Thanks.
Have an awesome day!
MIke
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Turkey Likes My Blog!
I've noticed quite a few blog viewers in Turkey. What do you like about the blog and what would you like to see me write about in the future?
Part 5- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
Part 5- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
Above Photo: Door pan under double door threshold
A vital part of the waterproofing process is to install a door pan or trough under all exterior 2nd floor doors. Smart Builders know from experience, exterior doors leak and require a way for water to be contained then drain back out to the exterior without leaking below the protective waterproofing layer. On this job, the roofer installed and integrated the door pan into the deck waterproofing system then the exterior French doors were installed in the same day. A layer of glue in extended the length of the door pan before the double door threshold is set in place. In this case the double French doors, jambs and threshold is all one unit. It's important to note the hole for the slide bolt that keeps the center of the doors anchored at the bottom in not drilled through the metal door pan. I can't tell you how often I see this. The new guy is always give the job of installing door locks and hardware. He pulls out a cordless drill and plunges through the threshold then right through the door pan!
Have an awesome day!
Mike
Monday, June 27, 2016
Part 4- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof? Part 4
Photo Above: Notice the 1/4" per foot slope of the deck and the stucco removed 12" up vertical walls. Also, the double doors are protected from the weather by a covered roof.
Photo Above: Deck screws have been installed flush or below surface of plywood.
Using deck screws is important as nails may back out and penetrate the waterproofing membrane from below. Screws are installed 6" O.C on the edges and 10" O.C. In the field.
Have an awesome day!
Mike
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Part 3- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
Part 3- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
Above photo: Old materials have been removed down to 2x10 floor joists. Notice new cant strips have been applied on top of joists to provide 1/4" per foot required slope. New T&G 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed to existing joists.
One of the most important parts of an exterior balcony deck is the slope or pitch. It has to have a minimum of 1/4" per foot by code and to enforce all product warranties. If you don't have 1/4" per foot all product warranties are void.
Any damaged deck joist have been replaced or reinforced by doubling existing 2x10's to be 16" on center.
Notice 4-6" step down from living space and metal door pan under sliding glass door. Both details are vital to keeping the living space dry.
Have an awesome day!
Mike
Friday, June 24, 2016
Part 2- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof? Part 2
Above photo: The nasty part of the job, tearing up the old rotting subfloor, waterproofing material and tile.
In this photo the concrete ballustrade along the edge of the deck has already been removed and the workers are tearing up all the deck materials down to the 2x10 floor joists. As you can see the AdvanTech subfloor has disintegrated and turned into a shredded wheat type material. Although AdvanTech is a great material it did not hold up well in this instance when exposed to water on a longterm basis. I replaced it with 3/4" tongue and groove plywood.
Read More- Where to use plywood instead of OSB?
Notice, the flashings and stucco has been removed up the side walls 12". Making sure to leave the house wrap and paper backed lath in tact. This is important as you want to lap the old house wrap and felt over the new materials 2" and maintain the drainage plain. This will keep water from getting behind the stucco then leaking behind the house wrap, felt and flashings.
Have an awesome day!
Mike
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Part 1- How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof?
How To Replace A Leaking 2nd Floor Balcony Deck & Make It Bullet Proof? Part 1.
Let's start at the beginning. Do not place an uncovered 2nd floor balcony deck on your home! Period. By that I mean, a balcony deck that is exposed to the weather. Oh, but they look so cute and there is this fabulous view! In Central Florida they should be enclosed by a roof, walls, windows and doors. In Florida, any balcony deck that is exposed to the weather will eventually leak, period. Perhaps, if you live in Arizona, in the desert, you will get away with it but certainly not in an area that receives a significant amount of inclement weather.
The USA is a big country with lots of different weather conditions. Florida gets hurricanes, tropical storms, horizontal driving rains and end of the world type rainstorms, almost every afternoon in our summer months. Orlando has a 130 MPH wind code. Can you even imagine a 130 MPH wind driven rain? Do you only want your balcony deck not to leak when weather conditions are favorable?
It's a problem I see quite often, a Customer sees something in a magazine they think is really cool and ask for it in a part of the USA where the entire idea will fail or they want to take an idea from where they used to live an bring it with them to the Orlando area.
Read More- Should I Put A Balcony Deck On My Custom Home?
Ok, so you are bound and determined to have a balcony deck on your home even though I've advised against it or worse you already have one on your home. Now what? This multi part post will take you step by step through the process of replacing your leaking deck or how to install the deck the first time with the highest probability it will not leak in the foreseeable future, fingers crossed.
The problem with any deck, it has to be installed almost perfectly and even then it's iffy. Home building is far from a perfect world and all it takes is a pin hole for a water leak. My 30 years of building experience teaches me this.
Above photo: Notice how exposed the balcony is to the weather. It's not like it's tucked into a protected niche. It's like sticking your chin out and daring somebody to take a shot!
Above Photo: So what's the problem, everything looks great up here, right? This door is protected by a 10' projected, covered roof so it is not directly exposed to the weather and that's really important.
Above: Photo of a leaking 2nd floor tiled balcony deck.
A tiled deck is even more likely to leak due to the extreme expansion and contraction forces. Imagine a hot summer day when the tile deck is 150 degrees, too hot to touch and it starts to rain. The deck gets pelted with cold rain at a temperature between 32-80 degrees, depending upon weather conditions. This situation can result in rapid, as well as significant movement. As the tile expands and contracts it has a tendency to tear the waterproof membrane below. It's not as pretty but a floating wood deck (TREX) is less likely to leak as it is separated from the waterproof membrane below.
It's best to install a light color tile as it will expand and contract less than a solid black surface.
The deck we are replacing is constructed of 2x10 floor joists (16" O.C.), 2 layers of AdvanTech sub-flooring, a waterproof membrane with tile applied above.
Floor tile itself, on an exterior application like this is never going to be waterproof, no matter how many times you apply a clear sealer. "I don't care what the TV commercial with the guy in the rowboat says". The waterproofing layer is installed below the tile, that's why it's there because the tile and grout surface is going to leak. The issue with tile, how to attach it to the deck without longterm damage to the waterproofing membrane below and at the same time manage the water that will penetrate the tile flooring?
Read More- Bad homebuilding ideas!
Have an awesome day!
Mike
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Custom Home Building- Where Do Retirees Go When It's Time To Quit Working?
Custom Home Building- Where Do Retirees Go When It's Time To Quit Working?
Florida is where it's at for people over 60 when they are ready to retire! In fact Florida is preferred over the next 4 states combined. The net migration to Florida in 2014 was 57, 724 people.
So what's the big draw? Well of course the weather is fabulous but Florida doesn't have a state income tax, so that is a big plus! COME ON DOWN!!
Have an awesome day!
Mike
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