Still looking for cheap ways to economize on limited storage space, we decide to make use of the wasted space on one of the garage walls.
This shelving made floor space for our bicycles, one of which is used for our work commute.
Anything to prevent more flooding
All of the recent rain has made us nervous about more basement flooding. We can’t afford to install drain tile or a sump pump yet, so we’re focusing on the smaller issues.
One of the gutter downspouts was installed on the wrong side of the house , needing lots of elbows to get around the deck. I reconfigured it to the proper side of the house.
Killing the awful raccoon stench
I have to fumigate the attic to kill the strong odor of raccoon feces and urine. Although the raccoons have been evicted, they are attracted to the scent of their waste in the attic, and continue trying to create a new entrance.
Between this fumigation and the body traps I set on the roof, I am fairly confident that this ongoing problem can soon be resolved.
City Manager takes a stance on predatory remodeling
The Columbia Heights City Manager reports his intention to forward proposed real estate regulations to the city council for consideration to protect new citizens of Columbia Heights from falling victim to predatory remodeling fraud.
Flipper filled rotten wood with Great Stuff
I discover that one of the bedroom windows has frame and sill that was mostly rotted-away. The flipper simply filled the rotten gap with yellow expanding foam, and painted over it to hide the problem.
Dangerous soffit is missing wall insulation
I discover the backside of the soffit wall is missing insulation, allowing a significant amount of heat to escape in the winter. This soffit is above the dining room and originally created a square ceiling for a closet. However, the flipper removed the closet, making the soffit pointless. Unfortunately, it is more work to remove the entire soffit than it is to fix the insulation problem.
The narrow, 15′ long soffit is only toenailed into the rafters, and not strong enough to hold the weight of a person. I’ll have to devise a safe way to access this tight space and fix the insulation problem.
Dangerous attic repairs
I set anchor points in the attic rafters and suspend myself inside the fragile soffit using a climbing harness. This is pretty scary. The soffit is only 30″ wide, and illuminated just by my headlamp.
Although I have already put an end to the troubling raccoon infestation, this portion of my attic has been previously inaccessible. It’s clear that the insulation below me is still contaminated, and the vapor barrier on inside of the wall has been clawed-away by the raccoons.
While suspended from the rafters, I spend 9 hours removing the contaminated insulation and carefully building a structurally-sound rat run that hangs independently inside the soffit. This is overkill, but at least I’ll never have to dangle from the rafters ever again.
Making the attic right
My dad generously donates another Saturday to help me work in the tight spaces of my attic. Together we remove 4 more bags of contaminated insulation.
We also install new insulation inside the wall and bottom of the soffit.
Maintaining the cedar siding
The cedar siding of the dining room addition is rather weathered, so Amáda and I stain and seal it.
Later, I re-hang a gutter which is angled away from its downspout.