SPA Modeler

Hey, I gotta upstairs bathroom job for ya, Fermis! The work you’ve done is top notch!

I can see why your family is there. What a view. Oh and you are quite the handyman.

Thanks fellas...been outta touch for a while now...trying to get this project wrapped up before I have to go back to work.
Kitchen/dining/entry are complete...plumbing is in and working(!!!), stove is in...just waiting on a fridge and microwave.
2 of the bedrooms are only waiting on the new flooring. The 3rd bedroom got a new ceiling the other day...walls needed a lot of help...so many holes/dents/dings/gouges, etc...ready for paint now though. I rebuilt the closet, with access doors for plumbing(tub is on the other side of the wall.
Should be on to the flooring next week.

tempestjohnny wrote:I can see why your family is there. What a view. Oh and you are quite the handyman.

Family has been here since 1833. We even have my G-G-G-Great grandparent travel trunk, that came with them from Scotland! Along with many other items throughout the generations. My Dad also has the original land grant papers framed on their wall. It has Andrew Jacksons signature on it!!! We only have a small fraction of the original property. My Great grampa "developed" our side of the lake. All the remaining log cabins were built by him. He built the cabin my parents are in (the one in the "flood" pics) as his retirement home. He sold off the last big chunk of property (300 acres) to the township...for a dollar....one...dollar
AS far as "handy" goes...I'm a bit of a jack@$$ of all trades! Comes from years of home ownership and being too broke and/or cheap to pay someone else to do it! I have done all of this work before...bits here and there. Never a whole project like this...all at once.
Once complete...I will demand to be the first weekend guest! Even though I only live about 200 yards away!

Sounds like you're handy for the same reason as me. I refuse to pay top dollar for something that looks so simple to do. I've done my share of fixerups when needed. But I hate plumbing. Electrical no problem

tempestjohnny wrote:Sounds like you're handy for the same reason as me. I refuse to pay top dollar for something that looks so simple to do. I've done my share of fixerups when needed. But I hate plumbing. Electrical no problem

Plumbing and electrical were areas that I would not touch, for the longest time.
The plumbing was forced on me, when I built the shower in the master bath. Easy 'nuff. Just a matter of redirecting a few pipes (plumbing an entire house is still well out of my league, due to the lack of knowledge). Electrical, well, I picked up little bits here and there, used the Googles, and asked questions from electricians. I'm confident enough that I could wire up a whole house, once there's power to the breaker box. Still a few things I'm not sure about, mainly having multiple switches for a single fixture...but the Googles would help!

Got a bit of free time...time for a little update!
I finished everything in the house about a week and a half ago. My folks have rented it out, as of last weekend.

Work has begun on the outside....mainly, the deck!
As it was...







As you can see, the porch was in bad shape. The slab was solid though. Slab was only 6" thick...around the outside. Inside though, it was about 10" thick, with a steel bed frame for "rebar". My hands were blistered from swingin the sledge!




Building all new deck...





That metal crap at the bottom of the pic was an old bed frame...buried in the old porch slab. Made for a real PITA!

As of right now, the deck is complete to the front corner of the house, and the main deck area (in front of the house) is all framed up and ready for decking, which will start tomorrow.

In addition...we had a brief time with a cute little critter...

Normally...I'm quite happy "dispensing" these things...but....






The damn thing purrs!

Morning feeding...



Unfortunately, the little guy didn't make it. There's no telling how long he was out there on his own, before he was found. At least he had a bit of warmth and love in his last few days.

Ugh, sorry about that. But you're right, at least its last steps on earth were guided by love. I hope your daughter ain't too sad about it.
One question about one of your older posts, regarding the flooded lot: How bad is this situation for the fundament of the house? Here in northern Germany all houses are -with or without basement- based on concrete. How can you avoid that the whole building starts to rot after a situation like that? Or is the bottom of the house vented enough to let it dry out quickly?

Fermis wrote:

mostrich wrote:Ugh, sorry about that. But you're right, at least its last steps on earth were guided by love. I hope your daughter ain't too sad about it.
One question about one of your older posts, regarding the flooded lot: How bad is this situation for the fundament of the house? Here in northern Germany all houses are -with or without basement- based on concrete. How can you avoid that the whole building starts to rot after a situation like that? Or is the bottom of the house vented enough to let it dry out quickly?

The foundation has a "footing", below ground...then the concrete walls around the outside, and another down the middle. There is just enough space to be able to belly crawl around down there. Years ago, me and my dad dug a bit of a trench, to allow easier access to the bathroom plumbing...there is nothing else that requires being under the house to access.
Things do dry out rather quickly. When my great grandfather built the place, he used good materials! It does flood every Spring, but only once every 5-10 years does the water reach the floor joists. Many years ago (before my time) the water was up to the bottoms of the windows!

That is awesome work on that new deck! Brilliant work! I'm sad that the little guy didn't make it though. I know why he was wearing his Robber's mask; he sure stole my heart! I'm thrilled to know that he had some great love and care in his final days.

Keep up the excellent work as I live vicariously through you.

Thanks Duke!

I've never really been a big fan of those trash pandas...especially when I get 1/2 a dozen of em wreaking havoc on my deer feeder and around my property. Out in the wilds though, I have nothing against them, and have wanted to have one as a pet (at least for a short time), ever since watching "Grizzly Adams"...30-odd years ago!


Moving along with the deck....





It's a lot of work, but I thoroughly enjoy it!