Progress, regress, sidesteps, back burners

Yes, yes that's it in a nutshell. And I owe you some pictures, too, I suppose. I'm very sorry I have none prepared, but some are coming and my lack of attention to this website does not mean that there has been a lack of attention to the houses.

It just seems that way.

You know how sometimes you get to a spot where you realize there is so much to do that nothing seems big enough to make a dent - to be worthwhile doing? I was there, but I worked through it.

I actually have two houses right now, you see. I am trying like hell to move into this little bungalow, but the fates are conspiring against me so far. Still, I worked past a few mental blocks the past few weeks.

In the current house, I have to finish a few things. There was a SAGA. An unexpected loss. A tragedy, really. I'll start with the back porch.

THE BACK PORCH
The back porch is a screen room with a flat roof and decked floor overlooking and acre of wooded property. It is quite nice, really. The rafters are exposed from the inside of the room. I have a previously freecycled patio set that I sanded and painted with hammered finish rustoleum paint and made cushions for. I have various candles and statuary and lanterns. I plan on moving these things to the front porch of the bungalow. A few months ago (I am a master procrastinator!) a peice of the aluminum trim fell off the side of the outside of the porch. I bought a ladder. I planned on climbing up there and addressing the small amount of wood rot I saw with some sort of boracare or timbor and hardener and maybe sistering the thing and tacking the trim back on. Months pass and I'm getting ready to rent the place out, right? I finally climb up there. Dan climbs up there, too. Oh, it is rotted. Not just a little. CaRpEnTeR AnTs and the realization that the flat roof is in terrible shape. I should have had it replaced with the rest of the roof 3.5 years ago - hindsight is 50/50. Disappointment. Fatigue. Dan digs out the rotten boards and he keeps digging. It's worse than originally thought. I go inside and look at the rafters at the ends. The gutters are holding on by a thread. The ends of the rafters are rotten and there are mushrooms growing on the rotten soffit wood. Woe and misery. Dan tacks the trim back on and I call the exterminator in the morning to treat for the carpenter ants. Combat Pest Control out of Knoxville, TN is always so nice and professional, by the way. So, they recommend some people and I also call the people who did my roof in the first place. So Westbrook comes out to do the estimate and they were really nice. The first part of the estimate was to get the wood repaired, and that part came in low, so I thought the whole bid would be low, so then Matthew Millsaps came in to look at the job and I told them that I had a hard budget top of XYZ. They were also nice. Interesting to note that both places bid the same fix and same materials. Anyway, long story short, the bid was won by Matthew Millsaps by over $700! I mean, that was totally blown out of the water. Amazing how the places can vary in price. They did the original roof, so they will also warrent the connection between the two roofs, so that is better as well. I cannot believe that the other place wanted almost 1/3 more for the job. Pays to shop around. They start on Wednesday. This was an unexpected expense, but the back porch will have an EPDM fully adhered rubber roof with drip edge and the rotten parts will be removed, the rafter will be sistered and the porch edge will be cut back and the gutters reworked and cleaned out and the wooden soffit removed and the vinyl left in place (but cut back of course) and my roof will not have to be messed with for the next 30 years. Literally. Good Karma for me since I will probably sell this house - I did not cover over a problem.

THE BATHROOM
The hall bathroom in the big house I want to move OUT of had a problem when my parents were visiting. We had discovered rain in the basement and a leak of some magnitude in the drain of the hall bathroom that ruined the wall, the floor, the vanity, etc. The bathroom basically had to be semi-gutted. Another unexpected and unintended expense and "improvement". Dad and I started it. We removed the floor, the walls behind the vanity, we remediated the mold by removing it and we scraped the studs. We also sprayed lime sulfer on anything left over (very little). Dad and I then installed plywood subflooring and cementboard over that. Dad and I installed drywall where the wall was taken out. I then leveled the floor with two bags of leveling cement. Then the door would not close, so I cut off the end of the door and reinforced the bottom because it is hollow. Then Dad laid the 3x3" tile (sandstone color). I then grouted the floor (also in sandstone color). Dan and I installed the same toilet three times until we got it not to leak. We love installing toilets, and find it a soothing zen-like activity. We delight in things like finding out the bolts are too short or the rings not wide enough. We live for this stuff. I personally like how the excess wax ring residue that squirts through the mounting holes moisturizes my skin. :( There the forlorn hall bath sat for weeks until this past weekend. I finally got around to chiseling out the grout on the wall tile and regrouting! This is an activity that is almost as fun as installing toilets, but not quite. Now, I know that this may seem horrible to the purists out there, but I tried two kinds of grout for regrouting. Bear in mind that I did chisel out at least 1/8" depth of grout. I tried regular unsanded grout and it would not stick and was messy. Then I tried adhesive premixed grout in bright white - a winner. Not as bright as the regular grout and it seems to be more of a latex product, but it is ok for use in wet locations (good because this is in the shower!) and it went on smoothly and stuck in the joints! It almost stuck too well - I dropped some on the sandstone colored grout ont he floor and it took a lot of elbow greese to remove it. The entire hall bathroom has been regrouted now. Then Vincent and I brought up and installed the New Vanity. It matches the Wall Unit. It is "Sandlewood" in color and it is beautiful. Instead if the knobs it came with, we went for a custom look with fish shaped pewter knobs we ordered many moons ago. I was one short, but I called my Mom who had one extra (we liked them so much we all got fish knobs!). In that bathroom, I still have to wash off the grout haze, clean the bathtub, figure out why it won't drain (probably because of grout and cement - I will remove the trap underneath), install the molding around the floor perimeter and the granite countertop and sink and plumbing for said sink. I will also install the air vent and then will be finished. I'm 90% there.

THE ASBESTOS DEBACLE
So, this past Monday, I was very sick. I had a sinus and ear infection. The doc gave me methylprednisalone and some antibiotic that sounded more like a charitable organization: Omnicef. On the way back from the doctor's office I stopped by the tiny bungalow to drop off the PEX-A plumbing stuff that had just arrived and I thought I'd measure the window (or, rather, gaping hole in the side of my house). I was measuring the hole and CRUNCH and I looked down and asbestos was crunching under my feet. I looked up and asbestos shingle pieces were falling out of the soffits! I had hired a LICENSED asbestos abatement company to remove the asbestos transite siding from my house, but they decided to break off the pieces at the soffit level because they "didn't know what my intentions were for the house" and thought I would want to keep my soffits. Nice. No, I did not, I told them. I want the asbestos gone, please, all of it. They said no problem and they would be back at no charge to finish up. At that time, they would also get the asbestos wrapped pipes I had in my basement. A few weeks passed and then we had a cold snap over night. But it is Tennessee and it got really cold - under freezing - and then warm (upwards of 70) during the day for two days in a row. I think this caused the soffits (wood) to expand with the rafters (wood) against the siding (wood) releasing the pinched in asbestos siding (not wood, not affixed). It's a guess. But I had asbestos all around my house, raining down around me. Nice. I stopped breathing immediately and ran away shaking my hair out (still not breathing) and then rinsed off in water (cold - not breathing) and drove home - sick, soaked and probably covered in asbestos. I took an immediate shower, bagged my clothing, mopped the floors where I walked and washed the clothes and called the asbestos abatement company. They said they would take care of it right away, but they would need $250 more for the interior asbestos. Okay - that was fine (previously discussed this - I was ok with this). But they needed me to drop off a key under the bathtub (on the front porch - I'm classy like that) right away. No rest for the weary! I had to go to lowes, get a key made and drive all the way back to tiny bungalow and put the key under the bathtub. When I got back home, I fell over. I never felt more sick. But maybe this was all a blessing in disguise? I'm hoping my snot protected my from harmful asbestos. I actually think I'm fine.
The company came and removed the rest of the asbestos. They also removed the large amount from inside the house - it looked like bandage-wrapped pipes - it was old duct work.

EXTERIOR WORK PROGRESSES BUT IS THWARTED BY VICIOUS DOG

Well, the HAZMAT team may have removed the rest of the asbestos, but they didn't put the house back together at all. That's ok, but they didn't put the plywood back over the gaping hole in the side of the house (the hole that needs a window). I guess I thought they would have put that one piece of plywood back. This hole has pink batting insulation in it and behind that is drywall into the living room. The asbestos hazmat team never called to tell me they finished the job, so I did not know the thing was open. It has rained for three days. So yesterday me and Vincent went over there after giving it a good sunny day to dry out. We took the big orange ladder and nails and hammer and thank goodness we did not find a giant pink fiberglass sponge. :) We pulled out the insulation in case it was damp (we use gloves, so can't really tell if it is damp). Meanwhile, the black and white dog that has been terrorizing us was back. We made no eye contact and we thought he would leave us alone (HE is obviously a HE - no questions). He did at first. But then a car had to stop in front of the house. I was on the ladder and the car honked. I looked. They yell "Is this your Dog??!" I yell "NO" - the dog bites the tire. they back up and beep. I don't know if it hurt the dog or not, but after that the dog was truly ticked off. We were pulling off the tar paper encasing our house and taking the tar paper to the trash bins at the street and the dog charged Vincent. Barking and snarling. Unprovoked. Not even looked at. I called animal control, but they said they could do nothing until someone had actually been bitten.
We have about 30% of the tar paper off the outside of the house, and in trash bins. The plan at this point is to stabilize the house so I can later strip it and repaint it. So I plan on repainting it OVER the current lead paint just to encapsulate it, then going back with an infrared heat stripper and doing a section at a time to repaint the same color. We are definately leaning toward the sunshiney apricot-ey yellow. It is a historic color. We will roll paint. I noticed that the rafters seem to be in OK shape. Someone nailed rotten wood TO them in order to, well, I'm not sure why - something to do with the ugly soffits maybe? But I think we are OK there. The plan is to get the rest of the tar paper off and start painting next weekend!

GARAGE SALES AND DONATIONS

There is an inventory reduction sale going on at Tallahassee Junk Emporium! This coincides with Walker Academy's First Annual Flea Market, Pancake Breakfast and Bake Sale! Nobody needs to bring anything else. I could pretty much provide everything they need to run a successful flea market. I am finding stuff I had no idea I had. It will be good to donate to the school.
The Sale is November 15th at Walker Academy on Lovell Rd. in Knoxville, TN. Come support the kids and Vincent's school! You know I have to get rid of half my things to fit into the tiny bungalow - some af them are really really truely great and fantastic wondrous things! Come One, Come All!

Stop The Leaks!

Stop the Leaks! A month late!


The first project? Finish the floor! I have to say it is drafty in the livingroom since I can see the basement through the floor!

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. :)

Goodbye Asbestos Transite Siding!

Tomorrow is the day! Harry Gilman of Asbestos Management Company out of Lenoir City, TN, called today and said that he had a day open tomorrow to take the siding off the house! He'd been over at the house and could do it. I'll be happy to tell you what it cost if you email me. ;)

Please, please keep fingers crossed that the old clapboard siding underneath the asbestos is in good condition! Please!!! I'm going to give myself an ulcer worrying about this until it is over. :P

Colors?

Thinking of paint colors, I came up with this...
My house:


My Inspiration:


The roof I will most likely choose (Berkshire Collection in Chelsea Green by Owens Corning):



What do you think?

Closing, Aquisition of a fridge, tearing up of floor, horticulture

Closed on the house on Friday! We brought home the claw foot tub (good to get it out of my truck finally - boy that increases gas mileage!) and then went and bought a 1946 Westinghouse refrigerator for $30 - it is so cool.. But very small - up to my shoulder. More on that later - with pictures. I have a deep freezer, so we are up for having a "go" at using it for our primary fridge. And it fits the tiny fridge area in the kitchen. This weekend we took out the scratched laminate flooring to reveal... blue padding. Okok, to reveal... Luan plywood... Okok, under that, we took off one piece ever so gingerly and found the original hardwood floor. It is in moderately bad shape, but not rotten at all. Needs a few patches and of course, to be sanded and refinished. Dan and I have gotten SO GOOD at putting in hardwood, we are up for the challenge. And the old floor has so much more character and satisfies my inner purist (the only thing that will "do" actually). We will stain it dark dark dark, so the new patches will not show so much. I have patched hardwood before. It doesn't suck as much as putting in a whole floor. Just a few boards so far will have to be taken out.

I've ordered the floor jacks and also have the asbestos abatement company ordered too. Dan sprayed round-up on poison ivy. We found I have wild roses, a holly tree, an enormous shade honeysuckle, LOL, lovely wisteria, boxwoods, etc. Someone planted nice things here. They are just overgrown.

"The Bungalow as a Home", The National Builder, March 1915, 72 - 74

Everyone thinks of a bungalow as something a little different. Why should it differ from a Cottage? Or from a House? Or from a Residence? And does it?

One need not travel back more than a few years to see why a Bungalow is popular. The Bungalow Idea originated in the West, where Sociability is supposed to be above Society. The necessary adjuncts to Social Duties being absent, there is in consequence, a freedom not generally present. It is nearer to being in a Summer Camp year round.

But even the popular conception of the Bungalow fails when the true artist begins to think over the project. An artistic effect is obtained on the exterior by getting away from the conventional materials and finishes. Rough boards and shingles take the place of finishing lumber while stains replace paint or even Time decorates the clean surfaces.

In the interior there is further room for Ideas. Built in Furniture, often Home Made takes the place of movable chairs, tables, sideboards, cupboards, etc. In one way everything is simplified, to provide the maximum comfort for the least labor.

ake this Florida Bungalow for example. Not a great deal is spent on the exterior and yet it is positively not a Cottage or a House. It is a Bungalow and cannot be called anything else. It lends itself to the landscape and in a few years, will appear as part of it.

But if the exterior is satisfactory, how about the interior? The plans show the arrangement while the photos will give one an excellent idea of the finished appearance. The use of disappearing beds is new to many sections, but there is no insuperable objection to their use almost anywhere. The arrangement has the quality of furnishing two extra rooms for very little space.

It is not the number of rooms, nor their size that makes or mars a home, but rather, their appearance and use. A closed piano is about as effective at subduing conversation as a muffler, while drawn curtains and shades drive company away just as effectively as a Smallpox sign. By all means, let the House or Cottage or Bungalow show what it is and be made for some visible purpose. Then it will be successful from the landscape, the Artistic and the Social viewpoint.