Ok. I’ll just let you guys and gals read the letter and I’ll show you the pictures and you tell me what you think. This is for a pastor that is definitely in over his head skills wise and not enough money or people in his church to help. I know that the addition looks doomed from the start but any suggestions?
“It takes me a long time to load Hi-resolution pictures (on dial up). I’ve added one of the sill plate and one of outside. I’ll try to explain them as best as I can. We try to keep the dirt out of the hole, but it migrates in from the outside. There is a piece plastic(!?) that is translucent and you can see the outside light from it at the very bottom (where the sill plate was) There is a concrete pad and the east side (the left side near that wall mounted heater in the first picture) sits on a portion of a different concrete pad (it’s the thing holding that corner of the house up under the snow load). I don’t think there is a whole lot that can be done outside with the weather. Basically my plans as funds and weather improved was to dig that outside area up. Put up a gutter along that side of the house and pour a short concrete pad with the correct grade. Then I was going to put in the treated lumber as a piece to replace that sill and build up the floor joists in there to match the 3 layers of multiple flooring/underlayment. The basement has stone walls in the front portion of the house and there was a poured footer for the back (or east) side of the house. The front basement has a concrete floor and rock walls but is flooded the back side isn’t dug out completely. That’s why you see the pad under that section of the house.
My gut is churning over this, I hate to not be able to do this myself and I feel horrible. I sincerely mean this, if the sill/floor project is too big, DON’T feel obligated to do it, I am sure it won’t be a textbook fix anyway and I understand completely if it’s not something anyone feels confident tearing into. My feelings won’t be hurt, I won’t think less of you and your people, you’ve already been wonderful friends. If now is not a good time I am ok with that. “
I’ve been struggling with just keeping the electric and phone on… I’ve been to half a dozen interviews… some of them lasting 2 hours (that I thought I surely had the job) to no avail. The last one I went to the guy told me… “You’re overqualified for the job but I want to talk to you anyway” so I went and got grilled by 8 people at the same time (two of the them the owners of the company) and still didn’t get the job. We appreciate all you’ve done and are humbled by it truly. We know you are our friends and you’ve got nothing to prove to us as far as we are concerned. So please don’t feel an obligation on the floor if it’s too big and the other things that need done I can really do them when we get past this money crunch.”
edited to add parentheses
Edited 2/20/2009 6:51 pm ET by qtsam2
Edited 2/21/2009 12:04 am ET by qtsam2
Edited 2/21/2009 12:06 am ET by qtsam2
Replies
Kinda confusing...
Here are my Suggestions: Start by Stating your basic project. Some hint of this normally goes in the thread (discussion topic) title. If there is more than one project normally more than one thread (or topic of discussion) would be started. Then explain if further, stating your goal, perhaps proposed ways to get there , etc. Maybe ask some specific questions.
Leave out the unrelated stuff like job interviews etc.
At this point I'm guessing there is an exterior project, and an interior floor repair? That I got from the pictures, which were good. You also said something about an addition?
Not trying to be rude here but this site is more of an information based thing - as opposed to a support group... Not minimizing your personal situation - but I kinda doubt we can help with that...
Sorry to all. I did this in a super rush. This was a letter that a pastor from a sister
church sent to my pastor. This guy has some major mold problems as well as rot.
Several men from my church will be going to help. The email is choppy because
I was trying to leave out some personal things mentioned. I was looking for ideas on
a good plan of attack. The info and pics is all I know as well about the situation and I
realize the letter from the pastor is lacking but as I already stated he has no real
building or construction skills. Now I do not mean to be rude but if your not
interested.... then don't view and reply to the thread.
Now I do not mean to be rude but if your not
interested.... then don't view and reply to the thread.
That's not very helpful. Everyone (including me) who viewed and replied to the thread was and is interested. The only problem is that they don't understand what you're asking. So they asked for clarification. That all seems perfectly normal to me.
I didn't understand what you were asking in your first post myself, but I thought that maybe it was me. I may not be able to help even when I do understand the question, but I did want to encourage you to clarify what you're asking anyway.
DC,,,,,well said,
Your right. I apologize to all. Guys.... the questions you are all asking are pretty
much the same I have. Heres the thing, whats in that letter and the pics are all
I was fowardedin an e-mail. Thats all I got. So my pastor wants to help this guy
out and send some people to help. I figured I would post what I got just to drum
up some ideas. I realize the info is vague and unclear but its all I got. At any rate
I will try to obtain more info and I do want to say thank you to all who have gave
advice and time to view and reply.
Thanks, I appreciate that.
Now that it's marked as "high interest" for me, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread and contribute anything helpful if I can, but I'm sure there are many more qualified with construction/rot/slabs... etc.
" Now I do not mean to be rude but if your notinterested.... then don't view and reply to the thread. "The problem is not whether somebody is interested. Trying to help is why most of us are here. The problem is that you ne3ed to present what the problem is clearly and what you need by way of advice. II looked at your profile which says you are in marketing but something about pastoring. I have looked at two photos so far and both look like what has been done needs to be undone and a slab poured over the patchwork that is there.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Again, sorry to all who I offended with my reply. (Bad day... but not an excuse.) I
work at Home Depot but the guy that needs the help is not me, he is a pastor in
Pa. I work and go tochurch in Ohio. I am pretty sure as well that he needs to start
all over but money is an issue.
Just an idea--but I think you need to get an experienced person over there and look it over and then report back and then perhaps send a bunch from your church or any other churches you can get volunteers from and have a "mission trip" work bee and have your church sponsor a bunch of you to go over and fix it up. The church can take donations for materials, etc. That's what our church has done for things like Katrina relief. What we don't do, that I suggested and they did it just once, is send one or two experienced hands ahead to scout out the situation and determine what needs to be done, what tools and materials are needed and get those ordered ahead so that when the main crew shows up, they have stuff to do and materials to do it with from day one.
great ideas. thanks!
You're welcome.
It seems like there are mission trips to foreign countries a lot, and I always thought there was plenty of work to be done in the USA, and was happy when our church began trips down to the Gulf Coast to rebuild after Katrina (and now the other more recent hurricanes), but there are still people in need all around--don't have to go too far. Best wishes. --Dan
Okay, I am totally not understanding much of your post. Is the letter you refer to the next paragraph? And then the last paragraph is you again? And I cannot make much sense of what is written versus what the pictures show. I hope someone else here jumps in and helps. Breaking the text into several more paragraphs would also make it easier to read.
All I can say from the pictures is that at the one corner, all those short pieces of "logs" with their butt joints almost on top of each other is not a good thing and it looks like the wall bows outward at those joints. I didn't understand anything else that was siad relative to the pictures.
Are you saying a pastor is trying to do this work and wants you to help or offer advice? I would see if there is a bigger neighboring church that would help him out. The addition looks almost too small to be of any benefit. What is he trying to accomplish?
Okay I posted the missing parentheses. Actually our pastor is offering this guy help.
The other pastor does not want to be a burden to us so he is reluctant to recieve
help. I think that the guy built to the concrete pad because that is all he knew to do.
I guess I am looking for ideas to help. My original opinion was to tear the whole thing
down and jack the concrete and start from scratch. Not a finacial option for the guy.
There's still not enough info to decipher just what the project might be.
All I see in the exterior view is a small landing type pad in front of the door that was increased in size to become some sort of patio and then the landscape timbers added as a decorative enclosure. Depending on rainfall and trapped debris you now have a potential pond which will back up under that door.
Start first be defining the use of that patio. If it's just a patio, get rid of the timbers.
The inside photos show what?
A shallow excavation with rotted wood - perhaps a sill - below a subsequent pour to bring an additions floor up to the finished floor height of the existing building, after erecting the building too low?
Is this the floor in the building section behind the door? Is that floor at the same height as the patio?
Okay, your replies help some. I think RalphWicklund had some good advice.
When we tried to help along the Gulf Coast with Katrina rebuilding, we encountered a similar problem--really, whole structures should have been bulldozed and started over, but they was not affordable, so we tried to make silk purses out of sows' ears.
If you could break the project into distinct sub-projects (if you can) that would help--us and you! Like--"mold is a problem because roof leaks along south edge where the gutter backs up"--or something to that effect.
At this point, if there are other problems as you mentioned, I would perhaps drill or cut channels, or as Ralph said, even remove the timbers on that porch so it doesn't create more water problems and I would work from the top down getting things weather tight. Or work from bottom up--I guess it depends on which problem is causing the most damage and which is a logical first step becasue you can't get to the rest until you open it up, or whatever.
Photos and descriptions of each problem area would be a beginning for us. I know you posted photos, but I had a hard time seeing the problems. Maybe one at a time with a description.
Anyway, we are all, I think, pretty willing to help and we are "rooting for you!"--sounds like it is quite an undertaking. We applaud you efforts!
"Ok. I'll just let you guys and gals read the letter and I'll show you the pictures and you tell me what you think."
I think you should paraphrase what is trying to be said and or asked, I can't follow it.