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This is the joint that failed in the crawlspace in the fungus zone under the sink. The 1/4 inch gap is the failure point that caused water to spray out, same way the master shower did. The yellow stuff is hard plastic epoxy, which is incredibly hard, but it was very difficult to get it where I wanted it during my first attempt to fix the leak.

Karen's pictures -- enhanced

These are the pictures Karen took for the MLS. As you probably know, I can't resist the urge to tune-up the pictures! Digital cameras are great but tend to take 'flat' pics. So fixed that and removed some non-permanent distractions. (Removing permanent items is misrepresentation.) I offer this service to severl realtors a while back, no takers. They're alwasy talking about "first impressions" and I was astounded at someof the apallingly bad "first impressions" out there on the MLS. I don't get it. Anyway, Karen's picture are good...and now they're better!

Some befores...

Survived the plumbing

Going 0 for 4 with plumbers answering phones or returning my calls, I collected my tools and a mask and climbed into the crawl space. The joint I had to fix was --like everything else on the projewct--more difficult than expected, because it was between a joist and other joint for a another plumbing line. No room to cut or sit, leaning at a 30-degree angle for 45 mintes with mushrooms all around me, a mosquito in my ear and not-long enough extentison cord that only get a light to within eight feet so that I could barely see what I was doing, sitting on wet, moldy fiberglass, leaning against a wet masonry wall **somehow** managed to cut the three pipes and jamb in a new fitting.

I was not looking forward to doing this for a good reason. It sucked! I'm not absolutely positive I gave enough pipe into the fitting for a real secure fit, but I had little to spare and it didn't leak when I turned the water on. (I turned it off again before I left because I want to leave it on while I'm there and check for leaks at the end of the day. Several other fittings under there have been replaced in the past. It's a good bet thet most of the remaining ones will fail sooner or later.

So, with today's taks, finsihing the staining of the front deck, finish building the railing of the back deck (which still needs a stairs), there's really just a few odds and ends and possibly the appliances. The front of the dishwasher does not reverse, Karen)

Getting closer

One major obstable was overcome yesterday, that being the kitchen countertops. I t might have been easier in hindsight to replace them rather than just replace the laminate, but that's what I did. I haven't flush trimmed them and replaced the wooden trim yet, but the nasty cutting and gooey gluing is done.

I may have to replace the toilet in the half-bath. I had to cut the bolts off with a hacksaw to get it up, the bolts were completely rusted solid. I may have chipped the porcelin underneath. Anyway, the floor is ready for tiling.

All the tiling floors have yet to be done and they may take a day each. I've not done any landscaping, installed the lattice or painted the hall or the decks, and I still need to replace a sink and install medicine cabinets and hardwars in all the batchrooms. With a day for touchup, I'm looking at probably 7-8 days of work left, though we can probably get the listing ready this coming week

$500 wasted

The rain from yesterday's massive downpours have again washed away the driveway. We CANN OT spend $500 every time it rains and to fix this problem would be obviously prohibitevely expensive. This is very discouraging and I don't know to do about it. Ernesto is only hours away and it will only get worse.

Some updated pictures

Some progress pictures, if only to remind myself that I am making progress.

1. This first one is an indication of the coverage problems. This was medium blue trim and this is what it looks like after the second coat of primer (one coat of which is supposed to hide the color). It's still blue. Even after the first coat of high-quality white paint, the blue still peeks through if you look closely. For high-profile areas, I've had to add a fourth coat and even then it could us another. Annoying and extremely time-consuming.

2. The second picture is of the new threshold. You can't see much, but it isn't rotten and that's the main point. The camera in the cell takes very basic pictures, so these aren't great.

3. The kitchen is still a work zone, so it's cluttered and only done from the waist up, but this is what it looks like. I reattached the original handles and hinges after painting because they worked better now that before! I coul still replace them if consensus dictates, but personally, I like them. They are pretty basic.

4. The back deck no longer has a tress stump in it and the hole has been covered. I had to build the framing under it and discovered that the left side was higher than the right, but to fix it would probably not be possible or feasible, so it slopes.

5. The girl's bedroom, which has been a major hassle of the cerilian teal, bananna peel and unnamed purple (I found the paint cans) painted daisies and butterflies. It is now general public beige and white! The ceiling has caused another problem, causing me to needto paint it, when I'd hope I could avoid it. I thought this room would be simple, but like everything else, not. The original picture is here for comparision.

At this point the majority of the paint is done. Bathrooms still need it as do the outside first floor windows (The second floor is staying putple unless it really stands out. I'm just not getting 20 feet up on ladders.) The high heat abd humidity have limited my time outdoors as well as upstairs and his week could present a hurrican problem, but there's still lots to do inside.

Some lessons learned

I knew I'd learn some things doing this. I learned two things this week: 1. When I do this again, buy a compressor and paint spray equipment. Hours and hours and hours of painting is really grinding me down. This roller and brush stuff is a collosally archaic waste of time and energy. I'd rather spend two days masking and taping and one or two days spraiying than three weeks of painting. I have at least three more days of painting. The dark green and purple trim takes at least three coats, using high quality primer, often four and is very tedious. 2. Ill go back to the inspector I used originally on this houe in Wendell. The inspector for the Blackfoot house missed or severely underestimated several critical items and his report was hard to read and incomplete. He's a decent guy and his report was okay for a residential house, but not for an investment. On a more expensive house, I'd be very reluctant to hire him again. Back to Amerispec.

The crawlspace mess

The A/C technician came out for evaluation today on why the airflow is so inconsistent. This could get expensive, but basically there are these problems:

1. Some of the ducts are either disconnected of ruptured (he put his right through a large one near the blower.

2. The ducts, most of them, are made of amaterial that was new in the early 90's, a grey flexible tubing that has since provento be a disaster. The flexing created by heat in the winter and cold in te summer causes them to crack and break. A couple of thee were replaced at some point, but at least eight have to be replaced.

2a. These ducts were installed by incompetent installers who used large cable ties to attach them. Sloppy, cheap and irresponsible.

3. The evaporator coil needs to be "deep cleaned." For an unknown length of time, the unit has been running without filters, which is disasterous for the evaporator. It could need replacement, which would be expensive, but hopefully a less expensive cleaning.

4. Something is living in one of the ducts and the technicial would not advance past it! I'll have to find and remove the animal/reptile, somehow, before any repairs can be made. There are small animal tracks, possibly a feral cat or a racoon. Either way it could be rabid. I may try to trap it with a humane trap. If that fails, another expense for animal removal.
This is likely because of the crawlspace door being detached, which I'll need to fix. My knees and back can't take being under there for very long.

Progess and setbacks

A sick cat and a muffler that fell off in traffic have set me back that last two days, but the kitchen (and hallway) is *almost* painted. Then the there's a the countertop and floor. Obviously my original three-week estimate was extremely opimistic. I'll be very lucky to get this done by September 1.

The driveway is done, though the two loads of crushed stone didn't go as far as I'd hoped. At least prostects won't lose a wheel on the property.

Friday Night Update

Every day this week was 95 or hotter (100 both Wednesday and Thursday, 98 today) and high humidity. Even in the A/C I sweat profusely all week and all I did was paint! It's still work, and any work this week was tough going. I figure out soaked 15 T-shirts this week!

The kitchen trim and cabinets are *almost* painted. The dark green has proven extremely difficult to cover and requires four coats. Trim is slow going anyway, so the progess has been excutiatingly slow. High quality primer and paint made little difference, and I still have five more windows and doors of that color (or burgundy). It's literally been 50 hours of painting, so I know there will be a least another week of it.

I brought room A/C unit from home so I could spot prime the butterfilies and daisies in the upstairs room in something less that 100-degree heat. (I needed a break from the kitchen.) At 5000 BTU, it barely made a dent. After four hours, it barely got the temperature down to about 90. It should do a little better from now on, but I need to find a HVAC company that isn't overwhelmed to fix the central unit. Those butterflies and daisies, too, required three coats of primer just so I could paint over them!

When I get the cabinet doors and drawers back up in the kitchen, I'll take a picture. It's already three times brighter in there. When I get a new floor and countertop, it will be a very nice kitchen.

Ray the Landscaper didn't show today, so hopefully he'll show up on Monday. He didn't make a firm comittment for today, so that's okay. If he skipped it because of the heat, I can't blame him. He's in his late 60s or early 70s.

To date, I've spent about about $1600 (including my labor rate), I've logged more than 800 miles, and 90 hours.

Threshold pictures

Right side of threshold prior to further investigation. Not visible are hundreds of started termites and ants, and a couple of bugs I couldn't identify.
This is the left side looking out from the kitchen.


With the door closed looking down into the insulation.

Hot hot hot

It's 3:06 on the hottest day of the year and I 'm back home because, despite taking trhe precautions, I started having early signs of heat exhaustion. After only about 4 hours of work, inside in the air conditioning, I still sweat through four shirts. I drank plenty of water, but started getting a little dizzy with a headache and shivering. Time to stop! I was removing the very stubborn top border wallpaper, so even in a cool room I was up near the ceiling and working hard. I managed to finish that (but still two rooms to do), but I ran out of gas when I went back to painting.

The driveway will be graded and loaded with crushed stone in a few days (cheaper than gravel, apparently).

Painting...and a deja vu on the threshold

The kitchen is already looking brighter, ecen though I have only about half the painting done. It's take the better part of two days largely because that green color is nearly impossible to cover in less than three coats (one primer and two paint or vice-versa, doesn't matter). I'm using a "high-hiding" primer supposedly for covering dark colors. I saw no difference. I'm goting to have to but more primer tomorrow and I'm getting the best available, no mater what it costs. This is taking too long and too much effort and there's a lot more to do.

The threshhold is almost done, some trim work remaining. Doing that in the 96-degree 104 heat index conditions yesterday was a blast. I sweat through four t-shirts. Curious development: When I was trying to fingure out where to cut the subfloor to patch in a new piece, I noticed a seam and followed it. THIS has happened before! I found new 'sister' joists and patched in wood. They repaired the damage but left the root problem, which I may do as well. The people living there should install gutters, but hopefully we won't own the house long enough for that to happen again!

Still in the 'fining surprises' stage!

Well, I spent about $80 on incidentals, some I had planned on, some not. All three toilet seats have to be replaced, though I only bought one, since I plan to check 'Habitat Reuse Center' for these and a few other things in a couple of days.

Today was one of those days where I did a lot of work, but have little to show for it, except a new lock on the door. This mostly a setup day anway. (BTW, I you ever come across "Gatehouse" locks and the package says "fits all doors" they're lying! Luckily I had a drill and a few wood-boring bits. They fit now!) I dragged a lot of tubs of tools and supplies over and did oddball stuff, like unsticking some windows. That purple paint may be ugly, but it's tough. Didn't have all the equipment to do any painting. I waited all afternoon for the water guys to turn that water on, but they didn't get there until after five, so I did other stiff, sine I can't really paint without water. (I can but the brushes get tossed.)

Some surprises. There'a always a few things the inspector misses.

• Something funny with the A/C. It worked yesterday, but today the compressor came on but no fan. I tried various this with the thermostat, but nothing worked until I flipper the breakers off and on. I have a feeling that blower fan might be going. The upstairs really doesn't get much air.
• The left sink in the main bath is cracked and probably has to go (Habittat item maybe, but I'm thinking of getting a double sink/vanity there. It's on place a splurge might pay off).
• I shut the water main off when I left because I think there is a leak or open valve in the crawl space. I can hear it.
• This is actually a little funny: The door on the storage space out back doesn't stay closed, so I looked into why. It's mounted inside out! The key side of the latch is inside the shed, and it wouldn't matter anyway, because the latch catch on the jamb is two inches higher than the latch! I think this was the original entry door.
• I got a weak cell phone signal on the back deck in one spot.

Initial post-inspection walk-through

Every time I look I see something else, more light fixtures, more doorknobs, registers, toilet seats that need replacement. Oh well, I guess that's to be expected.

By the time I got to the homeowners assciation building, it had just closed, so I still don't have a sticker, but hopefully, I'll get one tomorrow.

I still can't get a cell signal out there, and I didn't find a wi-fi signal either (wishfull thinking that maybe one of my neighbors would have an unprotected router available just so I could connect. No such luck. I guess Ma Bell will have to suffice.

This is the 'before' image of the kitchen. Mainly, I'm testing the picture upload capability, but it's good as a reference point. I'm not sure what to do with 'grid' area over the sink, excepot to just paint it white, but it's seems to cry out for something else. Not important right now, but something to think about.