Home improvement nightmare
Pandora's box
The story of our guest bed & bath rooms remodel
December 2, 2015
At the start of the demolition, we removed 2 sheets of plywood siding, insulation, studs, and drywall to make an opening directly to the outside. This opening allowed us to haul the debris out to the dumpster without going through the house. The pink carpet was in when we purchased the house. I would never put in something so hideous.
Let's start with the framing problems. Most houses are built in a stick framing method. This means there is a bottom board that is attached to the foundation. Perpendicular to this are boards made of either 2 inch by 4 inch or 2 inch by 6 inch lumber. These are called studs and are not really 2 inches by 4 inches or 6 inches. That is just what they are called. These studs are roughly as long the first floor is tall and are topped by a top plate. It is like a ladder turned on its side. Lumber is strongest when compressed end to end, but bends very easily from a lateral force. That is why blocking is placed in between studs. Wall studs should ALWAYS be continuous from the top plate to the bottom plate. Here are photos of some of the framing problems we found after the drywall and insulation were removed.
The photo above shows an old wall that was framed completely wrong. It is easy to see that the studs do not go from the bottom all the way to the top. Did the builders originally make the wall too short? And then decided to add on to it? Also notice that some of the studs are not on edge but are instead facing out.
Above is a framing mistake in another wall. Again the stud does not go all the way from the top to the bottom. This wall is only as strong as the nails that are nailed in at an angle also called toe nailed.
What were these people thinking? Were they just being frugal by using every scrap? We will never know.