CAT | Quality Check
Most homes built today use manufactured components for structural members because of their consistent quality, longer spans, and speed of installation. Some examples include roof trusses, floor joists, floor trusses, beams, and headers just to name a few. When it comes to roof trusses, you absolutely cannot cut, notch or drill through them…period! Most trades know this […]
Stud Shoes: What are They?
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Quality Check
As an owner-builder you are constantly bombarded with new building terms and slang. To help with this, armchair builder has created a glossary at the bottom of this blog and on our main website with some typical construction terms. However, every now and again we miss one. When you come across a building term you […]
Passive Fire Protection in Your New Home Project
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Owner-Builder, Quality Check
We have seen big improvements in new residential construction over the last twenty years in passive fire protection building techniques. These building methods, sometimes called firestopping or draftstopping, help slow down the spread of fire from one space to another in a home. By slowing down the spread of the fire, we give emergency responders […]
Best Practices: Foundation
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
The foundation for your new home or addition is a huge component of your new owner-built project. If you get it right, the rest of the project will go so much more smoothly. Here we will describe best practices as it relates to poured concrete foundation walls (basement condition). Proper Cure: Three words. Don’t rush […]
Floors Squeak and Pop?: Tips for Repairing/Preventing
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Quality Check
As you walk through your home, your floors squeak or pop. What is causing this and how do you go about eliminating them? Here we will describe some of the different types of floor noises you can have and discuss how a builder would go about removing them. Hardwood Flooring: Hardwood floors squeak and pop. […]
We received a question yesterday about the appropriate tile underlayment (material that goes between your subfloor and tile) to use. Using the appropriate material under your tile will help your new floor last longer while providing the necessary support to prevent movement. There are several different types of underlayment available so let’s go through each […]
Prevent Leaks in Your Tiled Shower
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Bath Remodel, Fix it!, Quality Check
Because one of our readers had an issue with his tile shower leaking, I thought it would be a good idea to share it with everyone just in case you have a bathroom project coming up. If you decide to have an installer tile the floor and walls of your shower, there are some things […]
There is a good article in FineHomebuilding that explores properly finishing concrete. The article, Broom-Finished Concrete Flat work, reviews most of the requirements for the proper placement and finishing of concrete. The biggest item missing is the proper way to cure the concrete. I have found that most professional concrete finishers are great at placing […]
Your New Addition: Sizing Your HVAC Equipment
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Home Addition, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
As an owner-builder, you want to make sure your new home addition will be of the highest quality with the fewest possible problems. So make sure you require your HVAC subcontractor to run a manual J calculation (or equivalent) to check the equipment sizing for your existing home with new space added and give you […]
Your Home Addition: Make Sure Your Existing/New Roof & Floors Line Up
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Home Addition, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
For your new renovation, it is critical to put the time and effort into making sure your new floor and roof line up with the existing floor and roof. This sounds obvious and simple but based on the number of homes I have seen with one or both of these screwed up, I thought I […]
