remove or leave soffit, use for storage? what do you think?
jossfan
13 years ago
DH and I are doing a limited bathroom reno, removing plastic tub surround, having porcelain tub refurbished and having same tile extend to surround tub. As you can see by the pic, there is a soffit above the tub which we could remove altogether, or leave to add storage space w/cabinet doors. It's not a large bathroom, so removing the soffit would add airiness to it, but leaving it would be simpler, and extra storage is a good thing (DH just added extra insulation to attic and stole many square feet of storage space from me!). However, I am worried about moisture getting into closet, and mold issues, since it will be right above the shower. Any experience with a soffit like this? The height of the soffit is 18" total. Any good advice? much appreciated--
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pricklypearcactus
13 years agojossfan
13 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (10)jim1961 - Thank you for showing me your pic of the rose slug. Yes, I did have these little critters on my roses but I wasn't sure what they were until I google it. I just sprayed them off with water until they were all gone and I haven't had any back. Karl - You cracked me up. Yes, I guess since I'm a new rose grower, I really pampered my Polka climbing rose. I totally 'freaked' when I saw the holes in my leaves. Perfect Leaf Phobia? Yes, I believe I have that disease. hahaha. Okay, The cure...run past them each morning as fast as I can. OMG..I'm outta breath but by golly, I think it's working....See MoreBathroom Storage; what do you have, how do you use it
Comments (11)I think organization is at least as important as sheer storage space. Spread all your bathroom junk out on the floor or bed and pretend you're at a garage sale and that you have to 'buy' anything you want to keep (and not at a too-good-to-pass-ip price). If you don't care enough about it to buy it back now, then throw it away! TOSS those 10-year old lotions and potions! Failed make-up experiments? Throw 'em away! Perfumes and after shaves that aren't your style? Toss 'em! Curlers, straighteners and personal appliances that are no longer being used -- Goodwill 'em. The sheer volume of 'bathroom garbage' may dismay you; but you may also be pleasantly surprised by the 'good stuff' you rediscover simply by tossing the carp. Then sort and group the rest into baskets and bins that are just large enough for what's in them. Storage containers that can be stacked to fully utilize the vertical space will make the most of shelves, and see-through containers and big labels are wonderful! Then put the seldom-used stuff on the hard-to-reach shelves and the used-everyday stuff in the easiest-to-access areas. How much storage space do I have? One small medicine cabinet and an 18" wide by full-height closet. Between those two spaces, I have everything I use plus soap, shampoo, toothcare and deoderant for the entire family....See MoreWhat do you think is causing this moisture issue?
Comments (6)You need to look at the construction of the attic ventilation system above the insulation. You indicated they put the channels in and left a gap for airflow, prior to insulating the rafter bay. In order to get condensation in the attic, it takes two things, Presence of moisture and a condensing surface. Obviously, there is moisture present, and the source will need to be identified, but what baffles me, is that a conditioned attic (heated) remains cool enough to have a condensing surface on the heated side of the insulation. Have you looked into the insulation and up onto the baffle that was installed? It is my guess that by installing the baffles continuous from top to bottom, that they possibly did more harm than good, particularly if the channels are continuous or sealed. They certainly have a ventilation channel, but you need to consider the reasoning for that ventilation channel. Attic ventilation first and foremost (at least in my heating climate)is to relieve the attic of moisture. The other reason is to relieve the attic of excessive heat in the summer time. With the insulation at the rafter level instead of the attic floor, they will need to have a continuous(sealed) vapor barrier or a dual purpose air barrier, such as drywall (ADA Approch). Kraft facing is not an adequate vapor barrier.retarder, in this application. Couple this with warming the attic temp, should alleviate the problem, but dont do it by simply warming the attic without the sealed vapor barrier or you will just drive the moisture deeper into the insualtion system. With the types of temperature differentials this winter has provided us, problems are going to arise, that didnt happen last year, irregardless of how many occupants were there last year....See More1987 East Bay kitchen: to remove soffit or not? (5 photos)
Comments (12)Although I agree with how much nicer it will look after removing the soffit and popcorn, I second jkom51's comment about checking on what is hiding in that space. We were doing a similar thing and our GC said "there is a reason the builders like to put in these soffits" - usually to run utilities. Fortunately ours wasn't a big deal and we are *so* happy we did. My other concern would be the cabinets - you said you already ordered them so making them full height isn't possible. Will you do some crown to finish the top and have some space above or try to build up the crown to reach the ceiling (which would be a lot, IMO)? Another option would be to build a new soffit just above the cabinets if you don't want the space, which some consider a dust catcher. I have seen beautiful kitchens with soffits above the cabs as well as ones with the space. This is a personal preference choice to me. FWIW, I think I would go with a small crown molding at the top with the space above. If you are going to do that and you haven't already ordered the molding you should do that as soon as possible so it doesn't slow down finishing the kitchen too much (although it won't slow down getting it functional - they can always install the trim later) Can't wait to see the results!...See Morejacobse
13 years agoastridh
13 years ago
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13 years agospring-meadow
13 years agobrickeyee
13 years agovicky
7 years ago
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