learning to love this old house, take 47...

[ulysses]

"I want you to take that pie-plate looking thing off the wall. It's ugly," she said.

"I dunno, babe," I said. "You know it's not a pie pan, right? It's covering up the end of that vent that goes out through the chimney."

"Oh, it'll be ok," she said. "It's probably just tin or something - bend the edge of the vent in and you can patch up the sheetrock, no problem."



It isn't tin, but rather some kind of masonry, encased in brick. The sheetrock isn't really even sheetrock, but some kind of missing link between that and plaster.

Nosirree, nothing better than living in an old house. If anyone sees Peanut, tell him I'm looking for him. :eyes:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. I want you to texture plaster that wall. It looks bad.

YOu should be glad you married her instead of me :D

[ulysses]

3. it's always about what YOU want, isn't it?

;-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. I thought you would want what I want

Don't you?

[ulysses]

8. oh great - it's my problem again

Fine, I'll do the damn plaster.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

13. well it's only your problem if you don't want what I want

Are you trying to tell me something?

[ulysses]

15. I don't know

Are you implying that I'm trying to tell you something?

[SOteric]

2. Ut oh.

[ulysses]

4. after a while,

you have to consider it a kind of archaeological expedition to do anything to this house. Or in the yard, for that matter.

[onethatcares]

26. if the house is that old,

look for a low spot out back. Might be a bank on a stream, start diggin, you'll find hand blown glass bottles and the neatest stuff imaginable. I used to do that on derelict farm houses in the n.e. man, I found pewter salt shakers/cups, bottles, buttons and the kewlest shit. I'd like to do it again but they bulldozed all my mines and built look a like something or others.

[ulysses]

27. our finds lean more towards car parts.

A resident 25 years or so ago gravelled over the front yard and brought his work as a mechanic home. I've found gas caps, water pumps, a camshaft, etc. I have found some relatively cool old Dr. Pepper bottles and a quantity of old McDonald's and Barbie toys, circa late 70s (near as I can figure).

[SoCalDem]

5. Did you ever think about just hanging a picture over the pie plate?

:evilgrin:

[ulysses]

6. it stuck out about an inch and a half

and it was pretty high up on the wall for a picture. We could have worked it into a whole-wall fresco of some kind I guess...

[Lizz612]

9. Are you using the chimney?

Are you sure you want to seal that vent? Was the vent covered before? The last thing you want to do is mess up the flow of exhaust through the house, carbon monoxide poisoning is bad stuff.

[ulysses]

11. no, no.

It's been covered for I don't know how long, at least since before we bought the place 8 years ago. I think they used to have a coal- or wood-burning stove in that room.

[spinbaby]

10. Nothing is easy in old houses

But they're still so much nicer than new houses.

[ulysses]

12. they can be, yes.

The houses in this neighborhood were built about 55-60 years ago as housing for the folks who worked in the mill that was up the road, and I very much doubt that they were meant to last as long as they have. (It's interesting to break into some of the walls - they used the timber they cut on the property for the beams, and a lot of the studs still have pine bark clinging to them...) Some of our neighbors' homes only have wall studs every two feet or so. :scared:

That said, a developer just built three new houses right behind us, and while they're nice and big and pricey, we looked around inside before they were quite finished and weren't particularly impressed with the quality.

[GOPisEvil]

14. Paging Peanut!!!!

Peanut, call your office!

Good luck Uly! :D

[ulysses]

16. P-Nut doesn't have a phone.

Track him down for me?

[GOPisEvil]

17. Take a page from M.A.T.C.O.M. - get a Peanut-signal!

What's his favorite food? Maybe if you started preparing it, the smell would bring him around.

[ulysses]

19. he doesn't eat much.

The most he's ever had in my presence was crackers. He nearly starved to death evidently winter before last.

Maybe we could make it an aural signal - blast "I've got sunshiiiine..." out over the landscape. :D

[buddhamama]

18. i had a tin plate vent thingy once

i built a shelf to fit over top of it and hung plants from it.

chances are Uly, the wall was made of plaster and sheet rock or, sheet rock pieces/dust. i've seen it a lot in older houses.

[ulysses]

20. spit and prayers, more likely here.

:)

[buddhamama]

21. so, what are ya going to do?

my advice. cut it square and replace with sheet rock- tape, sand and you're done.

[ulysses]

22. in that very process now.

:)

[blm]

23. HAHAH...boy, does that look familiar.

I sympathize with you. Mr. blm and I have been "renovating" our charming old home for almost 4 years now.

;)))))

[ulysses]

24. it's a neverending fiesta, is it not?

Once we finish the current redecorating spasm, I've got to make some structural repairs on the old dear...:eyes:

[onethatcares]

25. that's an easy fix

You got what's called "soft brick" for walls, just tapcon some pressure treated 2x4 to it and some drywall, add some mud and viola. New wall and you get the "Honey, you da man!!!"