This Old Dojo

2 posts done! And...um...

2006-05-13T19:07:00.000-04:00

The second post was concreted in on Wednesday and backfilled today (Saturday). I decided to go look at the southeast corner and see what it would take to jack that up.

There's no decent floor beam that I can use for jacking. All the floor joists are 2x6s...nothing more. I can still do it, but these joists need to be 4x6, ideally. I can probably just detach the "floor" and raise it up, instead of jacking the entire wing. The floor isn't well connected to the walls...and the walls are what's holding up the roof. Difficult to describe. You'd have to see it. I have to remember to take a picture of it. But, the porch (southeast corner, by the way) is now open to the air. This should be pretty easy.

Project Update--May 1, 2006

2006-05-02T17:18:00.000-04:00

After getting the very first post in and concreted (so it will *hopefully* not shift when the ground freezes this winter), I moved on to work on the posts on the southeast corner of the building. Sunday, my uncle (who is visiting for a few more days) helped me rip up some of the floor inside so I could get to a few trouble spots (where the floor heaved up). I finished that part Monday (yesterday, May 1) and proceeded to jack up the entire southeast wall (minus the very southeast corner). I was able to get one spot almost perfectly in place, but closer to the southeast corner, I still need to go up about 3 1/2 inches. The ground is extremely soft...it would explain why this part of the building is so off-kilter.

I probably won't get a chance to continue until next week sometime, as my kid's mother is coming to visit this weekend, and/or it's supposed to rain.

All this means nothing without action

2006-04-26T12:33:00.000-04:00

Many middle-income Americans lack insurance - Health Care - MSNBC.com

The floor is LEVEL!

2006-04-25T15:58:00.000-04:00

Well, the kitchen part is level. For now. I'm going to wait a day or two and see how much it settles before I put the posts in.

But, yay!

Ev'rybody was kung fu wreckin'

2006-04-13T09:08:00.000-04:00

Remember the "extension" on the west side of the building?

Well, now it's more like this:

I demolished most of the walls on this extension Tuesday afternoon, using an 8-lb mallet, a claw hammer, and my foot. After about 3 or so pieces of chip board (used as walls??!?!) removed with the mallet, and me getting sick and tired of the slow going, I gave one wall an almighty kick.

It came crashing down. I was quite pleased with myself. So my foot became a useful tool in the demolition project.

The chip board is pretty much useless. The weather took its toll on the wood...if it wasn't rotting, it was peeling apart. The 2x4s are still in good condition. The next step is to take a saws-all to the roof and separate the roof from the main part of the building. After that, I'll have to seal up the holes and set it up to raise the ceiling in the "pump room." I'll have to get and post a picture of what I'm talking about.

Tilled!

2006-04-03T17:48:00.000-04:00

The new lawn (well, 90% of it) has been tilled. There were an assload of stones. This was, after all, part of a driveway. Nary a plant seems to have ever grown on it. I'm sure I'll have to fertilize it before I seed it. That won't happen until the last several days of April, and then only if it's going to be relatively warm (read: won't go below freezing at night) and wet.

I was opting to pull out all the old raspberry bushes (read: brambles, thorns, eyesores), but I'll keep them for the berries. They just need to be neatened up a bit.

I also now have a fairly large pile of stones and cobbles. Most of them will go towards a cobblestone walkway. The rest will probably be used by the roadside for either a new mailbox or a lamp. I haven't figured it out yet.

My back's killing me, so I'm going to go get drunk. I mean, take some meds.

The "Before" photos, group 1

2006-04-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

This is the first group of "before" photos. I've included a brief commentary on each picture. Looking at it, you'll be wondering what the hell was I thinking to take on this project. Well, if you wondered that, I have to say you have no vision of the possibilities. It'll look good when done. Trust me. I haven't included ALL of the pictures, as that would take forever to look at. I only have the most important ones shown here, to give you an idea of the scope of the project.

Group 2 will be coming later tonight or tomorrow.

1_001 - Exterior view, facing southeast. This gives you a view of the western addition off of the original structure, plus the other additions on the west side of the building. You can also see the "second story," which was essentially perched on the roof of the original structure. The car is there just to look good.

1_002 - The parking lot, facing south. Almost half of this area will be scraped down about 2 inches and have new soil put in its place. This will at least have grass on it. The embankment heading down to the river (in the background) will have its slope reduced using the dirt scraped from the driveway. The embankment will also get a layer of topsoil, plus some grass and bushes to reduce soil erosion.

1_003 - The southern and second floor additions, facing east, including the part of the parking lot that will become a "lawn." What a mess. The southernmost extensions will be demolished and a porch put in their place.

1_004 - A closer view of the southern extensions, facing east. You see how the extensions are propped up. These stacks of gazinta (cinder) blocks will be replaced using 4x6 or 4x8 posts, driven (or buried) into the ground about 3-4'; each post being 4-6' apart.

1_005 to 1_009 - Images of where the posts here are going. We don't need to see those pics.

1_010 - The roof structure on the southern extensions. Some, if not all of it, is going bye-bye. I might keep the roof on the southeast extension, in case I someday want to close it in proper for a greenhouse or something. Or just as a spot to escape the mosquitoes.

1_011 - Southeast corner (southern post #6). The southeast (and southwest) extensions are all about 3' wide. I will further extend this section (after the walls and roof are gone) another 1-3'. Since I don't want to disturb the embankment as much as possible, the porch will be cantilevered. Where southern posts #1-6 are will be where most of the weight is supported. I may have to put diagonal braces from the edge of the new porch to each of the southern posts.

1_012 - 1_017 - More post locations on the east side of the building.

1_018 - Northeast post #3. You can see where I've already done some digging. I've been jacking the building at this point, and shimming on the gazinta block just to the left of the hole. This place will need to be braced together, as it is a joint between the "bathroom" and the alcove that holds the stove.

1_019 - Northeast post #4. The post will go where the gazinta block is now, just below the very middle of the sliding door (which will be removed).

1_020 - Northeast post #5 -- the northeast corner. Strangely enough, I don't think this part has heaved much at all. In fact, the entire north face has proved to be very stable. The entire floor is level (mostly) for the entire length.

1_023 - My 'handiwork' at trying to fix the leaking roof. Smack dab in the middle of the picture, you can see where the extension was added. Where the old roof for the extension (sloping TOWARDS the joint) meets the roof for the original structure is where all the water leaks in. I had a friend help me here...we tried to put a new roof on, sloping the right way, then just flashed and tarred the joint. No good. Both roofs here will be removed. The old roof for the extension will be sawz-alled off, while the "newer" roof is slid back on to the roof of the main building. Then, the "newer" roof will be put back. The reddish line shows where the "newer" roof will be put (i.e. it shows the planned slope).

And finally...

1_025 - Interior, facing east. The future "bathroom". Where the carpet has been removed defines the bounds of the new bathroom. There is a big hole in the floor just about mid-picture. This is where "interior northeast post #1" is going. The floor is sagging here, at the joint between the original structure (from where the photo was shot) and the "extension."

Trying to get jacked

2006-03-30T12:34:00.000-05:00

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.

Holy Crap, an entry!

2006-03-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

Well, about a week ago I got my latest rejection from the bank for a loan. I'm going to have to wait until May 14 at the earliest to try again. Until then, I'm going to do everything to the place I can that requires only a small amount of capital: I'm going to jack the floor up. Shims and another jack shouldn't amount to more than $100. I intend to start this weekend if possible...it's going to be sunny and in the mid 40s.

PS: The roof work we did back in December didn't do the job. The *other* spots we just sealed (or just needed some tar on the joints) are sealed up tight. The roof we "replaced" (read: built one on top of it due to limited funds) didn't do such a good job. It turned the somewhat slow leak into a waterfall. So we're going to have to extend the "replaced" roof back to the existing roof of the main building. That should cost another $400 or so. Not too terribly bad, but I would've liked to use that money for the bathroom.

The roof is (mostly) done!

2005-12-12T08:14:00.000-05:00

The roof is now in a state where no more water should leak in. The front still needs a soffit installed to keep snow from blowing up and into the new roof, though.

Today, I'm going to try again for that home improvement loan. My mother will cosign it; and seeing that she lives in Nowhere, New Mexico; and that it will take a week for the loan application to get to her and back, I can throw on the home as collateral (we close on the 16th, this Friday). Things look pretty good.

Roof part 2

2005-12-05T17:51:00.000-05:00

Well, the new roof over the bathroom (area) is mostly finished...most of the flashing on the roof is tarred...there's only a few small leaks left.

If I didn't mention it, I didn't get the loan. I have no idea how I'm going to do any work on this place without a cash flow, so the bathroom will probably not get done until May. Which means we can't really move in until May 2006. Bah!

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fiyah!

2005-11-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

The new wood stove was installed today by somebody other than me. And when I say "new," I mean NEW. It's a box wood stove, and it has two "burners" on it for cooking. Crazy. The metalbestos pipe was also installed. The fire-resistant drywall has not been installed but should be soon. Very nice.

Also, we had DirecTV installed also. Not that we're living there at the moment, but hey, we have satellite!

...and all that junk

2005-11-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

All of our belongings have been moved into the building. The place looks like a complete cluster-f**k: building materials in one area, piles of boxes and furniture everywhere else. The "carpet" (if you want to call it that) was torn up the day before yesterday, after all the junk was loaded into the moving van. Three floors will have to be torn out and replaced, which could cost as much as $1600. Eesh.

Sometime today, the phone will be hooked up. Also, I'm supposed to get a decision on a loan I applied for on Friday. With my bankruptcy (18 months ago) and my father's trashed credit (he's cosigner, and his credit was trashed from a scam), I'm not holding on to too much hope. Still, I'm crossing my fingers.

Dojo Mojo

2005-11-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

The roof repair over the (future) bathroom was completed, minus the flashing and "decorative" (read: hiding the beams, etc) trim. It looks pretty good so far. It snowed yesterday and will again tonight...then rain on Tuesday. We won't be able to do the flashing until after the snow is off the roof, so there'll probably be one more leak until the flashing's up. But it's a step in the right direction.

Shingles upon shingles

2005-11-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. God.

The roof over the toilet area is a DISASTER. My sensei had laid down about 5 layers of tar shingles and 2 layers of flashing; all of it caulked together with silicon. Just underneath the topmost layer--a green ... I don't know what to call it...it's like a shingle that never ends--was a patchwork of various bits and pieces of wood, meant to (I assume) take the dip out of the roof where water had accumulated. We, at least, figured out why the roof leaked: the water pooled there, then soaked into the wood. Once saturated, the wood started to drip water. Sheesh.

Originally, we were just going to build a new roof over the existing one, seal it up, and call it good. We were going to put flashing on the seams, like we did over other seams in the roof (the source of the aforementioned leaks in the back rooms). My partner came out and said she didn't want it done half-assed. This is when all three of us started to realize the scope of the project. She left to go watch our son, leaving my neighbor and I on the roof to continue the removal of 5 layers of tar shingles and 2 layers of flashing.

We gave up.

Most of the wood is already up for the new roof. Friday (we're refraining from work tomorrow since it's Thanksgiving) we will finish it. It's supposed to snow like hell tomorrow (based on one source)...or it'll just spit flakes here and there (based on another source). I'm hoping for little snow; otherwise, finishing this roof is going to be a bitch.

Anybody got a bucket?

2005-11-22T22:35:00.000-05:00

It rained (and still is raining) like a mother tonight. We (my partner and I) stopped at the dojo to check things out. Needless to say, we found more leaks. The leak over the downstairs toilet was even more prominent. Three walls in the back rooms were wet; water dripping off of the doorways. Carpet was soaked... That didn't bother me so much as this carpet is getting heaved. It is really crappy carpet, but it did its job.

I talked with our neighbor, and he's willing to help us fix the leak over the toilet area. We'll be working on that tomorrow.

Helping hands

2005-11-21T22:32:00.000-05:00

Apparently, our neighbor (the man) works in construction (houses and the like). He is willing to help us out. We just recently decided to figure out how to lay the pipe for the bathroom (I'm "expanding" the current bathroom off of the main room so it is a proper bathroom). Carpet has been removed. Wood has been cut. No pipe though. We did manage to break the roof vent for the existing drainage pipe (to the apartment upstairs) while prying away the "walls" (if you could call them that) of the old "bathroom". Something we'll have to fix.

We signed the papers

2005-11-18T22:19:00.000-05:00

It was an odd bit of irony seeing this place on the market: my old dojo, where I took karate for about four years. My sensei was winding down, and had bad knees, so he decided to close up shop this past September. When I was going to the school, there was the main room, the side room (where the alternate entrance to the school was), and a couple rooms in back. This time, he had also added on a closed-in addition to the main room (there was a toilet and sink in there). Three rooms had been added in the back, and a second-story one-bedroom apartment put on top of the roof.

I'll give one thing for my old sensei...he builds solid. But, holy hell, the construction is rough. The toilet off of the main room was enclosed, and was in a two foot by three foot "closet." He never bothered to put a proper ceiling up (anywhere!), so you could see the insulation overhead. Over the toilet, though, it had sagged and torn apart in places. The insulation, as well as the floor underneath, were (and still is) wet. There was a leak in the roof.

My partner and I, after going through everything, decided it would be a good fixer-upper opportunity. At $29,000, right on the water with 1 acre, it was a pretty good deal. We (well, I) signed the paperwork today. In one month, we close. We intend (and my old sensei allowed it) to start remodeling right away. Our budget is tight, though. Only 18 months ago I had to file for bankruptcy, so getting a loan to buy the materials we need will be challenging at best. I figure with the money I can save from my paycheck, the place should be complete in no more than three years.

Eek.