Day Twenty-One: A Note and a Knot
Today's talk with George included a surprise. Sure, we talked about windows, as expected. He told me that he was ordering 26" wide by 39" high windows for the two existing window openings in the kitchen. But George wanted to know if we'd like the window in the kitchen to be the same size as those or a little bit wider. We opted for a window at the back end of the kitchen that was 30" wide by 39" high--to afford us a bit more light.
George also spoke to me about the electrical wiring in the house. The electrical inspector from the city came today and he will not be requiring us to replace all the knob and tube wiring. He merely said that it would "be nice" to replace is and that he might require us to write a letter noting that we decided ourselves not to replace all that old wiring. When I told Nancy this story, she told me she thought we would have no more k&t wiring in the house after this project was done. So I asked George how much it would cost to take out all that old wiring. His estimate of $6K to $10K kept us from considering that idea any further.
The big surprise from George was that there was a steady leak in the bathroom today, during a day-long rainstorm. Great news, I thought. George told me that the leak was coming from the blocked off knee wall in the third-floor kitchen and recommended that I open it up to try to follow the leak. More on that later.
Finally, I asked George to figure out how much it would cost us to re-side in vinyl only the back of the house, without the side porch, and then to subtract from that the cost of putting up the new aluminum siding to cover the holes in the back of the house. Maybe, just maybe, the additional cost isn't quite too much. We'll see.
Some of the Rockwool, Lath, and Plaster Stuffed into the Space under the Roof
I had a late day at work today (leaving at 6 pm, eleven and a half hours after arriving there), but soon after arriving home I went upstairs and cut a hole in the wall of the bathroom. What did I discover? That the space behind the wall was stuffed with construction debris, like every other part of the house. And I discovered that the leak didn't come from in there, that the leak began further out from the alleyside wall. I poked my head out the window near where I expected to find the leak and discovered that the roof was reasonably good, but that the wooden sill out there was paintless, soaking wet, and rotten. So maybe I've discovered the source of the leak, and yet another problem with the house.
The Hole in the Wall Semi-Repaired
After using my hole in the wall, I was able to return the piece of plaster with nearly no problem at all.
Before I got home this afternoon, Nancy said she couldn't see what work the guys had done today. I said I'd figure it out after I got home. I immediately discovered that they had removed the garbage from the side of the house (and supposedly everywhere else), so that was a big job by itself. But I found other stuff they had done as well.
Note from Dave to Me
I went in the second-floor bathroom to see what they had done. I found this board with a not to me from Dave. The note explains that I might find some lath and plaster in the space I open up. He was better than right. I found the area stuffed full of this junk.
The Nest of Lath, Rockwool, and Plaster Where the Old Kitchen Fan Vented
Here's why Dave thought I'd find that junk on the third floor: He could see in peeking out of the space where the last remodeler has stuffed the end of the bathroom fan's vent.
The Back Wall of the Bathroom Cleared of Insulation
The guys also finished removing the insulation from the walls and ceilings, the first step to reconstructing these damaged areas. Parts of the exterior walls have rotted wood. And in the ceiling, some of the joists are so heavily notched that it's a miracle the floor works.
The Giant Window We Will Never See Out Of
The guys also uncovered the giant window we have just decided to leave closed for all time. This is a huge window, so it sure would have been difficult to open it up and still use the bathroom.
The Basement, Free of Pipe and Wire
And here's the basement cleared of that huge quantity of pipe and wire.
The First Casualty: Nancy's Wineglass
Finally, as I was putting away the dishes today, ferrying bits back to the kitchen area in the basement, Nancy's wineglass fell from its perch and shattered into pieces--when I wasn't even in the same room.
honi soit qui mal y pense
George also spoke to me about the electrical wiring in the house. The electrical inspector from the city came today and he will not be requiring us to replace all the knob and tube wiring. He merely said that it would "be nice" to replace is and that he might require us to write a letter noting that we decided ourselves not to replace all that old wiring. When I told Nancy this story, she told me she thought we would have no more k&t wiring in the house after this project was done. So I asked George how much it would cost to take out all that old wiring. His estimate of $6K to $10K kept us from considering that idea any further.
The big surprise from George was that there was a steady leak in the bathroom today, during a day-long rainstorm. Great news, I thought. George told me that the leak was coming from the blocked off knee wall in the third-floor kitchen and recommended that I open it up to try to follow the leak. More on that later.
Finally, I asked George to figure out how much it would cost us to re-side in vinyl only the back of the house, without the side porch, and then to subtract from that the cost of putting up the new aluminum siding to cover the holes in the back of the house. Maybe, just maybe, the additional cost isn't quite too much. We'll see.
Some of the Rockwool, Lath, and Plaster Stuffed into the Space under the Roof
I had a late day at work today (leaving at 6 pm, eleven and a half hours after arriving there), but soon after arriving home I went upstairs and cut a hole in the wall of the bathroom. What did I discover? That the space behind the wall was stuffed with construction debris, like every other part of the house. And I discovered that the leak didn't come from in there, that the leak began further out from the alleyside wall. I poked my head out the window near where I expected to find the leak and discovered that the roof was reasonably good, but that the wooden sill out there was paintless, soaking wet, and rotten. So maybe I've discovered the source of the leak, and yet another problem with the house.
The Hole in the Wall Semi-Repaired
After using my hole in the wall, I was able to return the piece of plaster with nearly no problem at all.
Before I got home this afternoon, Nancy said she couldn't see what work the guys had done today. I said I'd figure it out after I got home. I immediately discovered that they had removed the garbage from the side of the house (and supposedly everywhere else), so that was a big job by itself. But I found other stuff they had done as well.
Note from Dave to Me
I went in the second-floor bathroom to see what they had done. I found this board with a not to me from Dave. The note explains that I might find some lath and plaster in the space I open up. He was better than right. I found the area stuffed full of this junk.
The Nest of Lath, Rockwool, and Plaster Where the Old Kitchen Fan Vented
Here's why Dave thought I'd find that junk on the third floor: He could see in peeking out of the space where the last remodeler has stuffed the end of the bathroom fan's vent.
The Back Wall of the Bathroom Cleared of Insulation
The guys also finished removing the insulation from the walls and ceilings, the first step to reconstructing these damaged areas. Parts of the exterior walls have rotted wood. And in the ceiling, some of the joists are so heavily notched that it's a miracle the floor works.
The Giant Window We Will Never See Out Of
The guys also uncovered the giant window we have just decided to leave closed for all time. This is a huge window, so it sure would have been difficult to open it up and still use the bathroom.
The Basement, Free of Pipe and Wire
And here's the basement cleared of that huge quantity of pipe and wire.
The First Casualty: Nancy's Wineglass
Finally, as I was putting away the dishes today, ferrying bits back to the kitchen area in the basement, Nancy's wineglass fell from its perch and shattered into pieces--when I wasn't even in the same room.
honi soit qui mal y pense
posted by Geofhuth at 11:25 PM
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