reasoning for renovations

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I have some explaining to do.  The reasons renovations to the main floor suite were started in the first place were 

  • 1st floor suite bathroom was cut across by 2nd floor stairway (duck your head!) 
  • sloped floor 
  • 2nd floor suite had stairs so steep that a mountain goat couldn’t climb them (although this was not tested with real mountain goats) 

Some other reasons were 

  • no insulation at all – just bricks acting as heat sinks (not even structural) 
  • no bedroom or living room lights 
  • bad location of bedroom doors 
  • bad windows
    • BR1 had a window opening into the front porch – no fresh air, not to mention illegal as all hell as there was no means of egress
    • BR2 had a tiny, leaky awning window 
    • BR3 had a large, leaky window 
    • living room window leaked, would not close 
  • dated, painted 1960s panelling 
  • no 36-inch egress doors 
  • and many, many more 

stair stringers

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After work in the main floor suite, we began work on the stair stringers.  The drafting was a somewhat frustrating experience.  My software kept snapping to 45°, but the slope of the stairs is not 45°, so every time I drew lines from which to dimension, things became annoying.  As well, the printer kept jamming, so I couldn’t print any plans.  I wrote all the pertinent dimensions on a piece of paper, and we went outside to tackle the stringers. 

We cut it to length and added the angles. 

Keep reading…

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pantry cabinets

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After filling a floor gap where the original 4-square house and the kitchen add-on meet and caulking the rest, we installed the pantry cabinets (not to be confused with the room off the kitchen called “the pantry”). 

At the end of the day…

Back in the stairs…

kitchen re-assembly

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I cleaned up the place a bit before beginning work.  With the appliances gone from the living room, Dave was able to finish the ceiling.  We put paper bags around the ceiling fan blades to protect them from drywall dust, primer, and paint splatter. 

I bought some pest repellent spray foam insulation.  It seems to me that the mouse that entered the house while the previous tenants were there went in through a 3/4″ gap in the concrete footing patch the previous owners did to fill the gap.  The dead (decaying) mouse was found under the kitchen cabinets right at that spot.  The outside hole had been filled earlier, and drywall bottom gap was filled with this newly found foam. 

As I was there, the owner of Benchmark Glass here in town came over with the newly created window pane for the mudroom.  No charge!  A “good neighbour” gesture!  Ain’t that sweet.  (I got my new replacement windshield from a few weeks ago.) 

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fridge wall

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As I was working on the upstairs suite stairwell landing, Dave was mudding, sanding, painting, etc. in the main floor suite.  The refrigerator wall was skim coated again. 

 

I finally got the right brackets for the toilet shelving. 

 

Meanwhile…

stairwell landing framing

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When Floyd and Dave showed up, I was mulling over the last bits of the upstairs suite stairwell framing including the landing.  We began this today.  It stands 23.5 inches high and is about 49 x 38 inches and constructed of 2×6 and 3/4 ply.  It will be drywalled in 3/4-inch for fireblocking. 

The remaining lumber will be used up for something-or-other, I am sure. 

So this is how it stands at the end of the day.  If you are paying attention, you will see that one more jack stud needs to be added on the NE corner to hold up the top plate (bottom right of this picture). 

grounds maintenance

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This shrub needs to be gone.  I’m sure its roots are messing with the house.  I would like to …  Then again, maybe it’s the only thing keeping that side of the house up. 

Meanwhile, the lawn was cut. 

But, there are thousands of these little plants growing all over.  What are they?  I think they may be tiny trees hoping to grow.  I bought some week killer to help tamp them down. 

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