My cousin recently bought a home in Nashville and began remodeling it, during demo he came to the conclusion he was in way over his head. So myself and two of my uncles hit the road for Tennessee.
The front wall of the house had been eaten by termites, rim joist and the bottom of every stud. The house had no overhangs which accelerated the process. We tore that wall out and reframed that.
The roof was framed with two 2×4’s overlapped about 8″ with two nails from the ridge to the top plate. The splice was carried by a rough sawn 1x down to the 2×4 ceiling joists. The ceiling had large sags underneath the splice. Some as much as 2″. I chainsawed the old framing out and beefed it up. “Bomb Shelter” is what a local carpenter called it.
The addition on the side of the house was sitting on blocks that were sitting on the dirt. That was torn down and we reframed that as well.
The front porch had collapsed and was laying in the front yard and we built him a new one.
It was a great trip, a whole different world down there. I worked harder and longer there than I have in a long time and loved every minute of it. I learned that my Uncle is one of the best blocklayers I have seen. And I love the footing depths as well we had to put new ones in and we put them in at 24″ deep, much better than the 48″ around here. We hand dug them really quick.
I am sure the neighbors are glad we are gone for now, probably tired of hearing the saws going at midnight!
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Cool...nice to get away from the cold too I bet?
Did you try to call me? My CID showed a few missed calls..from of all places Michigan.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
I didn't get your email with your phone numbers. I thought you had forgot. Just a coincidence on the Michigan calls. Try emailing them again, I may be headed down there real soon.
It was great down there sunny and 35 degrees in the afternoon. The locals looked at me like I was crazy for wearing just a hooded sweatshirt. They were all bundled up and freezing. LOL
I called home and the old lady told me that it was like 5 degrees out with the wind chill and snowing. I don't think I have been happier to be away from home. LOL "Getting old ain't for the weak." Uncle Chet
I'm going to be looking at one like that for one of my buddies in Virginia. let me know when you are going down, and you can take a short right turn on the way home...I'll have the coffee. (G).
Som times this stuff is really fun, especailly when your efforts are appreciated.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
It was alot of fun, and alot of work. It was different down there, I was looked at like I was crazy when I wanted 2x12's for headers and rafters. They talked me down to 2x8's. LOL
Virginia is beautiful, along with a good cup of coffee you make a strong case for us showing up. "Getting old ain't for the weak." Uncle Chet
Hey, you must be workiin in the city - 2x8 rafters are pretty high-end. Where I worked in Tennessee they used logs for rafters. Try hanging sheetrock from that - LOL.
It was in the city, east Nashville. Some historical neighborhood.
I think they would have been better off with logs than just nailing 2x4's together hoping it would hold. :) "Getting old ain't for the weak." Uncle Chet
"...better off with logs than just nailing 2x4's together..."
I'd have to agree with you there - those roofs were still solid after 150+ years. All the sags in the roof were from the natural curves of the logs, not structural failure.
That roof was going to fail soon. It was horrible.
I put a string line on the bottoms of the rafters from gable to gable and needed a 2-1/2" block to clear the lowest rafter. A 2x scrap wasn't enough. Pretty bad for a house thats only 30' wide.
We used a railroad jack to force them back up!
Crap..you probly drove within 20 miles if ya came down 75.
I'll try that again. In a bit, need more cooffee b4 I start messing w/numbers.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
We came down I-69 to Indianapolis then jumped on I-65 to Nashville.
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We stopped at the Bass Pro Shop in Louisville and a short stop in Bowling Green to drop off a couple of Beagles at my Uncles friends house. He raises rabbitt dogs and he trades dogs with the guy in Bowling Green. He lives right next to Western Kentucky University campus.
We still have alot of stuff to do down there, it might be awhile before we go back. Not real sure at this point. Hopefully soon its cold up here. "Getting old ain't for the weak." Uncle Chet
Gotcha..Louisville is a good 2 hours away.
Cold there huh? 8* yesterday at this time, 9* this morning..I know of what you speak.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
That is cold! Holy crap maybe I'll wait a few weeks to head south again. LOL
Around 20 degrees here now. Not too bad.
Best part was the sun was out everyday down there. This time of year even the sun heads south for the winter. Sometimes we don't see it for a month. "Getting old ain't for the weak." Uncle Chet
Yep you drove right by me. It wasn't a good week for visiting anyway. I was everywhere but around town. I was down around the Tenn. border Thursday though. Frankiln Ky. Last exit before Tenn. Ran conduit all day in an old bank that had been expanded on five times. Drop ceilings with twelve inches of clearance between the cealing and the floor above. All that was stuffed full of vat insulation. Support beams, old block walls, and everything else to go around, and under.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
Sounds like fun NOT.
But inside musta been warm...we froze.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
I hate to sound like I didn't appreciate it. But the heating and air guys had the system all screwed up. It was blazing hot in there, I was down to a T shirt and I was sweating buckets. I had to keep hitting the water jug all the time I was sweating so frigging much.
Then when I'd get sticking my head up in that friggin ceiling with all that insualtion up there it was at least thirty degrees hotter. I was half tempted to sleep out in the yard that night just to get my core temperature back down.
One of my buddies was building a vault in Louisville that day with two guys that had never seen one put up before. I didn't call and complain. He was one miserable dude.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
I hear dat.
We did a late start both days ( snow and frost on the scaffold, nope..)
Even Grant hadda do some rooftime..he was cutting clay tile with a damm wetsaw...out in that cold..he rigged a oil filled radiater under the tub to keep the water from freezeing...one tuff cookie right there.
Thurs and FRI sucked till 300..then sucked again after 330. LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
Man he is one tough dude. Weather forcast says 62 by Tuesday. Look out head cold here I come again. LOL
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
Yup..we all had at least two..I swear, no more nyquil tho...wooooozzzy and zzzzzzzzzz can't wake up.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
The wife has some preescription stuff that worked pretty good. I didn't start taking it untill three or four days into it. But it cleared everything up pretty fast.
Believe it or not. But that was the first time I can remember being sick in the last five years. Not even the sniffles up until then. When I smoked I was sick all the time.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
This week was round two in Tennessee. On Wednesday I shingled the roof while my uncles got the front porch slab and stairs formed up and set the new front windows.
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On Thursday I spent the day reframing the interior walls of the house to his new floor plan. The uncles spent the day babysitting concrete that showed up too wet. We asked for a 3 and it showed up at about a 6. They watched it dry until 10:00 pm that night.
Friday I reframed windows, the openings on the back of the house got framed in, and one on the side of the house got reframed for a larger opening.
Saturday the house got the rest of the Tyvek put on, and we got the electrical roughed in by the end of the day.
Another good week for that place, he's on his own now.
A little more steady with the camera eh.
Binky Boodle Rocks the free world!
http://www.hay98.com/
I had a bad case of notripoditis going this week. Thats why I only had a few pictures to post, the rest were a train wreck. :)
Use your hammer as a prop.
Binky Boodle Rocks the free world!
http://www.hay98.com/
I try to lean up against everything to stable my hands. The one picture of the back of the house I was resting on a garbage dumpster.
The hammer idea is a good one, I'll try it.
We didn't have a whole lot of time either, we had a huge list to do and didn't finish all of it. Another long weekend and he will be ready for the mechanical subs to start.
I love working in small cramped areas with mountains of dust on everything. Nothing like 10 lbs of sh!t in a 5 lb bag to make the time fly by. LOL
I hear ya about the cramped dusty spaces.
I'm usualy around on weekends, pretty flexible. It's getting too cold to take the dog to church so I really have an open schedule most of the time.
Pardon my fat fingers.
http://www.hay98.com/
i loved the shot thru the windshield.. good photo journalism
I learned how to do it from you. I should have taken some pictures pointing at old termite damage but we were pretty busy. That was alot of work for two carpenters in 4-1/2 days. "Getting old ain't for the weak." Uncle Chet