MEP
Posted by Chris
Mech: I ordered units online and had them delivered. The contractor gave me a good price to install ductwork and connect the units. I ended up installing my own thermostat to keep my pipes from freezing because my contractor was not being responsive. To get ducts upstairs they had to break apart one of my walls downstairs, so some of the studs are not quite plumb. Installing the register grilles was also my responsibility.
Plumbing: A new 4″ sewer main was brought into the basement, and I also had them rough-in the bathroom, install my hot water heater, finish the bathroom (install the toilet, shower head and valve, and sink faucet and drain.)
I had another contractor come in to disconnect the old gas lines and connect my new furnace.
Electrical: The electrician had to run new wiring to the first and 2nd floors and and tie it all in at the panel in the basement. He also did the finish electrical work, installing ceiling fans, recessed lights, outlets and switches. (Note: floor outlets are a huge pain, and I recommend against them.)
Once everything is roughed in, it’s time to insulate. Batt insulation comes in rolls, and is very easy to install. You just cut it to the right length, put it in place and staple it to the studs. Because I have a center unit, I only had to insulate the front wall and the ceilings. The back wall was a huge source of heat loss, but I couldn’t insulate it because it needed to be removed at a later date.
My drywall contractor was awesome, and was in and out in just 4 days. He even worked on Christmas. Drywall is a big deal because it symbolizes the beginning of the end, and the house starts looking like a house again. Now it’s time for finishes.
Originally posted in 2004:
Ok… after working several nights and weekends, and making many trips to Lowe’s and Home Depot with a borrowed truck, and hours of blood sweat and tears, My framing is almost done.
I hired another carpenter from work last weekend, who came in and completed all of my walls, so that the only things left are my bedroom closet and upstairs ceiling.
The ceiling may have to wait a bit, because I am not sure whether or not i want to add extra reinfocement to the roof which is sagging a little. (It’s a good idea to take care of this now while everything is open, rather than repair damage from a failure later).
In the meantime, I have been collecting prices on Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical Contractors. (o use trying to do these things yourself, they all require permits inbaltimore City.)
Plumbing - The existing sewer line came into the house through a boarded up window, and ran out into an ancient cast iron vent stack…. So not to code, it hurts. Whoever fixed this thing up last did it as quickly and cheaply as possible (not to mention illegally).
The plumber needs to remove the cast iron stack, dig down below grade outside, and bring a new sewer line in through the basement… He also needs to install my new electric water heater (there was a gas one, not vented properly, that needs to be removed), run hot and cold lines, and sanitary lines upstairs to my new bathroom. He needs to rough in my shower drain, valve and faucet, my sink and faucet and my toilet (which is about the only thing that has stayed from the old layout) The cost of this work - about $3000
HVAC - Heating and cooling this teeny tiny house will require a 2.5 ton AC unit and a 60,000 BTU gas furnace. I have decided to purchase the units myself, rather than let an HVAC contractor markup. www.acdirect.com has what i need, bt i have not decided yet. A local HVAC contractor gave me a price of $1800 to install ductwork and my equipment, saving me a bunch. (I also got quotes of around $6000 for everything including equipment, so I am saving myself about $2000 dollars.)
Electrical. I already havea good 100 amp service in the house, about 20 years old. Bringing the electrical up to code means adding an outlet outside on the front of the house, and a few other little odds and ends. I am doing a pretty basic electrical layout… ceiling fans in each bedroom, regular switches and outlets… a few three ways… Ceiling fixtures downstairs, a light out front… the whole deal. I may add a few dimmers afterwards. The electrician usually goes last because the ductwork and pipes have right of way (wires can easily be re-routed, pipes and ducts usually cant)
The goal is to have all of these roughed in before december, and to be finished and just about ready for move in by January. Drywall will be a pain because he stairwell is so teeny, but it is possible to get the sheets upstairs. We’ll see if it happens.
Make sure these guys pull their own permits and get their work inspected. That should be part of the deal before you agree to anything.
Subcontractors
December 23, 2004- Hindsight
What a crazy last few months! My drywall contractor started today! (This means several things: My HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Gas, and Insulation are all in place and have been inspected) I’ll explain how I got here… it’s been quite a ride.
This part has been quite a stresster, and has required numerous trips home during the day to meet contractors. I had to get estimates, then do walkthroughs before the works started, come down to inspect the work, etc.
Plumbing:
The Plumber was in and out in about a 2 weeks. He roughed in my bathroom, brought the sewer line indoors, and installed my new water heater. The PVC vent for the plumbing required a roof penetration, and I asked him if he would mind installing the vent for my bathroom fan while he was up there, and he didn’t (It was actually a trade-off, because he was supposed to remove the entire old vent, but didn’t want to mess with it because it ran through an awning. Oh well.
HVAC
I ran into a bit of trouble here… I hired someone with a very low price, about $1000 less than most other people I got quotes from You get what you pay for. I had the units delivered from www.smarterwayinc.com while the plumber was finishing up. When the HVAC guy started, he told me the duct would be roughed in in about 3 days… it was 6 weeks before I had the inspection in hand.. By this time it was starting to get cold, and I was beginning to worry about pipes freezing. I’ll get to that in a bit. After numerous phone calls bugging the guy, he finally got the furnace all hooked up, but then he stopped because the power was not hooked up.
Electrical
My electrician was awesome, and got the job done in about 1 day. We came down the day before to go over the plan again, and touch base on exact locations of switches, outlets and fans, and everything went in smoothly. Code requires an outlet in the front of the house, and I also rewired the front porch light. I asked him to connect the water heater and the furnace. That night I had hot water!!!! Oh yeah, I also added a bunch of recessed lights, that I installed myself and had the electrician connect. I had the phone/cable and data wires to install myself, which went smoothly… I put in a reidiculous amount of it, so I would not regret leaving any out later.
Gas
One thing I was unprepared for was the gas. I figured I could just get a local plumber to come install the gas line to the furnace for a few hundred dollars. I was wrong, because my house is a rehab, and to do the work properly with permits and inspections, it would cost a lot more money. In order to pass inspection, the entire gas system must be pressurized to 35psi and hold the charge overnight. Mine, of course, did not, and was full of leaks, and I had to have the whole thing replaced. A few hundred dollars turned into a thousand really fast.
The HVAC guy said the furnace did not have power, but the Electrician said he hooked it up. What happened was they removed the breaker by accident during the inspection, so I had to call the electrician in to replace it… after that, I could not get the HVAC guy to come down and fire up the furnace, so I took matters into my own hands, did a little reading, and learned how to connect a thermostat. it was pretty easy. I am getting ready for a shock with my first gas bill. But my house is nice and warm for drywall.
Insulation
During all of the trades discussed above, I was still adding to the framing, which it seems is never done. I did reinforce more of the roof upstairs, and finally got the ceiling framing in place, and added little bits and peices here and there to get it ready for drywall. I used about 8 rolls of R12 to insulate… it took about 2 nights, and I had lots of help from Lee, and Tom, and Eric. The rollsa re 15 inches wide, and fit snugly between framing that is 16 inches on center. All you have to do is hold it in place and staple it with a staple gun.
The tough parts are where there are pipes, ducts, or smaller (or larger) that 16″ gaps. These require cutting, which is a pain. We cut the insulation with a utility knife… once the knife got all gummy from the glue on the back of the insulation, it was very tough to cut, and we went through a few razor blades.
Inspections
Inspections let the city know that the work being done is safe, and meets codes.
The electrical, plumbing, HVAC and Gas all need separate inspections. Each trade needs a rough-in inspection, which concerns everything that will be concealed behind the walls… next, each needs a final inspection (unless none of it will be concealed, like my gas line in the basement)
The contractors must “pull permits” themselves, and are responsible for coordinating for inspections (make sure you tell them this when you are negotiating a price!)
YOU, are responsible for the framing and insulation inspections, and for a final inspection. I am still not sure about Use and Occupancy permits…
December 23, 2004
The framing and insulation inspections are very significant milestones. The framing inspection ensures that all of the rough-in inspections are done, and that everything is in good shape structurally. In Baltimore City, there is one building inspector for each region.
Getting in touch with the building inspector is not extremely difficult. The website www.baltimorehousing.net should have the numbers you need. These guys are only available in the office from 7:30-8:30 am and 2:30-3:30 pm., but from my experience they are good at returning messages.
I contacted my inspector about a week before I thought I would need him, and after looking up my permit, he gave me a real ass-chewing because the cost of the work on my permit was only $5000. (I still don’t know how that ended up being the amount, I think I was only planning for part of the work when i got the permit.) He told me I would have to go increase the amount, and pay the fees involved. I set the new amount to $25000, and it cost about $160 more in fees.
The framing inspection went well, and took about 5 minutes. The inspector looked around, and all he mentioned was that the floor penetrations needed to be firestopped (where the duct and pipes run through, there are gaps, which can allow air through, which is a fire hazard because it will help fan the flames)
Insulation Inspection
AKA Close-in inspection. We spent 2 nights Insulating, and I got the inspector in right before the christmas holiday. It might have been quite a setback if he did not get in when he did, because I don’t know if they work between Christmas and new years.
He was in and out in about 5 minutes! He liked what he saw, and gave me an inspection certificate saying “close it in” and that was that.
Drywall
I had lined up the drywall guy 2 weeks prior. One day I was working on the house, a worker came by asking to fill a bucket with water, he was finishing the drywall a few houses down. I talked to him and he put me in contact with his company, who i called a few days later.
I had delusions of doing drywall myself, but a contractor can get the job done in 6 days!!!! It would have taken me months, and I don’t know what I am doing anyway! He checked out the house and told me it would be $2300, and I said “SWEET!”
He started today, only one day after my Inspection, which is awesome… NO LOST TIME!
Drywall
December 30, 2004
With inspections in hand, it’s time to close it in! I coordinated with the drywall contractor about 2 weeks in advance, and kept in constant communication with him to make sure I didn’t lose any time… he had the drywall delivered the day before my close in inspection. (This step is worth paying someone to do… I could not imagine trying to lift those sheets of drywall up the spiral stairs. It’s possible, but would be quite a headache. The delivery truck has a crane, and the drywall is loaded upstairs through a window!)
The Drywall was hung in about 2 days. I told the contractor I wanted cementboard in the shower (to lay tile over) After it is hung, it takes about 4 days to finish (finishing is the hard part, apparently) because each layer of mud must dry before the next one.
It really changes the whole look of the house, and makes it start to look finished. Check out the photos below.
We also took an opportunity right after the drywall was hung to tile the bathroom floor. I used “EDGE” tile, which is a nifty tile glued to backerboard, that goes down just like laminate flooring. You lay a puffy underlayment down, lay the tile down, then grout it (with grout that comes in a can like easy cheese!) It really was easy, the only hard part was cutting tile to fit around the various edges. I read a few horror stories on teh internet, so we’ll see if this stuff works out.
The next step is tiling the bathroom, installing the bedroom and bathroom doors, and installing trim.
2 Responses to “MEP”
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February 20th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Hey, I like your site. I’m in the middle of a smaller rehab on clarkson st. right now. Any chance you can put me in tough with your drywall guys? I’m having my rough in electrical inspection in a few days - final one before I can close in everything.
Thanks,
Jack
March 17th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Thank you very much for your site. It is very interesting and useful as I am a potential first time row home rehabber. I’m particularly interested in the costs you incurred in doing your rehab. I’m wondering if you would be willing to share any sort of itemized cost sheet showing how much you spent on materials and subs for each phase of your house. For example, you say your drywall guy charged $2300. Does that include finishing? What about materials. Hard numbers are difficult to come by, as contractors try to keep this information hidden. With the market the way it is, I need to make sure I can make the numbers work before putting any offers out on a shell. Any information you would be willing to share would be helpful to me as I consider undertaking a project similar to yours. Thanks!
John