Do it yourself! – Page 4 – Life on the Farmlet

This is installment two which I promised you in this morning’s post, and it takes place on the Mountain Farmlet. NOTE: If you are in the least squeamish, then bypass the closeups in today’s carousel!

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When we purchased the new to us Mountain Farmlet, we had no idea how much work it would entail. We took the tour, had it inspected, KNEW it had warts, but fell in love with the old place nonetheless.

However, we had no idea when we signed on the dotted line that there was so much hidden damage.

“We said, Sure it needs patching and painting but it looks pretty good for a house that is so old.”

I told you about the bathroom floor, and you can see for yourself that the old place needs patching and painting. However, what we couldn’t see underneath the old paneling, paint and wallpaper was all the MOLD. Some of it is black, and some actually green…

We found it when we decided to remove the cupboards and cabinets to replace the sagging and stained pressboard bottoms.

PROBLEM!

There was a section of wallpaper covered plywood installed over the left edge of the counter. To get that out we had to actually tear out the cupboards, and then remove the plywood. Had they been installed with screws instead of nails we might have salvaged them. As it was, prying on them only let the wonderbar sink into the walls behind.

Uh-OH. 😦

And so it begins…

: Because of the lifting counter top…

: We had to remove the cupboards to get to the plywood holding it down on this end…

: Removing the several damp and moldy layers here revealed termite and fire damage. Fixable!

: Apparenly, mice were a problem?

: One of many places where the mice got in!

: ARGH! (I think the mice were a major problem!)

: This house has got layers: Fabric, wallpaper,1/4 inch wallboard, more wallpaper, chipboard and wood cladding.

: All but the wood cladding were moist and moldy. (what you see here is dust, ancient spiderwebs, and mud from old muddauber egg casings.

We have our work cut out for us. We are going to have to do all the inside wall repairs ourselves. We are not going to be moved in by Christmas. And, whether you can understand this or not, we are actually grateful for that piece of plywood that was in the way of the damaged counter top. It set into motion a chain of events that will in the end protect our investment and our health!

At this time we are now planning to remove all the wall layers in every room and to replace that sagging and deteriorating particle board subfloor! They are porous materials, and collect moisture, which has resulted in mold in the walls and a squishy floor. We will then clean and spray the cladding with a fungicide to kill any mold that we can’t see. While we are working on all this we will be thinking about what we want to put up for walls.

Actually, I would love to do this to the cladding!

Photo by User. See more farmhouse kitchen designs

However, I haven’t a clue about how to seal the cracks to keep out all the bugs and mice!!! What comes to mind involves numbering it, carefully taking it all down, applying a barrier (but what kind???) and then reinstalling the cladding

If you have done this before, then I would greatly appreciate your advice as to how this can be done.

😀

NOTE: About that bulldozer in the title, well, you do know I was kidding right? 😉

It is nighttime, you have locked the doors and turned out the lights. Teeth brushed, jammies on, you are tired and ready to sleep.

Laying your head back onto the pillow, you pull up the covers and try to relax to sleep. The house is dark, your breathing slows and then you hear it. Sometimes it is in the kitchen, sometimes in your bathroom, but wherever it is you will not sleep until you silence that annoying and rhythmic

drip

drip

drip!

There is simply nothing so annoying as a leaking faucet when you are trying to sleep. You may try several methods to temporarily silence the leak, but sooner or later you will have to call the plumber and that my friends is expensive.

Those of you who have known me for a while know how I feel about paying a repairman to fix appliances. Especially when they want to charge $75 to $80 dollars just to give you their opinion about what may be wrong. Really? I would much rather spend that money on parts and do the job myself.

And so it is that I have challenged myself to fix that crazy making, sleep depriving leaky faucet in the shower! It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but over time it has become unbearable. I have armed myself with Delta’s and others Youtube videos, gone to the Delta website to find the right part, and spent over $20.00 to buy a strap wrench that I may only ever use once. I know that sounds crazy, but I reasoned that expenditure out like this:

The strap wrench – $20.00

The Delta replacement part – FREE (a “$50.00 value on Amazon” [list price $86.00])

Total – $20.00

The plumber plus the part – $150.00 to $200.00

I’m goin’ in!

The offending drip!

The tools:

Manufacturers instructions included with the part
One Phillips head and one blade screwdriver
One pair of needle nosed pliers (not indicated in the enclosed instructions, but absolutely necessary to remove the old adapter assembly!)
One [way smaller next time!!!] *new strap wrench.

Following these instructions it was mostly easy.…

Trust me, the enclosed instructions are lacking some steps. If you should want to try this at your home, then watch the video. A couple of times.

The first and most important step in this procedure is to turn off the water to the house, and then open the faucet in the bathroom sink and the shower to release the pressure in the pipes. Now I am ready to begin! 😉

Cap off, remove screw, pull off lever/handle, slip off chromed sleeve, use strap wrench to loosen the valve bonnet nut (TIGHT) remove old valve, and then reverse the process to put it all back together.

Old parts out, new parts in, and

DONE!

Old parts