Unwanted Discoveries Related to Safety - Decay, Electrical, and Plumbing
Your project may involve putting new gutters on the home. But, when you get up to the eaves of the roof and begin checking out the wood, you discover that over the years it has rotted away. Suddenly, it's not just gutters that you need, but new eaves, soffits, and more. The cost of the project could easily double in just a few hours of careful evaluation.
You never really know what's behind a wall, ceiling, or board until you remove it. Birds or vermin could have created nests there, adding to decay. There could be wood rot, termite problems, or almost anything else.
All of which is to say, don't assume you know how long or how much a job will take or cost until you've done the demolition.
Never assume that a wall is only a wall. It also can be a conduit for wiring and plumbing. That means when you break into a wall, you're going to stand a very good chance of having to reroute plumbing and wires.
Wiring is probably the easiest to do. However, be sure that any changes you make are up to UBC standards. Also, the codes in dif¬ferent areas vary. For example, some communities require all wiring to be shielded by metal, meaning you'll need to run conduit. Other areas require Romex, or plastic sheathing. And if the code has changed since the original work was done on the wall, you're in for a real hassle.
If you're rewiring more than 50 percent of the home, the local building department could require you to bring the entire property up to current code. That could be extremely expensive and difficult.
Plumbing can be more difficult. There are two types: potable plumbing for carrying water in and waste plumbing for carrying it out. Typically the waste piping should all be underneath the floors, unless you're on a second floor or higher, in which case the vents will run up through the walls. Potable plumbing is somewhat easier to deal with, since it's usually a matter of soldering copper pipes to connect them all together and directing them around the area you're working on.
With waste plumbing the code is very complex. Something as simple as the angle or diameter of the pipe can be critical, as can the venting. There's also the way connections are made and whether you've got enough "fall" in the line (so that water will run down, instead of stagnate). When "proving" a waste plumbing system to an inspector, you will typically need to put a plug at the lowest point and then fill all the pipes with a column of water to the top of the highest vent. If the system doesn't leak, it'll pass. If it leaks, your entire project (and sometimes a portion of the rest of the house) could get very wet!
All of which is to say, breaking into a wall can be a very challeng¬ing experience!
Beware of diagonal bracing. Outside walls will typically have a diagonal brace, often a 1"X6" piece of wood or a narrow piece of metal running diagonally across the wall. This keeps the wall from shifting right or left, particularly during hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, or other stress periods. If a diagonal brace is in your way, as when putting in a new win¬dow, you'll have to remove the brace but compensate for it. The most common compensation is to add a shear panel nearby-a piece of plywood usually Vs" thick or thicker, several feet wide, cut to the height of the wall, and nailed every three or four inches onto every stud.
You never really know what's behind a wall, ceiling, or board until you remove it. Birds or vermin could have created nests there, adding to decay. There could be wood rot, termite problems, or almost anything else.
All of which is to say, don't assume you know how long or how much a job will take or cost until you've done the demolition.
Never assume that a wall is only a wall. It also can be a conduit for wiring and plumbing. That means when you break into a wall, you're going to stand a very good chance of having to reroute plumbing and wires.
Wiring is probably the easiest to do. However, be sure that any changes you make are up to UBC standards. Also, the codes in dif¬ferent areas vary. For example, some communities require all wiring to be shielded by metal, meaning you'll need to run conduit. Other areas require Romex, or plastic sheathing. And if the code has changed since the original work was done on the wall, you're in for a real hassle.
If you're rewiring more than 50 percent of the home, the local building department could require you to bring the entire property up to current code. That could be extremely expensive and difficult.
Plumbing can be more difficult. There are two types: potable plumbing for carrying water in and waste plumbing for carrying it out. Typically the waste piping should all be underneath the floors, unless you're on a second floor or higher, in which case the vents will run up through the walls. Potable plumbing is somewhat easier to deal with, since it's usually a matter of soldering copper pipes to connect them all together and directing them around the area you're working on.
With waste plumbing the code is very complex. Something as simple as the angle or diameter of the pipe can be critical, as can the venting. There's also the way connections are made and whether you've got enough "fall" in the line (so that water will run down, instead of stagnate). When "proving" a waste plumbing system to an inspector, you will typically need to put a plug at the lowest point and then fill all the pipes with a column of water to the top of the highest vent. If the system doesn't leak, it'll pass. If it leaks, your entire project (and sometimes a portion of the rest of the house) could get very wet!
All of which is to say, breaking into a wall can be a very challeng¬ing experience!
Beware of diagonal bracing. Outside walls will typically have a diagonal brace, often a 1"X6" piece of wood or a narrow piece of metal running diagonally across the wall. This keeps the wall from shifting right or left, particularly during hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, or other stress periods. If a diagonal brace is in your way, as when putting in a new win¬dow, you'll have to remove the brace but compensate for it. The most common compensation is to add a shear panel nearby-a piece of plywood usually Vs" thick or thicker, several feet wide, cut to the height of the wall, and nailed every three or four inches onto every stud.