Making Progress

By the end of last weekend we had accomplished much and my hopes were high.

The entire sill got done.  Mr.FixIt and our friend worked to get the new sill started. Once that was well underway we were left to finish on our own. Mr. FixIt was not letting the sun go down without that being completed. He was done with it by the end of Friday. Jacking up a house is a scary thing but it got done and we are very happy with the progress. 


Working solo on the sill.

Saturday we woke ready to go. After a couple cups of coffee and a quick breakfast we started putting in the new joists. I am learning way more than I ever thought I wanted to know about construction. Did you know that joists should rise a bit above the sill level as they will compress a bit by the weight of the flooring once it goes in? I didn't and thought Mr.FixIt had made a mistake. I have mentioned that he is most patient with me, right? By the end of the day we had all the joists in-yay!

Beautiful new, not sloping, joists!

We have noticed a problem, though......we can't get the walls to pull in against the sill. This leaves the house open to critters-large critters. On day one of our demo we had a critter in the house. He/she left a "present" for us on the floor in the dining room. It did not get into any of the food that was in the front room and I have not seen any signs of it since. I do not want to invite more animals with such large openings. The weather has been unseasonably cold and I am hoping that nothing wants to take refuge in my kitchen!

Man down! During the week I did something stupid and hurt my back so I am down leaving the work to the Mr. He was not wasting the time. He put bolts into the wood that is making up our new sill in order to tie them all together. He then put in the cross supports on the joists.  Thursday he made a call to the building inspector and the temporary secretary said she would pass on the message that we are ready for him to see the new joists! Woot-woot!!

Work during the week.

Well, Thursday came and went, Friday came and went and we are half way through Saturday and have not heard a word back from the building inspector. I guess we will have to make another call come Monday morning. We can't put down plywood to start the flooring or the wall that will make the bathroom/laundry room until the inspection happens. Ugh!

Doing it the right way.

Our friend insisted that we deal with the opening on the outside walls by removing the siding from the outside, cutting plywood and pulling it in.  Be careful when you have friends with knowledge help you. They will insist on doing things the right way and it will cost you more money! Honestly, I am so thankful for his willingness to help or we would have cut corners or made mistakes that would have cost us more in the long run. So, that is today's project while we wait for the inspector. I am no help as this point. I am sitting and standing trying to find a comfortable position with my ibuprofen close at hand. I am getting too old for these projects!

Ooooh! Chippy grey paint from old siding!

I love chipped paint! The old siding on the house was a lovely shade of grey. Hmm....... I had been thinking that grey would be a lovely color for the walls in either the kitchen or bathroom-or both. Now it has a historical tie to the home. I am going to pull out my paint sample cards and start planning. That doesn't require much of my old back. Off I go to daydream....