plugging back in

After some quality time in the basement over the weekend I got a little bit more wired up. Another bank of outlets got wired and connected. I actually have a few lights on switches; novel idea, I think the shop light is getting upset since I'm not spending as much time with it.  Seems like a little progress is being made down there, hopefully I get it wrapped up soon and I can check that off the "that needs fixed sooner than later list".  Thankfully that list is getting shorter.  I can get some of those things done and spend a little more time plugging back into life, spring is almost here, time for some new adventures.

turn the light...

most pictures I've taken or have in my archives are worth a thousand words, some of the ones dearest to my heart more, this one is just worth one.  This is the first switch for some lights downstairs, tonight I picked up some wire to run the other switch leads.  Tomorrow I hope to get some more things knocked out down there, if you are around or need something to do, just come on by and give me a hand.  Don't worry, I'm not getting rid of the 'light painting' studio, I know plenty of people want to come back and get more pictures.  What do you think the switches were for? to turn out the lights, not turn them...  well you get the idea.  Hope you had a good friday!

shore it up

Just when I started typing this post the parallel of what it talks about and life in general came to mind.  Underneath part of the floor (the bathroom in particular) someone else proceeded to hack away the support to make space for some piping. They basically took the support and cut it in half, leaving what was left hanging there to hold the weight of the house above unsupported.  So I had to get a jack post and push back up the sagging joist into the correct position. This was done over a couple weeks, in small increments, just to make sure I didn't stress everything all at once.  After it was in the correct position, I installed a new double header spanning from the joists on each side, then attached the cut joist.  I used some joist hangers to make sure there was a secure connection between everything.  I don't have any pictures of the hack job, I forgot to take one before tearing the old stuff out.  But you can see in the images how the new header fits in, the support post has been removed and now the floor isn't sagging!

If only it was this easy to fix life after it's been cut in half, it takes quite a bit more time and effort, but you definitely need good support during that time to get things back somewhere close to level.

the first replacement

Well I'm back with a post!  Woot Woot.  I know its about time.  With the Christmas Season and doing a lot of photography stuff I've slacked on posts.  I do apologize if you've been looking for new posts.  I have done some things around the house so I will be updating as best I can.  Well one of my previous posts detailed the laundry bar / workout bar. Apparently I used it too much.  The bar was bent and the hooks were bending to the point of breaking.  Its for laundry only now.  So my good buddy hooked me up with a sweet setup.  Machined mounts and a stronger bar!  I am in business.  Back to sculpting my guns.

do you smell that smell?

There is one thing that everyone can agree on that is better in this house than before is the smell!  As soon as you walked in here previously it smelled of a combination of stale cigarettes and wet dog.  Now since everything has pretty much been painted, cleaned, and the basement gutted the smell is a million times better.  Add in some great air fresheners and voila!  No more nasty house.  I don't really have a pic or anything since they haven't figured out how to get port smell over the internet to scratch and sniff screens, so you will have to take my word on this one.

laundry and lifting

Tonight was the type of night that helps you keep things in perspective, not like I haven't already been doing that; but this was just another set of events that solidify what life is about.  I'm praying for more than a few people that had some health issues today.

This is also why I try to keep a blog post or two in my back pocket, in case something or if I'm really lucky someone comes by and I can't accomplish anything on the house. The beauty of a bare ceiling in the basement enables you to do whatever you want.  Namely make a hanger bar out of a piece of pipe for your laundry.  But, not only does this provide a place for your freshly laundered linens.  It also doubles as...

basement teaser

From walking around the house and looking at my posts I think I've contracted ADD. Anyway, so I changed my mind on the order of the basement.  Logic would approach from the top down, kind of like a two minute shower. I wouldn't put a garbage disposal in so I could wash my vegetables at the same time. But I digress, the basement floor was dusty and dirty, so after cleaning the best I could, I decided to go ahead and start painting it. This works well cause now I can stage some other stuff down there and also stop tracking dust and dirt up and down the stairs.  This is a little teaser of it, you can see the fresh grey paint sheen. The finished product will be up soon hopefully.  I guess I'll have to wait until it dries to get that paint can.  Don't worry, I didn't get painted into the corner, I was able to get out to post it. Don't be afraid to click on the pics I take, they open into a larger version so you can see them better, I like taking the photos, so I extend to you some higher res enjoyment!

where the party shower ends

No its not a previously unknown work by Shel Silverstein.  This is literally where the party shower ends.  After demolishing the walls the plumbing Christmas tree (as my plumber so eloquently put it) was hanging freely.  So the three shower head monstrosity was taken down and lines capped.. So technically the party shower could be reincarnated. I should probably put a voting app on the blog to see what the readers think. But I digress, this, along with some other plumbing and gas lines were cleaned up and simplified. This should make things a little bit safer by removing the excess gas piping, connections, and bad valves that had been put in over the years.

basement waste - again

This really makes me sick but theres not much I can do about it, its what was here already. Thats right, this is the second dumpster full of basement stuff.  So if you were counting thats almost 30 cubic yards of stuff that was crammed in the basement, not including the stuff I saved for reuse. Happily no more dumpster in the driveway, makes it look a little less like a foreclosure or construction site.  Hopefully this stuff makes some nice wood chips and other items once its sorted and recycled.  That's the bar top by the way, popular with all that have seen.

empty

Could it be? No? Already? They said it couldn't be done. It should have taken longer.  Yes it should have, actually it could have been done quicker.  Thanks to those who helped, you know who you are. The basement is virtually empty! Thank God! There is some final selective demolition to be done, like the cement board glued to the wall (that party shower deserved what it got), and some plumbing and electrical that needs cleaned up.  But for the most part the basement is demolished, onto cleaning and painting.

party shower?

Did someone say party shower?  I think the sledgehammer did.  It's gone, I'm sorry to all of you that may have been a devoted fan. After weighing the options it was demolished.  Now that it isnt there, it is much, much better. There was some consideration of using the space for a bathroom, but another spot is a better option if that happens. Its lack of existence makes a huge difference as you will see...

basement trouble II

After some awesome friends and family chipped in their demolition skills, carrying muscle, and cleaning ability, a lot has been accomplished.  You can see now actually where the bones of this old house are. You can see more walls came down.  Also plenty of electrical wiring, speaker wire, and enough coax cable to start a television studio has been cleaned up. The party shower is still there, after some debate I think its totally coming out, it's in an awkward location for potential future development. I can't figure out what it might have been originally, one theory is where the coal was kept.

basement waste

The unfortunate part of demolition is waste. Less is more, the famous quote by Mies. That's what I'll be doing after the basement is cleaned up. But til then this 15 cubic yard dumpster is packed tight, with more to be taken away. A lesson for everyone, if you don't need it and can do something just as well without more stuff, make it happen. The first step is reduce. The good thing about this waste is that it will be separated and recycled. I saved what I could for future use, but so much was riddled with excessive nails that it would have taken weeks to remove all of them. So for now this is taken away and move onto more removal. More to come...