This Morning's slight rant - contractors

[JPSmit]

Almost done. Did the outside trim yesterday - waiting for a slightly warmer day before I caulk. Today (after church!) is sorting out electrical - this room is over a crawlspace and part of the project was realizing how very bad the wiring truly is.

Before:

After (again sideways)

BTW this is a true wartime house - built 1940 - this area of town had a massive industrial input - munitions/ tires/ AVRO/ etc. so, a lot of houses built quickly. This is reflected in the construction which, while very solid has a certain make do aspect. One corner post looks like a tree! It is solid but man is it rough, and cardboard insulation (corregated - one layer!) but I swear the builder owned a nail company!

 

[Bayless]

SWMBO wants to convert our tub to a shower too. Been stalling on that one. But busy remodeling much of the rest of the house for now. Doc, did you break up the old tub yourself or hire it done?

 

[Basil]

Are you taking those with an iPhone? I think the pictures may be rotated based on how you orient the phone when you take the image.

 

[DrEntropy]

SWMBO wants to convert our tub to a shower too. Been stalling on that one. But busy remodeling much of the rest of the house for now. Doc, did you break up the old tub yourself or hire it done?

Cut that sucka into two pieces with a cutting wheel on my Bosch grinder and a SawzAll! It was all my doing.

I say I'm too cheap to hire jobs out, friends claim I'm too much a perfectionist to allow anyone else to do stuff. When laying tile in the major traffic areas of th' hovel, a pal agreed to loan me his knee pads & 12" MK Diamond wet saw but wouldn't volunteer to help. He said: " 'cause I know how picky you are!" :smirk:

 

[JPSmit]

Are you taking those with an iPhone? I think the pictures may be rotated based on how you orient the phone when you take the image.

I am - but, bizarrely they are correct on my computer

 

[JPSmit]

SWMBO wants to convert our tub to a shower too. Been stalling on that one. But busy remodeling much of the rest of the house for now. Doc, did you break up the old tub yourself or hire it done?

For the shower use these products: https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Shower-System/c/SS a little expensive, but, totally watertight and I can't tell you how much easier! - especially the pan. Worth every penny both for the ease and the no-leak assurance. We put their stuff (waffle stuff to prevent cracking) under tile floors as well.

 

[Bayless]

Herself has a unit picked out that is supposed to be a perfect replacement for a standard tub so that part is predetermined. My problem is how to get the old tube out. Doc, I saw all those sparks flying in your photo. That had to be a really slow and messy job. Meanwhile, https://enfoprefect.org/Remodel/phase6b.html this is how I spent my summer instead of working on the Prefect or Volkswagen.

 

[DrEntropy]

Doc, I saw all those sparks flying in your photo. That had to be a really slow and messy job. Meanwhile, https://enfoprefect.org/Remodel/phase6b.html this is how I spent my summer instead of working on the Prefect or Volkswagen.

Some really labor intensive work there! I admire your ambition. :thumbsup:

That tub thing was an enameled steel one, didn't have as much trouble as I'd anticipated. Once it was free of wall and floor we raised it up on a couple pieces of wood, with cardboard underneath to protect the tile floor. The cutoff wheel did a good job across the bottom and up the insides, the recip saw cut quicker down the front face though. Whole exercise took about an hour.

Cast iron would've been a whole different thing. I'd go with a sledge hammer for that. "Safety Third!" <BEFG>

 

[Basil]

Some really labor intensive work there! I admire your ambition. :thumbsup:

That tub thing was an enameled steel one, didn't have as much trouble as I'd anticipated. Once it was free of wall and floor we raised it up on a couple pieces of wood, with cardboard underneath to protect the tile floor. The cutoff wheel did a good job across the bottom and up the insides, the recip saw cut quicker down the front face though. Whole exercise took about an hour.

Cast iron would've been a whole different thing. I'd go with a sledge hammer for that. "Safety Third!" <BEFG> [/COLOR]

My tub is cast iron but I'm hoping I have enough room to get it out without resorting to such drastic measures.

 

[Bayless]

Mine is cast iron too. Steel I think I could handle.

 

[mikephillips]

Unfortunately, (and I can't tell you how many times I've pounded my head into this brick wall in my career) there's a common (and really, really stupid) notion in the world that this is all about computers and keyboards. I'll rant at some clueless clod until I'm blue in the face that it's all about the physical process, the actual real world, the thing that's being controlled and that they need to understand all that before they try to teach some idiot computer how to run it. Then they'll just stare back with empty deer-in-the-headlights blankness.

I hear you. As someone with pushing 40 years in IT I see it all the time with folks from contracting companies. They don't understand the process so don't understand why their code doesn't spit out the results they expect. And most aren't interested in learning, they just want to be done and move on to the next thing. I don't mind teaching the ignorant, you don't know what you don't know, but I do mind doing it for those who won't learn from what I show them.

 

[mikephillips]

1. "You can do it, we can help." Sure you can, with a compressor and two nailers (framing and finishing) and a circular saw and a chop saw and a variety of pry bars and a sledge hammer and a long level and a short level and a reciprocating saw and hammers and screw drivers and and and. I "love" DIY programs that suggest that you can knock this out in a weekend with the tool kit you bought at Walmart. Seriously though - much likke our cars, there are things you just can't do. (as we well know).

Personally in the garage I'll tackle anything that doesn't require a machine shop to do, including welding, painting, retrimming and on. May not be a perfect high end professional result, but I know exactly what went into it. And in the house I've done drywall patching, plumbing and light electrical work. I do watch some home improvement TV, but when you already have an idea what needs to be done, and how, it makes a lot more sense to see something actually done first to someone else's place. I feel fortunate being able to do these things, my dad wasn't handy at all so I learned by doing for myself during my younger years.

 

[elrey]

cast iron tubs break EASILY with a sledge, truly. cover with old blanket, wear eye protection and rap with sledge. pic up the pieces, vacuum the shards, and voila. now all you need to do is carry them to the trash. As an aside... i know plenty of young folks in the trades who want to learn the tricks and advance their capabilities. We are here to serve and create. Do not disparage us all as a lot. Elrey.

 

[DrEntropy]

cast iron tubs break EASILY with a sledge, truly. cover with old blanket, wear eye protection and rap with sledge. pic up the pieces, vacuum the shards, and voila. now all you need to do is carry them to the trash.

I figger'd somebody else woulda had the experience! :thumbsup:

 

[elrey]

Basil, you should join the club and break the tub if not for the temporary feeling of power alone. Man against iron. Assured victory! Dr E has had the experience. The first time for me was a revelation. Just take care not to stab yourself with the tiny sharp glasslike shards that chip of the edges at the breaks. Mano a banera! Yes!

 

[DrEntropy]

:lol: :thumbsup: