A friend of mine is taking a teaching position overseas for a year and is renting out her house. Instead of putting her furniture in storage she has asked me to build a storage room in her basement. It’s a simple project with some challenges that I hope some of my fellow craftsmen out there can solve. The wall will sit on the concrete slab, run from wall to wall (cement block), floor to ceiling (engineered wood I beam) and have a padlocked double door. Here are the challenges:
-Since my friend will be back in a year I’d like to avoid glue, nails or bolts for the bottom plate.
– Although the renters will be trustworthy I would like to fasten the outer plywood sheath in such way that it could not be taken down from the outside.
Any ideas would be much appreciated. I start building in three weeks. Thanks
Carlos
Replies
Friction fit the studs (make them a tad long and pound them into place between top and sole plates,) or, instead of nails, use 3" or longer screws. Buy an impact driver if you don't already have one.
Sparsely screw the plywood to the studs to draw it tight to the wall, then screw 2x2s to the interior studs next to the plywood, then shoot 2-2.5" screws into the plywood from inside the storage box.
On second thought, it might be easier to screw the 2x's onto the studs prior to attaching the plywood. Make sure screw tips do not project past plywood surface, or lawsuite city, here you come.
You could fasten the floor plates with tapcon masonary screws that can be removed later.
If you are concerned with the renters being able to remove the plywood, place it on the inside of the studs.
Terry
I thought about using Tapcons but I'm still researching how to do this without leaving holes in the slab. And yes I could put the plywood on the inside but like the screws I'm just stubborn enough to think there's a way to do this with the plywood on the outside. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Carlos
if they'd take the time to back out screwed on plywood... then they'd get into the storage area if they wanted anyway... every metal building i've ever seen had all the wall & roof panels screwed from the outside and seems about no one breaks in with a screw gun...
wedge fit the frame and screw on your wood... use sq drive screws if you want so they'd at lease have to go spend $1 to remove em... better yet get a blinking LED and tell em it's alarmed....
pony
You're on to something with the blinking LED light idea.
I spent over a grand having a crazy alarm system installed in my tool trailer. When it was all said and done, I think the blinking red LED lights on the outside showing that the trailer is armed are the biggest deterent of all. Would probably be just as safe with the blinking lights as I am with the motion sensing, vibration sensing, GPS enabled, door alarmed system I spent the bucks on! I'm not one to test fate though.
What if you were to rotate every other stud so that it is on flat against the plywood. Then you could use small carriage bolts thru the plywood and thru the studs, and then just screw into the other studs. You could lay them all out flat but then you might get to much flex in the wall. Or you could stud your wall with 2x3"s and use 3 1/2" carriage bolts. I wouldn't go with a close layout for the bolts just enough for the extra security. The rest can be screwed in. anyways...just an idea.
As for the bottom plates I'd either pressure fit or drill just a few 3/16th holes and tie wire/nail to concrete. when pulled leaves small hole easily patched.
This is an excellent idea and so simple. I learned sometime back that when I'm stumped for an answer it is best to take a step back and use Breaktime. This site and the expertise available has never let me down. Thanks folks!
Carlos
In the Patrick O'Brien Aubrey/Maturin novels, the partitions between below-deck compartments are held in place with wedges. When they "clear for action", the carepenters knock out the wedges with mallets. This could work for you too: Leave a bit of space (3/16 or so) between the bottom plate and the concrete floor. Use cedar shingles, one pointing in, the other out as shims/wedges. Place them under the plate below the studs. Drive them together. This will generate a tremendous compressive force that will keep the wall in place wiothout having to drill the concrete.
I'm jumping past all of this straight to climate control. If I were to attempt this here in humid South Georgia, I'd open up the storage at the end of a year to find stale musty air and loose glue joints with mold everywhere.
I'd try to install a 100 cfm fan through the wall that would be "always on" with a vent or gap at the door threshold for air movement. You'll need air changes to keep everything fresh.
If it wouldn't break the bank, you could build a floor system, sort of a huge packing crate, and you could avoid fastening to the floor.
Greg
I know this isn't a direct answer to your question, but if the renters are inclined to break into a secured storage area and steal or misuse furniture, the landlord has got bigger problems than her furniture. If you're going to trust someone to live in your house for a year, there has to be a basic level of trust involved, which I would say includes the trust that they will not break into storage rooms. If you don't trust them that far, then she shouldn't be renting to them in the first place, IMHO.
Add this to the blinking light idea. My brother did it, didn't tell me about it, and then he asked me to pick up his mail. House was not occupied but--scared the hell out of me and I've been an armed cop for years. He just plugged in a motion detector light. In place of the bulb he screwed in an adaptor to plug electrical cords into. When I walked into his front door the motion detector was just sitting on some boxes. I set it off and power went to the cord he had plugged into it. The cord went into his bedroom down the hall to a tape recorder. With power now going to the recorder the tape started. It was his voice, coughing and clearing his throat. Then it went on "Hey (insert name here) is that you? Huh? Hey, I need some more swabs to clean out this shotgun--could you run down to (insert sporting goods store) and get them for me? I'd like to finish cleaning it up today. Hey, get some double ought buck ammo while you're at it so I have some back-up ammo will you? Cough, groan, ...............
Or it could just set off the siren I've been saving to get a little revenge! Tyr
a) Doon't think legally you can build an additional room w/out a permit. Solution: Wall is not full height. Don't know though if this is considered a room or a closet and if that even makes a difference.
b) Use the plywood construction everyone is referring to but also use PL Premium adhesive on each plywood/stud contact. You will be using screws as a temporary mechanical connector. Once the adhesive sets up the screws become redundant.
c) Dont run the plywood full height. Instead allow for a 8" gap above. You can fill in this gap with perforated metal screen, chainlink fencing, or wood lattice.
Hope this helps.
Frankie
Edited 5/17/2005 4:31 pm ET by Frankie
PL?? I think the point was, that he (or someone) will be taking it down in a year.
Yeah, when it's time to take tha wall down, you just remove the few screws and whack off the 2x4's from the plywood. I assumed he would use only a few dabs of the PL rather than a continuous bead.F
well that would be something to clarify....you know what they say about assuming. I could just imagine PL everywhere, lol.
Way back when I shared an apt in NYC with a few other guys who couldn't afford it either unless we had more guys then bedrooms. We put up temp walls to each have our own bedroom (we were all single and usually pretty lucky :-)
And we couldn't nail anything to the floors or ceilings. So we came up with this movable wall system:
Pre-Build a stud wall about 1 1/2 inches short or so. Drill a bunch of 7/8 holes in the top plate. Thread a nut on a 3/4 x 6 carriage bolt, put a fender washer in it to rest on the top plate, then put the bolt assemblies in the plate and stand the wall up. (These jack assemblies are on top of the wall.)
Use those rubber cups you put under furniture on top of the heads of the carriage bolts and back those nuts so you sort of "jack up" the bolts to squeeze those rubber cups against the ceiling. The base stays on the floor by friction. Then cover the gap with molding or in the basement with a strip of wood.
When it comes time to take the wall down, all you need is a wrench. You might even want to build the wall in sections that bolt together side to side, and use them for concrete forms later!
Since we were trying to be so cool, we sheetrocked the walls on both sides after they were up, but in this situation, you can leave the back of the wall open easily.
Steve
Very cool idea. And absolutely useable. Thank you.
Carlos