Day Twenty-Three: Dealing with Leaks, Framing the Argument
I'll try to be quick tonight, since I'm running out of time to get things done.
First, I stayed home today, so I was able to talk to Dave and John a little. They're framing the bathroom in preparation for Tom's appearance on Thursday to do the plumbing. The whole process of getting the rooms ready (plumb and square) has taken them much longer than they had imagined. If I felt like it, I might despair right now, because the process is moving a bit out of control and I'm worried the bathroom will feel tiny very soon. More on that in a second.
<
The True Source of Our Leak (I Hope)
Today, it rained, so the leak reappeared in the ceiling of the bathroom. Once I saw the exact point of the leak, I took out my tape measure (as opposed to the feminine measuring tape) and measured from the alleyside wall to the drip: 75 inches. Then I went to the upstairs bathroom, measured from the same wall out, and looked out the window right at that point. What I saw was this foot of an ice-catcher, which had lifted up off the room a bit. I assumed that was the source of the leak.
<
The Void Sealed (I Hope)
John gave me some Blackjack, so I climbed out on the roof with a caulking gun and sealed up the void. Or at least I thought I had. I wasn't quite sure, because later it seemed that I hadn't sealed one edge of the foot. Unfortunately, the guys were gone by then, so I'm living with it for now.
<
The Dampness Where the Leak Resided
The good news is that I'm pretty sure I've sealed the leak, because it rained pretty hard today, and the picture above shows how much the spot continued to leak: Not at all, but it still looked damp. So either the leak is stopped, or it is significantly slowed.
<
Testing the Seal of the Repair
I even set the hose of the shower out on the roof and soaked it for a few minutes, yet no drips re-started.
<
The New Framing in the Bathroom
Dave and John spent the day framing the bathroom. To make everything square, they have had to move everything inward, making the bathroom smaller. Some of this is but illusion. I've grown too accustomed to a bathroom without walls. But some of this is very real. Even now, without the tile floor and without a ceiling, I can almost touch the ceiling by raising my arm, even if I keep my feet flat on the floor.
<
The Framing between the Bathroom and the Laundry Room Behind it
Here's the framing between the bathroom and the rear part of the bathroom, which will be the laundry room for us. This space seems very crowded right now, and I'm not at all sure that the light will come through the opening between the two rooms and actually illuminate the bathroom well. Hence, the considering of despair.
<
A Bit of Rejoisting in the Ceiling of the Bathroom
Here's the secret to the slowness of this project: Nothing in this house can be trusted. The guys will be adding new joists to this ceiling just to make sure it doesn't collapse. Part of the weakness of the ceiling was caused by old wood, and part by the last remodeling job in these parts.
The Repair to the Corner Where the Rotten Wood Lay
There still is some dried but rotted wood in this corner of the bathroom (the corner where the washing machine will soon sit), but it's hidden by this slab of plywood. Adding this plywood was a lot faster than taking out the old wood.
<
The Garbage Awaits
After the guys left today, I noticed that they hadn't taken my bags of refuse with them. Maybe tomorrow. They did take the garbage can filled with lath and other garbage, though.
honi soit qui mal y pense
First, I stayed home today, so I was able to talk to Dave and John a little. They're framing the bathroom in preparation for Tom's appearance on Thursday to do the plumbing. The whole process of getting the rooms ready (plumb and square) has taken them much longer than they had imagined. If I felt like it, I might despair right now, because the process is moving a bit out of control and I'm worried the bathroom will feel tiny very soon. More on that in a second.
The True Source of Our Leak (I Hope)
Today, it rained, so the leak reappeared in the ceiling of the bathroom. Once I saw the exact point of the leak, I took out my tape measure (as opposed to the feminine measuring tape) and measured from the alleyside wall to the drip: 75 inches. Then I went to the upstairs bathroom, measured from the same wall out, and looked out the window right at that point. What I saw was this foot of an ice-catcher, which had lifted up off the room a bit. I assumed that was the source of the leak.
The Void Sealed (I Hope)
John gave me some Blackjack, so I climbed out on the roof with a caulking gun and sealed up the void. Or at least I thought I had. I wasn't quite sure, because later it seemed that I hadn't sealed one edge of the foot. Unfortunately, the guys were gone by then, so I'm living with it for now.
The Dampness Where the Leak Resided
The good news is that I'm pretty sure I've sealed the leak, because it rained pretty hard today, and the picture above shows how much the spot continued to leak: Not at all, but it still looked damp. So either the leak is stopped, or it is significantly slowed.
Testing the Seal of the Repair
I even set the hose of the shower out on the roof and soaked it for a few minutes, yet no drips re-started.
The New Framing in the Bathroom
Dave and John spent the day framing the bathroom. To make everything square, they have had to move everything inward, making the bathroom smaller. Some of this is but illusion. I've grown too accustomed to a bathroom without walls. But some of this is very real. Even now, without the tile floor and without a ceiling, I can almost touch the ceiling by raising my arm, even if I keep my feet flat on the floor.
The Framing between the Bathroom and the Laundry Room Behind it
Here's the framing between the bathroom and the rear part of the bathroom, which will be the laundry room for us. This space seems very crowded right now, and I'm not at all sure that the light will come through the opening between the two rooms and actually illuminate the bathroom well. Hence, the considering of despair.
A Bit of Rejoisting in the Ceiling of the Bathroom
Here's the secret to the slowness of this project: Nothing in this house can be trusted. The guys will be adding new joists to this ceiling just to make sure it doesn't collapse. Part of the weakness of the ceiling was caused by old wood, and part by the last remodeling job in these parts.
The Repair to the Corner Where the Rotten Wood Lay
There still is some dried but rotted wood in this corner of the bathroom (the corner where the washing machine will soon sit), but it's hidden by this slab of plywood. Adding this plywood was a lot faster than taking out the old wood.
The Garbage Awaits
After the guys left today, I noticed that they hadn't taken my bags of refuse with them. Maybe tomorrow. They did take the garbage can filled with lath and other garbage, though.
honi soit qui mal y pense
posted by Geofhuth at 9:32 PM
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