Home Renovation Rant...

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ScrapinSi

Senior Member
Well I had some spare time today, so I said "i'm finally gonna install that new outlet for the TV"... We hung the TV in our bedroom on the wall, but I wanted to put an outlet up near the TV so there aren't any cords hanging down...

OFF TO HOME DEPOT I GO!!

Pick up a Remodel Box, some Romex, 50ft of Coax, etc etc...

Come home, and figured i'll just T off the existing outlet in the wall.. So I decide where I want the hole for the Remodel box, and then decide I want it on the OTHER side of the stud from the outlet... No biggie... Drill a hole in the stud, pop it through, and snake it...

Yeah right... Apparently, when the previous owners remodelled this room, they decided to use 4" STUDS!!! I mean come on! Its not a load bearing wall, wtf would you use a 4" stud for? Not to mention I didn't even realize this until AFTER i cut the hole for the outlet. I measured the stud, counted off my measurements correctly going 2" across, and even gave an extra inch... Then cut the hole, and BAM... there's another 3/4" of stud... :(

So its not easy to bend romex around 4" corners... So I decide that I'll run the wire up over the top in the attic and back dock... Climb up in the hot ass attic, and realize that they not only used 4" studs, but they box framed the shit too! So now I need to drill holes in the top, snake the wire up & down... UGGHHH!!!!!

Now I have a hole in the wall, and a half installed outlet...

I need a fuckin beer... Its too hot in the attic to deal with this shit right now.
 
Wait, so you mean every stud in the wall is a 4x4 stud? Or maybe you were just unlucky enough to pick a spot next to a 4x4 column.

Also, you know that a 4x4 is really 3.5x3.5, right? :)
 
I think i remeber something like that from school.. 4x4 are measure pre-planing or something like that
 
yeah I know its 3.5x3.5... But EVERY stud is 4x4... And its not a normal plywood 4x4 either... It looks like they are old natural wood beams... Not pressure treated or anything like that...

hmmpphhh...
 
If they're rough-sawn studs, rather than milled lumber, chances are the previous owner had nothing to do with the construction. I'm guessing you've got an old house, with old framing techniques.

Shit man, in my field (architecture), we see all kinds of crazy framing from decades ago. Horizontal framing (horizontal studs rather than vertical), roofs framing with 2x4's...you name it, we've seen it. :)

Also, what did you mean by "box framed it"? It's pretty typical to have one, if not two, top plates to a framed wall. Sucks for you if a 4x4 way used for the top plate, though. :)
 
Well the room was originally a garage. The previous owners converted it to a bedroom or dining room. We use it for a bedroom... I'm assuming they just used the old studs...

Luckily the top pieces aren't 4x4, and I know they should have a brace across the top, but I figured there would be some room in between the rock & insulation to snake wiring down... But its sealed up tight... When they ran the outlets into the room for the room conversion, they drilled a hole in the cross beam up top.

I'd finish it right now, but my new Team America: World Police DVD just came in on Netflix, so the outlet will have to wait until later on... :)
 
i thought this was going to be the post where the fire pit catches fire to the house because of all the mulch around it.
 
Originally posted by TurboMirage@Jul 7 2005, 12:06 AM
i thought this was going to be the post where the fire pit catches fire to the house because of all the mulch around it.
[post=521952]Quoted post[/post]​



I'm waiting for that thread too :)
 
our house was built right after WWII and there is some really interesting building techniques in the house. In our garage, we have 2 HUGE steel ibeams that spread the length of the garage.


s3fd3d20646ce5.jpg

You can kinda see the one in this pic. The thing is HUGE. For our walls, they are brick, cinderblock, then plaster. They are IMPOSSIBLE to drill holes in for anything. In addition, they act as a bomb shelter as you can barely if at all get a cell phone reception (Probally one of the reasons why we still have a land line)
 
well that steel beam is not over kill if it bearing the exterior wall of you brick, cinderblock house. as for 4*4 framing and 2*4 rafters it comon up here hell i have just finished a gut on a new project that has a 2*4 rafter that were hand nailed with ring nails and bent over. To be truthfull i perfure the way old framers work, the products where made to last and where all overbuilt.
 
Originally posted by Airjockie+Jul 7 2005, 12:13 AM-->
TurboMirage
@Jul 7 2005, 12:06 AM
i thought this was going to be the post where the fire pit catches fire to the house because of all the mulch around it.
[post=521952]Quoted post[/post]​



I'm waiting for that thread too :)
[post=521956]Quoted post[/post]​


You won't see it for a few reasons...
#1.. A Stone Ring is going around the fire pit.
#2.. Fire Retardant spray is going down.
#3.. Its not like I actually have time to USE THE DAMN THING ANYWAYS!! :angry: :angry:
 
And #4, the house is more than 75ft away from the firepit... The forest will catch fire before the house... :p
 
ALL DONE! The rest of my rants...

#1... Make sure you have the right drill bits... Cable won't fit through a 3/8" hole with the ends on it.
#2... Decide your cable routing BEFORE you drill the holes.
#3... If your cordless drill battery CAN die, it WILL die.. When you are 3/4 of the way through drilling the LAST hole you need to, so that you have to bust out the corded drill & the extension cord.
#4... Junction boxes make life alot easier.

I'll take pics tomorrow..
 
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