1403 3 Ave N main

This is a house built in 1906 at 1403 3 Ave. N., Coalbanks (later to become Lethbridge), AB, Canada. I bought the house in Dec. 2021 as a rental property. It has a 3-bedroom suite on the main floor (“main”). This is the story of that suite.

re-moving BR1 window

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The insulation of the first floor has begun. 

beginning rockwoll insulation

From the looks of the framing, there used to be a west-facing 30″ x 60″ window in bedroom 1 (front bedroom).

original and new window area

They framed it in and paved over it with rock-dash stucco during the stucco craze.  In its stead, they added a south-facing window.  I’m not sure if the front porch was built before or after, but this new window opened onto the porch (a.k.a. sun room).  So, if in the middle of the night you wish to get some fresh air, you can’t, unless you wander outside and open the screen door window.  No other window in that porch opens.

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dump run gone wrong

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“The trailer’s a bit heavy,” I said.
“I think it’ll be fine,” HFT said.
“Looks heavy to me,” D said. 

 

We didn’t make it more than 5 blocks when a tire blew.  We stopped along 13 St N, hazard and overhead lights blinking.  I put out my safety triangle 10 paces behind the rig.  Luckily, I decided to bring the spare trailer tire this day.  Yay!  Except…

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electrical and structural supplies

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More work must be done to raise the 2nd floor back to its rightful elevation.  The load-bearing partition between the living room and laundry / bathroom is, by my measurements, two 2 1/8 inches too short.  The floor dips that much from over 28 inch span across the hallway.  The installers of this wall didn’t really care enough to make it the same height as the other interior partitions.  So, it has to be removed and another put in its place. 

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panel, furring, plaster, lathe, brick removal

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Today was pretty much devoted to pulling panelling, furring strips, plaster, lathe, and bricks from the walls.  The exterior walls all had bricks inside.  These are not structural but, rather, meant as a heat sink, barrier from wind, fire block, and insulation.  We have better quality insulation that acts as a fire block (like Rockwool) available now.

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what a pane

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I finally got a piece of glass for the front porch of the house.  The roofing company accidentally broke the window as they were throwing down refuse from the old roof.  The same guy who came to tell me, on a different day, that he put his foot through the ceiling of the porch also told me about the broken glass. 

 

I told them not to worry about it as I had another pane in the basement, but it turns out someone else broke that one.  $25 later, it is now replaced.  Needs putty though. 

broken porch ceiling somewhat fixed

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As the roofers were completing their project – the last roof surface was the front porch – one of them fell partially through the roof and ceiling below due to rotten boards.  Three rows of ceiling tongue-and-groove boards were broken or detached from the roof rafters.  Along with the boards came chunks of planks that used to be the roof sheathing, 120 years of dust, new roofing material, and plant debris.  Yes, plants were growing in their at one point. 

I reattached the boards today with wood screws.  It ain’t pretty, but it will suffice for now. 

Next: the broken window.  I’m still waiting to hear back from the window shop. 

1F ceiling removal

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Our work was cut out for us today.  Some ceiling panels fell down a few days ago, and I wondered if they would all, one day, coming tumbling down on top of someone’s head. 

It turns out my hunch was correct.  When beginning to take them down, they all came tumbling across my head – about 20 panels, all at once.

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chimney removal

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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

proposed explanations on bricks in balloon framing wall cavities

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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?

  1. The price and availability of long timber, some as long as 35 feet.
  2. The lack of fire block in this type of building, with fire being able to lick up the entire wall without breaks.
  3. 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.