Rotten Window Sills

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Lily left the valley
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by Lily left the valley »

Willa wrote:It is completely the same in Canada. Like neighbours have giant tv's and multiple PC's but none of their kids have bicycles, do sports or any other outside activities like crafts or Girl Guides. But they all know how to use a Smartphone.

I am seriously scared for these kids. Way too much internet and popular culture with a lack of proper socialization and exercise and no critical thinking abilities whatsoever. Neighbours refuse to give their cat medication that costs $0.50 per day but mother loves their Keurig coffee maker with the expensive coffee pods that generate loads of garbage v.s. buying a loose pound of coffee...

Thus: vinyl siding and giant puffy furniture that gets thrown out and replaced every ten years.

Oh my gosh. I've never heard the term puffy furniture, but I had an instant image in my head when I read it. :lol:

Even in our respective families, we have folks who think us "oddballs" because of how we live. Funny that you mention scouting, because we both were scouts too.

As dire as it sounds, I am seriously scared for humanity in general sometimes. Idiocracy and Wall-E don't seem that far off, humor aside.

I know it's not so much a generational thing because we're considered "old fashioned" for our generation, even though some of why we live the way we do is because we were part of the rat race early on with tech and having to be on call 24/7 then, and we said, "nope" to that later--relieved to live this way even if it is still tough sometimes because the work we did after instead later got replaced by tech/downsizing creating huge out of work pools to compete against. :crying-pink: That's how Sean wound up at the post office, and I'm now back to pick up work until I get certain bits done with the house. Later, I hope to start doing more practical crafting to sell sorts of things, which includes refurbing.

And speaking of what is considered old fashioned oddball-ness, the washer stopped and I've laundry to hang out on our clothesline. ;-)
--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: Rotten Window Sills

Post by Manalto »

Thanks for the reminder; my clothes out on the line are probably dry by now.

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GibsonGM
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by GibsonGM »

Many, may reasons why so many don't "DIY" anymore...up to and including "it's not cool"....spoiled, too much money, not enough encouragement/bad parenting, on and on and on the list goes. The art of using your hands is not appreciated - it's scoffed at; "low rent"...

I dropped everything and moved to very rural Maine, got my house for "oh not that much", and having basic carpentry, wiring, painting and plumbing skills, am taking on the learning of the 'right' way to repair things made way before my time. Sorry, but when I'm done in about 1 year (total: 3 yrs), the house will be worth about $40k more, and I'll be out $5k and my time. We do plan to stay here though. I can afford to paint for 6 months out of the year and 'putter in the shop' for the other 6, which is also 'work on the inside' time. This is without outside capital, mind you - only what I earn painting houses and what the wife makes in her 'basic job'. Not too many can have that lifestyle (or even want it, with the new things out there to buy...). I worked 25 years to get to this point, which was really about building up the skills to LIVE in a place like this, not anything regarding employment/job skills. Anyone remotely handy COULD do it, but do they want to? Not many...

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Manalto
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by Manalto »

GibsonGM wrote:..."it's not cool"...


When did the desire to be perceived as "cool" leave the realm of adolescence into adulthood? It used to be that only teenagers and neurotics cared that much how others perceived them.


GibsonGM wrote:Anyone remotely handy COULD do it, but do they want to? Not many...


I admire your choice and must admit am a bit jealous of your skills. I lived in a city apartment most of my adult life, so there was no need to acquire even the most basic understanding of how buildings work when you could just call the super. I'm in a position now of having to learn everything all at once. This forum is a blessing in that regard, and YouTube videos can be helpful too. (I just make sure to watch a few on the same topic, to be sure the technique described is a good one.)

phil
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by phil »

I dont think it is so much that the fact that kids can use cell phones is a concern but what is a concern is how dependent we are.

I went to a town I wasn't' familiar with over the weekend , it is like 300K from here so I figured I'd try craigslist rideshare and took on a ride back , it was nice he was actually a young violin player coming back from a training camp so he played his violin and gave me pointers and pitched in a little for gas so it was actually a nice deal for us both.

but I left were I was staying on my way to pick the guy up. I had the adress but no one really uses maps anymore so I relied on siri to get me to his place. well as soon as I left my cell died.. gee whiz now thie guy is expecting me and I cant' even use a pay phone.. Oh I could probably have bought a map from a gas station but justin that moment I realized how dependent I was on this little piece of crap.. he had also borrowed his friends phone because he dropped his in some water over his holiday.. that's all little stuff but if the internet goes down it starts to affect bigger fish like banks and all sorts of services, gone are the safe old ways of using paper. even trying to locate a pay phone is nearly impossible.
I eventually found I could charge with my lighter socket but for a moment I thought wow now I'm kind of screwed.. I also noticed that along the highways there were a lot of places where there just is no cell reception so if you break down you have to rely on someone to stop to help.

You have to wonder how many cell phones were killed when the floods hit Texas. I guess there is a little silver lining in that any that did not get wet probably kept working at least while they were charged but I bet apple made a pretty bundle on that disaster. with all the technology and a hundred dollar case they still get taken out by a drop of water int he wrong place. My brother carries his in a ziploc and we laugh at his low budget case but it works pretty well for him I guess ;-)

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GibsonGM
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by GibsonGM »

Manalto (I know your statement was rhetorical, playing devil's advocate): the 'desire to be cool' is with us now long into adulthood, and is encouraged. Surely you know the 'super-cool dad', the 'my daughter's best friend mom'? Heck, I remember partying with my friends' parents at 17 yrs. old, and I'm 45 now. I could go on about it, but would rather not, since I escaped suburbia and it's been long enough that *WHY* people act the way they do has probably changed, LOL. Keeping up with the Joneses, and whatever it is they're doing, seems to be the tribe behavior, anyway. Don't stray from the norm, whatever you do...

If you are determined to understand how to 'fix most anything', you'll figure it out. A few 'moves' balloon out into ways to do many different things, if that makes sense. At 23 I had rudimentary skills, not much beyond hanging blinds and MAYBE cutting a board within 1/8" of a mark, ha ha! Having Youtube now can make the learning process VERY much faster...the only thing better is working with a master craftsperson ;) A lot of people learned all these different things, but not by having 'been born into it' or anything - watching others is the best way for many.

Phil, I think you're absolutely right. Dependence. Those that don't want to be dependent on some arbitrary thing (gov't, a 9-5 job, their social circle...etc) go on their own way, tho it's getting harder for people to do it. The sheep and the not-sheep. Events like the tragedy in Texas (with more to come?) let people know VERY quickly which group they belong to.

Always carry a ziploc :)

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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by phil »

I was lucky because dad taught us to fix stuff and he was always proud that he could fix stuff others threw out. He had a great relationship with the garbage man ( always good to know people in high places). he would bring him old pieces of machinery , broken tools, half an outboard motor, chunks of steel etc etc.. and we would fix what we could.
I remember a few times when my car broke and we'd spend all day not just fixing the car but fixing the part that broke. If we had stuff around that broke we would take the screws out and save them and figure out why it failed. a lot of the time it would amount to a repair. maybe we'd glue it , or wrap wire around it or weld it or whatever... but if it was junk we'd save any usable parts. I'd question why it was worth spending all day fixing a 5 dollar part and he'd smile and say because we can. It was more the challenge than the savings. If we needed a special sized washer we'd go make one on the lathe or cut one with hand tools and whatnot as an example. He wasn't cheap but frugal because he grew up in the 30's..

It took me a while to realize I had these special skills I went into running printing presses but then I realized I could fix them and that morphed slowly into industrial mechanic/millwright/ technician. now when a machine breaks down and time is crucial I can usually fix the parts rather than waiting for parts to deliver and those skills are very valuable. now it might be a 5 dollar part holding up a million dollar machine that is down..oh but phil can go rebuild the part or do some jury rig with haywire and band-aids so the machine can keep rolling. So now I see why we didn't just run to town for the 5 dollar part. Now I'm lookng into morphing those skills into being an instructor to complete the cycle. I didn't have kids to pas it on to. I'm feeling good about that. Ive always been shy in front of an audience so I will have to develop teaching skills and I am so forgetful. It will be a challenge but I'm really looking forward to overcoming whatever is in my way in that regard. field work made me more able to go and communicate about technical issues with customers so I guess I picked up some of the skills I need. The forum is fun for me because I like to think about all these challenges and try to help where I can. Now I'm frugal too out of necessity. I'll go spend time to make that special sized washer rather than trying to buy one because I can ! ;-)
Phil

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GibsonGM
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by GibsonGM »

Well said, Phil! Exactly..."because we can". I think a lot of what I do on my home assures me of that - that I CAN, if there is no quick purchase around to solve my woes. Again - dependence, and not wanting that. Here, there really often IS no help available for something, if the weather is bad etc. You lose a window in a storm, 50 mph wind at minus 10 - too bad, you'd better have plywood and a charged screw gun, and so on. Who could you call?? They're 20 miles away, and in the same storm! Ha ha.

I learned to solder so I wouldn't have to pay someone $120 to fix one popped elbow in copper pipe. My dad was an electrical engineer who did his own home repair, tho, so I learned that you MUST learn right, LOL!! Too many stories of his 'penny wise dollar foolish' attempts that cost him money in the end. I resolved to do it right, to learn the basic rules about what makes a good repair in wood, pipe, roofing, cement...it wasn't hard but took a long time to wangle out those things, pre internet. Youtube can now provide almost ANYONE with that info, and fast, but many seem very scared or lazy or something, and would rather be dependent. Oh well, takes all kinds. I kind of DO resent how many ppl look down on those who work with their hands, tho. They have NO clue of the money people like us are saving :) :)

You always have great ideas for DIY, Phil, now we know where you got inspired!

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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by phil »

thanks Gibson and I agree,it's really mostly about attitude rather than training and Utube sure does help. watching a variety of videos on a particular job helps because you can see where you are getting the same info through different advice and yea there are some that are pretty unprofesional or where they have to show you how to put 20 screws in one by one rather than just one and skip ahead.

I think so much happens when people are in their teens to early 20's . if at at that time they learn to do some basics like maybe changing oil in the car or making a box on the tablesaw and things like that then they feel empowered and once they realize hey I can do anything I just need to learn a little and then try it, it changes everything for them... I speak to some who can't change the oil in the car and the whole idea seems so foreign and scary. but once they have some encouragement and do it then they get through that initial fear that they cant' turn a wrench.. now how hard you turn a wrench based on the size of a fastener , that's learned by breaking a few off and then maybe learning how to drill out a bolt and re thread it.. but then next time you are in the same situation you run for the oil can instead of the big extension bar that will give you 200 foot pounds on a 1/4" bolt.. and after a while it's all nuts and bolts and everything goes around and around or back and forth. learning to not freak out but step back and go hmmm who can I ask advice of or where can I get info and then instead of feeling its futile.. Next they feel like ok whats the next part of this procedure. It isn't all about books, a lot is just about trying to do it , and then you get more proficient if you do and if you don't you just build a wall within yourself.

yes you are right trades went through a dip where people figured accountants were more valuable and respected but what is happening now is we are going to see a deficiency of practical skills and then you see the wages and opportunities change and that is happening now.

In Europe the attitudes towards trades are quite different.. I remember being in Germany in a factory and they had 20 kids about 15 years old with a cold chisel and a block of aluminum in a vice and they were shaping the chunk of aluminum.. at first I thought hey these kids aren't in school , then I realized no they actually have it right over there.. that's a very practical approach to getting them used to using their hands and feeling empowered. you wont; see that here.

places like south America.. there they have a different monetary system,, a doctor is recognized and respected, but not necessarily earning 5 times that of a working man. I'm quite taken aback by the differences when I see pictures of the cars in places like India and especially Cuba. wow these guys know how to be resourceful and think outside the box out of necessity. If i was stuck in some flood those are the guys I'd want helping me turn a pile of broken lumber back into a shelter. Not the sales people.


I remember working with another millwright and he was so full of himself that he just wouldn't stop to listen to anyone else. I realized he actually put himself in a difficult spot because that only works until people realize that instead of listening and asking questions and learning he'd worry about what he said. the result was he was ashamed to ask questions and since he didn't ask a lot of questions he'd loose those opportunities to learn. you can only fake so much. it's just like when you meet someone with hundreds of fascinating stories and then realize that those stories keep changing over time and they are fabricated,, when that happens then your reaction is to not want to trust other things they say and you may not really say much in rebuttal but they tend to loose your respect.

one thing Ive noticed across this forum is that the open exchange of information and opinions is really great.

I remer fixing printing presses, some of the operators were a little dim and they knew their jobs and they would stand besie their machiens all day and then call with a problem. Id' wal into the shop and talk to them and say what do you think caused the issue. sometimes oh maybe they did somethign stupid and screwed up the machine and were afraid to admit it so I'd have to play around that and fix the issue without pointing blame. id see other techs go in the same situation and completely discount what they had to say as if they were a bother. i couldn't count the number of times that althogh they were perhaps not very good at understanding how the machine actually wirked inside they would offer me hints that helped put the puzzle together. often things liek the sequence of events , maybe somethign broke over a period of time or maybe they changed a certain chemical or something.. Point is even though they were not the brightest bulbs they knew what the equipment sounded like and often they might say oh yea it was squealing over there the last couple weeks. the other trechs would not know that because they didn't' pay attention to what the operator said. I realized that often you can learn from what they said and I didn't' admire the techs that wold tell the boss hey can you give this guy something to do to get him out of my hair so I can fix your machine. Instead I'd ask them to show me the problem , can you demonstrate the issue, is it repeatable, did it start suddenly? any funny noises? does t always happen or just sometimes. those things really help narrow it down and after the repairs Id call the guy back , ok now try it does it seem fixed to you? then I wouldn't get a callback or find myself in a situation where I just spent a day fixing something but it wasn't really the problem they called for.

I've found myself stuck and confused many times but then I would usually surprise the customer by saying look I'm stuck and confused I'm going to go find more info and return to this. I found people didn't disrespect that but if you started making stuff up and trying to sound smart they loose confidence pretty fast when they see the holes in your experience, whereas if you just said look I'm stuck but I'm not giving up on this they would respect that more.

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Willa
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Re: Rotten Window Sills

Post by Willa »

Here's how bad the sills were:

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Here's how the replacement sills look. There is a little rotten wood that needs to get patched in, on the brick mold, but actual sills are a great improvement. The patching will happen in the next couple of days. The sills were primed and painted before they went in.

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