7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Where are you and where are you going?
7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@C40:

My “ex” taught me how to shoot, but I don’t own a gun, and I can’t fire one in the city. My rough plan is to get a live trap and disposable biohazard coveralls, wear respirator mask, hard hat etc. I am brave enough to start taking down the ceiling with assumption of likelihood that raccoon is smart enough to make exit from general area once reciprocating saw starts running, if I have moral support of somebody else helping. My DS32 will take the cage full of trapped raccoon out of the attic.

@Alphaville:

Right, but none of the raccoon feces related diseases have killed anybody lately, and I will take precautions. Obviously, a lot of the information on the internet is made available by professionals who want you to pay them to do the work, so they make it sound worse, just like a contractor who will rip off people who don’t understand that dry rot can’t flourish without damp.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

right, i wasn't killed by giardiasis--i didnt even become lactose intolerant. but the doctor found my liver numbers concerning when he ordered the tests.

just... please be careful with optimism? after the lastest @jacob interview, i've become particularly wary of it. a little paranoia goes a long way! :D

(only a little though... "too much paranoias" is mental illness).

roundworm is different from covid in that it sticks around for years. and yes, most likely won't kill ya. but still... watch out for that saw, flinging eggs and sawdust into the air. inhalation seems the risk with it.

ok i shut up now,

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

The raccoon "crib":

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Signs that it also wanders around the rest of the house freely at night:

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"Alley" between house and garage. Before:

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"Alley" between house and garage. After:

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Kitchen plumbing/chimney wall. Before:

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Kitchen plumbling/chimney wall. After:

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Floor in kitchen being revealed as tar covered oak plank (not rotten!):

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I am getting closer to the juncture where I may need to bring in a structural engineer. I purchased a 48" level and determined that the floors and the windows in the main structure are reasonably level, and the walls of the additions are plumb, but the walls and chimney in the main structure are significantly out of plumb, consistently heading due East. There are no gaps between the new (1970?) plumb additions and the old (1927) out-of-plumb house, so my working theory at the moment is that the chimney settled and took the rest of the frame with it at some time between 1927 and 1970 (because if it was the foundation settling, the floors should be sloping too), and then the 1970 DIY carpenter who constructed the additions in 1970 just cut the wallboard and siding at an angle where plumb and out of plumb met.

I have also determined that I am going to have to add bracing to some of the rafters in the attic. Surprisingly, the flooring up there is actually not bad, but it is a far cry from being/becoming anything resembling a habitable space.

Anyways, I'm still having fun working on this little project. It kind of reminds me of the happy time in my life when my kids were little and I was renovating our big old house. So, the fact that my now adult kids are coming over periodically to help me out with this renovation makes me feel cheerful about the process or prospect of settling into my little "grandma cottage."

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

fantastic progress--and so much more work to do, wow

i love to see the updates and i'm glad the whole family is enjoying work on this.

best wishes, & stay safe!

Dream of Freedom
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Dream of Freedom »

I see what the graffiti means. Zuka the raccoon called dibs on that spot.

ertyu
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by ertyu »

Yay for non-rotten floor

Strength :muscle:

tsch
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by tsch »

Very cool! I think it was your posts that inspired me to track down the very first season of Bob Vila's "This Old House". I just watched them pull a wall back in alignment. It's all incredibly fascinating. And empowering, to start to understand how a house actually functions. Thanks for these posts!

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Thanks guys! I will have to check out first season This Old House. I have been watching The Honest Carpenter and similar.

EdithKeeler
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by EdithKeeler »

Love the pics and the progress reports! Keep 'em coming!

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

[lol never mind]

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Alphaville:

Didn't have access to my photos and I haven't taken as many. I haven't been slacking off, but I am at a point where I need to do some more forensic investigation and research before I can even clearly state my problems moving forward with the project. For instance, I have determined that the leaning pile of masonry in the crawlspace is actually the base of the chimney. So, I have to figure out whether the frame is leaning on the chimney or vice versa, because I have significant wood rot in supporting structures on both the east and west side of the house. Etc. etc. I have also determined that it is likely that there are both squirrels and raccoons in my attic. If I verify that only squirrels are using the "hamster cage" over the conservatory, knocking it down will be a fairly straightforward process, otherwise... not so much.

Anyways, main order of business since last report has been stripping the house down to the studs with occasional assistance from my kids and this work is still in process. Also spent a day with grouchy old man and his significant power tools taking down most of the low branches and junk trees/shrubs from the property and chipping them into oblivion. So, the yard looks a lot nicer, and there is a huge drift of daffodils emerging under the black walnut tree, and wild violets under one of the maples. Will try to post some photos of yard later.

Dining Room:

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Dining Room into Kitchen:

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Kitchen (stripped of sink and cabinets) with view of Lean-To/Pantry:

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The Disaster which is the LeanTo/Pantry:

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My Gardening Efforts Thus Far (lol) :

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

hahaha i really like the gardening efforts. the dining room looks much improved. the pantry... 😱

thanks for the updates. so much work...

BookLoverL
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by BookLoverL »

Is that lemonbalm in the plant pot or is it something else? It looks familiar, but my gardening skills are pretty novice level...

The rooms are definitely starting to look improved compared to the earlier pictures.

chenda
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by chenda »

I know this isn't yet a priority but I'm studying landscape architecture at the moment so if you want to post a site plan I'll happily sketch you a landscaping scheme.

I'm thinking something which conveys a subtle gentrification combined with a defensive get-the-feck-off-my-land might work.

ertyu
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by ertyu »

really nice. lots to strip down, but also lots of good material under there. Strength :muscle:

Stasher
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Stasher »

I've always really enjoyed the demolition phase of cleaning up old houses, stripping everything back and replacing the "skeleton" as needed. Then building back like a wonderful blank canvas. For the state of the home, I assume you paid a wonderful steal of a price? Is your goal to live in yourself or a rental property.

If the chimney is crumbled it may be a great opportunity to totally remove it and install a direct vent furnace or a split system heat pump (depending on the regional winter climate)

I have been watching for something like this where we live but real estate is through the roof, great for my existing equity but not so much to find a hidden gem of a fixer upper to downsize to.

We have a nice Lemonbalm plant in our side yard bed, every time I walk by I tear off a leaf and rub in my hands. A nice nature provided cologne :D

7Wannabe5
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Alphaville@ertyu:

Thanks guys!

@BookLoverL:

The plant in the pot is mint. It's really too early/cold for survival of much of anything potted, but mint is pretty indestructible, and I wanted small corner of cheer.

@chenda:

That would be very cool. I like doing garden design myself, but I'm better at filling beds with attractive/productive mix of controlled chaos than figuring out where to place the beds, etc. I am still in process of identifying large trees on site. Unfortunately, I have a very large pine and a very old apple which are both quite dead. Also, I definitely need some more "get the feck off my land" signaling, because humans leave fast food trash on my lawn, dump their stuff in my dumpster, and somebody even stole the old sink from my kitchen which I dragged into the garage (which is currently wide open due to missing barn door.) :x

Unfortunately, I am also experiencing a bit of trauma likely relating back to the time I was physically attacked on my independent turf (modular garage space I rented as office/storage for my business.) If some low-life copper scavenger comes into my house while I am working there by myself, he might end up with a gut full of reciprocating saw blade.

@Stasher:

I only paid $6000 for the house. It is my intention to live in the house, but it is still within the realm of possibility that I might wind up with just the lot, shed, garage, a pile of reclaimed lumber and another pile of old asbestos-cement shingle layer to dispose of appropriately/cheaply. One of my new neighbors told me I could get $15,000 for the black walnut on my property, but I think that's a bunch of hooey. I do intend to install a heat pump and/or wood/pellet stove, but current chimney location might not be best. I definitely will reclaim the bricks to reuse elsewhere.

Generally, I am currently attempting to maximize my fun/learning out and minimize my cash flow in to this project, so I am slooooooowing it down. My only real time constraint is that I have to have at least one inspection some time in the next 6 months. Good carpenters are in high demand right now, so my best bet might be to let myself be rough educated in carpentry by the inspector at the rate of $140 per inspection :lol: Hopefully, the roof will not fall on my head.

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Alphaville
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Alphaville »

7Wannabe5 wrote:
Tue Mar 30, 2021 8:49 am
Unfortunately, I am also experiencing a bit of trauma likely relating back to the time I was physically attacked on my independent turf (modular garage space I rented as office/storage for my business.) If some low-life copper scavenger comes into my house while I am working there by myself, he might end up with a gut full of reciprocating saw blade.
im far from a gun nut, but a lil' .380 pistol or .38spc revolver might add a bit of a sting to your toolbelt... 🤔

motion sensor alarms might help early warning too...

Stasher
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Stasher »

WOW only $6000 for the whole property, that is an ERE permaculture homesteading school of life DIY skill building adventure possibility all wrapped up into one package for the price of a typical family spring break trip to Disney Land with nothing to show for it.

Enjoy the journey and the worst that will happen is that you clean up the property to make it visually appealing which allows you to sell for a profit based off your sweat equity.

Enjoy the slow pace and we will enjoy following along. Cheers ~ Stasher

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: 7Wannabe5- Take 7- The Money Dimple

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

You've got a good cheering section here but I will add my two cents. I am very impressed by how much you've been able to get done already. You're doing a great job!

I'm not sure if it would be applicable to your situation but the school in my neighborhood has adopted solar motion lights and solar wireless security cameras (which may or may not be real) as deterrents to protect structures away from the main building/paths/etc. I suppose they have to be far out of reach though or they will become another target for theft.

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