At the end of each year we enjoy looking back on the topics that were of the most interest. Despite another year of uncertainty, people were still interested in home improvement. Regardless of working or schooling at home, things around the house still need fixing, improving and updating.
This week we revisit the third and fourth most-popular blogs from 2021.
No. 3: Let’s do some remodeling
First appeared June 30, 2020.
How to remove a load bearing wall: preparation and execution
Oftentimes, homeowners who own a ranch style home that has not been renovated, want to update their home to create bigger spaces and better views to the outdoors. The conversation often starts with, “Can I remove that wall to update my home and make a bigger living space?” Rosie’s answer is, “yes, with a good engineer and a big enough budget, you can get rid of any load bearing wall.”
Ranch style homes were originally introduced in California after WWII. Rosie says, “We built a ton of them here in Arizona in the 1960s and ‘70s. When you walk in the front door, you are greeted with the family room and living room usually divided by a wall creating two medium size spaces. For homeowners who are looking for larger, airy rooms with more light, removing that wall is a great way to update a home.”
Is it load-bearing?
The first question, when considering the removal of a wall should be, “is it load-bearing?” If it is a ranch style home, you can assume that it is.
In the 1960s homes were not generally built with roof trusses as they are now. Conventional framing was used and relied on that center wall for support.
In conventional framing, the ceiling joist rests on the outside walls of the house as well as the center wall in the house. The center wall carries a considerable amount of weight and usually has a member or two tied vertically to the rafters.
During construction, a trench in the concrete floor was usually created where the wall would be placed. This offered the interior wall linear support.
Shifting the load
When the wall is removed, it will be replaced with a horizontal beam, which will be supported at each end by a vertical post. These posts carry the concentrated load of all the ceiling and roof weight.
This project definitely requires permitting. The permit will dictate that a construction engineer is consulted to ensure that the replacement posts and beam are sufficient to hold the weight that is being displaced by the removal of the wall.
Removing a load-bearing wall the right way
Prep work:
To shore up the wall, temporary walls are built on either side of it to hold up the ceiling while the wall is being is removed.
Plastic is secured on the outside of the shoring walls. This creates a work corridor that completely controls the dust.
The interior wall is removed. The sheet rock in the area above the wall is pulled down to reveal the ceiling joist. This is very messy. Everything in the corridor will be covered in drywall dust and dirty, old insulation.
Create a footing
The floor is saw cut to create rebar reinforced footing.
The concrete is removed, and the footing is measured and excavated.
The area is treated for termites.
The footing is reinforced with rebar, and post base fasteners are set in the concrete pour.
The two posts are set in place.
Beam choices
Whether or not the beam is exposed is a matter of preference. Some homeowners really like the look of the exposed wood. It does cost a bit more to recess the beam.
Beam exposed — A beam is attached to the bottom of the joists. This beam will be exposed when the drywall is replaced. It can be stained or painted to accent the room.
Beam hidden — If it is preferred that the beam is hidden, the ceiling joist will be cut just enough to slip the beam up so that it will be flush with the ceiling. Ceiling joists must be anchored to beams with appropriate hardware.
Checklist for finishing the job
1. Insulation — Any insulation that came down with the drywall in the ceiling will need to be replaced.
2. Electrical work — Replace and update.
Install new outlets to accommodate new layout and to compensate for those that were removed with the wall.
New lighting scheme to enhance the updated work
3. Floor covering — It can be hard to match the existing flooring, requiring that the entire room be redone.
4. Drywall — The area where the wall was attached to the ceiling will need to be drywall patched and textured.
5. Paint — The whole ceiling will need to be repainted. If the room is due for painting this would be a good time to go freshen the paint scheme.
6. Plumbing — If there is natural gas piped to the house through the attic, it may need to be moved.
7. Professional cleaning — A professional cleaner will have the equipment needed and the expertise to perform a thorough cleanup after construction is complete.
8. Air conditioning & air duct cleaning — While you are at it, add a duct and AC cleaning to remove dust that might have gotten into the ducts from the jackhammering and saw cutting.
No. 4: Why stucco is so popular in the desert
First appeared July 16, 2019.
Many Arizona residents wonder why most houses in the state are covered with stucco. Sometimes it looks like an unending sea of stucco.
That’s because stucco does a great job of protecting our homes. According to Doug Dedrick, owner of Stucco Renovations in Tempe, stucco is a strong coating that will stand the test of time and the Arizona sun, if it’s put on properly in the first place, painted regularly, and repaired whenever there are cracks or other damage to its surface.
Another reason for stretches of stucco as far as the eye can see is because that finish is traditional to the Southwest and adds to the romantic and beautiful style of desert architecture. You’ll also find lots of stucco homes in Nevada, California and New Mexico. And remember houses are not made of stucco, they are “covered” in stucco.
Today’s stucco is a mixture of sand, Portland cement, lime and water, but can also include fiber and acrylic additives.
First, the lumber framing of a house goes up, and then the frame is covered with wood sheeting and a vapor barrier. Next a layer of expanded styrene foam is applied; then a layer of wire mesh is stretched over the exterior walls, and two coats of stucco are troweled on.
If you want variety, different patterns of troweling can be used on stucco walls. Most common is “Spanish lace” that can be spread on in any one of a variety of patterns. Stucco can also have a rougher, heavier texture — in large “pancakes” or “cat’s faces” with little patches of raised areas here and there. A smooth “sand finish” is the most popular, according to Dedrick. Very rough finishes can be hard to keep clean and need frequent washing to get rid of the dust. “You see the sand finish a lot in places like Santa Barbara and Santa Fe,” Dedrick said.
Things can go wrong, he also said, if the mixture is done imprecisely and doesn’t dry properly. While drying, the stucco must also be “cured” by hosing it down with water in the mornings for three or four days.
After about three weeks, stucco can finally be painted. “If you paint too soon, the stucco doesn’t cure properly,” Dedrick said. Putting coloring into stucco as a way of avoiding any painting generally is not a good idea.
Dedrick often does repair jobs on stucco that wasn’t put on properly. Sometimes, he completely recoats a house with new stucco when homeowners decide to change the texture of the home’s exterior or if there is a major remodel going on.
So how else can you change the look of your stucco house? Here are four more ways:
1. You can install panels of manufactured stone or real stone as accents on walls.
2. You can add on “pop-out” accents to give the structure a different look. You can add new details and framing around doors and windows. You can actually do a pop-out to add extra space in the house.
3. You can repaint using more than one color on different parts of the house. A pop-out can be an accent color, for example.
4. You can put panels of siding on different sections of the house.
Thank you for reading and re-reading our blogs throughout the year. Tune in mid-December 2022 to find out which articles make the top 2022 list.
