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January 28, 2006
Notes to self
Note #1: Not having a window in the bathroom isn't necessarily a bad thing. Having a bath in a tub that's directly underneath a very drafty window is not a pleasant experience, especially when the wind is blowing directly against the window. :-(
Note #2: In addition to detailing what we did on any given day/project, I should likely also be adding more details regarding how we did what we did. Not only would this be useful for us (so that we remember how we did x, but I hope that those who arrive here via search engines looking for things like " remove+rotten+bathroom+plywood" will find something useful. And, considering the number of pictures that I'm prone to taking, I could then get some of my photos off my laptop and onto the server, thus clearing up space for more photos ;-)
Note #3: Do not get too irate with chauvanist salesman, even those who blatantly lie to you. As Dad's always said, one displeased customer can undo the good work of ten pleased customers. I don't appreciate being called "little lady," nor do I appreciate being told, 2"x10" doesn't come in 20-foot lengths. Why on earth would you want such a thing anyways, ma'am? You really should leave big construction projects to us men. It is far more effective and efficient to refuse to frequent the businesses at which they are employed. I won't name the building supply dealer in question because, unfortunately, it's part of the same chain as my parents' business . . . although deductive reasoning leaves only one option here in Saskatoon.
Note #4: Surfing HouseBlogs.net, while entertaining, doesn't get marking finished. Those assignments won't mark themselves. And, tempting as it is to use the Tasha method of marking (how many investigatory sniffles does it get?), that's just not right, especially considering the amount of effort that the students put into these assignments. It's not the content, but the horrendous handwriting (as these are in-class assignments) that's putting me off. *sigh*
Note #5: Last, but definitely not least, is a reminder that Varathane's new Premium Wood Stains have actual samples available for testing (which look like they'll cover between 4 and 6 square inches). No more guess-work or barely touched 1/2 pint cans of weird stain colours! I can hardly wait to test these out.
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Frosty house
We had some really impressive hoar frost earlier this month, most of it on days that we hadn't been able to make it out to the house. I was quite disappointed, as the frost here in the city was gorgeous, and I wanted pictures of the new house with all the frost.
I spoke yesterday morning with Mel from Aberdeen Agencies, who later emailed me several pictures of the house. We're very glad that he stopped to take them. Thanks Mel!
Posted by plainstext at 09:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 27, 2006
Back slowly away from the books . . .
I'll admit to a long standing obsession with books, which has in no way been alleviated by the acquisition of this house. Now, in addition to my previous research topics, I've gained a new one: the Arts & Crafts movement, particularly on the Canadian prairies. For most people this wouldn't be a problem but, at the rate that I acquire hoard books, it's definitely a problem (albeit in a good way) for me.
I'm still slowly working my way through the large stack of books that I brought home from the university library a couple of weeks ago (and taking shameless advantage of my graduate student's interlibrary loans privileges). Whereas previously I had but vague ideas about what the house should look like when complete, now I've got the opposite problem. Too many ideas, too little time/space/money/etc. I'm sure that this is a not uncommon problem amongst those of us who have undertaken renovations, whatever the scale.
During the course of my preliminary research (which is preliminary solely because it has yet to earn a dedicated filing crate and computerized folder), I've come across some exceptional books, the kind that I can spend hour upon hour thumbing through, seeing something new each and every time. I've had this experience previously with literary texts (which is one of the reasons I'm doing an M.A. in English), but not (at least to this extent) with more pictorally-oriented texts. I'm learning to read with a new eye, for both text and, for lack of a better term, texture. Like many things in life, the historical rehabilitation that Dana & I are undertaking is a learning experience, in more ways than one. The sacrifices we make whilst making this house our home will be more than worth it because of the many lessons that we'll learn along the way.
Tasha's sole comment to this sleepy philosophical bent is a resounding and surprisingly lengthy snore ;-)
Posted by plainstext at 07:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 26, 2006
Didn't you hear what I said?
Trent & I went this afternoon to pick up plumbing bits for tomorrow's project--installing a new main shut off valve for the house. The incoming line is rolled copper pipe (as evidenced by its curves and verdigris, among other things). We didn't measure it the last time that we were out there (I know, I know, we should've done this, but hindsight's 20-20, n'est-ce pas?), so we're not entirely sure as to what size it is. It's definitely not 1/2" ID, as that's what's directly beside it. It's bigger, but we don't think it's 3/4" ID, as there doesn't appear to be that much difference between the two.
When we asked the fellow (obviously on commission--way too much hovering) for 5/8" fittings, he automatically assumed that we were talking about 5/8" OD (which is 1/2" ID). It took us five minutes to convince him that that wasn't what we wanted (not to mention that we really did know what we were talking about, as the intake line isn't 1/2" ID, nor is it 3/4" ID). He actually told us that 5/8" ID copper pipe didn't exist (*sigh*), then eventually went to find another salesman . . . we left with a bunch of fittings, but I'm not convinced that they're the right ones. I'm seriously contemplating leaving the existing malfunctioning gate valve in place and adding the new one after it, just because that'll be less hassle. Yes, I know that it's the easy way out (which is one reason we've had so many problems with this house), but the fitting isn't leaking, it just won't shut off . . . so there's no reason that it can't stay where it is, at least for the time being. Regardless, tomorrow I'll get the town foreman to come out to inspect the water meter. But, knowing my luck, it'll be bone dry when he comes to look at it. Hmmm . . . can you tell that I'm not too particularly fond of plumbing? ;-)
On the plus side, we spent some time this afternoon drooling over bathtubs. We won't know how much space we've really got until we get the uber-hideous fire-engine tub out of its existing home, so there's no point deciding what's going into that space until we know exactly how big it is. I've seen some nice ones, but not any that I'm really enamoured of, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Posted by plainstext at 09:24 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 23, 2006
Of water meters and shut off valves
I just got off the phone with the town foreman, and have tentatively scheduled for the water to be turned off at the street on Friday. He'll check/fix the water meter at that time, but I have to install a new shut off valve, as it appears that the valve, even though it's before the water meter, is mine. However, this means that we should be able to move everything, meter included, inside the new basement wall, which will make insulating much, much easier.
It's hard to tell how badly the meter is leaking, and where. The bottom of the meter is always damp, and there's a damp spot on the floor, directly below the meter, that just never seems to dry out. The fact that the bottom of the meter, as seen below, is in such bad shape doesn't help matters any.
Posted by plainstext at 11:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 22, 2006
Back to square one
Well, not entirely. But, we're now almost at the same point with the basement bathroom as we were when we took possession of the house. Except for the fact that the toilet doesn't leak all over the place, the walls are flat and straight, and there's actually a floor, not just bare concrete with patches of prairie clay poking through. Here's the "before" picture.
Next is where we were at following yesterday's work--subfloor laid, floor levelled, drains installed, and set to re-install the toilet. The subfloor's framed with green treated 2"x4"s, laid on edge, which gave us enough clearance to level the floor, and leaves enough space that the floor won't be impacted by any ground water seepage.
Here's where we left off today. I'm impressed that the only thing we dropped down the open drain was a flat washer, for which we managed to find a replacement. Trent struggled a bit when he went to seat the toilet, because the wax seal was at basement room temperature (significantly cooler than what the recommended room temperature would have been) and because we had a few problems getting the toilet bolts to stay in their proper positions inside the flange.
We won't finish this bathroom off for a few weeks, as we've got to install the new beam directly over top of the toilet. We don't want to have to work around the sink/vanity, walls, or the door, so those will have to wait until after the beam's in place. As well, I'll replace the window as soon as the energy inspection is done, which is supposed to be the 30th of January. It definitely hasn't come soon enough, as the house is leaking heat at an alarming rate, as evidenced by our reading of the natural gas meter this afternoon. Ouch!
We're not entirely sure that the previous owner even had the heat turned on in the house. The thermostat's set at 50F when we're not there and the hot water tank's set to pilot, and we've used significantly more gas than SaskEnergy had estimated, which is not a good thing, especially when the winter's been as warm as it has.
One last brief item is a photo of the pond in our basement. It's shrunk considerably since yesterday, so I decided that it wasn't worth the effort to attempt to mop up what was left of it. Still, it covers a fairly large area, albeit at a much lesser depth than it did yesterday.
Posted by plainstext at 09:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 21, 2006
In-house pond
*sigh* It's not every day that you walk down the basement stairs, look into the old cold room, and find your very own in-house pond, especially when the high for the day is a balmy -22C. We currently have a 1-1/2" to 2" deep pond, about 12 feet long and 5 feet wide, in the middle of the cold room . . . underneath the main floor bathroom.
This leaves little doubt that the main water shut-off for the house is faulty. In the 30 minutes or so between the time Dana cut the cold water pipe in the bathroom and our discovery that it was leaking significantly, we managed to end up with all of this water in the basement. As we only saw the water on the bathroom floor, we assumed* (incorrectly) that the shut off valve was at least partially functioning. Thankfully, the in-line shut off that Dana & I installed, after discovering the problem, appears to have worked, so the only water that's in the basement is what ended up there yesterday afternoon. It's a good thing that we stuck around to clean up, as I hate to think of the amount of water we'd have had down there if we'd left for the night. No pictures, though, as I left the digital camera sitting on my desk in Saskatoon :-( Although I'm sure that the water won't have magically evaporated by tomorrow morning.
On the plus side, the area of the basement that's flooded is almost entirely separated from the rest of the basement by 6" thick concrete walls. And, because we're finished, for the time being, with the laundry room, there's nothing in there but a pile of old bricks left by the previous owner. So, the water won't hurt anything, but I'll likely mop up tomorrow any that's still there, just because the idea of having our own personal interior pond is a bit creepy.
No sign today of the town foreman, so I guess I'm going to have to call the town office on Monday to make sure that this gets dealt with. Tomorrow's plumbing involves stuff that we've already put in-line shut offs on, so we should be able to get the basement bathroom's toilet and sink installed without issues.
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* As Dad has always said, to assume anything makes an "ass" of "u" and "me". I should know better by now, especially when dealing with plumbing, to triple check everything.
Posted by plainstext at 08:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 20, 2006
Bathroom demolition, phase two
We went out to the house today expecting the worst, thinking that we'd be spending a considerable portion of time very carefully cleaning up what we envisioned to be an horrendous amount of mouse poop. It seems, however, that the worst of it was what fell on top of my head last Friday.
We shovelled back the cellulose insulation from the front of the attic storage space, over top of the bathroom, to ensure that, if there were sizable holes between the two spaces, we wouldn't be showered with cellulose (and worse). Then Dana carefully removed the ceiling tiles while I stuffed them into a monsterous garbage bag. We managed to make very little mess during this entire process, and discovered only miniscule evidence of ancient mice.
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While I cleaned up the mess from my previous demolition, Dana dismantled the bathroom cabinets, then removed a good portion of the drywall between the bathroom and kitchen. We've made a bit of a mess, especially considering that the main water shut off for the house is definitely not working, which resulted in a sizable pool of water around the recently cut cold water line :-(
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On the plus side, we stopped at the town office on our way back in to Saskatoon, and it sounds like the town foreman will be out sometime tomorrow to deal with the faulty shut off and, hopefully, the leaking water meter.
Posted by plainstext at 03:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 18, 2006
Multiple kitchen floor plans
This is the layout of the kitchen as it currently stands. The kitchen table lives underneath the large window on the west side (the top of the drawing is north). There's just enough space for a half dozen adults to sit around it, but it's far too cozy for my liking. Plus, counter space is very limited. Regardless of what happens to the kitchen, the fridge will move beside the stove and we'll install a dishwasher in the fridge's place, gaining 32 inches of counterspace on the west wall.
The next image, our first option for renovation (and Dana's preferred option), involves a tightening up of the bathroom so that we can install cabinets along either the north wall (as shown) and possibly extend these around the corner to the edge of the bathroom door. I'd like to add a built-in book case at the south end of the bathroom, as that space isn't really all that useful, and it would give me somewhere to put cook books, along with some of my good dishes and crystal. Leaving the bathroom at 4 pieces means that we wouldn't have to add another bathroom, aside from the planned master bedroom ensuite upstairs. But, I'm not convinced that having a tub & shower off of the kitchen is a good idea. On the plus side, at least you won't be looking directly into the bathroom from the kitchen table.
The second option, and the one that I'm leaning towards, turns the bathroom off of the kitchen into a two piece powder room, opening up enough space to put the kitchen table in the north-west corner of the kitchen. We can't get around having the door in the middle of the wall because of where the chimney is. But, while I'm not particularly fond of this, having more space for the table, and gaining the 32 inches of counter space mentioned above (for dishwasher) plus another five feet, is more important, at least to me. As with the first option, we'll build a bookcase into the wall at the south end of the bathroom.
If we go with this option, we're going to have to add a three- or four-piece bathroom in between the two main floor bedrooms (which is entirely feasible), likely opening up into both bedrooms (pocket door into master, 28" standard door into guest). This option begets further complications because the upstairs bedroom would also have to have access to a full bathroom, without having to traipse through either the planned upstairs master bedroom (which will likely have its own ensuite) or one of the downstairs bedrooms, necessitating the addition of yet another bathroom--not, however, that there isn't room to do so. We won't have to decide what we're doing upstairs for a while, as we'll make sure that, whatever we do, we'll have easy access to both a plumbing stack and hot/cold water. It's the main floor that we're going to have to deal with in the next several weeks, once the basement beam and bathroom have been completed.
Posted by plainstext at 03:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 16, 2006
Kitchen potentialities
We're trying to do everything possible to increase the usable floor space in the kitchen. As I've already mentioned, the closet on the following drawing has been removed and we're hoping that, within the next several weeks (after installation of the basement's beam and the completion of the basement bathroom) we'll get to the point that we're going to operate on the bathroom off of the kitchen.
We have two options: keep this bathroom as stands (with tub/shower, sink, and toilet) or turn it into a powder room (with pedastal sink and toilet) in the space that the tub currently occupies. If we leave the bathroom as is, we won't have to create another 4-piece bathroom on the second floor (in addition to the planned addition of an ensuite to the future master bedroom). If we significantly decrease the size of the bathroom, we gain about 50 square feet of floor space to the right of the old closet, which would give us enough room to put a kitchen table there, clearing up the space underneath the large west window, which would then become countertop. Drawings to come, likely later this week.
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Posted by plainstext at 06:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 13, 2006
Bathroom demolition, phase one
Amongst my other projects today was the removal of the mirrored tiles and the linoleum (walls and floor) from the main floor bathroom. I will admit that this was done with more than a small amount of glee. I literally tore the lino off of the walls and cabinetry, then pried up the sticky floor tiles with a scraper and heat gun (a smelly, sticky job). Then, I attempted to remove (intact) the multiple mirrored tiles, managing to break far fewer than I'd anticipated.
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There's some mold on the wall behind the toilet, but it's not as bad as we'd feared it would be. It appears that the wax seal has been seeping and, as we're not living there right now, this should dry out, at least to some extent.
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The worst problem, which necessitated an earlier trip back to the city than I'd planned, was the bathroom ceiling. The previous owner, at some point in time, installed ceiling tiles throughout the main floor of the house. Those in the bathroom were sagging considerably, so I decided that they, too, needed to be removed.
This was a very bad plan. I'm not, at this point, entirely sure as to what's going on up there, but it's not good. When I finally managed to pull down one of the tiles, I was showered with seeds and mouse turds. Yuck. So, out came the ShopVac to clean up the mess. Without taking down more tiles, which is going to be a two-person job to keep the mess to a minimum, I can only speculate as to what the problem is.
As the bathroom is below the narrow attic storage area that runs the length of the house, I'm assuming that this is where the debris originated. We know that the previous owner had mice up there (likely because the roof sucked . . . but that's an entirely different story), living in with the cellulose stuff that's masquerading as insulation.
It appears that the original ceiling plaster (in blue in the following photo) was badly damaged, so the previous owner fixed it with his favourite--plywood. The plywood is nailed, with short roofing nails, into what remains of the plaster and it's this, not just the tiles, that appears to have separated from the ceiling. I don't think that we'll really know what's going on until we shovel the cellulose away from the bathroom ceiling (on the attic side) and get the rest of the ceiling tiles removed.
Posted by plainstext at 10:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Closet-ectomy
As it's been over a week since I'd been out to the house to work, I went on a demolition spree this morning. First to go was the closet between the kitchen and mud room, which had irritated me from the day I first saw it. Blech.
After a bit of persuasion, one smashed finger, and a dog miffed about random bits of falling detritus, the closet is gone. I can't believe how much bigger the kitchen feels, especially considering that the closet was 20-1/8" wide by 56-1/2" long--that's not really all that much space (7.9 sq ft).
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Posted by plainstext at 10:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 11, 2006
A good mechanic . . .
. . . is worth his weight in gold. I haven't got any work done on the house over the last few days because our mechanic had suspected that my truck had a blown head gasket. I took it in this morning for a pressure test, and was out in 15 minutes. The cleanout tee for the radiator was loose and leaking onto the exhaust. They tightened it back up, then sent me on my way. Many thanks to Randy & the guys at Thane's, to whom I owe many thanks, and yet more donuts ;-)
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January 10, 2006
Floor plans
I've admitted defeat at the hands of computerized graphical house plan programs, and have resorted to the tried and true hand-drawn version. Dana's dad has kindly offered to create computerized versions, via AutoCAD. But, for the time being, here are my not so pretty versions of the house as it was when we took possession. New, revised drawings will follow shortly.
Posted by plainstext at 10:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
No more boiling water!
Thankfully, we're no longer under a boil-water advisory. Interesting, though, that the placement of the advisory was widely publicized, even making the weekend's edition of The Globe and Mail, yet we didn't hear about this until today. After the Walkerton water scandal, everyone's on edge when it comes to water contamination. Maybe I'm expecting too much of the popular media, wherein sensationalism sells, but I would've liked to have seen the same level of coverage of the lifting of the advisory as there was regarding its enactment.
The boil water advisory in Aberdeen was lifted Saturday, after further testing showed no signs of the E. coli bacteria.
A second test on Friday found the water was clear, but Public Health Services kept the advisory in place as a precautionary measure. Once the results of a third test confirmed the lack of E. coli on Saturday, the advisory was lifted.
Aberdeen Mayor Glen Ogilvy is pleased with the announcement.
"The water has always been safe and it continues to be safe and we're glad to say that," he said. "The good thing is that the system does work," he added. "It gives us . . . good practice for a potential problem in the future."
The peewee hockey tournament held in Aberdeen on the weekend went very well, despite the advisory, said Ogilvy.
Small pumps were brought in to get safe drinking water into the hot chocolate machine as quickly as the athletes and visitors could drink it. Bottled water was handed out, along with papers informing visitors of the advisory. Organizers "handled it very well," he said.
How the initial sample was contaminated is still unknown. An investigation of the area from which it was drawn and of the testing steps taken will continue. Also, said Ogilvy, the town will be double-checking its sample-taking procedure.
Source: Saskatoon Star Phoenix, 10 January 2006.
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January 07, 2006
A sudden flash of . . . darkness?
I honestly thought that I'd blown a breaker when the light bulb died in the kitchen fixture of the place we're renting. There was a bright flash and a puff of smoke. I don't think that I've ever seen a light bulb die quite so . . . flamboyantly.
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January 06, 2006
You know you're having a bad week when . . .
I had hoped that it wasn't true, but I now have confirmation, thanks to SaskH20, that Aberdeen is currently under a boil water advisory due to the presence of Escherichia coli. Neither SaskHealth nor the town/RM are sure as to exactly how this happened, nor do they have any idea as to when the advisory will be lifted. Not only is this a pain for the residents, but this weekend there's also a large minor hockey tournament scheduled for the new rec. complex . . . this definitely isn't the first impression that the town wants to make, especially when it's hoping to become the next bedroom community for Saskatoon. :-(
This just hasn't been a good week (or a good start to the year)--Dana's cousin Fara passed away unexpectedly on the 4th (funeral tomorrow), Dana's been arguing all week with the bank about his student loans (and the bank's blatant ineptitude), I discovered this morning that my truck appears to have a blown head gasket (which we won't know for sure until it's pressure tested on the 11th), and, according to Bob, someone (or several someones) stole the bumper, headlights, winch, license plate, etc. from the front of the F550 last night while it was parked in the lot at our store.
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January 05, 2006
Expect the worst . . .
. . . and you won't be too horrified at what you uncover in an old house. Or, at least that's what I've learned so far whilst undertaking renovations on this old house of ours. When I pulled up (via heat gun) a half dozen of the vinyl tiles from the kitchen floor, I was prepared for something similar to what I'd found in the laundry room.
There had been five leaks under the sink when we took possession and, considering the state of the two floor joists underneath the sink, I was definitely prepared for and expecting the worst. We'd even begun considering how we'd save as much of the hardwood as possible, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, aside from the two strips closest to the sink, the floor is actually in fairly good shape. A good sanding, and perhaps a coat of stain, and it should look pretty good.
Posted by plainstext at 09:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Bright & Frosty Day
There are those who would question my sanity, but one of the things that I love about living in Saskatchewan is the winters. There's nothing quite like a crisp, cold, sunny winter's day. And, when the conditions are just right for hoar frost, even the most mundane of things becomes breathtaking.
Posted by plainstext at 08:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 03, 2006
Trenches, beams, and walls . . . oh my!
We've been debating, since we bought the house, as to the best method for ensuring that the horizontal cracks in the basement walls don't result in structural failure. We've dealt with the source of the bulk of the problem (lack of eavestroughing), and will deal with the surface drainage issue as soon as the ground is thawed.
We were faced with several different options. We could support the house from within, dig out the offending wall, and repour it. Or, we could dig a trench along the offending wall, install weeping tile, and push the wall out (from the inside) so that the top was once more directly over the bottom. We decided that both of these options, while feasible, were entirely too much work. If we were going to dig out and replace one wall, we may as well have replaced them all, and poured a new floor at the same time.
While we're not going to, as Andy put it, "build a mighty beam," we are going to put a beam in place, just inside the existing foundation. This will entail digging more holes in the concrete floor (*sigh*), but we should be able to get away with three 7'-9' jackposts and a tripartite 2"x10" beam. I'll take the appropriate measurements tomorrow, after which we'll consult with William to ensure that we're going to be doing everything properly. Thankfully, this means that we'll have the foundation issues addressed before spring thaw. The wall will still be ugly and cracked, but at least we'll be sure that the house won't fall in around our ears. We'll make sure to take lots of pictures, so that when we sell the house we'll be able to show the nature of the existing wall and the steps that were taken to rectify the problem.
If you look closely at the following pictures, you should be able to see the large horizontal crack that runs about 2-1/2 feet below the window. This is the offending wall that has occasioned the preceeding discussion, and ensuing construction, to remedy any future/potential structural failure.*
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* If you hadn't already guessed, this particular sentence reveals, without a doubt, that my area of specialization is English (not renovating) ;-)
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