Good dog walk

2 hours

Peru

Author 

Re: Thank you all for such amazing hard work this past weekend and past week & A troubleshooting question if you've got some time to read

A few pictures from this weekend are at <http://victoryhouse.blogspot.com/>

On 4/25/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi All,

 

Wow, the progress this weekend was truly amazing. I couldn't have imagined so much getting accomplished so fast. I really appreciate the help from all of you and I'm looking forward to having a get together very soon so you can all see the finished product.

 

 

Question:

If you have a minute I do have a troubleshooting question to pose based on a screwy issue we uncovered towards the end of the day on Sunday when we removed all of the carpet and linoleum upstairs. What we found was that the center of the flooring in the upstairs living room and dining room both have tons of screws, presumably some extreme overkill to keep them from squeaking. The screws are literally spaced every foot in nearly every plank (perhaps 500 total), except for the outside edges of the floor, which is where we looked to asses the floor quality and get an estimate, of course :P

 

All of these screws were not in the estimate for the floor guy. He can putty them and he thinks it may look OK but they have to be countersunk first to 1/8th or preferably 3/16th of an inch. We tried removing several to see if that was viable but it really gets squeaky so he doesn't think that's a good option. And we found that the screws won't sink any farther with the equipment we have so I'm going to ask around about specialty drills that may give better leverage, but barring that the screws may all (2/3 to 3/4 of them) need to be removed, the holes drilled out slightly and the screws replaced. I'm going to call around on my lunch and try to find out if I can get a day labor crew in for a day, but this definitely puts a kink in the move in timeline.

 

The flooring guy is willing to work over the weekend if necessary and if we can troubleshoot this, so if anyone has ideas for getting rid of those screw heads please chime in.

 

An idea I just came up with is grinding off the screw heads rather than removing them. Presumably the 'blade' on the shaft of the screw is what's holding the floor down so I don't think removing the top would affect performance, but I have no idea if this would even work and I assume that it would also require industrial grade rental equipment of some sort.

 

While I'm on that topic the floor guy did say that while putty may look OK, with that many holes, it would be far better to do at least some of them with wooden dowels. That would presumably entail the same process of removing the screw , drilling the hole out and sinking the screw deeper, probably 1/2 inch (or skipping the previous steps and grinding the screw head off), then pounding in a piece of wood dowel or having him do that.

 

 

Any ideas you've got would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks again for all your hard work thus far,
Jeff
 

 

On 4/23/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com > wrote:

Hi,
For those of you planning to come over today, anytime after 2 PM today would be great. Just give a call if you've got any questions. If you have paint brushes or gardening equiptment that would be great to bring, otherwise we've got gloves, safety equiptment, food and drinks.

Thanks Again,
Jeff
465.8354

On 4/20/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com > wrote:

Hi,

 

I know I said I post a revised schedule once I got the keys. Yesterday was the big day and we got started last night by ripping out the downstairs carpet ( Jim, Tony, Jeremy), cleaning up the floor for Pergo install (Jim, Tony, Jeremy), removing drapery (Sheena, Kristin) , labeling all power outlets (Jim), and cleaning the kitchen, baths and garage (Sheena, Kristin, Tony). Oh, ordering pizza (Jeff). 

 

It was awesome to see it go so fast.

 

The plan for tonight is to get the house ready for painting tomorrow and Friday, so if wiping down walls and masking off windows is your idea of fun please give me a call and/or come on out any time after 6PM.

 

All the necessary grub will be on hand - pizza, beer, skittles, M&M's, soda, even carrot sticks if you like.

 

 

Also, if you're available this weekend I'll be there all day Saturday and Sunday with beer and BBQ too.

 

 

 

Thanks for all of the great advice and suggestions. I'll see you at the for the open house in a couple of weeks or sooner if you can drop by. 

 

Cheers,

Jeff 

206 465 8354

 

On 4/16/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com > wrote:

Hello Everybody,

I had planned to start working on my new place today and really set in
with a big group tomorrow, Saturday, April the 16th, but unfortunately
the start date has to be moved back to next week due to a  paperwork
snarl.

For those of you that were planning to come over and lend a hand, I
know that I was only able to reach some of you by phone today so I
apologize for this notice by e-mail. Please drop me a line if you have
any evening availability over the next week as we'll be playing
catch-up for the missed days and could use the help. Also, if you were
planning to come out on the weekend, please consider this next
weekend, the 23rd and 24th, which will definitely be a big work party
with beer and BBQ, and your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to those who sent feedback on my remodel plans and schedule
below. The schedule will have to be modified now of course to
accommodate the shorter time line, so if you have any suggestions for
speeding things up they would be appreciated as well.

Thanks again everybody and I'll look forward to seeing you soon at the
housewarming party or sooner for the remodel.

Cheers,
Jeff


On 4/12/05, Jeff James < brewmaster3000@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> If you haven't already heard I've bought a house and I'd love to see you,
> and feed you, and buy you booze in exchange for some help around the place.
> :D
>
> Mostly though I'd like to see you and give you a chance to see the new place
> in it's various states. So even if you only have a minute to drop by
> sometime over the next couple of weekends, and even if you can't stay to
> help, or only have an hour here and there, please drop on by. There will be
> food and drink, don't you worry about that.
>
> What follows is my planned schedule for the next couple of weeks prior to
> moving in. At this point I could really use your feedback on the time line,
> project order, etc that I've proposed below. I know you all have experience
> with some or all of these types of projects, so I really do value all the
> input you can give me and I'll try to keep my yap shut so you can get your
> piece said in a timely manner.
>
> Thanks for all your help and advice so far and thanks in advance for all
> your future sweat too ;)
>
> Once I collect feedback I'll follow-up with another e-mail.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Jeff
>
>
> p.s. - Please be brutally honest regarding my list below. Does it suck? Is
> it completely unworkable? Did I include you as a person I'm borrowing from
> with out asking you first? All good things to know before jumping in to the
> fray!
>
>
>
>
> Touch Up Plan for 1737 NE 104th ST, Seattle , WA    98125
> Safety First
> Thursday, 4/14Replace or re-key locks
> Thursday, 4/14Shop Vac Garage - for outside storage
> Thursday, 4/14Shop Vac House
> Friday, 4/15Check all electrical plugs and label for polarity and
> groundedness
> Friday, 4/15Clean sinks and toilets
> Friday, 4/15Clean laundry room - mop and wipe down - for inside storage
>
> Prep for painting:
> Saturday, 4/16 - Remove baseboard moldings starting from upstairs bedrooms
> Saturday, 4/16 - Wipe all walls with alt-TSP solution starting from upstairs
> bedrooms
> Saturday, 4/16 - Remove all cabinet doors, strike plates, light switch
> covers, etc
> Saturday, 4/16  - Wipe cabinet interiors and freshly exposed surfaces with
> alt-TSP solution
> Saturday, 4/16 - Tape windows, doors, light fixtures, bath and kitchen
> fixtures
> Saturday, 4/16  - Cover light switches and other small protuberances w/ a
> baggie or rubber glove
>  - Remove desk in downstairs bedroom
>
>  Painting Notes:
>    Leave upstairs carpet in place until after painting for use as a drop
> cloth.
>    Try to minimize paint spillage on upstairs wood floors which will be
> finished.
>    Downstairs carpet can go anytime. Plywood floor will be covered later so
> paint spills are not a problem.
> Painting:
> Sunday, 4/17First coat - semi-gloss in bath and kitchen, primer on wood
> paneling, flat for all other walls/ceilings
> Monday, 4/18Second coat - final coat for most interior walls, first coat
> over primer on wood paneling
> Tuesday, 4/19Third coat - for wood paneling and where ever else it is
> necessary
> Floor Downstairs:
> *Friday, 4/22Remove carpet to garage
> *Friday, 4/22Pull staples
> *Saturday, 4/23Remove tack board from edges of floor
> *Sunday, 4/24Install Pergo - need details here
> 4/25   - Install Pergo - need details here
>   Downstairs floor notes: *All but Pergo install can be started prior to
> finishing painting
> Floor Upstairs:
> Friday, 4/22Remove carpet to garage
> Friday, 4/22Pull staples
> Saturday, 4/23Remove tack board from edges of floor
> Monday, 4/25Turn over upstairs floor to Washington Hardwood Floors
> 206.579.6140
>
> Other Interior Projects
> Pressure wash showers upstairs and down
> Assess how to best seal window frame in office
> Speaker wire and other random wire identify and label or remove
> Install bathroom fan downstairs
> Exterior Projects
> Remove or severely prune tree between kitchen window and garage
> Clean window wells outside of downstairs windows on street side
> Pressure wash
>  - Deck
>  - Eves
>  - Brick
>   - Roof - Use appt cleaner and don't climb on when wet - see inspection rpt
>  - Garage - esp. to remove paint on garage door - careful of glass panes
> Repair ~20 ridge shingles on roof - see inspection rpt
> Repair garage roof at back peak - rip in tarpaper - see inspection rpt
> To Buy:
> Door locks
> Respirators / masks for dust protection
> Shop Vac
> Ladder
> Pressure Washer - high power for outside
> Latex gloves
> Paint
> Pergo
> To Borrow:
> Pressure Washer - low power for inside - from Bob and Doris
> Paint Sprayer  - Ken
> Respirator - Stuart?
> Ladder - Stuart?
>

Thank you all for such amazing hard work this past weekend and past week & A troubleshooting question if you've got some time to read

Hi All,

 

Wow, the progress this weekend was truly amazing. I couldn't have imagined so much getting accomplished so fast. I really appreciate the help from all of you and I'm looking forward to having a get together very soon so you can all see the finished product.

 

 

Question:

If you have a minute I do have a troubleshooting question to pose based on a screwy issue we uncovered towards the end of the day on Sunday when we removed all of the carpet and linoleum upstairs. What we found was that the center of the flooring in the upstairs living room and dining room both have tons of screws, presumably some extreme overkill to keep them from squeaking. The screws are literally spaced every foot in nearly every plank (perhaps 500 total), except for the outside edges of the floor, which is where we looked to asses the floor quality and get an estimate, of course :P

 

All of these screws were not in the estimate for the floor guy. He can putty them and he thinks it may look OK but they have to be countersunk first to 1/8th or preferably 3/16th of an inch. We tried removing several to see if that was viable but it really gets squeaky so he doesn't think that's a good option. And we found that the screws won't sink any farther with the equipment we have so I'm going to ask around about specialty drills that may give better leverage, but barring that the screws may all (2/3 to 3/4 of them) need to be removed, the holes drilled out slightly and the screws replaced. I'm going to call around on my lunch and try to find out if I can get a day labor crew in for a day, but this definitely puts a kink in the move in timeline.

 

The flooring guy is willing to work over the weekend if necessary and if we can troubleshoot this, so if anyone has ideas for getting rid of those screw heads please chime in.

 

An idea I just came up with is grinding off the screw heads rather than removing them. Presumably the 'blade' on the shaft of the screw is what's holding the floor down so I don't think removing the top would affect performance, but I have no idea if this would even work and I assume that it would also require industrial grade rental equipment of some sort.

 

While I'm on that topic the floor guy did say that while putty may look OK, with that many holes, it would be far better to do at least some of them with wooden dowels. That would presumably entail the same process of removing the screw , drilling the hole out and sinking the screw deeper, probably 1/2 inch (or skipping the previous steps and grinding the screw head off), then pounding in a piece of wood dowel or having him do that.

 

 

Any ideas you've got would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks again for all your hard work thus far,
Jeff
 

 

On 4/23/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,
For those of you planning to come over today, anytime after 2 PM today would be great. Just give a call if you've got any questions. If you have paint brushes or gardening equiptment that would be great to bring, otherwise we've got gloves, safety equiptment, food and drinks.

Thanks Again,
Jeff
465.8354

On 4/20/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com > wrote:

Hi,

 

I know I said I post a revised schedule once I got the keys. Yesterday was the big day and we got started last night by ripping out the downstairs carpet ( Jim, Tony, Jeremy), cleaning up the floor for Pergo install (Jim, Tony, Jeremy), removing drapery (Sheena, Kristin) , labeling all power outlets (Jim), and cleaning the kitchen, baths and garage (Sheena, Kristin, Tony). Oh, ordering pizza (Jeff). 

 

It was awesome to see it go so fast.

 

The plan for tonight is to get the house ready for painting tomorrow and Friday, so if wiping down walls and masking off windows is your idea of fun please give me a call and/or come on out any time after 6PM.

 

All the necessary grub will be on hand - pizza, beer, skittles, M&M's, soda, even carrot sticks if you like.

 

 

Also, if you're available this weekend I'll be there all day Saturday and Sunday with beer and BBQ too.

 

 

 

Thanks for all of the great advice and suggestions. I'll see you at the for the open house in a couple of weeks or sooner if you can drop by. 

 

Cheers,

Jeff 

206 465 8354

 

On 4/16/05, Jeff James <brewmaster3000@gmail.com > wrote:

Hello Everybody,

I had planned to start working on my new place today and really set in
with a big group tomorrow, Saturday, April the 16th, but unfortunately
the start date has to be moved back to next week due to a  paperwork
snarl.

For those of you that were planning to come over and lend a hand, I
know that I was only able to reach some of you by phone today so I
apologize for this notice by e-mail. Please drop me a line if you have
any evening availability over the next week as we'll be playing
catch-up for the missed days and could use the help. Also, if you were
planning to come out on the weekend, please consider this next
weekend, the 23rd and 24th, which will definitely be a big work party
with beer and BBQ, and your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to those who sent feedback on my remodel plans and schedule
below. The schedule will have to be modified now of course to
accommodate the shorter time line, so if you have any suggestions for
speeding things up they would be appreciated as well.

Thanks again everybody and I'll look forward to seeing you soon at the
housewarming party or sooner for the remodel.

Cheers,
Jeff


On 4/12/05, Jeff James < brewmaster3000@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> If you haven't already heard I've bought a house and I'd love to see you,
> and feed you, and buy you booze in exchange for some help around the place.
> :D
>
> Mostly though I'd like to see you and give you a chance to see the new place
> in it's various states. So even if you only have a minute to drop by
> sometime over the next couple of weekends, and even if you can't stay to
> help, or only have an hour here and there, please drop on by. There will be
> food and drink, don't you worry about that.
>
> What follows is my planned schedule for the next couple of weeks prior to
> moving in. At this point I could really use your feedback on the time line,
> project order, etc that I've proposed below. I know you all have experience
> with some or all of these types of projects, so I really do value all the
> input you can give me and I'll try to keep my yap shut so you can get your
> piece said in a timely manner.
>
> Thanks for all your help and advice so far and thanks in advance for all
> your future sweat too ;)
>
> Once I collect feedback I'll follow-up with another e-mail.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Jeff
>
>
> p.s. - Please be brutally honest regarding my list below. Does it suck? Is
> it completely unworkable? Did I include you as a person I'm borrowing from
> with out asking you first? All good things to know before jumping in to the
> fray!
>
>
>
>
> Touch Up Plan for 1737 NE 104th ST, Seattle , WA    98125
> Safety First
> Thursday, 4/14Replace or re-key locks
> Thursday, 4/14Shop Vac Garage - for outside storage
> Thursday, 4/14Shop Vac House
> Friday, 4/15Check all electrical plugs and label for polarity and
> groundedness
> Friday, 4/15Clean sinks and toilets
> Friday, 4/15Clean laundry room - mop and wipe down - for inside storage
>
> Prep for painting:
> Saturday, 4/16 - Remove baseboard moldings starting from upstairs bedrooms
> Saturday, 4/16 - Wipe all walls with alt-TSP solution starting from upstairs
> bedrooms
> Saturday, 4/16 - Remove all cabinet doors, strike plates, light switch
> covers, etc
> Saturday, 4/16  - Wipe cabinet interiors and freshly exposed surfaces with
> alt-TSP solution
> Saturday, 4/16 - Tape windows, doors, light fixtures, bath and kitchen
> fixtures
> Saturday, 4/16  - Cover light switches and other small protuberances w/ a
> baggie or rubber glove
>  - Remove desk in downstairs bedroom
>
>  Painting Notes:
>    Leave upstairs carpet in place until after painting for use as a drop
> cloth.
>    Try to minimize paint spillage on upstairs wood floors which will be
> finished.
>    Downstairs carpet can go anytime. Plywood floor will be covered later so
> paint spills are not a problem.
> Painting:
> Sunday, 4/17First coat - semi-gloss in bath and kitchen, primer on wood
> paneling, flat for all other walls/ceilings
> Monday, 4/18Second coat - final coat for most interior walls, first coat
> over primer on wood paneling
> Tuesday, 4/19Third coat - for wood paneling and where ever else it is
> necessary
> Floor Downstairs:
> *Friday, 4/22Remove carpet to garage
> *Friday, 4/22Pull staples
> *Saturday, 4/23Remove tack board from edges of floor
> *Sunday, 4/24Install Pergo - need details here
> 4/25   - Install Pergo - need details here
>   Downstairs floor notes: *All but Pergo install can be started prior to
> finishing painting
> Floor Upstairs:
> Friday, 4/22Remove carpet to garage
> Friday, 4/22Pull staples
> Saturday, 4/23Remove tack board from edges of floor
> Monday, 4/25Turn over upstairs floor to Washington Hardwood Floors
> 206.579.6140
>
> Other Interior Projects
> Pressure wash showers upstairs and down
> Assess how to best seal window frame in office
> Speaker wire and other random wire identify and label or remove
> Install bathroom fan downstairs
> Exterior Projects
> Remove or severely prune tree between kitchen window and garage
> Clean window wells outside of downstairs windows on street side
> Pressure wash
>  - Deck
>  - Eves
>  - Brick
>   - Roof - Use appt cleaner and don't climb on when wet - see inspection rpt
>  - Garage - esp. to remove paint on garage door - careful of glass panes
> Repair ~20 ridge shingles on roof - see inspection rpt
> Repair garage roof at back peak - rip in tarpaper - see inspection rpt
> To Buy:
> Door locks
> Respirators / masks for dust protection
> Shop Vac
> Ladder
> Pressure Washer - high power for outside
> Latex gloves
> Paint
> Pergo
> To Borrow:
> Pressure Washer - low power for inside - from Bob and Doris
> Paint Sprayer  - Ken
> Respirator - Stuart?
> Ladder - Stuart?
>