'Bout half hour gorgeous spring weather - 70's, sunny, finally! - memory bone chill cold/rain 100% erased. Gorgeous means gorgeous here: trees, flowers beauty vie; sun limn cumulus clouds scud crystal blue sky; dewy grass glints emerald; all against forest green fir back drop. Evenings continue clear, beautiful - enjoy lounge back patio - sliver new moon peach/azure sunset competes; transformered power pole sentinel: excellent new beginnings omen. TV drama's - many episodes addictive behavior ripped - protagonist OR bound; reflect OR must be one of few states retain correct pronunciation department: best make sure YOU say it right! And while some dream palms, sun drench white sand beach; give me Swett Lodge down under, knob on BOB (FM)!
Hope enjoyable blog session today: vacation. Care not count continuous - six - days hot on Swett Lodge floor system rot end's - rotterdam! - trail; attempt accomplish May travels prior, spurs extra effort; more, longer days 'til then.
Life, Swett Lodge reconstruction, Zen garden; fractal reflections: constant flux, good/bad surprises - work it on out! - time gobbles way. Week opens with extra big guzzler: en route replace couple bad old Kate's lake place 2x6s, new west beam; traverse recently smoothed crawl space floor; get closer, more personal look center beam; recognize rot symptoms - wood dust, pin holes. Finish rework west side beam 2x6s, piers - level four inch solid cap block under standard block, solid cap block cap; will treated wood wherever contacts cement finalize piers during final floor level;
screw driver 'explore' center beam. Live bug encounter - another explorer, not termite - A lists beam; hope save, wonder bar chisel away rot.
Satisfied expunge rot one side pier, trace to other side. Continue chip, hope,
until - hour or so later - spot rot evidence beam far side, wonder bar chip, uncover beam through crack, bug migration route: fourteen foot section beam, toast. Probably take less time replace than 'explore': so it goes.
85 year old sub floor board exhibits full range rot Swett Lodge hosts: bug holes/dust upper right by protruding nail, dry rot lower left. Both types seem follow routes of advantage - cracks, along grain - can be knot arrested. Prohibitively expensive hire rot edit this degree: few hundred bucks lumber, soul couple years; Swett Lodge'll be done, PAID FOR; less than 80K looks like.
Remove rotten west perimeter joist - bare hand bust out - uncover healthy termite nest under crawl space entry lining boards. Glove hand smoosh thousands white nits, take no photo time, hasten wood chunks into Earth stove; no bug poison on hand, paranoia prompts gas douse. And don't come back!
Just as problematic surprises come along, do pleasant: circle saw bull nose front west treated sill plate; staple blue sill sealer lower side, round nose; easily slide right into place below jacked stub joists, nary a nudge.
Pray reader calmly attent Swett Lodge down under snarkiness: relent, back to voluble (?) self; here's front wall stub joist photos. East toward center beam, 4x6 jack beam next jack under 4x4 jack beam; raise, allow treated sill plate insertion.
Westward.
Plenty gets reworked too, add time. Nailed west perimeter joist to first few stubs, assist raise front wall. Burn time, attempt slide sixteen foot replacement joists under house, manipulate into place: no way; remove perimeter joist slide replacements in from outside. All those carefully measured blocks between joists above new beam, joist shims: toast. Chain saw sever blocks, joist to rot's end.
Kick/pry rotten joist pieces out, trim those dangerous nails.
Circle saw shape stub joist. Deepest original west side joist measures 9.25 inches - same as today's 2x10 - for simplicity/strength opt 2x10 store bought stub joists replace rotten beyond new beam west side joists.
4x6x14 beam jack under sub floor boards between joists. Jack stub so upper surface matches original joist's upper surface; handy washer, wing nut, bolts from Goodwill five buck bag
bond stub/original.
Care not mislead: rot's end primary focus, life goes on. Couple weeks ago, much down under work ahead, cognizant clean up always bitch, crawl space emerge hair full mud; that's it: off it comes.
Saturday last county fairgrounds local builder's 'garage' sale; figure won't attend; Kate text alerts; premonisce, maybe should go - ya never know - come away with new almond enamel steel tub. Net $175 from $250 claw foot sale.
ReStore trip, board search; find eight sheets high density one inch foam, wall perfect. At half price, less expensive than styrofoam board used so far, better insulation. Another visit net
few green tagged bags insulation: most needed on hand now excepting attic.
Couple box store lumberyard trips; jam night with Kate, Judy: and on!
Splurge, spend fifteen bucks on primed 5/4x8x16 trim - measures one inch thick as do original rough cut sub floor boards - replace rotten sub floor under west wall; realize good educational tool: in place under wall, butts blue plywood from Kate's lake place doors toward front.
Inside, below old ten inch toe molding; primed board appears under wall. Rotten joist end visible below finish, rough cut sub floor. Daylight through west side crawl space entry.
Here circle saw cut splintered rough cut board from stash replaces sub floor board, butts primed under wall board.
Jam 2x4 'tween temporary/west wall; stabilize floppy, dangler so ends in proper alignment.
Demure siding removed, white board under wall clear atop few stubs.
Once in a while some passerby stares agape as drain fertilizer collector on garden, lives in kitchen by stove. Butts? Care less - ain't petrol!
Swett Lodge floor system rot dwindles, front porch firewood stash grows.
Further rotten sub floor removed, stubs installed to crawl space entry: through floor,
from underneath - rotten looking thing, jack beam's end; owe one ten foot long stub 'tween first two here;
Sunday work's end, MLK park dreamy cushy grassy knoll view. Install owed stub, raise west beam, remove perimeter joist round kitchen: on, get the rot out, rest in May!
Each solidifying reconstruction step Swett Lodge dignity slowly returns: sweet.
Haps here.
Peace.
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