Rockwool, 2x2s, more lath & plaster removal

I dropped by Rona to get some insulation and wood.  I decided on Rockwool because it

  • has a higher fire rating than fibreglass
  • is made mostly from recycled stuff (volcanic rock basalt and slag)
  • has better R-value than fibreglass

But it is more expensive.  How much more?  I haven’t done much in comparison, to be honest, as I need the extra fire protection.  This house is, after all, balloon framing.

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new windows again

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.

kitchen lath boards removed

Sunday today.  The main floor tenants were home.  I hope I didn’t make too much noise.

I removed the last of the lath boards and old flooring (all remaining five layers) from the kitchen today.  I cut the remaining flooring into squares to aid in removal.  I set the circular saw to 2mm or so less than its total thickness and carved away.  Unfortunately, I gave myself sore sinuses doing it.  But it is done.

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kitchen renos

Today FT and I removed the kitchen cabinet, a bunch of plaster, and flooring from the kitchen.  OMG, was that a lot of work.  There were 7 contractor bags of plaster and six layers of old flooring (seven if you count the 1/4″ particle board):

  • the original linoleum
  • another colourful lino on that
  • bright red tiles
  • a layer of 1/4″ particle board
  • more lino of yellow & brown
  • click-together wood laminate 

A before and after comparison: 

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kitchen plan, gas lines

Here is my draft kitchen plan.  (Actually, technically, not a plan but an elevation, or section to be more precise).

But it will be up to my kitchen designer at Home Depot, 애린.  She will likely give a better design and tell me what I already know – that my design is crap.  But it’s a start.

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darned gate

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

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.

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wild flowers, fruit trees, and shrubs

Some of the wild flower seeds must have been what Sandra has identified as “wild lettuce”.  They grow like trees!  Now my fruit trees are inundated by what amounts to giant weeds.  I’ll have to pull some.

 

Some of the shrubs in the front, next to the sidewalk, have died off.  I pulled four dead shrubs and kept two that were half-dead.  I’ll have to trim them sometime.  In the mean time, I watered the two new shrubs.  I hope they take.