'Cited 'Bout Rot

     Internet access increasingly spotty, intend New Year 3G phone rectify.  Limited/nonexistant comment reply apology: dswett@hotmail.com (my email) addressed queries more likely to solicit response.  Not largely missing internet access.  Have enough material to Swett Lodge work occupy for some time - not necessary to scout Craigslist for more; otherwise email, blog major internet activities.  Couple high speed country (Kate's house, library) visits/week manage.
     Holidays relax, enjoy.  Pleasure in family gather, food, hang out, view NFL, generally notch pace back.  Few daylight hours, warm stove/chill days encourage.  Family, friends phone visit, catch up; LA buddy wonders what's so exciting about rot?  Only say: Swett Lodge floor system repair angle more than year now, make right ready.  Not so much 'cited 'bout rot as excited to get rot gone, establish house on permanent, solid foundation.  Minor bug infestation evidence exists, suggesting most Swett Lodge floor system rot moisture caused where cement/wood contact.  Current building trends dictate wood contacting cement be treated, treated wood sill plate further synthetic foam sill sealer protected.  Swett Lodge's original seven inch joist height where joists cross foundation (with out sill plate) will allow 2x6 (actually measures 1.5x5.5 inches) joists mated/stubbed to existing joists as far as newly added beam (~3'), with treated 2x6 laying flat as sill plate.  Swett Lodge stays at original height, allowing straight forward front/back porch treatments. 
     New beam few feet inside east/west Swett Lodge foundation, temporary 2x6 wall couple feet inside east/west Swett Lodge walls, effectively raise Swett Lodge off cement foundation; but rotten joist ends allow exterior wall to slump below floor level by an inch in some areas.  Lean 2x4x8 against vertical trim front corner Swett Lodge, rest 2x12x16 atop, lift other 2x12x16 end onto six foot post, then lift under 2x4 eaves from ladder, nail to wall.  Back to front corner, raise 2x12x16 tight to eaves, nail to wall.  Nail 2x12x16 to wall along its length, try to hit studs. 

 

     Attempt repeat good luck on Swett Lodge back end, couple times 2x12x16 (heavy!) tumbles to ground - fortunate no casualties: institute permanent (for this project, 2x12x16 atop here) 'helper',

successfully mount rear 2x12x16, nail to wall along length.  

Piece in 2x12 chunk, close gap below rafter; lift center of 2x10x16, struggle up ladder; center nail, evenly lap front/rear 2x12s, nail length of 2x10 to 2x12s mating 2x bottom edges.  

 

Piece 2x10x10 to double back end rafter/wall raise beam, 2x8x8 doubles beam front end (at left), makes 4x8 (minimum) raise exterior wall beam.

      Measure requires extra time, brain space: avoid when possible.  Number of 4x4s, lots short 2x4s on hand, decide 'adjustable' posts adequate rafter/wall raise beam support.  Nail 2x4 (usually) top (usually) cross piece to two post separated 2x4 pieces, slide to proper height (yeah, that's a measurement) nail secure, snug position under jack raised beam.

 

Figure four posts do the job: if get into it, find otherwise (i.e. not strong enough), adjust.  Intuition proves correct - this time.

Need final configuration seven inches, attempt raise eight inches for work room.  Start with central post, jack either side, install post, repeat at front corner, get eight inches right away.  Back two posts require couple jack 'bites' to get 'em to raise beam/wall sufficiently.

Back corner starts nearly two inches low, reef hard on jack, all sorts cracking, splitting, popping sounds: achieve only 7.5 inches, decide will sufficiently allow 2x6 stub joists, 2x6 sill plate, foam sill sealer.

Light above 2x8 end rafter exhibits ancillary jacking damage: probably broke 2x4 rafter at house corner, beam went on, raised roof boards - all will be righted when new roof goes on.

 

Carport roof rafter lag bolted to 2x8 end rafter (lower right corner above) helps keep rafter/wall from raising.  Remove lag bolt, jack raise carport rafter, post fit, free 2x8 end rafter.  (2x4 'adjuster' bottom here.)

Accomplish adequate (7.5 inches plus) stub joist, sill plate, sill sealer, work room entire Swett Lodge east side.  Partial reworked bath floor depends on cement foundation one side, raises not: will remove whole section including claw foot tub; rework; add at least one full length joist, 2x6 new joist/rear foundation stubs.  

     Wall weight off joist ends, floor sag/wall slump allowing rot easily evident.

And looking alongside joist, easy to see it's a straight shot to add stub 2x6 back to blocking above new beam.

So, yeah, 'cited 'bout rot.  Drag few lumber items from under house including eight and ten foot 4x12 prophylactic beams previous repairman installed, enable accurate asset assessment; then remove rot, stub joists, install sill plate/sealer.  Ready.  Pleased: new Swett Lodge under pinning coincides with New Year; couple months worst structural work, history; breath new life into Swett Lodge. 

     Happy New Year to all who hang with Swett Lodge blog.  Writing style difficult enough, technical mumbo jumbo brain numbing - truly expect few understand attempted descriptions; none the less will keep after these posts as personal record; and who knows, maybe someone out there gets a glimpse.  Been 'round this block a few times in mind and reality so mentally leap where others might not.  Will continue to do best to bring Swett Lodge progress understandably to blog.  

Enjoy! 

 

Aha!

     Of course anything done round here, done by yours truly.  Lodge front circa November 2010.  Look closely: large healthy bower rising Swett Lodge rear left

absent last week's frontal view.  Perhaps one reason healthy living tree photos didn't appear with 'Felling' post:

beneficially pruned, obvious charm.  And last year's fall show,

never again revisit.

Sentimental 'bout the old tree, kind a sorry had to go, will certainly miss time to time.  Happy constant issue resolved.  Farewell.

      Seven yard city delivered free leaf load arrives: driver says 'can put 'em any where' and does without breaking plastic irrigation pipes. 

Number hours square tip shovel scatter load after load garden wide: few kale, collards poke through leafy winter coat.  Ash batch magnet remove copious quantities lath brads/nails, garden spread.

     Prepare tackle east side reconstruction; look over gate see neatened 'lumberyard' area.  White painted plywood bundled lath leaning against, stays: work under.

 

Look along wall toward house front under plywood, rot bulge evident above foundation.

 

Toward Swett Lodge back, under plywood, lowest siding piece already 'fell' off;

 all the way to back corner - bath area - rot very evident.

Begin here, in back, remove couple first courses siding - easy where rotted, like pulling teeth where solid - rotten perimeter joist pulls away by hand.  Reveal repair work previously perpetrated on Swett Lodge bath area at back corner that will be reworked; very rotten joist ends.

Remove siding/rotted perimeter joist, clear to front, circle saw dice into firewood.  Front porch haul wood,

rotten wood debris fill couple Earth stove bound paper shopping bags.  Debris free, ready to be rot freed, joist ends over foundation, under sub floor/bottom wall plate Swett Lodge east side front.  Good news: except for few vertical 2x4s under middle window, 2x4 bottom wall plate middle to back, few pieces subfloor; rot mostly in perimeter/floor joists.  Remainder front room lath wood pile evident between studs front corner.

Pivot right, look directly at couple dirty rotten joist ends (one inch sub floor clear below 2x4 bottom wall plate);

click right, more rotten joist ends, plywood and beyond!

Closer look reveals: yep, sure are rotten - oh, and new beam pier next jack.

Beyond plywood more rotten joist ends above crawl space entry - apparently cats 'n 'coons welcome throughout Swett Lodge these days.

Quick look affirms there is indeed something besides thin air holding this place up - shor 'nuff, beam put there by my cute little self.

More bad joist endage toward back,

and finally closer look at bath/back corner rework.  Bottom 2x4 wall plate is two inches low here - lowest on this side.

 

Foundation probably poured sans wire reinforcement - about six inches thick - will be fine with house weight sitting squarely atop, despite minor age imperfections.

As one can imagine, bottom siding courses removed allows adequate floor level ventilation throughout uninhabited Swett Lodge east section - sponge baths remain brisk!

     Wednesday Gateway Mall hike, couple buck and a quarter films relax, eat satisfying meal cooked by some one else.  Great blue portrait stands.

     Make no mistake: Swett Lodge current creative - art - project.  

     All along imagine size match joist ends/perimeter joist (seven inches) when reworking, raise house additional 1.5 inch, allow treated 2x6 sill plate (measures 1.5x5.5 inches).  Reconstruction fun: mumble jumble ideas/figures/forces/materials/plans fill head - see what falls out.  Aha!  New beams in place/staying few feet from bearing east/west walls; can marry 2x6 ('stead of original joist size) to original joists, bridge few foot new beam/original poured wall gap, leave enough 2x6 sill plate room without raising house above original height.  Sweet.  Less work; less material expense; elegant, more original approach: somehow feel closer to end of tunnel light.  Swett lodge will have to be raised considerably in spots - like bath corner - but is already essentially where it needs to be.

     East side work dangles lower back siding courses;

remove, yank out rotted perimeter joist, reveal previous partial bath floor rework.

Hollywood - dirty, quickly, make it look good - piece of siding in to cover damages 'til further action.  

'Tis the season to be jolly.  Successful, fruitful Swett Lodge year, intend enjoy the season as hope you and yours have opportunity to this year.  Swett Lodge work may be curtailed but not arrested especially with exciting direct approach at hand - progress appears here.  

Wonderful holidays!

May your stocking be rife with blessing - know mine is!

Peace

Focus

     Beautiful, crisp, clear, 30s, midwinter Eugene today - reworked front porch allows plenty winter sun into Swett Lodge.  Seasonable chill, unusually dry so far this fall.  Spend two weeks in Chicago at mom's house: winter yard clean; rearrange extra refrigerator and freezer from basement to garage, streamline food procurement/storage; generally help out as mom swings into tenth decade planet side recovering mucho gustos from cancer chemo/radiation treatments.  Entire visit mid west temps warmer than PNW - go figure.  Enjoy Ducks tromp UCLA, become BCS champs, roll on to Rose Bowl against Wisconsin - loyalties somewhat divided, will root for new home's team.  Latent football interest, Kate 'n Spud's Duck's enthusiasm awakened, yester Sunday relax fireside, follow Green Bay Packers roust Raiders, Super Bowl bound.  Obligations mostly met, mom well on recovery track, pretty much retired from monetary pursuit, dyed in wool non consumer, Swett Lodge projects need doing more than noodling: fewer brain demands than ever!

     Apparently couple readers continue Swett Lodge tale follow as fate's tail wags this dawg.  Mentally characterize SwettLodge.blogspot.com as public service, but regular haps record provides basic project accountability, focus: good thing, mind increasingly wandering alluring uncharted mental reaches.  Can pretty well reconstruct what brings me here, haven't slightest clue why.  So tale continues, Swett Lodge reconstruction central.
     An acute observer might miss something in today's SwettLodge photo.  Last week, Chicago fortnight prior, had little Swett Lodge agenda, generally tying loose ends before travel.  Wednesday night extremely gusty for Eugene; sole Swett Lodge back yard tree sways, undulates, slaps electrical entry wire around enough, causes audible complaint.  Next day size up obtrusive limb: besides impacting electric service, abrades porch roof.  Decide it's time for THAT limb to come off.  Not my first barbecue doing this sort of thing, feel comfortable limb, with a little come-a-long persuasion, will fall clear.  Undermines a guy's self confidence a bit when limb does exactly unexpected: falls straight down, lands atop electrical service wire, well bends two inch galvanized steel entry mast before yanking wires free of utility pole.  Oops!

     Realize service mast permit/inspection required to reconnect electricity; head out, procure new mast pipe.  Rainy evening, buckle down, get out ladder, tools; take electric service entry wires/mast apart; carefully - slippery out there - rerig electric entry, figure they might inspect/reconnect service next day if ready to go, finish up 'bout 8 PM.  Friday AM head to permit office, purchase.  Gal says 'if work's done can probably inspect/reconnect today' but decide: wire down, leaving town - may be good eliminate tree time.  Saturday AM catch early Portland Greyhound for midday flight to Chicago - behind schedule, number of passengers require personal attention: driver's ability to forge ahead, deal one issue then next unflapped, impresses.  In Chicago contact Eugene utility company's arborist: can't take entire tree down, will trim back off high power lines north edge Swett Lodge property.  Finalize tree decision in situ. 

     Along with other Chicago chores spend hours cleaning up HD, finally reinstalling OS on mom's old excruciatingly slow computer: fortunately effort proves worth while 'cause that's hard work!  Return flight into Portland Saturday evening, long enough lay over Eugene Greyhound prior; enjoy hot chili, chicken salad; watch Wisconsin finalize Rose Bowl berth.  Again driver's sangfroid impresses.  Too, folks ability to maintain lives worth having while resources dwindle - one man all the way up from Mexico via Greyhound visiting young daughter.

     Return cold, dark Swett Lodge early Sunday AM.  Crank up Earth stove - chill off.  Day light allows thorough back yard tree examination: EWEB definitely trimmed tree back, feel competent can fell without further mishap, spend Monday shovel flatten behind garage car park, redistribute soil to backyard low spots, evenly spread cement/wall plaster over car park, contemplate tree felling.
     Didn't set out to remove tree, opportunity presents, decide good time remove tree that left will only cause trouble, me getting older less willing/able deal with such monster.  Tree branches in EWEB's high power lines, my entry service wire; branches abrading house top; roots salivating for water at recently replaced sewer line - that tree's a goner.
     Fortunately, unlike most neighbors, not entirely electric dependent: reliable wood stove heat, adequate moody amber sodium vapor street light stream through west windows.  Kate loans battery transistor radio.  Along with fire place; unphotographable Mondrianesque shadow wall laces - passing traffic interrupted/altered; cold beer provide necessary entertainment for week of nights electrically unsullied.

 

     Borrow Spud's saw, procure 2 cycle oil, mix with gas, never without trepidation begin dismantling tree.  Ladder remove one sizable branch, then able drop all but tallest branch as unit from ground - prefer ground work with saw: more escape routes - with neighbor standing in street, traffic redirect.  On ladder with saw one final time successfully drop remaining limb atop other limbs sprawled out into street without as much as grazing high power lines.  18 inch blade, good running Stihl make fast work dice limbs, brush.  Leave five foot tall by thirty inch round stump for another day, stack brush stump side, stack limb chunks/rounds backyard wood shed adjacent. 

 

     Saw dice, dice, dice brush pile 'til nothing's too stove box long, throw in 'tween round stacks.  Sharpen saw project beginning, still sharp enough, bisect stump to ground, then quarter.  Cut stove size stump chunks to ground.  Finally axe chip dirt bearing bark off stump ground line, saw remaining four chunks saw tip well below ground level - fill with dirt/saw dust will be able to mow over, keep tree from resurrecting.  Final chunk requires second saw sharpening - pretty well kept saw blade out of dirt this tree.  Quarter inch cat piss soaked luan plywood cover diced tree.

     Tree down; entry electric Wednesday inspected, little blaze orange sticker verified (upper left box); Friday EWEB appears, reconnects juice.  Feel a little more mainstream though still familiarizing with more spartan backyard: tree had good aspects - some neighbors would agree - decidedly prefer my future without that tree in it.   

     As part of clean up tree effort, collect piled leaves by park across street, spread on dormant garden.  Have seven yard leaf batch on order from city that will complete garden winterization.

     Nights are chilly - into twenties - so despite air stilling weatherization projects which have made Swett Lodge pretty darn comfortable even without insulation and only thin sheet of fabric 'tween me and outdoors in some spots, house cools off pretty well during night.  Enjoy snuggling under covers/warm down sleeping bag 'til fully awake then get up, pursue the day.   Refinding winter rhythm: feel chill, stoke fire, feel warm; plenty warming wood on hand - front porch, back yard - moseying around to Swett Lodge gut work.  For a moment consider moving on to repair then plumb garage, make ready as stand alone apartment - perhaps for ma - decide stick with repair Swett Lodge under girding.

     So path leads on: who knows where, why?  Past experience encourages follow intuition - limb felled on power line not with standing - toward unknowable though assuredly positive ends.  Inscribe assists with clarity, as do good life essentials - rest, eat, exercise well.  Have shifted daily exercise routine to late afternoon rather than burn limited morning light.  Might expect few more interruptions early evening 'stead of morning, but was pretty shocked Saturday last while during crunches, full size hook & ladder fire truck pulls up outside my west window all lights, sirens ablaze, shining spotlight in window at me.  Moments later, pants donned, fire guy at the door says 'someone called, said looked like no one was home, noxious fumes coming out chimney - we had to check'!  Clearly someone not from the hood.  Fire folk affirm Swett Lodge has every right to burn wood - 'c ya later'.  

     Chicago two weeks work ass off 'round ma's place, eat their schedule, waste down to 155 pounds - active guy needs four times as much food as two 'rents - smaller than in high school.  Glad to be back to largely vegetarian repasts, replete with garden squash, in large enough quantity to put on weight - even fast day/week, untenable at ma's.  Parse big squash, pot cook whole chunks stove top - they'll certainly appear in next year's garden - remainder (above) awaits cooking another time.

     You know BIG stuff covered here.  Stay tuned.  Enjoy.