Another look at what's important.

Well, I took quite a plunge just now. I hope I did the right thing. I've done a lot of research in the past few days and have decided to go green and healthy when it comes to the paint I use on and in my house and on my floors.
I just got the following from solventfreepaint.com:
Item Name: Boiled Linseed Oil 5 Liters
Item Number: 50345
Quantity: 2

Item Name: Linseed Wax Liter
Item Number: 50020
Quantity: 3

Item Name: Le Tonkinois Linseed Varnish NO 1 2.5 Liter;item_number=0100
Quantity: 2

Item Name: Linseed Glazing 3 Liter
Item Number: 50380
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Custard Linseed Paint
Item Number: 50008
Quantity: 12

Item Name: White Linseed Paint 3 Gallon
Item Number: 50247
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Pail and Hanger
Item Number: 63722500
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Double Wide Mixed Brush
Item Number: 377200
Quantity: 2

Item Name: Adjustable 4ft to 6ft ANZA Handle
Item Number: 620016
Quantity: 2

Item Name: Wood Oil Linseed Paint Mixed Brush
Item Number: 313120
Quantity: 2

Item Name: Natural Oil Brush 1in
Item Number: 201030
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Natural Oil Brush 2in
Item Number: 201050
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Natural Oil Brush 1 3/8in
Item Number: 201040
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Linseed Soap 5 Liter
Item Number: 50433
Quantity: 1

Item Name: Raw Linseed Oil 5 Liter
Item Number: 50347
Quantity: 4

With any real good luck, it will get here this weekend so that I can start. The company representative said that the wood would be protected as soon as I get a coat of raw linseed oil on it. It would also help to soften the pealing paint already on the house. I am also getting a silent paint remover. Yes, biting the bullet. That I don't need as quickly since I was making an IR paint remover as well. Plenty of work to do (miles to go before I sleep and all like that). No boredom here. And I'll have lots of time to contemplate the world and my place in it while I scrape paint.

ZEN.

I suspect that I'll also end up using the real milk paint on the interior of the house, too. It's a terrible thing to find out about the healthy alternatives that work better than their modern cheap counterparts - guilt works at me until it is deafening and I can't stand it. Sigh. No more Lowes "Opps" paint for me. But then, apparently, I won't be needing it as often anyway.

Phew. Western Red Cedar Clapboard Siding!

Well, I came home to this:



and almost had an accident when I turned into the driveway because I was taken aback in such an abrupt, and black way. I know, I know, it's tarpaper. But I was not properly prepared to see my house clad head to toe in black. It is quite a change in appearance.

After working on the front a little, it looks like this:



which is not much better, I understand. But at least you can see that it is siding. What is less noticeable in the picture is that it is in very good shape. The tar paper is stuck to it like glue and there are only like a bajillion nails in it, but other than that, it is not rotten or anything.Looks like the house was a sage greenish color. It's a nice color! I may do that again.

The asbestos guy said he took the asbestos out up to the soffit line, but stopped at the gutters and soffit because he didn't know my intentions for the house and thought I might want to keep my soffits. I said, no. I want to keep none of the asbestos and any soffit casualty is ok, so please return to finish the job. Please stay tuned on what is under the soffits when Asbestos Management Corporation from Lenior City comes back and they come down... Harry Gilman, the owner, seems very nice and he said there would be no additional charge since he had quoted me for the whole house. They will come back out - working me in between other corporate jobs.

I wonder if there are exposed rafter tails under there then??? The suspense is killing me. As much as I hate to have the house in a state of disassembly, I don't want to have broken asbestos shingles lurking anywhere. Is it weird to imagine asbestos as a beast?

Also the asbestos registers inside the house were not easily removable, like I thought they were. Harry came over on Saturday and I showed the registers to him and, well, he showed me that it was going to be more involved. I felt bad to have wasted his gas on a Saturday. He thinks they can get to it with a full crew when they come back for the soffit asbestos.

I had this crazy thought - the attic space is so hot and there is no ridge vent. Why??? Did they just do that that way back then? Or, was some ventilation system shorted so to speak by enclosing exposed rafter tails in a non-vented boxed plywood soffit? I welcome commentary on this. :)