I have poked myself with a screw driver while trying to get the new blade into a box cutter, and it's a wonder the blade itself didn't do any damage. As it was the screwdriver drew blood. Then I pricked my fingers upteen times with the little nails on the strips that hold carpet down.
Joe and Donald pulled up all the carpet today. It was a real mess, as some of the foam padding was like new whereas in traffic areas it left a fine dust. Joe and Donald pulled carpet, tacking strips, staples, etc., and I tried to keep up with sweeping the debris and dust. I am plumb wore out!
It's a real good thing I decided to pull the carpet up NOW so as to get the Pergo down sooner rather than later. I found several spots indicating leaks - at least one of which was still damp, and a couple which will require cutting out and inserting good plywood. None of this was evident from the carpet or walls, so when Steve comes over tomorrow I will see what his recommendation is - I may just need regular gutters, or recoating the roof - but I need to fix the problem before putting down any flooring.
It's a good thing this place was free to me or I might be a little more upset about it. Buying something dating from 1963 is almost a guarantee of finding some sort of problems, especially when a single older woman, such as myself, lived here for 20 years. I'm not much good at maintenance, and she might have been marginally better. It may mean I will have to delay the replacement of the kitchen range, but if that's what it takes I'll just deal with it. I am still happy with the basic dwelling and can see its potential for improvement.
Poor Lady, watched her favorite resting spots being removed one by one. She likes to move around the room and go from room to room throughout the day. Joe saved a couple of decent pieces of carpet so she can go to a couple of other rooms and not have to lie on a hard plywood floor. I set her bed in front of the double doors where she loves to watch the people and dogs going by. I will be anxious to see if the smoke odor in the bedroom abates even further, as I hope it does. I think it is getting better but sometimes when I walk into the bedroom it hits me like a ton of bricks.
This turns out to be a relatively conservative neighborhood, and I don't fit in well to be begin with. Today while we were working and wanting some music, I used the TV music channels - a couple of hours of great Honky Tonk, and a couple of hours of Classic R&B. This is the R&B and goes back to the late 50's/early 60's and was my kind of music then. No one stopped to complain, but I will bet I'm being talked about somewhere in the Park. I certainly won't lose any sleep over it. We needed the music loud enough to hear in the back (the TV is in the front of the house), and I did turn it down somewhat when we got to the living room.
I don't know if I can summon the strength to fix much of a supper, but maybe another Miller High Life will give me a slight nudge in that direction. I've been drinking water by the gallons all day long - working in all the dust and around the tobacco smell does that. Maybe I'll post some pictures tomorrow but for now I'm just too tired to pick up the camera.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Probably about the same time the rest of us did! Now that's a brief post...6 words, got to be a record. :)
ReplyDeleteSeems like that's too often the case. You go to fix one problem and underneath you find more.
ReplyDeleteBUT like you say, the house was free so you could never have as much time or money in it as you would in buying one.
Hope the smell goes away and your roof doesn't leak.
Will Febreeze help with the smoke smell?
ReplyDeleteOtherwise with the carpet gone and walls painted, it should take most of the smell away.
We're still dealing with smells in here. I bought a rug shampooer this week so hopefully that will help. There's also a lot of painting to be done but I'm a lousy painter so we'll have to hire that done.
We bought a ranch house from a woman who smoked 5 packs a day (she did die shortly after she moved out). We painted, removed all carpeting, draperies and valances and had the heating ducts for the forced air heating/ac system cleaned. That made the biggest difference! Except in the kitchen - We also discovered that the particle board in the kitchen cabinets had absorbed the smell so had to replace the entire kitchen.
ReplyDeleteWhat about an air purifier? Would that help? They make real small electronic ones that don't have a fan, so they will not bother your sleep or your music.
ReplyDeleteJust keep thinking about all that dirt and debris you tore out and tossed away with that old carpet. Will it ever rain in Ca enough to find out if the ceiling is leaking? Maybe the garden hose will need to be used.....
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you tore out the carpet.
ReplyDeleteDid she have a dog? Maybe there have been no leaks, just an older dog? If so, there's a solution you can mop on the wood to clean it before you put new floor covering down.
Hi Gypsy,
ReplyDeleteWhen we sold my parents mobile home a few years ago, we used a sealer product called Kilz 123. Its found in paint stores. They had spraying cats, so even removing the entire house of carpet, the smell was still in plywood floors. Painted this on floor and the smell was gone! I would recommend this to you for smoke smell if you still find it after carpeting is gone.
It sure sounds like you are making progress. It will be great when you are all done:)
ReplyDeleteGet some good rest tonight....sounds great that the carpet is gone! I like the idea of using the Kilz 123...it sure couldn't hurt. Take care of yoursel Gypsy. We are all thinking about you..
ReplyDeleteTricia