Tungsten Gruvsten Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Since i've been out of the picture for the last 6 months or so I thought i'd share what the hell it is i'm up to...yeah. First off, it didn't look this daunting when I got into it. It is a nice house, no yard really, kinda skinny, reminded me of a toronto abode with it's narrow laneway and 'needing to exhale' look but it fit the budget and was practically 'move-in-able'...uh yeah until the $360 heating bills started rolling in....turns out there was no insulation in the walls. at all. or the ceiling. or basement and most of the attic. Sooooo. I 'test-demolished' the stairs leading down to the basement, instantly adding crack-house cred with a blair witch appeal. Over a couple weeks I carted 22 boxes of plaster 'discretely' to work to dispose of after-hours like a friggin' tunnel-digging con emptying his pantleg in the yard. Then I rented 2 bins and had a week long demolition party and took out the rest of the house. 3 and a half metric tons of plaster carted by hand down the stairs and out the door to fill 2x 10 cubic yard bins..Pretty damn satisfying really but physically exhausting and disgustingly dirty work. I don't recommend the 'whole house approach'...maybe a floor at a time but that's it... so here's some before pictures...looks like I snapped these just before we started taking it apart... ------------------------------- and after we laid in... ------------------------------- For the reconstruction it's been mostly reinforcing and repairing what's there, adding proper steps up to the attic(to become my little studio room) and opening up the main floor to one big room. I'm just hitting the halfway mark for drywalling the main floor...and there's tons to do on the second floor...The main floor has 4" of crazy blown in insulation...goes on as a liquid and puffs up 120% in a couple seconds...weird technology but it basically glues the entire place together... So now i'm nerding it up a notch, laying out the structured wiring in the house. This is where it gets groovy- 2 video lines, 2 audio lines, hi-speed network and phone to every room in the house, with a patch-panel for data and audio in the basement...one day I'll drop a media server in the basement to serve up whole house audio and video....uh, yeah, soon as I get this friggin drywall done.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau. Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Done this type of work for awhile before getting into the electrical trade, I don't envy you one bit. I see you had the outdated nob & tube, how old is the home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberHippie Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Sweet jebus!! Good for you man, that's pretty hardcore! My insulation is piss poor as well... But that's way outta my league. I've been agonizing over a backyard deck for two years now and still don't know how to get started. At least I've got it staked out now...Good job! And while your in there ya gotta do the wiring, that's fuckin sweet! I've been doing a lot of experimenting with wireless audio and video. I've got the audio working good now, with this usb fm transmitter. It's great, I'm broadcasting my music to the whole block. The video ain't so hot though, getting static from my wireless internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwa. Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 "I see you had the outdated nob & tube.."nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peipunk Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 (edited) Who said pasty-white computer nerds can't get their hands dirty ......way to go man, that sounds like an amazing project that will be immensely satisfying when completed. It also sounds like a shitload of work. instantly adding crack-house cred with a blair witch appeal. Outstanding. Edited June 28, 2006 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Wow, I'm amazed.Will you be doing the room-within-a-room thing for a recording studiette? (At the very least, I've heard of sound-deadening drywall you might use.)Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\/\/illy Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 So now i'm nerding it up a notch, laying out the structured wiring in the house. This is where it gets groovy- 2 video lines, 2 audio lines, hi-speed network and phone to every room in the house, with a patch-panel for data and audio in the basement...one day I'll drop a media server in the basement to serve up whole house audio and video....uh, yeah, soon as I get this friggin drywall done.... I've been slowly doing that to our house too. It's even more difficult when you can't tear the walls all down. If you're looking for any input, drop me a PM. I've done a lot of research into it and it's also sort of my job. Way to go on fixing up the house! Looks like you're doing a fantastic job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Huxtable Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Wow, that's impressive TG. You're the man! We've been procrastinating a big drywall rip out for fear of what me may find. I guess we'd better get started in the next month or so. Wanna help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Nice! No corpses or suitcases full of cash or contraband hidden in the walls, though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deeps Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 TGs place has got progressively crazier each time I've dropped by in the last couple of months.[color:purple]At least his neighbours are sweet!Good luck with the rest of this massive project brother,Deeps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Gruvsten Posted June 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Thanks for the replies and encouragement...good to know i'm not completely out to lunch. Denise and I figured it would be better to do it all at once rather than live in mini-construction zones for years...Greg;House is about 1916, there were 3 outlets(all ungrounded) in the whole place and the old knob and tube was patched into new wiring with electrical tape inside the wall cavities here and there...very nice. (You'd be proud, I wired the whole place to new code and it passed inspection!) Got an electrician in to upgrade the service though...that one is outta my league.Trevor:The insulation can be blown into existing walls, I had a contractor do that one as it isn't something that can be DIY'ed...Punk:Yeah...uh next time I think it would be easier to build a house!! at least then I could find one square corner to start from.....Brad;Haven't even thought about the attic studio yet(besides moving our bedroom so it isn't underneath it...) Hell I haven't even figured out the second floor!Willy;I can't imagine how hard it is drilling and fishing wires through walls...I walk through my walls regularly now that they are gone!! I do installs with work so I'm getting a good handle on this stuff (and i've read everything online I can get my eyes on) but if you need any wall plates/jacks/wire etc I bought waaaayyy too much!! I'll letcha know when I get into wiring the panels if i'm out to lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Nice work bud! And nice to see you around these parts again! SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Sooooo. I 'test-demolished' the stairs leading down to the basement, instantly adding crack-house cred with a blair witch appeal. Over a couple weeks I carted 22 boxes of plaster 'discretely' to work to dispose of after-hours like a friggin' tunnel-digging con emptying his pantleg in the yard. post of the week!you sir are the master of the mental image.i hope that it gets easier for you, at the very least you are now able to wire the place the way you like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigger Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 I have to do the same here .Just had my wiring done .I think it will be room to room though .Later T.G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geomouse Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Way to go TG! You've seen my little studio and the techniques I used for elliminating sound transfer are really working out. Let me know if you want the details. I basically researched the net for products that are ready made and then substituted way cheaper stuff to save the bucks. the walls within walls technique is your best bet if the studio will be in the attic. Mine is in the basement so the 10" concrete (airfilled)stops most of the noise. Just remember its not as much how the sound gets out of the room but to try and illiminate any ambient noise getting in from outside. you know like the screaming neighbours just when you about to finish up a really sweet track;)Keep at it ...its looking awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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