Butt(s), Jack, and Post

The hardest part of renovation is all the decisions that you need to make after hours of googling contradicting information on a subject which you have no base knowledge.  Then everything spirals out of control as one thing leads to another.  This weekend was a classic example.

The Butt(s)

There are hornets nests between our gutters and the house.  We're all about safety here, but the saw did not perform well as a nest knocker-downer.  However, while we were up there, we noticed that the spikes holding the gutters up were loose.

And then there were gutters like this.

We had to borrow a ladder and haul it in our undersized car with creative finangling. We drove slow.  After dropping the ladder off at Milly, we drove 30m to the closest Home Depot, where we wandered for over an hour looking at gutters, gutter sealers, gutter screws, gutter spikes, and appliances.  Might as well when you're there already!

This is DH's butt.  I stared up into its magnificence for two hours while he repaired and recaulked some of the gutters.

Featuring more action from behind!  Also, we choose to go with screws instead of spikes for the replacement.

Still had to hammer the originals in!  The echo sounds like rifle shots in our neighborhood.

Then came the scraping with the shovel we bought to bury ...waste while camping.  Seemed appropriate.

"Like horse poop!" exclaimed DH.  The Home Depot bucket was heavy and that load was what we scraped from the gutter over the porch only!  (We started really late after all that ladder and Home Depot delay and had to quit due to the lack of light during our sunny northern winters).

Didn't want to waste the rich compost, so I decided to spread it near the evergreens around our property.  Unfortunately it was already dark and there were protruding branches that formed a protective barricade, so I just dumped it around, kinda near...?  I dumped it on the grass.

The gutters are still a work in process.

The Jack

Our staircase is sagging.  (Ignore the junk in the background, picture was taken during the house inspection.  I kinda wanted to keep the antique washer...)  The inspector advised us to get a lally column and tighten it up every week.

This is a jack post, which in certain parts of the USA is colloquially known as a lally column!  They don't have a cement core, are not grounded in cement, and the connection for the telescoping tubes seem flaky.  We bought it anyway to avoid having to drill into our cement basement!

This is an existing lally columns in our basement with a 2x4 on top for added height...  It's not screwed into the beam.

Our super sturdy 6x6 base!

Careful leveling with a super handy post leveler and a wrench for gently nudging the post in the right direction.

We too have decided to use a 2x4 on the top just like the pros!

And there it is in all its glory, next to the shaky wooden frame currently supporting the bottom of the stairs.  We used a super scientific method of installation known as "stop turning the screw when you hear the wood creaking."

The Post

I spent an inordinate amount of time researching mailboxes, mailbox posts, mailbox post lumber, mailbox installation, and mailbox preservation?  We ended up with a pressure treated 4x4. Pressure treated wood is a process that forces chemical preservatives deep into the wood - wear gloves and do not burn the sawdust!

There are different grades of pressure treated wood - ours was US4A, rated for general use and ground contact. We used Thompson's WaterSeal aerosol to protect the wood above ground. (This was most likely not the correct sealer to use, but it was $5 and I've been wanting to use a spray can. I've had a deprived childhood.)

We dug a hole 26" deep so that the bottom of the mailbox would be between 41"-45" off the ground.  It was mostly DH flexing his muscle.

I had to contort my body in order to lift the dirt out with the post digger.

We attached the new lumber to the mailbox.

We placed the post in the ground and then used a boot-dirt-shovel method, patent pending.  No cement, based on the advice of some random person on the internet.  Someone on the internet with an easier method is always right.

Booyah!  First project 100% completed!  This was the highlight of our weekend.  I am expecting our mailbox to be bursting with junk mail after its five day break. 

Though I am happy that we were able to finish repairing the mailbox, I think I need to get my priorities straight... that post was most likely not worth the time I spent agonizing over cedar vs pressure treated lumber, or what type of coating we needed to buy, etc.

But hey, it's a darn nice looking post.

Task: Putting Up Posts and Cleaning Out the Poop
Saturday: 5 hours getting lost at Home Depot, drilling holes, digging holes, and then taking a magical walking journey across our property in search of rusted wire tree protectors.  There were a lot and we felt it was imperative to go sightseeing.
Sunday: 5 hours loading up the ladder, more wandering at Home Depot, cleaning [1/5 of our] gutters, putting up the two posts.
Total Hours: 10 hours
Total To Date: 31.5 hours

Invaders

They do exist!  Unfortunately.  I'm becoming progressively more grossed out.

Hopefully not for long.  These babies come in a pack of 12.  Instructions say place at least 10 in the kitchen and 2 in the bathroom.  Seems like overkill, but we've spotted and dispatched six roaches already so the entire box was used.

They're also really hard to separate!  It took about 5 minutes of sawing and freaking out because my fingers were touching the chemically holes before we had 12 distinct traps.  They have been deployed and hopefully our roach problems will be no more.  On a side note, I didn't think roaches existed in rural areas...

Now for some heavy duty sawdust work.  Here's DH cutting up the drop cloth for the vents.

At first we carefully cut 3" pieces, but quickly realized that we could go BIGGER!  Bigger is always better?  Our new strategy is to cut long strips between nails.  There's a ton of sawdust in the air from ripping apart particleboard.

Glamour shot with a broom!  It's a woman's job to sweep, amirte?  Kidding!  I cut up most of the particleboard in the living room with the circular saw today while DH removed the boards.  First time using a power tool and it was super fun.  I may never let him touch the tools again while I'm around...

All of the particleboard layer was removed from the living room except for these pieces...

Just like the built-in bookshelf, the particleboard goes underneath the fake bricks.  I'm not Mr. Handyman, but isn't it bad to grout (and mortar) over flaky particleboard?  Methinks that must come out too!

Speaking of things coming out, we removed the rest of the moulding in the house!   Sometimes there is only one nail in the baseboard.  Sometimes there are six.

That escalated quickly.

And here's the glorious pile of moulding and baseboard.  Okay, so when I said we removed the rest of the moulding, I didn't mean from around the windows.  Or around the doors.  Or in the bathroom where it's painted pink and wallpapered.  We'll get there, don't worry!

It was nice moving the garbage out of the house and into the... garage.  Getting a dumpster, it's on our to-do list!

Also on our list is to fix our mailbox.  It was a hit and run!  I'm thinking it was the energy company.  DH wished that our mailbox was metal instead of soft plastic.  Something along the lines of "IF WE BURN, YOU BURN WITH US TOO."

Too much?  

Don't worry, wood samples make everyone feel better. We received Natural Grade (NOFMA Common #1 and #2) white oak, walnut, and rift/quarter sawn red oak.

We sanded.  I'm not sure why we sanded by hand instead of using a power tool. It was hard work to get those milling streaks out!

These are the two finishes that we're considering: Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C-A (the accelerant) in White 5% and Pure.  Only one coat is needed and it smells delicious!  Apparently I love the smell of linseed oil.  Best of all, no VOCs!

It takes a lot of buffing to get the wood to shine...  It's hard to get all the white streaks out...    We were tired from the sanding already, so minimal time was spent on this part, which probably accounts for the streaking below.

Here's the samples in the natural light at Milly.  That's a definite no to the 5% White on the left.  It probably works best with select grade wood that doesn't have all the nooks and crannies of these natural grade samples.  No one but me liked the red oak, pfft.

On a positive note, we're 90% sure we'll have internet at Milly.  That's what the AT&T technician told us and I like to believe everything that people tell me!  Maybe something wasn't configured right, a signal wasn't turned on, puppies were lost, who knows?  Apparently AT&T isn't sure either, but we "should" be getting pair bonding to bring internet to the house - two magical loops of internet awesomeness are better than one!

Task: Destruction
Wednesday: Played around with wood... samples...  Can we even count that?
Thursday: 3 hours of ripping out the particleboard.
Friday: 5 hours of removing 95% of the moulding and actually moving them into the garage.
Total Hours: 8 hours
Total To Date: 21.5 hours

Apart From You

Current status at Milly: No Internet.  The AT&T guy came out but was unable to install due to a weak signal.  He submitted a ticket for another technician to diagnose the lines to the house from the hub to ensure there were no damaged wires.  That technician left us a door hanger with the following box checked:

• I am very sorry to inform you that our network will not support AT&T Advanced TV/U-verse at your home/business.  Please call 1-800-288-2020 if you have any additional questions.

This is a problem since my husband and I work from home.  It is also irritating since the previous owners mentioned that it was a big shebang when AT&T began offering their services in the area and we double checked with the company to ensure that we would be able to access internet.

Reality is miles apart from advertising.  Disappointed! 

We are exploring other options.

On the renovation front, we discovered that the MDF sub-floor top layer is actually particleboard. 

Particleboard is created by combining resin and sawdust.  MDF (medium density fiberboard) is created from wood fibers.  Therefore, BOO. 

That's the dust/sand from the carpet padding rubbing and breaking down over the years.  Say it with me - no carpet!

Removing moulding!  We are undecided whether to keep or replace the moulding.  There are issues, such as...

Water, rot, and possible mold.  We are also undecided whether or not to tear up the drywall under the north-facing windows to check for mold since we discovered mold in the northern side of attic during the inspection.  There are a lot of undecisions being made.

We are using power tools!  Well, only DH has so far in order to test the removal of the particleboard.  Also, a circular saw through particleboard kicks up mucho dust.

Although it is glued down, it's glued down shittily! Yay for crappy construction work!  ... 

One 3" section down, 498039284932 more to go.

The front and garage door had hardwood floor, and underneath that hardwood floor was lauan, a substance similar to plywood, not as strong, but it makes up for that by....

Being extremely annoying to pry up since it splinters through the different layers. We had to take turns, it was that hard!

Task: Moulding and Floors
Sunday: 4 hours vacuuming, hardwood floor removal, particleboard test cut.
Monday: 2 hours moulding removal, lauan removal
Tuesday: 3 hours sobbing in the AT&T guy's arms, complete lauan removal, and complete moulding removal from first floor.
Total Hours: 9 hours
Total to Date: 13.5 hours

Carping on Carpet

I hate carpet.  I really, really hate carpet.  That's why we're removing it!

My eyes are super eyes.  They can see through fogged safety goggles.

This is what happens to carpet when you have a cat.  Do the world a favor and don't get a cat.

This is a built-in bookcase in the study. 

This is the carpet under the built-in.  Did I mention I hate carpet?  Not sure yet if the thought of it there will haunt me for the rest of Milly's life.

We got super masks for the second day and a nice argument over Bane or Darth Vader resemblance, along with terribad impressions.  Have you heard a female Bane?  Yeah...

Our growing pile of waste!  You're welcome, Earth.

MDF under the carpet padding.  On top of OSB.  Countless hours of sawing and scraping awaits!  Please, please don't be glued down.  And please, please let there be a sale on 1/2" tongue and groove plywood sub-floor...  A girl can dream.

The original homeowners (once removed from us) left messages!  Or hoodlums.

Onto the molding removal!  Since it's over that lovely urine stained MDF, it's got to come up.  Hopefully we'll be able to salvage and reuse.

Task: Carpet Removal
Friday: 2 hours carpet removal

Saturday: 2.5 hours carpet removal, half of the carpet tack removal, and some molding removal.

Total Hours: 4.5 hours

Milly

We bought a house.

Her name is Milly and she needs a lot of little love doses, nothing major, just enough to spruce her up.  She's a high maintenance gal who hasn't received the attention she deserves through the years.

She's also a big girl - 10.72 acres of mostly wetlands.  And a creek!

She also needs more trees.  You can never have enough trees or privacy.  Being able to see the neighbors is so 2000, although I hear that the old lady who lives in that house condo is lovely and only resides there in the summer.

Three things I wish I'd known before buying a house:

1. After the sellers accept your offer, things move fast.  We had a week to formally submit our mortgage application, schedule and attend the inspections, and reschedule and attend the reinspections.  Milly had to have a well and septic inspection, a secondary house inspection to get into the attic because it was previously blocked, and then a specialized attic inspection to determine if there was mold.  (Yes, there was!)
2. Underwriters will make silly requests.  Our parents gifted us a small amount of cash to meet the down payment.  At the beginning, we weren't sure of the exact amount so our mortgage broker imagined an amount that would be more than enough to bridge the gap.  When we finalized the numbers, we determined that we needed less than previously stated .  The underwriters demanded a letter explaining why the gift amount would be less even though it wouldn't have affected our down payment either way.
3. Something will probably go wrong.  The day before our original closing, the title company's computer system crashed.  The day of our second scheduled closing, the seller's agent delivered a lien on the property to our real estate agent that the judge had finally approved the week before.  We made the third scheduled closing after the attorneys for the seller and the lien holder came to an agreement.

Buying a house is really scary.  I slept poorly throughout the entire process.  You sign 1001 documents at closing and it seems as if you are signing your life and your savings away.  Which you are!

Trolley Trails

Stony Creek Metropark is a really nice place to visit, especially Trolley Trails.  It's one of the least visited paths and allows both hiking and mountain biking.  In fact, there's a tiny mountain bike skills course within the trail network.  The trail is really short though - with creativity, it can be stretched to approximately 3 miles - making it a great short run or weekday hike location.

Tons of foliage.

Broken tree in a ravine.

Mysterious mound of dirt...

Sole brush in the field.

Logging?

Doe, a deer, a female deer!

Random color.