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.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, October 10, 2011
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.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
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.
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