Contact Trifection Remodeling & Construction
Transcript
Jeff Roberts:
This will be the kitchen. Cabinets on that wall, cabinets here. A peninsula here.
Tom Tynan:
Hello everybody. I’m Tom Tynan and I’m out here with Jeff Roberts from TriFection. They’re one of the best remodeling companies in the Houston area, and today we’re going to view one of their projects in Sugar Land, Texas. It’s a home that’s over 100 years old and he’s done quite a job to it. Jeff, why don’t you show us around?
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah, let’s go take a look.
Tom Tynan:
Tell us a little bit about putting together the old and the new.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah. Well, this house, before I even ever came here, it was already old and new. The original part, the front part of the house was built in the early 1900s. The back part of the house was built in the 60s. The front part is on pier and beam and blocks, and the back part is a slab on grade.
So whoever did that back then, number one, I’ll tell you, they did a pretty good job because there’s no foundation issues, there’s no separation, there’s no deviation in the floors. Whatever they did, they did it right, because it’s held together.
Tom Tynan:
The difference between the old and the new, what’s the big difference?
Jeff Roberts:
Well, the old lumber is true two by material. It’s two inches thick.
Tom Tynan:
Two inches by four inches.
Jeff Roberts:
Yes. Yes. The new lumber is an inch and a half by three and a half.
Tom Tynan:
So did you cut those down out of two by sixes?
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah, that’s what we did.
Tom Tynan:
I know you had to rip them, didn’t you? I’ve done it. I understand, but you have to rip bigger lumber. So there’s some waste there, but it’s probably not too bad. I noticed the techniques are a little different too, but they’re similar on some of the framing techniques. So the doorways.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah, this was an old doorway and that is not how-
Tom Tynan:
I was going to say, the one thing that’s different here is there’s no header.
Jeff Roberts:
Right. This was acceptable header back then.
Tom Tynan:
Yes. Today we would have them on end and probably a minimum two by six, if not bigger. And I know you have some of those in the house here. We can take a look at them as we walk through.
Jeff Roberts:
One other thing I’ll point out. The ceilings were all eight foot in the entire house, but they wanted to get a little more headroom and feeling of higher ceilings without reframing the whole roof structure. So we raised the ceilings up six inches in here, I think eight inches in the other room.
Tom Tynan:
Really? That’s awesome.
Jeff Roberts:
Just to make it feel taller.
Tom Tynan:
That’s why you got those beams holding all these ceiling joists up there. I like it. This is the 60s addition right here.
Jeff Roberts:
Yep. Where you see the tar on the concrete.
Tom Tynan:
It took me a while to look at that. I thought that was the finished floor at one time. One of those new coatings that they’re putting on concrete.
Jeff Roberts:
Oh yeah.
Tom Tynan:
But then I realized that’s where the screens were going.
Jeff Roberts:
Yep.
Tom Tynan:
Yeah. And so the old, you’re saving the floor here because I see the paper down.
Jeff Roberts:
Right. We’re going to reuse the old hardwood floors and we’re going to continue them throughout. We’ll have to obviously buy some new hardwood, but when we’re done, you won’t be able to tell.
Tom Tynan:
Sand and finish everything to match.
Jeff Roberts:
Right.
Tom Tynan:
That’s awesome.
Jeff Roberts:
I’ll point out here, this bay window was not part of the original structure.
Tom Tynan:
We can see the-
Jeff Roberts:
We just bumped it out.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. It’s an expensive bump.
Jeff Roberts:
Yes.
Tom Tynan:
How about this beam here? I see you got this big mother going right through here.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah. So originally, there was a wall right here.
Tom Tynan:
So this is a perfect example of taking out a load-bearing wall.
Jeff Roberts:
Yes.
Tom Tynan:
Tell us how that happens.
Jeff Roberts:
Well, the joists, sometimes you can just cut them and slide the beam up in. Here, that’s what we did. We cut them, but then we had to scab on the bottom because the ceiling height in here-
Tom Tynan:
I see that.
Jeff Roberts:
We want to keep it flat across. We had to just fur them down.
Tom Tynan:
Fill the metal and wood.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah. So we got lucky on this one because, let me find the right spot. The old pier and beam foundation-
Tom Tynan:
Right here.
Jeff Roberts:
Has a footing in the ground already.
Tom Tynan:
Okay.
Jeff Roberts:
Had this been a slab, the whole thing-
Tom Tynan:
Wouldn’t have mattered.
Jeff Roberts:
We’d have had to bust that out and put a footing to carry that load down.
Tom Tynan:
Oh, the beam is right there.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah.
Tom Tynan:
Okay.
Jeff Roberts:
So we didn’t have to put that footing because the pier and beam house had a perimeter beam that we could use.
Tom Tynan:
Did you plan it that way?
Jeff Roberts:
No. Like I said, we got lucky.
Tom Tynan:
At the end, you did. Okay. Not as good.
Jeff Roberts:
And the original beam was engineered to go here and this is where the footing would’ve been.
Tom Tynan:
Yes.
Jeff Roberts:
So we just made it longer.
Tom Tynan:
Extended the beam.
Jeff Roberts:
And used that other footing.
Tom Tynan:
Well, I’m impressed. Even with the roof bracing up there, you can tell that’s not old technique. That’s new. Because getting that ridge to hold up tight is important. I can even see the difference in the roof deckings from the original to the 60s. And I’m sure if you have any plywood on here, it would be today’s roof decking.
Jeff Roberts:
Right. All right. So the room we’re in right now, this is the kitchen. This will be the kitchen. Cabinets on that wall, cabinets here. A peninsula here that’s overlooking the family room.
Tom Tynan:
So I take it we’re going to have an island.
Jeff Roberts:
It’s a peninsula.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. Okay. This is going to be where the kitchen sink is?
Jeff Roberts:
Uh-huh. That’s where the sink is.
Tom Tynan:
Yeah. Because I’m looking for plumbing. I don’t see any. So it has to be where the drain line is.
Jeff Roberts:
That’s it.
Tom Tynan:
Oh, that’s nice. And I know out that way is access to the pool.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah, there’s a swimming pool. And so we opened this up with lots of windows so you can see the backyard and see the pool.
Tom Tynan:
And you got somewhat of a tray ceiling up in here now?
Jeff Roberts:
Yes. Raised this ceiling like we did in the front.
Tom Tynan:
Yeah, a little bit. I see that. That’ll be nice. It’ll give it just a little bit of a space delineation.
Jeff Roberts:
And then that wall, we’re going to build a whole entertainment set of cabinets.
Tom Tynan:
Is that where TriFection’s custom cabinet making shop is going to go to work?
Jeff Roberts:
Yes. Well, and the kitchen too.
Tom Tynan:
And the kitchen Of course.
Jeff Roberts:
And the bathrooms.
Tom Tynan:
Yeah. Okay. So you have it all. But here it’s going to be a big…
Jeff Roberts:
Whole wall.
Tom Tynan:
That’s awesome. I know it’ll be beautiful. We need to see after shots when you’re done. People don’t realize it, but homes, back in the early 1900s, even into the 1960s, people raised five kids in 1100 square feet.
Jeff Roberts:
1100, 1200 square feet.
Tom Tynan:
That’s it. And that was a good house.
Jeff Roberts:
That was a big house.
Tom Tynan:
I know. And so people today with 4,000… Texas especially 4,000, 6,000, they complain of room all the time. I don’t get it because you’ve got to air condition it too. How energy efficient is that?
Jeff Roberts:
And clean it.
Tom Tynan:
But when it comes to mechanical systems like air conditioners, I take it this is going to have all brand new central air, heat, everything that we bring today?
Jeff Roberts:
Yes. Uh-huh. And dehumidification system. This is a pretty high-tech system we’re putting in here.
Tom Tynan:
Is it?
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah.
Tom Tynan:
We’ll talk about energy codes and I know that you’re under regulation to do certain things for today’s energy codes. So just tell us what some of them are because whether you have a choice or not, they are spelled out for you to get your permit in the city of Sugar Land. Right?
Jeff Roberts:
Yep. In the city of Sugar Land or Houston or whatever city we’re working in. In this house, we have to spray foam the roof deck, we have to spray foam the part of the house that has a cross space, we have to spray foam underneath the cross space.
Tom Tynan:
Underneath. Do you?
Jeff Roberts:
Fortunately, they’re going to allow us to put batt insulation in the walls because the walls are leaky anyway and we’re not rebuilding the house. So they’re going to allow the batts, but everything else has to be sealed.And foamed. Roof penetrations only for plumbing vents. No others.
Tom Tynan:
That makes sense with the dehumidification system you mentioned earlier, because now we have to make our own ecosystem with these new high-tech air conditioning and heating systems. You can’t just put a cooler in there and then let everything breathe like they used to.
Jeff Roberts:
Right. No, you’ll get mold and mildew and moisture.
Tom Tynan:
So at least you’re having to combat it. Not that everybody agrees with it, but combat it with a mechanical system to try to keep the humidity levels where they don’t cause problems with the foam. Let’s talk about the pipe today.
Jeff Roberts:
Okay.
Tom Tynan:
What about this?
Jeff Roberts:
So this is PEX.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. People talk about it all the time. They never get to really take a look at it and see how it’s got no joints in the wall and things of that nature. So that’s pretty cool. But why do you use this now say as opposed to copper or some of the others?
Jeff Roberts:
Well, honestly, this is cheaper than copper.
Tom Tynan:
Okay.
Jeff Roberts:
Copper is super expensive. I mean metals are expensive, but copper has joints. We found out in the freezes if you didn’t know already-
Tom Tynan:
Splits. It’ll split right down the side.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah. It is not good in a freeze. This has a lot of flexibility and able to expand when it freezes. Now there is a point where it will break as well.
Tom Tynan:
Anything will.
Jeff Roberts:
Right. Right here is where the claw foot tub is going to go. This is the drain for the claw foot tub.
Tom Tynan:
Now that obviously is new plumbing. Did you replace the plumbing under the house?
Jeff Roberts:
Yes. All of the sewer lines, all the way to the sewer main are new.
Tom Tynan:
And that’s where the tub’s going.
Jeff Roberts:
That’s where the tub’s going.
Tom Tynan:
That’s awesome. What about in here? They have a big shower.
Jeff Roberts:
And speaking of the drains that had the old cast iron.
Tom Tynan:
I see that. I see that little places here and there.
Jeff Roberts:
I think that part of this, of course I didn’t crawl under the house, but I think the old house had clay pipe.
Tom Tynan:
Makes sense. Because this is the part that was built in the 60s.
Jeff Roberts:
Mm-hmm. This used to be the exterior wall of the house. And we added on, we bumped out several parts of the house. This is one part we bumped out to give room for a shower. And this shower is going to be a curbless shower that you could roll in a wheelchair.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. So just nothing to step over.
Jeff Roberts:
Right.
Tom Tynan:
I like that. So Jeff, you told me that you extended the house out. Obviously, we’re back in the master bedroom and I can see that the framing where it used to be, the old exterior wall going all the way down to the floor here and now we’re going with a different floor. It was just purely just an extension to make it bigger?
Jeff Roberts:
Yes sir. It was just to make it bigger.
Tom Tynan:
And this is where that floor is going to have to match.
Jeff Roberts:
Yes.
Tom Tynan:
All the way back.
Jeff Roberts:
Yes.
Tom Tynan:
It’s awesome. So you can actually see the old corner of the house was basically right about here and it’s stair step over to the bathroom. This little bit makes a lot of difference when you’re doing a home.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah, just a few feet one way or the other does make a big difference in a house this small.
Tom Tynan:
It really does. And I’m amazed. If you look up at that roof deck, that’s the original from the early 1900s. That whitewashed, it’s still holding up.
Jeff Roberts:
And do you see on our addition, we found that material. We actually had it milled to match.
Tom Tynan:
You did. You did. That’s awesome.
Jeff Roberts:
And we did that because when you go on the outside-
Tom Tynan:
You see it. It goes outside, right?
Jeff Roberts:
Yes.
Tom Tynan:
Yeah. We’ll take a look at the outside in a little bit. All right, so now we’re outside here where this extension is. Jeff, I see over the front towards the house that you have exposed rafter tails. And then here’s your exposed lumber here that you were talking about on the inside.
Jeff Roberts:
Like I said, we had that milled so that it would match the old stuff on the house.
Tom Tynan:
Looks great. It really does. Because you just don’t see detail work like that much anymore. People are boxing everything in and making it cover all the scrap lumber they put up there. Right? And it looks like out here where we’ve got the swimming pool, we’ve got a deck over here coming out from what part of the house?
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah, this is a little porch coming out the back door when we were in the family room earlier.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. That’s the family room here.
Jeff Roberts:
Right. That’s where the TV room is.
Tom Tynan:
And then you’re going to have a deck out here and a swimming pool. And what amazes me, I keep looking over here to my left and all I see is this old brick. Are you getting a dumpster for that?
Jeff Roberts:
Nope. That brick’s going back on the house.
Tom Tynan:
Is that the original brick?
Jeff Roberts:
That’s the original brick. The original brick in the early 1900s is solid. It didn’t have holes in it.
Tom Tynan:
That’s right.
Jeff Roberts:
And the brick in the 60s, they started putting holes in the brick. Now I’ve been told that the holes allow the mortar to hold everything together better. What do you think?
Tom Tynan:
Yes and no. I mean it could, but the fact of the matter is back then they didn’t have the machinery. The machinery actually picks the bricks up and moves them around like this when they’re done. And it reduces the cost of material on the brick, but it increases the amount of mortar they use too. So for the brick manufacturer, it’s a great sales point. Does it really make it stronger? That brick is just as strong as this and that one’s older than this. So it’s a debatable topic.
Jeff Roberts:
And it is lighter.
Tom Tynan:
Yeah, it’s easier for guys to handle. It gives you a finger place to put the brick. So six to one, half a dozen of the other, let’s put it that way. But it matches pretty close. You’ll see the newer brick with the holes, it’s got these ridges on there and that was to hold the bricks together a little better and make it a little more gritty. So that does work. But this old brick’s pretty gritty too. So I want to see it when it’s done because that’s a lot of work.
Jeff Roberts:
It’s a lot of work to put-
Tom Tynan:
The same brick, when you can go find something that looks like it and get it delivered.
Jeff Roberts:
There was a small one-car garage that we tore down. It was almost falling down anyway, but we tore it down and poured a new foundation, built a bigger-
Tom Tynan:
It’s beautiful.
Jeff Roberts:
It’s still a one-car garage because it’s going to be used not just for parking. It’s going to be used for entertaining as well.
Tom Tynan:
Well, you told me a little bit about this being a house in their family for I don’t know how many years, and this is going to be their gathering home because it’s a big Texas family. In Texas, that’s a big tradition if you grow up in a neighborhood and everybody sticks around.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. I mean it’s nice. What did somebody say? The crawfish boil, the barbecues, the brisket. You got the swimming pool right outside the door here.
Jeff Roberts:
Ping-pong table, pool table.
Tom Tynan:
And you got a bathroom in here. That’s awesome.
Jeff Roberts:
I would never go in the house.
Tom Tynan:
Actually, I like the carport.
Jeff Roberts:
It’s my man cave.
Tom Tynan:
You’re going to come build one for me, but I also see your brand new breaker system and your wiring over here.
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah. So you can’t see it. But the power pole, this is overhead power coming in is right behind that panel.
Tom Tynan:
Let’s see. We got the panel back here.
Jeff Roberts:
And this is the main panel that we didn’t look at it, but inside the house, this is feeding a sub panel inside the house.
Tom Tynan:
You have a sub panel in the house too?
Jeff Roberts:
Yeah. That controls everything. This basically is just going to control the garage, the pool pumps, and feed the main panel.
Tom Tynan:
Okay. But you have quite a bit of service coming in here for an old home like this. Because you’ve got swimming pool, you’ve got the high-end air conditioning and the ventilation systems. What kind of surface run do you have in here? Do you know?
Jeff Roberts:
We can look if you want.
Tom Tynan:
I’m always curious.
Jeff Roberts:
I don’t remember.
Tom Tynan:
Look at the top breaker. You’re looking at probably when this house was built, if it had electricity, it was 60 amp at best and now it’s well over 200 I’m sure. That’s amazing. And you need it.
Jeff Roberts:
And there’s going to be a generator too.
Tom Tynan:
Oh well there you go. So power outages will not exist at party central over here.
Jeff Roberts:
Nope.
Tom Tynan:
I love it.
