How i spent my 1st week of summer vacation....
Pics are documented on myspace "Auntiekackie" More or less documenting filth and some of the damage so far from the previous renters.
anyway....
I have certainly been in my element all week…. It’s been everything I am about. This moving business to Austin has become a totally house rehab. I was there last weekend to work on more painting prep minor repairs and basement cleaning. The original plan was to be moving part of the house out there by this coming weekend. NOT going to happen. It may be late July or August now.
Half bath on main floor had an issue with the toilet leaking, only noticeable because I cleaned. So the Owner said we could pull up the old flooring repair and reseat. *cough*. We got through one layer only to find a second layer all rotten which turned into a 3rd layer of rot. Right down to the floorboard on the floor joist. All rotten. The back wall behind the toilet caved in about 3 inches from the floor. UGH!. The only thing holding that toilet up was the stack which I may add is in good shape. Unfortunately the wood veneer vanity next to the toilet can’t be saved because it is veneer. I won’t even say when it smells like, but the toilet side is rotten. So, all week we have been removing layers of bath floor trying to find something solid. It was supposed to be a 2 day job at most. With graduations and Stacy’s family trip to ND. I still have no toilet. I hope by next Friday the plumber will be there installing a new seat on the stack. Oh I may add on a side note, Only 3 water shut offs in the whole house. The main and the two toilets. This obviously has posed a problem during everything as well.
Meanwhile the owner said he is gutting the 2nd floor bath and redoing it because of the rot there around the tub which the tenant had caulked with duct tape. SO I have no bathroom at all what so ever. The project will take about 2 weeks to do and the plumber can not start it for about 3-4 weeks right now. The ceiling in the bedroom below this bath wont be touched until all that work is done. Of course the hardwood floors wont be refinished until all that work is done as well. SO this week starting Thursday I will move into cleaning and painting the second floor. No use trying to do more on the main lvl. Not at this time. Hopefully by Friday night I will have a potty!
Sat and Sunday where spent power washing the basement. YUK! But wow does it smell and look better!. Big job, lots of simple green. I must say that stuff is great. It cleans without clouding varnish or making it sticky. Biodegradable, not harmful to septic systems or my skin. I do have some decent chemical burns on my hands from Dow scrubbing bubbles though. It’s been a while since I’ve used chemicals like that. But I think it is necessary for now.
I am proud of my self I re-screened 2 storms doors and 3 windows. Simple simple simple! If any of you have holes in your screen I recommend getting of your bum take a chance and do it. It is soooooo easy! The front door had suffered as well from these past tenants. It would appear as though they broken storm door never closed properly to keep rain off the solid door. The bottom 6 inches are rotting. Now the owner does not have the funds to take care of something like this right now. His money is going to more important places, so I did my quick fix to prevent further damage. 1st thing I did was paint his door to match the shutters. Use a top quality exterior anti bacterial paint. It was white. Showed every flaw, its now a brick maroon to hide the damage. He is going to hate it. To Suburban for this area I think. Then I put a brass kick plate at the bottom which covered the rot perfectly. I think it looks great. I repair the storm door so now it closes tightly on it’s own and will lock!
I worked on the wet basement issue filling some foundation cracks with some caulk for block I added a window well around the coal chute which I may add was NEVER closed at all!. It just swings wide open with a slight breeze! No wonder the spiders, mice and water issues are so bad!. I got a window well cover on it as well did some back fill and added hostas to hold the dirt. Now we are working up and idea to hold that door shut permanently. I believe we have a plan. We are going to use the same method the pro’s use when boarding up buildings. I’ll caulk the door with some black jack as well. That should keep out water and deter bugs and mice.
I need hosta. I need them to hold the backfill ill be putting in. I can not dig them out myself. It seems I have broken a knuckle on my right hand. I am barely getting by with many simple tasks. If anyone is dividing hostas currently and you have left overs I can use them… day lilies would be great as well.
After cleaning the basement and getting this coal chute door dealt with I sprayed ext and inter with a 365 bug barrier. The slugs sure didn’t like it. I’ve dumped slug bait everywhere. They like to climb into the basement. I hope this has been put to an end.
Since Stacy’s family went out of town I was also tending to her critters all weekend. Horses, ducks, chickens and turkey chicks, chins, rats, gerbils, hamsters, sunconure, cockatoo, dogs and cats. Lets just say I have changed the name of the cockatoo to “velociraptor”. He is scary and mean. Chasing turkey chicks that have escaped took up a bit of time. I was so busy I never had a chance to brush the horses. For the most part all her critters behaved well. If I do this again though, there must be changes made… #1 clear the area I am going to walk the horses through. Dangerous! #2 get up a post to tie the horses up to. #3 clean those cages! The boys where told to do it before they left but they skipped like every other cage and lied about it.
J3 we can use you out there next weekend. She needs her studio done so the barn can be cleaned out, so Clint’s shed can be done to get the creamery cleaned out etc etc etc….. All her help on the studio has abandoned her and my bath floor has taken up nearly a week of her doing other things.
Storms come up fast. I guess you all here in the metro had a nasty storm Saturday. Well it just kind of BAM was developing down in Austin. Winds so strong it was pushing me. I ran the horses up to their paddock quickly, we batten down the hatches and the storm moved on. Wed was full of wind and rain and brown outs. We need a weather radio. No sirens out where we are. They use a system of calling or “the phone tree”.
No sound but frogs and birds out there. Rarely any loud vehicles at night. It’s like a big exhale in the evenings. So far, no skeetos either.
I have plans. I can see us there long time and eager to buy the property… I already have a vision of how the backwoods should be with a wild flower walk. The ferns back there are as tall as my waist in just 2 weeks time! If I owned it I would willingly put up pasture fence in many areas for the neighbor to graze her horses. Less mowing!
Mudpuppy sure enjoyed it out there. He played with all the dogs and cats and chickens, Played outside for hours actually following the rules. He was filthy dirty when we got home, full of scratches and bumps and bruises. He loves it there! He just needs his toys and sandbox.
Anyone who wishes to come out and help paint is welcome to do so. Just bring your camping gear! No stove here, no potties, or wait a week to make sure we have a potty. Lots of area to set up a tent! No cell service down here. If you want to come down and can’t reach us contact Stacy through J3.
This weeks plan:
Get a potty/finish half bath!
Sweep and shop vac basement
Paint basement if it’s dry
Work on backfill and window wells
Start painting 2nd floor, repair screens as needed.
Repair back door storm door and second floor storm door.
Line kitchen shelves and drawers
Clean baseboard heaters
Wash liv/din room walls and repair
Repair holes in hollow core doors.
Weather strip ext doors properly
Put in septic enzymes
Grout and reseal 1/2 bath tiles
A lot of work but I see this is what I do best, rehabbing trashed rentals and mucking about in dirt with plants. I can also enjoy farm critters and chore without having to pay for feed or vet bills. PERFECT! This lifestyle is something that has haunted me since I was little.
even power washing wouldn't move this little tree from the basement floor!