A Job Well Done: a new roof for the old homestead

October 10, 2013March 12, 201431 Comments

To say that an old place begun back in 1840 needs a little work is an understatement. To do the work and not protect your investment of time and money would be foolish!

And so it is, that we called in the professionals when it came to ~~repairing~~ replacing the leaking roof. Orchestrating the work that needs to be done here is like choreographing a circus balancing act. As I told you previously, we knew certain jobs needed to be accomplished.

Jobs in order of known importance were:

Fix the foundation ~ Done
Install a new roof ~ Done
Install new plumbing ~ Partial only to the master bath.
Install new wiring and bring it up to code ~ Waiting, as we need new studs and open walls to complete

The above work is being done by us as it now happens. The rest of the work that needs to be done, the reconstruction, was found by discovery as we went along. We will have to do the construction parts ourselves as well. We are learning how to do so much!

We fixed the foundation knowing that it would shift the bones of the entire house and thereby cause leaks in the roof. We scheduled the roofer to begin work immediately after the foundation repairs, and then it rained. It rained hard off and on for many weeks! We had 8 inches above normal rainfall this summer! You simply cannot replace a leaking roof in the rain. Needless to say, we were less than happy to see wet walls in the newest part of the house, that being the master bedroom.

Bygones…

Yesterday, we went out to do the final inspection on the new roof and we were very pleased! We hired WPI out of Florence, AL. Their attention to detail and hard work are a rarity in this day and age.

The job was not a simple one as you will see…

: BEFORE: Notice ridge sag on left!

: This is a very old roof! Photo: TS

: Not only was the roof well beyond its warranty (did they have warranties back then?) It had up to three layers of tin in some places! Perhaps this is what kept the roofers from falling through? Photo: TS

: Sagging ridge pole revealed. Much of the old wood up there had to be replaced or supplimented. Photo: TS

: One of six old snake skins revealed! We found one in an inside wall too! Photo: TS

: Note the rolled over tin that was nailed down to the fascia edge. Nothing is square in this place! ‘-) Photo: TS

: Front nearing completion. Photo: TS

: Work came to an abrupt halt when the men removed a panel and a cloud of hornets erupted from the side wall! (They were dispatched, thank you!)

: Done! Ridge is straight and the roof is tight all around to keep out the snakes, wasps, hornets, Oh, and of course the rain! 😀

In the last photograph you can see the master bedroom peeking out on the left. When we had the house inspected before buying it was noted that the roof had been lifted and folded back on that side. Some screws were placed and some stepping-stones added to try to keep this side on, but the overhang was too long. It had acted like a fin allowing the wind to get under the raw metal edge, and then lifted the panels up in a storm. It had to be permanently fixed.

The work crew shortened the overhang by several inches, added a fascia, and properly battened it all down. We think it looks really good!

Thanks WPI!

Please click the image to be taken to their site.

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PHOTO CREDIT: A special thanks goes to Tommy (TS) at WPI for supplying the bulk of the construction photographs to me. I couldn’t be there every day due the distance and these photos for my journal are awesome!

DISCLAIMER: If my post today sounds like an add to you, well please know that we were not paid nor did we receive any compensation. That said, as consumers we do appreciate when we come across a business that takes pride in their work, and knows how to treat their customers right. Word of mouth is still the best way to get new business, and we believe they deserve the accolades!

The work continues and Bob gets nailed

October 7, 2013October 10, 201333 Comments

We spent the day up on the mountain again yesterday. I was riding bareback on the suburban grass eater all day, while Bob slaved away inside removing the infamous floating wall.

At one point I saw him coming across the bridge in his demo regalia (space suit, face mask, and goggles) and he was carrying a gas can.

“You’ve been out here for a long time, I figured it was time for a fill-up.” he said.

He was right, there was only about a quarter-inch of fuel left in the tank.

We hired a man with a tractor to come out and bush hog the pastures. When the Octogenarian was here she had the young man from down the road keeping the place looking like a park! However, when she left and we asked him to continue the service, well, since we weren’t around every day he seemed to lose interest. But hey, it was summer, he’s only 17, and he had friends to hang with and football practice. I actually do ‘get it’ , but we decided we couldn’t support his summer activities and had to let him go. 😉

That left the 2 – 3 acres around the house, cabin, and pond to mow. Going non stop, it took me from about 9:00AM til 1:00PM. I was almost done and I looked up again to see Bob out by the drive and waving at me. He wasn’t looking so cheerful this time. Disengaging the blades I zoomed up to the drive. I arrived to find that while he was working he had been stabbed in the forearm with a very ugly and rusty nail.

It had been well over 10 years since his last tetanus shot.

He had been prying off the old oak planks on that floating wall, when one of them swung back. The weight and force of the plank falling then drove a nail right into the muscle causing the puncture and resultant swelling. We talked about whether or not to go to the ER for a tetanus shot because we knew the ER would be expensive. Being nervous about infection we went anyway.

One shot, a prescription for antibiotics for prevention of infection (2,000 mg per day!) and $200.00 later, we were on our way back to finish and clean up. Oh well, it’s only money, and money well spent judging by the high dose of antibiotics prescribed.

So, as it stands:

: The pastures are bush hogged!

: The back rooms are gutted and await wall reconstruction. (Standing in the middle of the now gutted back rooms looking right…)

: (and left.) Note the nasty, rusty nails, but he still got that wall down!

: This is premium cabin construction! I will explain more in my next post!

: I couldn’t wait to see under the paneling in the living room. This is very encouraging; NO TERMITES!

: Tyvek is such an attractive look. Don’t you think? (BTW, That is ME under all that gear! ‘-)

In my next post I will explain a bit about cabin building in the 1800s! It will be interesting! I promise! 😀

A rough beginning, but the day ends well

September 17, 2013September 17, 201323 Comments

We have scrimped and saved wherever we can to keep our costs to a minimum. To say that the Mountain Farmlet is costing us a mountain of cash, might sound scary to some, but we are managing and doing so much of the work ourselves. It feels intimidating, and to be honest overwhelming at times, but we have been researching and learning by doing and each time we tackle a new job at the old place we feel better equipped for the next bit that comes along.

Yesterday Bob left for work and then came back saying that his car transmission was acting funny. We took it into the transmission repair shop and got the verdict of $1,400.00 to rebuild it. We are not elated, but we will survive this too.

Now I am going to share with you some of our outlook on life. I have no intention for this to be preachy, so please don’t take it as such.

I mentioned to Bob that some people would look at what we are going through (car repair, our sick Little Dog expenses, hidden damage in the old farmhouse) and might think:

“God is punishing us.”

To which, after some deep thinking, he later replied:

“(paraphrased) You know some people would think that, but I believe he is preparing us and teaching us to live more frugally. Look at how much we are accomplishing by learning to do the work on our own. Yes, there are some projects we can’t do ourselves, but none of this is insurmountable. He is making us stronger, smarter and wiser.

We have always dreamed of living in the country and owning a bit of land, and this dream is becoming a reality. We are just having to work for it, and that is not such a bad thing. It will take us longer than we anticipated, but we will accomplish our dream.”

Today, after a parts delay, the construction of the new roof begins. It has to be done, it is expensive, but a sound roof will protect all our hard work on the inside. And while we have found some really rotten wood behind the walls in the kitchen and bath, we now have a brand new floor in the bathroom. We have also discovered that under the badly damaged sub-floor in the kitchen there are relatively new, and pristine beams to hold up the new flooring when we install it. That was a welcome surprise that will save us much labor and money.

As we worked away the day, and along our journey home, I took these photos to share with you. Be patient, they may take a moment to load…

: The light and pattern here facinated me. (Of course, your POV may differ!)

: What lies behind this patch in the outside wall?

: A little window who’s top only reaches to my waist!

: It is about 18 by 24 inches. I will repurpose it and my chickens shall have light!

: Massive oak planks 14 in. wide by over 8 ft. long. The fire explains the smoke and water damage on the outside wall in the previous picture. Even these will be repurposed, and have a future in my plans.

: Beauty is where you find it and depends a great deal on how you perceive it.

: An old cedar fence post and forgotten hand plow out front of the house.

: The days work done, we head out. What a lovely surprise we found at the side of the highway. The sun was a bit too harsh for a good view, but you get the idea.

: The road home

: Day is done, and tomorrow holds promise for attainment of our goals..

I leave you with a message found on a church notice board near where we live…

“The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.”

To which I respond…

Selah!

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NOTES: The Amplified Bible translates *selah as “pause, and think of that” I like that translation.

Reference: Selah in the Psalms ~ http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient_hebrew_poetry/2007/07/selah-in-the-ps.html

Where’s my bulldozer? (pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com)
Outside my window (pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com)

A scenic route, hard work, and a graceful glider

September 11, 2013August 16, 201442 Comments

WARNING: Go grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, because this is a longish post!

**~~ THE SCENIC ROUTE ~~**

Each week we try a different way to get the Mountain Farmlet. This week on our way up we discovered a cute pond.

: A relaxing scene you don’t see often..

: Ducks, a Labrador, and

: a water cannon that could chase away T Rex! (The thing in the box between the kids and the Pampas Grass)

The owner of the pond set it up with duck decoys and a painted silhouette for the dog. Most of the rest are garden art statuary. Kitschy? A bit overdone? Nah, a wee bit Disneyesque perhaps. 😉

***~~ HARD WORK ~~***

To say that fixing up the old cabin is hard work goes without saying. To say that it is hot work is an understatement.

On the previous Sunday whilst peeling the walls we discovered that there were rodent feces falling down from a crack in the ceiling. And I suppose it is to be expected in a drafty over 100-year-old farm-house. So we stopped our work, went to Home Depot and purchased disposable space suits. The label said “One size fits most…”

But barely.

Poor Bob was getting overheated and we both had to make frequent stops to hydrate and cool off. He lost five pounds this past Sunday!

What we have discovered so far is a fire in the kitchen walls, termite damage, and graffiti. Apparently, the house was empty for a while?

What we discovered in the ceiling was pounds of rat crap. I’m sorry, but there is no more delicate way of saying it, and it was disgusting. We were very glad for the “One size fits most” disposable space suits and our face masks with mold filtering capabilities!

And, I suppose it goes without saying that we were glad we had the foresight to put down disposable paint tarps before we pulled down that ceiling, and that we spent the extra money to purchase HEPA filters for the shopvac.

Bob was so grossed out that he put everything, including the HEPA filter into a black trash bag and tossed it. GACK!

As we pull away the layers and remove the damaged wood I have been spraying EVERYTHING with pure vinegar. It kills germs, kills mold (I looked this factoid up) and remarkably, makes the house smell fresher. So far, best practice says that the mold is growing on the surface, and to remove it you must use elbow grease and *hot soapy water to get rid of it. It also says that if there is discoloration into the wood, Then it is wood rot and you should remove it. Of course if the mold is in the wallboard, or in the fiberglass batting, then it goes without saying that it should be removed and properly disposed of.

Which leads me to the next factoid. Did you know that if you stuff an old wooden house with fiberglass batting, that you are trapping moisture within the walls and you are inviting MOLD to live there?

Apparently, in our efforts to use less energy and to be “green” we are creating a perfect storm for mold growth and decay. The more you stuff into the walls, the more air tight you make your home, the more you save on energy costs. Right?

Unfortunately, the trapped moisture you create means your walls become a spore factory.

Exhibit A: White mold on a wall brace where fiberglass batting rested on it.

Mold spores are everywhere outside. They are kept in check because of sunshine and the breezes that surround us. Once they are locked up tight into your walls they go into overdrive and you may get sick.

So it turns out, that a drafty old house is a healthy old house.

We have decided to remove the toxic, formaldehyde off-gassing, mold harboring, fiberglass batting. The walls will be able to breathe again and the mold will have a less inviting place to grow. We will not be “green” but as our winters are not so harsh here, we then find it an acceptable tradeoff for our health. Currently, I keep the thermostat set to 64 degrees in winter and wear warmer clothes. In summer it is 74 degrees with ceiling fans to circulate the air.

This Thursday the new insulated tin roof goes on and that in and of itself should be a big energy savings winter or summer. 😀

**~~ A GRACEFUL GLIDER ~~**

Would you ever guess that a Guinea Hen could be a graceful glider?

Last night the hooty-owl from the oak woods came for a second visit in exactly seven days. We lost another Weechoo in the dark of the night. Bob came in and told me about it early this morning. Strangely, for as loud as they are, we never heard a thing. Poor Weechoo.

So this morning while I sat on the front porch to wave Bob off to work I saw a rather largish bird take off from the top of the tree across the street. At first in the dusky light I thought it was the killer owl, but no, it was one of the Weechoos returning home. From that height it spread its wings, stretched out its neck, and in a perfect glide went over the barn into our chicken yard. That was a distance of over 200 feet!

Who would have guessed that such an ungainly and to be honest, rather ugly bird could be so graceful?

Image courtesy of Lori on her visit to the Farmlet this spring. AKA: Little Sundog at Day by Day the Farmgirl Way.

Unfortunately for us… trash day was yesterday. We were left with no other choice but to triple bag the carcass and put it into the freezer till next trash day, because it is still very much hot, humid, summer weather here.

Now I can hear some of you gagging and groaning!

But think…

You put dead things in your freezer all the time, and I’m betting that you don’t even triple bag them.

😉

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(You’re still here? Thanks for reading!)

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NOTE: Borax was highly recommended on many sites for mold remediation. You know I will be adding that to the hot soapy water!

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