A Little Paint goes a Long Way

Visitors from North Carolina









<---Before Paint






<---After some Paint

FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 26, 2006

HIGHLIGHTS

1. The carpenters finished this week. The soffit work is done and rain gutters are back up. Hopefully, this is all the carpenter work that is needed up high off the ground. It is good to get this wrapped up.
2. It was a challenge painting what the carpenters had put up while the scaffolding was still in place. The scaffolding moved 4 times last week so I had to be quick with the paint after they had left for the day. You can see by the "Before" and "After" pictures that a good coat of paint is making a great difference. You'll probably get bored with future reports of "scraped and painted this week" but there is a ton of that ahead.
3. One down, one to go. The red hydraulic machine was hauled off on Tuesday. The yellow one may be gone this week. I'm not sure that I would call it a miracle, but it's ongoing evidence that God does answer prayers. (Some of you probably didn't realize that hydraulic machines could be part of a spiritual experience, did you?)
4. The tangerines are ripening. As I continue my sampling, the sweetness is increasing every day. The neighborhood cats are getting more comfortable. Little Leo says "Meow." Bethany (Hall) Fitelson "named that tune" - Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young - from last week's blog quiz. (Bethany, have the vouchers for the paid vacation trip arrived yet?)
5. We thoroughly enjoyed this week's visits. Dani Dusek, an SBC friend from Mexico days, dropped the Silver Lady off at the house shortly after dark on Monday and got the twilight tour. She and Pat had been to Dallas for silver jewelry sales. Her gift for interior decorating will be a great blessing to us when we are ready to make this house our home. A neighbor, Deiter, stopped and had some encouraging words. The distance award goes to Dr. Dan and Sherrill Blazer from North Carolina. They are very gracious, Christian friends we met while living in California. Dan, a researcher at Duke University, was on a sabbatical at Stanford for a year when we first met them. Pat and Sherrill are kindred spirits and have kept the friendship alive despite the Blazer's move back to North Carolina and our move to Texas. Dan is an MD who just happens to have a PhD in psychiatry. (Pat may have called him in for an assessment of my mental state as manifest by the work on this house. I did give Dan, who has authored over 30 books, two suggested titles for a future work -- "When Someone You Love Loses Their Mind" or "The Fine Line Between Vision and Delusion." Keep your eye on the New York Times Best Seller list.)

NEXT STEPS
1. Deck work begins on Monday. More to report on as that progresses.
2. Painting will continue. I would love to get the high gable end painted this week and only have to work off of 3 levels of scaffolding for the remainder of this job. The gable end at the front of the house is going to require all 4 levels of scaffolding, i.e., ~35 ft off the ground. The number may look small, but the distance is HUGE when you're up in the air.
3. Plumbing may move forward depending on the progress on the deck this week. Part of the deck work includes a closet for the hot water heater that is presently located in the kitchen. Once the water heater moves, the plumbing can be completed.

Some "Pretty" to report

FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 19, 2006

From this in October...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .To this in November

Who is this masked woman?

HIGHLIGHTS

1. This week had some milestones. For the first time, there is some "pretty" to report. The fireplace was completed! As the 2 pictures above illustrate, it came a long way. The mason, Donicio Neaves, and crew worked hard over the past 2 weekends and got it done. The parlor feels cozier already. ("You light the fire, I'll place the flowers in the vase that you bought today... with 2 cats in the yard, life used to be so hard..."--Can you name that tune in less than 5 notes?)

2. Carpenter work continues with soffit, facia, and rain gutters being replaced. Another "pretty" to report is the milestone of the first paint going on this past week on a section of soffit that they put up. It looks a lot better than unpainted, but, man, there is a bunch of it to do. How long did it take Leonardo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

3. The multi-talented OSHA Babe is another "pretty" to report. You see her sanding the mantel in the picture above. She schmoozed with me at the City of San Antonio Historic Design Review Board meeting on Wednesday, composed "Ode to Little Leo" (see her 11/17/06 blog entry below), and stepped into a phone booth and changed into Silver Lady for a weekend sales trip to Dallas. Isn't she something? The only thing I have found effective in slowing her down is general anesthetic.

4. The saga of the hydraulic machines in the back yard was not a "pretty" sight. In trying to move one of the machines, 2 hydraulic hoses broke and spewed red oil all over the driveway. The owner is real good at excuses but not so good at spending the money it is going to take to get both of the machines hauled off. I really need your prayers on this one.

5. The plumbing network is laid out under the house. We need the hot water heater moved to its new home in a closet on the yet to be built deck before moving forward. Deck work is scheduled to begin this week. Stay tuned. (I have a difficult time calling plumbing infrastructure "pretty". However, it will be a beautiful thing if there is good pressure and no leaks when completed.)

6. The visitor roll was slim this week. The only ones who showed up this week were the workers. But that's a good thing.

NEXT STEPS

1. Deck work is set to begin this week. We'll see if the hydraulic machine mess in the driveway impedes this progress.

2. There are 2 - 3 days of carpenter work, i.e., soffit, facia, and rain gutters, still pending.

3. There is beautiful wood grain under 3 layers of paint on the mantel. OSHA Babe is leading the sanding/stripping charge on getting this done. She may begin endorsing paint stripping methods. Maybe there is a shoe contract in the wings. (OB, it's Nike on the phone calling for you.)

4. It is Thanksgiving week and there is much for which to be thankful. I'm thankful for family and friends who have helped along the way and the Creator who has blessed me beyond anything I could have hoped for or imagined. Thanks for your encouraging words.

Won't you be my neighbor?

Little Leo, mi amigo,
is the cat who lives next door
Wild and watchful,
Young and bashful,
Lately he’s been trusting more.

Used to lurk and sometimes dared near
When the big cats weren’t around.
Dared to sniff and watch me eat lunch,
Then would snatch food
From the ground.

Came the day he let me touch him,
Rub his head and scratch his fur,
Ooooh, he likes that! Now he lingers,
Eats from my hand
And stays for more.

Now my wife Pat
Says he’s a cat-
Achoo! He’ll stay outside, that’s fine!
But Pat is smitten,
By this kitten
and packs his lunch along with mine.

Little Leo, mi amigo, is the cat who lives next door.

The Leaning Column of Tobin Hill is history

Column in mid air

Column in place---->

Here comes the plinth


East column before

East Column after

FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 12, 2006

HIGHLIGHTS

1. It was a week of amazing carpenty progress! Wes Gooden and his crew strengthened the balcony substructure, straightened the Leaning Column of Tobin Hill, built brick footings for the rectangular columns attached to the house, and replaced 2 bases to the 20' round columns. Moving the column was nothing short of incredible. There were 3 cables tied off above the balcony handrail that pulled the top back toward the house, 2 struts down by the entry porch pushing the bottom away from the house, a hydraulic jack lifting the balcony ever so slightly, and 2 balcony handrails that remained intact throughout the process. (I'm having a hard time describing this without moving my hands.) We had planned for the worst case scenario but this went as close to the best case scenario as possible. Wes, you're a genius. If any of you want more engineering detail, let me know and I'll share more pictures than the ones above.

2. A token plumbing effort began with the first section of pipe being hung from the floor joists. Once you get accustomed to being under the house, it's not so bad. Our objective is to upgrade the water supply lines to PVC and simplify the maze of pipes.

3. Fireplace work began on Saturday. A new footing for the hearth was poured and the firebox, i.e., the place where fires actually burn, have been completed.

4. Who's coming over for Thanksgiving diner? We picked up the gas stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, and microwave. Getting them hooked up in the kitchen is still several weeks away pending a gas line, an icemaker line, dedicated electrical circuits for the stove, microwave, and refrigerator, flooring, current water heaters moved out of the kitchen, ... If you're coming for Thanksgiving, bring a sack lunch.

5. We continue to be blessed by visitors. Jim Zeller, a dear friend and brother from the Lafayette Church of Christ in Ballwin, MO, was in town on Tuesday. After a delicious breakfast together at the Echilada Warehouse, he took the tour. Two young ladies who are majoring in Urban Studies at Trinity University were walking in the neighborhood, were curious about the house and enjoyed a walkthrough. Buck and Katy Brockman did a progress check today. You, too, can make the blog when you come visit.

NEXT STEPS

1. The plumbing goal this week is to have the PVC water supply network laid out this week. It will be dramatically less complex than the beast under the house now.

2. Fireplace work is scheduled to continue. I need to pick up the cast iron fireplace front and a "strap" of bricks for the hearth. You'll love the before, during, and after pictures.

3. The exterior surface of the upstairs clawfoot bathtub is in the process of being taken back to bare metal. I've worn out one wire wheel so far. All 8 feet for the 2 tubs in the house were dropped off at a shop to be nickel plated. Can you believe a 3 week turnaround?

4. I need to check with the gas utility about what is needed to establish gas service. There is a meter but no connected gas lines into this all electric house. We'll need to get gas to OSHA Babe's gas stove and to the fireplace. More to come.

5. I am scheduled to attend a Tax Certification Meeting this Wednesday. My expectation is that the property will be approved for reduced San Antonio City taxes over the next 10 years after the planned work is done. Hopefully, this will be innocuous.

I can tear it out. Can I put it back together??

Can I put this back together?





Bill & Gene Carter from Del Rio, TX visited 10/30

FOR THE WEEK ENDING November 5, 2006

HIGHLIGHTS
1. The carpenter crew showed up early Monday morning and worked every day this week on the balcony. They carefully removed and labeled the trim around the sagging corner of the balcony and braced the timber support members with steel plates. It gets pretty scary watching the welding of metal taking place around 100+ year old lumber. There is probably 2 more weeks of carpenter work in the plan.
2. The RUUD heat pumps are now fully operational. During the cleaning of the coils, the guys spilled solution on the floors and left spots. A return trip is scheduled this week to see if a chemical mix will get them out. Keep your fingers crossed.
3. OSHA Babe (OB for short) expanded her skill set this week. She spent quite a few hours pondering over toilets, pedestal sinks for bathrooms, a neat looking sink for the kitchen, faucets, shower hardware for clawfoot tubs,... (Can you say "Ka-ching, Ka-ching, $$$"?) OB even can tell you the seat height of normal and comfort height toilets. You go, Girl!!! (P.S. from OB-what an education I got! What will they think of next? Did you know there was such a thing as a quiet-closing seat that you can remove for easy cleaning? Where were those when the three boys were home!??!?)

4. The bathroom and kitchen floors are beyond preservation. The mastic-laden linoleum left a nasty coating that I've not been able to remove with strippers, KrudKutter, scraping, or sanding. The bathroom floors have been patched multiple times and would not look good even if they could be cleaned. In removing the floor of the downstairs bathroom, I discovered the plumbing maze (see picture above). This gave me the inspiration for this week's blog title, "I CAN TEAR IT OUT. CAN I PUT IT BACK TOGETHER?"
5. OB took on paint removal from a small door on Saturday. Five hours and a pint's worth of $60/gal special paint remover later, we've decided that the old paints don't come off easily. For the exterior, I'll probably invest in some high end, vacumn assisted equipment. Preping and painting the exterior will probably be a lifetime effort. Van Gogh, move over!
6. Visitors during the week included my dear Aunt Gene and hubby, Bill (pictured above). They were in San Antonio for a doctor's appointment and came by for a tour and lunch at LuLu's - home of monster-sized chicken fried steak and 3 lb. cinnamon rolls. Saturday visitors included the Shadden family from church. They have an amazing story of coming to the Lord. His Word is powerful. Other visitors included a neighbor from one street over who has been working on his house for 3 years, the masonry contractor, and a carpenter who is working up a proposal for a deck with water heater/softener closet and converting the carport to a garage.


NEXT STEPS
1. The balcony work is getting to the point of attempting to plumb our problem column. That may happen this week. Additionally, one of the crew is rebuilding the brick bases for the 2 rectangular columns that are butted up to the house.
2. Masonry work on fireplace & chimney is scheduled to begin this coming Saturday.
3. OSHA Babe's training is being expanded to include sander techniques. The interior door frames and baseboards could be featured as her handiwork.
4. Plumbing work gearing up. We may be buying materials late this week. I'll be spending time under the house strapping pipe to the floor joists. My neighbor, a plumber, is helping out.
5. The 2 hydraulic lifts that belong the owner prior to the person we bought the house from (would that make him the "grand owner"?) are being worked on to get them movable. Don't get me started on the saga of how many days he didn't show up as promised to begin working on the equipment. I had the certified letter in the front seat ready to be mailed when he finally called on Thursday morning and did actually show up that day. The Lord does answer prayers to resolve problems directly vs. with the involvement of the "law."
6. The Port-A-Potty contract will be extended beyond the initial 2 months until the indoor plumbing is completed.