Workshop — Part 2

First, I don't think there was officially a "Workshop — Part 1" post, but I did say something about installing new florescent ceiling lights in there, so close enough. 

Second, I finished the floor and baseboards in the north half of the pottery studio, and took a photo today.  This part of the studio will be where the pottery wheel is located, and shelves for the new pots to sit while drying, etc.  The other half of the studio is where the kiln will be, counter space for applying glazes, lots of drawers for storage, and of course the sink for cleaning up.  Back in the wheel half, there will be some built-in shelves to the left of the wheel, and also a built-in car stereo, since music frequently seems to be a part of pottery studios. 

Third, back to the workshop.  To recount, this post deals with removing two old ill-placed and inferior windows with one new one in a different location, to wit, in the center of the south wall.  To start, I removed the old drywall where new electrical receptacles are going, where the new window will be, and around the old two windows.  This is the first part of that process:

A new low workbench (designed for sitting) will go along this south wall.  I'm installing several 120 volt receptacles and one 240 volt receptacle that will be a little higher than the workbench surface.  Here are the first boxes going in.  The lower blue box is a junction box.  These 20-amp circuits originate in the laundry room subpanel.

Here's the first old window laid bare.  This room was originally converted from the back of the garage to a bedroom, and the windows added.  Rather than properly restructure the wall to support the window and the roof above it, the contractor just cut a big hole in the wall and stuck the window in.  There should be a full height stud on both sides of the window, and then a jack stud just inside that to support the header running over the top of the window (to support the roof over the width of the window).  None of this!  I was shocked!  And the "header" was undersized, and not even fastened to the studs above it.  I can't begin to describe how bad this is :-(

In this following photo, I have added new full-height studs to the existing upper and lower ends of the old studs.  I left those in, because the stucco is fastened to those elements — but only by staples!  No nails, no screws!  More shock!  I've also framed for the new window, using the proper structural elements.

I should note (again) that the original builders did not fasten any sort of plywood sheathing to the studs, to provide strength and a solid foundation for the stucco.  They just stretched some wire across the framing, applied roofing felt on top of that, then wire mesh, then the stucco.  I'm using plywood to cover the old window holes, and cutting down the studs to 3" width, so with the added 1/2" plywood, the base for the new stucco will be flush with the old studs.

Here's a photo of the wall with the new Andersen window installed.  I used a circular saw with a diamond masonry blade to cut out the big square of stucco to make the opening for the new window.  At the left of this photo, you can see the second old window that will be removed. 

And from the outside:

When I removed the drywall from around the second window, I discovered the structural deficiencies were even worse than with the first window.  Not only were the tops and bottoms of the old studs not fastened to the rudimentary window frame, they were not even touching!  The top:

And the bottom:

This photo (above) also shows the old vent for the garage that was not removed during the conversion, but simply drywalled over on the inside.

Here is the first coat (scratch coat) of stucco going on the outside of where the first old window was:

And further along in the process, with the stucco complete around the new window and over the old window opening:

And finally, where I am now, with the second window opening sheathed and just about ready for stucco.

I still have to remove the old square ventilation vent and fill that space in.  There's also a circular opening at the lower left of the window; that is for an 6" exhaust vent for the hood over the three cat litter boxes — getting rid of the dust and odors.  The blower for that is motion activated.

The next steps (after stucco) will be to finish insulating the wall, apply drywall, and trim out the new window on the inside.  Add two coats of elastomeric stucco paint on the whole wall outside after the new stucco has cured for a month.  I'm also going to be finishing the baseboard installation in the south half of the pottery studio.

I took delivery of a truckload of plywood and drywall today, so I will soon be starting to build the rest of the kitchen cabinets.  I'll have Home Depot fabricate and install the Corian countertop after those cabinets are finished.  Then kitchen sink, cooktop, and dishwasher.  Unfortunately, the sink and dishwasher will not be operable until I finish the new water supply system (waiting for cooler weather for that, when work in the attic will be tolerable).

Progress, bit by bit.