The Home Improvements Thread (2)

[GoB]

whats the best kind of fixings to use for barge boards and fascias? some sort of rust free roofing nail? or rather screws?

also whats your guys opinions on replacing wooden fascia boards (the wood behind the gutter) with nutec fascia type boards?

I just used stainless screws on barge boards. Guess it's just my go-to. I had to remove one already to fix a roof leak (tiles were held down). Didn't bother with covering them or the few holes where i missed the batton in the end. Once you stop looking at them...

My wooden fascia boards keep peeling every 3 years on the sun side, but it's a small job to touch up. So I guess if you're thinking of staying <12 years then just keep the wood which looks better IMO.

 

[Steamy Tom]

I just used stainless screws on barge boards. Guess it's just my go-to. I had to remove one already to fix a roof leak (tiles were held down). Didn't bother with covering them or the few holes where i missed the batton in the end. Once you stop looking at them...

My wooden fascia boards keep peeling every 3 years on the sun side, but it's a small job to touch up. So I guess if you're thinking of staying <12 years then just keep the wood which looks better IMO.

yeah i am at the point though where the wood needs to be replaced completely imo, so its abotu deciding which way to go - thanks for the input, i kinda feel the wood is better looking, but i am wondering how much it is actually noticed

 

[Smokey mcpot]

That a tricky one. The nutec boards aren’t that thick. I wouldn’t trust hanging the gutter on a thin board like that. Maybe if you can get a rafter behind the nutec board it would offer more support for the gutter screws.
Also wood is beautiful but as so many of us have discovered, maintenance is the real issue. It’s another one of those things I advise yearly maintenance on. Rather a thin lick of varnish as opposed to replacing and having to varnish again in a few years. Again one of those things where the damage is more about what you cannot see.

we’re once again dealing with woodwork which is the biggest pain in the butt. From face value it looks like it was maintained, upon close inspection we found it was most likely just a patch and paint so that the house can get sold. I underquoted big time but luckily my client saw all the crap going on in this place and hence he’s costs have almost doubled. Some people might complain about 13 layers of varnish (or paint) , but I’d rather have that than to fork out on replace and treat again. Just one of those things.

even with windows, if you can’t maintain wood then do t replace with wood no matter how much better you think the wood looks. I’ll post a pic of some more horrendous findings which led to almost 200k replacing windows and sliding doors. Something that could have been avoided with a yearly 2k and some elbow grease DIY

 

[redleh]

Hi,
I need to do some maintenance on my patio deck.
I need to apply a coat of deck sealer but I am unsure what what type of wood my deck is made.
So at the moment I am not sure if I should use woodoc deck sealer or woodoc deck dressing.
How do I decide which product to use If I am unsure if I have dense or pourus wood.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Steamy Tom]

That a tricky one. The nutec boards aren’t that thick. I wouldn’t trust hanging the gutter on a thin board like that. Maybe if you can get a rafter behind the nutec board it would offer more support for the gutter screws.
Also wood is beautiful but as so many of us have discovered, maintenance is the real issue. It’s another one of those things I advise yearly maintenance on. Rather a thin lick of varnish as opposed to replacing and having to varnish again in a few years. Again one of those things where the damage is more about what you cannot see.

we’re once again dealing with woodwork which is the biggest pain in the butt. From face value it looks like it was maintained, upon close inspection we found it was most likely just a patch and paint so that the house can get sold. I underquoted big time but luckily my client saw all the crap going on in this place and hence he’s costs have almost doubled. Some people might complain about 13 layers of varnish (or paint) , but I’d rather have that than to fork out on replace and treat again. Just one of those things.

even with windows, if you can’t maintain wood then do t replace with wood no matter how much better you think the wood looks. I’ll post a pic of some more horrendous findings which led to almost 200k replacing windows and sliding doors. Something that could have been avoided with a yearly 2k and some elbow grease DIY

so in my case the wood is painted not varnished, so from a further away perspective i am not sure the astehtic difference will be major.

i would definately try space the gutter brackets to go into a rafter rather.

 

[Mista_Mobsta]

On the topic of interior door frames, I recently realised our one bathroom door frame has some damp spots - likely that a certain hole on the paintjob let in quite a bit of moisture over time (the door is right next to the shower) so now it's rusty and starting to warp which is causing the door to get stuck when there's a lot of humidity in the room.

Anyone know if I can just sand off the rust and treat and paint or should I rather replace for longevity?

 

[Smokey mcpot]

so in my case the wood is painted not varnished, so from a further away perspective i am not sure the astehtic difference will be major.

i would definately try space the gutter brackets to go into a rafter rather.

That could work, just don’t space them to wide. The gutter will start warping and sagging between brackets if it’s too far apart (pvc gutters)

 

[ahmedy]

So I have recently paved my patio and would like your advice on what to paint it with so as to protect the cement between pavers from breaking up due to rain. I saw different types at builders as well as heard that roof paint is good but would like to hear from you guys

 

[Mosgi]

So big renovation is now in play.
Background bought a house that hadn't been lived in and now going through a major renovation including taking thatch off and replacing with IBR, along with wall adjustments, adding rooms and bathrooms and replacing all windows and doors from wood to Aluminium/PVC.

1st Question. Have this large tank out back, along with other tanks and pumps. Is this a borehole and how can I tell?

2nd question: PVC windows seem to be winners (about the same effect as Alu double glazed with better security) but are about 3x the price of aluminium equivalents. House isn't North facing so insulation is key, roof already planned for the highest R value available but now doors and windows. Has anyone painted white PVC doors. The STD colours are white, wood and anthracite and we need black. So far Leroy Merlin beats going to suppliers directly.

3rd question: Have a very large generator out back: 2.7m x 0.8m What is this thing, how much is it worth? I'd rather flog and get solar. Any tips on getting it started (service first I assume)

 

[Lupus]

So big renovation is now in play.
Background bought a house that hadn't been lived in and now going through a major renovation including taking thatch off and replacing with IBR, along with wall adjustments, adding rooms and bathrooms and replacing all windows and doors from wood to Aluminium/PVC.

1st Question. Have this large tank out back, along with other tanks and pumps. Is this a borehole and how can I tell?

2nd question: PVC windows seem to be winners (about the same effect as Alu double glazed with better security) but are about 3x the price of aluminium equivalents. House isn't North facing so insulation is key, roof already planned for the highest R value available but now doors and windows. Has anyone painted white PVC doors. The STD colours are white, wood and anthracite and we need black. So far Leroy Merlin beats going to suppliers directly.

3rd question: Have a very large generator out back: 2.7m x 0.8m What is this thing, how much is it worth? I'd rather flog and get solar. Any tips on getting it started (service first I assume)

I've got to replace all my tiles on my roof to IBR cause of the peak so would be good to know your cost and SQM

 

[Mosgi]

I've got to replace all my tiles on my roof to IBR cause of the peak so would be good to know your cost and SQM

About 400sqm on the roof alone
Materials with Timber are just under 100k
Labour is R35k excluding removal costs

I should say these are bad indicative prices given the nature of my arrangement with the contractor. Other bids were between R200k and R350k

 

[Lupus]

About 400sqm on the roof alone
Materials with Timber are just under 100k
Labour is R35k excluding removal costs

I should say these are bad indicative prices given the nature of my arrangement with the contractor. Other bids were between R200k and R350k

Thanks, I would probably be able to get something similar but I just wanted an idea.

 

[GrootBaas]

I have a braai chimney built outside where water is filtering right through the bricks and then dripping into my braai area. Thing is the outside is currently only painted with a primer so the water is absorbed into the cement and then runs down the inside of the chimney. Initially thought the issue is the cowl but turns out the cowl is doing perfectly fine.

Will good waterproof paint on the chimney be the solution here, or will I need to lap and pap the thing somehow right around first to try and seal it before painting?

 

[The_Mowgs]

So big renovation is now in play.
Background bought a house that hadn't been lived in and now going through a major renovation including taking thatch off and replacing with IBR, along with wall adjustments, adding rooms and bathrooms and replacing all windows and doors from wood to Aluminium/PVC.

1st Question. Have this large tank out back, along with other tanks and pumps. Is this a borehole and how can I tell?

2nd question: PVC windows seem to be winners (about the same effect as Alu double glazed with better security) but are about 3x the price of aluminium equivalents. House isn't North facing so insulation is key, roof already planned for the highest R value available but now doors and windows. Has anyone painted white PVC doors. The STD colours are white, wood and anthracite and we need black. So far Leroy Merlin beats going to suppliers directly.

3rd question: Have a very large generator out back: 2.7m x 0.8m What is this thing, how much is it worth? I'd rather flog and get solar. Any tips on getting it started (service first I assume)

Cant say for certain if that is a borehole or not but from what I can see it looks like it. Borehole into big tank, big tank through filters into pressure tank and then into the house. The big blue thing is either a block of flats or a generator but Im leaning more towards a generator.

 

[Smokey mcpot]

So I have recently paved my patio and would like your advice on what to paint it with so as to protect the cement between pavers from breaking up due to rain. I saw different types at builders as well as heard that roof paint is good but would like to hear from you guys

Do you want to colour it? I’ve used various brick sealers and one I liked was sovereign seal. Also helped the colour almost “pop” out more. So depending on your finish you can decide which you want to use. They generally all very good

 

[Steamy Tom]

That could work, just don’t space them to wide. The gutter will start warping and sagging between brackets if it’s too far apart (pvc gutters)

yeah i beleive you want a meter a part, i have seen some say less but if i am not mistaken 1m is fine

 

[Smokey mcpot]

yeah i beleive you want a meter a part, i have seen some say less but if i am not mistaken 1m is fine

Half a meter is what I go with.

 

[chickenbeef]

Cant say for certain if that is a borehole or not but from what I can see it looks like it. Borehole into big tank, big tank through filters into pressure tank and then into the house. The big blue thing is either a block of flats or a generator but Im leaning more towards a generator.

Borehole pumps are in the ground as far as I know. That is above ground so it's probably a wellpoint.

 

[Steamy Tom]

Half a meter is what I go with.

i was just about to come post a correction, you are right

edit: @Smokey mcpot do you use the tophats for going into the down pipe or do you use the gutter outlets usually?

 

[The_Mowgs]

Borehole pumps are in the ground as far as I know. That is above ground so it's probably a wellpoint.

Correct yes but I think that pump which is visible is for the tank and pressure tank / house but Im speaking under correction.