The Roof, The Roof

[pdub]

Thanks for all the info.
It’s like that guy who was just here to help.

What was his name again?

[pdub]

Son came by and at no cost, checked out the issue, which was cool of him.
He said it could be a roof issue as he wasn't the one who did the original work, he couldn't quite have an idea of the process - but did notice some cracking in the previous sealant and used a silicone sealant instead of whatever was used previously.

Still puts us in a bit of a spot as we want to repair minor drywall issue where there was the leak but kinda worried it'll just happen again after we do so.

[jfish26]

Does anyone know much about how utilities (wiring, plumbing, ducts) are laid in homes? Specifically, are these things (more likely than not) run through central "arteries" (say, over/under hallways) and then branching out into rooms (say, bedrooms)?

Trying to figure out how much rerouting would be necessary if we turned a spare bedroom into an open loft space or even just open space (which would involve tearing out the ceiling above the main level (the floor below the bedroom in question).

[TDub]

depends on the contractor and the number of remodels.

Ductwork in particular will run through a centralized trunk line vertically and then also horizontally with branch lines splitting off to serve each room vent etc.

Electrical will preferably follow a similar pattern with home run circuits back to the panel bundled/ cabled centrally and run back to the panel in a group with individual lines in the group splitting off to serve the room switches and outlets . Lighting will be on a separate circuit from the outlets and should come down from the attic into the switch and then back up and over to the fixture. Outlet lines similar other than it will drop down into the nearest outlet to the hall and then from that outlet will run outlet to outlet through the room walls in holes drilled through the studs art somewhere between 18 and 42" AFF.

if there are outlets on the other side of the adjacent walls they may also be served by this same circuit.

[TDub]

There shouldn't be plumbing in a bedroom walls unless it shares a wall with a kitchen or bathroom.

If you know for sure you're going to be doing something with this room.

Pull the drywall off the wall, that will expose all the wiring and you'll have a better idea of how to move forward.

[jfish26]

There shouldn't be plumbing in a bedroom walls unless it shares a wall with a kitchen or bathroom.

If you know for sure you're going to be doing something with this room.

Pull the drywall off the wall, that will expose all the wiring and you'll have a better idea of how to move forward.

EXTREMELY stupid question - presuming the county office has blueprints or other documents on file, would those maybe show the answer?

Relatively recent construction (early 2000s), no prior remodels.

[Deleted User 863]

There shouldn't be plumbing in a bedroom walls unless it shares a wall with a kitchen or bathroom.

If you know for sure you're going to be doing something with this room.

Pull the drywall off the wall, that will expose all the wiring and you'll have a better idea of how to move forward.

EXTREMELY stupid question - presuming the county office has blueprints or other documents on file, would those maybe show the answer?

Relatively recent construction (early 2000s), no prior remodels.

I don't think most counties keep that kind of info on file for residential properties. They usually just have a basic sketch of the exterior dimensions and some basic property info like year built.

[jfish26]

depends on the contractor and the number of remodels.

Ductwork in particular will run through a centralized trunk line vertically and then also horizontally with branch lines splitting off to serve each room vent etc.

Electrical will preferably follow a similar pattern with home run circuits back to the panel bundled/ cabled centrally and run back to the panel in a group with individual lines in the group splitting off to serve the room switches and outlets . Lighting will be on a separate circuit from the outlets and should come down from the attic into the switch and then back up and over to the fixture. Outlet lines similar other than it will drop down into the nearest outlet to the hall and then from that outlet will run outlet to outlet through the room walls in holes drilled through the studs art somewhere between 18 and 42" AFF.

if there are outlets on the other side of the adjacent walls they may also be served by this same circuit.

What I'm hoping is that the only work that would be required is cutting branch lines or loops off altogether (and connecting circuits/lines as needed). Would make the project we have in mind feasible. If it would involve re-routing all of this stuff, then the economics may well not add up.

[TDub]

There shouldn't be plumbing in a bedroom walls unless it shares a wall with a kitchen or bathroom.

If you know for sure you're going to be doing something with this room.

Pull the drywall off the wall, that will expose all the wiring and you'll have a better idea of how to move forward.

EXTREMELY stupid question - presuming the county office has blueprints or other documents on file, would those maybe show the answer?

Relatively recent construction (early 2000s), no prior remodels.

They won't have the level of detail you're looking for...a lot of that is field driven, contractors choice.

[jfish26]

There shouldn't be plumbing in a bedroom walls unless it shares a wall with a kitchen or bathroom.

If you know for sure you're going to be doing something with this room.

Pull the drywall off the wall, that will expose all the wiring and you'll have a better idea of how to move forward.

EXTREMELY stupid question - presuming the county office has blueprints or other documents on file, would those maybe show the answer?

Relatively recent construction (early 2000s), no prior remodels.

They won't have the level of detail you're looking for...a lot of that is field driven, contractors choice.

If we know the builder, might they give the plans?

[TDub]

depends on the contractor and the number of remodels.

Ductwork in particular will run through a centralized trunk line vertically and then also horizontally with branch lines splitting off to serve each room vent etc.

Electrical will preferably follow a similar pattern with home run circuits back to the panel bundled/ cabled centrally and run back to the panel in a group with individual lines in the group splitting off to serve the room switches and outlets . Lighting will be on a separate circuit from the outlets and should come down from the attic into the switch and then back up and over to the fixture. Outlet lines similar other than it will drop down into the nearest outlet to the hall and then from that outlet will run outlet to outlet through the room walls in holes drilled through the studs art somewhere between 18 and 42" AFF.

if there are outlets on the other side of the adjacent walls they may also be served by this same circuit.

What I'm hoping is that the only work that would be required is cutting branch lines or loops off altogether (and connecting circuits/lines as needed). Would make the project we have in mind feasible. If it would involve re-routing all of this stuff, then the economics may well not add up.

with the caveat that I'm not seeing the house....Its likely this can be done without major interruption to these systems. They'll pull the wires out if the outlets back to the homerun. leave thay hanging. Then take that put it back in the new box and run wires box to box from that point. So, you'd have new wires to the new boxes but not have to pull the homerun circuit.

The ductwork likely will be a branch line that can be cut and capped back to the trunk line. Or, rerouted to accommodate the needs of the new space.

[jfish26]

depends on the contractor and the number of remodels.

Ductwork in particular will run through a centralized trunk line vertically and then also horizontally with branch lines splitting off to serve each room vent etc.

Electrical will preferably follow a similar pattern with home run circuits back to the panel bundled/ cabled centrally and run back to the panel in a group with individual lines in the group splitting off to serve the room switches and outlets . Lighting will be on a separate circuit from the outlets and should come down from the attic into the switch and then back up and over to the fixture. Outlet lines similar other than it will drop down into the nearest outlet to the hall and then from that outlet will run outlet to outlet through the room walls in holes drilled through the studs art somewhere between 18 and 42" AFF.

if there are outlets on the other side of the adjacent walls they may also be served by this same circuit.

What I'm hoping is that the only work that would be required is cutting branch lines or loops off altogether (and connecting circuits/lines as needed). Would make the project we have in mind feasible. If it would involve re-routing all of this stuff, then the economics may well not add up.

with the caveat that I'm not seeing the house....Its likely this can be done without major interruption to these systems. They'll pull the wires out if the outlets back to the homerun. leave thay hanging. Then take that put it back in the new box and run wires box to box from that point. So, you'd have new wires to the new boxes but not have to pull the homerun circuit.

The ductwork likely will be a branch line that can be cut and capped back to the trunk line. Or, rerouted to accommodate the needs of the new space.

Roger that. Very helpful - thank you. Now that we're deeper into this, the context is actually that we're considering making an offer on a house that would need this done to work for us...and obviously the tough part is figuring reno costs into the offer.

A builder friend is going to come on our next walkthrough of the house (and of course we won't rely on message board advice...) but it's helpful to at least know that what we have in mind is not necessarily DOA.

[TDub]

EXTREMELY stupid question - presuming the county office has blueprints or other documents on file, would those maybe show the answer?

Relatively recent construction (early 2000s), no prior remodels.

They won't have the level of detail you're looking for...a lot of that is field driven, contractors choice.

If we know the builder, might they give the plans?

yea...its just my hunch that the plans aren't going to be very helpful.

On commercial buildings everything is documented and redlined with any field driven changes, RFIs, etc to reflect the final condition or the building regarding install of important systems and structure.

Residential however........is not. Houses get built off of napkin sketches all the time. Just enough detail for the city/county to give you a stamp and permit. The field changes vary greatly and are almost never documented on any sort of plans. Usually the inspector, if he can understand the logic of why the change was made and it stays within the code....is going to sign off on it without needing a official document change.



The thing that probably WILL be shown in those documents is where the chase is for your vertical runs. It will be a walled box with no doors, probably 2x2 or 3x3 or 3x2....fully walled in, probably in a closet, corner of a bathroom, end of a hallway... That will be where your ductwork goes from level 1 to 2, 2 to 3 etc. Also Likely that much of your main electrical runs will use that same chase.

[jfish26]

They won't have the level of detail you're looking for...a lot of that is field driven, contractors choice.

If we know the builder, might they give the plans?

yea...its just my hunch that the plans aren't going to be very helpful.

On commercial buildings everything is documented and redlined with any field driven changes, RFIs, etc to reflect the final condition or the building regarding install of important systems and structure.

Residential however........is not. Houses get built off of napkin sketches all the time. Just enough detail for the city/county to give you a stamp and permit. The field changes vary greatly and are almost never documented on any sort of plans. Usually the inspector, if he can understand the logic of why the change was made and it stays within the code....is going to sign off on it without needing a official document change.



The thing that probably WILL be shown in those documents is where the chase is for your vertical runs. It will be a walled box with no doors, probably 2x2 or 3x3 or 3x2....fully walled in, probably in a closet, corner of a bathroom, end of a hallway... That will be where your ductwork goes from level 1 to 2, 2 to 3 etc. Also Likely that much of your main electrical runs will use that same chase.

We located the plans, and the builder did in fact identify that chase and other utility stuff (and concluded that, with a high degree of certainty, the rooms we want taken out, can be taken out).

So, onward.

[jfish26]

I have a few bar-height swivel chairs that I put together several years ago now. The sort that came in boxes and we had to put the legs and stuff on, using pre-drilled holes etc.

They're now falling apart, the screws not holding.

What exactly are my options here? Reassemble them with slightly larger screws? And/or wood glue? Brackets or other new joining hardware? Break up with her?

[NewtonHawk11]

I've always struggled with furniture. When they start to break, I feel like everything else is just buying time because it's already gone.

Break up with her.

But I think defix is the resident furniture/house/maintenance expert, so maybe he'll know more.

[KUTradition]

are they solid wood or particle/press board?

[jfish26]

are they solid wood or particle/press board?

I'm guessing the pieces in question are particle/press board. Not sure this is the right word, but I'd called them "formed".

(I am not handy at all - grew up in apartments and never really learned how to make/fix things. So I make my oldest kid do all of this sort of stuff with me, so he's not so far behind.)

[KUTradition]

are they solid wood or particle/press board?

I'm guessing the pieces in question are particle/press board. Not sure this is the right word, but IU'd called them "formed".

(I am not handy at all - grew up in apartments and never really learned how to make/fix things.)

if that’s the case, i’d say their done

you might be able to completely move the attachment points to an undisturbed section, but i don’t think you can do anything to repair the current attachment points sufficiently. glues and putties just wouldn’t hold up to the wear for something like that, imo

[jhawks99]

The glue/putty will likely be stronger than the wood. I'd 86 em.