Bummed Out By Bath Fan

My sister and I ran through HD tonight. I looked at the bathroom exhaust fans that they had on display. First, I was shocked to see that you can spend $13 for a fan, or you can spend well over $100. Bad news is that there is only one cheapie, and it uses a smaller drywall hole than what is already cut out. I am trying to avoid filling in an inch and a half gap.

And the units they had were all by one manufacturer. There is no choice? The grilles were all plasticky. I think I'll just have to get over that - and admit that they are more attractive than my old silver metal one.

I've checked online, and Lowes has similar units (same maufacturer under a different name).

Mike suggested that I just replace the motor, and that sounds like a good idea to me. I don't think HD had any motors. I will hit the internet and see what I can find. So for now, looks like my bathroom will be a sauna.

And...The Roof is Still Leaking

I posted a while ago that I made a second attempt to stop the roof leak in the laundry room by applying a roof-sealer to the valley seam. I've been waiting for it to rain decently (so I can look for leaks) for at least a week. When it's rained lately, it's been more of a drizzle. I needed an all day, steady rain. Well, this past Thursday it finally rained properly, and...

...the roof is still leaking. Not as much, but any water infiltration is too much. Looking up through the hole in the drywall below, the nail that had been the main drip source was still dripping, but very slowly. Not enough to puddle below, or run down the sloped ceiling, which is good, I guess.

*Uncle!* I give up. There isn't anything left to caulk/seal up there - the shingles look in fine shape, nothing missing or gapping. The vent stack flashing in that area is fine. The roof area that feeds that valley is huge, so the leak location could be anywhere. I just can't see anything remotely suspicious up there. I think my current plan is to IGNORE the problem for a while. ( I am a bad houseblogger! Shame on me.) Maybe it will heal itself. Yeah, that's gonna happen.

Besides, I've got a new problem (hence the title of my Blog). The exhaust fan in the main bathroom is making screaming noises. I've cleaned it, and oiled it, and it got happy for a day or so, but today is screaming louder than ever. B says it's bearings are shot. That means replacement. It's 30 years old, so I guess it's just time. I liked that fan.

Kitty's Hypno-Bed

Last week, fall arrived feeling more like winter. After a few nights of shivering, I got B to help me wrestle the window air conditioners out and into the shed for winter. It doesn't really take long, but feels like such a hassle. And they are heavy! I screwed the storm windows back on, and TURNED ON THE HEAT!! (I am WAY too cheap to do that while the only thing between me and the outside is the pizza-box-cardboard I've taped beside the air conditioner! No, I am not posting a picture of the pizza-box-cardboard. It's on it's second or third year (way beyond the design specs) and it isn't pretty.)

So, what about the Hypno-Bed? It's like this. We have a cat. He was left here when my sister moved away, maybe 10 years ago. I do not want a cat. At least not an indoor cat. And not a feral cat, for cryin' out loud!

A bit of background... When I was growing up, we always had a cat or two, and that was fine, I liked them. But as I've gotten older, I find that I am just not a cat person. (I love my dog!) Do not hate me for this, please. Our cat's name is "Benjamin". Huh - way too fancy. We tried just "Benny". That doesn't fit him either. He is simply "Kitty". He was a feral kitten, abandoned, bottle fed, shown nothing but love... and he has always been a biter. Not a mean biter, he bites when he's happy. Really. Can't pet him more than twice.

When it gets cold, I feel for him, but he isn't coming in this house. I give him the mudroom as a compromise. I made a cat door through a window (from the flowerbox outside - his personal porch). Last year the price of energy was pinching me seriously and I just couldn't afford to heat the mudroom for a cat. So last year I bought him a heated "kennel mat" - a hard plastic plate, waterproof (hairball proof) from PetCo. And I built his HypnoBed.

It was supposed to be temporary until I built something decent, but of course that never happened. I plugged in the heated mat, taped together a couple of Amazon boxes, and put in a layer of shredded paper, with a couple of old towels over top. Here it is. It is so ugly, I am ashamed!



Kitty went in, and passed out in bliss. I swear, the cat didn't leave the bed for more than a few minutes at a time (probably to go to the bathroom) for DAYS. You look in there and he is purring loudly in his sleep, 24 hours a day. You never have to wonder where he is - he is addicted to the hypno-bed. So I have set it up for him again for the year, last night. (He's inside in the first pic, then dragged himself out to see what the flash was all about. He went right back in!)

You can probably hear him purring right now, wherever you are! Here is another gratuitous black cat photo (for Halloween) of Benny-the-cat, aka "Kitty" on his "dining porch" (the ex-flower box):

No house news, just a new banner tryout

I've made a proto-title banner. I'm posting it first to get it uploaded to Blogger. We'll see if I can then put it in the title space. Sounds like a plan to me.



Well, that worked! I should be watching the world series, though. Also, a Houseblogs tag:

I Love a Rainy Night

Not really. I just climbed down from on top of the dryer, where I can see the underside of the roof leak location, through a hole in the plasterboard inside the cabinets. It's been raining most of the night so far, light to moderate, and...

So far so good - no visible leak. 8^)

I don't really believe that it's fixed. I will keep checking. I know as soon as I re-fill the cabinets over the drier, the leak will reappear and I'll have to empty the cabinets again. I'll wait, thanks.

Can we save it, Norm?

I did have another go at stopping the roof leak as planned. The weather hasn't cooperated, though (no rain) so I can't tell if it's worked this time.

I have very low expectations. It's not going to stop the leak. I just know it. Doomed to leak forever.

But meanwhile, I removed the rotted portion of the fascia, and replaced it with new, primed and painted wood. Below is the wood I removed. It reminds me of the ancient TOH episodes where Bob was often heard to ask "Can we save it, Norm?" I think he'd agree, it's shot.

So I replaced it with fresh pine boards and caulked them. Then I reattached the gutters. They're vinyl, and I like them well enough. They are about 20 years old, and the neoprene seals are falling to bits, so the joints leak. I've looked at Genova's website (gutter manufacturers) but they don't seem to make replacement gaskets. You have to buy all new connectors. Rats. I'm tempted to just duct tape'em. It'd probably work.


So here is the repaired area in all it's painty goodness. Now if only I could:
1. Check to see if the roof still leaks. I need a good day long soaking rain, and,
2. Replace the gaskets in the gutters. The last time it rained, I saw water pouring out every joint, exactly where the gasket is broken or missing. Very frustrating. I know I could caulk them closed, but that will make the joint "permanent". I like being able to take this apart as needed, like when I had to get my largeish self onto the roof edge.

Work is killin' me this week, so no more house stuff to report for a few days. I'm busy building prop furniture for a play. A variation of "Christmas Carol" (what are the odds?). Cratchit's desk, Scrooge's bed (a ghost pops up from the mattress) and an armoire (a 10' tall ghost puppet and mess of dancers comes out of this).

I've also got to make an extra large dead turkey (fabric), and a scrawny roasted chicken (styrofoam). That will be fun! I guess I'll post a photo of those when they're done, just to liven things up.

Must make a decent title banner soon!

Roof, Round Two

My sister called tonight, wanting me to help her with a carpentry project. It includes heavy lifting, so she knows it's a pain in the neck (and back). So when I told her that the roof still leaks, she offered to come over and hold the ladder again, and then I will go help her build stuff.

Look, I know I am a sissy with regard to ladders. And I reckon that it would be a good thing to have another person around to call the ambulance when I fall off the roof.

So I will have another go at the roof leak tomorrow, but I don't really think this will fix it. I will fling "Leak Stopper" with abandon. But I will not count my chickens until after the next two-day rain.

Feeling really unmotivated these days. Hopefully this will get me moving again.

Dancing Waters in the Laundry Room

So I went into the laundry room to check on the washer (another story yet to come), and I saw this...

I saw the new waterstains on the painted panelling under the cabinet. I think, "uh oh". When I opened the cabinet there was the glint of reflected light off something in the back. I moved a few things out of the way and was greeted by this sight.

Yellow arrows show where the water was coming in, and flowing down the seam between 2 drywall patches. (There had been a window in the wall here, pre-addition, and it was sloppily filled in. The whole house is built like this! :o) The red arrows are the water stains I noticed. What you can't see is the row of drips falling from the lower edge of the cabinet, off to the left, all the way to the corner of the room.

I knew that I would have to go up on the roof, in the daytime to look at things, but there was a possibility that there was a leaking water pipe up there. Yes, in the no-attic/dead space between old and new construction there are hot and cold water supply pipes, run up the wall, and through the attic in the addition, and down to the new bathroom. Very confusing.

So, I did tear out some of the wet drywall, and looked in with a flashlight. I could just see a steady stream of drips coming off a roofing nail. Definately a roof problem.

Several days later, after removing leaves from that area of the roof (a friend's suggestion), I got up there and did my best. It's very tidy looking, if I say so myself.

The product I used was recommended by the salesman at my neighborhood True Value. He swears that the roofing guys come in and buy this stuff nearly every day, and they can't keep it in stock. I am a fool. I believe every word he says.

I bought caulk-sized tubes of "Leak Stopper Rubberized Roof Patch" by Gardner. "Enhanced with Penetrex (TM)". This sounds too good to be true. Perhaps the product even applies itself?? Could it be more miraculous?

So, the area of the valley where shingles meet shingles looked fine. Tight seam, no lifted shingles, except at the bottom. The seam where shingle meets roll roofing product is caulked, and the caulk is visibly cracked and lifted away from the surface. This has GOT to be the problem.

I applied the Leak Stopper to the caulk line, having cleaned out debris first, then working it in well. The seam near the roof edge was trickier, but I did the best I could. (The photo is from before the repair - Leak Stopper is blackish colored.)

Did I mention that being on this single-story nearly flat roof was terrifying? When we were kids, us younguns would regularly climb up here, courtesy of the big oil tank and an overhanging dogwood tree (both gone). It was FINE then, and it definately NOT fine now. I just tried not to look around too much, and tried not to stand up too much. Happily, no one could see me crawling and butt scooting over the roof surface.

The Results - Well, tonight it has rained steadliy, moderately. I just went out for a look and Leak Stopper didn't. It is a lot better, but there is still water coming in. This means another nerve wracking trip to the roof on another day. Next time, I am flingin' this stuff everywhere - neatness no longer matters.

To be continued. Hopefully soon.

Before and After

Our house was originally a vacation cabin, built bit by bit, starting sometime in the late 1940's, with the flat roofed portion, out of view to the right. It once had a door to the outside, but now is a bedroom and the laundry room. In about 1950, the gabled section was added, with living room, kitchen, bath, and 2 more bedrooms.

This is what the house looked like, circa 1967 or so. The view is from the backyard, looking toward the road. It was apparently taken from on top of the slide that I played on as a kid.

Note the horseshoe pit in the foreground. Dad won local tournaments. Now there is a swing hung just about there. And the driveway looping up to the screen door was U-shaped then.

The screened porch was added by my parents sometime after 1955, a must in a house without air conditioning. It disappeared under the new addition. The kitchen window is to it's right. (It's now a doorway.) There were 2 perpetually overgrown wisteria bushes beside it.

And I especially love the attractive pile of cinderblocks. Growing up there was always a pile of 'em somewhere. Full of black widow spiders.

We were surrounded by woods in those days. No neighbors, though the community had already been subdivided. No woods left now. But at least the roads are now paved!


Here is a similar view of the back of the house, from last year. The swing is hung from the tree in the foreground of the last photo.

The giant gable is an addition from 1974, giving us 2 bedrooms, a 20x20' family room/dining room, second bathroom, and mudroom.

The old house was stucco over cinderblock, the new part is stick built, on a slab, with white aluminum siding over all. You know, even though it's getting old, the siding isn't in bad shape.

Benny the cat makes it into the photo. And oops, there is a house next door now. My parents sold off the side yard in the 1980's to pay off some bills. That was a MISTAKE! (Although I admit that the neighbors are nice!)

Eventually I will post some photos of the front of the house. There aren't any in my computer at this moment.

Next time, a double header - a leaky roof and wood rot!

Humble avatar

Not really a post. Just trying to figure out how to upload a photo. I can't get anything to load as my avatar. Blogger's site says this is a known issue. Goody. I guess froggy won't be my alter ego for a while yet.

Back to house stuff...

Not really a beginning...

So it's like this.

Born here.
(In the local hospital, actually.)
Grew up here in a typical family, four kids.
I never left.

Now I get to keep this old boat afloat. The title of the blog, "It's Always Something" refers to the fact that every time I turn around there is something else broken. And often it's something really peculiar.

I've been a fan of houseblogs for a couple of years. Every blog I read is so positive and inspiring. They are always fresh starts, rebirths for an old neglected house, a first home. Very uplifting.

Well, this is going to be about annoying home repairs, from a grumpy point of view. You see, the "previous owners" are US. Nobody to blame for the bad remodeling decisions but Dad.

And did I mention that my repairs and rehabbing will NOT involve contractors. Oh, I WISH! But I am pennyless, pretty much. And unfortunately handy with tools, since the house has been in a constant state of decay since as long as I can remember. I don't think it was EVER new. So I have to do it all myself, with an occational hand from my older sister, and my boyfriend.

Next post, I will write out some of the history of this old dump.
I really do love my house! :)