Getting our hands dirty
We’ve been a bit silent, but still hard at work with many ‘little’ projects and a few ‘medium’ ones.
The little stuff. I (Nova) installed a new sump pump in the basement and placed a few strategic leak-catching buckets to help combat all this rain. I’ve been mapping out the current electrical and plumbing systems. That will allow us to start diagnosing and developing a treatment plan. We’ve uncovered and cleaned more windows. I’ve also collected some dead insects for a little memento display.
There is news to share about our one and only tenant: the resident pigeon has ‘moved on.’ We promise we didn’t ‘evict’ it ourselves. On the bright side that means we have started to really clean up its previous living quarters, particularly its oversized bathroom.
The first pass. What’s more exciting is that we finally had the time for our first long weekend of spring cleaning. We started on the fourth floor cleaning up garbage, debris, and 20+ years of dust. So much of what was left behind is trash, but we are also sorting out what we can donate, sell, or recycle. We’ve got three more floors and basement to do, but it’s so satisfying to see the clean(-er) empty rooms!
The first (temporary) repairs. I patched one small section on the shingle roof that was missing. It’s not pretty or perfect, but it’ll do until we’re ready for the total roof replacement. One leak down, at least 3 more to go! I also carefully secured and removed some glass in windows that were unstable or starting to come apart.
Let’s pretend I look beautifully windswept rather than frizzy, sweaty, and tired.
“Damn airline better not f*ck us on the shingle match.” - Eddie in Donnie Darko (2001)
Front Lawn. Bekah did a first pass on trimming and edging the lawn, while I cleaned out years of street litter that was blown into the shrubs. Bekah also tackled an overgrown rosebush that was knotted up with a vine. The defining details of the vine weren’t obvious until we found it trailing up the side of the building and into the window sashes… poison oak. Vine 1, Our Arms 0. For the rematch we’ll wear even more protective gear.
Returning to 1938. The blueprints from the 1938 renovation have made the evolution of layout changes clear. After the designed adjustments in 1938, there were several phases of conversion work to accommodate apartment-style living quarters. By knowing the original layout, we feel confident about returning certain areas to their original configuration. There are many potential futures for this building, but we do not intend to return it to an exclusively residential building that would require the current quantity of plumbed toilets and showers.
The first major pathway we restored was access to the rear 1/3rd of the first floor without having to detour through the second floor. To get the original front-to-back hallway accessible we will reopen two doorways and take out a full bathroom.
We also re-opened the 3rd floor elevator access that had been sealed. Very cool (and a bit scary) to look in the elevator shaft.
The mystery. There was also a room on the 2nd floor that we had yet to see! The door on the other side of the space is caulked shut and has a toilet blocking it. The door in question was jammed shut from warping and shifting in the trim and floor. There were several attempts to leverage the door open. After cutting out a section of carpet and removing the rusted hinge pins, it finally gave way! According to the blueprints, it was an anteroom for the elevator and a half bath. And it was, mostly. The half bath was now just an empty room, but the original elevator door was still there, complete with “_LEV_TOR” painted on the security glass!
The Posterior Roof Transplant (rear roof replacement) finally happened! More on that in another post!