Yes, that is HandyMan's head...through the ceiling... the ceiling of my basement...below my kitchen which we are renovating. But before we get to how this happened, I'll bring you up to speed on some of the progress we made this weekend.We ended the last episode with the kitchen ripped out down to the studs and the subfloor gone. HandyMan and I started the day debating how to handle a few little issues. First up, the sagging floor. After purchasing a 4' level (my new favourite gadget) and ripping out a few floorboards, we were happy to discover that that the dip in the floor was caused by just one problematic joist. Seems that the previous owners had tried to fix the problem by sistering or doubling the joist. The sistered joist was an old 2x4 - back when 2x4's really were 2x4's - insufficient really to support the 2x10 joist. We would do the same, ripping out the old sistered joist and putting in a new heftier one.
All was good and the new joist was secure and level. We even left a little message on the joist and I commemorated the occasion by taking a pic...which is when HandyMan took a step back to get out of the shot and ended up with his right leg crashing down through the subfloorless floor and through the ceiling of the basement! Good thing he didn't tumble all the way through otherwise the temporary kitchen in the basement would have been demolished too :o\ Luckily, the only thing bruised was HandyMan's ego. With a few more hours work, we patched the subfloor with some 3/4" plywood and ended the day with a nice, level floor.
Next up, HandyMan had to build a new stud wall on the exterior wall. This would allow for new insulation (very much needed - our cooking oils used to coagulate when stored in the kitchen cabinets!) and a vapour barrier. The only problem was that the pipes beneath the window were in the way. As the sink was not going to move, the pipes would either have to sit within the new wall and then poke out into the back of the cabinet OR poke up from the floor and come up into the bottom of the new sink cabinet base. The pipe was cast iron but 'newer' copper fittings had already been soldered on so HandyMan was hesitant to cut down to the cast iron in order to move the pipe forward into the floor space. That meant he instead had to get the pipes to fit in the wall. With no help from me, HandyMan built the new wall lickity-split, framing around the pipes. He'll have to put some sort of brace to hold the copper pipes back and then attach elbow joints so that they'll poke out into the back of the base cabinet.
Surprisingly, we're on track with our schedule. Measuring for the cabinets is on Thursday, electrical will be in next weekend followed by drywall - goodbye stud wall. Then there'll be no more opportunity for HandyMan to crash through anything!
Chaos. A dust-covered, disorganized, messy chaos. In a short 48-hours, that is what my house has become. Our gang of 4 started out early on a perfect sunny Saturday morning. HandyMan cut the water pipes and the tear out began. I suspect my brother-in-law was hiding some pent-up frustrations because he attacked the kitchen - attacked with a sledgehammer and crowbar and whatever else tool was within reach - with fervour and determination I'd never seen him display before. HandyMan and BestMan alternated between running the debris piles to the bin and hacking away at the cabinetry and plaster. And I was sweeper-upper/beer-fetcher/nail-popper-outer.
Lucky for us (okay - lucky for me!), no creepy-crawlies were unearthed. We did find a long-abandoned mouse-house beneath the kitchen sink though. Shredded newspaper, peanut shells, and chicken bones had helped make a happy haven for little Mickey. Some knob and tube wiring was the only other surprise. Everything else went just as expected. And in eight hours, the dust had settled, and we reached our goal...cabinets out, plaster down, ceiling off, and beers drank.
HandyMan and I continued on the next day, tearing up the subfloor. Three layers of linoleum and plywood later, we were able to do some investigation into the cause of the sag. Seems the floors had sagged before because we found some patched-in floorboards. HandyMan's cousin K the carpenter will come have a look next weekend and help us figure out how to fix it. Early thoughts are 5/8" plywood and some self-levelling cement may do the trick.
So this is where we're at. This shell will start to take shape as HandyMan and K do the framing next weekend, the electrician works his magic, and the drywaller gives me back some semblance of a room back. HandyMan and I even had a few bits of energy left to rake out all the leaves that had been hidden beneath the snow, and enjoy an impromptu picnic in the back of our new CRV. It was good to get out of the house, away from the dust, even for a while. Welcome Spring. Your timing is perfect.
Just as I finally get settled into our new office space, another home project rears its ugly head. This one is so ugly, its a freakin' Medusa. Tomorrow is D-day... demolition day for our old, tired, small, dysfunctional kitchen. Seems pretty fast, no? That's how we roll... one project after another; HandyMan and I are not known for sitting still. The disposal bin is sitting in the driveway, ready and waiting for the kitchen cupboards, plaster walls, ceiling, and old flooring we'll be tearing up tomorrow. Hang onto your hats - its going to be a bumpy ride for the next three months.Ok, maybe not so bumpy. We are luckier than most and have a usable temporary kitchen in our basement. As a matter of fact, the drawers are deeper and the cabinets are plentiful in the temp kitchen. Here's the temp - looks just as good (as bad?) as the main kitchen, don't you think? We've got a bit of overflow with the small appliances and have set up a secondary work station. And this being the basement... and the cupboards being a little scary (seriously, how often would you look in the empty cupboards in your basement?)...I needed to pretty them up a bit. Leftover dining room vinyl wallpaper does the trick.
So here's where we're at at the end of Day 1: temp kitchen set up, main kitchen bare, HandyMan and Wanderluster just a little bit scared about what they're gonna find in the sagging floor :o\
