Hidden fireplace

Kathy asks: 

We recently bought a bank owned property and found that a previous owner had covered an original wood burning fireplace. The drywall was screwed to a 1x2 which was jammed into the front of the firebox. The firebox seems to be intact, but the hearth and all surrounding brick are gone. Originally (from looking at neighbors') it would have had a brick hearth and surround topped with a wooden mantle. There is a ceramic tile floor that goes to the fireplace wall, and drywall all around the opening. 

Do I need to rebuild a hearth, or can I simply tile around the firebox opening and add a mantle (per local safety codes) to save the floor space?

Jake's answer:

Kathy,

That was quite a find.

You should have the firebox inspected by a licensed chimney inspector prior to using the firebox.  For the purpose of our discussion, I will assume it is a traditional wood burning fireplace.  The 2006 International Residential Code requires a hearth slab thickness of 4”.  The hearth extension in front of the opening needs to be 16” if the fireplace opening is less than 6 square feet and 20” if the fireplace opening is greater than 6 square feet.  The hearth side extensions need to be 8” on each side if the opening is less than 6 square feet and 12” on each side if the opening is greater than 6 square feet.  Combustible materials, such as wood trim and mantels, should not be placed within 6” of the fireplace opening.  Combustible material within 12” of the fireplace opening should not project more than 1/8” for each 1” distance from such opening. 

Level a floor for tile

Jake asks:

I'm remodeling my bathroom and had to replace 2/3 of old plywood sub-floor. The floor is still not level. My wife wants ceramic tile. I bought the tile and cement board. Do I need to use self leveling cement to make it right before starting?

Jake's answer: 

Jake,

There are two ways to level your floor.

One way is to shim the plywood as you are installing it.  You can add shims to the existing sub floor or add shims on top of the joists if they are exposed.

The other way is to use self leveling products that can be mixed and poured.  This product can be more expensive but works very nicely. You can check out a product that can self level at Quikrete.com. I hope your wife is happy with the finished product. 

Replace soffits with shelving?

Vijay asks:

Hi Jake, this is a fantastic blog! So we have soffits in our kitchen and we want to get rid of them. From what I remember looking in our attic above them, there is nothing there, but we don't want to buy all new cabinets for the top so we were thinking of just cutting out the dry wall soffits and making shelves there. 

Do you see this done and does it look "normal." Also would it be easy/practical to put other cabinets (smaller ones) up there or something like a wine rack? Thank you so much!!

Jake's answer:

Vijay,

If your ceiling height is 8’, you will only have 1’ of opened space above the cabinets.  This is not enough room to add any shelving.  Typically, I see people put knick knacks or collectibles above the cabinets.  Be prepared to do some dusting as this area tends to collect quite a lot of dust.

You could add some crown mold on top of the cabinets to “dress” them up a bit. 

I’m glad you enjoy the blog.

Re-insulating a botched 4 season room

Mark asks:

I'm reinsulating between 2x8 floor joists of a 4 season room that wasn't done properly. 

It is almost at grade level, no access to underside of joists. Am putting full 1" x 1" strips on each side of joist flush with bottomm of joists. Then I am putting 1/2 inch wolmanized lumber down on top of these rails with screws. Then I want to put r19 kraft faced insulation, faced side up to floor. 

Am I doing this in the right way and do I need to be concerned about trapping any moisture? Ventilation needed? I will be adding a cold air return, another hot air vent too for a total of 2. The other existing vent was not run back to main plenum. Also adding a gas pipe for a gas fireplace. 

Thank you, 

Mark

Jake's answer:

Mark,

The way you are installing the insulation sounds like it will work.  

All "crawl spaces" must be ventilated to help control moisture.  The crawl space should have some sort of covering over the soil as well, like a 6 mil plastic sheeting.  I know this could be hard to do if there is no access.  You might be able to do it when you are installing the wood to hold the insulation in place. This will help contain the moisture and minimize the amount of moisture that can rise from the moisture in the soil.  

Is there anyway you can add some ventilation, at least one on each corner?  If you can accomplish these two items, you should be in pretty good shape.

Natural lighting under a porch or deck

Lea asks:

Jake,

I have a home with a full finished basement. My question is how would I put a front porch (I just have a stoop right now) with having basement windows. Do I use lattice to allow light? I have a family room below the living room and I have a bedroom below the upstairs bedroom. I only make $8.80 an hour so I will be doing what I can myself and would like any savings tips. Thank You

Jake's answer:

Lea,

When you build the front porch you will substantially reduce the amount of light you currently have streaming through those windows. Try placing some boards over the window wells to give you an idea of what it might be like.  

Also take into account if the windows serve any kind of emergency exit. A deck over the windows could really hinder egress, either in or out.  

I have seen glass blocks embedded in the deck flooring that is above the windows. Glass block is not that expensive. You will have to get a little creative on how to alter your floor framing to accept the glass block. Good luck!

Rough carpentry, electrical and HVAC

Ben asks:

I am having a contractor open a walkway in a load bearing wall this week. However, he is only finishing the rough carpentry, and will not be moving the electrical outlet that ties to the upstairs as well, or the central vac connection. I am wondering if the moving of these mechanicals is harder after the contractor has completed his rough work, or if it will be of equal difficulty after rough work as it would have been before. And about the central vac connection, can that be flush mounted in the floor? The flooring will be 3/4" hardwood. Thanks! 

Ben

Jake's answer:

Ben,

Usually the rough carpentry is completed prior to the mechanical (plumber, HVAC and electrician) trades appearing on the job.  If some of the wires etc. have to be cut,  make certain to note how they were installed originally.  It’s not a bad idea to take some photos of the wall after it is opened up and before anything is moved out of the way – your tradesmen will appreciate this. 

Timeline for staining floors

Alex asks:

Our home is new construction. The pine wood floors are installed throughout. My wife is concerned that they are staining the floors AFTER all the cabinets are installed. I thought this was normal, but she seems to think the finish would be more even if the floors were stained prior to the cabinets being installed.

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks!

Jake's answer:

Alex,

In our area, typically on new homes the unfinished wood floor is installed just after the drywall is completed. It is not finished at this time. After the wood floors are installed, the trim and cabinets are installed, then they are painted/stained. The finish of the wood floors is usually one of the last items to be completed.  

One of the primary reasons for this is to minimize any damage that may occur after the finish floor is applied. There is usually a lot of construction activity that takes place in the new home and it is likely that the floors will get scratched. In some rare instances the wood floors are fished immediately following their installation.  I would not suggest this method on a new home. It's too risky.  

I hope this helps.  

Jake 

Remove cabinets before tiling?

Terry asks: 

I'm going to tile my kitchen floor. Should I remove all the base cabinets prior to tile install?

Jake's answer: 

Terry, Unless you want to make for a lot of extra work for yourself, I would not recommend removing all of the base cabinets. You can put down a backer board like Durock, then install the tile. Be aware of the dishwasher and trash compactor, if you have them. Since you will be adding around ¾” height to your floor, the clearance for these appliances will be affected.

Pet stains

Patty asks:

How would you "seal" possible animal stains on a subfloor. We discovered the stains when we pulled up the old carpet. Thank you!

Jake's answer:

Patty,

We just came across this same situation in our home – thanks to our children’s dogs. I rolled on a coat of Kilz.  You can find this in most paint stores or home centers. It is an excellent stain sealer. I am not aware of any other product specifically made for hiding animal odors. 

A complete fireplace remodel

Ben asks:

How difficult would it be to completely remodel our fireplace? We have a natural fireplace in our living room that is directly over a gas fireplace in the basement. I would like to change the natural to gas, and lower the firebox considerably, and change the brickwork around it to something more modern. What types of contractors would I need to contact, and what could I expect to pay, short of the application of a modern look. 

Thanks! 

Ben

Jake's answer:

Ben,

“Difficult” is a relative term.  

Changing out fireplaces can get pretty involved.  The scope of work that you have described has been completed by our company.  You will need a plumber to run the gas line and a mason, that is well versed in fireplace construction, to modify the fireplaces.  

You did not mention the design part of the project – that is what will the new fireplace look like, who will design and draw it so the mason knows what to build.  You might consider hiring a general contractor to manage the project for you.  You will pay more, but you won’t have the hassles of dealing with the subs.  It’s difficult to put a price on something like this, not knowing the particulars of your project.  Taking a guess at it, I think you should expect to pay somewhere between $5000 and $10000.