Construction Questions.

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jongig

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Nov 27, 2010
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I built my island using metal framing and it came out well but I'm at the next phase which is to add board to the outside of the framing and I have a couple questions about it.

1. How do I attach the board to the metal framing?
2. It looks as though everyone uses hardyboard but why hardyboad instead of cement board?
3. If I'm using granite for the top do I have to board the top of the island? I don't really see a reason why.

I have used hardyboard and cement board and I've used saws to cut hardyboard which is much easier than cement board so my guess is just ease of use with the hardyboard. Hardyboard is not rated for outside use but since it's not in the weather I guess it would be okay.

Thanks.
 
Hardy board is lighter and easier to work with. Use screws meant for the material. They will have sharp points that will easily penetrate the studs and hold.

Use plenty of brackets to hold the top. Granite weighs a lot! Be sure the frame is rigid too!

Scott
 
PoolGuyNJ said:
Hardy board is lighter and easier to work with. Use screws meant for the material. They will have sharp points that will easily penetrate the studs and hold.

Use plenty of brackets to hold the top. Granite weighs a lot! Be sure the frame is rigid too!

Scott
Click to expand...

I purchased screws already that were self tapping but they didn't work. Can you be more specific about the screws that I should use?

What do you mean by brackets? I did build the frame rather sturdy with the metal studs being about 8 inches on center.

Is there any reason to board the top of the frame since it just get's covered by granite?

John
 
I thought I'd post a picture of the frame. I built this in the winter and now it has been moved outside to the porch.

I have another question. I'm wondering what the best way would be to have outlets in a build like mine. The countertop, back-splash and back-splash cap is all granite. I didn't ask but I'm sure they can place cutouts in the granite for a recepticle but I still would have to use a outdoor housing with would probably look like Crud. I'm leaning toward adding them in the walls which are cultured stone, AKA-Fake stone. I don't want the the top to look bad after spending what I did on the countertop.

John
 

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Construction update

I have the unit boarded and now I need to get the rock on. I've picked out a cultured stack look and now I need to put up the screen and scratch coat.
 

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That looks nice!

What did you end up doing for supporting the granite? It looks like you did put some board down on the right side over the storage unit - did you put a similar board over the fridge or is the granite unsupported over the fridge?
 
The board over the storage cabinet really doesn't offer any support to the granite. The granite is supported in each corner very well although it really doesn't show in the pictures. On the right side of the frig between the frig and the grill their is a wall but in the picture it doesn't show because of the grill's flashing. On the other side of the grill you have another wall that supports the granite on that side. I did box in the storage cabinet just for looks.
 
I'm not sure I'd do this again although parts of it I liked. I didn't enjoy doing the masonry work. I find masonry work very messy and I'm better with design, measuring and framing. I really enjoyed making forms of each proposed item and laying it out to the point of adding pots and pans, hotdogs and buns. This was a great idea because it showed a problem with traffic flow originally. The framing was easy and the hardyboard was much easier than I had expected. Dealing with the granite company was a bummer, they were nice but they broke the backsplash twice and that set the project back weeks.

I like the simple design of the sink with only one valve, I also ran the same line to the outdoor shower. It was a great idea to add a hot/cold line into one with a temperature valve in the basement. This sink was to be used for washing hands and has served well for that. The cabinet on the right provides plenty of access to the underside of the grill and the burner.

Sure was a lot of work.
 
Wow John, that looks great! Really nice work you did there. I have a couple of questions on the plumbing....

Did you end up using a natural gas line, or are the BBQ head and side-burner running on LPG? Also, what about plumbing for the sink? Did you run hot and cold, or is this just suppied from a hose bib? Lastly, where does the drainage from the sink go?

I'm asking all these questions because I plan to do a rebuild of our BBQ island. It was built out of slump stone and then covered with stucco on the sides and flagstone on the top. It has a nice look to it, but its not terribly functional. It has a bar top for folks to sit down, but lacks a deck to put barstools (???) down. It does not have space for a fridge or sink, but has a commercial char broiler and a commercial griddle. Both of those will be removed and a proper grill head and side burner will be added, along with drawers, cabinets and a cutout for a small fridge. I'd like to add a sink, and there is a nearby water line for running the sprinklers (e.g. the irrigation manifold is right next to it). It also has a gas line plumbed in. But no hot water and no nearby sewer drain. It's also considerably below the grade of the main house. So, I may need to just build a French drain somewhere.
 
carlscan26 said:
I can appreciate the amount of work and the result looks great.

Is the granite 3cm thick then? I assume the granite guys would have required you to put a subcounter on otherwise?
Click to expand...

I keep meaning to measure it but just never remember. I think it's about 1.5 inches thick. They didn't require a sub-base but it was there when they came to measure so they might have but we didn't talk about it.
 
CraigMW said:
Wow John, that looks great! Really nice work you did there. I have a couple of questions on the plumbing....

Did you end up using a natural gas line, or are the BBQ head and side-burner running on LPG? Also, what about plumbing for the sink? Did you run hot and cold, or is this just suppied from a hose bib? Lastly, where does the drainage from the sink go?

I'm asking all these questions because I plan to do a rebuild of our BBQ island. It was built out of slump stone and then covered with stucco on the sides and flagstone on the top. It has a nice look to it, but its not terribly functional. It has a bar top for folks to sit down, but lacks a deck to put barstools (???) down. It does not have space for a fridge or sink, but has a commercial char broiler and a commercial griddle. Both of those will be removed and a proper grill head and side burner will be added, along with drawers, cabinets and a cutout for a small fridge. I'd like to add a sink, and there is a nearby water line for running the sprinklers (e.g. the irrigation manifold is right next to it). It also has a gas line plumbed in. But no hot water and no nearby sewer drain. It's also considerably below the grade of the main house. So, I may need to just build a French drain somewhere.
Click to expand...

I ran a LPG line from the main supply in the basement.
The sink is a single supply, I guess it was built just for cold water. At the manabloc in the basement I ran hot/cold to a mixing valve and then connected that to the single supply of the sink. It's nice having the water at the perfect temperature for hand washing. The connections are 1/2" all-pex. The sink drain is 1.25" PVC that goes into the house, through a PVC ball valve, to a trap and then to the main of the house. The ball valve is closed for the winter.

I had easy access into the house and all the connections go from under the sink, under the deck and then make a 90 degree turn into the house inside the joists. The joists of the deck match the house. I have a pipe for low voltage wiring, high voltage, LP-gas, water and drain. When I did the shower I ran the drain to my cistern system so I could reuse the water. The single supply from the sink goes to the shower and since it's warm water it's again a single supply.

I would have like to do as you're doing with stools and such but I just couldn't come up with a design we liked. This works well and in the end was the right thing to do.
 
jongig said:
carlscan26 said:
I can appreciate the amount of work and the result looks great.

Is the granite 3cm thick then? I assume the granite guys would have required you to put a subcounter on otherwise?
Click to expand...

I keep meaning to measure it but just never remember. I think it's about 1.5 inches thick. They didn't require a sub-base but it was there when they came to measure so they might have but we didn't talk about it.
Click to expand...

3cm is about 1.2 inches so it's plenty thick enough to not need a subcounter then.
 
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