Tiles And Kitchen and hall Part 1

Wall (T) Tiles off wall (bl) Cleaned tiles (br)

Tiles in place, pre-grout

Well, there's good news and bad news. Good news. Only 5 tiles were loose. Bad news. Looks like mold or bad mildew on the wall. Problem was they got cheap on the thin set. I used a putty knife to remove old thin set from the wall, and tiles too, plus soaking in water, and a scrubbing pad. Being it was just a row of tiles, I had to 'butter' them before putting them back in place. I am waiting to grout. Initally for thin set to set, and had it covered with plastic so we could take showers in the morning. But I wanted to clean the other tiles and grout before grouting the replaced tiles, and the poorly grouted places. Cleaning come out as well as I would have like, so I got prepping for painting kitchen and hall.

I've not been a fan of doing cleaning. But that is something that needed to be done. I don't think our place was cleaned from the area of top of someone's head, nor a foot above the floor. Particular evidence was the amount of dust, dirt, that had taken residence on crown molding, frames of doors and base boards. It took me most the morning and part of the afternoon, but the top 10 years accumilation has been evicted. Tomorrow I will work on the rest of it. Also there was a lot of posters hung up. Posters being the word used by 2 of my wife's nieces, who was friends with the girl who use to live here. 1/4 of the nails and screw were removed, but I still had plenty to do. I also took down the old door bell (out of commission), a holder for a newer doorbell, and a coat rack. And all the bumps in the paint are at worst a layer lower in paint, revealing the previous color. Now, behind the stove and fridge is another story. Actually a 2 for one. The side of the fridge next to the stove needs serious scrubbing. I've not fully peeled back, or off the wall paper used as a back splash. At least the used staples instead of properly pasting it to the wall. A bit behind plan, but have the cushion day of Friday.

Salvaged items for sale:
LOTH coat rack, Vintage doorbell, board with nail,  3/4 of a letter C. Will sell seperately. 
Act now and get free assorted (used) nails and screws.
All procedes go to future projects in repairing our new home.

FIRST 2 REAL PROJECTS!

We spent some money at the local location big chain hardware store this weekend. Got stuff for patching holes, painting (kitchen, hallway with extra for other upcoming painting), and reattaching tiles in bathroom. Ideal scheduele of this week:
Monday
Remove loose tiles, clean them up, thin set them back in.
If time allows remove table, rack, etc from kitchen. Remove nails, screws, etc in the walls.
Tuesday
Grout tiles
(Items from painting prep not done)
Clean out big holes
Spackle small holes, patch and spackle big holes
Clean walls and ceiling
Wednesday
Prime with KILZ, 2nd coat on red walls and other places as needed
Thursday
Seal tiles
Paint Kitchen and halls
Friday
2nd coat of paint where needed
Return kitchen items to their places
Catch up on blog posts, with pictures of before, progress and results.

Handyman

There is a website/magazine that I've known about for a while, but finally made the small investment into signing up. It is the Handyman Club of America http://www.handymanclub.com/ They have a lot of interesting articles, and a forum, that has plenty of people who know more than I do, that give helpful advice. Soon, will be upgrading to a lifetime member. Already got tips for the first project, which is the walls in our bedroom. Of course, the tips will be used on ALL the walls. I know, just because I joined the HCoA, doesn't make me any more a handyman than I was before. But as I do things at our new place, I'm sure my skill will improve, with a few less mistakes than I'd make without the club.

Almost there! (Originally for Sept 28th) but got lost in move.

Only 2 more days left in September. Last Saturday, I did get to see a workshop at a local home depot. It was on Tiling. Learned more about the tools, because I had the right ideas of what to do. There was some stuff hands on, so my confidence up. 1st planned improvement- Back splash for my wife's parents kitchen.
If I didn't mention it before, this house has a basement. I've already taken 3 loads of stuff over in our Mazda Tribute. Books, crafting supply boxes, christmas decorations. We have a nice pile there. Oh, the stairs to the basement are, well, interesting. But I'll get pictures soon. Let's just say I don't want my wife going down there.
Anyway,  when I pulled up, my father-in-law (Whom I affectionately call Capîton), was fixing the front door. So I joined him. It was a temp fix, and the left -it is double doors- 'secondary' door will need to be replaced. First official repair to our house.
The current renters have moved out a lot of their stuff. Their barky dog wasn't there today. It was a pleasant surprise to be on that floor and not hear Dusty. And no, his bite is worse than his bark.

First requested project - Replace doorknob Oct 12

(Also Todo was updated)

This afternoon, my father in law, 'Capítan' as I call him, called to me from the hallway "EyPa" (aka Hey Bobb". He wanted to know if we could change the door knob for the 1st floor entrance. Sure thing, it'd be an easy 5-10 minute project. 4 screws unscrewed, new pieces placed, 4 screws put back in. Wala. Worked fine. HOWEVER....


The door jam, didn't have the regular layout. In fact, there was a gap where the latch (again, pardon my improper nomenclature) and another piece was on the inner side of the jam, so the lock would function, improper as it was. Mike Holmes, from HGTV, has been my construction hero. Although I never hope to have the expertise he has, I can still hold up to his standards. Do it right the first time. If we were going really going to do it right, we would replace the jam. But time did not permit, and it was also the main entrance for that part. So we cut two pieces of wood so we could properly screw in the jam piece. We closed the door. But then it wouldn't open.


The reason, the door was wrapped in metal, and there was a cut out where the latch came through. It had been raised a bit, and with the proper hardware in place, it got caught. We didn't figure it out right away, and were pulling and pushing, hitting and kicking, and even poking and prying. 
We chiseled out the area of the jam where the screws were, and our pulling and pushing worked. We cleaned up the section of the jam. Cut a single piece of wood, with the notch for the latch, pre-drilled holes in the plug. screwed in the plate, and, after 2 hours, our 10 minute project was done.

Pipe Poop

So, I went to replace the kitchen sink faucet today, and discovered the pipes under the sink were not securely attacked to each other. It is a double sink, and one of the elbows from the down pipe came off (Pardon me for my DIY terminology) then the other. The second one, then came loose from the trap. And I saw, what I first thought, was something that would connect them. But, upon further examination, it was crud that had accumulated over the years. Now, I have no idea exactly how many. Probably at least 23, (when the building was purchased by my wife's family) maybe over 100. As I tried to get the clump out of that end, I realized the pipe was full. I gently took apart another connection of that line, and got the stuff out. It has the shape, smell and texture of poop. I know, because I have a dog. Although it was wider than any poop I'd seen before. Not that I've been to the Poop Museum, or have every googled, "Poop" or any other form of that word. Funny thing, the other pipe before the trap was perfectly clear. I guess it had it's fiber.

New Plans

The place is in bad shape. Yes, there are 2 levels of bad. So, we will be doing some 'temperary' stuff. First projects: Remove wallpaper, paint, place vinyl tiles. There are also 2 light switches that I will be changing. I did take some pictures, but will be posting them later. Still working on moving things.

Solar update

I emailed the company for solar again, and exchanged several email, and talked on the phone to two people. There are a couple issues that will effect the end results. Ist of all is a tree. It is a large tree in our backyard, that provides some shade to the room. That will have to be significantly trimmed. Okay, trimmed is an understatement. There are some major branches that will need to be terminated. Then, if we will be supplying solar for my wife's parents and ourselves, we will need 2 arrays, with double of the supporting equipment. The 3rd is there is a strong likely hood the size (and flatness) of the roof may limit the number of panels we have on it, thereby not producing enough energy to get some of NYCs financial benefits. This also means, it is likely to be too small a system to do a lease.
Now, leases are good for immediate financial benefits. This just means it will need to be an investment instead. I will be receiving an estimate soon, and then we can look at the numbers and see if it will work out for us.
Yes, a home equity loan could be a simple solution, however,  my wife's parents are slower into accepting new technology.  Case and point, my wife got her mom a cell phone (It didn't really cost much to add her to our plan) and it took her a year before she started using it  regularly. She is still not making the best use of it, but getting better. And we've been talking to them about switching from standard (overpriced) telephone to unlimited to save them money. And that has resulted in their current, extra over priced plan they are in now, not heeding our advice.  But the cell phone proves you can teach 'an old dog new tricks', so does the different phone plan. But it takes more time to help them do it right.
If you did want to help us, in a way that is <a href="http://1bog.org/r/mccsl/">Click here.</a> so we can get some money for the system, and you, if you decide to go solar yourself, will have $500 towards your very own system. And there is also a lot of information about Solar there too, and the programs (some ending soon) that will help you make the switch.

Utilities, basement, water, solar and more

We were at the house this afternoon again. Wait, back up. My wife called ConEd (electric company) and Cablevision (cable internet, tv and phone) to get things set up for when arrive. We got a call from Cablevision to verify things and confirm date and time. My wife had some other thoughts. Before the call, was to get extra boxes so her parents could have cable (instead of unreliable antenna tv) and afterwards, to add the Spanish package for them (They are from Puerto Rico and Spanish is their native tongue) and, get an extra phone line for them as well. We've been telling them about different phone options which would save them a bundle from traditional, particularly because of calls to PR. They had signed up for program with ATT, and the price is outrageous.  (almost as much as the triple play package from cablevision) Adding them as part of our package really isn't much additonal, and will save them on phone, plus give them great TV reception and with the spanish package, more options than just the standard Telemundo and Univision.  We still need to find out if they can cancel their phone package, but either way, they will have the TV with the extra channels.

I also took a look at the basement. Noticed some of the plumbing was not well supported, and also the likely place water. It wouldn't take much to add some support to those pipes. And I'll have to figure out the best way to plug the holes. Let me explain the holes. There is a seperate room (only room) that contains the hardware for the boiler in the basement, and in that room is an alcove. At the top of that alcove it is to the place between the house and next door, and I can see light coming in. I did not investigate it in detail, but will.
I do know that water does come in when it rains, but have not seen it when it happens. 

Now, in regards to going solar. I need to make an appointment to get them to look at the roof, and find out what they can do, and assess if renting/leasing or what we would be able to afford to get started. Possibly even (if possible) partial buy/lease.

I also noticed under the mystery space it's all bricked in at the basement level. Now I am really wondering what is there. There is a 'window' that has been sealed and painted over on the top floor (parents). On the bottom level, I've not taken note of that part of the floor. But have yet to but get a peek a couple times at the living room but that was limited to the bay window area at most because of the swing of the door.

My wife is hoping they are out before the last day of the month, so we can see inside, and move things in. As for now, we will be taking some non-essentials there and putting them in the basement. Things that will not get ruined if they got wet, or very well protected from water and moisture.

Fast Forward

If you are a fan, or have watched Amazing Race, you know about the covetted fast forward. Well, we have a fast forward of our own.  As with the race, they skip tasks and move to the end of the leg. We have something similar. The renters have found a new place, and are moving out the end of the month. So our time table has shortened. Means a busy 3 weeks now.

Solar

I found a site that has a lot of info on going solar, as well as finding contractors to do the work for you.

I will probably going for the lease option. Why lease?

1. Low initial cost
2. Can upgrade to new technology in a few years as it improves
3. No time for return on investment

If you are considering Solar, and want to find a great price, from a company who know the ends and outs check out this LINK

Floor Layout

The moment a few of you have been waiting for, the general layout of the floor of the house we will have:

 

No, I did not include the diminsions of the rooms, because I do not have exact numbers for the floor. The grey areas are the swing of doors. Yes, there are windows too, but I did not include them here. And I forgot to label the space between the bedroooms, which are 2 closets. There is also rumored to be a door between the living room and bedroom. But I have not stepped foot beyond the area of where the stairs are. 

Diminsions floorplan

I took a lot of measurements of my inlaws floor. It's the same basic layout as below. Was trying a couple things to make a floor plan, but I'm sure there is something better than what I was trying. 1st was using a spreadsheet, to make boxes, then using Open Office Draw, but being I've not gotten familiar with all of it, didn't see the way to modify ruler. I'll find something, unless someone has a better idea. Sometimes I miss the programs from days of old, i.e. Clarisworks, BBE, and occasionally windows 3.1. The one that ran from DOS. What? Some of you don't remember booting to a dos prompt?  I bet you don't remember 300 baud modems either. I can just imagine using such to do a simple task as checking email with it. We've come a long way.

Oh, a note, there is about 20 square feet of 'mystery' space, where there use to be a dumb waiter (No, not that guy fired from Applebys who couldn't find apples on the menu).  I'll have to ask my wife about what this house is rumored to have been.

No Workshop however..

After working late last night, I had trouble getting up in time for the workshops. I did watch a couple shows on HGTV, and saw something that reminded me of an issue, and how to fix it. Issue: Ventilation in the bathroom. The bathroom is in the middle of the house, with the outside wall millimeters away from house next door. Inspiration: A poorly installed ventilation system in a bathroom. Hose not connected, an empty beer can used as a connector, and a wadded up sheet of plastic in the hose. Plan: Put a vent in the bathroom, above the toilet, on the inside wall. Fan too. Have it run along the top of the closet next door, into the kitchen and out the back. Secondary idea, we were planning on making that closet our laundry area. Also hook up the vent out for the dryer to this vent out. Of course, add a 'box' to hide the hose, both in the laundry closet and the kitchen. Add a couple access panels for cleaning (particularly considering the dryer)
Also, will do something similar for my wife's parents. No, they don't have a dryer (yet... maybe) but the moisture in their bathroom is an issue. Tomorrow, I'm going to get some measurement, so I can make at least a rough sketch of things. Will be another page, labeled "Pictures, diagrams, and drawings"

Learning more what to do

My Dad said, while we were atop the roof of the addition he was adding to our home, "I wish I paid more attention to what my Dad did when he was building things" I too can say that. No, not that I didn't learn a lot from him, expanding our house, but there were plenty of steps I didn't pay much attention to, nor get my hands 'dirty' to try it. I do have a very basic knowledge of how to do a lot of different things, but doubt I could make much money as a handyman. So, it's time to expand my knowledge. In case you didn't know, Home Depot offers free workshops on how to do all sorts of things. So, I'll be expanding my knowledge this way. 1st workshops are tomorrow. Interior painting (My wife will tell you I really need this one), Installing a vanity and faucet, and flooring are the 3 we will be attending tomorrow. I've changed faucets before, but when it comes to those pipes at the bottom, I've not considered doing anything with them, besides pouring draino in it if there is a clog the plunger doesn't get out.
One of the things we would like to do, is put in bamboo flooring. We've seen enough shows on HGTV to know it is a good decision. Very durable, looks great, and inexpensive.
Now, as far as painting, things just haven't looked very good. Okay, I'll be honest, down right horrid. So I definitely hope I'll learn a thing or 10 to help me with that.