Home Improvement Today?

Started to install exterior window trims today

Decided to make them up as units for each window on an assembly table and then fix them to the wall around their respective locations

I wanted to avoid any visible fasteners so this is the system I came up with

When we applied the rainscreen strips we intentionally left them back on the sides and bottom of each window rough opening to accomodate this trim installation method

After the top and bottom trims were cut to length , we rabbeted the bottom trim to accept a piece of 1/2" plywood so it could be screwed flush to the back of the trim , and it would protrude about 2" below the underside of the trim

We also notched the horns of the top and bottom trims that project beyond the window unit to accept a 1/2" plywood strip . The top and bottom window trims extend 3 1/2" beyond the width of the window .

We ripped 1/2" plywood for the sides at 4 1/2" and I cut them to length for each window by measuring the window unit height and adding 3 1/8" ( window unit height + 1 9/16" (top trim thickness) + 1 9/16" (bottom trim thickness)

We screwed the 4 1/2" side plywood pieces in flush to the tops and bottoms and tight to the 3 1/2" notches in the horns

So what we end up with is a trim box that is the correct height to push over the window with 4 1/2" plywood strips set to the width of the window opening

Back side (bottom plywood strip not applied into rabbet yet)




We could then test fit the trim box onto the window itself and make any adjustments if necessary

When a good fit was confirmed , we set the trim box right side up on the table and could then simply mark our side trims for length directly off the top and bottom trims

Once cut , we installed the side trims by running 3" stainless trim head screws through the top and bottom trims into the sides and then flipped the trim box back over and shot 1 1/4" stainless crown staples through the side plywood and into the side trims




Completed on the table




To install the window box we could now run screws through the protruding plywood into the wall framing , drawing the trim box in tight to the wall sheeting and the plywood then also became our rainscreen plane backing for the siding

No visible fasteners

 

@OZ-T your attention to detail seems to be a lost art in homebuilding these days. You seem to have a plan for everything, seeing the plans come together is petty impressive.

 

Slowly but surely, it's getting done.

 

That looks really good.

 

I put this on another thread already, but didn't see this thread.

Total budget was $211 (including WAY too much romex, so it easily could have gotten below $200). I wired the existing light box into a junction, ran wire from it to two new junctions, then hard wired the D.C. inverters for the LED light strips into those junction boxes.

The before and after was dramatic. I locked the ISO, white balance, and exposure on the picture so it really is this drastic.

 

Looks really nice. Might do the same in my garage. My eyes get pretty tired working on the taco sometimes.

 

Cool. I was thinking about strips instead of fixed lights so I get a more even spread. Can you tell me about the strips? I have strips in my gun safe but I don't think they will be bright enough for the garage.

 

Is there some forum as cool and popular as TW for home improvement you guys might recommend. I've seen one for tools and such, but haven't found one for small weekend projects.

 

I used 16.4' strips off of eBay. The strips, with power inverter, were only like $16 a piece. 4 was probably the minimum for my garage, but it is bright enough I have almost not adjustment time after walking in from outside. It used to take 10 minutes for my eyes to let me see anything it used to be so dark.

 

Check out "instructables"
It's not so much a forum, but endless "how to's"
https://www.instructables.com/

 

garagejournal.com is a lot more garage related. Wouldn't quite say its home improvement minded but youll find quite a bit there.

 

That is impressive

 

So I've ordered Ditra Heat floor mats for my bathroom remodel. Apparently Ditra Heat is a little stiffer than the regular Ditra. My tile guy has only done a few and had bad experiences. He is reticent but willing. It is not reassuring. Seems straightforward from my research: use a modified thinset and 1/4" notched trowel to adhere the mat to the plywood floor.

Some say you can tile immediately after laying it down, but I wonder... The tile guy wants to move quickly and start tiling right after laying Ditra. Could this be why he had issues? I have zero tiling experience but I'm wondering if I should install the Ditra myself and let it "cure" for a few days before he comes out. This would also give me time to run the in floor heating wires without holding him up.

I was looking at the white Fortified Versabond from Home Depot. It meets the ANSI requirements from Ditra. Any comments or suggestions on this?

@OZ-T - you are a proponent of this product and have experience. Can you answer some questions and give some advice? Thanks!

 

We always lay the Ditra and then fill all the voids , tile the next day

 

I would really like a little more detail on this one, please. I need a master plan to improve my new garage (2 bay) lighting, but I've got a lot of obstacles (including two garage door openers and another manual roll up door) and want to minimize the use of overhead space so I can maximize storage options above...and I hope eliminate the need for new circuits. It would be nice to do both bays off the existing 2 separate circuits.

A can you snap a pic of the actual fixtures up close and how they are mounted, for a starter?

 

@916carl

https://resources.schluter.com/media/DITRA-HEAT-InstallationGuide.pdf

 

Thanks! I've read through that a few times. Also looked a bit on the John Bridge forum. Most posts there related to my questions are from 2005. Not sure if things have changed much. Also, opinions seem to vary. A lot.

Most seem to say you can tile right away but grout should wait 48hrs. No solid advice on Durabond. I reached out to Schluter so we'll see what they came back with.

I'm really leaning toward laying the Ditra myself, using the Durabond (if they say it'll work). How hard can it be?! Famous last words...

 

Laying the Ditra isn't hard

Pre cut and fit the pieces first and make sure you press out any air bubbles working from the middle to the edges

 

I don't have direct experience installing but I used Ditra in my kitchen last year and in my laundry room a few weeks ago. Both times the installers I used were adamant about using Ditra-Set and waiting 24 hours before tiling.

 

We carried on with siding today

To finish up the rainscreen discussion this is the detail at the tops of windows and doors , head flashing over the top trim that laps behind the housewrap and is taped to it , 1" end dams on the head flashing and a perforated J to allow for a drainage path




Charcoal 1x6 Channel Siding




The guys came and grouted the concrete slab kerf cuts in anticipation of the floor grinding that begins next Monday