Allan – Projects

new planer

20250126 by Allan

I bought a new planer a few days ago. It was on sale for … I think $550, regular $730. Some reviews of it say the motor burns out after a few months, but lots have no issues with it.

I planed a bunch of lath boards pulled from 1403 main floor and upstairs. None of these boards need sanding now. Perfectly smooth and brought back to their original “woodness”.

My neighbour at home saw my van full of lath boards (not yet planed) and asked, “What are you doing with all that s***?” I said, “It’s valuable trim board. It just doesn’t look like it yet.”

You can buy MDF (basically cardboard) trim board at Rona for $2.69 per linear foot. The cheapest quarter-round is $1.29/ft. And it’s all white! No personality.

When SF moved into 520, she made a comment about having to paint the trim around the windows and doors. I said that it took a long time to make them all smooth and polished in natural wood. Please don’t paint them. Unfortunately, I was still using my old planer, and the wood isn’t nearly as baby-skin smooth as the ones I’m doing now. The whole look of that place was a mix of modern and rustic.

I’m going for a similar look at 1403 (but slightly different – you’ll see). But I have yet to do the sides of them. That will take time .. and experimentation.

cheap faucets

2025012620250125 by Allan

I can’t determine the brand of this faucet, but they are less than two years old. And they leaked!

SF told me on Saturday that there was a leak. I arrived that same morning. I asked when it started to leak. She said she didn’t know. I asked when the water leak alarm went off. “Oh, is that what that is?” She’s never seen one before. Likely, most people haven’t. I have three at home, but I believe most people don’t. This one was apparently beeping since Wednesday.

chimney removal

2025012620250120 by Allan

I’ve planned for a while to have the chimney removed. I’m surprised it took so much money to do it, but these guys did work hard. It will take two days.

The work begins inside and out, including a roof patch.

Have a look at the pictures.

 1/20/2025  9:51 AM      3271853 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_095118 chimney removal begins.jpg
 1/20/2025  9:52 AM      3799148 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_095246 chimney removal roof patch.jpg
 1/20/2025 11:34 AM      3077708 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_113411 chimney removal to ceiling.jpg
 1/20/2025 12:36 PM      3057036 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_123650 chimney removal half-way.jpg
 1/20/2025 12:46 PM      3605206 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_124654 chimney removal nearly to floor.jpg
 1/20/2025  3:44 PM      2389340 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_154427 chimney removal hole in ceiling.jpg
 1/20/2025  3:44 PM      3546133 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_154430 chimney removal down to floor.jpg
 1/20/2025  4:47 PM      2651504 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_164735 chimney removal down to floor, walls.jpg
 1/20/2025  4:47 PM      3079132 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_164740 chimney removal down to floor.jpg
 1/20/2025  4:47 PM      2671003 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_164745 chimney removal roof patch.jpg
 1/20/2025  4:48 PM      3063430 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_164815 chimney removal workers' tools.jpg
 1/20/2025  4:48 PM      2492423 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250120_164819 chimney removal coats.jpg

Tomorrow: first floor.

 1/20/2025  4:50 PM      2364196 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB main 20250120_165017 panels removed for chimney removal.jpg
 1/20/2025  4:50 PM      2912182 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB main 20250120_165026 panels removed for chimney removal.jpg

coat hooks and purse shelf

2025011420250113 by Allan

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.

both ceilings

2025010520250103 by Allan

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

Structural Engineer

2025010520250103 by Allan

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:

Concrete footings in the crawlspace had broken apart due to slumping in the soil.
Upright supports have moved due to soil slumping, and 6×6 notched support beams have split and come away from the house.
The living room and bathroom addition to the structure was done poorly. They cut through many of the framing members (balloon frame studs) to open up the walls. (See diagram below.)

So, to correct this, most likely:

Screw piling will be put in the front and rear of the property.
A beam will span this length under the house.
An LVL bulkhead will be added to the living room / bathroom span.

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!

sub-flooring, bricks, range, banister, and smells

2025010520250102 by Allan

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.

proposed explanations on bricks in balloon framing wall cavities

2024122120241220 by Allan

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?

The price and availability of long timber, some as long as 35 feet.
The lack of fire block in this type of building, with fire being able to lick up the entire wall without breaks.
The skill required for balloon framing, compared to the simplicity of platform framing.

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.