When I see obvious problems my mind automatically switches into an investigative mode. I look at things a little differently after seeing certain problems. Of course, there could be many reasons that a certain system in a house would fail, so I start looking to see if there is a larger problem. This picture leaves little to investigate, because I know the history of this 100+ year old house.
If you look closely (or maybe you don't have to) you'll see the door frame is lower on the left than on the right. The major problem is the what is going on with the ceiling. The high point in the ceiling is directly over the door and almost exactly in the middle of the room. After a little measurment and some inspection of the stone foundation it is obvious that the foundation is settling and there is a support in the center of the home that isn't (well at least not at the same rate). The kitchen is on the other side of that door and this next picture show the settling even better.
No that is not some trick with the camera. The outside walls are actually settling that badly. I'll put one more up to demonstate the age of the home. This is the passage toooo the the cellar. That wall on the left is actually the one in the center of the home keeping the house from settling uniformly.
The really dark hole to the right and further down the passage is the actual cellar. The floor slopes down here, starting at about 4' tall to about 6' at the end.
I thought I'd put this in Wordless Wednesday, but I just couldn't help comment on it.
First we all know the ____ runs down hill, Right? Well it seems that the rehabber on this job missed class that day. If you look closely you'll see this one has a catchbasin. What will they think of next. Yes, for those that are wondering that is the drain rising out of the trap to the connection in the wall.
I was talking to my Dad tonight and he said that I had forgotten a few tool names that should be in the title. He suggested that I should be using the one my Grandmother used and frequently. There were twelve kids in the family and all of the boys (7) turned out to be plumbers. All of the tools they had, according to grandma, had the same name, Dohickey. I can very clearly remember her yelling at an uncle of mine, or two, "Get that Dohickey off my table".
Well, they never had a dohickey like this. This is a little more difficult than normal, but I was just thinking how much easier this would have made one of my recent projects. Hope you all have fun withy it, I would have.
I really do like plants. I plant a garden and flowers in the spring. Of course, I stick with the basics.
Let's see there is the beans. I plant them so that they'll grow up the fence.
Then the tomatos. Have to put them in full sun.
Then the melons. I plant 2 kinds.
Then come the beverages. I only can plant one kind.
There are some who like vegetables a little too much. They just don't understand, these greens are eating the house and causing major damage to the exterior of the structure.
They have even decided to come indoors. Yes that is some of the ivy from the exterior that decided there was too much competition outside.
Becareful, they will ruin your home. Be sure to cut back all plants so that they can't take root in the exterior shell of your home.
I was reading one of the blog posts from Bellingham, WA, Steve Smith was writing about leaving the door to your crawl space open (see here). When I thought about the animal I encountered the other day. As crawlspaces go it wasn't too bad, if you don't mind cluttered and dirty. Of course, there aren't many pristine crawlspaces around.
I was visually following the duct work when I set my flashlight down to pull myself forward and my hand rested on something that gave a little. Having stepped on things that I shouldn't a few times it really didn't bother me much, because it didn't move. In these REO's you never know what to expect so when I backed-up to get a picture I was relieved to discover that, although it was an animal, I had nothing to fear.
This one was very old and had been in here a while. As you can see it once was a fearsome creature, but it probably was partial to little kids.
Mold was everywhere (evidenced by the markings on the back wall) so I couldn't save the poor creature. I found all that I was truly looking for so I left him in his den and went on about my inspection.
I actually have two of these. One of them I bought about 10 years ago and it has been a good tool, but it is suffering from wear. The second one was given to me by someone who swore not to ever use one again. He also swore that he would never do the kind of job again that makes this tool necessary.
As a matter of fact, I have 2 jobs in my home that need to be done that require this tool. Both of them are difficult because of the number of times they require me to use this.
Well, I think I have danced around the name of this without using it all that I can, soooooo have fun.
This is a tool that many different trades in construction use. It is common for carpenters, plumbers, surveyors and engineers to use this on a regular basis. (see right)
As a matter of fact, one of the largest I have ever seen measured the rotation of the earth by drawing little circles.
They didn't always look like this. The older ones were fancier and all brass or bronze.
The antique on the left has no date associated, or at least I couldn't find one. I do know that it is one of the earliest tools used and it hasn't changed much since they built the pyramids.
Well, spring has sprung in most of the country. I realize some of you have had summer for a while, and others are still getting snow. But it is time for the Spring/Summer Home Maintenance List.
We could call it "Some and Summer." Works for me...
These are in no particular order of importance, and if some item doesn't apply to your house, show the list to your spouse anyway and say, "Wow, look at all the things I had to do to get the house ready for spring and summer. I'm really on top of it!" He/she will be impressed with your due diligence...
Carbon monoxide detector - try the test button
Foundation Drainage - be sure water from downspouts, the garden and any rain properly drains away from the foundation. Ideally your yard and gardens should be graded at least 1" for every 4' away from the house.
Exterior - clean the siding, caulk cracks and gaps that have opened up during the winter, clean the yard of debris and fallen branches, do a safety examination, cut vegetation at least 1' away from the siding, etc. (Note: caulking is a very cheap and effective way of making the home more energy efficient.)
Paint - look for mildewy, peeling or blistering paint. Check for cracks which can be sealed with putty or caulking. Wipe your hand over the paint to see if the powdery chalk comes off. Clean it up, prime it and paint it!
Air conditioner - if you don't have an annual tune-up, check your filter (which you should do monthly) and clean or replace as needed, clean bushes and growth from around the compressor so it can breathe properly and adjust your ducts to send more air pressure to the upper level.
Boiler - surprisingly, now is a good time to have your annual tune-up on a boiler because it is often cheaper now than in the fall and your technician is likely to not be so busy.
Fire - practice your fire escape plan with the family. Check the charge of any fire extinguishers.
Gutters - clean of debris. The helicopters from Maple trees and fuzzy seeds from Oak trees clog gutters as much as leaves do in the fall. Check for loose spikes, seal leaky joints and assure the downspouts are attached to the house.
Water heater - drain a little water from the spigot at the bottom to remove sludge and sediment. The burners need to be checked and perhaps cleaned. Be sure you know what you are doing!
Window and door framing - check for rot and if wood siding is too close to the soil, get the soil off. If you see evidence of termites, like chewed up or powdery wood, call a specialist.
Trees - trim branches that hang over the house or chimney (especially if large or dead), and where they might rub on the roof.
Smoke detectors - test!
Roof - check flashing around the chimney or where shingles abut brick or siding, check the chimney mortar cap for cracking, and check for broken, cracked or missing shingles.
Chimney flue - check for debris, water staining, soot build up. Have the flue swept if the soot build up is 1/8 inch or more.
Garage door - test the mechanism and adjust as needed. The down-force interrupter can be checked with a 2x4 on the garage floor underneath.
Check floor drains in an exterior stair way or inside the house. If evaporated, replace the trap water.
Indoors - repair caulking around tubs and showers, test GFI outlets, check out the crawl space, check for condensation in the basement, crawl space or collecting on foundation walls. Dry out appropriately.
Kitchen - Clean grease from range hood or ducts, clean the refrigerator coils, clean the disposal with baking soda/vinegar and chase it with lemon peels that you grind up.
Decks - treat with stain or paint. If you use a stain, use one that provides UV resistance in addition to water-proofing. The sun does more damage to decks than rain and snow. Replace loose nails with galvanized deck screws.
Foundation - outdoors - if you are experiencing a drought, be sure to water around the foundation to fill in any gaps created when soil dries out.
Termites - check inside for wet wood, visible mud tunnels, flying termites, frass, etc. This is a good time to check for carpenter ants. The little sugar ants can be controlled with small traps or a sprinkle boric acid in cabinets, under the dishwasher or fridge.
Main Water Shut-off Valve - check to make sure it is limber and not leaking. The same goes for the interior hose shut-off valves.
While I don't pretend this is the most comprehensive list in the world, it is at least a great start! So go and do that voodoo that you do so well! I hope this list helps!
My Recommendation: Regular maintenance is the best way to sustain a home's value. In the long run, it costs about 1% of the home's value annually to keep up its value. That includes maintenance, repairs, remodeling and renovations. So get started - what are you sitting there for?
I have some questions of anyone, no one and everyone that I can’t answer.I’ve researched these things and, it seems, that no one else has the answers either.
Why does the phone always ring when you’re ready to or have already entered the shower?It never fails, the kids aren’t home, the spouse is working and I’m getting ready for my workday.Oooops theres the phone.
When your busy, you get more calls for work then if your not busy.I know what your saying, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth (or something like that), but this is another one that never fails.Recently, I had to turn a job down (I never do that).
You’ve just finished a great meal and you just want to relax and digest, but somebody says, “Want some desert?”.You couldn’t hold another morsel until you heard those three words.Happens every time.
How’s your headache?Well, I had either forgot about it or it had actually gone away, until whoever it was brought it to your attention.Now it is back with Gusto!
I’m taking a long weekend, well deserved, had a hard but profitable week.Now I’m going to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. By Wednesday someone will call and ask for a Saturday inspection.
Wow, we’ve had a bunch of storms in the last 6 months that have produced high winds and drenching rains, but no damage.I actually said that.Someone should have rinsed my mouth out with soap.Since then: roof damage, leak in ceiling by fireplace, and blown down 50% of the privacy fence in the backyard.
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I was visually following the duct work when I set my flashlight down to pull myself forward and my hand rested on something that gave a little. Having stepped on things that I shouldn't a few times it really didn't bother me much, because it didn't move. In these REO's you never know what to expect so when I backed-up to get a picture I was relieved to discover that, although it was an animal, I had nothing to fear.
This is a tool that many different trades in construction use. It is common for carpenters, plumbers, surveyors and engineers to use this on a regular basis. (see right)
The antique on the left has no date associated, or at least I couldn't find one. I do know that it is one of the earliest tools used and it hasn't changed much since they built the pyramids.
I have a long and a short version of this one. Although, I hate it with a passion it has paid for itself over and over again. 
;)
;)
