Trying to get jacked
Yesterday was a beautiful day, so I opted to take the last half of the day off of work and try to level the building out. This step has to be done before any work is done on the inside...or to even repair the roof.
When I got there, I assessed the situation. A big hole had to be cut in the floor where the bathroom will be going so I could get to that particular joist and level the floor there. When I had removed the wood, I discovered that my old sensei HAD, in fact, insulated the floor there, too. This meant that underneath the dirt was frozen solid. I needed about 10" of clearance to put the jack underneath the joist. I had 4. Even after about 3 hours of hammering away at the "dirt" with a wrecking bar, I only managed to get about 7 inches of clearance.
My father arrived while I was working, and he had a car jack with him (a scissor jack). It worked...somewhat. We were able to get about 1/4" before the jack started to buckle.
A second spot needed to be dug out (this time exterior to the building) to make room for a jack there, too. That also gave us the same problems--lack of clearance. That corner never got jacked. Essentially, after about 4 1/2 hours of work, all we got was 1/4".
Today, I will be heading back. This time, I'll have access to a high-lift jack, which will fit in there perfectly (I hope). The only potential problem will be if there's enough room to move the lever up and down. We shall see.
Also, today I will take some "before" (before now anyway, not before any work was done) and after pictures. You'll get to see the old dojo in all its ...uh... present glory.
Finally, I'm going to detail the plans for how this place will be refurbished.
First thing, the place needs to be levelled out. Cannot install drywall, windows or anything else that can crack or break until the building is level.
Second thing will be to remove the "new" roof and do it right. I would LIKE to remove the "new" roof, slide it up onto the main roof, then proceed to take the "old" roof (this is the roof to the extension from the main building...this area will be the bathroom) off with a saws-all. That, of course, will leave about 84 square feet (or more) exposed to the sky...but it's not like there's tons of water damage on the floor there, anyway. And this will ensure things are done right. I hope.
The third step will be to do the bathroom and kitchen. At the same time, outdoor (landscaping) work can be done. There will be a hedge put in on the north side of the building (between the building and the road). This should help reduce wind blowing up against the house from the north and MAYBE keep the place a little bit warmer in the winter. In theory. Also, the "parking lot" on the west side of the building will be cut almost in half. The part closest to the river will be scraped down about 2-4 inches, and new soil (and sod or grass seed) put down. The scraped off gravel will go ... I don't know where yet. Perhaps to stabilize the slope facing the river. Soil will have to be put there, too; as well as grass to keep it from eroding when the river gets that high (which it often does in the early spring). Bushes will also go on the bank to help control erosion. I'm thinking of using those "burning bushes" that turn fiery red in the fall. The area right outside the main entrance (between the parking lot and the building) will be redone...there are currently raspberry "bushes" there (read: brambles). I will probably get rid of them and fill that area in with new soil and grass, also. There will be no plants right up against the building. I will, however, put another tree of some kind somewhere on the property...just not sure what kind yet.
The fourth step will be to revamp (somewhat) the layout of the living area, the dining area, and the bedrooms. The walls will mostly stay where they are, except for the second bedroom wall facing the hallway, and a new wall will go up to separate the living area from the dining area. Also, the southern extensions will be completely redone (if not totally torn down). I was hoping to just remove the walls and leave the roof up, then put a proper patio deck down; but that won't work as the roof is awkward-shaped. The roof and walls will go down. I will also extend the deck out towards the river another 2-3 feet. Since I don't want to put new posts in (and probably can't by law), the extension will be cantilevered from the existing structure. Hence, why it may only be 2-3 feet, if that. This phase will also require removing the sliding glass door from where the bathroom is going to be, and putting it in its new location, heading out to the soon-to-be patio.
The fifth step of this phase of the project will be to put all the windows in.
The final step of this phase will be to put the rest of the drywall up on the walls where the windows were installed. This will complete the most important phase of reconstruction.
After that, I will get thin plywood sheets (like veneer, but white on one side) and use them in the ceiling in the rooms. In the main room, I will make box beams where the current beams are. It should give it an old cottage feel.
Also, as part of the second phase, I would *like* to build an extension to the first floor heading out towards the area of the old parking lot that I turned into a lawn. There's a structure there already (for the most part) so I can just demolish it and put something proper there, instead.
The "second floor" will be completely gutted from the inside in the third phase. The current flooring will be completely removed, and I will cut into the roof (since the second floor is just perched on the roof, nothing more) and put a new floor down. I want to keep (most of) the wall structure as I intend to use it as a starting point for extending the second floor north towards the street. Extending the second floor, however, may not happen for many years.
Overall, the first phase should cost no more than $8,000 to do. The second phase can run from just a few hundred dollars (if I just do the ceilings) to maybe another $10,000 for the extension. The third phase, if I don't extend the second floor, will also be pretty cheap (it's just mostly demolition, and I can recycle some of the wood); but if I do extend it, it may be another $10,000 at the most. Overall, refurbishing this place will run from $10,000 to almost the value of the property ($28,000). Only time (and funds) will tell what gets done.
I almost forgot. The exterior will also be redone. I'd like to do the *first* floor in stone, surrounding the existing structure. I may just use vinyl siding. The second floor will be all vinyl siding, or texture 111, depending on what will look better. I've never been a big fan of vinyl siding, but it saves on painting. We shall see. I imagine this part of the project will be another $3,000 or more.
UPDATE: Today I was able to get the SE corner of the extension jacked up ONE INCH! Yay! Still needs about another inch to go.
When I got there, I assessed the situation. A big hole had to be cut in the floor where the bathroom will be going so I could get to that particular joist and level the floor there. When I had removed the wood, I discovered that my old sensei HAD, in fact, insulated the floor there, too. This meant that underneath the dirt was frozen solid. I needed about 10" of clearance to put the jack underneath the joist. I had 4. Even after about 3 hours of hammering away at the "dirt" with a wrecking bar, I only managed to get about 7 inches of clearance.
My father arrived while I was working, and he had a car jack with him (a scissor jack). It worked...somewhat. We were able to get about 1/4" before the jack started to buckle.
A second spot needed to be dug out (this time exterior to the building) to make room for a jack there, too. That also gave us the same problems--lack of clearance. That corner never got jacked. Essentially, after about 4 1/2 hours of work, all we got was 1/4".
Today, I will be heading back. This time, I'll have access to a high-lift jack, which will fit in there perfectly (I hope). The only potential problem will be if there's enough room to move the lever up and down. We shall see.
Also, today I will take some "before" (before now anyway, not before any work was done) and after pictures. You'll get to see the old dojo in all its ...uh... present glory.
Finally, I'm going to detail the plans for how this place will be refurbished.
First thing, the place needs to be levelled out. Cannot install drywall, windows or anything else that can crack or break until the building is level.
Second thing will be to remove the "new" roof and do it right. I would LIKE to remove the "new" roof, slide it up onto the main roof, then proceed to take the "old" roof (this is the roof to the extension from the main building...this area will be the bathroom) off with a saws-all. That, of course, will leave about 84 square feet (or more) exposed to the sky...but it's not like there's tons of water damage on the floor there, anyway. And this will ensure things are done right. I hope.
The third step will be to do the bathroom and kitchen. At the same time, outdoor (landscaping) work can be done. There will be a hedge put in on the north side of the building (between the building and the road). This should help reduce wind blowing up against the house from the north and MAYBE keep the place a little bit warmer in the winter. In theory. Also, the "parking lot" on the west side of the building will be cut almost in half. The part closest to the river will be scraped down about 2-4 inches, and new soil (and sod or grass seed) put down. The scraped off gravel will go ... I don't know where yet. Perhaps to stabilize the slope facing the river. Soil will have to be put there, too; as well as grass to keep it from eroding when the river gets that high (which it often does in the early spring). Bushes will also go on the bank to help control erosion. I'm thinking of using those "burning bushes" that turn fiery red in the fall. The area right outside the main entrance (between the parking lot and the building) will be redone...there are currently raspberry "bushes" there (read: brambles). I will probably get rid of them and fill that area in with new soil and grass, also. There will be no plants right up against the building. I will, however, put another tree of some kind somewhere on the property...just not sure what kind yet.
The fourth step will be to revamp (somewhat) the layout of the living area, the dining area, and the bedrooms. The walls will mostly stay where they are, except for the second bedroom wall facing the hallway, and a new wall will go up to separate the living area from the dining area. Also, the southern extensions will be completely redone (if not totally torn down). I was hoping to just remove the walls and leave the roof up, then put a proper patio deck down; but that won't work as the roof is awkward-shaped. The roof and walls will go down. I will also extend the deck out towards the river another 2-3 feet. Since I don't want to put new posts in (and probably can't by law), the extension will be cantilevered from the existing structure. Hence, why it may only be 2-3 feet, if that. This phase will also require removing the sliding glass door from where the bathroom is going to be, and putting it in its new location, heading out to the soon-to-be patio.
The fifth step of this phase of the project will be to put all the windows in.
The final step of this phase will be to put the rest of the drywall up on the walls where the windows were installed. This will complete the most important phase of reconstruction.
After that, I will get thin plywood sheets (like veneer, but white on one side) and use them in the ceiling in the rooms. In the main room, I will make box beams where the current beams are. It should give it an old cottage feel.
Also, as part of the second phase, I would *like* to build an extension to the first floor heading out towards the area of the old parking lot that I turned into a lawn. There's a structure there already (for the most part) so I can just demolish it and put something proper there, instead.
The "second floor" will be completely gutted from the inside in the third phase. The current flooring will be completely removed, and I will cut into the roof (since the second floor is just perched on the roof, nothing more) and put a new floor down. I want to keep (most of) the wall structure as I intend to use it as a starting point for extending the second floor north towards the street. Extending the second floor, however, may not happen for many years.
Overall, the first phase should cost no more than $8,000 to do. The second phase can run from just a few hundred dollars (if I just do the ceilings) to maybe another $10,000 for the extension. The third phase, if I don't extend the second floor, will also be pretty cheap (it's just mostly demolition, and I can recycle some of the wood); but if I do extend it, it may be another $10,000 at the most. Overall, refurbishing this place will run from $10,000 to almost the value of the property ($28,000). Only time (and funds) will tell what gets done.
I almost forgot. The exterior will also be redone. I'd like to do the *first* floor in stone, surrounding the existing structure. I may just use vinyl siding. The second floor will be all vinyl siding, or texture 111, depending on what will look better. I've never been a big fan of vinyl siding, but it saves on painting. We shall see. I imagine this part of the project will be another $3,000 or more.
UPDATE: Today I was able to get the SE corner of the extension jacked up ONE INCH! Yay! Still needs about another inch to go.
posted by xanadian at 12:34 PM
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