520 12C St N, rear

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.

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.

siding, GPS insulation, frozen barrels

20241212 by Allan

I cleaned up a bit at 520. I organized the remaining GPS insulation panels, wooden siding, old lath boards in an old wash tub, etc. There are two frozen rain barrels there, one on its side. It’s impossible to lift it up. If things get warmer, it’ll drain.

new windows again

2024112520241121 by Allan

New windows arrived again today! This time, for the rear of 520. Four triple-pane Jeld-Win windows.

Unfortunately, it’s also the first day of real snow. Installation will have to wait.

darned gate

2024112520241028 by Allan

So the only thing I did today at 520 is realign the gate. Yay.

10/28/2024 11:29 AM      3348537 520 12C St N Lethbridge AB rear 20241028_122916 gate realigned.jpg
10/28/2024 11:29 AM      2745484 520 12C St N Lethbridge AB rear 20241028_122923 gate realigned.jpg
10/28/2024 11:29 AM      3516402 520 12C St N Lethbridge AB rear 20241028_122931 gate realigned.jpg
10/28/2024 11:29 AM      3467686 520 12C St N Lethbridge AB rear 20241028_122935 gate realigned.jpg

Oh, and I got a load of siding and dropped it off. Now that was a lot of work. They’re heavy! Just ask the Chrysler.

And expensive.

So here’s what the 3rd (east) wall looks like so far.

siding weight issues

2024110220241012 by Allan

So we bought all that cement board siding (Hardie Board) for the exterior of 520 rear. But, after adding continuous (no furrow strips) soundproofing and insulation, the width of the wall is now extended 2-7/8″ past the sheathing, or 3-1/4″ past the studs, which are only 2×4. What kind of hardware is needed to hang cement board siding that far out from the studs? Once the calculations are done, the cement board siding comes in at 93 lbs. per 4×8′ area.

dead as a doorbell

2024060120240501 by Allan

The doorbell quit! But I know why. It was a clearance item at Rona. When I installed it, I knew the button was sticky. So when someone pushed it, it activated the doorbell and ran forever until the thing died. Was it the transformer or the chime? Hard to say. But I replaced it all anyway.