I’d think, make a template with cardboard or a scrap board, in the same way as you made the shelves (slightly too small). Then use a framing square, or ruler against the wall to draw the exact shelf dimension 1-1/2” shorter. Then put the template on the finished shelf and use the same framing square to draw out the exact dimensions on the actual shelf.

Nah

caulk?

for nicer cuts, measure tight. you don't have to cut square if walls aren't square. put a slight bevel on the edges (so the underside of the board is slightly smaller than the top side). this will let you slip tight boards into place, and the undercut side sits on supports so that "gap" will not be seen.

Yep, bought a house with a raised deck, trex boards on top but they didn't even use pressure treated wood for the joists. It's about 10 years old and the top looks great, but I'm going to have to rip the whole thing out. Every other piece of wood besides the decking is mushy and disintegrating. It's infuriating.

Run poly from the floor to dirt level on the concrete wall, seal it to the floor, build a 2x4 stick wall, insulate with fibreglass then run poly from floor to ceiling on the interior. Drywall unnecessary but now you are ready for it.

Often switching to an AFCI/GFCI combo breaker is cheaper, depends on the setup.

Disconnecting the outlets and testing them live will indicate downstream, just mark the live ones with tape.

Keep in mind AFCI and GFCI breakers will only work if the neutral isn't shared by any other circuit, which in many cases they are.

Yeah, we're not thrilled lol

The joists are ok. Everyone is talking about joist tape but you must evaluate the fasteners holding it all together too. It’s not uncommon to find the screws are severely rusted and about ready to snap.

trex recommends 16" and decking companies around here never do 12" unless specifically requested.

I was building my house when the new and 'improved' treatment standards were imposed. Half the treated lumber I used was old, good, long lasting treated pine. Half ended up being the new crap. I've replaced most of the new stuff at least once since then. To say I'm displeased would be an understatement.

There are so many different approaches for sure. Using dimple mat on the basement floor with plywood subfloor is a widely accepted practice. I could find no logical reason why taped and sealed dimple mat on the walls wouldn't work as well. I do know since I've done it, my basement is 100 times dryer and more comfortable. This article informed a lot of my decisions. Ihttps://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/carmic-house-taming-a-basement-from-hell

Well today I learned about joist tape. After a quick googling, is it effectively the same as sheathing tape like Zip System? A rubber/rubberized tape that just lays on the top joist?

> Yup, joist tape should be mandatory to use on any deck project. Especially when using Trek, TimberTe h, etc, as very few will ever inspect the joists after deck installation (as the boards last forever - not the case for joists that might be poorly protected, or worse, sitting directly in moist soil).

yeah, joist looks good, if he put tape, should last another 10-20 years.

Ooof, that sounds like a fuckin nightmare.

When you take off those boards, just check for a break. More than likely there is 1 or 2 snapped, most likely at a bad knot.

If using composite, double check the installation instructions. We recently did one that called for the joists to be 12" on center, the composite boards have more flex requiring more support as to not sag.

I think most composite decking is 12" on center spacing. Good point for sure. Trex will start to look like it's melting if it's on 16" centers.

**Most deck failures are due to rotting of the rim joist attached to the house or improper nailing or rusting of the joist hangers and nails. While the deck's structure is open after removal of the decking, please inspect all structual elements for good condition. All decks should be inspected every 10 years at a mlnimun. If the deck is attached to the house, make sure the attached rim joist is not just nailed to the house, but thru bolted to the house's rim joist and flashed properly. If you have the deck rim joist attached to a brick wall, again, make sure the rim joist is thru bolted to the house rim joist.

The joists themselves look fine. And yes, I would clean them off and use deck tape or a butyl rubber sealant tape on top of them.

Yeah based on this picture they look OK. Be extra careful of corners and edges.

My House on my deck, even if the boards are all perfect, I would pressure wash, let dry and then recoat with wood treatment. With a good fresh coat they will last even longer, make sure to replace anything that is even a little soft.

I have never used Joist tape(?) so I am not familiar with the product. I would guess it covered the top few inches of the board and that will probably help in the long term as long as the boards can dry out properly.

Those joists look good and like Pt, so go add some top decking and go enjoy a lay with the wife

There's a bit of surface staining but I see no rot.

Yup.

Couple of additional things to take note of. You do not have to run the fans at 12 volts, if you run them at lesser voltage they will spin slower, an thus be quieter (if that's important to you). Though there is usually a minimum voltage that they will not operate under.

You will also see talk about 3-pin and 4-pin fans. Don't worry about it. For your use case, ie running it of a separate power supply, it makes no difference. The 4th pin is use for PWM (pulse width modulation) which is a different way to modulate the fan speed. If you're not using it 3 and 4 pin fans operate exactly the same way.

They look good. if they're warped or a little wonky you can always sister on some 2x6

Appears to be a very old garage. Could be the framing is a full 4” and a standard “4-inch” door was too small. That would explain why a 6” door sticks out 1.5”. I can think of 2 reasonable options.

1. remove the door frame and disassemble it. Trim off the excess 1” from the outside edge- furthest from the hinge cutouts. Reassemble and reinstall. Maybe that’s not so reasonable after all.

2. it looks like there’s enough room between the door and the light switch to simply box it out. Rip a stud to the desired thickness. 1” if it’s 1.5 out. Screw it to the stud closest to the frame, add from the frame into it. (This will make your door more secure. As it is, a not very hard kick is splitting the door frame open.) then drywall a funny-looking corner. If you can’t find skinny enough door trim- rip that as well.

The picture looks good. Test them by driving a nail into one of them. If the mail goes in as you would expect, they’ll be fine. If it feels soft or spongy, they will need replaced. I used some tar paper on mine to cover the top and folded it over about 50% of the sides to keep water off the joists. The joist tape works fine but it’s very expensive if you have a large deck and only protects the top.

Yeah. This started when I stripped down an old Dell desktop that I kept moving around my garage while waiting for an e-cycling day. I’m still trying to decide what to do with the fan (possibly cooking for the enclosure everything is going in).