"Box" bottom of house?

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tchart

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#198048 23-Jun-2016 19:05

Our house is up on wooden piles with nothing keeping out the weather (and the dog).

I'd like to box in the bottom of the house but for the life of me I can't seem to find the appropriate wood for the job. I've spent several weekends wandering around bunnings, mitre10 etc.

I'm guessing some kind of rough sawn planks but I can't find anything suitable.

Does anybody know what I should be asking for?

Stu

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#1579204 23-Jun-2016 19:22

Do you mean Fibrelight/Hardieflex/Fibre Cement board/etc? Ask for any of those and they should be able to supply what you need.

ETA: You'll possibly need to install vents in the board. Check local regulations for any requirements.

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#1579226 23-Jun-2016 19:49

This might help www.bunnings.co.nz/../fibre-cement.

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tchart

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#1579236 23-Jun-2016 20:19

Stu:

This might help www.bunnings.co.nz/../fibre-cement.

Stu, thanks. Our previous house had fibre cement so I was aware of that as an option. It was okay but was a PITA if it cracked for whatever reason.

I see on newer houses they tend to use timber which was what I was going for. Our neighbours house has a section of their deck enclosed with what I would like to use around the bottom of our house.

I cant find a picture of what I'm after but something along the lines of what is under the railing of this deck (on the right). Its clearly not decking timber as its too wide.

PS Yes we've been told not to 100% enclose it.

tchart

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#1579239 23-Jun-2016 20:24

Ah here's a picture of what I'm after;

Stu

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#1579245 23-Jun-2016 20:26

tchart:

Stu:

This might help www.bunnings.co.nz/../fibre-cement.

Stu, thanks. Our previous house had fibre cement so I was aware of that as an option. It was okay but was a PITA if it cracked for whatever reason.

I see on newer houses they tend to use timber which was what I was going for. Our neighbours house has a section of their deck enclosed with what I would like to use around the bottom of our house.

I cant find a picture of what I'm after but something along the lines of what is under the railing of this deck (on the right). Its clearly not decking timber as its too wide.

PS Yes we've been told not to 100% enclose it.

It's only a dressing timber, not structural or needing to be waterproof so any appropriately treated machined timber should be okay (I think H3.2 should be okay). Say 250x50ish (exact machined dimensions will be just under that perhaps)?

Disclaimer: I am not a builder so as above, check any local council regulations.

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#1579247 23-Jun-2016 20:29

tchart:

Ah here's a picture of what I'm after;

That doesn't look to be much more than something like 150mmx25mm. Something machined for clean edges, rough sawn wouldn't look as nice.

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#1579253 23-Jun-2016 20:49

You can get away with rough sawn if you are painting it and it looks OK. Better not to have a super smooth painted surface so low to the ground for scuffs etc. Definitely recommend H3.2 treated as you will not be painting the back of the boards. H3.1 needs to be completely sealed to not eventually rot in the weather.

150 or 200mm x 25 mm Merch grade H3.2 RS Wet. Leave small gaps between boards for ventilation. Install a door for future access. Make it of the same material. Use cheap gate hinges and a padbolt to hangit and close it so the dog doesn't get under the house.

Merch literally means merchantable quality so it could be knotty or clean. If you can pick out nicer pieces it will look better but the next customer gets the rubbish. It is wet so it will shrink a little. You can even skim a planer over it before installing to clean off the worst furry bits.

In my time selling the stuff I have seen some really nice looking pieces. It is sapwood, quite soft and not very strong, but sufficient for this and many other uses.

Don't paint it until it is dry.

Can't think of anything else...

tchart

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#1579257 23-Jun-2016 21:01

Thanks guys. Appreciate the replies. Back to the hardware store this weekend :D

jasonwaiheke

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#1579266 23-Jun-2016 21:42

This is a normal item, I am surprised to hear you have not had any luck with any of the hardware stores.

These are baseboards and they can be either 100x25mm, 150x25mm or 200x25mm depending on what you want, they are H3.2 treated and are rough sawn Merch Grade by default.

They can come dressed which means they have a smooth finish, but then they may be getting a little thin as they will finish up 90x19mm, 140x19mm or 190x19mm.

If you want them dressed you could opt for a thicker starting board this way the finished product would end up more stable as it would be thicker.

Typically they come in random lengths, you can pay extra to get them in select lengths or cut to length.

Out of curiosity where abouts are you based?

tchart

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#1579329 24-Jun-2016 07:01

jasonwaiheke, I'm in Wellington (Upper Hutt). I'm sure they do have the stuff but it's probably asking for the product by name which has eluded me. Also wandering around the timber yards I was looking for reasonably long runs of the stuff which I didnt see.

froob

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#1579331 24-Jun-2016 07:28

Our builder just used standard decking timber for our baseboards (100 x 25, H3.2). Reeded side facing inwards, with required gaps between for ventilation.

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tchart

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#1579335 24-Jun-2016 07:39

froob: Our builder just used standard decking timber for our baseboards (100 x 25, H3.2). Reeded side facing inwards, with required gaps between for ventilation.

Thanks froob, I tried to sell my wife on that idea but she wasnt convinced :(

BTW now that I know the correct name I see on Branz they recommend; 100 x 25 mm base boards with 20 mm gaps between

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#1579345 24-Jun-2016 08:11

I would just add that you should allow some air movement under the house, so do not try and seal it up tight. Gaps around the bottom and any access gates will be plenty, you just don't want to seal it up and have moisture from the ground rise up and have nowhere to go than condense on your under floor framing.

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#1579408 24-Jun-2016 09:52

tchart: now that I know the correct name

You know the saying "A picture is worth 10,000 words." Just show the timber yard the picture you posted above. As for length, think in terms of how far apart the fixing points will be and how you will get it home.