Month: July 2018

Readings around the furnace suggest that something is wrong with the fresh air intake. The duct is just a flexible hose, so I thought it might be pinched somewhere.

I discovered that the fresh air duct was not really attached to the outside of the house. Instead, it was simply resting in front of the rim joist in front of the exterior vent. The vent collar was missing, so there was nothing for the duct to attach to. That’s like breathing through a snorkel that’s only touching your lips. What’s more, the vent only lined up with half of the hole in the rim joist. That’s like breathing with only one nostril. At minimum, I’ll have to replace the rusty exterior intake vent in order to fix this.

My plumber also returns to move my laundry drain pipes to their final location. He only moves the drains, so he’ll have to come back and do the water pipes later. I ask him to leave some of the venting disconnected while I finish insulating the basement wall.

I finally complete the basement insulation. This required cutting perfect shapes around each of the laundry pipes that are attached to the wall. Yes, it’s overkill, but I feel better knowing that the basement has this tight envelope on all sides.

I begin framing the laundry room wall. This portion stands off from the insulation to accommodate the dryer duct, plumbing, and the electrical service panels. Good planning means everything is lining up perfectly with the studs properly spaced. This is the only portion that will use wood studs, because we will be hanging cabinets on this wall.

My plumber returns to connect new water pipes to the laundry room. Meanwhile, I finish connecting the vents that were left unfinished while I was insulating.

I also asked my plumber to raise a portion of the water main pipe so that it doesn’t hang below the joists. This will make hanging drywall much easier later on.

Each room needs a heat duct on one side and a cold air return on the other. I had to make all of the HVAC fit into this tight area behind the central I-beam. This cold air return used a few joints, but it actually fits without squeezing anything.

It’s time to fix that uneven framing. I only demolished the parts that couldn’t be fixed. I rebuilt it with the studs at 16″ on center. You can see the difference.

The home’s water heater is in the mechanical closet. Naturally, there are times when water needs to be drained or even vented during emergencies. I want to keep that closet dry. Instead of drywall that can mold, I decided to use washdown paneling attached to treated plywood. It’s a nice bright white finish and looks great. At the same time, I fixed the framing and moved a cold air return. I temporarily taped a sheet of plastic over the return hole to keep construction dust out.