Tales from The Hantavirus Hotel

Pressingonward · Feb 17, 2020

I don't have time to start my shop thread tonight, but I've been planning on starting it for a year or so now, so I'm going to do it anyways.

I've been lurking on Garage Journal for a couple years and started putting in a more concerted effort to post for the past 6 months or so. I have learned so many things on this forum from other members, but most of all I've been impressed with the good nature, camaraderie, and support I've seen members showing to each other again and again.

I hope that this thread will provide at least a sliver of encouragement and information to those who read it, and I welcome all feedback and comments. I'm not easily offended and appreciate correction or education where it is needed, so feel free to point out every little flaw - nicely of course. :flamethro

Ok, maybe every third flaw...

That's probably enough of me blathering on, let's get to it! My wife and I were blessed to purchase 5 acres in rural SW WA in 2014. The house and shop were built in 1975. I'll dig up some pictures of the house in a later post, but yes, it did have a canary yellow kitchen counter, one orange and one blue bathroom, and a lime green counter in the laundry room. Classic.

The house has a one car attached garage and the shop is a 5 bay pole barn with two enclosed bays 12 x 24 ft (3.6 x 7.3 meters) each, two open bays of the same size, and one open bay that is 16 x 28 ft (4.9 x 8.5 meters)

I just went hunting for some pictures and couldn't find any good overview shots, so I'll post some close-ups and a few hints of what is to come. You can expect this thread to wander among topics a bit - I like "daily life story" type threads so that's what I plan to subject you all to (or at least the 3 people who read it). I plan to cover the shop cleanup, some house remodeling, vehicle repairs and mods, tool acquisitions, and much much more, so stay tuned!

The mess, Circa 2018

Hantavirus Hotel

Runs like a champ...I should probably change the oil one of these years :eek7:

A ray of sunshine - painful to look at :spit:

What could that be?

Project #378

Garage rule #43: All empty space must be immediately filled with new tools

Growlertdi · Feb 17, 2020

boy that yellow countertop.. do you wear sunglasses inside when cooking?

I have a 28x32 pole barn myself. its got its own decluttering that needs to happen.

Ill follow along with you.

thammel · Feb 17, 2020

Looking forward to your posts! Sounds great!

Pressingonward · Feb 18, 2020

Hi Aaron and thammel, thanks for following along!

The countertop was certainly painful to look at. My wife is an artist and she absolutely loved the countertop when we bought the house, but after a few years even she admitted it was just too bright. We replaced it with granite around 2017, which incidentally will be the subject of another post titled, "Why not to go with the lowest bid", or maybe, "Why druggies shouldn't be doing finish work". Regardless, it will have to wait until I get a chance to post the pictures...you really have to see it to believe it. Suffice to say we fired them and redid the job.

Back to the Hantavirus Hotel - when we moved into this place in 2014 I had all my shop stuff as well as some general house garage clutter in cardboard boxes. All of this got piled in the one enclosed bay that has a concrete floor. All the other bays are gravel - something I am hoping to remedy this year or next if finances permit it. Unfortunately, the enclosed bays aren't really all that well enclosed - the two have a dividing wall but are connected via two doorways, and the one isn't concrete, so burrowing fauna can move right in. On top of this, they have sliding barn doors which have gaps large enough for a 105 lb german shepherd to slip through (true story!) :lol_hitti

In short, I set up the perfect accommodations for the local rodent population to move on in, and they were only too happy to oblige. The end result is that a bunch of stuff was destroyed, and everything that wasn't destroyed became disgusting and required a thorough cleaning to become usable again. After 4 years of tripping over piles of rodent-infested garbage I finally started cleaning things up in 2018. The process is still ongoing - not because I have an overwhelming quantity of stuff, but because I still tend to avoid cleaning when there's something more interesting (or urgent) to work on.

That'll do it for tonight, but I plan to recap my cleaning efforts (with pictures!) to date in my next post or two, then show the current state of affairs and solicit some advice on repair options and tool layout

Have a good night everyone,
Justin

fourbyford · Feb 18, 2020

Hey Justin,

I'll definitely be following along with you. I can certainly relate with pretty much everything you've mentioned... cleaning up other people's messes, too many projects, and... rodents. My shop/garage is a post framed building of similar size as yours... 3 of the bays have concrete and are "closed in"... to everything except rodents. I've had similar experiences with mice in my things... nothing really destroyed yet... except a H.F. moving blanket and a pair of welding gloves. Over a couple of years I've been able to figure out and remedy most of the ways the critters were getting in. I have that problem mostly solved but still find a carcass now and again. The original part of our house was built in 1911 and the place has been farmed since then. It goes without saying that hardly a day passes that we fail to unearth some long forgotten relic. A few things are cool and worthy of putting on a shelf (in the garden shed) but most just go away in the trash or recycling.
Anyway, it's an adventure... as is your place for you!
Looking forward to more from western Washington!
...D

Pressingonward · Feb 20, 2020

Hi fourbyford,

Thanks for stopping in!

No big update today as I'm on my phone and finding, editing, and posting the photos is a big pain with no mouse and a tiny screen (heh, "no mouse" - I should be happy lol).

I've been bidding in a lot of online auctions recently trying to score stuff for my shop at prices I can afford. Twoish weeks ago I bid on several lots of horizontal filing cabinets; nice heavy duty ones. Much to my surprise, I won every lot - $10 each for 3 lots and $20 for the fourth. Each lot was multiple cabinets, so I now have 5 horizontal cabinets and 3 vertical ones.

I had to make two trips to pick them up - I was going to squeeze them all into the back of my long bed F150 POS, but they were heavier than expected and I didn't feel comfortable having two of them on a pallet hanging 12" over the end of the tailgate. When I got them home I found out why they were so heavy - they were full of stickers! I threw away 3 garbage cans full of sticker labels from a water treatment plant. All of the stickers described some kind of water or other chemical: "Sanitary Waste Water", "Potable Water", "Steam", etc.

The plan is to use these cabinets for mouse-proof tool and supply storage. Two of them have poor quality drawer slides that need new rollers. I may fix these and use them, or sell them for $20 each and recoup most of my original investment :lol_hitti

Anyways, all of this came to mind because I bid on another auction yesterday. There were some really cool things like a vintage Black and Decker 10" industrial grinder, a Queen City 3 phase 12" industrial grinder, and a nice welding table with a 1/2" steel plate top. I won none of those. Instead I won a homemade steel cabinet thingy for $10 that I now regret bidding on:

It's not that it won't be useful - I can set my Kmart grinder on it for now, or use it as a small welding bench - it's that I now have to take some time off work to go pick up this one item which is a 40 minute drive each way. Oh well, lesson learned - be careful what I bid on in case it's the only thing I win! I also think I need to stop watching the auction sites and save my money for bigger projects...

TimeWarpF100 · Feb 23, 2020

Pressingonward said:
I don't have time to start my shop thread tonight, but I've been planning on starting it for a year or so now, so I'm going to do it anyways.

I've been lurking on Garage Journal for a couple years and started putting in a more concerted effort to post for the past 6 months or so. I have learned so many things on this forum from other members, but most of all I've been impressed with the good nature, camaraderie, and support I've seen members showing to each other again and again.

I hope that this thread will provide at least a sliver of encouragement and information to those who read it, and I welcome all feedback and comments. I'm not easily offended and appreciate correction or education where it is needed, so feel free to point out every little flaw - nicely of course. Ok, maybe every third flaw...

That's probably enough of me blathering on, let's get to it! My wife and I were blessed to purchase 5 acres in rural SW WA in 2014. The house and shop were built in 1975. I'll dig up some pictures of the house in a later post, but yes, it did have a canary yellow kitchen counter, one orange and one blue bathroom, and a lime green counter in the laundry room. Classic.

The house has a one car attached garage and the shop is a 5 bay pole barn with two enclosed bays 12 x 24 ft (3.6 x 7.3 meters) each, two open bays of the same size, and one open bay that is 16 x 28 ft (4.9 x 8.5 meters)

I just went hunting for some pictures and couldn't find any good overview shots, so I'll post some close-ups and a few hints of what is to come. You can expect this thread to wander among topics a bit - I like "daily life story" type threads so that's what I plan to subject you all to (or at least the 3 people who read it). I plan to cover the shop cleanup, some house remodeling, vehicle repairs and mods, tool acquisitions, and much much more, so stay tuned!

The mess, Circa 2018

Hantavirus Hotel

Runs like a champ...I should probably change the oil one of these years

A ray of sunshine - painful to look at

What could that be?

Project #378

Garage rule #43: All empty space must be immediately filled with new tools

On my bucket list is some day have a older Ford farm tractor to use around the yard. Always wanted to do a full blown resto on a older one maybe with a flathead conversion. Neighbor has one for sale but price is way out there.

fourbyford · Feb 23, 2020

Hey Time Warp,
There's a web site called Yesterday's Tractors that lists vintage farm stuff for sale... I look under "resources > photo ads"... if you keep an eye on that, you'll run across what you're looking for and (eventually) at a decent price... although it may involve a bit of a drive!

(sorry if this constitutes a thread hi jack)

...D

fourbyford · Feb 23, 2020

Hey Justin,

Other than the color(s), the little cabinets you got look like they're pretty well built and will probably be handy for something. Maybe you can set them near the bright yellow countertop for an eye opening experience first thing in the morning as you head into the shop!

...D

bj383ss · Feb 23, 2020

Just my kind of thread.

Bret

Pressingonward · Feb 23, 2020

Hey guys, thanks for stopping by!

Timewarp, I'd love to see what you could do with an old Ford tractor, I'm sure it would be the nicest one around by the time you were done with it. Mine is a mid-70s Ford 1000 with the 23 hp Shindawa (sp?) 2 cylinder diesel. I'd like to clean it up and get a nice coat of paint on it one of these days; it's a cool looking little tractor and very handy to have around.

FourbyFord, no worries here about threadjacking. I enjoy all the twists and turns that a thread may take; it's a great way to learn something new.

As far as the kitchen cabinets go, they are nicely built and made of Alder wood. I kind of wanted to refinish them, but the wife wanted to paint them white and so now they're white. They look good, but I would have preferred the natural wood.

fourbyford · Feb 23, 2020

I was talking about the steel, green/blue duo for the shop... maybe I misunderstood... I thought the yellow countertop had found it's way into the shop... would be a striking color combo!

...D

fourbyford · Feb 23, 2020

BTW, You may find the Yesterday's Tractors website helpful as well. They sell a number of parts and operator's manuals for most vintage tractors. I have a couple of old Farmalls and have purchased several things in the past. IIRC, they are in NW Washington so delivery time is pretty fast. Seem to be a pretty good bunch.
I like your Ford tractor... didn't realize they were 2 cylinder. It's amazing how much power they can get from such a small engine. Some day... I'd like to get an 8 or 9n and do a resto... my gramps had one when I was a kid... for their size, they were (are) absolute work horses!

...D

Pressingonward · Feb 23, 2020

Good to know on Yesterday's Tractors, I'll have to check them out. My poor little tractor is definitely due for some TLC. It's in great shape overall, but other than putting diesel in it, greasing the zerks and replacing the radiator cap I haven't done anything to maintain it. It needs all the fluids changed and new hydraulic lines as they look like they might blow at any time. It's been on my to-do list for a few years now... :headshake

Gotcha on the cabinet...I realized your meaning just now as I read back through your post. It is heavy duty and will be a nice addition. I meant to pick it up Friday when I took off early to go get some other auction wins (I think I have an addiction problem...), but I got out late and didn't have time to swing by and grab it. I'm pretty happy with the other auction stuff I got - an engine hoist, a Vacutec smoke machine, a Motorvac Carbon Clean fuel injector cleaning machine, a slidehammer, a Makita corded sawzall, some super heavy duty lifting straps, and a 5 gas analyzer that I bid $20 on just for the heck of it. All together it came out to $400, which I probably should have saved up for something more important but it's all stuff I've needed at one time or another within the past year or so, except the gas analyzer.

Anyways, I'm on my desktop at last, so I'll post up some more photos of the shop cleanup. Mainly I'm focusing on the second bay from the left, which is the only one with a concrete floor, so it's where all of my tools (and ****) are stored. I didn't take any good pictures before I started the cleanup, but here's mid-cleanup 2018:

There was an 8' long bench sitting smack dab in the middle of the floor where you see clear space. Between it and the wall was filled with shovels, rakes, and other garden implements, and the top of it was piled with who-knows what.

Here you can see the potting bench that became my used oil depository, as well as a crappy workbench. Everything was covered in a layer of mouse **** and maple nuts that the critters dragged in. The crappy workbench, potting bench, batteries, and a lot of other miscellaneous junk were left there by the previous owners. I should have stripped everything out and deep cleaned it before piling my stuff in, but of course, I didn't do that :wtf:

The pile of car parts in front of the oil disaster were parts for my 85 Subaru Brat. I was planning on converting it to power steering and an EA-82 front suspension setup, which gives it about a 2" wider track for better axle life when lifted. I never got around to lifting it; I sold it sometime around 2017.

Another pic of the crappy workbench. The back of it wasn't attached to anything, so it had no structure on the right hand side except for the single 2x4 leg. You can see it leaning under the weight of the battery sitting on it. My 1983 Honda VT500FT Ascot is sitting under the stairs waiting for attention - still hasn't gotten any.

All the white shelves were there when we bought the place. They too are covered in mouse poo and random junk left by the previous owner, as well as a bunch of my junk that I needed to get off the floor. During this clean up effort I cleared off the one next to the stairs and threw it in the burn pile since it was in pretty bad shape (and disgusting). The one on the right of the picture got moved so that my toolbox could go there. I'll post up some pictures of that layout change later.

fourbyford · Feb 24, 2020

Dont know if it's just me, but I'm not seeing the latest pics!

...D

Pressingonward · Feb 24, 2020

Hmm, not just you, I can't see them either! I think I might have hit a partial timeout while posting last night, it was being a little weird. I'll fix them tonight if I get a chance

mkrug001 · Feb 24, 2020

LOL...yep!

fourbyford · Feb 24, 2020

...dont know if you've done it... but when you sign in, there's a box to check that says "keep me logged in"... should solve that problem

...D

Pressingonward · Feb 25, 2020

How interesting. I could see the photos from my PC, but not from my phone, and they didn't show up as attachments on the post. I didn't get logged out last night, but I'm guessing if you let a partially completed post sit for too long it will time out, and the attachments must time out before the text does. At least that's my theory :headscrat

I re-uploaded them and added them back into the post, it should be all good now!

Growlertdi · Feb 25, 2020

hey, your place looks like mine. a disaster in need of cleanup

thanks for fixing the photos.

fourbyford · Feb 25, 2020

Hey Justin,
Looks like you're making progress! A couple of trips to the hazardous waste/land fill will have you in pretty good shape...
I had forgotten you mentioned the sliding door on that bay... don't know how you'll ever be able to solve the rodent problem until you can seal things up a bit better. Maybe you can get a roll-up/overhead door as an early Christmas present! I think I mentioned I've been working to fix the points of entry in my shop... and, I've solved a lot of problems but, having said that, I still get a critter now and again. Bait and traps keeps them in check. I'm hoping I can overhaul the roof on my shop by early fall which will solve the last of the issues with my place.
Anyways, keep fighting the good fight!

...D

Bob Heine · Feb 25, 2020

Pressingonward said:
You can expect this thread to wander among topics a bit - I like "daily life story" type threads so that's what I plan to subject you all to (or at least the 3 people who read it). I plan to cover the shop cleanup, some house remodeling, vehicle repairs and mods, tool acquisitions, and much much more, so stay tuned!

Garage rule #43: All empty space must be immediately filled with new tools

Pressingonward, you had me at "daily life story" but I fear more than three are following along already.

Garage rule #44: All empty space not filled by following Rule #43 is to be filled with used parts that might be needed someday. This includes parts for things you no longer own.

Pressingonward · Feb 25, 2020

fourbyford said:
Hey Justin,
Looks like you're making progress! A couple of trips to the hazardous waste/land fill will have you in pretty good shape...
I had forgotten you mentioned the sliding door on that bay... don't know how you'll ever be able to solve the rodent problem until you can seal things up a bit better. Maybe you can get a roll-up/overhead door as an early Christmas present! I think I mentioned I've been working to fix the points of entry in my shop... and, I've solved a lot of problems but, having said that, I still get a critter now and again. Bait and traps keeps them in check. I'm hoping I can overhaul the roof on my shop by early fall which will solve the last of the issues with my place.
Anyways, keep fighting the good fight!

...D

I hate to give away the ending early, but I'm thinking that the critter problem is now under control. Around the time I started cleaning up the shop in 2018 we started locking our cats outside at night. That combined with 2 Victor snap traps in the one bay has kept the vermin in check for the past two years. I bait the traps with raisins and caught about 10 this year. The cats got at least 20, but I'm guessing it's more like 200 since we only see the evidence sometimes.

Pressingonward · Feb 25, 2020

Bob Heine said:
Pressingonward, you had me at "daily life story" but I fear more than three are following along already.

Garage rule #44: All empty space not filled by following Rule #43 is to be filled with used parts that might be needed someday. This includes parts for things you no longer own.

Welcome Bob! I'll submit #44 to the Rules Committee for consideration - I expect it will be speedily approved.

A friend from college is stopping by tonight, so no updates will be forthcoming. I'm eager to wrap up the past and get on to future plans (at which point everything stalls out due to lack of funds and time and motivation...maybe I shouldn't be so eager after all :spit:

)

M-technik-3 · Feb 25, 2020

Great name for a thread.

Pressingonward · Feb 25, 2020

M-technik-3 said:
Great name for a thread.

Glad you like it, and thanks for stopping by!

Pressingonward · Feb 28, 2020

Let's see, where were we? Oh yes, cleaning up mouse **** circa 2018 :rolleyes2

The two enclosed bays have a loft over the front half of both bays. It's accessed by stairs from the second bay, and there's a doorway cut into the sheet metal between the two bays up in the loft. I've got about 7 feet of headroom downstairs under the loft, but up in the loft I have to stoop to get near the front of the building since the loft floor is about 3.5 feet below the roofline along the front wall (3/12 pitch roof). Here's some pics taken from the loft showing the back half of the shop (still 2018):

Here is the loft in the second bay:

And in the first bay:

And here's a view of the back half of the first bay from the loft:

And one of the issues I need to deal with:

The mice have gotten into the fiberglass-like condensation barrier thingy (technical term) that sits in between the roof sheet metal and the purlins. It's now full of seeds and mouse **** in various spots, has holes all over, and is falling down in several places like in the picture above. I'm thinking the best thing to do will be to rip it all down, but I'm open to suggestions. The roof is a subject for another post, but it will probably need replacing before too long and I definitely want to close in the ceiling and insulate at some point. I'm not sure whether the loft will stay or get torn down to make room for a flat ceiling and improved overhead room downstairs. If anyone has suggestions I'm all ears (that's kind of a funny expression to visualize lol).

Pressingonward · Feb 28, 2020

And moving forward into the present; yesterday I picked up that metal cabinet that I won at auction. While I was there I previewed a couple of Chevy Silverado pickups that are going to be auctioned off next week. One was a 2007 1500 2WD that was covered in mud inside and out and has 248K on it. The steering column-to-steering-shaft pinch bolt is hitting the column brace when you rotate the wheel, not sure what that's all about. Overall it's in decent shape but I'd really like something that's less gross inside and lower miles. I might throw in a lowball bid, but it's not really what I want.

Second option is a 2009 2500HD with the 6.0L gas engine. 4WD with only 56K miles. Very nice truck, but I really only want a 1500 with the 5.3L for better fuel mileage. Again I might throw in a lowball bid, but I bet it will go for twice what I'd be willing to pay for it since it's newer and more truck than I need.

I'm trying to find a replacement for the Purple People Eater as my wife dubbed it - a "Saphire Blue" purple 1995 F150 4.9L 2WD long bed extended cab with the Mazda M50D 5 speed and 3.08 rear end gears. It's only got 163K on it, which is why I bought it, but it took about 9 months after driving it home to fix enough problems to make it roadworthy. The previous owner abused this poor thing badly, and I was too eager to get a lowish miles truck for cheap to realize it and walk away.

Funny, it actually does look blue in the pictures :lol_hitti

Here's a picture of the lovely dent in the passenger side:

The stupid thing runs pretty good now that I've replaced the improperly gapped plugs, the water pump and radiator, rebuilt the driveshaft, replaced the rear wheel bearings, the spider gears (one had a broken tooth, I'm not even sure how you manage to do that on a truck with no power and stock tire size), the rear brakes due to puking wheel cylinders, the front ball joints, the transmission output bushing, and rebuilt the transmission shift fork assembly. Apparently the M50D is known for the shift forks wearing away from 3/16" thick to 0" thick. Mine were at about 1/16" and sent a chunk into the output shaft bushing, which destroyed the bushing and the driveshaft yoke. I'd better stop, I could complain about this truck all day. Not that I dislike F150s, just this particular one :evil:

Hmm, I meant to write about the metal cabinet. Oops. Well there's always next time

fourbyford · Feb 28, 2020

I think I'd have to agree... probably best to rip all that fiberglass down. Will get rid of a lot of crud.

As far as where to go with the roof... a lot of options. The roof on my shop has a few issues and I've decided the best fix is to remove the tin, add osb sheathing, synthetic underlayment, and then replace the tin. I know it sounds like a lot of work but, it will solve all the issues. Since you mention replacing your roof anyway, you might consider sheathing/underlayment regardless of the roofing material you choose.
Another reason I want to add sheathing to mine is so I can get the insulation I want. I want to use "dense pack" insulation... a blow-in type used in cathedral ceilings. It's very efficient and not extremely expensive... worth looking into.

...D

fourbyford · Feb 28, 2020

Hmmm... sounds like you've just about got that truck under control... are sure you want to get rid of it?? ...lol

...D

Pressingonward · Feb 28, 2020

fourbyford said:
I think I'd have to agree... probably best to rip all that fiberglass down. Will get rid of a lot of crud.

As far as where to go with the roof... a lot of options. The roof on my shop has a few issues and I've decided the best fix is to remove the tin, add osb sheathing, synthetic underlayment, and then replace the tin. I know it sounds like a lot of work but, it will solve all the issues. Since you mention replacing your roof anyway, you might consider sheathing/underlayment regardless of the roofing material you choose.
Another reason I want to add sheathing to mine is so I can get the insulation I want. I want to use "dense pack" insulation... a blow-in type used in cathedral ceilings. It's very efficient and not extremely expensive... worth looking into.

...D

Sadly I think my tin is too far gone to save. I'll get into it a bit more in a future post. For the dense pack insulation (cellulose?) - why do you need sheathing under the tin?

Pressingonward · Feb 28, 2020

fourbyford said:
Hmmm... sounds like you've just about got that truck under control... are sure you want to get rid of it?? ...lol

...D

Lol, it still needs: valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket (sticking a good 3/4 inch out the side of the pan in one spot courtesy of the previous owner), new pedal bushings, replace battery tray, find and fix large water leak from one of the windows or the hvac box, and eventual ****** rebuild (synchros are rough, bearings are a bit whiny). Oh, and a new AC compressor and a seat swap.

Basically it's not what I originally wanted, and after using it to haul a few things it has confirmed my original preferences - I really prefer an auto trans in a full sized work truck (prefer manual for everything else), and I want something a bit more modern and comfortable, with enough power to merge into traffic. This poor Ford weighs 4300 lbs and puts out 150 hp at the crank. It's ok empty, but loaded acceleration is pretty painful.

A Chevy Silverado extended cab with the 4.8L or 5.3L should fit the bill nicely. Preferably 2wd long bed, with AC to keep the wife happy when she's riding along.

I should probably mention that in my former life (not that long ago) I was an ASE certified Master Auto Tech, so I've driven and worked on pretty much everything out there up through model year 2005 or so - I worked at an independent shop until I went back to school in 2009.

fourbyford · Feb 28, 2020

Wow, guess the truck is a bit of a project... probably a good call to move it on it's way!
For the dense pack, you need sheathing above and below the purlins... essentially creating individual "sealed" bays. Then, hole(s) are drilled in each bay and cellulose is blown in under pressure... about 14psi if I remember correctly. The theory is that the cellulose is packed in very tightly which means there is no room for air (which can carry moisture) and that the insulation wont settle over time. Based on the reading I've done, it's apparently pretty common in cathedral type ceilings... absolutely no worries about venting, vapor barriers or any other problems associated with insulating a roof. My only problem is that I think I'll have to convince someone from Spokane to come down and do my roof. If everything is ready to go, I'd think they could do my roof in a couple, three hours. Anyways, that's the direction I'm headed...

...D

Pressingonward · Feb 28, 2020

Interesting. I'll have to research that a bit. Thanks for the explanation!

Growlertdi · Feb 28, 2020

Pressingonward said:
Interesting. I'll have to research that a bit. Thanks for the explanation!

Guy I found on youtube named DavidPoz has a whole series of videos about Dense pack cellulose and how he added it to his house and shop.

his house is stupid tight with record breaking low levels of air infiltration. its something else.

anyhoo, thought I would share

fourbyford · Feb 28, 2020

I hadn't thought to look on the 'tube... thanks for the info!

...D

gearhead1960 · Mar 1, 2020

Sounds like some good stories are coming....I'm along for the ride....

Pressingonward · Mar 1, 2020

Thanks for joining in Mark!

Not sure when I'll have another big update. My father in law noticed our water heater was seeping a bit last week, so I picked up a Rheem 50 gallon heat pump water heater, and we're putting that in today. Also finally hooking up the backflushing iron filter I bought last year, and a water softener. My father in law is doing the install; I'm doing my best not to look at his work too closely because it just makes me frustrated. I'd rather do the work myself but it would take quite a bit longer and there's some significant family politics involved...I'll explain the situation one of these days. The short version is my wife's family lives with us, he's a retired contractor, and my wife trusts his judgement for all things construction related, including defining the "right way" to do a job. In his case that means however he did things building tract homes - aka whatever's fast and cheap.

I'm an engineer, so I naturally want to spend way too much time figuring out the ultimate best way to do a job, which is often complicated, expensive, and time consuming. I'm sure a few people on here understand

There is of course a middle band between going overboard and doing shoddy work. If he'd stay in that middle band I wouldn't mind so much, but in my opinion he's skating along the bottom of it, which is frustrating, and he's not the sort that's open to suggestions or collaboration.

Bob Heine · Mar 1, 2020

Pressingonward said:
I'm an engineer, so I naturally want to spend way too much time figuring out the ultimate best way to do a job, which is often complicated, expensive, and time consuming. I'm sure a few people on here understand

Justin, I'm not an engineer or even a competent amateur but I do understand. I like doing things myself and often to a bit higher standard than the minimum. My wife wants me to ask for help from the "experts" but their shortcuts make me crazy and I end up re-doing a lot of things. To compound the problem, even the most rank amateur who watches me do almost anything is compelled to step in and take over. Doing things one-handed isn't always fast or efficient but I'm patient and comfortable spending the extra time.

Pressingonward · Mar 2, 2020

Hi Bob, I really can't begin to imagine how difficult it must be to do a lot of everyday things with only one arm/hand (not sure what your exact situation is). My hat is off to you for maintaining a positive, can-do attitude.

I can imagine people wanting to jump in and take over a task all the time. On a related note I have to watch myself when I'm helping or teaching someone that I give them time to figure it out, make mistakes, etc. I've been mentoring a fresh graduate at work and it's been a good learning experience for me in that regard.

Tales from The Hantavirus Hotel

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Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

ALLIANCE MEMBER

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

ALLIANCE MEMBER

Well-known member

ALLIANCE MEMBER

Well-known member