Behind a thin sheet of plastic...

He's like the Bubble Boy in there,

but it may be time to take his Sawzall away.

Some people will go to great lengths in order to avoid stripping old paint off the woodwork...

A week ago we received greatly appreciated help from our brothers. In about one hour, Dave & Chris had the old staircase out on the front lawn, all three remained in one piece. Then Dave's brother Dan & friend Brian arrived. They built a new landing, put up the new staircase and Dan framed in a new wall for us, all at a leisurely pace, it took about 2 1/2 hours.

While the boys toiled, the most I did was exert my right index finger photographing the event for posterity.

You've seen this before....old stairs and heat duct.

The electric was moved out of harm's way.

Plan of attack.

Demolition is FUN!

Success!

 Crooked 2nd floor.

Lawn ornaments.

New staircase going in.

New landing, staircase & wall.

A huge sigh of relief. Many thanks to Chris, Dan & Brian.

Happily, a friend of ours took the old stairs to use in a barn - much better than throwing them in a landfill.

Dave spent most of one day this past weekend on his knees at the top of the stairs, tearing up the old floor and planing down the floor joists to level off the floor. Now that's done, time to run the heat!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

 

...we have stairs.

Progress...

For those of you who have been lying awake at night, wondering how "Deb & Dave's Living Room Project" is going...

No? That only happens here? Ok then, for anyone who has been mildly curious...

Dave suited up and applied spray-on foam insulation. 
 

Installed new windows.

 

Installed a new front door, discovering rot and carpenter ants in the process.

Before

 

After

 

Hung drywall.

And then he came to a halt at the stairs...

...to replace or not to replace, that is the question.

Don't let their unsightly appearance distract you, we plan to carpet the stairs when we are done with this project.

 

The issue is that by the time you get to the top of the staircase, it is 5/8" out of level. And each tread is slightly hammocked in the center from years of use.

Dave kept saying, "Mike (Holmes) wouldn't like this."
     'Don't cover a problem up; rip it out and replace it.'
     'Do the job right.'
     'How many times do I have to say it...'

And so, with the words of Mike Holmes ringing in our ears, the decision was made. We are going to replace the entire staircase. Out with the old, in with the new. After much measuring, remeasuring, ciphering and contemplating, Dave ordered a staircase to be built and delivered; estimated delivery date is December 1.
This news just in: the stairs are being delivered tomorrow!

We are currently recruiting strong able-bodied volunteers!

It's about time...

Dear Reader,
I am working on a new post and Dave is working on the Westy.
 

Much to share. Check back soon!

ps: I'm contemplating changing the name of this blog from Our VW Adventures to This Crooked Old House.

Food for thought...

Dave & I went to Washington, DC for the weekend to visit family and play tourist. Westy still needs a new water pump so it stayed home. 

Lincoln Memorial

Washington monument from steps of Lincoln Memorial

On our way home we stopped in PA for gas. There was a Westy parked in front of the convenience store so we went over to chat with the guy. He was…different. He looked a bit homeless, with a slight air of potential serial killer. We learned that he bought his vehicle in Minnesota and it has been his home for the past year. He rattled off a long list of cities and states that he has been through in his home on wheels. He showers at YMCA’s, stops at libraries when he needs to use the computer, and has his unemployment checks directly deposited to his bank account.  Kind of a modern-day, out-of-work, rail runner.

Westy rides again!

....and then nearly collapses.

Dave and I finally had the opportunity to go on a little trip in the Westy. We drove (9 hours) to Assateague Island, MD and camped four nights at the state park. It was a short trip with the intention of just relaxing for a few days before returning home to put the living room back together before the snow flies.

 Quintessential Assateague

 

Westy enjoys the sunset...

...while we take a moonlit stroll.

We practically had the beach to ourselves! Maybe the biting flies chased everybody away...

Dave counted 97 steps from our campsite to the beach.

And then the winds came.

Breezy

They started out in the mid-20's in the morning picking up to 36 mph in the afternoon, with gusts to 44. Going onto the beach was like getting sand blasted and our glasses fogged over within minutes with sea spray. We had a ball!

Playing in the surf.

The sea was angry that day my friend.

Ah, there's nothing like a few days at the beach!

The day after our return home Dave noticed anti-freeze on the driveway...the water pump is on the verge of dying. We are very lucky, especially considering that we got stuck in two traffic jams on the way home. Very lucky indeed.

Where's Westy?...

After working non-stop for 15 weeks, Dave finally had this past week off for vacation. Instead of hopping into the Westy and heading for the mountains or the beach, we decided it was high time we gutted the living room and insulated it - in hopes of being slightly more comfortable during the winter months here.

Hey, guys, I'm lonely...

If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, enjoy the photo essay and I won't bore you with excessive words...

Doesn't everyone carpet their dumpster?

Chicken wire nailed to drywall, covered with 1/2 - 3/4" thick layer of plaster. 

It's like tearing down a concrete wall.

'nuff said.

The decision was made early on that we were NOT taking the ceiling down!

I'm not sure but I think he may have been cursing the wall at this point.

Deb tearing apart the stairway leading to the 2nd floor.
 Fortunately these walls were plain old drywall, no plaster.

My first thought, "Did someone bury a sheep in the ceiling?"

There wasn't a speck of insulation in any of the walls; however, I did find this lovely wool-like substance packed into the ceiling in the stairway. It was jammed up against the roof with no vapor barrier of any kind. 

Consequently, it was like ripping down a pinata from hell.

Dave discovered an old fireplace chimney linked to the furnace chimney. There were bricks stuffed into the opening, no mortar, no firewall. 

It takes a crowbar...

HARD work.

Dumpster Dog

"Oh my aching body."

"Before" view of archway looking from living room into dining room.

"After" view, living room to dining room, no more arch.

How much metal does it take to construct an archway?

One 12x14 room, 3 days

~ 4 walls that contained 2 standard-size windows, 1 picture window, and 3 doorways, 

plus the walls & ceiling from the stairway ~

nearly filled a dumpster.

Vacation is over, Westy is still in the garage, and we have lots and lots of work to do.
See ya 'round.