pfitzsim

Anyone undertaking any 'interesting' non car related projects during Covid?

I decided to design/build a backyard pool side building with my new found spare time with no commuting or business travel on the calendar.

I attempted to keep things as Canadian as I could. Made in Canada: doors, windows, exterior/interior siding, framing lumber, shelves and 100% Canadian 'free' labour. I have learned through the process that I need some better tools as I only used a 7 1/4" skill saw, 18V cordless drill with a failing battery and a hammer. Top of mind are mitre saw and nail gun, but then again I was in no big rush to get this done.

Cheers.

Turbodan

looks nice. great job. You must be very proud every time you see it/use it. how deep is the slab? Too bad you didn't put in a washroom. My pool house has 3 rooms; change room, washroom and a bar with slide down shutters. It was there when I bought my house.

#1SomeGuy

Skip the nail gun...for projects like this I almost always use screws and a good impact driver makes a world of difference. Screws just hold a little better (ignoring shear strength being a bit less which doesn't matter for these sort of jobs) and can come apart easily if you mess up. Mitre saw is a must though for framing, square cuts every time. I'm partial to Dewalt but all the major brands are fairly decent these days.

pfitzsim

Slab is around 8". I was somewhat limited by the size of the yard/space for a slab. Slab is 8X12 and already pushing it a bit on set back requirements. Inside washroom is pretty close to the back door of the house which will hopefully be sufficient to stop people taking a whiz on the pool :-)

pfitzsim

I was thinking the nail gun just for the likes of the tongue and groove which arguably took a lot of time hand nailing and 'countersinking' each nail. Planning on picking up a Dewalt 12" sliding mitre this week to start working on basement framing and a couple of other random projects lined up for the next number of months/years. Cheers.

#1SomeGuy

Ahh okay, so more like a brad or finish nailer, not a framing nailer. I probably use my brad nailer more than my finish nailer, it just leaves such a small hole and even less risk of splitting on fine materials. I have one of the Dewalt (actually same as Bostitch) precision point brad nailers, the 'precision point' feature is well worth it.

Also, I recommend the DWS780 out of any of the 12" Dewalt sliders...the XPS light thing is worth every single penny over the less expensive versions.

Good luck with the projects

Bud Fox

Car related: DIY bumperplugs, $1 each from Lowe's + touch up paint

pfitzsim

Thanks - I was actually just comparing the Dewalt 779 and 780 and deciding if the light was worth the extra $150.

theiceman

QUOTE=pfitzsim;16821868]Slab is around 8". I was somewhat limited by the size of the yard/space for a slab. Slab is 8X12 and already pushing it a bit on set back requirements. Inside washroom is pretty close to the back door of the house which will hopefully be sufficient to stop people taking a whiz on the pool :-)[/QUOTE]
jesus 8" ? you could land a helicopter on that ... i guess you didn't pour the slab yourself? did you need relief cuts ? im thinking of a slab myself for something, that's why i ask.

I just resurfaced my deck. knocked down a previous railing and bushes which basically trapped moisture that rotted the railing and deck, replaced it with a step down into the garden. ... nothing fancy as i'm much better at rebuilding engines than creating things with wood... engines require no imagination....

this is my newest edition to the family and i absolutely love it.... the ( XR ) ..

My door stop in the background isn't bad either..

Nixin

Great stuff. So when is the first Rennlist-Canada event being held at your pool? No worries, we will BYOB (and masks too).

997turbocab

More importantly your kids are starting off life on the right path....Steelers and Leaf fans!

#1SomeGuy

Apparently you can retro fit the light on the 779 for cheaper although I don't know the process with that but the 780 just works out of the box...mine was bang on square too without any adjustments whatsoever. If you can hold off for a sale, you can usually get the stand with it for free. I have the folding (not rolling) one and it's quite nice, very compact when stored but stable when setup and nice to work with.

Gregster

My project has been trying to purchase a new home. This has proven very difficult

pfitzsim

jesus 8" ? you could land a helicopter on that ... i guess you didn't pour the slab yourself? did you need relief cuts ? im thinking of a slab myself for something, that's why i ask.

I just resurfaced my deck. knocked down a previous railing and bushes which basically trapped moisture that rotted the railing and deck, replaced it with a step down into the garden. ... nothing fancy as i'm much better at rebuilding engines than creating things with wood... engines require no imagination....

this is my newest edition to the family and i absolutely love it.... the ( XR ) ..

My door stop in the background isn't bad either..

[/QUOTE]
Correct I didn't pour the slab myself - it was poured by the company that did the pool a little over a year ago. No relief cracks so TBD re cracking. Nothing in the first year though.

#1SomeGuy

Most of that cracking occurs in the first month or two as the concrete cures and shrinks a bit. If you haven't had any cracking yet, you're more less out of the woods except for settling long term.