Wednesday, February 13, 2008

plaster before and after




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Scott, Sorry to hear about the burglary. Hope they didn’t get away with much, and hope they didn’t cause too much damage. One thing I can’t stand is thieves ! My father always says that when the economy is down, thievery is up. Might be some truth in that. Anyway, Christie looks radiant! And the house looks to be coming along as well. I check for updates almost everyday, however, I’ve had a few projects of my own to take care of and therefore have been too busy to post any comments. I love the look of those thick plastered walls and wood beams and wood ceiling! Can’t wait till you uncover that floor too.
One the problems I’ve been dealing with is my ridge cap over the cathedral ceiling has been covered with snow and ice a few times and didn’t allow the roof to vent. Since it’s cathedral (2x10s with batt insulation and raft r mate vents) each cavity has to vent all the way to the top, with no cross ventilation. I’ve learned it doesn’t take much to keep it from venting, and lack of venting causes moisture problems. After doing some research, I have found it seems to be a common problem with cathedrals and batt insulation. If I had to do it over again I’d go with spray foam or tight cellulose and close it all off. For now I’m going to lower the main peak inside with a small flat ceiling to create a space which will allow for cross ventilation. I may later add a copula if needed. Anyway, keep posting updates. Love to watch your progress because I absolutely love your house and what your are doing. Take care, Troy.

Christie and Scott Mackison, owners said...

Thanks Troy.

I understand what you're saying about the cross venting between rafter bays. We have the same situation - except in our case the rafter bays vent to the underside of the high eave so they can't get blocked by anything. I'm curious how the higher moisture in your rafter bays manifests itself? Do you notice moisture from inside the home? As to spraying, there's a soy based foam that not only fills the entire cavity but also removes any necessity to vent the eaves in the first place. Unfortunately, there are not installers in our area. Alas.

Scott.

Anonymous said...

Hey Scott,
I’ve come the conclusion that I have a combination of situations that add together to create a much larger condensation problem. First, a design problem on my part regarding a dryer vent and bathroom exhaust fan. Both exited through an earth sheltered wall on the north side just below the eave. The eave on this side of the house is about 18” from the ground and it seems that moisture from the dryer and bathroom was easily entering into the roof cavities. I first noticed a lot of condensation in the attic over this area (The roof over this part of the house has a cathedral that vents into an attic, while the rest of the house is all cathedral with single vent bays and no cross venting). The moisture in the attic was very high with condensation forming on the underside of the exterior OSB and inside of the raftr vents of the cathedral. I also started noticing small water stains on the interior ceiling drywall. Most are within 5’-10’ of the exhaust problem area however, 2 small water stains did form on the interior drywall some 30’ away from the dryer vent. I should note that all the stains are so small that no one else noticed them, and in fact, even after pointing them out, others still have a hard time seeing them. Left alone, it would turn into a major problem. I’ve moved the dryer vent and today I will be moving the bathroom exhaust fan. Just moving the dryer vent has made a huge difference. The condensation inside the attic is pretty much gone. As for the rest of the roof it’s a wait and see. Also, interior humidity used to be around 40-45%. I’m now running a dehumidifier and maintain humidity levels at 30-35%. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath. Troy.