in todays episode of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot...

diymirage · Nov 26, 2020

im doing some remodeling

as you may remember, i build a loft for my middle girl a while ago

this loft sits on top of a closet that protrudes into her room

(a few pics from while it was under construction)

now, this last picture is shows a shared wall with my youngest girls room
she sleeps on the second floor, so her floor is about level with the floor of the loft

the girls have been bugging me for a while about building a "secret doorway" between the two room

ok, no biggy
i got drywall in the loft, and wood paneling in the babies room

so i figured, i start in the babies room and cut out one panel, hinge it like a door
cut out the drywall in the loft, frame it in, and put a picture of rita hayworth to cover it up

sounds simply enough (that should have been my first clue)

So, here is my progress

this is the babies room when i started

got some trim removed

ok, first piece of paneling gone, only to find...more paneling?
i was expecting drywall, or studs, but OK

ok, what i was NOT expecting, is a BOOK CASE
really?
why builds a wall over a book case?

so, after i ripped out the back of the back case, i found what looks like exterior sheathing

so, now im lost

am i looking at the inside of an origenal exterior wall?

im not sure of i want to chop through this
honestly, im not sure what to make of this AT ALL

i thought this would be a cool project, but not at the cost of risking the structural integrity of the house

@Cope what are your thoughts?

spl440 · Nov 26, 2020

Drill a hole and see where it comes out

Kern Dog · Nov 26, 2020

Uhhh...
I'm guessing you live where there are no building inspection requirements?
THis worries me a bit. I am considering a move to another state but THAT state is a bit more relaxed in many ways. There is good and bad in that but as a Carpenter, I know that there are hundreds of ways that unskilled construction workers can hide structural flaws. Drywall and siding can and do hide a LOT of ugly work.
OSB plywood (Oriented Strand Board) is used for structural conditions and sound deflection. We use it on Duplex party walls, apartment party walls and exterior walls where additional strength is needed. IF the OSB is on an interior, it could be for sound or strength. On the exterior, it is exclusively for structural reasons, in my experience.

diymirage · Nov 26, 2020

spl440 said:
Drill a hole and see where it comes out

Well, that looks promising

Bad Sport · Nov 26, 2020

Was the house added on to at some point, that you know of?

spl440 · Nov 26, 2020

At least it didn't take a 2 ft long drill bit.

diymirage · Nov 26, 2020

Bad Sport said:
Was the house added on to at some point, that you know of?

Yes, it was build in 73 and added on in sections, but I thought the room the loft is in was part of the original foot print (I'm gonna see if I can find that out)

This was just odd to see, it looks like they used OSB as an interior wall

diymirage · Nov 26, 2020

Kern Dog said:
Uhhh...
I'm guessing you live where there are no building inspection requirements?
THis worries me a bit. I am considering a move to another state but THAT state is a bit more relaxed in many ways. There is good and bad in that but as a Carpenter, I know that there are hundreds of ways that unskilled construction workers can hide structural flaws. Drywall and siding can and do hide a LOT of ugly work.
OSB plywood (Oriented Strand Board) is used for structural conditions and sound deflection. We use it on Duplex party walls, apartment party walls and exterior walls where additional strength is needed. IF the OSB is on an interior, it could be for sound or strength. On the exterior, it is exclusively for structural reasons, in my experience.

thanks for the insight

i havent gotten far enough yet to cut it all out, but when i looked at it, it didnt seem thick enough to be structural OSB

i had a chance to look at the original survey from 1985 and it shows the foundation being roughly 24X38
this room is on the north east corner of that foundation , so that makes me believe this was NOT an exterior wall

i think they may have had an open floor plan and when they put in the second floor they used whatever they had handy

heres a fun picture, this is on the inside of the closet that the loft sits on

sure doesnt look like what you would expect inside a closet

ill keep you guys posted as i get this framed in a cut out

67Dart273 · Nov 26, 2020

I think, after I found the shelves, I'd 'a asked her "how'd you like to have a nice bookshelf instead of a door?" LOLOL

An ex-boss when I worked for the Motorola shop told me of one of his first jobs, when he worked for a cable company, no experience, back then. The outfit set him and his "more senior partner" out. They needed to get the cable out of the house, so they drilled a hole in the wall behind the TV. When they went outside, they discovered...................OIL!!!

The outdoor 275 gal oil tank was about 2" from the wall and they had drilled a hole in the tank!!! Just like this:

joel d. snyder · Nov 26, 2020

never struck oil but I had some holes come out in interesting places sometimes in my years as a cable guy. drilled through the phone box one time.

WTruo · Nov 26, 2020

You could have ended up in china.

Kern Dog · Nov 26, 2020

diymirage said:
it didnt seem thick enough to be structural OSB

We use it as thin as 3/8" but most walls use 1/2" or the 15/32".

pishta · Nov 26, 2020

They told us to do a complete site survey before drilling out or in. I had a guy hit a water supply line behind drywall, he found the shut off valve before more than 6 feet was soggy. I myself as a young cable guy was drilling down into the garage from the upstairs bedroom (common here) and was using a 3 foot speed bore bit (raindrop shaped self tapping fluted 1/2" tip on a slender flexible shaft) and I drill through the floor, 1..2..3 bores. WTF? I go downstairs and find the guy had opened his garage door and my bit had drilled right through his raised door! He was so cool about it, He said "Sorry man, Ill fix that...my fault". Only time I hit something in 23 years. Buddy drilled into a room, bogged it down and pulled out some panties on his bit, drilled into the back of a dresser! I think that sicko kept them....

67Dart273 · Nov 26, 2020

In my HVAC days I didn't hang duct and generally did not do the "hard work" of installs, although I've hung a fair amount of gas pipe. My job other than service was to do final hookups and startup. I'd go to a final startup and the gas pipe would be signed off on pressure test. So I'd hook up the meter (or tank) and the last hookups at the furnace/ water heater, and any final control wiring, etc.

We were ALWAYS doing battle with sheet rockers. Damn people we'd drive a big marker stud nail and wrap the stat wire around it, they'd pull the nail and rock over everything. One job the rockers covered over just about everything, including outlets and plumbing. I sawed a BIG *** hole in the wall to find the stat wire. They got to go back and fix it. They bitched, I told them "next time the hole will be bigger"

One BIG ***** I had was doing a frickin log house. NOTHING is plumb in the damn things, and we had to drill ?? 20 inches or more to get through the foundation log to run the LPG black pipe in there. Normally, on a lumber sidewall, no problem. But this log was thick enough that it "steered" the pipe, and the error just keeps getting bigger across a 20ft basement. So right there at the entrance point, we had to cut in a couple of 45's so we could adjust the pipe angle and get it square again.

And then there's people who cut YOUR stuff up and don't tell ya. When (Motorola) we did the data/ phone cables for the Othello WA building, some yahoo did a cut in for a duct they'd left out........and cut right through about 20 ethernet/ phone cables right behind the wall. Never said a thing

When I was doing some clean up at Newport, WA, overhead in the drop ceiling, here's a UHF 2-way radio coax been spliced with wire nuts!!!! Somebody cut it--and hagged it back together.

Cope · Nov 26, 2020

Hey bud!

Strange i never got a notification on this?
I just happened on it by random..
Now im here so.

First pic, Is hard to say.
Could be an attempt at sheer wall but waht what ever it is i wouldn't think twice about cutting (it or anything else) that is in my way out.

Then I would jist frame it back in using the standard door/window framing.
IE. A trimmer and king stud with two 2x4s as a header.
No need to even mess with any dry wall beacuse if you cut it out nice. (Sawsall with fine tooth blade) the new casing (trim) covers the rough cut in the dry wall.

Second pic is just the cheep casing kit from home depo.
They look good in my opinion but should be used in the "right environment and home"

I did one of those for my girls folks. (Man door from dining room to garage) and they fricking LOVE it. You'd think I hand carved it out of thousand year old oak they way the look at it.

As always if you need any tips or anything just let me know. Im glad to help.

69moredoor · Nov 27, 2020

Next stop, Narnia!

diymirage · Nov 27, 2020

Allright i punched through
It looks like they just used what they had

Two completely different thicknesses of wood, with drywall on one

I got the hole framed out in 2x4
(The one is screwed down, the other isn't yet)

Whenever I get more done ill let you guys know

I'll leave it open on the loft, so it looks like a shelf, and try to make a hidden door in the babies room

diymirage · Nov 27, 2020

Making progress

The hardest part will be the door

I got the magnets in for it, and a piano hinge
I just might have this functional by tomorrow

(The wood is just mocked up so far)

Ottmundr · Nov 27, 2020

Awesome dad duties there!

:thumbsup:

diymirage · Nov 28, 2020

This has been fun

All thats left is a cover panel on the door side, and trim on the loft to hide the rough cuts and were done

Oh, and I need a door pull on the inside...im thinking a Nancy drew book would be perfect

(Pics to follow)

diymirage · Nov 28, 2020

A pull, a couple of 2 inch pieces of trim to hide the rough cuts and done

(I do need to figure out a way to pull the left top of the door in a little, the trim piece on the edge is bowed out a little)

This picture is with the door installed, and closed (not a 'before' picture)