DIY Begins
Made a start on one of the stud walls today. I was supposed to start it yesterday and finish it today, but procrastination over actually starting the job, coupled with my ability to stand and think about things for ages, without actually lifting a finger, let alone a saw or chisel, conspired to disappoint in the "achievement" stakes.
Anyway, a stud wall will partition off my daughters room from the corridor at the top of the stairs. It is not a simple case of a straight wall, as it has been decided it would be nice to incorporate a feature alcove. The stud work needs therefore to have a dog-leg in it. I completed the part that forms the alcove........
.......but got no further.
It looks simple enough, but let me assure you that getting the studs vertical, and lined up with each other, making sure it aligns with the double-depth joists under the floor, as well as the existing wall that it will need to integrate with, is not easy.
The studwork is being constructed with 4" x 2" timbers that came out of the old roof. I briefly considered using the metal studwork that my friends Ian and Caroline used in their Gite renovation (see link on RHS) but decided in the end that I preferred the timber. I remember helping Ian build some walls and the metal stuff was certainly quick to erect - cut to size with shears, hold in place, and secure plasterboard with self-tapping trumpet head drywall screws. The strength of the construction was not evident until the plasterboard was attached, then the whole thing seemed to work together. I'm a bit of a traditionalist though (some would say stuck in the dark ages !), so opted for the more labour intensive wooden construction.
Ian, if you are reading, I would be interested to hear how the metal stud-work has stood the test of time, especially the rough treatment some of it must get from the Gite Guests on occasions.
posted by shadaswell @ 11:39 pm
4 comments
4 Comments:
The walls have held up fine. No problems to report at all. Since you helped me (3 or 4?) years ago I've renovated another couple of gites using the same system, again no problems.
Part of the reason for using metal here was that it is standard practice, and door frames, insulation etc. are designed around the system. I also found it difficult to find 'straight' bits of wood.
Both systems have their merits and you should go with what you are comfortable with.
Glad to see the work progressing.
BTW I'm coming over to the UK at Xmas so I shall be coming to inspect then :-)
Does not the plan show a door here in this wall? Steve.
Are you sure you want studwork? We wish we had insisted on blockwork - the stud type is NOT very soundproof and the timber shrinks after a while leaving gaps under and even round the edges! Maybe reclaimed timber won't suffer but just a thought. We were told you need rsj under block work now so maybe not possible at this stage. Just catching up after hols. J & B (Essex)
Sorry - another set of comments that I missed due to missing em\il notification.
Ian - glad the walls have stood up well. I remember well how the whole studwork construction seemed so flimsy until you started to attach the plasterboard, then the whole thing took on great strength. Clever. BTW - Christmas inspection should be no problem !
Steve - yes, there is a door. It will be in the other part of the wall. I have bought the door lining already, so that I can get the studs in exactly the right places.
J&B - No definately too late for blockwork, and we have too many RSJs already ! This will be the only stud wall, apart from that to make the ensuite bathroom, and there are two rows of double joists underneath, to reduce floor flex which presumably is the root cause of the cracking that you describe. I hope it will be Ok. Time will tell. As for noise, we intend to fill the gap with insulation, and I don't remeber it being a huge problem in our previous house. My friend Ian who converted a barn to Gites in France used a double studding technique on the walls that separated the Gites from each other. The plasterboard on each side of the wall was attached to a different set of offset studs, thus avoiding any method of acoustic transmission from one side of the wall to the other. I believe you can buy acoustic "systems" that achieve the same thing using bush mounted rails to carry the plasterboard proud of the studwork. We might try something like that for the ensuite wall, but this one is just a room/corridor boundary, so not so much of a problem (famous last words !)
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