Work Day 18 - RG Project

I wasn't there too long today. But we did clean-up. Jim was way ahead of me by the time I got back from Rockford, dentist again. The wind was gusting to 50 mph and I wasn't going to work on that roof. The rafters were being blown like some kind of wind chime. Basically the tops were moving several inches back and forth. So we were separating the good boards from the shingles and firewood. And there is more firewood that good boards. That is too bad but not a big surprise.

The floor is covered in shingles and there is quite a pile of boards with shingles and nails sticking out all over. Both inside and out.

I looks like we are going to get some more rain tomorrow night and some on Monday too. But we all know you can't trust the weather man. So we just have to see what happens.

Work Day 17 - RG Project

The roof is pretty much off. I say pretty much because we had to leave some to keep things stable. There is the strips along the soffets (eve's). And then about 5 feet on the back to keep the back wall from become like the front one, I could almost push the front one over before we took most of it down.

On the other side only the soffet remains. 

When the wind blows, all day today, the rafters move an inch or so back and forth.Makes me think of wind chimes.

Tomorrow, after the dentist appointment, we will be removing the soffets, starting at the front (south) side. After three or four rafters, we will remove the rafters, leaving the joists in place. I think I will have to sit on a plank to be low enough. Don't want to go head first over the edge. I might have the harness on for safety. Detail to be work out as we go.

The joists are 16 inches on center and the rafters are 24 inches on center. There is a beam, (2x6), running the length of the roof. You can see it in the last two pictures. Every rafter is tied into it. It keeps the 22 plus foot joists from sagging and help keep everything stable. After all of the rafters are gone and the back wall is removed, we will take out the joists and that beam.

At that point we are going to start on the east and west walls between the windows and get them down to the bottom of the windows sills. Last to go will be the north and south walls. We should have it all done by the 10th of May when I have to have the scaffolding back.

I am getting more at ease with walking around on the joists. But I make sure of every step I take. No not  looking and just moving. It looks like I won't be breaking my neck or anything else. There have been times I question how smart this project is. But now that the roof is almost done and we will be starting on the wall next week it's not so bad.

Work Day 15 & 16 - RG Project - 26 & 27 April

We had rain here last Thursday-Saturday, so no work was done. The front wall we discovered was unstable and it would move several inches when pushed. So the first thing Monday morning we took that down as far as we could without going over the edge. It is still three rows higher that the side walls. And we haven't even touched the back gable.

After that it was back to the roof. I was able to make some progress but it was slow. Having to move back and forth all the time and walking on only the 2x6's. No matter how many planks there are I still have to walk on the 2x6's as I remove more of the roof. So at the end of Monday, this is how it was.

Today I became more practical. The roofing is not in that great of shape and there is some rot. I think that after being reused for the roof 100 years ago, there is not much life left in it. Some of the board break really easy. So I used the saws-all and cut between the rafters every 8 feet or so. That way I could remove the roof a section at a time. Not having to go back and forth to loosen 10 & 12 foot boards one at a time, before going down to the next one. I can stand in one spot and remove an 8 x 3 foot section. So it did go faster today. The little that is left I can't safely reach standing on the joists. We will have to use the scaffolding to remove it and the roof edge.

 
The last thing that I did was to make two cuts through the peak and down the other side, 6 feet apart. It is a dirty job, with sawdust and bits of shingles covering me and my face. The 5 pound sludge hammer works well for loosening the boards and soon I had a nice hole in the other side of the roof.

It is really hard on my arms working over my head with the saws-all and hammer. So it didn't take long until I was done for the day.

Tomorrow I will be starting at 9am and try to be finished with the roof by 1pm. Then if possible go to the museum. I have got to get this roof off before we get more rain on Friday. I picked up some 5 hour energy drink and a Rock Star. I know that is a lot of caffeine and a bit stupid, but I will be very careful of my step. It is said that God looks after drunks and fools, I don't drink. :-0

Now I am getting as much rest as I can to be at my best tomorrow.

Loveland Museum - Wendnesday Morning - 21 Apr

I was working on some photo restoration. Two pictures of Lloyd Staul. There was a corner off of the baby picture and the other was his as a young man of about 19 or 20. It had been in a bill fold and had sever cracking. I am working on his face, but only was able to do about 1/4 of it so far. It will take some time and I was getting tired. It is the kind of thing you have to focus on, otherwise you mess it up.

So I took a few pictures of the Photo lab that we have gotten setup.

There is a picture hanging in the office upstairs that I thought that JJ, Mike & Stef would injoy.

Work Day 14 - RG Project

Started a little after 9am and finished about 1pm. I used a 5 pound hammer and a large crowbar. I pounded on the underside of the boards next to the 2x6 rafter. When I got enough of a gap I used the crowbar to leverage the board up until the nail was completely exposed. I took a while to get the first boards loose. The shingles were holding things together more than I expected. I was finely able to work my way down the length of the roof. I think I got a 1/4 to 1/3 removed.

Tomorrow I go to the Loveland Museum and will take a day off to rest up. Swinging a 5lbs. sledge hammer is hard on the arms. So Thursday morning 9am I will take the rest of the roof off. I am getting more planks to walk on. Then after finishing the east side I will start at the top and work my way down the west side. Breaking through the middle was pretty hard. I will use some saw horses so that I can go from the top and use the crowbar and work my way down the roof, from the inside. I hope it will go faster than today's did.

Work Day 13 - RG Project

Today I put in about five hours and decided to call it a day before I got too tired or made a mistake and got hurt. I got there about a little before 9am and set up the scaffolding inside at the front. We got the air compressor and everything set up. I took the saws-all and climb up to cut out the first 2 foot bay of the roof. This is right behind the front block wall. There was a hole and a lot of rot so I started there. I cut all the way to the peek and then got the air chisel to work on the mortar between the block.

Before we started this morning.

This is after we finished for the day. You can see how I cut away the first 2 feet of the roof and remove the block on the left.

Here you can see through the center of this kind of block. In cement block terms these are stretchers, they fill in between the corner blocks. These are clay tile block that have been glazed.

These are the corner blocks. These are more like cement block in design that the stretchers that are tubes.

At the end of the day this is what we had accomplished, both sides were even. We wanted to get the highest part down. Maybe tomorrow I will remove 3 or 4 more layers, before we start on removing the roof from the inside.

The instrument of deconstruction, the air chisel.
 

We took a break around 11:30 or so. Then we went back and did the second half.

Although climbing around and moving 35 pounds plus block, sometimes over my head, was difficult. Jim had the worse job on the ground. As I removed the block and ether dropped it over the side or slid it down the roof, he had to carry, load and haul away all of the block.

The air chisel really makes taking block down so easy. It is dirty and I don't like the heights, but the job need to be done and soon it will be. I like the feeling of accomplishment. Did I mention the sore muscles? ;-) I have had a lot worse. So it's not too bad. I don't think I over did it too much ether. So tomorrow at 9am we will be back at it to peal the roof off. 

I came home and took a shower, had a sandwich and a 2 hour rest. Then went and used the push mower for a while. Dad was fixing the rider. Then I used the rider and caught up on the lawn. Oh I got a flat. I need to go over an area around the burn pile with a magnet to pick up some nails. I just got tubes in the front tires and the first time I use the thing I get a flat. I guess I should count myself lucky. Many things could have gone wrong today. I have to say, I was blessed.

Any Landing You Can Walk Away From...

As the saying goes; any landing you can walk away from is a good one. Well... I apply that to my cutting down trees. :-p I don’t like using a chainsaw and I can’t say that I am good at it. But I do get the job done. Nick, my youngest nephew, said that he would cut the notches next time. Thank-you, thank-you, it’s all yours Nick.

Anyhow, we got down three small trees and one larger Mulberry tree. The Mulberry tree is too close to the garden and the others are on the fence line. Here is Illinois you have to keep on it or the trees will take over the fence lines. Also I want to get fruit trees plant about 10 feet from the fence and I can’t with all of those trees. And then there are the rabbits. If you have a clear and clean fence you have a chance keeping them out.

I still have to clean up the mess, but am taking it slowly, trying not to over do it. I hope that Monday I will be back up and running strong. I have some roofing to take off.

So here are the before and after pictures.

Before

After

The Mulberry tree. It's bigger than it looks.

Loveland Museum - Wendnesday Morning

This museum was started by Mr. & Mrs. George Loveland. I just realized that I don't know Mrs. Lovelands' name. :-S They past away before 1940, and having no children the set aside money for a community house and museum. The building was built about 1939 and is really nice.

I started volunteering there almost ten years ago. I am very active in the Lee County Genealogical Society and I found out about the museums picture collection. There are about 5,000 images, some are glass negatives and tin types. Because of the photo collection, I volunteered and became more interested in the museum as a whole.

Right now I am mostly involved with the Lee County Photo Preservation Project. It is a joint project between the Lee County Genealogical Society and the Loveland Museum. We raised some money for computer equipment and got a room setup at the museum. Over the last year we have scanned over 3,000 images and have inventory numbers for them. Starting in May a volunteer will start updating a photo database. This database will show the pictures and have all the information we have on them. We will be able to do key word searches or just browse the collection.

We have started scanning picture the people bring in. These are add to the collection, the scans, and the photo goes bake to the owner, whos name goes in the database.

I still help with setting up, moving exhibits and other minor things. But there is only so much you can do one day a week.

Here are a few pictures I have taken over the years. This will give you an idea of what the museum is like.

I will try and get a few shots of the photo preservation lab for next week.

Work Day 11 & 12 - RG Project

The aluminum roofing is off. I didn't know how impossible it is to be on the roofing itself. Imagine a dog on ice. All four feet going in different directions. Yes it was that bad. But once I got the first 24" sheet off, I was on felt tar-paper. Then I had some control and could pull or cut off the head of the nails. There were 23 sheets on each side a total of 46. I removed 28 yesterday, taking about 6 hours including a break of two. Today I removed the 28 that remained. The took about 5 hours with 2 breaks.

I can't say it was the most fun thing to do. The view was nice but I don't like the idea that one wrong move and I could slide right off the roof. I did feel really great when I did got back on the ground. :-) Two different times, I do confess that, I was near panic, near. I kept focused and was able to work it out. It was quite the effort to crawl up the aluminum roofing on the 2nd side.

But any how I am sore and bruised up pretty good and happily sitting here in my bed. I can walk, talk, and I'm conscious, nothing broken. And I lived through the learning curve. Boy do I need to learn my knots. I had a climbing harness on and was always tied off. Many times Jim was on the ground belaying me. Thank goodness for Jim's experience and help, I couldn't have done this without him.

We cleaned up the last of the lathe. Tomorrow we will be taking down the block at the top of the front of the building. Then we are removing about 4 feet of roof and will continue down the front. Then we will remove the rest of the roof, "FROM THE INSIDE". Not that I am unwilling to get up there and work form the outside. I maybe crazy but I'm not nuts. ;-O

So here are some pictures from the last two days.

First got all of the aluminum sheeting off the west side.

The five off of the East side. That was it for Monday.

Today I remove the last 18 sheets and wanted proof that I did something. :-P

And finely, it was done. :-))))))

Tomorrow is Wednesday and I have to be at the Loveland Museum in the morning. Maybe I will bring back some pictures.

Work Day 10 - RG Project

Today I was able to finish taking down the plaster and lathe ceiling. Jim and I went and got three sets of scaffolding from a friend. We set up one and I got to work on the remaining ceiling. When I am on it the ceiling is even with my chest. There was about 6 feet of plaster remaining on each side of the room. Because of the slant of the roof I couldn't get it from above. It took about a half hour for each side. The work went fast and was not as dirty as I expected it would be. I found the best tool for the job was a shingle shovel. Just use it like a club and before you know it your done. I like that I get to use it for something other than taking shingles off. It was also good for getting the plaster off the walls.

North end and stage

South and west walls

I also finish pulling nails out of the trim, and spent some time outside working on the roof. It is aluminum put on with aluminum nails. But it was too dangerous without the scaffolding. I was on a aluminum ladder, not too much fun and a little shaky.

Tomorrow we will assemble all three scaffolding sections outside to take the aluminum roofing off. We will have to see how it goes. We are not suppose to get rain for a few days and then it is only 30%. We hope to have most of the block down and maybe the Douglas Fir floor taken up before we get rain. We do have a roll of plastic to put over the flooring if it does rain.

Work Day 9 - RG Project

We have been looking forward to taking the ceiling down. We thought it through and decided that I could crawl through the access hole and try to scrap off the plaster squeeze through and then take a pick and pound down and knock the plaster loose and then go back after the plaster was cleaned up and take the lathe down.

The access hole is too small for ladder and me, duh. The scrapping the plaster squeeze through didn't work ether. So I took a step ladder to the middle of the room and started to pound with a hammer. It didn't take too long and plaster was falling. I made a hole large enough for the a ladder and I climbed up between the next rafter. It was much safer than the other way would have been.

Once I was up there, I could stand up on the joists and pound the pick like and anchor falls. Its wide head made it perfect and I made quick work of the ceiling. It was too tight to get next to the walls so there is a 6 or 8 feet strip I couldn't access.

It wasn't that bad to clean up and had it done in less that three hours.

We are getting scaffolding in the next day or so and will finish the ceiling off. Then it is a matter of pealing the aluminum roofing off and removing the Douglas Fir that is under it. After which we will take apart the rafters. Once the roof framing is gone we get to use air chisels to separate blocks. The fun continues.

Work Day 8 - RG Project

I only had three hours to for work today so I had to make the most of it. I had a 2 o'clock doctors appointment. The good news it he only want to see me only a month. Ether I am doing very good or need to change my mouth wash. :-P

Anyway we got there at 9am and Jim went to put together the wheel barrow. We didn't want him to be breathing the dust. Nick and I, my youngest nephew, took off the rest of the plaster on the walls. There some that we couldn't safely get to, around the stairs to the basement, or really stuck on.

  West wall

North wall, or back & stage

East wall

We took off the last of the baseboard & woodwork around the windows. All of the plaster has been shoveled into the basement. Swept the floor and brought home some doors, scrap and heating pipes. I also pulled a few nails.

We got all that done with time to spare. It kind of makes up for yesterday. And it was nice to has two wheel barrows, made the job go faster.

Tomorrow we start on the ceiling. We are going into the attic with a pick and drop it, like an anchor. To try to break the plaster loose without knocking the lathe down at the same time. We think it will be easier to clean up that way. But not sure how well this will work. We also thought we could knock off the plaster that squeezed between the lathe. With it gone, there isn't much holding the plaster to the lathe.

Tomorrow being Wednesday I have to go to the museum, so I won't start on the project until about 2pm. Once the ceiling is completely down and cleaned up, we start on the roof. Wish us luck. :-)

BTW does anyone know how to make this column wider? Or put pic's side by side? I could do it MS FrontPage but don't know how I would upload it to this sight. I would really like to change the format of the other pages too. Any help would be appreciated.

Meet Zues

I did remember one thing today. To ask what Jim's dogs name was.

Hey Zeus, meet the Others. Others this is Zeus.

His bark is worse than his bite... so far. I wouldn't want to get him upset with me.

 Check out the new pic's on My Photography page.

Work Day 7 - RG Project

Today was one of those days that we did more running in and out of town that we did work. At least it was all one day instead of every day. Things like getting the mower tires fixed, Post Office, bank, gas, drug store. It took at least two  hours from getting to Farm & Fleet to picking up the finished tires. Then we drive off without the new wheel barrow, duh. I am going to start keeping post it notes in the truck, WITH a pen.

So this is what we accomplished. We loaded the lumber on the truck and then started to clean up the plaster. About 5 or 6 wheel  barrow loads later we decided to go and unload the truck. That way we take a short break and get the truck unload. We also wanted to get in town to have the mower tires fixed and get a new ignition for the mower. Oh and after that we needed to go the the Morrison Post Office. Of course the Farm & Fleet is in Sterling. When we get to the store they can't help us with the ignition, which we have with us, they need the model of the mower. So then we have to was about 15 minutes to get the tires started. Only one person in at the tire desk. While there I get a call the my prescription was called in by the doctor & I can pick it up. Now we wait for them to finish the tires. So we walk around the store for a while and wait some more. We finely get the tires and drive away.

We run over to Rock Falls, its across the Rock River from Sterling. That is where the drug store is. Of course it wasn't ready so we would have to come back. So off to Morrison.

We get to Morrison and make our stops and off we go back to Round Grove. As we unload we realize that we didn't pick-up the wheel barrow. We were to get that by driving around to the east side of the building at Farm & Fleet. So, oh well lets just go back and get it now we thought, had to get my prescription anyway. So off we go, back to Sterling.

From there things went as planned. When we were done it was after 5pm. I when off to the farm, that is where the mower is and took a picture of the mower to have to model number. Then I occurred to me that I couldn't remember where the lug nuts were.

Now you might be thinking that I'm really really stupid. This is not normal for me. I just over did it this last week. The additional meds should take care of this. Cross your fingers.

And I do think I know where the lug nuts are. ;-&

I had to go out tonight and get this picture of the lumber now stacked in the garage. Tomorrow we started at 9am and hope to finish taking the plaster off the walls and dumped into the basement. I guess we shall see????

Cleaning the Garage....continued

Cleaning / rearranging the garage has taken quite a bit out of me, I am make progress. I wanted it to be done before I took the pictures but it is going to take some more work. Although I did do some picking up today I didn't really work on it today. A good days work will take care of the rest.

Cleaning the Garage

Cleaning the garage, or in my case, rearranging to make room for the Douglas Fir and wainscoting, (bead board), is about half done. I have some before pictures but not after because it's not done yet. I have a bunch of stuff in the drive and the car can't be put in. But I did get the plywood and stuff move to where the 7.5' cabinet was and the cabinet has been fastened to the wall. I did find a lot of scrap too, copper & aluminum.

From the way I feel, verryyyyy tired, both yesterday and today, I know I have some limits. Eight hours is one thing but more and two days in a row, is another. I will try to go a little less tomorrow. So here are the pic's.

The whole wall is cleared off.

I like this old radio. Dad put it together. He told me today that the case didn't come with that radio. I would like to restore, ok fix it up.

Here in America it seems that so many people can't get their cars in the garage. I don't have anything stored in there, my brother does and two nephews, and of course dad has some too.

We have never been well off, but we make the most of what we have. Medical bills and other things in life cost a lot. Sometime others spend money they don't have and store it at G-pa's. ;-)