Alabamy Bound

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Texas_Ranger
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Texas_Ranger »

Acrylic (water-based) fails fairly quickly in my experience, I've had cans that were bad off of the DIY store shelf. I'd give them no more than 3-6 months. All other types of paint I've used so far fared much better. As much as I hate old solvent-based oil paints they did last forever! I used some from a can opened in 1978 and it worked fine!

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Manalto
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Manalto »

In Bob Yapp's book, "About Your House" he recommends just what you say: one side at a time when painting a house. The psychological benefits outweigh the inefficiency. If you were working with a crew of four, you'd see results faster but, working alone, it's got to be gratifying to see a side of the house done.

Lily left the valley wrote:Were you able to do any old paint removal yet? Or did you put that off as well due to the rains?


I'm lucky. The only paint removal necessary is on the window and door frames, and the corner boards. I haven't done any yet, other than some preliminary stabbing at it to see how it will come off. Not too bad. The rest of the house is concrete - stucco or asbestos shingle. No peeling a-tall. One note about the asbestos - I finally explored the garage and found a stack of white shingles, then suddenly realized they're extra asbestos shingles. Now I wonder if they're asbestos at all, or some later incarnation, after asbestos had been outlawed. Of course I have no way of knowing how long they've been sitting there. (Why don't people wrap things up with newspaper, to facilitate such research? Harumph.) I'll have to look more closely to see if they match the rest of the house. The second-story el over the kitchen used to be a sleeping porch and was enclosed at some point - with primitive, depressing results. Those asbestos shingles were used to (crudely) cover over four windows that would have made a six-window (rather than two) room. I'd like to bring back the old sleeping porch at some point; it's under the branches of the giant oak and would be a pleasant spot, unlike its current state.

Today I picked up a MicroFridge on Craigslist and got a quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream to celebrate. It's funny how easily we (or I, anyway) become accustomed to changes; I barely noticed the lack of refrigeration, and just ate accordingly. I didn't even mind the room-temperature water.

Lily left the valley wrote:Grime is...a necessary chore. I keep finding it and eliminating it with no remorse. :lol:


A friend once told me that the only way to get your house clean, I mean really clean to your satisfaction, is to move.

Texas_Ranger
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Texas_Ranger »

Iced drinks are generally an Anglo-American thing I think. In most European countries you'd get ice in specific alcoholic drinks but certainly not in soft drinks or water without specifically asking for it. And I'm including hot countries like Italy.

Besides, in places where the tap water is good enough to drink the temperature is usually fine straight from the tap.

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awomanwithahammer
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by awomanwithahammer »

I actually prefer water straight out of the tap; I don't like ice water. Iced tea is another thing, however! Here in the South, we do like our iced tea--sweet, of course (except me; I want unsweet.)
Manalto wrote:A friend once told me that the only way to get your house clean, I mean really clean to your satisfaction, is to move.

I desperately hate to clean house. I've always said I'd rather build a house than clean one. At least when you build it, it stays built!
Bonnie

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Manalto
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Manalto »

I've been in Alabama for a few weeks now, so time for an update.

Outside, Phase I vegetation removal is done, and podocarpus hedge has been planted along crumbling fence.

Image319 Podocarpus hedge by James McInnis, on Flickr

Stucco (2nd story) has been painted (Behr 'Riviera Beach'). It's a warmer color than it appears on the chip, but I like it.

Image319 stucco painted dusk by James McInnis, on Flickr

I couldn't reach the area over the 2nd-story windows from the ladder without plunging to my death, so today my mission is to get the top half of the windows unstuck and paint from the inside. I find getting windows freed up immensely gratifying, particularly since I lived in this house for over a week in Gulf-Coast July with all the windows sealed shut, the only ventilation coming from the screen doors. Ahhhhh... AIR!

Speaking of which, I removed the front screen door, which was hopelessly out of square, and set aside the louvers to include in the replacement door. I was informed by the historical commission that, since louvers are not included among acceptable screen-door designs, I would need to submit an application to the commission. The director of the commission thinks my reasoning is legitimate and that it would add character to the neighborhood, so it will probably pass. She made me copies of the original plans (my house is Type 5R-2S - five rooms, two stories, I assume) which are nice to have, plus I can see what the original door was like - 12 panes of glass over a horizontal panel at the bottom. I also learned that the small building in the back, which I had speculated in a previous thread might have been a privy, is a coal shed. The blueprints are dated August 21, 1919 (construction date of the house is listed as 1918), and show a design that is the mirror of my house.

In this region, it rains almost every day, so it's hard to decide on a time to paint. (For example, it's raining now.) Fortunately, there's plenty to do indoors, for starters, getting rid of the grime. Yesterday, talking with a friend on the phone, I commented on the foul smell that came from the carpet in the 1950s addition when I vacuumed. "That rug has to go" was all he said, but yesterday afternoon, after an unproductive day trying to chase down a door for the storage shed ($900? I think not.) I looked at that grubby carpet and said, "Yup." First I washed down the knotty pine-paneled walls with mineral spirits, letting the carpet serve as a drop-cloth. The carpet and disintegrating foam backing held a prodigious amount of filth; I must have mopped that floor upwards of thirty million times. No exaggeration. I now have a slightly banged-up - but CLEAN - 1950s tile floor with nary a hint of an aroma.

awomanwithahammer wrote:...I'd rather build a house than clean one. At least when you build it, it stays built!


Bonnie, I quoted you to a friend yesterday.

Well, back to window-crackin'!

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Willa
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Willa »

Manalto wrote:Yesterday, talking with a friend on the phone, I commented on the foul smell that came from the carpet in the 1950s addition when I vacuumed. "That rug has to go" was all he said, but yesterday afternoon, after an unproductive day trying to chase down a door for the storage shed ($900? I think not.) I looked at that grubby carpet and said, "Yup." First I washed down the knotty pine-paneled walls with mineral spirits, letting the carpet serve as a drop-cloth. The carpet and disintegrating foam backing held a prodigious amount of filth; I must have mopped that floor upwards of thirty million times. No exaggeration. I now have a slightly banged-up - but CLEAN - 1950s tile floor with nary a hint of an aroma.



OMG - yes about a carpet as a repository of bad smells. I looked at one house that had potential but needed work. The seller had vacated the property but previously had at least one large dog. The doggy smell was overwhelming throughout the house. Not old urine or feces - just hairy dog in an empty and cleanish house. I think there was only broadloom in the living/dining room - no furniture, etc. to hold onto smells. I'm sure this is why this property sat on the market for longer than expected.

It looks and sounds like you are making great progress. Yay for the freed windows !

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Manalto
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Manalto »

I don't care how fastidious someone is, wall to wall carpet is a bad idea

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Lily left the valley
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Lily left the valley »

Great progress. I hope getting those last bits was less death oriented than the ladder would have been.

Carpets. Never been a fan of wall to wall even though I grew up in a house with every room except the bath and kitchen/dining was wall to wall.

Area rugs, though...I have a special old rattan beater for. Love those things to death. (Both the rugs and the beater.)

Are you going to try for a long term compost pile there, or just stick with mulching?
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.

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Manalto
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Manalto »

Lily left the valley wrote:Great progress. I hope getting those last bits was less death oriented than the ladder would have been.


I never made it to the painting stage. I got the upper sashes of three of the five upstairs windows free. Gouging into that old lead-based paint, flakes going in my eyes, nose and mouth was fun - don't get me wrong - but the thrill started to fade when I was hanging out the window (spending all this time in that position, I should have abs like Zac Efron - so why do I still look like a Ziploc bag full of mashed potatoes? sigh...) and my feet slipped on the plastic dropcloth, giving me a rush of adrenaline, but not the good kind. Then, wrestling with a window, I got my fingers (painfully) wedged between the bottom sash and the upper mullions; I had to move the bottom sash with my aforementioned belly (see, it does come in handy for some things) to get my fingers free. My level of enthusiasm dropped precipitously at that point, so I went out for a nice lunch.

Lily left the valley wrote:Are you going to try for a long term compost pile there, or just stick with mulching?


At this point I'm just tossing my vegetable scraps (and egg shells) into the shrubbery. This is a good climate for composting; being so warm it will happen quickly. I have a bountiful supply of carbon (dry) material in the carpet of oak leaves that cover about 15% the property, sometimes thickly. Mixing the oak leaves with wet fruit and vegetable scraps should produce finished compost in short order. I haven't set it up yet, but it's a good idea.

Since I'm down here with my pick-up truck, I'm going to see if I can find a source for goat manure to spread on the areas that in the future will be planting beds. I prefer goat because they don't feed them the antibiotics and other drugs that seem to be standard fare with cows and horses these days.

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Manalto
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Re: Alabamy Bound

Post by Manalto »

On tonight's dog walk (having a dog to walk is a good way to remind us to take a break!) I encountered my neighbor who, I was told by another neighbor, is "dying" to see the inside of my house, since his is the same model (5R-2S) but suffered significant damage in the last big storm. My house may provide cues for him about the original interior but his shows me what's underneath my asbestos siding and roof overhang encased in vinyl.

ImageClapboards and rafters Mike's house by James McInnis, on Flickr

I don't envy him his task of reconstruction nor the loss of original details, but seeing the exposed rafters and clapboards makes me want to restore these on my place as soon as I can.

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