I am working four days this week! Today is my one day off and Attila has left me with a list of places to call; I am on a verbal information gathering expedition. I must call metal roofing manufacturers and retailers for prices and delivery schedules. I must call waste management firms for prices and delivery schedules for dumpsters. I must call asphalt shingle retailers for prices and delivery schedules. We are going to be roofing very soon! We have our fingers crossed for fair weather! A big project, in terms of time and money. It has to be done.
We will need a dumpster to discard the three layers of shingles that already exist on the roof. We will be adding all kinds of other building materials to the dumpster. Old carpeting (mildewed and disgusting), the existing deck boards (particle board! A silly, silly, silly choice!), drywall, insulation and wood panelling, boards and who knows what else, will go into that dumpster.
The little house has a distinctive odour, very unpleasant. We’ve wondered about the source. Part of it is the mildewed carpet which will go into the dumptster, part of it dampness from a water problem in the basement, but there is another smell that we thought may have been the toilet leaking. Yesterday Attila tore down the ceiling drywall in the family room below the bathroom. It wasn’t our toilet that has been causing the odour, oh no. A community of chipmunks have invaded the house, long before we purchased it, and they used/use that area as their toilet. And they are still in residence! Critters! We are not alone!
Attila boarded up every exterior opening he could find and used steel wool to seal every tiny crack that wasn’t taken care of by the boards. We will have to completely strip down that family room; we will remove all panelling, drywall and insulation and then assess the damage and strategize the measures we need to take to permanently evict our unwanted tenants.
Yesterday, while Attila explored the odour problem, I was busy washing the hardwood floor in the living room. It is badly stained and there are many nails visible to the eye. It is not a good candidate for sanding and refinishing. I am going to explore the option of painting the hardwood. I also put up newer canvas drapes in the corner window, allowing us privacy while letting in lots of light. Terra came over for a visit and helped me arrange the chairs in that sunny little corner. Now Attila and I will have a pleasant place to sit when we take short breaks from our labours.
I still need to tackle the lower kitchen cabinets. There is still a bit of carpet down there that has to come out, disgusting! My plan is to remove the carpet, spray things down with alcohol, remove the rodent droppings and rodent food debris, wash the every surface with soap and bleach, spray a second time with alcohol, and paint all surfaces. Then I will measure and cut cedar boards to line the shelves, varathane the top surface of the cedar for wear and waterproofing and nail them into place. Only after all this is accomplished will I use the space for kitchen storage. The cedar boards are old spacers which we rescued before they could be burned as garbage.
Attila and I have a busy few months ahead of us.
Today the sun is shining and the day has started off cool and refreshing. Apparently that will not last, heat and humidity are predicted. I have the house wide open to capture the cool morning breezes, and will close it up tight as soon as the outdoor temperature is the same as the indoor temperature.
The tomatoes are ripening on the deck garden! I am really looking forward to having a few home grown tomatoes this year. There is one zucchini! Better one than none. I won’t be bothered with another deck garden, it isn’t worth all that trouble for a half dozen tomatoes and one zucchini. I’m glad I tried it though, it was fun.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
20 °C
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 102.4 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 20.0°C
Dewpoint: 18.1°C
Humidity: 89 %
Wind: S 5 km/h
Humidex: 26
Quote
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.”
Ursula K. LeGuin