My tenant asked for some coat hooks and a shelf to put her purse on when she walks in the door. This is what I created.
I still have one more hook to put on.
And a mirror.
projects on the go
So the Structural Engineer came. And so did a plumber. Not a lot of time to do physical work today. I looked into the attic …
… and found cobwebs, dust, an old chimney, and a little insulation. More:
1/3/2025 11:46 AM 3012141 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114644 attic.jpg 1/3/2025 11:46 AM 2691156 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114659 attic.jpg 1/3/2025 11:47 AM 2619088 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114708 attic, doorbell transformer.jpg 1/3/2025 11:47 AM 2817146 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_114726 attic.jpg
So I continued with the floors. An idea struck me – to soundproof the floors while I had access. I bought 11 pieces of SONOpan from Home Depot and began cutting them to width.
But I hit a snag – literally – and wondered why there was 1st floor ceiling light wiring when there were no ceiling lights.
Some jack*** cut through the ceiling light wiring. Thanks, Jack!
1/3/2025 11:56 AM 2642814 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_115626 cutting floor plywood.jpg 1/5/2025 8:21 AM 1017147 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_155354 floor boards removed.jpg 1/3/2025 3:53 PM 3128910 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250103_155359 Sonopan soundproofing (11).jpg
I met a Structural Engineer today. We had a look at various parts of the house to determine why there is such a slope in the east half of the structure. We have determined:
So, to correct this, most likely:
I will open up the floor in the 2nd storey to expose more of those cut-through timbers and email him pictures.
I did a brief laser level check. (The laser should be 1-5/8″ above the floor, from my measurements. Funny – nothing in the manual stating this.) This shows that, in about 4 feet, the floor dips down about 2-1/16 inches. Wow!
The second room to get plywood subfloor added (no proboard yet) – the bedroom (previously the living room).
The old hardwood flooring has been stripped in this room. Only the previous bedroom, which will become the living room, is yet to be stripped. The bathroom is another story, which I’ll get to later.
I have searched online for a while and, up to now, came up short, until now.
3 Reasons Old Houses May Have Stones Between The Studs
I was searching for a reason 1403 was built with bricks inside the wall cavities. Built in 1906, the original (first phase, so to speak) of the house was balloon framed, meaning the wall studs go from bottom to top, unlike modern style platform framing.
About 80 or so years ago, people started abandoning balloon framing. Why?
But, up to now, I couldn’t figure out why there are bricks in the wall cavities. Are they structural? Were they pretty good insulation back in 1906? Facade? Was it the original exterior? Why bricks? I don’t have a final, definitive answer, but this is really close.
I’ve changed my mind. I decided to go with 1/2″ plywood rather than 5/8″ for several reasons.
1. The house has to be jacked up on one side. It’s drooping. If I use 5/8″ ply, it won’t bend over top the ‘hump’ in the floor.
2. The house has to be jacked up on one side. When it is, I need a little more flexibility in the structure of the flooring.
3. 5/8″ is too dang heavy. I have to cart it all up to the 2nd floor!
Logic Lumber was good about exchanging it. And there it sits, wait to be used.
Also, the furring continues.
So I finally have the plaster, lath boards, panelling, etc. off the walls in the kitchen. <phew>
Next: Kitchen wiring, insulation, vapour barrier, drywall.
After that: Flooring. Then kitchen cabinets.
In the mean time, …
… a lot of cleanup. So far, 29 contractor bags of plaster, lath, insulation, etc.
Okay, so I was going to start the furring boards and insulation today, but the whole suite needed cleanup.