A step back a bit and across the stairwell to the other room

The plan was to have sanded the floor and sealed it as it is, sort of a plain pine board floor. But I ran into an issue with that, first, while doing the sanding I had a few splinters come up off the board edges. These, if you were walking with bare feet would be anywhere from 2 to 5 inch spears in the bottom of a foot. this would probably be undesirable. Second, the flooring doesn't exactly meet, some boards are right up against each other, others have gaps. A couple of these gaps were about a 1/4 wide, so anything spilled on that floor (game room, something sooner or later will spill), would end up staining the ceiling below.  So it looks like I will be placing some sort of inexpensive under laying and floor, probably vinyl roll style. Since  I have no cash for that at present I have decided to leave it alone and move on. I am moving the shelves back in and securing them. This will allow me to get boxes of DVDs and games out of the den on the first floor and on the shelves out of the way.

I am happy to declare I procrastinated.

I was to re-wall board the access to the eaves after the contractors fixed the leak, but happily I can say I didn't do it.  Last weekend the rain found it's way in again. The contractors were here yesterday with hoses. they re-created the leak, removed the shingles, replaced the flashing, resealed it all and re tested the area. We should be all set now.
This is good, because they are doing Nat's roof today and if I have to disturb them again it will slow her house up.

Ceiling Stain

The two contractors from M&W Enterprises showed up yesterday, They climbed in the eaves, hung out the windows and looked around for the reason of the leak. With no water stains in the eaves, and dry insulation it appeared to be the water did not travel. The shingles were seated tight but after a little tracing and investigating they found a small water dust track on top of a crossmember under the roof. Investigating further they found that it lined up with the spot the dormer meets the roof. They found there was a small hump in the flashing. As long as it rained normal there was no leak, but with a wind blown rain the water would be pushed sideways through that tiny gap. They removed the flashing sealed the area with Black Jack and replaced the flashing. Should be all set. We spent a half hour talking, seems the Owner of the Company has a Cape with the same dormer set up. He also just redid his inside walls and ceiling in his attic and looking at the way mine was done, determined that for some reason, back in the 1950s and 1960s builders regularly had sheet rock meet where there was no support beam. They just taped the seams and mudded them without pop-corning it. He thought at the time it was just his place, but he has since seen one other house an mine where they did the same. In his house, he actually sanded all the joints smooth then laid new Rock over the existing ceiling and walls creating all straight seams.

Today I will re-wall the two small sections I busted out to gain access to the eaves. I have a section of Gypsum in the garage left over to work with, and I have fiberglass rolls I bought for the garage ,which I can use to replace the two small sections I pulled out. Then it will just be a matter of a little repainting.

So, another item of interest

We have had rain for three days and nights straight, not torrential, just constant. So some of that water seems to have found a way in, How has yet to be determined.

This is the first floor bedroom, Now that means its time to find out why.

A trip to the second floor for a look see...

 So a little, before work this morning, investigating...

the dust particles flew out like someone opened an Egyptian Tomb

Nothing comes to notice right away, and the roof looks OK, so a little more sheet rock removal along with insulation. It may be the gutters backed up and overflowed against the soffit but they don't seem to have a problem at first glance/

Tonight after work will hopefully tell more.

Side note, As a kid I used to play in both eaves and the peak, traveling from one end of the house to the other...

I don't remember these areas being so...tight.

Sanding.....

Sanding....

Sanding...

Well, Looking at the sander

up stairs

Started sanding the floor upstairs just before the flood

The bathroom renovation is to be the last thing done, that was before we decided to rip out the kitchen counter and cabinets and install a center island. That will be the last thing done, right after the bathroom. After finishing upstairs and before the bathroom will be the library (den). This should put us in the bathroom around November, four months, maybe five. So, why couldn't it wait?

I came downstairs from sanding, which it turns out will have to be the entire floor and won't be with the vibrating sander, I walked into the bathroom to a distinctive splashing sound. The floor was soaked, but the toilet wasn't running, and neither was the shower or the sink. I checked each area then found the wall around the tube was wet at about two feet up. A wave of the hand revealed an invisible line of water shooting under pressure from the feed pipe to the toilet. The center of the valve itself had a pin hole so shutting it off did no good.  A check in the basement found a puddle and water dripping down from the toilet area, the laundry chute and the base level heating duct.  The area collecting the water was the same area we decided to stack all the boxes of items from upstairs which I have yet to decide on, luckily we set all the boxes on two side by side pallets.

I was asked to take a ride to Somers this evening and I'm glad I didn't or there would have been more of a mess. I shut the water off, grabbed a mop and went to work.

I called the plumber, I am not good at plumbing and I suck at working in tight areas. Time and a half after 5 pm by the way.

Both the plumber and I were a little confused as to why when the Pex was run in the house they left 10 inches of copper going up through the floor instead of switching it all out.

As you can see the new pipe is no longer copper, and you can see why the bathroom will be attacked almost last, it will be the most work and the most money. The plan is to eliminate the tub for a shower, replace the sink, the laundry chute and the toilet along with replacing wall sections and installing a double gazing window, and replacing the floor.

A little more done

The upstairs room has had it's blue walls added, still more painting to do.The ceiling light has been switched over to an LED fixture.

I would love to have the ceiling smooth and even but since the joints meet without any beam above they are heavily mudded. I sanded them down to the point where if I sand further I will be removing the paper from the gypsum boards. Nat says it's fine, It's an old house, it's OK that it doesn't look new,it has character like all older houses should.

Once the walls are done I will shove the shelves fro the south room into this one so the floor can be attacked, then the reverse will be done.

She knows how I work

On Sunday she was over with the puppy, she did some sanding and prep work and told me I could paint the ceiling. I said, sure, no problem, have it done Monday night. 

Monday came and went, today I left work early to get home and paint it.

Before

During

And After first coat

I took the photos and walked downstairs, the phone went off, text message, "Did you paint the ceiling?"

It's amazing how much we know each other.

Painting and Fluorescent lighting

The shelves have all been painted, and all but one section brought from the basement to the second floor. I have found that fluorescent lighting has an effect on colors. If you have two shades of one color that lighting may not let the difference be known. Down in the basement the shelves looked great, upstairs in the real world, it turns out the small section was painted in the lighter gray but was touched up near the top with the darker. Downstairs it looked like the same color, not so with incandescent lighting.

Shelf sections

All the wall shelves for upstairs have been cut and built. They are currently in the basement in the process of painting (I hate painting). Once they dry and the floor is done it will just be a matter of carrying them upstairs, screwing the sections together and attaching them to the walls. Right now I am debating between laminate panel flooring with a 3mm cushion underlayment, or underlay and the same rolled out material the kitchen has. That floor is a vinyl with built in cushioning. It has a stone pattern but to walk on barefoot it is my favorite floor in the house. If I could afford it I would put that in every room. The material is available in a hardwood floor pattern and I would have no qualms about rolling it out over the actual hardwood floors, it is cushioned and works like insulation, no more cold toes in the winter. 

A definite sign I need to finish upstairs...It's hot up there