MAJOR HOME ADDITION I am adding approximately 400 sq. feet to my 1450 sq. ft house. Master bedroom and bathroom expansion, new front entryway and a bay window for my daughter's bedroom. Below is a list of steps to accomplish this exciting yet overwelming task.
Planning and drawing for a building permit
Bay window installation
Sewer drain plumbing
New gas piping & gas meter relocating
Concrete slab and foundation setup
2X6 wall framing and wall sheathing
Roof trusses and roof sheathing
Foam roofing
Sewer and vent piping
Water piping
Electric
Doors and windows
Wall preparation and stucco
1. Hiring yourself an Architect or maybe a home designer is always a smart idea. They know the building codes and have the proper drawing tools to draw a professional set of plans for the city you live in. I was fortunate that my background had many years of cad drafting so it was an easier thing for me to use my skills. My plans where finally approved from the City of Phoenix, it took me about one year to complete them, faster completion times can be had depending on your wants. Keep in mind that after your plans are approved, you have to pay for the permit based on the value of your remodel. Ours cost us about $2000.00 and is valid for a period of 18 months. The first picture on the left is our existing house, the second and third is our new addition plans, the forth is a rendering of our new front entry and the last picture on the right is a before after of the back addition.
2.We decided to first install a bay window for our daughter's room. I now know that this type of installation is a bad idea, we dont recommend you make this mistake. In the beginning we thought we could save some money, this definitely wasn't the case. Talk about headaches, just thinkin about it makes my head hurt. It did turn out pretty sweet, thank GOD. I started out with a 2x4 frame, I then had to breakdown the upper brick wall above the existing windows to expose the area where we placed a dual 2x8 header, I bolted the new header to the existing steel lendils sandwiched in the brick wall, I poured a concrete slab where the 2x4 frame would be placed, next was removing the rest of the wall and windows, we then added some roof rafters onto the header and on top of the bay frame, sheathing the walls and roof was next, installing the Milgard casement windows was our next step, building paper and bitchithane were applied, exterior trim and stucco products.
3. Hiring yourself an experienced plumber, we used Scotty at Guarantee Plumbing 602-367-1263 to install the drain plumbing. If you feel you can handle it I have step by step instructions I could pass your way, just email me. Its all based on the amount of plumbing devices you are going to install. We have a whirlpool tub and a couple of sinks to install so our drain plumbing system was small. We first had to dig down to find our sewer main, calling blue stake to locate utilities underground is always a smart idea. We were fortunate that our sewer main was located at the back of the house. Picture one on the left shows our simple drain plumbing system, one arm going to the whirlpool tub drain and the other arm going to the double sinks. Second pic shows the stub up drain to the double sinks. Pic three shows the vent stack so everything drains properly, this stack is so tall for the purpose of testing the system. The next pic shows a cleanout for testing where the arrow is pointing. Pic 5 shows the test ball and extention hose, these items are needed to block the water you put into that tall stack to prevent the water from draining into the sewer underneath the cleanout. The 2" test ball is inserted into the cleanout ready to get pumped up with air. The last pic on the right shows a red not passed inspection tag and a green passed inspection tag.
4. We had to relocate our gas meter because it would be in our new bathroom plus you cant have gas piping running under a concrete slab, pic 1 on the left shows the existing location. The new galvanized gas piping was ran in the attic, again Scotty did it. We decided the west side yard would be the best place for it, pic 2 shows the new location. Keep in mind that the gas company has to physically relocate the meter because they have to tap into their gas line underground. It costs about $400 for them to perform this operation too. Before the gas company does their part, you the homeowner has to get the new gas piping pressure tested and passed by the city inspector. The last pic shows the meter missing and the existing piping underground plugged. The metal cable connecting onto the old gas piping is a ground from the electric panel.
5. Preparing for a concrete slab and foundations is by far the toughest setup in a home construction project. The first thing we performed was the digging of the foundation trenches (pic 1 & 2). Ours are approximately 12" wide and 18" deep for all of the outside walls (check your plans for the right size). Because the slabs are going to be a monolithic pour (one pour), we opted to cut the edge at a 45 degree angle where the slab and the footings meet (pic 3) to make it a stronger connection. The second thing we did was break up our existing front porch slab (pic 4) with a jack hammer because it isnt a good idea to pour new concrete on top of old concrete. They tend to shift differently which may crack the new slab. Because we are building a new front entryway, the existing doorway will be removed and the new slab will be at the same level as the house floor height, this plan will give us a small front entry room with a closet and the new front door will be facing the street.
Step 5 in this lengthy process is the setting of the form boards that outline the foundation and slabs. This has to be exactly square, setting up batter boards and string to mark the exact heights of the slab. The best way to find exact heights away from your existing house slab is hire yourself someone like Dan Dwyer of Dwyer Custom Builders 602-377-2289 to survey your property with an electronic surveyor. He is very experienced with keeping things square when house building and remodeling. For all you DIY's out there, to find a perfect square corner use the 3-4-5 rule, 3 foot on side of a corner, 4 foot the other side, 5 foot diagonal from mark to mark or try 9-12-15 for a bigger area. Using a string line leveler may be another option to give you your heights. Once the form boards are staked in the ground using metal stakes and nailed appropriately holding everying thing in place, its time to think about adding the rebar (pic 7) in your trenches (check your plans for the right size rebar, placement and quantity). All your exposed pipes need to be wrapped with foam and taped (pic 8). Before you can pour concrete, its a good idea to add about 2" of abc rock and sand on top of the dirt (pic 9). Its a good idea to get your area inspected from the city you live to make sure things are correct. The city requires you to get a ternite treatment within 48 hours prior to pouring. Calculatiing just how much concrete you need before ordering yourself a Ready Mix truck to deliver concrete, go to the Concrete Network for an accurate number.
6. Wood framing was next on our agenda, we hired a local friend handyman Paul to start our front entry framing. The front two walls were built quickly when something very strange happened. A driver from Ballard truss company decided to strap onto our new framed walls to pull our new trusses off his truck. I dont know what he was thinking, there is no way these walls are strong enough for that purpose. Somehow the new trusses came off his truck along with the new framed walls down on the ground. This was a construction delay we had to go through, surprisingly it took much longer to get any money from them to repair the walls. We then decided to construct this front entry ourselves, with the help of Architect friend Ken we got it up in no time. We did have to incorporate two large beams into the front because of one of the corners being cantilevered above the existing house roof.
BACKYARD SPRINKLER INSTALL
We finally found a great sprinkler man that didn’t want to redo my entire backyard sprinkler system; he even wanted to keep my cheap orbit controller. I would highly recommend Ramon Beltran – 602-487-1152 for any and all of your sprinkler needs. I can definitely tell you he is honest and very fair with his prices. Anyway I knew my system needed a little help to get things working, seeing as how it was not working for at least 4 years (see this page at bottom). First fixing my valves and adding an anti-siphon valve that's higher than the control valves is very important. Also adding a main sprinkler shut off valve below the small round cover is a good idea in case in the future you have leak problems, thanks Ramon for your help!
FRONT YARD LANDSCAPE
This is my current project, I finally found some solid ideas I like very much. My wife and I agreed that she can choose a new color rock ground cover to replace the old and I can do everything else. The more I thought the more I decided to scrap the whole idea about putting new rock down, it costs money, takes a while to spread it and weeds make me look stupid. I'm going to get rid of most of my existing rock and just go all natural- dirt.
I’m going to be building a small water feature as part of our new landscape, they say running water is soothing to the soul. Below is a rendering of what our front yard will look like. By the way, if anyone is interested, I can do the same thing for your yard. It’s a great way to decide what appeals to your tastes.
NEW TRASH ENCLOSURE COMPLETION
Originally I built this enclosure to hide the ugly City of Phoenix garbage cans, this build happened shortly after completing my garage. All it came to be then was my garage on one side, a block fence on the other and an OSB roof finished it off. Now that I want to get things finished, I tore off the roof, made some gates to hide the trash cans and painted everything to match. On the other side of this enclosure is a space called my welding area, the next paragraph tells about this forgotten area.
THE FORGOTTEN WELDING AREA
After my garage was completed, I noticed a dirt side area next to the garage that could be converted into a very usable work area. I had a concrete slab poured, added a door from the garage, built a thick metal table, added some lighting/outlets and a fire extinguisher. Presto, a secret work area my wife can’t even find. This area was also forgotten by me when we got our house appraised. Can anyone guess how much more I could have got?
NEW SHED BUILD
For the longest time we have been fighting with this little tin shed that is home to the lawn mower and dog food. The kids were always having trouble opening the sliding doors to feed the dogs. This problem went on for years, one morning I said no more. So I tore it down and constructed a full size one, vaulted ceiling one that myself a 6’4” man can walk into. This shed is so big, my kids have parties inside.
BEDROOM 4 ELECTRIC ADDITIONS
A few years before we moved into the Pershing house, the back of our house was added on for a computer room. It worked great for us until we realized our oldest son needed a bedroom of his own. We converted it by building some interior walls to divide the space plus we put up a closet bar and shelf, but no closet door. This room had a ceiling fan in it from the beginning and left the switch in the kitchen for it. Now that many electric things needed reconfiguring I decided it was time to put a switch in the new bedroom for the fan and the new closet light. I went one step further and also installed a switch for the light in the hallway outside this bedroom.
BEDROOM 4 CLOSET WALL & DOOR
This project is in a current state, I cannot take all the credit for it because I have designated it as my oldest son’s project. He is 15 and not very interested in this home remodeling project so it sits until I can force him to work on it. The closet wall is constructed, corner beading is in place, and the drywall mud has started. It’s a long, hot summer so it will eventually be completed.
LIVING ROOM CEILING FAN & CAN LIGHT lNSTALL
You might say that this project is a continuation of the “Kitchen Door Opening Widening” project mentioned recently. Back then I installed a few more switches for a ceiling fan and can lights. It's really nice to see an old project being completed like it should. The fan was a huge success, my family is so happy its there. Fans make a stuffy room pleasant to live in. The 4 lights give a soft glow in the living room for those special nights.
BATHROOM REMODEL
Remodeling of any room especially a kitchen or a bathroom takes careful planning. We had big plans to expand our master bedroom into a master suite but those plans are now on hold.
Updating our other bath sounded like a desirable alternative. Going to the local home store, we discovered we could purchase a whirlpool tub that would fit in our existing tub space for a mere $300 dollars. A few years ago we
bought a small amount of tiles for the shower in our new master suite. Now that the master suite project is in a holding state, we used them in this bathroom as the shower surround plus these tiles are going to match the newly painted blue walls. Adding a stylish vanity/sink, toilet and
a full length mirror, we had the great looking bathroom for our guests and kids. Have I told you about the solar tube skylight in this bathroom, natural light in a once dark space makes for bright times.
INTERIOR DOOR UPGRADE
Through out the years, I have bought way too many "cheapy" hollow core interior doors for my home. These types of doors where all bought at a certain home store near my house. The bottom line is they dont last, not even for one year,
no wonder the are only $25.00. We decided its about time to upgrade our door situation. Panel doors construction is worlds better than the "cheapies", solid core for less sound transmission plus they have great styling that would compliment any decor. We bought them with the door and frame for easier installation
and door trim fixing.
HALLWAY LIGHT UPGRADE
External glass granny style dome to a more stylish can light.
GFCI MASTER BATHROOM UPGRADE
The code book states, GFCI (Ground Fault circuit interrupter) outlets must be used around wet areas like near a bathroom sink. When we bought our home it didnt come with them so we felt adding them would be a good idea for safety and resale reasons. We then added another for a total of 4 outlets, it seems you never have enough.
KITCHEN DOOR OPENING WIDENING
A while back, we totally revamped the look and feel of our kitchen. Looking at the surrounding walls, I noticed that the walk way from the kitchen to the living room was way too narrow.
Closely inspecting the area, I discovered I could gain about 8 inches. At the same time I could add another dimmer/light switch for the future can lights and a ceiling fan in the living room.
BATHROOM SOLAR TUBE SKYLIGHT INSTALLATION
All I got to say about this project was that it was a very cost effective addition to our dark bathroom. We bought ours at the local home store for about 100 bucks.
Easy to follow installation instructions allowed us to have the project finished in a little more than one hour.
POPCORN CEILING REMOVAL Removing that old, dated popcorn looking ceiling has given our home living room a shot into the current times. I dont remember what the name of the outfit that did the
removal but its cool they left our ceiling all scratched up. Most wouldn't like this type of finish but we really dig it. Below is some pictures of the new ceiling, I dont have to show you the old, everyone knows
how 70ish it looks!
OFFICE TO BEDROOM 4 CONVERSION
My oldest son Jeramiah, is now 14 and needed his own space away from his young brother. Converting my office to a bedroom was simple, adding a few walls around the hall that goes to
the back door was all it took. A closet was added for shirt hanging and a ceiling fan for those hot summer nights.
CARPORT TO GARAGE CONVERSION
After this conversion was completed, I was very surprised just how easy it was to finish, and WOW what a difference, now we have a complete looking house aside from some minor landscape work. I couldn't have finished without the help of my friends at Cactus garage doors, they went out of their way to make my conversion a success. I was so happy of my conversion performance that I decided to start a business specializing in carport to garage conversions.
We call it "Home Fantasy Facelift". Actually its going to be more than just garages, I want to create a new model looking home into your existing home for a complete facelift. My services wont be just your everday remodel, we want to first show you what your new home conversion will look like using the power of 3D. Click on our Designs link for more information about the "Fantasy Facelift".
NEW FRONT WINDOW INSTALL
Most of us though don't have a clue on how to update a room's appearance especially when doing major modifications like the new window below. Room remodeling/decorating is a time consuming process but can be an enjoyable experience if you know exactly what you are wanting a room to look like.
From the very beginning, my wife and I noticed that the living room needs more natural light, I consulted an Architect friend about removing the two skinny windows in our living room for one large 6'x5' window. My smart friend was also nice enough to give me a hand with my project, thanks Ken. Now that it's almost complete, we can say wow, what a difference, its kinda like night and day. We flooded the once dark room with an aboundance of natural light. My wife also thought that giving this room a fresh coat of a faint color would really do wonders. We are excited once again to walk into this room.
But this is only the beginning, next we will show you how to install two skylights in a splayed light well. We all know that this isn't the 70's anymore, removing your dated popcorn ceiling would bring any room into the new century along with a few ceiling light cans for that dimmed light glow effect.
Below shows our step by step process, we highly recommend consulting a professional before attempting a project of this magnitude, happy building!
KITCHEN REMODEL
Our newly remodeled kitchen is the result of our second house flood. When our home was built in 1969, the builders didn't know about abs plastic pipe, our home is plumbed with cast iron piping. Anyway, the kitchen sink drain pipe wore a hole through it flooding our kitchen. Having any type of insurance claim can be a real bear but in the end, we received enough money to make the kitchen the way we wanted. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of our old kitchen, trust me it was another room stuck in the 70's! What do you think of it now?
MAILBOX COLUMN This is one project I've been looking forward to and dreading all at the same time. This is because I have never done any masonry work with bricks or block. Laying concrete is one thing, bricks are another. I told myself I would try to put this project on hold as long as I can or until the wife demanded it be done. I don't know what I was so afraid of because this project is almost finished and had only a few little problems with it. True there is some things to look out for including making sure everything stays level, proper masonry spacing (3/8") and masonry mix consistency to name a few.
Applying stucco to the blocks is the next step, it's an easy mix, just add water. The stucco is applied in two layers with a mortar trowel about 1/4" thick. Placing the glass block is the next step, it's just like laying the concrete blocks with few exceptions, additional supports are needed and you have to use a special mortar mix or a silicone method. In back of the glass block is going to be a light socket and a bulb. One thing that a person has to think about pertaining to the light is just how you're going to change the light bulb. I'm going to have one of the glass blocks on the back placed in such a way that it can be wedged out with a screwdriver.
I just have to say that I really enjoyed this project and am looking forward to many other masonry home projects including building more of these mailbox columns for other people. I first need to sharpen my skills and get faster at it. The following pictures below show the steps it took to build this beautiful structure. Please email me for any questions you might have or a more detailed breakdown of the steps.
The last photo is actually a rendered image of the completed column.
Happy building!
OUR HOMECOMING All of us here at the Schwinghamer residence really are tired and hot, after going through our sewer mishap we feel its time to really get back into our house projects. I'm happy to tell you that our family has gained a few new members, another Labrador puppy and a little kitten. Contrary to what my wife believes I convinced her that we need a fence in the middle of the back yard (to control our dogs). Our black lab, almost one year old loves to jump on people. As our backyard projects are shaping up it seems that projects are overlapping.
Digging for an in ground pool was going to be my number one project this fall but that changed because I discovered that my main sewer line is in the middle of the pool area. So the next best thing is an above ground pool with grass, landscape and a deck. The first thing that needs to get done is a pool fence.
Putting up a pool fence is a straightforward type of project; concrete fences posts into the ground and attach the inner fencing. I thought to myself "this is going to be a piece of cake" and it is pretty easy if you use the posts made to be concreted in the ground and not the ones that use threaded anchor bolts. Please visit your local Home Depot for all the materials you need. I recommend you dig an 8" round hole, about 18" deep, I went one step further and hammered a 4 ft. rebar in the ground that will be submerged in the concrete. I used Superior concrete mix, just add water. When I went to The Home Depot for my supplies, I received a pool fence layout sheet giving me necessary information like center to center post width and the inner fence height. I completed this project in about three days because of waiting for the concrete to dry completely.
HOUSE SEWER BACKUP
On April 12 we had a not so nice accident happen to our house, Jessica, my daughter flushed the toilet, the water went down then back up flooding our beautiful home. Our house had to be evacuated because of the bacteria from the sewer water. My wife and I have never had to deal with something like this. My first made the mistake of hiring a public insurance adjuster. It seems to me that they like to drag their feet trying to claim as much as possible so they get the most money. Needless to say they are don't care how long your out of your home.
After almost no progress to our house (using the public adjusters) we decided that we need help. Hiring Minute Men Resoration in Glendale was the best decision we could have made. Their team was quick but thorough, (cleaning, painting, reinstalling carpets and tiles) they are going to get us back into our house in less than three weeks! I was totally impressed with their workmanship, honesty and thoughtfulness throughout the job, I would recommend them to anyone with water damage!
Dealing with insurance companies can be a little intimidating at times especially when they dont want to have your best interests in mind. This kind of event doesn't happen everyday (thank God), it helps to know what steps to take after a misfortune.
We hope to be back into our house on the 14th of June to start up my home projects again.
SPRINKLER DESIGN
We are now finished with our second featured project, the water heater closet. This was sort of a
continuation project of the pantry (our first project), we moved the water heater then enclose it.
We will show you a finished picture soon (its going to look exactly like the 3D rendering). I know we
told you that after this project we were going to tackle a mailbox column w/light in the front yard,
we'll that's been put on hold.
Looking at our future back yard pictures, we decided it would be smart to install a sprinkler system
for a plush lawn. Shown to the left is an overhead diagram of our house and both yards. It shows the pool
fence separating the pool area from the grass area; this will be the first item that needs to be
installed. True we do not have a pool at this time; we do have a Labrador puppy that likes to get into
everything. Take note, the various planters, they will be tied into the sprinkler system using bubblers.
The violet lines indicate the PVC pipe runs to the sprinkler heads and the red lines show the bubbler
runs to the planters. The green line in the front yard is the main water supply.
The design of this sprinkler system was provided by www.diy-online.com, this is a free service. Its
fast, it's easy, I recommend it! This sprinkler project starts with trenching the ground about 9" deep from the main
water line that goes to your house to the area where you want the valve box to be located. From that
point you trench to the sprinkler heads in your yard. Renting a trencher at your local Home Depot is an
easy and cost effective method as well as gathering all the supplies there too. The great part about
the diy-online design is that they give you a complete parts list for your size yard. Important note:
Before you start digging, make sure you call your local blue stake (it's a service that can tell you
where dangerous power is underground before you dig). The reason why I'm taking the time to tell you
about the installation process is because this is going to be a very popular project. Almost every
home has some type of yard and/or planters that need aqua (especially in the hot summer of Arizona).
WATER HEATER CLOSET
The picture to the left shows the water heater area.
The next picture above shows the back porch when we bought our house. See the area where the arrow is pointing
to, that's the water heater closet. This is the area that is the back wall of my new kitchen pantry
(my first project).
This simple project is going to be a welcome
addition to the back porch, it makes sense to enclose that ugly water heater plus it gives me more
storage space. Another beautiful item that was placed on our back porch is a barbecue island from my
friends at Bbq Hut inc. Look below for the 3D rendering of this
perfect outdoor cooker. Please click on their link for all your BBQ needs.
My little helper (pictured above) and myself built the skeleton of this closet out of 2x4's in a day
(email me for detailed plans). I just want to say thanks to Nathan for his all powerful hammer swing.
We went to the local home depot and found that we could use the identical wood siding that the back of
the house has for a perfect match. We built two swing doors and used some plastic meshing to provide
enough venting for our gas water heater. Stay tuned for our next project, a mailbox column with a
light surrounded with glass block. This column will be located in the front yard next to the street, see above
for a preview rendering. After I complete this mailbox column and like the results, I have thought about
building these beautiful additions to other people's houses (please email me if interested).
The picture on the right (next to my little helper) is our finished waterheater closet (exactly like my 3D rendering).
FUTURE BACKYARD VISUALIZATION
My wife and I were out in the great outdoors, actually in our backyard milling over some landscape ideas. We both
decided it would be really nice to have a pool built for the hot summers here in Phoenix while keeping a small grass
yard for the kids to play in. This backyard is gonna be a much longer project than
other things we want to do to our house. We will tackle our back yard in the future. Another very helpful thing 3D
does for homeowners is choosing kinds of plants and flowers for the yard. One thing that my wife has always wanted
since we bought this house is a bigger master
bathroom including a sauna tub, of course I was all for it. What I'm trying to get across you
all you home owners is that Third Dimension Design has the ability to show you anything you want to see in your home
improvement ventures. Our new yard is the highlight of our new venture- Creative Water. You can see what our new backyard is shaping into by visiting this link- OASIS
PANTRY
Now that we are all moved in to our first home (August 12, 2001), we immediately started
planning the first house change. The really silly part of this house is
that the washing machine is inside and the dryer is outside in the storage
room (where it should be). My wife and I decided if we do buy the house
we would move the washing machine and the water heater outside. The kitchen is lacking a pantry
which it badly needs (from lack of cabinet space). You can see on the left, a
picture of the washing machine and hot water heater. After we move the washer and water heater, we will make the empty space into a spacious
pantry. Speaking of moving the water heater, that will be our next
project along with building a closet/enclosure combo for the water
heater, we will keep you posted. The smaller pictures below show
some steps that were performed moving the washing machine (any picture
can be enlarged by clicking on it). Im not going to go into detail with
the steps it took to move the washer and water heater. Please feel free
to email me at 3ddd@cox.net for
more detailed information.
As you can see its quite a lengthy procedure to move a washer but well
worth it! The steps to follow show the transformation of the once used
washing machine closet in a beautiful pantry. This pantry is gonna be
huge with room enough for any food products, plus a storage cabinet and
large drawer for tupperware.
For more information on the construction of our new pantry, please email
us. Now that our new pantry is nearly complete, we are happy to know our
finished design works well for us, we wouldn't change a thing. Its really
dreadful to have to settle for a something that doesn't work especially when
you think about all the time and money wasted on a poor design. Please see
below for the final 3D design picture of our new pantry. We can now show you
a photo of our finished pantry to the left of the 3D design image. Notice how it is
an almost exact copy of the 3D design.
