Day Nineteen: Supporting Ideas
Nancy woke up this morning, read this blog, wondered why I thought she'd be awake at 10 pm last night, then told me we should go with George's preferred layout for the bathroom, the one that blocks a window. So I spoke to George about this this morning and we went ahead with it. George also gave me two quotes I'd asked him for, and I decided to put in the slop sink and to have the drains in the third-floor vanity and tub run at an angle, rather than level. Hey, it'll never be easier to solve that problem.
Big day today at the house. With a bigger crew, they accomplished quite a bit. Dave, John, and Bob (the Builder) were still here when I arrived home at 5 pm. We talked quite a bit, and Dave thinks I should get the back of the house sided because they're going to have to replace much of the siding anyway, after cutting out the holes for the windows, so I might as well side the house properly, rather than slipping in a few pieces of aluminum siding.
The Old Kitchen Floor, Liberated
Here are the remains of the old floor from the kitchen floor. Take note of the large iron pipe among this mass of junk. That was the pipe in the ceiling of the basement, the last big pipe to leave the house.
The Garbage from the Old Windows and the Scrap Lumber from Building the Frame for the New Back Door
Here's a better picture of this pile of garbage. I returned home early enough today to take pictures in the daylight.
A Clear View of the New Back Door
Another (and better) veiw of the new back door. Steps still need to be built up to it, but it otherwise works well. The workmen made the deadbolt workable today. George told me that, once the workmen put a little roof over the door and join it with the back porch roof, that we should solve at least 75% of the problem of rainwater getting into the basement.
The Back of the House as it Now Is
Here's a picture of the back of the house (lefthand side). This gives a good idea of the mess facing us right now. The old electrical service should be removed this week, leaving holes in the siding. When combined with the holes for the windows, the hole left after removing the old door, and the siding that has to be discarded after cutting out the windows, there won't be much original siding left.
The Jacks Holding up the Second Floor
Until tomorrow, these two jacks will hold up the second floor. Tomorrow, they will be replaced by a permanent post here and a permanent jack in place right under it.
Where the Next House Jack Will Go
Here's where I believe the jack will go tomorrow.
The New Subflooring in the Kitchen
A great addition to the house: subflooring almost entirely set up in the kitchen.
The Flush Beam with Perpendicular Beams Hung from It
Note that this flush beam is complete now, with all the daughter beams attached tightly to it.
Basement Light Switches No Longer Swinging in the Breeze
The guys did a lot of electrical work today. One problem they solved was the one we faced when we first moved here: light switches swinging from the ceiling. These light switches attached to the doorframe are solid and great.
The Subpanel Almost Free of Wire
But the big electrical work was that the subpanel, which was a writhing nest of knob-and-tube wiring, has but four such wires rising out of it now.
Wire Spilled Like Cooked Spaghetti over the Pile of Garbage in the Basement
Look at all the old wire discarded on this pile, like so much uneaten dinner.
A Couple of Floor Joists Holding up a Bit of Kitchen Subflooring
Here's our great subflooring from below.
A Hole in the Wall by the Bathroom where a Light Switch Used to Rest (and Tim Peeking from His Bedroom)
The only change I could find upstairs was this hole in the wall where the light switch for the stairway lights once sat.
My Little Collection of Knobs and Tubes, Looking a Bit Like a Pile of Shellfish
Dave and John have been helping me collect knobs and tubes during this remodel. Here are the ones I've collected so far, washed and drying in the drying rack. After I took this picture, I found another seven tubes and about a dozen knobs. I still need to wash those.
The Shower Improved
Ahh, I decided I could screw a big hook into the ceiling and turn the handheld shower into a real shower. Once I finish writing this (I've moved into tomorrow now, and it's almost 1 am), I'll take a shower to make sure it works!
A Closeup of the Shower and How I Improved It
Here's a closeup so you can see what I've done. This hook I have screwed into a board in the ceiling.
The Bathroom Fixtures Waiting (in the Garage) for the Bathroom
I almost forgot that Dave told me that our bathroom pieces came today: tub, vanity, toilet, and all the other fixtures. These are now taking up the bay in the garage reserved for my car. Not a big deal, really, since it hasn't snowed much at all this year, and spring (such as it is) is almost here.
Unless we get one of those end-of-March blizzards this month.
honi soit qui mal y pense
Big day today at the house. With a bigger crew, they accomplished quite a bit. Dave, John, and Bob (the Builder) were still here when I arrived home at 5 pm. We talked quite a bit, and Dave thinks I should get the back of the house sided because they're going to have to replace much of the siding anyway, after cutting out the holes for the windows, so I might as well side the house properly, rather than slipping in a few pieces of aluminum siding.
The Old Kitchen Floor, Liberated
Here are the remains of the old floor from the kitchen floor. Take note of the large iron pipe among this mass of junk. That was the pipe in the ceiling of the basement, the last big pipe to leave the house.
The Garbage from the Old Windows and the Scrap Lumber from Building the Frame for the New Back Door
Here's a better picture of this pile of garbage. I returned home early enough today to take pictures in the daylight.
A Clear View of the New Back Door
Another (and better) veiw of the new back door. Steps still need to be built up to it, but it otherwise works well. The workmen made the deadbolt workable today. George told me that, once the workmen put a little roof over the door and join it with the back porch roof, that we should solve at least 75% of the problem of rainwater getting into the basement.
The Back of the House as it Now Is
Here's a picture of the back of the house (lefthand side). This gives a good idea of the mess facing us right now. The old electrical service should be removed this week, leaving holes in the siding. When combined with the holes for the windows, the hole left after removing the old door, and the siding that has to be discarded after cutting out the windows, there won't be much original siding left.
The Jacks Holding up the Second Floor
Until tomorrow, these two jacks will hold up the second floor. Tomorrow, they will be replaced by a permanent post here and a permanent jack in place right under it.
Where the Next House Jack Will Go
Here's where I believe the jack will go tomorrow.
The New Subflooring in the Kitchen
A great addition to the house: subflooring almost entirely set up in the kitchen.
The Flush Beam with Perpendicular Beams Hung from It
Note that this flush beam is complete now, with all the daughter beams attached tightly to it.
Basement Light Switches No Longer Swinging in the Breeze
The guys did a lot of electrical work today. One problem they solved was the one we faced when we first moved here: light switches swinging from the ceiling. These light switches attached to the doorframe are solid and great.
The Subpanel Almost Free of Wire
But the big electrical work was that the subpanel, which was a writhing nest of knob-and-tube wiring, has but four such wires rising out of it now.
Wire Spilled Like Cooked Spaghetti over the Pile of Garbage in the Basement
Look at all the old wire discarded on this pile, like so much uneaten dinner.
A Couple of Floor Joists Holding up a Bit of Kitchen Subflooring
Here's our great subflooring from below.
A Hole in the Wall by the Bathroom where a Light Switch Used to Rest (and Tim Peeking from His Bedroom)
The only change I could find upstairs was this hole in the wall where the light switch for the stairway lights once sat.
My Little Collection of Knobs and Tubes, Looking a Bit Like a Pile of Shellfish
Dave and John have been helping me collect knobs and tubes during this remodel. Here are the ones I've collected so far, washed and drying in the drying rack. After I took this picture, I found another seven tubes and about a dozen knobs. I still need to wash those.
The Shower Improved
Ahh, I decided I could screw a big hook into the ceiling and turn the handheld shower into a real shower. Once I finish writing this (I've moved into tomorrow now, and it's almost 1 am), I'll take a shower to make sure it works!
A Closeup of the Shower and How I Improved It
Here's a closeup so you can see what I've done. This hook I have screwed into a board in the ceiling.
The Bathroom Fixtures Waiting (in the Garage) for the Bathroom
I almost forgot that Dave told me that our bathroom pieces came today: tub, vanity, toilet, and all the other fixtures. These are now taking up the bay in the garage reserved for my car. Not a big deal, really, since it hasn't snowed much at all this year, and spring (such as it is) is almost here.
Unless we get one of those end-of-March blizzards this month.
honi soit qui mal y pense
posted by Geofhuth at 11:13 PM
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