# Built in BBQ and backyard remodel



## scotzilla

the idea is to do the L where the bbq is currently and extend it over to the round table. We wanted input on using granite as opposed to tile or travertine for the counter top. Also I see most built ins constructed with cinder block. Is there a reason not to frame it out of wood? 

I build race cars for a living so Im good with my hands but i have no experience doing home repairs or modification, so please excuse any dumb questions. My hope is to do as much as possible and sub out what i dont have the ability to do. One for saving on cost and two I just enjoy projects and and doing new and challenging things. 

Next phase is going to be a fire pit over by the planter box with the palm trees. I want to shrink the planter box down and build a nice stone wall with a half circle bench around the pit and arrange some seating on the other side. 

Im assuming in need to have a plan drafted up now and get all my plumbing and electrical run in the concrete before I start building. ANyone have any recommendations for someone who could help in the bay are with a rendering and blue print?


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## Jim F

Posting your location helps in several ways. The choice of outdoor building materials depends on the climate of your location. A Google search revealed several Discovery Bays. Yours looks tropical. The name of your state might help someone help you in locating an architect. 

Most new homeowners have great ideas for improving your living space. What did you mean when you said "we think we havent seen the bottom"? The bottom of what? As long as you have the funds to do your projects and take care of any big money problems you may discover in your new home, you are good to go. You will find lots of help here just remember two key things- location and pictures.


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## scotzilla

Jim F said:


> Posting your location helps in several ways. The choice of outdoor building materials depends on the climate of your location. A Google search revealed several Discovery Bays. Yours looks tropical. The name of your state might help someone help you in locating an architect.
> 
> Most new homeowners have great ideas for improving your living space. What did you mean when you said "we think we havent seen the bottom"? The bottom of what? As long as you have the funds to do your projects and take care of any big money problems you may discover in your new home, you are good to go. You will find lots of help here just remember two key things- location and pictures.



Discovery Bay , CA its about an hour inland of SF- 30 min due west of stockton CA. 

By bottom I meant ever since we've been married housing has been a mess. At first we were fortunate enough to never have any of our offers go threw as we would have been several hundred thousand dollars upside down. I still think housing costs havent bottomed out but we finally reached a point where they are cheap enough and rates are low and we are just flat sick of paying someone else's mortgage.


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## frenchelectrican

If you can please take a photo under the decking ?? I may have a question or two come up.

The main reason the conseration is the support set up and how big the new decking you will be planning to make ??

And are you plan to add exteral stair way or leave it alone ?

To make the decking and roof at the same time it can get tricky but I know it can be done so please hang on someone with roofing trick will chime in I am sure they will know a trick or two with this matter.

For the BBQ do you have natural gaz in your house or going to use the propane gaz ? some case it can able pipe the gaz out to the BBQ plus " outside fireplace pit " I am not well verison with outside californiné requirement with fire pit so check that as well to see what restriction they will have so I rather have this deal with it first before you plan to build this out.

For the light layout I may have couple idea with it but I will wait until I get some idea of your drawing or something.

Yeah you can have couple low voltage spot lites to highlight palm trees that one idea you can do that.


Merci.
Marc


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## scotzilla

ill shoot some pics of the bottom of the deck tonight. I planned on breaking up the brick in the concrete and plumbing natural gas, water and electrical threw there. Luckily there is a drain right where we plan on putting the L. 

Right now the deck is 12 ft off the house. I would like to push it to 14ft so that I can move the stilts out of the built in area. We plan on putting bar stools along the back side of the counter so people can sit and eat there. The deck has to be water tight, and eventually we would like to add lighting and some heaters along the parimeter. 

Im not sure how contractors typically water proof a deck but I have a company where we shoot polyurea (basically bed liner material) and I could build it out of preasure treated and spray a one piece membrane on top. We have been shooting dock foam floats encapsulating them for half the price of the plastic tubs they sell to encapsulate it so Ill have to look at the cost of the conventional ways and compare. 

The other idea is to add a spa to the top of the deck down the road so I need to incorporate that into my structural, plumbing and electrical plans. 

We do want a spiral stair case off the deck since we have a saint bernard who likes to get up at 5am every morning and go outside. Our rental was one story so it wasnt a big deal but getting up and going down stairs to let him out is already getting old. I would just install a doggy door but hes only 14 months and 145 lbs so he doesnt fit threw most doors. That and if he can get out the door people can get in. Plus once we have a hot tub we arent going to want guests to have to walk threw our master to get to the hot tub. 

I cold called a contractor who is coming out tomorrow morning just to see what it would cost to have it professionally done and give me a better idea of what we are up against. I want to do the parts I can and hopefully he will want to fill in the rest. I know at my shop I hate it when customers ask to do that but oh well.

Right now we have a 10K budget so Im hoping we can get at least the plumbing, electrical , built in and deck framed out. Sound reasonable or am I way off?


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## scotzilla

finally some pictures. 





































so I had a contractor come out- He had a lot of good info but he wasn't interested in doing anything but the deck and wiring. Thats the part I know I can do. I think ill end up doing everything or most everything after hearing prices. 

Basically the deck is first. Its coming down and getting stretch out another 2 ft. I read that i need joists every 16 on center to support a hot tub up top. Does that sound right? THe plan is to re- use the stilts and replace all the douglas with pressure treated. Then Spray the top with a Poly urethane to waterproof it. How do contractors typically make a deck like this water tight? 

I told the contractor about the fire pit idea and hes the third person who told me I could sell the palm trees or sell one to make more room for the fire pit. I looked online and its sounds like its more urban legend than anything. Anyone who what kind of Palms these are?


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## scotzilla

it would be nice if we could sell the center palm, make room for the pit and help offset the cost of the renovation. Here's another spot that might work for the fire pit










kind of out towards the edge of the property but it would make running the gas line more difficult.

I don't know- just thinking out loud here. Hoping to get some input from people with more experience

also anyone know the price of flagstone vs shale per foot?


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## Jim F

All I know about palm trees is that in nature, they burn down to the stump and will regrow fairly quickly. I wonder if that would be the process involved with selling one- cutting it down to the stump and selling the mature root ball which will grow into a tree again once its roots get reestablished in the new location.

16 inch on center is a good standard. As far as a hot tub, I may be inclined to also add another support beam and posts to accommodate the weight. But that is not an expert opinion.


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## oh'mike

A couple of thoughts--google deck water proofing---there are a large number of systems that are resigned to go under the deck boards that will give you a dry 'roof' above the patio below.

These need to be built into your new deck structure --so do your research before actually planning the deck.

One of our members is a designer and drafts man in California---Andy Gump--He is quite creative PM him if he doesn't drop in on this post.TARDIF DRAFTING AND DESIGN

I posted his web page--might be good reading--Mike--


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## scotzilla

ok so ive done a bunch or research on the deck. Polyurea membranes are actually a popular way to waterproof a deck. I took a trip to Home Depot to price the materials and the help desk suggested I should use CDX instead of pressure treated planks for the platform on top. Since Im coating it with poly they suggested using epoxy on the cdx top and bottom before I screwed it down- they spray down the membrane. 

ALso My wife wants to slate the top of the deck. I assume it could be done if we put down the backer board and slated on top of that. Why wouldnt that work? 

If we go the CDX route the deck will cost $1200 in wood and screws and hangers. If we use 2x6 planks It would cost around $2000. Obviously if we are covering it with slate and it will work I would like to save the $800.

THoughts??? Suggestions??


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## oh'mike

I've never tiled a wood deck---I think some one else will need to answer that one---Do google-- Schluter--they make waterproofing membranes and deck water proofing systems--


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## tpolk

I would do serious research and pay to have the load /framing engineered for a hot tub. thats a lot of weight plus people weight. outside tiling on an exposed wood system will also require a sizeable stucture/ stiffness upgrade or tile will move and crack. imho


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## scotzilla

yea i agree- I know a lot of people do it since 30% of the deck out here have hot tubs on them but Ive never seen one 10 feet off the ground. Most decks are on 2-5 ft stilts.


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## scotzilla

whats the going rate for stacked stone or veneer like Coronado in your area? I cant get any contractors nailed down on a price. Lowes wants $8 a foot just for the Coronado material. I was trying to weight out the different options but no one wants to shoot me a straight comparison. Ive got 300 sq ft of area just for the bbq. 

If its not in the budget to stone the outside now can I use stucko or some tyoe of cheaper system and stone over it later? Or does the stucko have to be ripped off? thanks


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## scotzilla

Been plugging away little by little- SAt we just went to look at granite colors and ended up buying some stuff for SUPER cheap just cause it was on sale for %50 off. I got three 36x 120 slabs of this for $283. Not our first pick on the color but i think it will match the slate and look good enough. Sure beats the $1300 we were looking at spending. 









its the middle slab









my first choice is this darker granite but the wife isnt having it, she thinks its always going to look dirty










I also got the old wall and planter box wall removed and sold off. Looks like there was tan bark along the fence on the one side. Hopefully the rain will let up by weekend and I can start moving some dirt. 



















and just a fyi the palm trees arent worth anything- Its really rare to be able to sell one, remove it and make a profit.


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## scotzilla

So with the rain i decided to tackle an indoor project tonight- THe pstiars toilet rocked and a tile was loose. THe more I got into it the more loose tiles i found. There was only one really bad one but all the others i pulled had spots that made a pinging noise when tapped on. Question is should i just rip it all out and start over now? Ive put down new tile but never fixed old tile. Do I need to chip up the morter or just lay over whats here? 

Also looks like water was getting under the tiles buy the toilet. SHould I replace the sub floor? THanks


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## frenchelectrican

The pinging sound you heard that means that the tiles were not really bonded properly as you can see when you pop the tile off you can see the way it not really sticking very well.

Some case the subfloor can get warped it can affected as well so the only way you can fixed it right is take the rest of tiles off. I know I heard ya you may not like it but get the tile cement off and get down to bare subfloor and inspect for any damage or other items show up.

Then lay down a new subfloor or underlayment { depending on the terms you use } and use the proper mixure to stick the new tiles or the existing tiles I don't have very large degree experince with exsting tiles but make sure the tiles are very clean when you install them otherwise it will not stick right.

I am not too suprised some case the nail may come loose from the floor joinst which it kinda common from older homes.

I know one member in the fourm he is good tile guy I am sure he will steer you in correct way with the repairs and what need to be done in proper way.

Merci.
Marc

P.S. I will PM him so he can able come over here and help ya.


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## scotzilla

yea im leaning toward ripping it all out. I read last night that if the grout is inconsistant its a sign they sealed it to early or didnt mix it enough. Some of the grout was really hard and some came out like powder. Its far enough where Ill just pull it all for the peace of mind. Should i pull up the sub floor or just chip away the cement?


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## Bud Cline

The indoor tile floor is gone, it never was really there based on how you describe your findings and what the pictures are showing. You will be money ahead to demo the whole floor and start over. It was a bad deal from the git-go. What exactly is under the tile, below the tile adhesive?

Check out the subfloor at the toilet real close. It looks as if the subfloor could be spoiled.

Now we're moving outside:
Nice digs by the way!

Okay, the deck.
Tiling on decks can be interesting but since you are going to (re-)build the deck here's what you should know.

Natural stone tiles require a structure that is twice the strength of that required for ceramic tile. The structure needs to be built with a deflection of L/720. More common is L/360 or L/480 but it isn't suitable for stone tile.

Slate will work in your climate but in all honesty you can do better if you use a porcelain tile that mimics slate. There are a lot of those out there to choose from.

I don't want to beat you over the head about asking questions of people that work for Home Depot so suffice it to say: Just don't ask their advice about anything. You'll be better off for sure.

The deck should be covered with a double layer of plywood to support the stone properly and mainly to avoid deflection between the joists. CDX is not I repeat is not a suitable underlayment for a tile installation. I would consider maybe the first layer made of CDX because of its lower cost but the second layer should be "Exposure 1-Exterior Grade Underlayment". CDX can be full of voids in the inner layers and voids cause movement. Movement will kill a tile installation pretty quick. The ply also should be waterproofed and there is more than one way to do that. We'll get to it later.

The joists should be spread not more than 16" on center and the size and span should come from your architect, remembering the L/720 deflection.

As has been mentioned Schluter Systems offers a deck drainage system used for tiling a deck.

Drainage is important even in your climate and a slight rake might also be in order.

Gotta go for now. Chew on that for a while and ask any questions you may have.

P.S.: Las Vegas pays big bucks for palm trees that size I think. As you probably know...the whole damned tree can be uprooted and moved.


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## Firefighter3244

In for updates. Awesome New home, 

_I close on my 1st in two weeks._


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## scotzilla

thanks for all the info. just cold call a architech or is there a formula i can plug my numbers into to figure out what kind of structure for the deck i need to build? 

On the inside I came home and pulled the rest of the tiles. Ive never pulled up tile before but i assume its not supposed to come right up after you half ass cut the grout. My contractor buddy told me to just pry up the hardy backer. I tried right at the door opening and found that it appears to be glued down everywhere. He was telling me if im lucky it will be screwed or nailed down. Since its stuck so well should i leave it? I spent 2 min scraping and chipping at the tile cement and its coming up real easy. I bet i can have the whole bathroom knocked out in 45 min. Or do I need to tear it down to the wood floor to check for damage? THere is evidence of water undernieth the tile. heres some shots.





























on another side note. I Was planning ahead for the gas line for the bbq and fire pit. I Was thinking about T ing off the dryer line since we have an electric dryer but Im worried about the size of the line. THAt and i would have to tear up a few walls inside the house and cut the concrete to get it to the BBQ and pit. Why not just shoot down the side yard on its own run? WIll 1 inch sufice? THe Bbq will be a 6 burner Turbo and I have no clue how you size a fire pit. The pit will be around 36 inches but i dont know what kind of demand it will have. 

thanks again all. this sites awesome and it sure feels good to do this stuff yourself.


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## scotzilla

crap looking at that last photo i just realized my roof gutter doesnt hit the drain?!? i guess ill add it to the list.  seems like the list is getting bigger and bigger the more i get done:laughing:


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## frenchelectrican

Scott .,

I was looking at the photo I hope that was not a hardwood boards below the hardyboard if that the case you will have to rip them out anyway belive or not especally in bathroom area when you rip them up you will encounter some rotten or damaged area I know near the toilet area expect that few case you may get lucky it will be clean and dry but most case it will more likey will have to redo it anyway.

Once you get to the subfloor get a screw gun and screw them down before you put in new backer board in that way it will take care of any high or low spots you may encounter and the same time it will do stop the creak or floor movement that what can ruin the tiles.

And while you are working in the bathroom if any reason you plan to open up the wall just be aware you may have run some suprise so expect that and bring it up to the code it much easier to deal with it when the wall is open { if you going this route }

As far for gaz meter do NOT use the first tee fitting for extendison of gaz supply that first tee right out of the gaz meter leave that one alone that is Gaz company test port { it will be written in the codes }

Now for gaz pipe size IIRC 3/4 inch may handle it ok up to about 230 K btu on 7" WC { water collum } depending on how many ells you will snag it may affect it but really the safest bet is check with HVAC or Plummer contractor they will have detailed list and what type of gaz pipes you can use in your area.

As far for electrical requirment for outdoor area I will assist you on that when you get to that far but keep in your mind you will need at least 3 circuit for sure but deniftly 2 for sure without question.

So just try to list it much as you can in planning stage and myself and other will assit you on the planning.

As far for the upper deck I think it will be wise to run that by engineer to make sure it do meet your state codes requirement.

Merci.
Marc


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## scotzilla

its not hardwood and the hardy backer is down solid. THere is no crunchyness or loose parts. Do I still need to pull it up? 


Back outside I took a long lunch and checked out Freedmans in concord. They sell appliances and whatnot. We picked out some stuff and got a Killer deal on a 48 inch DCS. It was an open box that had been damaged during delivery. Almost all the damage is on the cart which we are ditching anyway since its a built in. Theres one small dent on the top but I do paintless dent removal all the time on show cars and I'm confident I can get it out and make it look new. SO they wanted $6700 for this exact model and we ended up getting it for $1900. 

THis is the 36inch version


















eventually we want to add one of these heaters under the deck










This sink looks really cool but I don't know if its really practical, we are kind of leaning towards a simple round with no bells and wistles.









heres something else that was just flat out cool so i thought i would share


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## scotzilla

alright- well we returned the light green granite and bought the darker stuff. We stopped by a mason yard and picked out some dry stacked veneer stone. Now I need to get serious about building out the bbq. I was sold on the cinderblock method and then a buddy had me talked into building it out of steel frame. Then another buddy came by this morning who does granite and said hes never seen a cinder block unit crack but he has seen a steel framed bbq crack. Is there a concesus? Seems to me it would be easier to construct walls and openings for access doors and other appliances with steel framing as well as buikding out the overhang for the bar top area. WHat do you guys say?


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## mrs1885

Can't help with the building stuff but I think your palm trees are called Sabal Palms. We had them in our backyard when I was little in Florida. When the fronds are cut down they've got some wicked little 'spines' along the edges. We used to trim them ourselves when they were little but they grew very fast and we had to have people come in with special trucks to get high enough to trim off the dead fronds. Always hated those things! LOL At first I was thinking Queen palm based on the flared bottoms and was pretty excited for ya. Queens are gorgeous and quite expensive. Not sure about the Sabals. I know a palm that big is worth a good bit of money and they're very easy to dig up. The root ball on palm trees generally is just that - a ball. But it would cost a fortune for the big trucks to come in to move them. 

Anyway, can't wait to see your finished project. Sounds like it's going to be wonderful!


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## Bud Cline

Steel and masonry will expand and contract at different rates. Hence: Cracks. Nuff-said?


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## scotzilla

Nothing can be easy- The quick tile fix has turned into a drawn out ordeal. The tile that was in there is discontinued so we are picking something new. I found some left over travertene in the attic to match the other bathrooms but theres not enough of it and Id like to keep them for spares in case we ever need it. SInce we are changing the floor color the wife wants to change the granite on the counter top. Im not up for that right now with everything else going on in the back. 

So since Im doing this bathroom and the slate in the back yard I figured it was in my best interest to buy a tile saw instead of rent one every time i need one. I found one that looks practically new. I found the same model online for $900 and hes asking $400. It can cut a 18 inch tile diagonally. Good buy or keep searching?


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## scotzilla

also I see guys using the scoring method on youtube vids? SHould I look at those or stick with a saw? THanks


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## Bud Cline

> I found one that looks practically new. I found the same model online for $900 and hes asking $400. It can cut a 18 inch tile diagonally. Good buy or keep searching?


Have no idea what brand or model you are talking about and my crystal ball is in the pawn shop right now.



> also I see guys using the scoring method on youtube vids? SHould I look at those or stick with a saw?


Stay with the saw idea. Those other tile breakers won't cut slate and they won't work on everything. They won't cut inside corners and they won't do plunge cuts.


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## oh'mike

Stick with the saw---post the brand and model----Mike---


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## scotzilla

so this is the first tile job Im goin got tackle by muself. I did an office at my shop three years ago with the help of my mom so i need your input.


Heres the layouts Ive come up with. THe wife wants a border all the way around. I like it plain with the tiles on a diagonal. I guess you could call it lazy but this is a spare bathroom upstairs so simple i good for me. Does it look funny with the border just down the side of the shower?


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## scotzilla




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## no1hustler

If it were me, I don't think I'd want any border because of the room size. It will make it feel even smaller. I do like the small 2 inch squares in the middle on a diagonal though.


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## Bud Cline

Be careful there, you may be trying to do too much. I would save all of that fancy for a bigger area.

I run into this ever-so-often when customers want to do this and want to do that and want to do everything available to them. You end up with a god-awful quilt that nobody likes and looks like it all came from a salvage yard.

But hey - you guys have to live with it.


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## shumakerscott

I would keep it simple. Like said before, save the fancy stuff for the big bathroom. dorf dude...


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## scotzilla

thanks for the input- like i said i want to keep it simple but the wife thinks we need all this crap. Luckily shes out of town so ill just do what I want and ask for forgiveness later haha


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## scotzilla

got the q delivered- check out these gutters- hopefully its just some leaves or something. weve been having heavy rain for a week but theres next to nothing comming out of the gutter thats not connected. these drains on the sied yard are backingup as well.





































heres the 3500 dollar dent


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## no1hustler

That drain pipe makes me laugh.  

Scratch and dent sales are great! We have a nice SS fridge with a tiny little ding. We cover it with a strategically placed magnet and nobody knows.


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## scotzilla

alright- i ran out of time and just rolled the dice on the saw without doing any homework. I know the guy who sold it to me- hes got a cabinet shop two doors down so i dont think he would steer me wrong. heres some pics.


















kinda of got side track tonight- ive had these at my shop since my great grandma died. they worked when i unplugged them but wouldnt work when i got them back to california. Anyway I did some reading and used heat on the compressor and tapped on them and sure enough both of them started working. I think the kelvinator fridge is from the late 40s and the hot point freezer is somewhere in the 50's, not sure though. Once I get the big projects outa the way I want to tune them up and put a shine on them.





































i also aquired this rusty old philco that i still need to bring home. Im trying my hardest to incorporate it into the outdoor kitchen as a kegorator / fridge but the wife isnt having it. dig the patina look but it need completely new guts inside. Any one know the best way to tackle a transplant like that? I called that guy from the pawn stars show and he wanted $3500 plus parts- His guestimate was around 5-6k- haha


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## scotzilla

so made some more headway this weekend. I made a big mistake by assuming the tub and the cabinet where square to one another. I started by laying my 6 inch tile border and after soon realized they aren't straight nor square. I'm going to rip up the border today and finish it up. Other than that thing went well for my first tile job. I tried to rip up a few border tiles and both broke they were stuck so well. Oh I also forgot to buy some tile nippers so i used the saw and about 500 cuts to cut it out. After all that work it didn't fit all that well so I just figured ill do it later.










The dent police came out and fixed up the bbq. Cant even tell there was anything there


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## scotzilla

the car dent i wasnt so fortunate but its 10times better than it was. Guess ill have to go back and repaint it










this was before you could sewe the dent from 20 ft away


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## scotzilla

the bbq is too cool- I had to fire it up and test it out- cooked up u a hot dog for my dog









i just rented a ditch witch for friday so plumbing and elcetrical gets run friday night. I want to patch the concrete for the time being after the lines are run. ANyone know how to create the bubble effect in the concrete- I heard you just throw salt on top.

this is the best shot i have of what it looks like


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## Bud Cline

> ANyone know how to create the *bubble effect* in the concrete?


"Bubble effect"? What is a bubble effect?

You can use "rock salt" to create a "craters of the moon" type effect. Broadcast rock salt on the surface of the concrete and trowel it down into the surface when you finish the concrete. After a time the salt will melt-away leaving pits in the surface.


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## scotzilla

Got i little closer this weekend- Took friday off and ran the gas line and electrical. My neibors officially hate me. Between the sawing on the concrete, the jack hammer and the trencher it was a noisy couple of days. I bring this up because on friday night at 830pm I turned the trencher off and the min the motor shuts off the nehbor yells "dickhead" from over the fence! Seriously is 830 too late to make noise- especially on a friday night? I met him a week earlier and they seemed to be really nice, I'm just wondering whats an acceptable time is. 

Anyway i put the gas line down 18 inches- then 4 inches of sand and then the electrical. I also cut the planter box down so its symetrical front to back. Next dilemma is the three palm trees aren't centered. My wife says just leave it no ones gonna notice but its the first thing I see every time i look at it. So should i center the fire pit with the center palm or center the pit in between the two outside trees?


here's some progress shots





























look in the background, thats the tree offset im talking about










oh and the bathroom all put back together and cleaned up- Still need to wrap up the base boards but im waiting for the wife to paint it


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## no1hustler

Looking good. I'd say 8:30 maybe a bit late but I've used a stump grinder until almost 9pm once. If I were you, I'd go talk to the neighbor before you do it again. Mainly to warn him that you will be doing it.


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## scotzilla

demo, demo and more demo. THe deck is down and im worried about the header bolted up to the house. Look under the header where the stucko is cracked. Ive been reading a bunch on decks.com and sounds like i should open up the wall to the house and sister in the joists if i want to support a 6K lb hot tub up top. 

I asked the experts on there but there doesnt seem to be a whole lot of traffic on that site. Im trying to find out what size joist and supports I am going to need and how many. Seems like they suggest 2 x12s for most hot tub decks but i havent come across any threads where they are putting them 10 ft up.


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## Bud Cline

I can't engineer this project for you (not an engineer) but I am thinking 2"X12" joists on top of two 8"X8" beams under the tub location (about six feet apart) with four 4" steel (cross-braced )collumns supporting the beams.


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## scotzilla

alright i had an arch. help me out with a deck plan. I T'd into water and ran that last weekend. I need to start filling in the concrete that i cut. Ive packed it down several times over the last few weeks and it seems like its bottomed out. Can I just throw 4-5 inches of concrete in the gap and trowel it out of do i need to do some kind of a blend. Eventually we are going to slate over all the concrete but i would like it to look as nice as possible for the time being.


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## scotzilla

man its been a struggle to find time to work on this back yard. I ended up selling the motor out of my truck and swapped a 12 valve cummins in. THen that snowballed into a compound turbo build. 

















Anyway most of that is out of the way and the goal is to have the bbq finished by the end of july. Memorial day weekend i planned a full day and hoped to have the base blocks cemented in but just huffing the materials into the back yard took up half the day. THe plans I had went out the window pritty fast since the cinder blocks dont measure exact. After a few layouts this is what I came up with. 









I was told I could dry stack these blocks and just fill the center with concrete. But every video online shows using some kind of cement in between the blocks. Whats the propper way to do it? As they sit layed out dry with no cement in between half the walls measure out perfect. 

THis is may only unknown area right here. THe bartop is 9 inches shorter width wise than the countertop. SO I have to offest the cinder block that will support the countertop and it need to be space back 2.5 inches so that the cultered stone doesnt stick past the granite top. My question is whats the strongest way to connect that to the bar top wall?









In this pic you can see I took a half block and was thinking I could just back it with that but THere has to be a better way to do it. 









Also Is it better you use two smaller whole blocks and mortar or cut down a single block, or does it even matter?









Any advice is appreciated, THis is my first time doing anything like this and to make matters worse we purchased the granite on saturday, I needed to buy the granite to figure out the counters since they are pre-fabbed and not all exact. Moral to the story they want the granite out of there within 2 weeks, I want it out of there sincve i saw people taking sold stickers and switching them to other slabs since they wanted that particular peice.


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## scotzilla

last nights progress- Im planning on getting the base layer done tonight. Anyone know if I need to mortar all sides of the blocks or can I leave the 6 inch side of the block dry?


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## scotzilla

last weekends progress- THe first row took forever but once you get going it goes up quickly























































the wall where the bbq is going has a little hump in it but i set up the lazer and scribed a line last night. I plan on hacking it perfectly flat and filling it tonight. Also have a buddy comming over to help me with the electrical. 

I was going to use cinderblocks and some thin plywood to creat my access holes. Is that how its usually done? I was also thinking i could frame it out of wood then just beat the wood frame out once the cement has cured.


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## DIY_Diva

Wow! That's quite the project.


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## scotzilla

i was going to use cinder blocks without mortar as spacers but i ended up making these wood frames



























thought the laser lever was pritty cool. 



















hopefully these bridges will hold. I was planning on making some matal support brackets but after the concrete dried they feel solid




























next is mount the cdx for the counter tops. I chose CDX coated with a waterproofing material instead of hardybacker because the wood seemed a lot stronger. This paint was pink and dries more red.


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## scotzilla

well i got a lot done over the weekend again. THe granite guys came in today and did a great job. 
























































you can see here the color is not perfect but it was as close as they had for choices at the prefabbed wholesaler we got the granite from. Its not really noticeable unless you are int he right light and you are looking for it


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## scotzilla

now the next dilema is to figure out how to space the access doors and garbage pull out. 



















I had origoanlly planned on doing cultured stone on every wall but after looking at a few bbqs i think it looks cheesy to have the stainless go over the un even stone and have gaps. A freind of mine just stoned the corners then stuckoed the access door wall so that the doors sat flush and had no gaps. I wonder if i can stone the wall and then cut as deep as the shortest stone so there are no gaps and some stone stick out past the door frames.

Anyone been down this road and have any input?


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## klmeenan

*wow*

What a fantastic project you have undertaken.:thumbsup:


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## scotzilla

got a little further while waiting on the stone.

i hate the sink my wife picked out. 









i think it took longer to find all the fittings and parts needed than to install it all


















i know it should have a peetrap but this is for rinsing vegetables and meat platters and its in an open drain anyway so its not like smell would be any different.


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## scotzilla

picked up the stone. took all night carefully unloading it but i couldnt help myself and had to do one corner in the dark- haha









on another note I wanted to bring up something kinda weird that happens every time i work on this thing. I was wondering if you all go thru the same thing. I completed my plans and picked what i thought was the best spot for the bbq and when I actually started setting cinderblocks I started doubting my decision and for the next hour didnt know if I should keep going or rethink my approach. Then when we bought the granite I really liked the choice. It was by far the best and both the wife and I agreed which rarely happens. As the stone guys are starting to cut it up and fit it I had the same doubts about the color, it started looking forest green to me. The rest of the day I wondered if we made the right choice and if everything was going to come together. Last night, as I was unloading all the cultured stone the same doubts crept up. The stone started to look more pink and pastel than what the display looked like. AHHHhhh, I dont stress over much and I kind of feel less manly for even bringing it up but is this normal? has this happened with your project? 

When I build cars and pick paint and interior and wheels I have never once doubted my decision. I guess its just the inexperience in this type of work that raising the doubts.


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## Jim F

You'll want to check and clean that drain grate periodically otherwise, it doesn't look like you should have nay problems with that setup. Great progress so far. I'm sort of stalled on my current project. Not to mention side projects that have taken priority.


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## scotzilla

talked the wife out of the tall faucet and compromised for this Frankie, same style but way shorter and a much better fit IMO. And supposedly this one is made for outdoor use. Made some headway on the stone as well as had the granite guys come back and bullnose some more edges and cut out the bbq hole.




































still have a few gaps to fill but im saving the small pieces for the end


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## no1hustler

Looks great!


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## CoconutPete

Comin' together really nice!


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## scotzilla

thanks- turns out the access doors and trash can frame fit fairly nicely and i don't think i need to grind the stone to make it look good. I tried to use some the the flatter stone around those edges and it look like its going to work. 


So whats your guys input on how to fasten these doors to the bbq. The pre drilled holes in the frame would anchor into the cultured stone and im scared im going to crack the stone using a hammer drill on it. Both doors can easily be removed from the frames so I was thinking some construction adhesive. What do you guys say?


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## scotzilla

well the bbq really had no frame and was really weak- So I made one which also helped get the hieght I neededand gave enough room to build some adjusters to help level it.



















i welded that directly to the bottom of the Q and slid it in place. All thats left is build some flashing to go between the granite and Q and make a removable plate covered in stone that will cover the casters and lower part on the Q.


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## joetab24

awesome job!

did you ever talk to your neighbor who called you a [email protected]#!head?


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## kwikfishron

joetab24 said:


> awesome job!


Yes it is. I think you need one of those Joe, could be your next project.


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## joetab24

Ron,

my wife keeps warning me, no big projects for a while! have a few ideas though...


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## scotzilla

haha- my family actually talked to him the next day at our house warming party but I havent. I did finally talk to the older couple on the other side after 3 months of waving and getting nothing back. They arent around much since its a vacation home for them but Ive never lived anywhere where the neihbors are so cold.

This last weekend we were on the water installing a stereo in a buddies boat and we could hear some people two doors down gossiping about us. Its a community dock and my buddy was in the guest slip so I dont think they knew it was me down there. Anyway I learned a lot- First when you are on the water you can hear people from far away like they are standing right next to you. And two, these jealous pricks were speculating what my wife and I do for a living, everything from dealing drugs to spoiled trust fund baby. I found out who called the home owners about my cadillac being "stored" in the driveway even though its my daily driver and they were just hating about the work we are doing and saying "i bet they dont have permits"

anyway after all that i dont care to meet any of these d bags. I know i have to permit my deck but does anyone know if i need to permit the retaining wall or a bbq? I bet the gas and electrical needed permits but i just want to know what im up against in case they turn me in. 

on a positive note I got most of the dirt dug out with the help of our fine southern freinds. I also found a great deal I wanted to pass on. Home depot and american express sent me a mail ad for a buisness credit card. If you spend $2000 by november 15th they give you a $750 gift card to home depot.


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## scotzilla

i hired some help to dig out the wall, pour the concrete and stack the cinder block. We have a birthday party BBQ on the 30th and I guess im too slow for the wife. I wish i would have known about gluing the blocks together for the bbq- Sure is a whole lot easier!















































































im cutting the planter box with the palm trees down a half a block. Decided its going to be too tall with the cap. 










Next decision. A buddy traded me some car parts for this 5x18x25 glulam beam. Its great but Im worried its too big for my deck. I already special ordered the 2x10x14 joists and if i stack some 2 x10's on top of a 18 inch tall glulam then the bottom of the glulam will be 6 feet 5 inches off the concrete slab. Not only that but it will cut off a lot of our view from the kitchen. 









should i ditch the beam and buy something just big enough for what i am doing or cut this one down? Not sure which way to go here.


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## scotzilla

been buisy































































finally finished the bathroom with base board










modified my foot while i was at it


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## scotzilla

check this thing out- my buddy built it last year. He invited us over to check out his slate pattern and now the wife says she wants one



















probubly what we will end up with for slate


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## no1hustler

Looking good!


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## jackie treehorn

Looks awesome!!


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## scotzilla

took friday off and did a last minuite dash to get some shade up for my birthday party. 










dug down to pour piers to support the weight of the deck



























this was annoying, the 6x6 i special ordered we 6 and an 1/8th and wouldnt fit into the pier brackets of the simpson strong tie brackets for the glulamb. I called a local lumber yard who confirmed they had the right 6x6 that measured 5.5 inches. WHen i get them back they were 5 5/8ths and still didnt fit. At that point i just hacked off the steel tab and re welded it. I know that a big no-no but it was the quickest way out.


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## scotzilla

didnt finish building a gas log but we did break it in with wood


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## CoconutPete

Nice!


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## scotzilla

Been lagging on finishing the backyard, but we've been enjoying it plenty. Summer is coming fast so Ive got some new found motivation. The deck had to come back down and get shifted over after I found a new spiral stair case that i bought second hand. No biggie, just more labor. Some times it pays to have drawn plans and stick to them. As the piers up against the house dried out they twisted and pulled away from the house about an inch at the top. Since attaching them to the house wall would defeat the purpose of the pier in the first place Im kind of at a loss for what to do. My buddy says leave the twist, just cut them down another 5.5 inches and run a cross post between the two. What do you guys think? Im still looking at options to cover them completely. I looked into the foam covers that you stucko over, or building a planter around the base and then painting them the 6x6 the same color as the house. We want to cap the bottom of the joists with plywood and stucko over everything so it looks like a finished eve of the house. 









these are the guys that twisted. the hard part is finding a cover that will look good over those and also match the two pillars on the end of the deck









suggestions??? thoughts?










This was a kit. I assembled in on the ground like this which was complete waste of time. If you ever do one just put it together upright, It will come out way better. The plan is to pick out balusters for the deck railing and ad them to this staircase, fully weld it and powder coat it. 

Im in the process of pulling wire to ad a infratech heater, bbq hood, two fans, can lights and speakers. We've been mocking up all the pieces so that we can get ready for stucko. 










We have to ad rain gutter along the edge of the deck. Our gutters around the rest of the house are rotted and need replacement so we started looking at options. We drove to some of the nicer homes in the area and came across this









Its real copper and they want $80/ft installed:no:. The crazy thing is in two years its tarnished and patina'd into a dull greenish brown. I got a steel gutter sample and took it over to a powder coater who is doing a sample. The color swatch looks like real copper but we will see on the actual gutter. The best part about it is it will stay looking like polished copper. The down side is the gutter quote was 2K and the powder coating estimate is $1800. Anyone been down this road before? They sell powder coated pre fab gutter at home depot so Im thinking its going to work out. For down spouts I plan on fabricating them out of aluminum mandrel bends and straight pipes, then powder coating.


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## scotzilla




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## scotzilla




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## scotzilla

Got some landscaping done



















We picked up a new hobby










Had the gutters done as well, we are looking into crown moulding underneath


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## CoconutPete

You don't do anything small-scale do you? Hehe.

Looking good.


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## scotzilla

some more landscaping-

I took out those thee bushed by the water line and dug out the rock every 3 feet. Put about 2 gallons of soil down and planted trailing ice plant. Im hoping the whole levy will be covered in a few years






















Before the stucco guys started i noticed these cracks. The stucco contractor said its normal?!? Do I have anything to worry about?


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## scotzilla

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-under-C...LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6571b212&_uhb=1


Anyone know who makes those. I've seen them online from 40-80 each. I need about 25 of them and want to go direct to the source


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## CoconutPete

I would try a marine supply store. I used an old 12V transformer and bought 8 recessed waterproof LED lamps from a marine place for $3 a piece. For some reason I didn't feel like paying $450 for a "Kit" as they like to call them.


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## scotzilla

awesome- yea the prices seem rediculous for 3 or 7 LEDs. and a piece of angle. I picked up some more cabinets over the weekend- Mocking them up last night and taking some measurments turned into staying up till 2 am and installing them- 










I ended up turning a 30 inch tall x18 on it side and furing it out 2 inches to get the width needed. Also had to cut out the back side to fit the stereo reciever- a little hill billy but for $500 im not complaining.


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## scotzilla

CoconutPete said:


> I would try a marine supply store. I used an old 12V transformer and bought 8 recessed waterproof LED lamps from a marine place for $3 a piece. For some reason I didn't feel like paying $450 for a "Kit" as they like to call them.


 

got any pics? I only have 1.5 inches of lip from my stucco to thye edge of my cap stone some im looking for something really slender like in the link.


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## scotzilla

wow stucco is a mess- 






































got the stair treads on as well- not as dark as i like but ill go bacl and redo it when the rail gets powdercoating

ive got a birthday bbq party on sat :0 Its like yard crashers except no crew and I have a full time job- haha I think im going to be inviting some freinds over for pizza on friday night and have a suprise for them


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## no1hustler

Your pictures aren't showing up.


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## scotzilla

hmm they work for me


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## scotzilla

It was a long day, even the dog wAs pooped


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## scotzilla




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## shadytrake

Looks fancy!


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## no1hustler

Looking good!


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## scotzilla

so we gracked a corner off the granite counter a few months back- it was a clean break and I have the three pieces that came off. I was told to use liquid nails granite glue but when i went to home depot and read the directions i got the idea it isnt made for repairs like that. What do the granite guys use to glue the seams together? Ive tried to get my granite guy back out atleast a dozen times with no luck. Thanks


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## shumakerscott

scotzilla said:


> so we gracked a corner off the granite counter a few months back- it was a clean break and I have the three pieces that came off. I was told to use liquid nails granite glue but when i went to home depot and read the directions i got the idea it isnt made for repairs like that. What do the granite guys use to glue the seams together? Ive tried to get my granite guy back out atleast a dozen times with no luck. Thanks


Gorilla Glue:thumbup:


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## scotzilla

not much to update- need some advice though. I had two of these laying around- This one came off a F800 Forest Ministry Fire truck I bought. Anyway it fits perfectly but i hate the solid vinyl shade cover. I was thinking about having it redone in sun-brella or something like it. We get the afternoon sun from 5-7 pm and its not to pleasant to use the table during those hours. So i want shade but I was hoping there is some material out there that will let some breeze through and give us shade at the same time.


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## DIYtestdummy

Maybe Solar Shade? You can get custom sizes and it comes in colors now. I just have the thick black that lets the breeze through - it's still hot but it cuts down on the sun a HUGE amount, and it took an 80+mph windstorm last year before I screwed the screens down.

Love your work so far. :thumbsup:


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## scotzilla

DIYtestdummy said:


> Maybe Solar Shade? You can get custom sizes and it comes in colors now. I just have the thick black that lets the breeze through - it's still hot but it cuts down on the sun a HUGE amount, and it took an 80+mph windstorm last year before I screwed the screens down.
> 
> Love your work so far. :thumbsup:



thanks- ill check them out--

Fun with leds. I found these on amazon for $37 way too many colors and ill never use all the features but they dim and have white and were cheap


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## scotzilla

got the drip flashing and bituthene done this week- Going to put a mortar bed down on sat. 



















anyone recognise these plants? saw them in mexico and want to try and plant them in the back yard




























i know this is a banana plant but what kind??? I bought some dragon agaves that look nothing like the kind i were trying to buy.










after all the hard work (not really but it was 105 out) we had a float and sunset cruize


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## scotzilla

had a very dissapointing weekend- Woke up friday morning and the top layer of bituthene was peeling and rolling up. That and it had air buble and pockets all over it. When i ran out of gracie bituthene the same store said they cant get that brand but this stuff was even better. Well i guess not cause after one day it looked like this. 




























Luckly my wife has fridays off and another contractor supply store had the gracie brand in stock. A two hour drive later and atleast we had the material to try and get the mortar bed done. At noon i get a call from the tile guy. "this pallet of deck mud is bottoming out my work van suspension, do you think you could come get it" They close at three so I ended up taking a half day- renting a uhaul and picking up the supplies. I also drug home a man lift from my shop. After weighing all the options I cut down a fence we plan on replacing in teh future. Everything was going good until she slipped off the ramps. By this time it was around 8pm, i had a 6k lb man lift stuck on the levy, peeling bituthene and still had to truck 65 50lb bags of deck mud into the back yard and head back to town to return a uhaul. 










i called a bunch of freinds and told them i had beer. Two trucks, a bunch of ratchet straps, a floor jack, a come along and a 2x6 1/6 wall steel tube we got her out. 

that left me with the rest of the night to peel up bad bituthene and get the new stuff down by 6am for the tile guy to lay his mortar bed. If youve never worked with this stuff let me tell you- its unreal how well it sticks. The bad areas where water could leak still stuck so well it was pulling up plies of wood. 

Fast forward to sat i return the uhaul get back after ordering slate and they have floated a 2 inch mortar bed instead of one inch. Also it looks really dry to me, Almost the consistancy of wet sand. Im hoping someone can confirm from these pics that it was mixed right or that im screwed and need to figure something out.


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## Dinggus

Awesome work.


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## scotzilla

so turns out the mortar bed was mixed wrong. I got a few opinions and the original guy stood behind his work and came out to fix it. He chipped out all the loose stuff, vacuumed it up and patched it with a bonding additive to help it seal up a little better. 

I started the tile- had big plans for a repeating pattern design but Im just beat. Too much going on, never have enough time in the day and we decided to simplify a little. I'm going to grout the area of the hot tub tonight and get it sealed saturday so we can hoist the hot tub on top on sunday. 










just a heads up, this is 18 inch california gold. I went to the big box stores, they wanted $7.10 sq/ft for dal tile gauged slate. A chain flooring store wanted $4.30 sq/ft. A local ma and pa shop who my contractor buddy had an account with gave me this slate for $1.95 sq/ft. I was shown a Dal Tile sample and told the color will vary slightly but thats what I was getting. This isnt Dal Tile, it isnt as nice and the back isnt honed as even and the edges are a little rough in comparison. That being said, at half the price i didnt complain. Moral to the story, do your homework and you can get a decent price on this stuff.


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## CoconutPete

Wow, I feel tired just reading that. Nice progress.


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## scotzilla

thanks pete-

Got a lot done this weekend- hot tub went up without a hitch, the deck seems to carry the weight really well- got it all wired and working. 

I put three coats of Dupont Natural Stone sealer down where the hot tub is but you cant tell. I thought the sealer was supposed to make it a little glossy or give it the wet look?



















this is a good example of how not to use a lift. It worked perfectly but dont show OSHA


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## scotzilla

now the final railing can be test fit- then it all comes back down for powder coating. Still need to find someone who can roll out a steel hand rail for spiral stair case. I bought a harbor freight radius roller to build some gates for a customer but they didn't have to spiral. I might just give if a go and see what happens.










worse case scenario I waste 25 ft of tubing


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## pwgsx

There are different DuPont sealers- you need the enhancer/gloss finish. :thumbsup:


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## scotzilla

pwgsx said:


> There are different DuPont sealers- you need the enhancer/gloss finish. :thumbsup:



ill check what i get when i get home. I dont mind the flat look- i just want whatever is going to shed the most water


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## scotzilla

wooooooo wooooo!!! i dont care if its 3 am when it heats up, ive got to try it out tonight


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## Dinggus

Looks awesome. I want a hot tub so bad, but I'm in Miami so it's hot every day and night, don't know if I'd use to much.


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## scotzilla

slowly chipping away at it each night. Finished the grout friday night, sealed it on sat. Got the staircase welded up, bent up a steel hand rail last night with the help of my wife and a neihbor. It was easy to get the radius, then we had to get creative to put the twist in it. We shoved it under a tire on my truck, when that didnt work we used the threshhold of the house to hold the center and one guy on each end with a pipe wrench. I should have ordered mild steel. I only have chromoly in stock at the shop for building race car roll cages. I should have know better the stuff doesnt want to bend. When I use the tubing bender I get around 8 degrees spring back as opposed to 3-4 with mild steel. ANyway its so close Im going to do some torch work tonight and get it perfect and start welding the balusters in.


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## scotzilla




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## scotzilla

on the stair case front I got the hand rail about dialed. Had to dig deep and think like McGyver to get it where I wanted with little tools and help. still need to pull a kink I put in it and anneal the entire thing to release all the spring tension. I used ratchet straps to pull it tight to the stairs and tacked it on every step. Hopefully everything will stay put when I cut off the tacks. The plan is to bring the big torch home and try and bend some crown to match the other straight railings. Im not sure its going to work but its worth a try.


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## scotzilla

the annealing trick worked. As I cut the rail loose it stayed put. Got the pickets welded solid and doubled them up with the decorative pieces as well. What a difference, solid as a rock now. Im dropping it all off at powder coating then reinstall it. 




























this is the color the wife chose. Im not too sure but happy wife happy life


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## pwgsx

Just a idea, with that type of powercoat, you can have them coat it with a color changing clear. Maybe clear to silver or silver to bronze or copper. It will look normal and as you look at it at different angles only the black areas will change to the copper or all silver color. Its a pretty cool effect. I did many jet ski exhausts like that but used a color changing clear with blue or red and made it pop.


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## scotzilla

finally back from the coaters and reinstalled! the powder guys talked me into gloss which i dont particularly like but they swear it will wear better than satin. 






























just for fun- the wife went to a purse party last sunday and left me at home alone to put up lights. A bottle of captain later this is what I came up with




























i cant believe it hasnt caught fire yet. Thats the biggest 110 extension cord that home depot had, two extension cord T's, 3 strands of c9 bulbs, and 21 strands of mini lights.


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## scotzilla




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## no1hustler

Clark Griswald, is that you? 



Looks great!


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## wisehunter1

wow what a project! Looks amazing. How did you find granite for so cheap????? They're usually a few $K per slab!!!!


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## scotzilla

just shop around- talked to a lot of kitchen remodel guys and they know all the cheap places. It works out great if you can use prefab pieces.


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## scotzilla

finally wrapped up all the landscaping last month. Had a drip system in the center and after we realized we needed more plants to fill it up we yanked it out and ran sprinklers. Final thing is sod- Maybe next year








kind of a cool shot from the deck at sun down


the fam getting some use out of the firepit




finished up the garage as well. ran all the wiring behind the crown molding. Just need to finish painting the cabinets around the fridge and its done.


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## scotzilla

well dont have much to report- Kind of took the winter off. with the wather warming up I am getting the bug to finish the landscape lighting. Ive been reading a few threads on here as well as searching online for professional grade products. Its really hard to tell by a picture what is high quality and whats not. Its also a lot of money to just order stuff without seeing what it looks like in person. Anyone have any first hand experience with a specific brand? Im for sure looking at LED lighting. Thanks in advance


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## scotzilla

i remembered i did paint the garage door. Changed the look of the house big time. Dont have a good day time pic but its probubly the best thing we did for the overall look and it was cheap and easy


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