Loft Conversion Challenge: Building a Straight Staircase in a Crooked House

[00:00:00]Here we go on another little adventure.

[00:00:03]This one the steels are in. We've got way more stuff to do. I wish this house was square and level, but it's not.

[00:00:09]Here's the [music] boys on site to show you what they've been playing with.

[00:00:11]We've had a little bit of a change of plan on the staircase. Originally, it was going to come up at that angle, same as the bottom one. Pretty much mirror that one. But gave us an issue structurally of how we were going to support the floor. that landing there.

[00:00:28]There's not an easy way to get joist underneath that um without a load [music] of steel work or a load of extra messing about or a null post going right down from the top to the bottom. We've come up with a different design. Gives a little bit more bedroom space as well.

[00:00:43]So, it's it's actually a better design, but what it does mean is we [music] need to move our uh double over here more cuz now it's going to be a single up one turn and then you're at the top here rather than having to go up around and around. And this kind of be the top back [music] here. But it does run I mean our double joy runs through this loft hatch.

[00:01:03]So, mine's just put some batters to support these trimmers that run into [music] the loft hatch and we can cut a little bit of it out. get our double through in there and then get [music] the rest of it trimmed out and uh rest of the floor down.

[00:01:16]>> While this is somewhat inconvenient, we knew from the beginning the staircase was going to prove a bit of a challenge.

[00:01:24]And [music] it is.

[00:01:25]>> We're going to have to dual post down onto there or redesign the staircase.

[00:01:31]>> Yeah. Try and make it narrower. That undo that screw m cuz I can't get that under.

[00:01:36]>> Pretty good.

[00:01:40]a pencil. Want to keep as much meat as possible. It's going to become 5 by two.

[00:01:44]On the end, we're building the floor to be absolutely perfectly flat and level, but it's sitting over the top of a floor which is already over 100 years old, and none of it's kind of working or talking together.

[00:01:58]>> Although slow, getting this part right is going to make building the rest of it a whole bunch easier. We've spoken in previous videos about times to go fast and times to go slow. This is a time to go slow.

[00:02:10]>> What's yours saying? [music] >> I'm doing pretty good.

[00:02:12]>> Yeah, sound right then.

[00:02:16]>> Once it's done, we fill the gaps with insulation, which [music] kills two birds with one stone. Temperature controlled and soundproofing. What we've been doing is just finishing off these floor trimmers, the more complicated bit. Last little thing we [music] got to do, which we've done all the way through. There's a spine wall that runs right the way through the house, right down to the bottom floor. That's what we've been using for our main structural support. So, these posts are resting on that. And to keep the floor joists little bit thinner, we've had to pick them up on that wall as well. So, you can see what we've done on these. Don't know if you can see it down there very well. The sliding wedges. Bit lumberjack glue bit. Sliding wedges. Effectively, rather than having it one joy spanning from there to there, it's spanning to here then to there. So, saves me and Martins's back lugging up massive bits of timber. So, it's a winner all round.

[00:03:14]Rest of today. We'll finish this flooring off. That shouldn't take too long. Me and Mar got a few little bits and bobs to do. Not sure how far along we're going to get today, but let's crack on. The first task of completing the flooring comes together well. And Harry from the electricians drops [music] by to complete the first fix electrics.

[00:03:31]>> All right. And there we go. That's the flooring down. Look at all this space we got. M Marv removes the remaining mortar sticking out of the bricks and there's a little bit of render on it related to the old roof which gives us a nice smooth wall which we're going to insulate up against later.

[00:03:48]Someone's turned the temperature down as well. It's a bit chilly up here today.

[00:03:52]Planning out where these stud walls are going to go. Build inspector wants another row of noggin in the ceiling.

[00:03:59]Then I think we're ready to start insulating.

[00:04:04]Right. So that's all our little bits and bobs finished up. So we got these noggin here that's going to be a wall later on.

[00:04:12]We fix that in. We got this grow up here for our top plate of the wall. Um doubled these up. So that wall will then go across here and [clears throat] out there if you sort of follow this staircase. Moved that window over.

[00:04:27]So that's bang on in the middle. Now let's let's get itchy.

[00:04:32]It's here that we add the various layers of insulation to the walls. It's not the most pleasant of jobs to do, but for the boys, it's going to make the loft space way warmer and ultimately for the customers, it's going to be way warmer.

[00:04:46]We got roofers coming later in the week.

[00:04:48]So, we've got to frame out for the V-xes, double up any rafters where the V-uxes go, and then hopefully those boys will pop them in when they come. We got this other window behind that bit of OSB to cut out. What I like to do just to keep things simple for Lee and the roofer and and us so we're not having to put [music] tails in is I just put my last joist right on the outside of the wall and then I'll come along and I'll just put some little timber nogggin at 400 centers out to wherever I need them to be for the fascia to go on. What I noticed where the pearling comes into the wall, it's all cracked down here.

[00:05:23]Another little job for me and Marv. We just knock that back, clean it up. We'll take that bit of wood out, brick it up.

[00:05:29]But it's this that's got to come out.

[00:05:31]What you up to, Mark?

[00:05:33]>> This hole in the wall, mate.

[00:05:37]How'd that get up? You >> took the ping out.

[00:05:39]>> Single skin wall. He's same on this side. They put that ping out. You see right through. So Marv's strengthened that up a little bit. He's rebuilt that wall. Now he's just going to block that up cuz we don't really want a peepphole into the neighbor's side. Marv's been overhead doing some brick laying. He's neatened that up. He's rebuilt that brick. Going to scratch that up in a minute. That'll be a scratch coat. Bit of a haunting on top. So, we ain't got to put the OSB on there now. The haunting is going to kind of do the same sort of thing. It just gives the um the roofers something to dress their lead against when that comes out and over.

[00:06:12]And then tomorrow, cutting this little hatch out. Make a lot of mess. Make it life a bit easier getting gear up here, boards, tools, and whatnot. Everything's coming together so smoothly.

[00:06:23]Or is it?

[00:06:24]>> Bit of a change of plan today. We're not doing the staircase anymore cuz the client has asked if we can do it tomorrow. We got plenty to do up here.

[00:06:32]Going to finish framing out these V-Luxes, finish insulating. But what I will want to do in a bit is get downstairs and just get all the floor protected. Um, [music] so that will buy us a bit of time tomorrow as well when we do do the cutout. We'll hopefully get the staircase in in a day.

[00:06:52]At the same time, Marv gets on with insulating the dorm cheeks with these layers of insulation. This is all allowing for various air gaps and breathable [music] membranes to make the wall compliant with building rigs. We've had to use this little light on the camera because that light up there changes all of the boys are doing great. We are waiting for the staircase to arrive. Obviously, the staircase is going in there and coming up over there. Um, it's going to be awesome, but we need it here cuz it's not very awesome if we don't have it.

[00:07:27]>> Big day today. Cutting the staircase out. There he is. There's the staircase.

[00:07:32]I'm going to do the same as we did last time. We've cut it out from above. Um, ceilings are too high down here. We don't want to be up on ladders. We don't want to be getting covered in dust.

[00:07:43]>> Unfortunately, some things just don't go to plan. And you're about to see why.

[00:07:48]walls I'm not as fussed about. It's more the woodwork.

[00:07:51]Bits of skirting and not getting smashed. Big bit of that comes down on you. They're heavy.

[00:07:56]>> I reckon I could get down. I could get down there.

[00:07:58]>> Go down at an angle.

[00:08:00]>> Yeah, I reckon >> if we get that big ladder, we can lean it.

[00:08:03]>> Another screw in there.

[00:08:04]>> Yeah, >> we can lean the ladder down like that.

[00:08:06]Climb down there. The idea of cutting it from above hasn't really worked that well cuz the last time we did it, this had been overboarded. So it sort of contains all of the plaster, but when we've been cutting it with a reserve, just rattled it all down there.

[00:08:25]So we're going to go underneath. We ain't got any plaster board here, but we got some 25 mil cell. So we're going to screw some sheet of 25 mil to the bottom. And then as we're cutting it, hopefully that's going to hold the um plaster in place. More or less a full board. So you got some cars. Oh, we won't get it through here.

[00:08:46]That's all we're going to need hopefully.

[00:08:50]>> Sammy loves coming up with different ways of doing things. And here's the latest one. Using the ladder, they attach a sheet of 25 mil insulation [music] to the bottom of the ceiling.

[00:09:00]Will this do the trick? We'll have to wait and see.

[00:09:10]While Marav ties some wetting around their makeshift little handle and pulls on it, Sammy's got his saber saw out and he's cutting through the ceiling and the insulation they've just put on from the top. [music] Blades aren't lasting for going to get heavy in a minute. I reckon that one ain't doing a lot.

[00:09:33]>> Got [screaming] it.

[00:09:37]Don't have it wrap around your hand cuz if you need to let go of it, >> I'd rather that drop down there than pull you down.

[00:09:44]>> And then yeah, I think if you support yourself what you're doing, that was another good idea.

[00:09:52]It's going to get heavy.

[00:10:09]So far so good.

[00:10:11]Oh, that wasn't the plan.

[00:10:13]>> What was that?

[00:10:14]>> Bit of the roof then.

[00:10:15]>> Oh, all that plaster.

[00:10:17]>> Bit what I said was about to go.

[00:10:19]>> Oh, I thought you meant the whole thing.

[00:10:21]>> No, that's one hole.

[00:10:31]We're just working out the best way to neaten up this hallway ceiling. Whether we just strip off all the laugh and plaster or try to overboard it and save a bit of mess and a bit of dust. Oh yeah, we need to overboard it cuz if we take that all off and board it up here, you're going to have there's going to be a seam.

[00:10:47]>> Oh yeah, >> it's going to be a seam between the wall and there cuz we'll be 20 mil high or you end up then you double boarding it and whatnot. So I think yeah, just go over the top.

[00:10:56]>> Ultimately, we knew this was going to be the awkward bit. I'm half tempted to take those covered doors off, rip all of that cover out, do all of the destruction. I'm just thinking we're coming up 12:00 now. Like, if you want half a chance getting the staircase in today, we need to get a rigger on.

[00:11:13]Half the day is gone opening up the old staircase. I'm not sure whether or not it was faster using Sammy's method or not, but it's down. Doesn't leave us a lot of time to put in the staircase, especially since we don't know how well it's actually going to fit. Can we make up for this lost time? Or will the owners arrive and find an enormous mess in a massive hole in the ceiling? Time for all hands on deck.

[00:11:38]>> My arm's not lined up. That's about all I got, man.

[00:11:49]Yep.

[00:11:51]Yeah.

[00:11:54][music] >> [music] >> Don't fill them up too much or we won't get him down this gap.

[00:12:11]Just go like normal person, not Martin.

[00:12:14]That archway is cool. Wow.

[00:12:17]>> We've got to find a way to use that, man. That's awesome. Just repoint that.

[00:12:21]Brick acid it up. Make it look awesome.

[00:12:23]That will look lovely as a feature, wouldn't it? Why would you cover that up? Oh my goodness. Yep.

[00:12:31]Half backs, malf.

[00:12:36]>> All right, we'll do No, do do an eighth in the bag then.

[00:12:42]>> That's actually given us way more space than what I thought we were going to have for it.

[00:12:48]>> [music] >> So, we didn't quite get as far as we hoped, but we got a hole cut out. We got one step in place. So, that's the trickiest bit getting this corner right cuz this building in square. It's an acute angle on the corner of the building. So, we've had to come square. We've had to come parallel with that wall basically. But yeah, that's all set out now. So, tomorrow we should be flying along.

[00:13:17]>> The next day, we're back into it bright and early because this staircase really does need to be finished by the end of day. The main section is attached before the three winders link the sections in together.

[00:13:34]Stepping into this section contains some things that are known, like that pun that was intended, but we can never be sure of whether its perfectly straight staircase will connect well with the often crooked and old house. Sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back. Again, the pun is [music] intended.

[00:13:52]>> How do these two tie in?

[00:13:55]>> Don't know yet. Not very not very easily. We always approach staircases with a plan, but sometimes curve balls get thrown our way. Sometimes problems you just have to deal with later cuz we're against the clock and we've got to get the majority of the staircase in and glued together.

[00:14:12]>> Getting the wedges in there tight is going to be a late That's as much I can do that.

[00:14:38]There we go. That's one staircase.

[00:14:41]Job done. Now to relax. Well, until tomorrow.

[00:14:48]Me and Marv have just built a little platform there. We're going to get the 25 mil on the ceiling.

[00:14:55]um get this boarded, get the ceiling boarded around the staircase. Then we can build up these internal walls. A lot easier to get all your boarding done first. Well, you've got your 25 mil insulation. Then you got your plaster board and that prevents any cold bridge through your walls as well. So that's what I like to do. And it's easier when you come to boarding. You're not having to board two ceilings. You not got like a ceiling in here. You got a board and a ceiling over here. You just do it all as one big square. Sammy and M first attached the green membrane. Now, this is a vapor check to stop moisture traveling through the walls. Then, they add a second layer of insulation because insulation is built up in layers, but they only place a plaster board where the stairs are, and we'll find out why a little bit later. In the meantime, Harry's got a bit of a problem.

[00:15:41]>> To be fair, I the floor is more of a ball for us to put right cuz they've obviously they've sanded it. They've filled it with that sort of special, you know, with certain gubbins.

[00:15:53]might be more of a ball lake for us to put right. But either way, or we're bonding and skimming that wall, so it's still a ball lake either way.

[00:16:00]>> Harry needs to run a cable for the main connection to the loft room. They can either rip up the beautifully restored timber floor or put some holes in the wall.

[00:16:10]>> Where's the fuse board?

[00:16:12]>> Oh yeah, way down there.

[00:16:14]>> Got some foxing in we got to do in here where he's got his uh >> those pipes. But obviously that's no good for you.

[00:16:21]>> If I do that, I've got to obviously do a chase all up there. See what Matt wants.

[00:16:25]>> Yeah. So >> when you start chasing that in that needs to be done, >> hopefully I can do a nice neat job and we'll uh quit in.

[00:16:37]>> Hello. Yeah, there's a little board there. It's already cut, but obviously they've just filled it with the uh that that some sort of filler, you know, the sawdust and filler. But if I just run my multi tool down there, pop it up.

[00:16:49]Hopefully it will uh it be all right.

[00:16:51]>> It might be a bit of a game. We might have to fish a rod down from that socket down here, but I'd rather at least try cuz we're going to have to try and, you know, make those floorboards good anyway.

[00:17:01]>> Yeah.

[00:17:02]>> So, at least try there first before we go and start ging a um a hole in the wall that we don't have to touch at the minute.

[00:17:09]>> Yeah. All right, mate.

[00:17:12]>> Have a look. While Harry gets stuck into chasing out for the new light switch upstairs, Sammy and Marv have began constructing the new wall 14 out a little bit.

[00:17:35]>> Getting the frame up goes a long way in defining the new room's layout. And for the customers, it's the first sort of chance to see what it's actually going to look like. Going to be doorway there.

[00:17:46]And then that's the bedroom. Ar's been down here. He's run his cable, new cable for the landing lights into that switch. So, you'll be able to control everything from there. All your lights here, all your lights up there.

[00:18:02]Uh he's got a few more bits and bobs to do. We got to cut up a floorboard so he can do his main connection down there.

[00:18:10]So, we've actually got some power up here. The following day, Harry runs the power cables into the new room.

[00:18:17]>> Why do you put that little loop in it, bro? Uh, I mean, generally I don't really know to be honest. I think mainly cuz obviously it's clipped, you can't pull it. It's nice just to have a little bit of slack in case you may need it.

[00:18:34]>> Oh yeah.

[00:18:34]>> Um and in case anyone wants to move any of the cables around slightly. You think of it if it was just dead tight.

[00:18:40]>> Yeah.

[00:18:41]>> You've got a bit of strain on the cable.

[00:18:42]Yeah.

[00:18:43]>> For one.

[00:18:44]>> And yeah, again, you just got like a little bit to play with if it needs a mending. But >> and you can do like little loops, make it look pretty for it [laughter] up.

[00:18:53]>> Sammy's got some of his flash tools out.

[00:18:55]We're just checking the angle of the staircase limit is 43 and we're at 42.9 cuz Sammy and Martin are legends.

[00:19:06]>> What have I done now? [laughter] >> You've done a good job, M. Well done.

[00:19:12]We're trying out this new floor protector and stuff.

[00:19:14]>> It's like a recycled uh t-shirt thing.

[00:19:18]um almost looks like underlay of carpet and it's soft and recycled which means we don't have a whole bunch of plastic which makes the world a better place cuz builders use lots of plastic. It's nice to see Harry here cuz that means we won't be in the dark for too much longer. Hallway boarded downstairs. Bit more of a pain than we would have liked.

[00:19:41]I mean didn't have a lot of space to work it trying to shuffle ladders backwards and forwards getting tools up and down. It was a bit of a game, but got that done. Had to pack this floor out a little bit for the base rail. Got to be strategic now with how we get everything done. We got the plaster coming on Friday. Get these windows in until the outside is slated. Don't think we're going to have time to install the windows. We're going to have to get the roofers to focus on that front lift. Get the V-luxes in so that we can get them boarded. They do need to go in. So me and Mar got loads of bits to do and we've got 3 days to do it.

[00:20:17]>> Once Harry's finished the electrical work, the boys focus on adding the plaster board to the walls. This is always a really exciting step as a broken timber shell suddenly becomes a roof. We have light. Roofers have turned up. So we've stripped the hatch off.

[00:20:32]He's just gone to pick up some batter and he's going to slate that in.

[00:20:35]Building inspectors asked for these Vluxes to have double hangers on. I've got a rafter to put in here where we've cut that one out for the um hatchway.

[00:20:45]This double trimmer there for the Vlux.

[00:20:47]I ran out of timber. So, I recycled one of the old rafters, but it's a little bit too fat for our joist hangers. I got timber now. So, I'll swap that out and then roofer can crack on.

[00:20:59]Get these get these windows cut out. Get that slated back in. We'll have a bit more light up here. So, all coming together now. Back inside, Marv continues to do what Marv does best with more insulating and plaster boarding.

[00:21:15]>> What's this for?

[00:21:28]>> What are you doing here?

[00:21:30]>> Off of the door lining where it comes out.

[00:21:34]Not the the legs notch into the head. 10 mil. which you're going in.

[00:21:39]>> So, I just cut out 10 mil of that. Then that slots in there.

[00:21:44]>> Then the get cut off later.

[00:21:47]>> 8 mil. Wherever you're going to hinge the door from, you you want to have a nice bit. You look at the wood.

[00:21:53]>> Yeah.

[00:21:54]>> Sometimes it's battered on one side compared to the other. That's a bit knotted. It's a bit of a cup in it.

[00:22:02]That's better. And see how that's got that on there. You don't really want to be hanging a hinge off of that.

[00:22:12]As soon as Troy completes the roof in the front of the house, the boys get on with completing the interior.

[00:22:18]Everything's moving at a reasonable pace now and the plaster arrives [music] tomorrow, so there's no time relax. We got to get it ready for Lee to come and skim it. All plaster boarded, ready to go. But Sammy's got a problem on [music] the stairs.

[00:22:33]>> Well, this wall ain't level. It's all on the It's all Bowie all over the shot.

[00:22:37]But I just want So I'm just going to getting a point that I can make the boards hit.

[00:22:41]>> Yeah.

[00:22:41]>> So at least when you look up there, you got a something straight that insulated cuz obviously goes into the neighbor's empty loft freezing. Down here is into another room. So at least there's heating. It's that insulated >> that will >> have to step in. didn't have enough room to normally would have just done the whole thing down here but then it's sort of out over the stringer.

[00:23:04]>> Yeah.

[00:23:05]>> So it'll step back >> or will it just when it's finished will it be like down and in or will it fade?

[00:23:11]>> It will be a little bit of wood, a little bit of trim along there.

[00:23:14]>> So hopefully it won't draw your eye to it as much.

[00:23:17]>> You just see a detail. Yeah.

[00:23:28]We didn't quite have the head height.

[00:23:29]So, you got to have an angle piece here.

[00:23:31]>> Right.

[00:23:31]>> When that come across here and you measure it down, it's got to be 2 m minimum to come from your And again, the [music] comments. Yes, we know everything doesn't always go to plan and you've got to improvise and you got to adapt, but now we can take that off the list. It may not look that pretty now, but Lee does an amazing job and it will look pretty in the end.

[00:23:57]Seeing this stage really gives a great insight into how the finished room is going to appear.

[00:24:04]And that was way harder than what it should have been. Next week, we've got all the little fiddly bits and then it's going to be finished. And I already know that it looks really cool, but you're going to have to wait and find out. As per usual, thank you very much [music] to our amazing clients for letting us do what we do. and for filming it and sending it to you to the boys and girls of Silver Fern. Love your work. Thank you very [music] much to our extended family. Without you guys, we couldn't do it. Harry, all of the plumbers, the electricians, brickies, not so much [music] on this one. Troy on the roof.

[00:24:34]Thanks a lot, guys. Appreciate it.

[00:24:36]Lastly, but definitely not least, [music] if you've managed to make it this far into the video, from me to you, yes you, sitting on your sofa watching it on your TV, thank you for watching [music] it all the way through. I appreciate you. Love you work, guys. See you [music] on the next one. Love you.

[00:24:55]Bye.