Members DanCostello Posted April 14, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 14, 2015 Well, 3 months later and we still haven't found a place - well, we found one we liked, but we got outbid on it. But man, is the housing market down here sketchy. There are TONS of houses on the market that were abandoned and then rehabbed by developers and I don't think I've seen one that wasn't total crap. I think my favorite was one where they'd added a half bath between the kitchen and the dining room, and on the shared wall between the bathroom and kitchen, they'd bolted a chunk of countertop to make a sort of breakfast bar thing. Apparently the guys who cut the stone counter top were more concerned about straight lines than the guys who framed the walls, because while the two ends of the counter touched the wall, there was a sizeable gap in the middle. I'm pretty sure I could make a 4' wall straight. I walked past another this weekend, where I could see the work the guys were doing in the basement and the framing in there was even worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted April 15, 2015 CMS Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Well' date=' 3 months later and we still haven't found a place - well, we found one we liked, but we got outbid on it. But man, is the housing market down here sketchy. There are TONS of houses on the market that were abandoned and then rehabbed by developers and I don't think I've seen one that wasn't total crap. I think my favorite was one where they'd added a half bath between the kitchen and the dining room, and on the shared wall between the bathroom and kitchen, they'd bolted a chunk of countertop to make a sort of breakfast bar thing. Apparently the guys who cut the stone counter top were more concerned about straight lines than the guys who framed the walls, because while the two ends of the counter touched the wall, there was a sizeable gap in the middle. I'm pretty sure I could make a 4' wall straight. I walked past another this weekend, where I could see the work the guys were doing in the basement and the framing in there was even worse.[/quote'] As previously stated, the devil's in the details. No wood framed wall will ever be straight. If it is, when it gets drywalled, the corners have to be taped and mudded. That has to increase the thickness of the wall in those spots. You don't notice it at all (unless it's really been done wrong...too thick) until you have a straight edge to compare it to...in this case, the counter. The wall guys did okay...the failure was in the finish work. The counter should have been scribed to the wall, or it should have a backsplash that is scribed to the wall, or at the very least, the joint should have been neatly caulked and painted to match the wall. The other alternative would have been to plaster coat the walls....adding a layer of joint compound or plaster to fare the wall straight. This is labor-intensive and you won't ever find it in low to mid-priced homes unless you run into a freak hobbyist or fool...you're talking about many thousands for this level of work...and there's still no guarantee of a wall straight enough to judge against a counter edge. Finish carpentry is about making things look right. Walls, ceilings and floors all have imperfections, and have to...it's called 'rough carpentry' for good reason. But the last guy in is responsible for making it look neat, tight and right. In the case of flippers, there may be nobody for that task. All depends who's doing the flip. In my experience, most of those guys aren't concerned at all. If the buyer is as much of a slob, he gets the sale and everyone's happy. If you're more discerning and particular, be prepared to pay for that extra level of detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wesg Posted April 15, 2015 Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yep. I think I got a bit more out of my last place because I do decent finish carpentry work. I was going to make a similar comment as Craig, but I have no idea how you'd scribe a granite countertop. I would probably add a backsplash (subway tiles?) that was thick enough to overlap the granite. When I do a formica countertop, I scribe it and adjust it to fit snug to the wall with a hand plane. Then I caulk it in place with quality colour-matched silicone caulking. I don't like water running down the wall. Getting back to framing - even the best rough carpenter can't predict how SPF is going to bow or twist over the first year. There is always a little of that going on. For a 4-wall, it's possible to taping joints, but you still have to tape your corner beads. Wes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanCostello Posted April 15, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 15, 2015 A little bit I can understand, but in this case, the gap was about 1/2" in the center. That's a bit much, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wesg Posted April 16, 2015 Members Share Posted April 16, 2015 A 1/2" bow in a 4' wall - I bet this is a twisted stud in a wall with no fireblock installed (not require by most code in a wall built on 24" centers. If it's not a twisted stud, I expect you would see problems up at the ceiling or the sill plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanCostello Posted May 9, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2015 Well, we finally found a place. The inspection was a couple days ago and while there are a couple things the seller has to take care of, overall, it's in pretty good shape. http://photos2.zillowstatic.com/p_f/IStsdynnhlmbni1000000000.jpg -Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wesg Posted May 9, 2015 Members Share Posted May 9, 2015 Congrats! Looks like a pretty fancy place! First order of business....do something about the stairs you can get PA equipment in and out easily. I have a friend who rents and repairs organs. His workshop is in his basement. He installed a wheelchair lift. Brilliant! Wes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DanCostello Posted May 9, 2015 Author Members Share Posted May 9, 2015 Thanks! The wheelchair lift a pretty good idea, but omg no, owning and transporting a PA system is about the last thing I want to do. I do sound design these days, so the heaviest thing I have to carry is my coffee. I'll probably build a studio in the basement; maybe I'll post pictures of the buildout here, so you guys can tell me what I'm doing wrong before I burn the house down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.