My New House & Workshop

[Snoranger]

I've heard full strength bleach kills tree roots.

Thanks for reminding me...
Rock salt in a clogged pipe also works. I did that trick about 2 months ago. I used way more than a cup.

 

[pjtoledo]

not in my case.
20+ years ago the perimeter drain lines under the basement floor filled with roots. added several gallons of bleach and plugged the lines for a few days.
the trees are still there.

 

[don4331]

I've a Big Stick RC plane I can send you Jim so he can think he is Red Baron when he finishes the job

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Thanks for reminding me...
Rock salt in a clogged pipe also works. I did that trick about 2 months ago. I used way more than a cup.

View attachment 59939

They make special stuff for it too, it might just be rock salt with a pretty label too.

 

[Snoranger]

They make special stuff for it too.

Yeah... The salt I already had for my water softener.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I've worked in a couple houses that still had functional knob and tube wiring in the attics. It is a little nerve wracking to be digging through attic insulation and find that stuff.

I've been told that knob and tube, assuming the insulation isn't broken and the joints are good, is perfectly safe as long as it's left alone.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I've been told that knob and tube, assuming the insulation isn't broken and the joints are good, is perfectly safe as long as it's left alone.

Problem is when people down the line start adding stuff to it. And it was done back when having a light and outlet in a room was really something... so 100 years later there has been a lot of time to add stuff and overload it.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

Problem is when people down the line start adding stuff to it. And it was done back when having a light and outlet in a room was really something... so 100 years later there has been a lot of time to add stuff and overload it.

Good catch. K&T is NOT safe if you overload it.

 

[bobbywalter]

They just tore out the line at my neighbors....has me concerned.

10g

 

[Jim Oaks]

Damn

 

[Curious Hound]

Good catch. K&T is NOT safe if you overload it.

Nothing is safe if you overload it. One problem with old wire is that the insulation gets brittle and breaks off, especially if disturbed in any way. Personally, I would not leave any knob and tube wiring in place these days. It’s just not worth the risk of life and property.

edit; same goes for the early cloth-covered romex cable. That stuff is dangerous. Plus, neither knob and tube nor cloth romex have a ground wire. That’s another safety problem.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Sewer Update:

When the plumber was here last week they had a much larger and powerful auger / snake and cleared some roots. I've washed laundry and done back to back showers and each time I check the cleanout and there's no standing water. Problem may have been the roots and not the belly.

Front Door Project:

The first thing I need to do is install a new 36" front door on this shop. As you can see from the pictures it has a steel framed commercial door. The door frame isn't even installed correctly. You can see the gap between the frame and cinderblocks on one side. No tie ins or mortar holding it. For some reason the frame has been cut and welded.

Unfortunately I've already ran in to problems.

The opening in the cinderblock wall is 40.25" x 87.25". With a little clean up with my grinder and diamond wheel it could be 40.50" wide.

If I add a 2x8 wood rough in (buck) it would leave me with a rough opening width of 37.25" (or 37.50" with some grinding).

Typical rough in openings I found are:

32 x 80 door (actual width 33.43) = 34" x 81.75"
34 x 80 door (actual width 35.50") = 36.25" x 82.125"
36 x 80 door (actual width 37.50") = 38" x 82.25"

I was looking at a 36 x 80 steel front door with an actual width of 37.43". It would barely fit the 37.50" buck rough opening with no room for shimming it.

If I sandwich a 1x8 between the cinderblock and 2x8 on one side it would give me a 36.50" width opening. A little big for a 34 x 80 door.

An extra 2x8 on one side would give me a 35.75" width opening. About .25 inches wider than the actual 34 x 80 prehung door. For some reason 34" doors are much more expensive than 32" or 36" doors.

An extra 2x8 on each side gives me a 34.25" opening which is. 75" larger than a 32 x 80 door. This would be the typical recommended rough in size.

So now I have to decide if I want to try and clean up the block to get a 37.50" buck and squeeze a 36 x 80 prehung door in there with an actual 37.50" width, or frame it down to 34.25" and mount a 32 x 80 door with an actual width of 33.50".

I should note that the original metal door frame would have been set in place level and square, and then the block was laid around it compared to wood frame construction that has a rough in and then a prehung door is shimmed square and level and then mounted.

I checked the block opening on my building and it's level.

 

[Curious Hound]

Commercial steel door frames are not normally shimmed. They are often put in place and the block laid around them. But I have also seen a lot of them installed after the block is laid. In this case, it is often a multiple piece frame that interlocks together and is anchored to the block. Most usually have caulk installed to seal between the frame and door. It sounds like you have a standard 36" door, just not very well installed.

Are there no fasteners holding the frame in place? If it were me, I think I would try to remove the door and frame to make a better assessment of what you have.

Here is a link to some info. The multi-piece frame I mentioned is called a knock down frame.

Knock Down (KD) Frames vs Welded Frames | Steel Door Institute

The two main frame types and elevations are knock down frames and welded. Explore the most popular options along with the pros and cons of each.

steeldoor.org

 

[Jim Oaks]

I've watched videos on how they install these doors. Even one of a guy replacing a steel framed door and then repairing the block he had to knock out. This door and frame are trashed. I don't want to install another one like it. They're more expensive and more work to install after the fact. I just want to build a wood buck and install a regular prehung exterior door. Just have to figure out if I want to try and squeeze in a 36" or shim a 32".

 

[Curious Hound]

If the opening is square enough, I would be tempted to use a 36" fastened with screws into hollow wall anchors.

Using a smaller door and framing the opening with 2x's would give you more options for squaring the opening and adding trim to make the finished door look nice. Though the 36" could still be finished with some small trim around the opening. Since you have the double doors and will have a garage door, this opening doesn't have to be big to get large things in and out of the building.

There. I have been very unhelpful in making up your mind.