floor is down, and we're still waiting on an electrician to commit.

Here are a few pictures I snapped today:

Some of the plywood (not attached) with our miter saw and other tools


This is where I had to brace the existing rafters to strengthen them.


We're cutting out and framing a place in the wall for an AC. We could've used one today, it was soooo hot


And some more plywood ready to take up to the attic. The bad side of the first board is showing, the finished side doesn't have knots.


Any suggestions on how to decorate or finish this project?
 
alcimedes
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2006-07-03, 23:27

Whoops, thought this was a thread about life in Canada....
 
World Leader Pretend
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2006-07-04, 00:15

Ouch!
 
Elysium
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2006-07-04, 00:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
Any suggestions on how to decorate or finish this project?
Strippers and beer.
 
turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2006-07-04, 00:32

Those deck screws are nice, but they will strip if you don't keep the pressure on the screw gun/drill. Once the head strips on them, well, then you're screwed!

Looks like industrial is the route to head on decor. Plywood floors aren't going to leave a whole lot of other options in my book. Stainless accents with pine fixtures/furniture will leave the room pretty bright too.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
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iFerret
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2006-07-04, 00:42

Cool! I would so love to be you- the things I'd do with that space. Anyone wanna give me a million bucks? Buy and old house with an attic, do it all up, games, beer fridge, desk and computers, strippers, all the rest. I'd have a ball.

Good luck on the project.
 
hiltond
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2006-07-04, 00:53

I am impressed World Leader Pretend. Things are going well. I know wood that has coloration like that all too well.

http://www.valsparatlowes.com/lowes/...onal_trust.jsp

This site has paint colors that are marketed under a National Historic Trust brand. The colors are amazing and the contexts they let you paint with are very inspirational. The dramatic roof lines will be fun to play with.

Last edited by hiltond : 2006-07-04 at 00:59.
 
hiltond
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2006-07-04, 01:01

Is there anyway to leave some brick work exposed? I have two very old pinball machines that I would love to have out, but they don't fit in my space. Finding something like that would be awesome. I have always wanted an old skeeball machine too. Good luck moving anything of that scale up there.
 
Ebby
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2006-07-04, 01:10

I can just imagine someone many years from now trying to remodel and funding those unusual screws and cursing to high heaven.
Something along the lines of "What were they thinking?"

So extra bonus points for the creativity.

^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
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miniuser
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Join Date: Sep 2005
 
2006-07-04, 10:11

If you haven't already put the floor down I have an idea you might want to consider. Cut the plywood down into smaller sizes, something like tile sizes, 12X12 or 16X16 or 24X24. Then you can put them down, and rotate the grains in different directions. Something to think about anyway.

As for the A/C, you will need it I'm sure, but before you cut the hole in the wall, maybe look at the stand alone units, that vent to the outside using something like your dryer vent. Might be easier than cutting a hole in the wall.
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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2006-07-04, 11:52

Thanks all for the responses! I went up there this morning and found it quite cool, probably from the nice rain shower we had last night.

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle2472
Those deck screws are nice, but they will strip if you don't keep the pressure on the screw gun/drill. Once the head strips on them, well, then you're screwed!

Looks like industrial is the route to head on decor. Plywood floors aren't going to leave a whole lot of other options in my book. Stainless accents with pine fixtures/furniture will leave the room pretty bright too.
I've got a plug-in drill with quite a bit or power, and it has those nice handles so you can really push down hard. The floor is already brightening the room, which is good because it was pretty dark and uninviting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hiltond
This site has paint colors that are marketed under a National Historic Trust brand. The colors are amazing and the contexts they let you paint with are very inspirational. The dramatic roof lines will be fun to play with.
Cool, I'll remember to look for that brand when shopping for paint

Quote:
Originally Posted by hiltond
Is there anyway to leave some brick work exposed?
I may be able to leave the chimney exposed, but other than that there isn't much brick up there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ebby
I can just imagine someone many years from now trying to remodel and funding those unusual screws and cursing to high heaven.
Something along the lines of "What were they thinking?"

So extra bonus points for the creativity.
I had plenty of those moments when I was taking out the original stuff. I found lots of threaded nails () and all sorts of shortcuts that the previous owners took where you wouldn't see it. I'm thinking about taping a square-headed bit to the inside of the wall, so whoever decides to remodel it after us will have a bit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by miniuser
If you haven't already put the floor down I have an idea you might want to consider. Cut the plywood down into smaller sizes, something like tile sizes, 12X12 or 16X16 or 24X24. Then you can put them down, and rotate the grains in different directions. Something to think about anyway.
I thought of that, but the thing is that we are using the plywood as a the only layer, so it needs to be pretty sturdy. Some of the floor studs were slightly off (not 16") and to try to get even squares would test my sanity

Quote:
Originally Posted by miniuser
As for the A/C, you will need it I'm sure, but before you cut the hole in the wall, maybe look at the stand alone units, that vent to the outside using something like your dryer vent. Might be easier than cutting a hole in the wall.
Yeah, we were pretty split on which to choose, but in the interest of floor-space and low-impact we chose to look at window ACs.

Does anyone know which brands of window ACs are the best? LG ones didn't seem to be very good at Home Depot, they felt cheap.


I'm looking to use wall covers like these to add to the decor:
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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2006-07-05, 14:38

So, does anyone know anything about window A/Cs? I need to build one into the wall, so I will need to pick a good one.

Any brands that are better than others?
 
Ebby
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2006-07-05, 14:55

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
So, does anyone know anything about window A/Cs?
I know that if there is too much resistance in the power line the motors can overheat and asplode.

That sums it up.
 
Windswept
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2006-07-05, 15:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes
Whoops, thought this was a thread about life in Canada....


 
Windswept
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Join Date: May 2004
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2006-07-05, 15:08

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
So, does anyone know anything about window A/Cs? I need to build one into the wall, so I will need to pick a good one.

Any brands that are better than others?
Kickaha just bought some window AC's, but he's pretty busy trying to meet a deadline at the moment.

I'm sure whatever he bought would be the best possible choice that a human being could make in our current lifetimes.
 
Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2006-07-05, 15:16

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ebby
I can just imagine someone many years from now trying to remodel and funding those unusual screws and cursing to high heaven.
Something along the lines of "What were they thinking?"

So extra bonus points for the creativity.
those screws actually arent that expensive if you can get them from the right person (home depot is the anti-christ for fasteners as far as prices go) and they are quite common to people who work with wood. i own a fastener business and tons of people buy them by the thousands to do decks and what-not. people also do prefer the square head because they reduce the chance of stripping dramatically, so good choice with that.

Die young and save yourself....
@yontsey
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2006-07-05, 15:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by Windswept
Kickaha just bought some window AC's, but he's pretty busy trying to meet a deadline at the moment.

I'm sure whatever he bought would be the best possible choice that a human being could make in our current lifetimes.
Good, I'll have to ask him about what he got.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yontsey
those screws actually arent that expensive if you can get them from the right person (home depot is the anti-christ for fasteners as far as prices go) and they are quite common to people who work with wood. i own a fastener business and tons of people buy them by the thousands to do decks and what-not. people also do prefer the square head because they reduce the chance of stripping dramatically, so good choice with that.
Expensive being in relation to the other options we were considering. We could've just gone with normal 1 3/4" brass or coated screws, which were about 75% cheaper than the stainless steel ones. I've used square heads before and they really hold much better if you have a new bit. Err, and yes I did buy them at the 'Depot
 
Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2006-07-05, 15:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
Expensive being in relation to the other options we were considering. We could've just gone with normal 1 3/4" brass or coated screws, which were about 75% cheaper than the stainless steel ones. I've used square heads before and they really hold much better if you have a new bit. Err, and yes I did buy them at the 'Depot
i understand what you mean now, i missed the point, my bad. in your case, i would have just gone with the coated screws and saved the money, unless these screws are going to be visable for some reason. theyre not going to be in contact with water so you dont really need the stainless factor.

im not knocking home depot its just the fact that their mark up on fasteners is RIDCULOUS. i love going there there and looking at some of the shit and just laughing.

Die young and save yourself....
@yontsey
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2006-07-05, 15:39

Actually, the screws will be visible on the finished floor, hence the need for "pretty" screws We are saving money (and our backs, 4x8 sheets of anything is hard to carry up three flights of steps) and just doing a 3/4" sanded ply as the entire floor.
 
Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-07-05, 15:51

WLP, nice work! I like your idea of decor.

As for A/C, i think you may have made the decision already, but at least I want to tell you that if I were you, I wouldn't buy it at all. While it's great for cooling a room, it's too expensive in term of the utility bill and other maintenance associated with the A/C. I would much prefer to install window fans on both side to create air-stream through the room. This give you the added benefit of continually recycling the air as indoor air can be 1000x more polluted for less money.

Nonetheless, have fun and best of luck!
 
709
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Join Date: May 2004
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2006-07-05, 16:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
Actually, the screws will be visible on the finished floor, hence the need for "pretty" screws We are saving money (and our backs, 4x8 sheets of anything is hard to carry up three flights of steps) and just doing a 3/4" sanded ply as the entire floor.
I did the same thing with my birch plywood floors mentioned in Part One right down to the square-headed screws (but I used black). Though, I put the first coat of varnish on before I screwed them down to save on possible scuffing the unfinished boards. Remember, the outer veneer of plywood is pretty darn thin, so you're not going to be able to sand it down too much.

You also might want to stagger the boards so you dont get 4 corners in one spot. If you've got a weak joist or not enough support the corners will bend downward and the upper veneer will crack and chip.

So it goes.
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2006-07-05, 17:14

Wow, thanks for the tips! I think that I'll sand it enough to get the footprints off We have been using the plywood to walk on while we build walls and supports, so some of them have gotten dirty.

About the finish 709, what type of varnish/coating did you use? Did you make it glossy or did you just put a sealer on it?
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
 
2006-07-06, 00:26

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana
WLP, nice work! I like your idea of decor.

As for A/C, i think you may have made the decision already, but at least I want to tell you that if I were you, I wouldn't buy it at all. While it's great for cooling a room, it's too expensive in term of the utility bill and other maintenance associated with the A/C. I would much prefer to install window fans on both side to create air-stream through the room. This give you the added benefit of continually recycling the air as indoor air can be 1000x more polluted for less money.

Nonetheless, have fun and best of luck!
Thanks!

I personally don't really mind the heat that much in the summer, and a couple of good fans would be fine for me. The problem is that the house itself doesn't have very good cooling, especially on the second floor. We decided (and we may still change our minds) that an AC in the attic would cool the air better, and the cool air would descend into the house and help cool in general. I just don't like the idea of a giant box coming on at night and making lots of noise

---------------

I actually just got done in the attic tonight, and I screwed down 3 sheets of plywood! It looks pretty good, but I've been battling small cracks and broken screws I don't know what type of wood the original joists are, but it is REALLY hard! When my drill meets the old wood, usually the screw will snap. I have to dig out the head with a vice-grip and try again.

It's starting to come together though...
 
turtle
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2006-07-06, 00:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
I actually just got done in the attic tonight, and I screwed down 3 sheets of plywood! It looks pretty good, but I've been battling small cracks and broken screws I don't know what type of wood the original joists are, but it is REALLY hard! When my drill meets the old wood, usually the screw will snap. I have to dig out the head with a vice-grip and try again.

It's starting to come together though...
I know it's extra work, but why not pre-drill the holes to minimize the loss of screw heads? Or yours for that matter.
 
Windswept
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2006-07-06, 11:22

Quote:
Originally Posted by turtle2472
I know it's extra work, but why not pre-drill the holes to minimize the loss of screw heads? Or yours for that matter.
Yeah, definitely. Pre-drilling may 'seem' to take longer, but if it saves you from dealing with breakage, it'll be well worth the time spent, I would imagine.
 
World Leader Pretend
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2006-07-06, 17:30

Yeah, I started to pre-drill today and it's been going much smoother.

My main concern was about swapping bits all the time, but I found a smaller plug-in drill that I can use solely for pre-drilling. I've started to perfect my system, via trial and error.
 
turtle
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2006-07-06, 17:51

That's great. How about a few pictures of the floor in progress? I'm wondering how the wood looks with the screws.
 
World Leader Pretend
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2006-07-06, 19:59

Sure, I'll take some now...

EDIT: After my camera charges

Last edited by World Leader Pretend : 2006-07-06 at 20:08.
 
PB PM
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2006-07-06, 20:51

Quote:
Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend
I picked out some expensive but nice screws to fasten the plywood with. They are stainless steel with a square head, and I think they will accent the "semi-inductrial" look of the attic. I'll have to keep them in line so they look professional, but that's what chalk-lines are for.
AKA Robertson Screws.
 
World Leader Pretend
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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2006-07-06, 21:10

Here's one picture that I took yesterday that kind of shows how the floor looks with the screws:
 
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