Forced Day Off from the House

We are ramping up to start rebuilding but we still have some floors and the ceiling joists in the back of the house to remove. If the ceiling joists had been installed correctly, we would of left them, they were at the proper height but sagged and swayed. Originally, we were going to build a beam across the house to support the new ceiling joists but then changed our mind so our design would not be questioned by the town’s inspectors. Now, we’re going to support the ceiling on the bedroom wall so now we have these 16ft 2 x 6’s sitting on the floor until we get to that point in the re-build.

We get the floor up and  see that some of the exposed floor joists need to be replaced. We also find some of the rim joists are also rotten. Thankfully, some of the floor joists we are taking out are the same dimension as the rim joists and we can re-use them to replace the rotten rim joists. We knew when we bought that we would have some weak timbers in this area but not as bad as we found so it means a bit more work but the house will be better than before.

The crawl space under the house is wet and we will need to address that before we secure the subfloor. For now, we continue to pump it out and hope for no more rain. As we dig down to place our cement pillars for the new beam, the hole fills up with water but Barb’s excellent idea to pour the cement in ‘Lowe’s’ pails works perfectly and the cement is not submersed in water.

It was a very physical day and we’re both exhausted. When we try to fix dinner, we get a shock to find our potatoes and onions soaking wet from under the kitchen sink in the rig. What is going on now?? I crawl under and see a stream of water coming out of the top of the water out connector of the hot water tank! Crap, we do not need this at this point. I added our pressure regulator to see if that was our problem but it just slowed it down – thankfully we have had our showers and do not need any more hot water today but it is something I need to look into tomorrow.

So, tomorrow arrives and I squeeze myself under the cabinet to see what’s going on – holy crap now, I can’t really tell if it is the hot water out fitting or if it is the tank that is causing the leak. I disconnect the hot water line and turn out the plastic coupling that goes into the tank fitting and it appears to be ok. I wind on a couple turns of Teflon plumbers tape and tighten the plastic fitting back in and turn on the water – damn, still leaking. Ok, so maybe it needs more tape or tightened a bit more. Well, guess what – correct, I put another wrap of tape on and tightened it a bit more and CRACK! The plastic fitting breaks off and yes, right at the tank – nothing left to grab onto and in no space to manoeuvre my slim carcass! Now what? Off to the local hardware store to get a new fitting and maybe some sort of an extractor tool that will make it easier to get the broken plastic fitting out and yes, you are correct, I did NOT get a plastic fitting to replace the broken one once I get it out.

No one can sell or tell me how to get the broken piece out of the tank fitting. There is a plumbing contractor at the end of our street so I may have to bite the bullet and pay someone! I stop off and one of the plumbers was there and he suggested I use a spade drill bit, heated to somewhat less than cherry red and push it into the plastic, leave it until the bit cools then carefully turn it out. It worked! Wow, so simple but effective. With the new BRASS fitting installed and all the connections snug, the water on and no leaking now! This little episode only cost us a day of de-construction!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, now back to the house – one corner of the house must have gotten a lot of water over time as it was totally rotten and weak. We re-built everything from the foundation up, rim joist, stud section with sole plate, top plate and the exterior wall. Whew, this was fun. We also removed all the substandard wiring but that left us 2 circuits that we can use for our power equipment for the re-build. It is a miracle that the house did not burn down from an electrical problem. We found open junction boxes, connections made with out improper connectors and connections made without a box!

 

So, we’re moving along with a little more work than expected but we’re still having fun. Barb is able to do a little quilting even with all we have going on.  Hope all is well where you are …..

Hello’s and Goodbye’s

Through all our excitement of arrival and getting started on ‘our project’, we almost missed our 47th wedding anniversary! Mark arrived on Saturday to help with the house and presented us with a bouquet of flowers and said happy anniversary from Terri , I & Ali and we looked at each other & said oops. So, on Monday, we decided to take a day off and celebrate with dinner out. A neighbour had told me that there was a particular Chinese restaurant that made excellent food so we decided to take the leap and try it out. Well, it was excellent, good food, good service and of course, good company – just the 2 of us at a window table overlooking the Niagara River and Buffalo. It was a nice evening but a few days later, we found out we went to the wrong Chinese eatery – so now we have another one to try out.

 

After all the work done on the weekend, we filled the dumpster and had to have it taken away and a new one dropped off. That was an experience in itself. Taking it away was no problem but bringing in the new one was a bit different – we have had lots of rain and the ground was real soft and the truck got stuck part way in and couldn’t really drop the box due to overhead cables. The driver called his office and they sent a back hoe/loader to push the truck in a little farther and then pulled it out after he dropped the new bin. The driver of the back hoe was the owner and he pulled up to where I was standing and introduced himself and asked where he should send the bill to, me or the truck driver! Of course, I said the driver, he’s the one that got stuck! We had a short laugh and then the back hoe started to repair the ruts that the truck left – great service and I would recommend Jim Flake’s service to anyone.

Now that excitement is over, back to the job at hand. We have the centre and the front of the house to remove wall panels, drywall and insulation yet. It only took Barb & I 2 days to remove and clean up the rubble and the house is down to the ‘bare bones’. For the most part, all above the foundation was in good shape but there has been moisture issues over the years and we will have to re-build one corner of the house. At the foundation, there is extra work that we did not anticipate, some blocks were left out for venting and we’ll have to replace a few rim joists that sit on the foundation. The floor at back of the house where the bathroom and leaky hot water tank were located has to be taken up and most floor joists replaced. The tank must have been leaking for a long time for this much rot and weakness. The floor joist were built in an unusual method, forming a series of rectangles, sistered together instead of the standard joist structure with supports at the ends and a beam in the centre of the span. No wonder it sagged badly!

May 2nd we were invited to the service placing Gerry’s ashes in the niche the family choose at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in London. After some pivoting around about travel time during rush hour.  We would be heading to London in morning rush hour, Ann invited us to come down on Thursday night. As we were getting ourselves organized, friends dropped by to say hello and welcome us to the ‘Hood’ – they live in Crystal Beach. We chit chatted, showed them our new hobby and chatted some more. It was a nice visit though short and we hope they didn’t feel we pushed them out the door  so we could head to London.

It was a cold and rainy day as we gathered at the cemetery to remember Gerry as his ashes were placed in the niche.  Thought we had cried ourselves dry but the tears once again flowed. After a great lunch at Sunnydale we went to Anne’s sister Rose’s house for the afternoon and supper.  We watched movies of life with Gerry and our Ellis Family Roots DVD.   We stayed with Ann until Saturday and headed out to see Vicki & Ron in Sparta. Vicki & Ron have a challenging time ahead and we wanted them to know we are here for anything they might need.

On the way home, we stopped at Lowe’s to pick up some materials – we’re excited to be starting to build! Almost all the de-construction is done except where we have to replace joist etc and ripping up floors but we are gonna be cutting and nailing!

We hope all is good where you are…..

The Reno Begins

We arrived back in Ontario on Apr 17th, a little early because we are both excited to get going on the ‘hobby house’ reno project. We decided to park in Terri’s driveway until we get the RV site prepped at the house. It is a bit of a commute – 90 minutes one way so that gives us incentive to get the move the rig.

On the weekend, Barb, Terri, Mark & I drove down the house and smoked into gutting the house and getting water, sewer and electricity available. We had a few challenges but after some ‘MacGyvering’, all is good and we hope to move our rig on Thursday, depending on the weather. The front ‘porch’ of the house was really just a deck and had heaved over a winter and we couldn’t open the front door so it had to go. As Mark & I were setting up the EWS, Barb & Terri were taking the deck boards off the porch so we could unbolt it from the house and move it to the side. The builder of the deck must have been paid by the screw – there were hundreds taken out. Once all the deck boards were off, we could see he used 24 4 inch lag screws to hold the deck to the house – he didn’t want it to blow away! We still couldn’t move the frame and once we took the sledge hammer to it, we saw why – more 3 inch wood screws, some hidden behind the joist hangers. Finally, the deck frame is clear from the house and we’ll wait until the weekend to move it – our kids are coming up and with all that manpower, we can move anything!

We started to remove the ceilings to get at the insulation – what a messy itchy job that was! We tried various methods to capture the insulation as it was pulled out of the ceiling to avoid a big mess but to no avail so it all went on the floor. Fibre and fluff filled the air so much that we thought Barb’s camera had a lot of dust in the lens of some shots but all it was, was the fibre in the air caught by the flash of the camera. We had masks on but we still had to go outside for fresh air. It was an action packed day and the cold ones were a perfect treat at the end of the day.

 

 

We ordered a dumpster for all the old drywall and insulation from the house. You can see from the pictures that we had lots of garbage so Barb & I went down during the week to ‘clean up’! It took us all day to move the stuff from the house and into the dumpster. We also put the finishing touches on the EWS for our rig.

Moving day was a beautiful sunny day. We took a couple sheets of 1/2 inch plywood from Mark & Terri’s, cut them lengthwise and planned to use them under the wheels to aid us in getting the rig onto the back yard without getting stuck. Even with a few dry days, our yard is wet and we’re a little apprehensive that our plan is going to work.

The street is a little narrow and with garbage day, the turning was tight but we get the rig on line and Barb gets the 2’ x 8’ sheets lined up perfectly and we roll back. As soon as the rig is about to roll off the first sheet, Barb gets the second set lined up. I got out of the truck to help out but Barb had them all lined up by the time I got to the back – I’m a lucky man! We soon were in and using the plywood to under pin the jacks so they didn’t disappear into the lawn. The sewer connection wasn’t going to work they way I left it so after more planning, off we go to pick up more ABS and finished the job.

 

 

 

 

On Apr 26th, Dawn, Corrie, Mark and kids came up to visit and we had our first family lunch in the ‘new house’! We also took advantage of all the man power and got more work done. John & Di dropped by for a surprise visit too. We had a house full on a nasty, wet and cold Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re tired and sore but sleep great at night. Hoping all is good where you are. Our winter home at the Plantation was severely flooded out with many of the home owners affected. It was the worst flood since recent memory and our thoughts and wishes are with our many friends in LA.

 

We’ve Got Georgia on Our Minds

Sorry for being such a slacker on getting this post up but….. yeah, I know there is no excuses but really, we have been busy living our life and it is a good one.

When are you head’n north? - that’s the usual first sentence when a group of us Plantationers get together. Many fellow RVers are heading back to their summer spots, be it a home or another campground this time of the year and we’re no exception. Time zips by way too fast – it seems we have just arrived down here and got set up and now we’re talking and planning about going north. The activities here at the Plantation have slowed to a crawl. The Sunday Ice Cream Social is still busy and of course the ladies find ways to be together – whether it’s a luncheon or a shop hop for more fabric.

The yard work even has to be done in the south in winter. Since we have a wooden deck, we need to protect it from the summer sun down here. I accidently spilled some bleach on the deck doing something else and noticed how nice the deck ‘cleaned’ up so I took an old vehicle wash brush, a bucket and bleach and ‘swabbed’ the deck to clean all the black and grey off. It turned out better than expected so then we used a roller and smothered it with a sealant. Now when it rains, the water beads nicely instead of soaking in. We also had to trim our Sago Palms to remove the dead fronds caused by the ice storm in January. I tried to get by without cutting the lawn but the warm weather just pushed the grass and weeds out of the ground so I had to do it. Oh the woes of having a dedicated site!

As the season draws to a close, we eat out more often. To name a few, we had cherry pie for happy hour at Larry & Marti’s, dinner at Ann & Bill’s, a Mexican lunch out and a last lunch at one of our favs, Big Daddy’s Grill. The ladies went to a quilt show in Pensacola so the guys broke down and met them at McGuires for lunch! What a final couple of weeks and yes, I am a little bigger for it!

 

Here are some pictures of the quilts that inspired the ladies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems that a local election is coming up and while Barb & I were out and about, we saw this sign. This guy is a shoe in for sheriff, with a name like this, he can’t miss!

Our departure was Apr 12th and several of our buds came by to wish us well – I know they only came by to make sure we actually did leave! And we’re off to visit with Lydia for a few days but we did not realize this was Masters weekend and we just had to get to a Walmart by 3PM so we could watch at least part of the third round. We have celebrated The Masters since the mid 80’s and not about to stop now. We knew we would be at Lydia’s for the final round.

Lydia arranged a parking place for us to leave the rig for the few days we were with her. We pulled in there late in the morning on Apr 13th, called Lydia and she met us and announced, hey we’re going to the golf club for lunch! It was great seeing her again and we looked forward to the few days we were there. After lunch, we settled in front of her TV for the final round, a few beverages, some snacks and good entertainment. Not that we need to eat more but if you know Lydia, you do not go hungry.

We had a wonderful time with Lydia and could have stayed longer but our ‘hobby house’ was calling us. On the cool and windy Tuesday, we took Lydia on a Geocache adventure and found 4 of 6. Before we left the plantation, we ‘cached’ a couple of times and found a travel bug. The ‘owners’ were full timers so we felt committed to give this bug a trip so we left it at one of the caches we found with Lydia.

Wednesday AM, we stopped at Roland’s tire to check a slow leaking tire before we hitched up. The tech read the work order incorrectly and broke down the wrong tire, cleaned the rim bead and replaced the valve stem then he had to do it again to the correct tire! No hole or leak was found but all good with both tires and all this for $15.00! Off to Walmart for some wine to import but they had just completed a software up date and their system would not accept our Canadian debit card – this could be a real problem next year! Back to the storage and connect and head’n north.

Wow, I75 was rougher than we remembered it to be. This leads me to thinking about the abuse that we put our tires through. They have to be the most important part of our vehicles – they connect us to the road and get us to where we’re going safely. I’m really glad now that the tire place took the time to break down the tire and rim to ensure everything was ok even though the tech did not see a leak.

Our next blog entry should have some info on our progress on the hobby house so stay tuned….

It Appears to be Spring–Finally

In our last post, we mentioned that our weather has been all over the map but ever since the last cold spell, we have been having beautiful sunny skies and warm temps. Of course, as I write this entry, we are planning our drive home with mixed emotions. Sad because the weather is so wonderful, going to miss many of the friends we have here and of course, the activities. But happy because we are stopping off in Tate Georgia to spend a few nice days with Lydia. And of course, we are getting excited to start the reno on our ‘hobby house’. We have been shopping for tools, price comparisons on lumber and appliances – we have purchased our first appliance, a cooktop for the kitchen. The prices in Canada could not come close to the deal we found here. I am going to RANT a bit here – we have opened accounts with all the utilities (Electricity, Water/Sewer and Gas) and we pay about $100.00/month with zero – yes, zero consumption! The $100 bucks pays for the stuff in the ground, the men in the trucks and the administration. Of course, if you know me, I called to whine and complain and they offered to cancel our accounts and services! Wow, glad to be a home owner again!

 

Ok, so back to what we’ve been up to. Barb held a craft class in the rig, teaching Ann & Cheryl (a friend of Ann’s) how to create a pine needle basket. I don’t know how they have any fun when there is no wine involved but they did get something accomplished which is more than I can say about the little craft class I tried to conduct last fall! Anyway, I digress here, Barb has been busy trying to finish up some of her on going quilt projects while I try to keep ahead of the yard work.

 

We spent an afternoon with Jerry & Diane at their home in Foley. They had completed the flooring – it wasn’t down last year and we wanted to see the finished look. They have decorated nicely and we consider they are the king and queen of garage sales and auctions! They have acquired some very nice furnishings through these ‘shopping experiences’.

 

We finally broke out the bean bag toss game that we picked up last summer. We also learned that it is called ‘corn hole’ down here. Doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling when I tell people we play corn hole! Anyway, Bill and Ann came over for the afternoon and we set up the game and of course broke out some brewskis to wash down the dust .

On Mar 22, Barb & I were wandering around Wal-Mart and found some lawn chairs from last years stock that were very grimy and looked awful but they were half price at $8 bucks! I spoke to a sales person and he said they tried to clean them when the new stock came in. Now I know you know how tight I can be so we decided to take a risk and see if we can clean them up and bought 2. We brought them home and used a secret cleaning recipe that Marti passed onto us and voila, they came up like new! To end our day, we went over to Dick & Marcia’s for happy hour that last into the evening. Everyone brought ‘horse doovers’ and their beverages. Again, too much fun with lots of laughs.

I have been leaking oil on the truck and took it around to 3 shops for a ‘second opinion’ and estimates. The first shop located the leak in minutes and explained what needed to be done and told me that it was a 6 hour job plus parts. The second and third shops considered it to be more than a days job and estimated that $1,000.00 should be a realistic estimate! Ouch, so I set an appointment for the first shop and they got the job done to the estimate they stated! Thanks Wilson Automotive in Foley!

 

As the season here winds down, we try to celebrate with our friends and this day is no different. We have decided to go to Felix’s Fish Camp on the causeway to Mobile. It’s a bit of a drive but well worth it. The ambiance is ‘rustic coastal’ and the food is excellent and the service is like no other.  We even had some wildlife entertain us while we had lunch. What an experience! Sometimes Barb & I have to pinch ourselves, we can not believe how good life is…..

 

 

 

We hope all is good where you are and please enjoy these blossom shots of the Wisteria bush in our yard that Barb has captured…..