Anyone here do construction or remodeling?

Chris

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I need some professional input here from someone who has a lot of experience with construction / remodeling.

My wife and I want to turn our formal dining room into a 4th bedroom. We need it for my home office, and the way the dining room is setup makes it very convenient. I've had a number of quotes on this project, but they all came back being a lot more than I want to spend, so I'm going to just do it myself I think.

Here is what we're dealing with (don't mind all the kid toys):

IMG_1103.jpg


If you notice, there's a portion of the ceiling that hangs down lower in the dining room. What I'm planning on doing is putting the new wall up so it meets the bottom of that low hanging area. The new wall will have a door in it, and that pocket door going from the kitchen to the dining room will be patched up and turned into a wall.

I know how to do most of this. The framing is easy, as is the rest of it for the most part. My issue is I'm not sure what the best way to attach a new wall to an existing wall is, given that the existing walls have sheet rock on them and everything.

If I put up a new wall and then put sheet rock on it, where the seams of the new wall meet the current walls, they are going to have gaps in them (though they'd be small gaps), and that will look half ass. My thought was that maybe I cut the sheetrock off the existing walls in the areas where the new wall frame will go, and then when I put the sheet rock on the new wall, I can install some of those 90 degree metal pieces that attach one piece of sheet rock on the current walls to the sheet rock on the new wall.

This would also allow me to drill the 2x4s on the new wall directly into the studs on the existing walls instead of going through the sheet rock that currently sits over them.

In other words, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to make this new wall integrate seamlessly with the existing walls in the most professional way possible. I don't want this to be some sort of a hack job is what I'm saying.

Oh, and in terms of the best insulation for letting the least amount of sound in, what would you suggest?
 
Not in construction at all but I have built 2 of my houses...actually GC'ed with hands on sweat equity. So I think you are on the right track by removing a portion of drywall where the new wall meets at a right angle. As you note it provides a solid point to attach the new partition. (Technically you can just attach the floor and ceiling and call it a day since it is only a partition).

With a new build this is essentially the same process. When the drywall crew comes in they butt the sheets together and then tape and mud the seems to hide them including the corners. If you only use mud it will crack so don't skip the tape.

Also by opening up the existing wall it may be easier to run electrical and CAT into the new partition if you want.
 
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Trust me from experience, make sure you get a permit if you need one, don't skip that step. Yes it's a hassle and there is red tape but you don't want a law suit down the road from the next owners. If one isn't required for your area then great, at least you have the peace of mind that you did due diligence.
 
Not in construction at all but I have built 2 of my houses...actually GC'ed with hands on sweat equity. So I think you are on the right track by removing a portion of drywall where the new wall meets at a right angle. As you note it provides a solid point to attach the new partition. (Technically you can just attach the floor and ceiling and call it a day since it is only a partition).

With a new build this is essentially the same process. When the drywall crew comes in they butt the sheets together and then tape and mud the seems to hide them including the corners. If you only use mud it will crack so don't skip the tape.

Also by opening up the existing wall it may be easier to run electrical and CAT into the new partition if you want.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. One of the guys who quoted me on the project said we could just attach the wall at the top and bottom, but I felt like that would be a bit half assed.

I have watched drywall done enough that I know what you mean about the tape and then the mud. That's one more reason I figured the better idea was to cut the drywall off the portions of the existing walls where the new wall will meet it. That would allow me to attach the drywall tape where the new drywall intersects, and it would keep the mud from cracking, which is what I want to avoid.

Trust me from experience, make sure you get a permit if you need one, don't skip that step. Yes it's a hassle and there is red tape but you don't want a law suit down the road from the next owners. If one isn't required for your area then great, at least you have the peace of mind that you did due diligence.

Not skipping the permit at all! I talked to the city and it's around $300. We want it to be legally considered a 4th bedroom, as it adds value to the house.
 
Oh good, I have seen many people make structural or even semi cosmetic changes to their home without permits and it makes me cringe because I have heard about so many that have had to take on the cost of redoing it or for damages long after being out of the home.

My .02 on the drywall, hang the drywall yourself if you want but pay some drywaller to come out and mud and tape, across big seams and especially uneven drywall they make it look seamless and flat. I have done the full shebang finishing a basement on my own and the mudding and taping and sanding sucked so bad after a while.
 
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Oh good, I have seen many people make structural or even semi cosmetic changes to their home without permits and it makes me cringe because I have heard about so many that have had to take on the cost of redoing it or for damages long after being out of the home.

My .02 on the drywall, hang the drywall yourself if you want but pay some drywaller to come out and mud and tape, across big seams and especially uneven drywall they make it look seamless and flat. I have done the full shebang finishing a basement on my own and the mudding and taping and sanding sucked so bad after a while.

Nope, we're doing it by the books!

Yeah, I was thinking of hanging the drywall myself and then paying someone to finish it and texture it, but I may just pay the drywall guys to do all the drywall in that case.

Don't forget the closet then.

I haven't forgotten about the closet at all! That's just going to be a simple 5 foot closet with folding doors.
 
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I am also not in construction but I have seen my fare share of it as well as helped my dad. He designed and build his home. It took us 6 months but we did about 80% of the work on the entire house.I am assuming you have a basement and wood floor this job looks to be an easy one. We don't have basements down here so we have to anchor our partitions to the concrete floor via concrete anchors or concrete nails. When clearing up the drywall up top make sure you use a straight edge so you can get a nice clean edge. It will also let you line up the 2x4 of the new wall with the 2x4 of the lower ceiling giving you a nice seamless wall on both sides.
 
To throw a curveball at you, if you ever wanted to return to original specs it would be a PITA. As some noted, not getting the right permits and stuff could hurt the resale vale. If you want a quick, simple and fun family project that will give you the office space you need with the ability to return to the original floorplan, this company makes oversized Lego wall systems. This may not fulfill what you want, but just another option.

http://www.everblocksystems.com/wall-kits/
 
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I need some professional input here from someone who has a lot of experience with construction / remodeling.

My wife and I want to turn our formal dining room into a 4th bedroom. We need it for my home office, and the way the dining room is setup makes it very convenient. I've had a number of quotes on this project, but they all came back being a lot more than I want to spend, so I'm going to just do it myself I think.

Here is what we're dealing with (don't mind all the kid toys):

View attachment 41324

If you notice, there's a portion of the ceiling that hangs down lower in the dining room. What I'm planning on doing is putting the new wall up so it meets the bottom of that low hanging area. The new wall will have a door in it, and that pocket door going from the kitchen to the dining room will be patched up and turned into a wall.

I know how to do most of this. The framing is easy, as is the rest of it for the most part. My issue is I'm not sure what the best way to attach a new wall to an existing wall is, given that the existing walls have sheet rock on them and everything.

If you know how to do the framing then you know how to attach it. If you don't know how to attach it, then you don't know how to do the framing. Run the wall full height up to the higher ceiling if you have room between the opening on the right.

Plumb down at both ends of the soffit to find the location of the bottom plate, get some Simpson screw anchors, the correct size bit and screw the bottom plate down. Using Liquid Nails run the top plate and glue it to the ceiling. Pressure block and stick frame the rest but also glue the two full height end studs to the existing drywall. You'll be able to toe nail the top and bottom to the existing framing behind the drywall.

I'll get you a picture later to show you how to do the pressure block and stick frame stuff since I am doing it right now to fix a totally FUBAR under deck enclosure that was done.

If I put up a new wall and then put sheet rock on it, where the seams of the new wall meet the current walls, they are going to have gaps in them (though they'd be small gaps), and that will look half ass. My thought was that maybe I cut the sheetrock off the existing walls in the areas where the new wall frame will go, and then when I put the sheet rock on the new wall, I can install some of those 90 degree metal pieces that attach one piece of sheet rock on the current walls to the sheet rock on the new wall.

Stop thinking right now. All your existing drywall had small to large gaps when it was hung. That is what mud and tape are for, to fix the gaps and trick the eye into not seeing all the bigger imperfections.

This would also allow me to drill the 2x4s on the new wall directly into the studs on the existing walls instead of going through the sheet rock that currently sits over them.
Your chances of there being studs right behind the new wall line are about zero so don't count on it or plan on it and for god's sake, don't open up the wall to put backing in. Once you get sheet rock hung on both sides of the new wall, it becomes a shear panel (albeit light duty) but a shear panel nonetheless and will be plenty strong for an interior partition wall.

In other words, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to make this new wall integrate seamlessly with the existing walls in the most professional way possible. I don't want this to be some sort of a hack job is what I'm saying.

The drywall finisher will take care of that. Hang the rock, have them come in and do the mud, tape, and texture and once you paint it, in about a week you won't even remember what it looked like before.

Oh, and in terms of the best insulation for letting the least amount of sound in, what would you suggest?

That isn't a suggestion type thing. There are proven methods. Best insulation is a party wall. It is commonly used between two apartments type situation and consists of top and bottom plates that are wider than the stud width. Then the studs are staggered to the outside on both sides so there is no common stud between the two side of the wall to transfer sound. If you don't want to do that, then just do normal insulation and live with it and be aware that you likely have no insulation interior walls elsewhere in the house.
 
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Looking at the picture again, I notice a large register in the ceiling on the right side. Is that just an normal HVAC register that feeds conditioned air into that area or is it return air for the HVAC unit that is in the attic? Is that dropped area (soffit) for the ductwork or is it just for aesthetics?

Simpson anchors. -
https://www.strongtie.com/mechanicalanchors_mechanicalanchoringproducts/thd_anchor/p/titen-hd

Be aware that Simpson unlike others, specifies their anchor size by the hole size you drill. The other companies that I've come across give the diameter of the threads and then the instructions give you the smaller bit size you use to drill the hole. In other words, you would use the 1/4" anchors and use a 1/4" carbide masonry bit to drill into the concrete.

Don't be wary of the anchors, all the interior walls in your house were done the same way when it was originally built with the exception of possible one or two interior shear walls that were bolted down. The rest were just shot pinned down to the concrete after they were stood up.

Get some heavy plastic and some duct tape. Run a layer of it across the wall line extending about 5' or so on both sides and tape it down. Set the new wall bottom plate right on top of it, screw the bottom plate down through the plastic and carpet. When you are done with the framing, drywall, taping and texturing, go along the bottom of the drywall with a razor knife, cut the plastic, remove it before you run the baseboard. If you run ram board over the plastic but not under the wall, then it's likely all you have to do is a light vacuuming for clean-up.
 
I did this in my last house. I just framed to floor and ceiling without attaching to the walls. I hung the sheetrock and hired a guy to mud and tape it. It came out perfectly. Before I sold the house I removed the wall. After spackling the holes in the ceiling you couldn't even tell it was there.
 
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To save a lot of $$$ and work you could also skip the sheetrock, tape, texture and paint by using some light colored paneling and attach it straight to the studs on both sides. It would look really good and you wouldn't need to worry about the side seems. You would just want to make sure you spaced your studs to attach the paneling.

Could complete it is a day and it would look great.

reclaimed-wood-white-ssw2.jpg
 
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I haven't forgotten about the closet at all! That's just going to be a simple 5 foot closet with folding doors.

Do tracks with mirrored or plain bypass doors. Bifold closet doors or anywhere for that matter just plain would have to get a lot better to just suck. Quality bypass is good and easy.
 
Plumb down at both ends of the soffit to find the location of the bottom plate, get some Simpson screw anchors, the correct size bit and screw the bottom plate down. Using Liquid Nails run the top plate and glue it to the ceiling. Pressure block and stick frame the rest but also glue the two full height end studs to the existing drywall. You'll be able to toe nail the top and bottom to the existing framing behind the drywall.

Aren't those Simpson screw anchors meant for concrete and masonry? That's what it says in their description at least. I'm not 100% sure there's concreted under this area, particularly where the new wall will be going. I believe it's just typical plywood floor.

I'll get you a picture later to show you how to do the pressure block and stick frame stuff since I am doing it right now to fix a totally FUBAR under deck enclosure that was done.

Thanks I appreciate that greatly!

Stop thinking right now. All your existing drywall had small to large gaps when it was hung. That is what mud and tape are for, to fix the gaps and trick the eye into not seeing all the bigger imperfections.

Makes sense, I'll lose that train of thought!

Your chances of there being studs right behind the new wall line are about zero so don't count on it or plan on it and for god's sake, don't open up the wall to put backing in. Once you get sheet rock hung on both sides of the new wall, it becomes a shear panel (albeit light duty) but a shear panel nonetheless and will be plenty strong for an interior partition wall.

There's a stud at the top soffit, a stud on the right hand side, but none on the left hand side, so you're right!

That isn't a suggestion type thing. There are proven methods. Best insulation is a party wall. It is commonly used between two apartments type situation and consists of top and bottom plates that are wider than the stud width. Then the studs are staggered to the outside on both sides so there is no common stud between the two side of the wall to transfer sound. If you don't want to do that, then just do normal insulation and live with it and be aware that you likely have no insulation interior walls elsewhere in the house.

Interesting, I didn't know about those "party walls" until now. That may be overkill. I just wanted to keep as much sound out of the room as possible, as this "room" is right next to the kitchen and entry way to the house, so I wanted it to be as quiet as it can be. I'm going to use a solid core door for that reason. I think however that a typical wall should probably keep it quiet enough in there. No one here has parties, so it's probably going to be fine the way it is.
 
Looking at the picture again, I notice a large register in the ceiling on the right side. Is that just an normal HVAC register that feeds conditioned air into that area or is it return air for the HVAC unit that is in the attic? Is that dropped area (soffit) for the ductwork or is it just for aesthetics?

That is a return air vent for the HVAC. What I believe I'm going to have to do there is go up into the attic and shorten the tube for that return vent by about 2 feet. If I do that, it will then come out on the other side of the wall (so it wouldn't be in this new "room"), which is right in main hallway.

I've had 4 contractors come quote me on this room project, and each one had a different solution.

One guy said to leave it where it is, it's fine. The other guy said to leave it there but install another return air vent in the main hallway by tapping into that duct in the attic.

The other guy said to move it to the center of that soffit so it's above the new door to the room.

Basically everyone seems to have a different opinion on this.

Be aware that Simpson unlike others, specifies their anchor size by the hole size you drill. The other companies that I've come across give the diameter of the threads and then the instructions give you the smaller bit size you use to drill the hole. In other words, you would use the 1/4" anchors and use a 1/4" carbide masonry bit to drill into the concrete.

Helpful to know that. So a 1/4" Simpson anchor uses a 1/4" hole.

Don't be wary of the anchors, all the interior walls in your house were done the same way when it was originally built with the exception of possible one or two interior shear walls that were bolted down. The rest were just shot pinned down to the concrete after they were stood up.

But this of course only applies to existing interior walls, right? I say that because I'm not going to have a concrete section under that dining room area, as there was never a wall there to begin with. I thought that the concrete walls in a foundation typically matched the location of the interior walls in the house that sits on top of it?

Get some heavy plastic and some duct tape. Run a layer of it across the wall line extending about 5' or so on both sides and tape it down. Set the new wall bottom plate right on top of it, screw the bottom plate down through the plastic and carpet. When you are done with the framing, drywall, taping and texturing, go along the bottom of the drywall with a razor knife, cut the plastic, remove it before you run the baseboard. If you run ram board over the plastic but not under the wall, then it's likely all you have to do is a light vacuuming for clean-up.

I thought I would cut out the carpet and carpet padding in the area where the new wall is going. Are you saying I can just mount the bottom plate right on top of the carpet?

Do tracks with mirrored or plain bypass doors. Bifold closet doors or anywhere for that matter just plain would have to get a lot better to just suck. Quality bypass is good and easy.

Yeah, I had considered bi-fold doors, but I think tracks bypass doors will be easier and more friendly.
 
I did this in my last house. I just framed to floor and ceiling without attaching to the walls. I hung the sheetrock and hired a guy to mud and tape it. It came out perfectly. Before I sold the house I removed the wall. After spackling the holes in the ceiling you couldn't even tell it was there.

We had 6 quotes on this project.

They ranged from $5,000 to $15,000.

I priced out materials and it's around $1000 or less for materials. I figured at that point I may as well just do the walls myself and then pay someone to do the sheet rock and minor electrical work (which is literally just running a new light switch and power outlet for this new wall). By the time everything was said and done, I figured I'd spend around $3000.
 
I'm sure you need a permit if adding any electrical. I don't think you'll find a licensed electrician that will do it without unless you have a friend that will.
 
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I'm sure you need a permit if adding any electrical. I don't think you'll find a licensed electrician that will do it without unless you have a friend that will.

Yeah, I need a permit for electrical, I checked on that.

I'll have to talk to an electrician about adding a power outlet to the new wall, as well as a light switch.