Finishing Drywall and Prepping for Stucco
A New Year update to the ADU! The walls are closed up and the contractors are finishing the drywall inside the house. In the photos below, you’ll see that the contractors are taping and sanding the seams to make the walls smooth so that they are ready to be painted.
In addition to the drywall being completed, the stucco is being worked on by a 3rd party that the contractors hired. Here are some photos of the stucco being prepped and worked on.
Time to Close Up Walls!
One huge hurdle down… we got another approval from the inspector including electrical and plumbing, which means walls have been closed up! The ADU is starting to take shape….
Top 10 Most Expensive Mistakes You’re Making on Your Home
Posted on Oct 25 2016 - 1:23pm by Housecall
Editor's Note: This post was originally published on October 25, 2016. Housecall continues to share this piece due to ongoing requests and reader interest.
By Cary Teller
Homes cost a lot of money to maintain. But are you spending extra money unnecessarily on upkeep? Here are the 10 most expensive mistakes you could be making in your home.
1. Using Traditional Light bulbs
If you still have incandescent light bulbs in your home, you could be throwing a lot of money away every month on inflated electric bills. Over its life span, an incandescent bulb can use $180 worth of electricity. A CFL will only use $41 worth of electricity over the same time period. Even better is the LED bulb, which only uses $30 per bulb. Think what replacing every light bulb in your home could do to your home's bottom line.
2. Ignoring a Leaky Faucet
A leaky faucet that drips one drop per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year, which is enough water to take more than 180 showers. Some of us live in areas where water is plentiful, but for those of us in areas plagued with drought, this could be costing you a fortune. Fix or replace your leaky faucet and save a ton on your water bill.
3. Using the Wrong Air Filter Size
We all sometimes forget to change out the air filters for our HVAC systems or accidentally buy the wrong size. But using the wrong filter or a dirty filter can increase your power bill and cause expensive problems for your furnace down the road. Use the correct filters for your system, and set a reminder to change them after the recommended amount of time. You won't regret it.
4. Not Customizing Temperature
Invest in a customizable thermostat. If you're away at the office all day, you can program your heater to shift down a few degrees while you're gone and then shift back up shortly before you return home. Heating or cooling an empty home wastes a lot of money in energy costs.
5. Not Adjusting Air Vents Properly
Is one room in your home hot, while the others are cold? Oftentimes homeowners will crank up the air conditioning in the whole house to combat hot temperatures in one area. Instead, adjust air vents to direct the flow of air more evenly throughout your entire home. Professionals will come regulate this to ensure that your entire home is receiving the same amount of air conditioning or heating.
6. Over Watering Lawn
Many homeowners have their sprinkler systems programmed to come on in the early morning hours for optimum lawn health. This can become a problem, however, if you're never around to see what you're actually watering. A broken sprinkler head could be causing a fountain, or the trajectory of your sprinkler may be directed at a fence instead of your lawn. Periodically run your sprinklers during the day so you can see how they are performing when you're not around.
7. Water Heater Temperature Set Too High
Unless you have a tankless water heater, your water heater is keeping the water in its tank hot 24/7. If you don't keep an eye on the temperature as each season changes, you may be paying too much to heat your water. Decrease the temperature in the summer, and bump it back up when winter comes.
8. Leaky Windows and Doors
Leaky windows and doors are great places for cold, winter winds to enter your home. Many homeowners simply ignore them and crank up their heaters. Caulk leaky windows and put rubber seal around doors to keep winter winds out and warmth in.
9. Paying a Handyman
Don't pay a handyman for a job that is simple enough to do yourself. If you're unsure of how to do something, look up video tutorials online. Doing simple tasks yourself can save you a lot of money.
10. Ignoring Curled Shingles
It may be easy to ignore problems on your roof, but it will only lead to bigger problems later. If you see any possible issues with your roof, repair them as soon as possible, as this will save you significant costs later.
Use these 10 tips to cut maintenance costs on your home today.
Saving the Nectarine Tree (and Interior, Electrical and Plumbing DONE!)
As mentioned in a previous post, one of the biggest bummers of building the ADU was having to cut down an orange tree in order to make way for construction. I loved that tree… last Christmas I used the oranges to make marmalade as gifts and it was delicious! It was so unfortunate to lose the tree and it broke my heart so much that I had to try and save the nectarine tree that had just beared fruit this past summer.
Instead of cutting the nectarine tree down completely, Ian spent an afternoon doing his best to save it. We decided to relocate the tree to the front yard. Fingers crossed!
Meanwhile, at the ADU… the electrical, plumbing and insulation is complete!
The insulation, plumbing and electrical are in before the walls are sealed up and painted. We’re continuing to make progress… so exciting!
Starting to Install Insulation
The next step for our ADU is installing insulation! Here are some photos of the progress.
Framing is Up
Framing is up on the bathroom and front wall! The ADU is starting to take shape.
This frame is where the garage door used to be
The exterior of the bathroom
Pouring the Concrete
Today might be our son Landon’s favorite day so far… concrete pouring day! A huge truck pulled in front of our house this morning which was the highlight of his week. The concrete is being poured for the foundation of the accessory dwelling unit.
Before photos, for reference. The contractors laid down the rebar before the concrete was poured.
The concrete was also poured for the bathroom foundation and the landing right outside the side sliding door
We had to do what is called “floating” the garage floor, which means putting the layer of the foundation by bringing it up to the 6” curb inside the former garage. From my understanding, this provides for a more stable structure. This is a necessary step for the ADU to be up to code. Again, please check with your local city, as all cities have different codes and regulations.
Having a little bit of having fun by putting Landon’s handprint in the wet concrete
…but of course we forgot to put his name and year next to his handprint! At least we’ll have this blog to look back at and recall. Landon 2019 :)
