0215 - Sloping Backyard Fence, Basement Bathroom, and Radiant Floors December 18-December 24, 2006 | June 18-June 24, 2007 >> Vila: Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Welcome to the show. We're remodeling a little 85-year-old house here, and we've been working in the basement, creating a family room. Today, we're putting in a half-bathroom with a very unusual toilet and a laundry room in that area. On the outside of the house, we're building a white cedar fence that incorporates some very unusual storage features, and we're cutting down a door to install in the new basement entry. Stick around. It's good to have you with us. All right. The major landscape improvement that we're doing to the side and the back of the house involves fencing, and Jay Triandafilou is with us from architectural fence. This is all white cedar that you use, right?
>> Yes, sir.
>> Vila: So, why is that the best choice for this kind of fencing?
>> It's a wood that's a northern species -- it's local. And it's impervious to rot.
>> Vila: It's long-lasting.
>> Long-lasting, yes.
>> Vila: Now, one thing that I want to ask is I've always thought that mixing concrete in a hole and putting it in a hole surrounding a wood post of any sort is a bad idea. Doesn't it promote rot?
>> It does if it's done improperly. There is a correct way of doing it. What we do is we set a post to approximately 36-inch depth. We'll throw approximately 6 inches of material dirt back in the hole, and then we'll add the concrete. That way, it doesn't create a total seal. It allows the water to pass through the wood, between the wood and the concrete.
>> Vila: And the concrete is there for stiffness.
>> Stiffness, stability, and remains the elevation of the post.
>> Vila: So, the key is not to totally encase that post in concrete, because if you did that, you would be trapping moisture in the wood, and that accelerates the rotting process. I got you. All right. Well, what are we creating right here? This almost looks like shower stalls at the beach club.
>> Yeah, it is, in a sense. Basically, Sarah came to us --
>> Vila: Our homeowner.
>> Your homeowner. She said that it's a very tight site, and she wished she could have a shed, a planting area, and a trash bin. So, I says, "Oh, we can give that to you. We have a spot on the side." And this is basically what this creates.
>> Vila: So, you've got the fence going along the property line, and you're putting up these little wing walls or wing fences, and we'll have an enclosure for trash. Let's talk about what you've already done, 'cause when you got here, you had to deal with kind of a rough site. What's the first thing you had to work on?
>> When we came here first, Bob, there was an existing chain-link fence that was up in the back lined with some heavy growth. So, we had to come in, cut the growth and also remove the chain-link fence.
>> Vila: What about the digging on the site? Is it very rocky? Isn't there some ledge around here?
>> There's quite a bit of rock here, as a matter of fact. We've struck quite a bit of rock in the holes as we're digging. Loose material and also some solid material. These posts have to be dug to a 36-inch depth, so we find it quite frequently. That's why the cement also helps.
>> Vila: Is the depth because of the frost heaves that we encounter in cold climates?
>> It's for the frost as well as stability of the fence. A 6-foot-high fence needs a certain amount in the ground. Generally 2/3 of the height must be set in the ground.
>> Vila: 2/3 Above and one third below?
>> Correct.
>> Vila: Got you. Okay, and what about the actual panels? These are made back in your shop, and then you install them on-site. You've got a sloped site. How do you deal with that?
>> Well, that's an interesting question. We have to do what they call "racking" the sections, which basically takes a section that's built square and actually slopes the boards to make up for the difference in the elevation or the height of the ground.
>> Vila: Okay, and you can do that even though you've got double nailing on all of these boards?
>> They go to a certain extent. Sometimes they reach a point where they won't rack any further. In that case, we have to build the panels on-site, which you've seen here.
>> Vila: What about the caps?
>> The fence cap on the top of the fence is a finish piece as well as it helps with the rain. Basically, we have to -- sometimes when you get into a position where the boards -- on an extremely racked situation, your boards stagger, so you have to cut the top of the boards in order for this cap to fit over, because there's only about a 1/2-inch dadel that fits over the top.
>> Vila: Now, putting up fencing on a sloped site has got to be the hardest job.
>> Yeah, it's not easy.
>> Vila: All right. So, most fencing has -- well, they're both nice sides, but one side is clear like this, and the other side has the rails exposed. And so, how do you choose which side faces in what direction?
>> That's up to the homeowner. Unless there's some town ordinances that specify who gets which side. Basically, this is what we call the good side --
>> Vila: The beauty side.
>> The beauty side, and then the back side of course, has the three horizontal rails.
>> Vila: And what have you done here?
>> We've done it both ways here, Bob, as a matter of fact. The rear fence, actually, we turned the good side in to the homeowner, and then the side line, we turned the rails inside the homeowner.
>> Vila: So, we've given the beauty side to the neighbor.
>> Correct.
>> Vila: And the neighbor's very close to the fence. Well, it's a beautiful fence. Thanks.
>> You're welcome.
>> Vila: The Owens Corning Basement Finishing System has given us a lot of warmth in this new family room, and one thing that we did was to build a little mud room here. Our friends from Moynihan Lumber just installed a nice six-panel door here, and Lou Sandonato, there you are. Have you finished with that door?
>> It's all set, Bob. Just finishing up the trim.
>> Vila: The door that was here was this little miniature affair because of the fact that we're in a basement that didn't have a bulkhead entrance, just this little door -- nasty little door that had been there since 1920. And you guys have done a great job of modifying a door for our opening.
>> Yeah, we took a flush fiberglass door, put some plants on it, glued them on with some adhesive tape, cut a couple lights in it, put a double-bolt security system in for it.
>> Vila: So, you guys do this kind of work back in the shop at Moynihan, right?
>> Correct.
>> Vila: And what's it made out of?
>> It's a fiberglass door. Therma-Tru fiberglass. It's called a Smooth-Star door.
>> Vila: And so, you started out with just a flush door, and you cut it down to size.
>> Correct -- we cut it down to size, height and width, and then we put the plants on it to give it some design so it wouldn't just be a flush door.
>> Vila: Close it a minute, 'cause you put it on both sides. And what kind -- I mean, is it a wood molding that you put on there?
>> It's an AZEK molding. We trim it in the shop. We make it to fit the plants and the same profile.
>> Vila: It's a beautiful job.
>> Thank you.
>> Vila: Thanks, Lou. This closed caption sponsorship is brought to you by...
>> Vila: Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Next time on the show, we're creating a laundry and half-bathroom down in the new basement space, and that gets complicated. Also, we're taking you through the entry out into the yard, and that includes customizing a fiberglass door and making it small. And when we get into the yard, we're gonna show you a beautiful new fence that we're putting up, which includes some storage sheds built into it. That's next time. Don't miss it.
>> Vila: Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Next time on the show, we're putting up some beautiful backyard fencing that includes some built-in storage sheds, and we're installing a laundry room/half-bathroom. Very complicated. Don't miss it.
>> Vila: Hi, I'm Bob Vila. Next time on the show, we're putting up a backyard fence, customizing a door, and installing a bathroom in the basement. Don't miss it.
>> Vila: So, remodeling a basement often gives you some options you didn't know you had. And very often, any remodeling project leads you to a point where you say, "Well, you might as well do this, too." There goes the budget -- sometimes. But what we had here is a situation where the back corner of the old, nasty, dirty basement, formerly a little paint closet, was a perfect location to carve out a badly needed half-bathroom. This is a three-, four-bedroom house with one bathroom. Very often that's what they built back in the 1920s. And this is a family with two little boys, so it makes sense to provide some additional plumbing. What we've been able to do here once we reframed the area, restructured this little staircase that goes up to the kitchen was essentially to rough it out. Our plumber, Al Leone, was back with another apprentice from the Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Local Number 12 training program. They made quick work of a pretty complex plumbing job by using PEX flexible tubing. We will have a combination of a half-bathroom with a little sink and hook-ins for the laundry equipment -- the washer and dryer. There will also be enough room for a spare refrigerator down here. But once the plumbers were through with all of the essential rough work that had to be done, including some specialized plumbing 'cause the toilet in the basement doesn't necessarily work without some assist -- more about that later -- we had the electricians come in to move wires and pull wires and get things going. Electrician John Schiavone also had his work cut out for him running all the new lines. You don't think about it much, but a bathroom and a laundry require quite a few circuits, switches, and outlets. And it's important to have a licensed electrician do this work and get the proper inspection. Working in a basement -- lots of choices to be made. We've used Georgia-Pacific DensArmor Plus for all the wallboard.
>> Actually, this is a great product to use in basements. The face is a fiberglass face. It's inorganic, so it doesn't host mold or mildew like other paper-face products do. It's very easy to work with. It's very similar to working with regular blue board or drywall itself. Cuts, snaps the exact same. This product will accept both plaster and a drywall finish. The drywall finish -- typical -- three coats on the seams. You'll completely skim the surface of the drywall. Or you can veneer plaster it just like you would blue board.
>> Vila: Once the walls were done, we took a look at the floor, which is an old concrete slab, cold underfoot, and we decided the best thing to do would be to put down a nice ceramic-tile floor with some electric heat pads underneath it. All right, so, Kevin, are you ready to put this in?
>> I am ready, Bob.
>> Vila: First of all, what is it? It's a radiant heating source, right?
>> It's electrical radiant floor heating. As you can see, it comes prebuilt -- the only prebuilt out on the market. And it comes with your leads right here that go into a programmable thermostat.
>> Vila: So, this goes down underneath the tile.
>> This will go underneath tile, stone, or any kind of free-floating wood floor such as linear engineered.
>> Vila: And essentially, these wires get warm and that's what transfers the heat.
>> This is one wire going through. It all gets warmed up, and we can get it up to about 92 degrees.
>> Vila: Isn't it awfully expensive to run?
>> You would think that, Bob, but actually, running a mat like this in a room like this -- it's equivalent to running your lights. But the great thing about it -- it's on a programmable thermostat, so you can't leave your lights on or you can't leave this on.
>> Vila: So, I guess the thing to remember is that you're not using it for constant heat all winter long. You're only using it when you're in the area and you need the warmth, like if you're barefoot and right outside the Florida room and the kids are playing and running around, they want to come use the bathroom here.
>> Exactly. If you're in the bathroom at 5:30 in the morning, you'll only have it on 5:00 to 7:00. That's the only time you'll need it.
>> Vila: How do you install it, Kevin?
>> It's easy, Bob. Actually, the way you go about this is first you're gonna dry fit it, make sure you have the right mat for the right room. As you see, this does fit -- this fits perfectly with the vanity and the toilet.
>> Vila: So, it doesn't have to cover every last square inch. It's just the general area.
>> Typically we won't want to get underneath vanities. We'll go 18 inches from the back of the toilet just so when you're standing, you have the right heat.
>> Vila: Right.
>> What we do here is we have it down. Typically I tell people -- this is a small mat, but our mats come larger. I tell them to start with half, open it up, thin or mud it down.
>> Vila: What is the mud that you're using?
>> It's just your typical mud, your thinset. You could get it as watery as you want, or, as you see, I didn't. I kept it -- it's supposed to be a little thick. That's the way I like to put it. What I'll do is I'll just come -- and don't be afraid. You're not gonna ruin the mat. It's very durable.
>> Vila: Mm-hmm.
>> Put on half here. I just go at it, do what I have to do with my trowel. And basically, you'll adhere it to the ground. This is a porous mat, so it will come through. Let's get a little more here. All right.
>> Vila: So, you're using a float now just to press it down into the --
>> Yes, sir. I want to make sure I get all the bubbles out.
>> Vila: Mm-hmm.
>> Make sure it's flat as possible.
>> Vila: Is the mat made out of some sort of plastic or fiberglass?
>> It's a polycarbon-type fabric. Like I said, it is porous, so it will come through, seep through a little bit.
>> Vila: And then do you put another layer of the thinset on top of it now?
>> Yes, sir. As soon as you want to put the tile down --
>> Vila: Okay, so, the next step would be the tile setter putting down his mastic and tile.
>> Exactly. Like I said, don't be afraid to walk on it.
>> Vila: Yeah, it's simple. All right, well, thanks, Kevin.
>> Thanks, Bob. [ Speaking indistinctly ]
>> Vila: All right, so, Mike, how long have you waited between setting the tile down and doing the grout?
>> 24 Hours, Bob.
>> Vila: That's generally the recommended time, right?
>> Right.
>> Vila: What kind of grout is this?
>> It's just a basic grout. There's nothing --
>> Vila: Nothing synthetic or anything?
>> No, it's just what you get.
>> Vila: These are Dal-Tile that we're putting down. And is it a ceramic tile or a porcelain tile?
>> These are ceramic, Bob.
>> Vila: Okay. And I believe the homeowners' choice had a lot to do with, well, not putting down a plain white finish that would show dirt and dust and lint 'cause after all, this is a laundry room.
>> Right.
>> Vila: It's a good choice. And once you've grouted it, then how long do you have to wait before you can actually move in?
>> Another 24 hours, basically.
>> Vila: There you go. In a basement, if you want to install a bathroom and a toilet, you're usually gonna be too low below the ground to be able to have stuff go out to the sewer, so you have to install a specialized toilet that involves pumping and macerating. Bob, tell us about the design of this toilet. It's unusual. It looks different from anything we're used to seeing.
>> As Al mentioned, it's a back-outlet toilet, and that's so that the waste can be evacuated from the bowl into a macerator behind it.
>> Vila: Right.
>> Inside the macerator is a motor with stainless-steel blades that spin at 3,600 rpms.
>> Vila: So that all solid wastes are being churned up.
>> Turned into a liquid.
>> Vila: Liquefied.
>> Yes. That allows us to pump out of a 3/4-inch pipe. That's a very difficult thing for some people to understand that we are pumping liquids at that point. We're not pumping any solids. All the paper and waste is turned into a slurry, so to speak.
>> Vila: Exactly. Now, the actual design of the bowl seems different.
>> It's a European-style bowl. The company's been based in Europe for 50 years. And in Europe, many of the manufacturers make this type of bowl.
>> Vila: It's an elongated design.
>> It is an elongated bowl. We have a round front, and this particular model is elongated, as well.
>> Vila: Al, can I bring it in?
>> Absolutely.
>> Vila: Okay, now, from the point of view of water conservation and all, does this conform?
>> It is the 1.6 Gallons.
>> Vila: 1.6?
>> Yes.
>> Vila: Again, no kind of rubber flange or anything there?
>> There is a tank-to-bowl seal.
>> Vila: Oh, I see it.
>> It's a standard tank.
>> Vila: Okay. And then, again, you bolt it down to the base.
>> That's correct.
>> Vila: Bob, having a pump attached to a toilet, one would worry about maintenance and stuff.
>> Virtually no maintenance needs to be done. There are certain things that you don't want to do with this. You don't want to flush down, just because it is a grinder, you don't want to flush things down here that you wouldn't flush down an ordinary toilet.
>> Vila: You have to be careful what you put in?
>> Yes.
>> Vila: What about the cost?
>> The suggested retail list price is $869 for this unit.
>> Vila: Including the macerator?
>> Macerator and toilet.
>> Vila: The whole package? Well, it's absolutely terrific 'cause it's really the only way to locate a bathroom in a basement situation below grade.
>> It can save you thousands of dollars over any other method of installing a bathroom in the basement below the grade.
>> Vila: Terrific.
>> Vila: Well, the addition of a half-bathroom will make a big, big improvement in the quality of life around here for this little family of four. That's all for this week. Next week, we'll be putting in the underlayment, installing slide-lock storage cabinets, and doing some necessary chimney repairs and putting in a fireplace insert. Till then, I'm Bob Vila. Thanks for joining us. Looking for help on your next project? Visit BobVila.com for everything you need to get the job done right. You'll find show highlights, interactive tools for planning your next project, and helpful how-to articles for every room in your home. BobVila.com -- the ultimate home site.
Additional Bob Vila Showrooms • FixtureUniverse.com - Plumbing, kitchen and bath fixtures • eFaucets - Find all the best names in kitchen and bath fixtures • PexSupply.com - Your Online Source for PEX Plumbing & Radiant Heating Supplies • Intelligent Warmth - The Value and Benefits of Today's Oilheat • SelectBlinds.com - The window blinds and shades America trusts • Sears - Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling and Refacing
Basements • Owens Corning - Create more room for living with the ultimate Basement Finishing System™ Carpentry, Construction & Materials • Georgia-Pacific - DensArmor® fiberglass-faced wallboard • Moynihan Lumber - Therma-Tru door customization and installation Doors & Windows • Therma-Tru - Smooth Star energy-efficient fiberglass door Floors, Stairs & Elevators • Dal-Tile - Ceramic tile floor Heat, Ventilation & Cooling • NuHeat - Radiant floor mat Lawn & Garden • Architectural Fence - Northern white cedar fence with top rail and wing-wall sheds Plumbing & Septic Systems • Al Leone, Leone Plumbing - Plumbing lines for basement toilet, sink, and laundry • Saniflo -
Related Tips
Related Videos
