August 2007

In the continuing saga of: "Things you find behind other things…":

Marty seems to like the dirt.

… in all forms. methinks. Especially when glued to a concrete slab. Especially when you want it gone.

This was the wort part of the flooring removal. We finally succeeded by scoring the vinyl with a blade and soaking the surface with a Methyl-Chloride-based stripper, then scraping with a blade.

You know you’ve would up in the right place when:

1: On a recent trip to Sam’s Club, a random guy hands you a coupon for free pizza… then a week later, he walks by the open garage door with his partner and dog (ends up, they’re neighbors). They invited us to a pot-luck the following week which was fantastic and we got to meet some more wonderful new neighbors (thanks again, Mauri and Stacey).

2: Another neighbor brings you a home-made peach pie made with peaches from the garden… it was delicious.

You know when you’re living through a tough renovation when you step back and get a bit grossed-out (and a bit amused) by the juxtapositions in your life.



mapp gas torch / last night’s dinner / yesterday’s mail / and the phone



a file folder with lots of important information / a watermelon / a mop handle / paper towels / and yesterday’s shirt



a work-light / screwdriver / pry bar / grease / this morning’s coffee / this afternoon’s energy drink / business cards from contractors / and another pry bar



work gloves / plumber’s tape / wedding ring (sorry, sweetie) / dollar-store soda / espresso pot / relish / cutting board / noxious chemicals / hot dog buns / and organic tomatoes

The office was so cluttered, I tried to get some work done on the sofa next to a plumbing book and another coffee cup.   

For some reason, many of the studs in the walls have been slashed through and reinforced with plywood plates — and by the looks of things, it was original to the house… I’d understand if it was just a few, but there are too many for it to be a one-time mistake… Any ideas? The one on the right was so loose, I installed a new stud adjacent to the old one.

edit: [from Dan]…’slashed’ 2x4s are an old carpenters trick to straighten warped timber prior to putting on drywall or plaster.  It normally is an indication of quality construction because most framing timber will bend depending on moisture content, moisture loss rate, and loading.  Most houses where this is practiced were framed, encased, and roofed…and then allowed to ‘season’ before interior wall treatments were applied.  The carpenters would then run a straight edge along the wall and correct any studs using this technique.  The ‘quality construction’ dimension of this is that the overall construction timeframe was lengthened to make sure that the framing was allowed to adjust, and then corrected…made the wall finish more planar and square.