One year ago today: June 19, 2015, why I still have no camera.
Five years ago today: June 19, 2011, DNA and the casinos.
Nine years ago today: June 19, 2007, the secret bannock recipe.s
Random years ago today: June 19, 2004, paint, "oops sorry", and NASA.
MORNING
Okay, so we were out carousing and chasing women until midnight. Enough, this is a business trip because it will decide the course of action for the upcoming 30 days. About the only good news you’ll get is if we find something isn’t as much work as I’d planned. That happened almost right away. As I suspected, the walls are not insulated. That explains the hot afternoons inside, falling to chilly by twelve hours later. I had to know for sure.
This is neither really bad nor really good. I got what I paid for and if you look closely, the wood is sound. There is no old insulation or anything under the panels that I have to tear out and haul away. And throwing in new drywall is so cheap, I’m stripping the walls down to the bare studs. They are unplaned 2x4”s, so they actually measure two inches by four inches. There are also expertly cut diagonal crossbraces in the corners, revealing the walls were built by a carpenter.
I’m so tempted to take the siding off and do a proper job of fixing it up. JZ says this is a lot of work, but I know exactly how much work it is. Some of my summer jobs were assisting in renovating older places and this one is particularly clean and dry. We now know I was right about digging down to find out what is under the concrete blocks before making any decisions on pouring concrete. And of course, I want the building square and level before I begin straightening any doors or windows.
And what’s with JZ? The guy sure gets antsy when somebody goes into his room and hacks out a hole in the wall with a hatchet first thing Sunday morning.
“The Discovery of Land”.
NOON
Good news. From the side, the house looks like most other houses in the area. It appears to be built on concrete blocks lying directly on sandy soil. I don’t know about the other houses, but a probe below each pier on mine shows there is a second layer of blocks resting deep into the ground. I don’t know if you can make it out, but you might see me pointing with gloved finger at the probe handle. This is striking another concrete block buried in the sand.
In a wink, we were up at the garden center buying a long-handled spade and planning on bringing our rakes and shovels next trip. No, I was not complimented on how doing things my way may just have saved a good $2,000. This photo is taken directly outside the same wall the drywall is removed on the inside. We will return with two 20-ton hydraulic jacks and begin on this corner, watching the interior studs for any movement or warping.
Because the original carpenter put those diagonal braces, there is a good chance once the foundation is leveled again, the doors and windows may largely unstick by themselves. If you want to follow this plan, think of us lifting the entire building by around 1-1/2”. Then we use shims to level a new bottom plate of 2x6 around the perimeter, resting on the old blocks. It will certainly be easier to shim the 2x6 than to wrestle with the walls or pour pylons. Then, once the 2x6 is as level as I can make it, we lower the building down ¼” to rest on this new “plate”.
And wait. I’ll wager within a day or two, as the building settles, we’ll get some miraculously square corners. Once again, door will close easily and just maybe the kitchen drawers will start sliding again.
Gregg Miller: Medicine, 2005. Gregg brought us Neuticles, the silicon replacement testicles for neutered dogs. It prevents post-op depression, states Gregg. And some 500,000 have been sold. I presume that means pairs, and there is something familiar about that number that I just can’t pin down.
NIGHT
The work on the foundation in the broiling heat should be considered a full day’s work by itself. We also cleared away leaves and determined what tools we have versus what must be bought. Everything else, like a ladder to keep the roof clear, I will buy locally. The huge oak trees shed enough leaves that they can collect in the valleys of the roof. Shown here, JZ is backfilling the test hole that determined how deep into the substrate the buried blocks came to rest. Visual inspection of the remaining block columns show only one has tilted slightly. For clarity, the other 27 blocks are still in good shape.
This slows almost everything since the visibility is a tenth of a mile, even if your wiper blades could keep the window clear enough to see that far. I say almost everything, because there is always some moron who thinks he can ramrod his way into the monsoon at 80 mph. Followed moments later by a state trooper who comes from out of nowhere. I just know the Floridians who live around the big lake have a cute little term for these incidents.
We arrived back in town after dark and stopped at the club. Having forgotten it was Father’s Day, JZ decided to partake of the free food at the pub. He returns to the table with a hot dog, saying he only wants half. Yeah, okay, half won’t kill my diet. No, but it sure killed my appetite. It was one of those fiery hots that you get half chewed before the capsicum ignites your taste buds. Anybody who’s eaten this spice knows that drinking cold liquid does not help. Al Klit said it right, “Food shouldn’t hurt.”
That was enough. That spice peels a layer off your innards. I had JZ drop me off at the trailer court and it’s good-bye from here. Hope you enjoyed the day.
Last Laugh
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