In the previous post, we showed how drains were installed and we laid plastic sheeting as a vapor barrier. We hired the pouring of the floor out to a crew because working with fast setting concrete, leveling it smoothly and sloping it subtly towards each drain requires a very cohesive team of strong workers who know exactly what they're doing.
The whole floor was poured and spread in a day and the following day, after allowing it to set, one crew member came with a concrete saw to cut expansion cracks (Kitty is stepping directly over one, above). These cracks discourage the cement from cracking wherever it wants, whenever it wants.
To finish things out, Shawn replaced the staircase and built a workbench in the corner of the largest space and filled the smallest space with shelves. In case of the apocalypse, the shelves can double as bunk beds.
Now the roof:
The house (basically L-shaped) had part shingles and part metal. We decided to go with an all metal roof because of the longevity. The shingle part of the house still had good sheathing (the wooden boards) underneath with no rot. Shawn removed all the old shingles (two layers), laid new tar paper, then wood purlins (the 2 x 4s) to attached the metal panels to, and finally the 4' x 8' sheets of metal roofing. Not a job for a windy day... (Yes, he is tied on with his special harness.)
The shingle roof, therefore, could be down in sections as seen above. The metal roof, below, had to be completely removed then completely replaced. So we waited for a good, long, sunny weekend in May 2012:
Underneath the metal sheets, we found the original cedar shingles. Dry as kindling, they were just begging to be lit on fire.
Those came off fairly easily revealing the old wooden frame beneath. Where was I while Shawn was on the roof? We laid sheets of plastic on the ground below and Shawn just let everything fall down. I got clean-up duty carting all those old shingles, nails, etc. off the the burn pile or into various trash bins.
The bare boards weren't appropriate for keeping out weather or laying the roofing on, so Shawn placed new plywood and purlins on this roof. Meeting the the previously completed roof was tricky.
All in all, this portion of the roof was completed in just a few days.
(The front's done too, but I don't have a completed picture on hand. Sorry.)
A number of small changes have occurred inside. I've painted a bit, replaced some lighting, refinished some furniture, and placed some "band-aids" here and there. I'll share a number of these small changes in an upcoming post. The next big project is siding. As seen above, the house is about 3/4s asbestos and 1/4 wood siding. We'll also be replacing windows, doors, and re-roofing the mini-porch in front and the one story laundry room in the back. Details to come...
