REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 17:55
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Sunday, July 7, 2019 8:32 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Maybe at that point, I'll at least tear down the porch since I can't afford to rebuild it or even stabilize it in any meaningful way that wouldn't potentially leave me open to legal action after selling the thing.
You might want to ask a RE agent about that. Here in CA you're required to disclose known defects (but of course there may be unknown defects.) OTOH there's probably a way of selling a house "as is", so it might be a tossup if the porch is a "feature" or a "bug". Expert advice might be useful!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .

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Sunday, July 7, 2019 11:09 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Maybe at that point, I'll at least tear down the porch since I can't afford to rebuild it or even stabilize it in any meaningful way that wouldn't potentially leave me open to legal action after selling the thing.
You might want to ask a RE agent about that. Here in CA you're required to disclose known defects (but of course there may be unknown defects.) OTOH there's probably a way of selling a house "as is", so it might be a tossup if the porch is a "feature" or a "bug". Expert advice might be useful!



Yeah. I don't know if I'd trust what one of the "experts" said even if they told me it was alright.

Both family and a friend told me that I should just fix up the porch, cover everything up tight and pretend like I didn't know any better. Because, it's not as if I knew how bad the situation was when I bought it.

Not only is that pretty shady, but I just can't imagine I wouldn't possibly be held liable if something bad were to happen. I bought the house as a foreclosure/rehab with flood damage. I could just play dumb. But I don't trust my own mouth when heat comes down. I'm not a good liar. That's also putting a lot of trust in other people not to say anything either.



So I've decided my only two options are selling it as-is with the porch floor open, or tearing down the porch, filling in the hole and re-siding the house before I sell it.

For sure I will be getting the advice of an agent or two on that before I make the decision.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, July 8, 2019 12:02 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Hey Jack!

Just breathe. The house is still an asset.

I know in your situation you can't see fixing it up. Though because I think, long-term, it would be completely doable, it's kind of a shame you're in such a hurry. Be that as it may ...

Houses are sold all the time as 'fixer-uppers'. Like Signy, I do think you need to talk w/ a realtor who knows the applicable laws for known (and unknown) issues.

And I agree, you need to talk with someone who can give you some starting figures, and maybe run a few options by - what would it mean if I did this ... or that. Generally though, I think if you're to going to sell a place as not immediately livable, it's not much use putting a lot of money in. People who want to fix a place up want to put their own stamp on it. Also, clean and tidy is cheap and goes a long way.

Does it have any particularly attractive features? Is it a nice style people would like? It might be worth fixing up one room to be particularly attractive - paint, elbow grease, curtains, and so on - to give people an idea how NICE it could be, to sell them on the future. I know someone who did that with a Victorian(?) with serious structural issues, and it worked! A young couple - apparently with money to burn - fell in love with the house on the strength of one room made to be really pleasant looking, and bought it for a good sum.

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Monday, July 8, 2019 2:43 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


I did that with a house we wanted to seel. There was nothing SERIOUSLY wrong with the house... but the previous owners did a terrible job on the bathroom, kitchen, and one bedroom. I pcked the ugliest room, whihc happened to be the bedroom, and ..

Well, imgaine rust red and mustard brown as the dominatn colors. Wlls and celing: mustard brown. Trim and doors: rust red. Carpeting: mustard brown and rust red outdoor carpet squares.

I fixed the water damage in the (plaster) crown molding, The window trim looked ... lumpy. I was afraid of what I might find under it, but I gritted my teeth and got out the paint stripper, and underneath was beautifully-detailed trim in pristine condition. I painted it white. I stripped the doors ... and underneath the painted doorknobs and plates was crystal and brass. The doors. ceiling, and trim were also painted white. The walls were a lovely sky blue. I stripped off the horrible capreting and cleaned the wood fllors and threw down an oriental-style rug, in pale blueand gold (on sale fromm Sears!) and the room became a picture of loveliness.

The dad of the family that bought it told me that that room sold the house.

Hmmm... I wonder if you could "stage" a room?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .

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Monday, July 8, 2019 4:37 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Oh, and I'm sorry to go on and on ... get some el cheapo lead-test kits, and check wherever you're going to do stripping and/or sanding. I think the age of your house puts it beyond lead paint, but it never hurts to check.

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Monday, July 8, 2019 8:34 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


If I put up trim, window frames and closet doors, I have two bedrooms that are re-done. I resurfaced the hardwood floors and they're beautiful. I fixed a few very large cracks in the ceiling nearly 8 years ago now and they still hold up. I re-painted the rooms using $60 a gallon Benjamin Moore Aura paint that is a matte finish that is washable with soap and water without leaving stains.

Additionally, the walls were really bad because there was, no joke, around 15 layers of paint on them. The reason I knew this is because there was a large bump on the wall in the small bedroom and when I sanded it down it looked like rings of a tree with all the different colors. Walls had some minor cracks and were far from smooth since anybody painting didn't know how or didn't give squat about preparing the walls first.

I'm a perfectionist. They were completely flat before I painted them. They still look as good as they did the day that I painted them (minus 3 holes in the wall for paintings I wish I had never hung up now since I'm fairly sure the small amount of paint I had left over isn't good anymore.

Out in the hallway, I put a hole in the wall that gives access to the relevant area you'd need to do any work on the shower from behind. This would allow the future owners to get to it without having to tear down the shower kit in there now (or a tiled shower if they really upgraded the bathroom. After doing some research, and using the Benjamin Moore Aura paint, the access panel I have there blends completely into the wall and after a year or so I have forgotten that it is even there. The paint may chip a bit now since I don't have A/C in the summer and it's probably been 7 years since I've used it, but it looks great and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than destroying the bathroom to get access.

I also extended the electric junction box at the top of the stairs to the second floor closer to the 1st floor to hang a chandalier in the center of the "box" that is formed in that stairwell beneath a high point in the attic.

I just never bothered putting trim or the closet doors back up.



I should try digging up some of the old pics. I don't know if whatever site I hosted them on to originally post them here years back is even still around anymore, but they might still be up here.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, July 8, 2019 8:42 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Well... Here's some depressing old pics.





This is NOT what my porch and raised garden look like today.

Never used the raised garden after the first year, and it's just been a bed of weeds ever since. I actually tore down the conduit backing I had up there with the nets since I shredded the net on the bottom over the years with the mower and I decided I wanted to actually be able to cut the grass all around it.

The good thing about possibly sticking around long enough to tear out the old patio and put rocks down instead is that I'll have one more layer of patio pavers to build it up. That would actually give somebody clearance to mow underneath the damn thing.

Talk about bad engineering because I was too cheap to buy 10 more bricks. But to be fair, with all the dead grass around it I was originally able to mow underneath it.

Don't even get me started on what the ants did to that patio....

Or what my idiot neighbor let happen to that wooden fence in the back. At least the lawn isn't 4 damn feet high back there anymore. I'm sure he doesn't live there anymore. I don't know if the bank owns it now or what.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, July 8, 2019 8:58 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Here's what my kitchen looked like when I bought it.





I didn't do much to fix it, actually. Just pulled down that horrible border and painted it all white.









Here's a pic of the finished floors and walls. You'll note that none of the trim is back up, and still isn't to this day. Most of it had to be thrown out since it was original junk and painted over a dozen and a half times.







Oh... some before pics of the ceiling and after pics...

(Note, the ceiling didn't look THAT bad when I started. That's all part of the process of fixing it up the right way and the reason why there are still no cracks to this day (even more amazing still with the obvious settling the house has been going through in recent years).

For some reason, I have two layers of sheetrock on every original wall and ceiling of the house. One of them is a concrete wall as well. So those screws holding in the ceiling at the splits to keep the crack from coming back are 2 1/2" drywall screws. It's the only time I've ever had to use drywall screws that long in my life.











Bathroom shower access before/after:







Oh... and the switch for the overhead light inside this room was an addition by me. When I first bought the house, it was outside of the room (because the room had been expanded at some point and nobody bothered to put the light switch in the room where it belongs I guess. I know I have pics of the process somewhere if I can find them.



Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, July 8, 2019 9:18 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Gotta start getting ready to go out...

Taking a trip to the hardware store. I've got some lumber to buy and a new step to build for my front door access.

Hoping I can fix the larger step by just replacing the legs and not having to build an entire new one. It's in much better shape than the lower step was in.

I'll take pics.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, July 8, 2019 9:24 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Hey...

Maybe Wishy can bury the hatchet and post in here too?

Got a bit nostalgic looking back at those old threads and regularly talking with JO, Wishy, Frem and Rionaeire.

Anybody ever talk to Rionaeire? She was a real sweetie. I hope life is going well for her.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, July 8, 2019 1:39 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Hey Jack

THANKS!! for the pix!

I thought Rionaeire had a progressive genetic eye disease and was, sad to say, going blind. Last I knew, computer work was getting really hard for her.

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Monday, July 8, 2019 5:34 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


That's so sad about Rionaeire. :( Hope she's coping with it.




Yeah. I was surprised all of those pics were still up there. There is more, but I didn't have time to sort through them all.


Got a lot done today, but I'm beat. Picked up all the lumber I needed for the step and got a bit of a deal by buying some pre-cut stuff. They didn't have any for the 4x4's though, and the ones I had were kind of shoddy so I bought new.

Finally got to use my miter saw my step-dad gave me when they moved. :)

Cut everything to size, then I took the time to sand all of the sides and even round off every single edge by hand. My back actually is hurting me now. I must have overused muscles I wasn't working out while at the old job or something.

It really looks great. I took some pics of the building blocks I'm working with as I was letting them bake and dry out in the sun. Might give it one more day of drying out before I primer them.

My plan is to primer each piece individually, then build the thing and throw another coat of primer on, then when it's ready I'll put the finish coat on. Between the rounded edges and three coats of quality paint, I don't imagine the ants are going to be living inside of this one anytime soon, even if the gutters don't get replaced right away. :)

I put the thing together without screwing anything down and just stood on it and even not secured it's built like a tank and doesn't wobble in the slightest.

Pretty proud of myself on this one. I'm not a woodworker, and although it's interested me as a potential hobby I've never really done anything with wood that wasn't rough cuts that would be hidden behind walls before.

It took me quite a long time to get what I got done today, but it's going to look great when it's done.




I've got pics, but I don't know when I'll get around to uploading them. I think I'm going to shut my brain off for the rest of the night and relax.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, July 9, 2019 9:00 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


How's your brother doing Brenda?

Sorry, I've been way too self involved recently and haven't expressed my concern about it.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, July 9, 2019 9:03 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


The plan today...

If my boards for the steps are dry enough, I'm going to be putting the primer coat on before I put them together and before the second primer coat goes on.

And, weather permitting, I am going to also primer the columns on my front porch, the minor bits of exposed sub-facia under the shingles in front of the house where gutters *should* be, and primer this really cute piece of furniture I've had for years that has hearts etched in the side of it that I've wanted to do something with for my niece.

I'm going to have to look around and see if there is anything else I wanted to start up so I can kill a whole bunch of birds at once. Nothing comes to mind at the moment, but since this is only the first coat on the stairs I'll have another opportunity later this week.


Not sure when I'll get them up, but I'll take pics along the way.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, July 9, 2019 11:48 AM

BRENDA


Beautiful sunny day here today.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2019 12:22 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Hey SIX, pix of your house make me nostalgiac for my hometown (pop 25,000) They don't look exactly alike, but close enuf that I would feel right at home there. *sigh*

Your house looks quite nice. Since you've been posting about all of the problems, I wasn't sure what to expect but your description didn't do justice to the 95% good. I really like that access panel idea, we were thinking of doing that to our own shower fixtures. How did you place it into the wall? Is it clips of some sort?

Seems like being young(er), fitter, and far more muscular than me, you're able to tackle and complete much bigger projects than I would even envision. I usually can only put in three hours of effort on days when schedule allows (when doctors appointments or other significant errands don't interfere) and then only small things like painting and cleanup and moving things around (with help). Demolition and construction? FUGGEDABOUDIT! I wish I had your energy!

BTW... your prepwork is awesome. When I painted our bedroom I got an up-close view of the walls and trim and decided the NEXT paint job would be preceded by a much MUCH better prepwork! I never really took close notice of the walls, and my so-so eyes let me not see a bunch of defects. Well, live and learn! My plans for the day: walk the dog, see the doctor, move an old bookcase out of the hallway and move over a metal shelving unit that will be set up as a "mudroom" catchall for shoes, phones, shopping bags, purses etc with hooks for umbrellas, dog leashes, hats etc. It's just a(nother) temporary setup that will make the house more functional. I hope to get rid of that bookcase and if thise setup comes close to working out it may be replaced by actual cabinetry.

Which reminds me, better call St Vicent de Paul, I have a couple of boxes of items to give away.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .

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Tuesday, July 9, 2019 7:15 PM

BRENDA


Just started reading Robert Clary's autobiography today. He played Louis LeBeau on Hogan's Heroes. The way he writes sounds just like Louis talking.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 10:05 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Hey SIX, pix of your house make me nostalgiac for my hometown (pop 25,000) They don't look exactly alike, but close enuf that I would feel right at home there. *sigh*



Yeah. Smaller population around here too, although it's surrounded by suburbs everywhere and close to Chicago subs in Illinois so it's not as if there aren't a ton of people everywhere. At least it's a nice quiet block and all the neighbors are nice.

Quote:

Your house looks quite nice. Since you've been posting about all of the problems, I wasn't sure what to expect but your description didn't do justice to the 95% good. I really like that access panel idea, we were thinking of doing that to our own shower fixtures. How did you place it into the wall? Is it clips of some sort?


Thanks! The inside itself looks nice, but that doesn't really matter if it's not structurally sound. I think I've figured out potentially why the roof is doing what it is, but it's not good news and it's not a very easy fix. I've got some thinking to do here.

I bought a kit for that access panel. I'm just going off memory aided by the picture for it, but I believe that the bulk of it was just a hollow square that was placed inside of the wall after the hole was cut, with the flat end right up against the inside of the wall and the protrusion sticking out as far as the drywall on the outside of the hole. Then I would have cut away enough to get a good deal of mud inside everything, sanded it flat and painted over it. The panel itself was designed to be painted on and isn't just flat plastic that paint would easily fall off of. I'm sure I painted that somewhere else and let it dry for about a week before I put it in. Otherwise if I just used a roller over the whole thing it surely would rip paint off the first time I opened it. It was tested a few times to see if it worked good without ruining the paint job and it was fine. I had already fixed my problems before installing it and I never had another problem since though, so I've never actually used it in years. Nice for piece of mind though.

Quote:

Seems like being young(er), fitter, and far more muscular than me, you're able to tackle and complete much bigger projects than I would even envision. I usually can only put in three hours of effort on days when schedule allows (when doctors appointments or other significant errands don't interfere) and then only small things like painting and cleanup and moving things around (with help). Demolition and construction? FUGGEDABOUDIT! I wish I had your energy!


Yeah... I hear ya. There is no way I would have been able to do half of what I've done if I was still in terrible shape. It's still not as easy as it was when I first bought the house too...

My main problem is staying motivated and not being crushed. I found out two more things about my house yesterday that made me throw my hands up in disgust and almost fall back into panic mode. I'm trying not to get scared again.

The racoon is back or never left in the first place. It has been weeks since I heard it, but yesterday as I was fixing some rotted facia (a long story I don't want to get into right now), I heard it over the soffits of that porch. I went up into the attic of the porch (somehting I haven't done in more than a month, and the smell almost made me faint and fall back down the stairs. It's a dutch oven up there at easily over 100 degrees on these hot summer days and the stench was unbearable. There is SHIT EVERYWHERE! Smells like a goddamned zoo up there, and these turds are worthy of a small-to-midsize dog.

I had always assumed that at least mama racoon was going somewhere else to shit, but apparently she doesn't mind shitting where she sleeps and eats. Nasty vermin.

I'm going to figure out how to make ammonia bombs and throw them everywhere up there. That porch has to go. I'm not qualified to fix it and I can't afford somebody else to. I need to get rid of it and button up the home to try to save it.


Quote:

BTW... your prepwork is awesome. When I painted our bedroom I got an up-close view of the walls and trim and decided the NEXT paint job would be preceded by a much MUCH better prepwork! I never really took close notice of the walls, and my so-so eyes let me not see a bunch of defects. Well, live and learn! My plans for the day: walk the dog, see the doctor, move an old bookcase out of the hallway and move over a metal shelving unit that will be set up as a "mudroom" catchall for shoes, phones, shopping bags, purses etc with hooks for umbrellas, dog leashes, hats etc. It's just a(nother) temporary setup that will make the house more functional. I hope to get rid of that bookcase and if thise setup comes close to working out it may be replaced by actual cabinetry.

Which reminds me, better call St Vicent de Paul, I have a couple of boxes of items to give away.



Thanks again. Yeah. I had a good teacher. Prep work is 90 percent of the job. At least for me, sadly, it's my least favorite part of the job. I love the painting part, but not so much that I want to repaint everything every couple of years. It's also why I sprung for the best paint on the market and paid double the price at the time for it too. Those walls, even without washing them, still look as good to this day as they did when I fixed and painted them.


Rain today.... :(

Gotta figure out what I'm going to get done.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .



Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 12:56 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
How's your brother doing Brenda?

Sorry, I've been way too self involved recently and haven't expressed my concern about it.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



As far as I know he is doing okay. He was transferred to a hospital in the city he lives in. His wife said that his left leg is getting stronger. Still not sure how long he will be in the hospital.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 12:57 PM

BRENDA


Rained last night.

On the flip side this thing is giving me trouble today. Think it has about had it.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 12:58 PM

BRENDA


Also off to the chiropractor I go.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 7:06 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Good to hear it sounds like your brother is doing well Brenda :)



No rain today. Yay! It's been about 10 days without rain now. That's what I've literally been praying for and looks like there isn't much if any in the forecast. Just about 20% chance the next 10 days.

HUGE difference, as far as ant activity. May they all dehydrate and die.

Managed to put a second coat of primer on the existing facia and the two pillars. From the street, everything looks great now. Hell... from up close it looks pretty good too. You'd really have to have a trained eye to tell that something is amiss.

Went out after that and picked up a few gallons of ammonia for the racoon. Thought about mixing it with bleach to really smoke them out, but everybody seems to think that's a really bad idea.

I'm going to try just the ammonia first, but desperate times call for desperate measures. If I have to sleep out in the garage for a few days I will if that's what it takes to get them out. Seeing what I saw yesterday I really don't care if they get poisoned and die. I'm so done with this.


Put two coats of primer on my steps today too. I still haven't built them. I may even put a third coat on after they're built to seal it all in together, then put two coats of the finish on there. That ought to seal it all in nice.

This attic is falling apart. I'm going to have to figure out something to prop that front porch overhang and build new supports, or if I'm lucky, the existing pillars are long enough to put new anchors through at a higher point.

I might have to bite the bullet and get the city involved and get some legit advice at some point. From the street everything still looks fine, but I don't know how long that's going to last. I don't know why everything seems to be falling apart at the same time so quickly.




Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 7:42 PM

BRENDA


Thanks Jack. Yeah, he seems to be doing okay.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 7:43 PM

BRENDA


Wire, wire, wire. All I need is a little bit of wire to finish doing up my dad's metals in a shadow box then I can hang them up.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 9:10 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


If mama racoon was up there today, she didn't make a peep while I was stomping around. That's the first time I went fully up there. I was really tentative at first. I had full jeans on, but I had to do it shirtless since it's easily over 100 degrees up there. I was drenched after my 2nd shower of the day. :(

I didn't exactly know how to make an "ammonia bomb", and putting that search into Google gave a bunch of hits to websites that I didn't feel comfortable popping up. I'm probably on a damn watch list now.

So I had a 10 pack of plastic tumblers I bought at the dollar store too. I filled them all up and put them at various places all around the porch attic. I also found two old crappy rags, soaked them, then draped them over the area I knew the racoon used to get into the house attic in an attempt to keep her from relocating in the house again.

Then I poured a bunch of it all over her shit piles. Thought twice about just whipping it out and officially marking my territory...

For now.



Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019 11:30 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Gorram Ants...



$20 of Lumber



Built like a tank, and smooth as hell...






This isn't actually screwed together or anything yet. I just Lincoln-Logged them together to see what it would look like and stood on them. Rock solid and didn't wobble in the slightest.


I'll have to get pics of the primered pieces, and then I'll take pics of it when I put it together, paint it, etc.




I'm super proud of this. I've never really built anything out of wood since a wood shop class in high school. Only really did rough carpentry hidden behind walls since then.

I joked with my mom today that if the house caves in and I have to sell the land as-is, I'm taking these damn steps with me when I go.




I'd actually kind of like building the larger 2nd step with the hand rail from scratch instead of just making new legs for it since it's so shitty compared to mine. Unfortunately, money is kind of an issue now and I've got better things to spend it on at the moment...

Maybe I'll see if I can't take the old one apart. If the integrity is still there like I suspect it is beyond two of the legs that have gone to the wild, maybe I can take my time and do it all the right way with the existing lumber instead of just half assing it with a paint job.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Thursday, July 11, 2019 11:37 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Really late start for the day for me, unfortunately. I was exhausted after working out in the 95 degree heat all day, but I couldn't seem to get any real amount of sleep for some reason. It's 20 degrees cooler for the high today and I've already squandered the morning. Oh well...

I think I'm going to put those stairs together and put the finish coat on the columns and the exposed facia today. At least get a coat of primer on the stairs or maybe even the first coat of actual paint too...

I've got to find a countersink bit. Hope I've got one in either my go-to drill bit set or one I've yet to open. I know I have one somewhere, but if neither of those sets contain one I have no clue where it is. I really need to start getting all of my tools organized now that I'm clearing out all of this space.


I'll have more pics later hopefully.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Thursday, July 11, 2019 12:06 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Hrmmmmmm...

Hindsight being 20/20, I kind of wish I put all the pilot holes in the wood before I primered it. Oh well...

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Thursday, July 11, 2019 12:06 PM

BRENDA


Guess I'll lug my umbrella today. Looks like it could rain.

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Thursday, July 11, 2019 8:12 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


So...

My late start meant plans changed. I was really wiped out after working nearly 12 hours in the 95 degree heat yesterday anyhow. It was nice and only in the mid 70's today, so after the garbage men came I decided to fill the cans right back up again.

I got rid of some of the hoard in the garage. I've got to say that it's really nice to have some space on my work bench as well as quite a bit of clearance on both sides of my car when I park it. Even more space if I didn't have my stair project in front of my tool bench right now.

I did manage to assemble the stairs today, but I didn't open up any cans of paint. I've got some company coming over tomorrow and I'm going to spend a few hours cleaning house before I go to bed. I'll probably put on some more paint tomorrow afternoon after they leave. It's so nice to be so caught up on all the lawn and weed maintenance so I can focus on projects and stuff.


Picture time. :)

Here's all of my building blocks with two coats of primer:



The legs assembled (I couldn't find my countersink bit, of course....):



The only screws going into the planks you walk on are from the bottom (at least right now):



I really love the way this looks without putting screws down in from the top. It would also keep any water from building up around the screws and screw holes too. I'm just afraid that it might not be stable enough for the long term. What do you think?





I'm thinking before putting another coat of primer on or any finish paint coat that I'll try to find my countersink bit or bite the bullet and buy a new one. I could then just add a few more screws from an angle coming up from the insides of the legs to get another 1 or 2 into each leg for additional support without screwing through the top. Maybe I'll even spring for some wood filler that's sandable and really do it up right before finishing it?

I took a look at the larger step with the hand rail in the back today that I was considering just replacing the legs and sanding and repainting it. It was really shoddy work. The ends of the plank on top were cut bad, they are different sizes by anywhere from 1/8th to 1/4 inches, and they didn't even bother sanding down the bad cuts, let alone any of the corners or edges. There's also a thin layer of mildew/algae that has grown on it that would probably just gunk up any sandpaper I tried using almost immediately if I tried to save that lumber...

Not to mention that there's about a billion screws coming from the top that not only make it look shoddy, but is the source of a lot of peeled paint too. It's obvious that they didn't even bother making pilot holes first since the wood is split quite a bit.

To be honest, I'm surprised that it's still standing, even without the damage at the bottom of a few of the legs from wood rot and ants.

I'll probably go and pick up more lumber. I already have what I need for the feet. I'd just need a 12' length of 2x4's and maybe two 8' lengths of 2x6's to get it done. And a box of screws... Since I've already got the paint and primer, it might only run me another 20 bucks for the wood.

I'll have to get a picture of the piece of crap that's out there now. :)




Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, July 12, 2019 9:47 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


A little bit of house cleaning today and I get to see my niece.

Also going to pick up a tool that my step-dad is sending me that he bought when they were going to come over to help me with the porch initially. Awesome little mini-chainsaw type thing that I've never seen before. Slices through wood like butter. Great for any future demolition I'm going to be doing.

I've got a maple tree that seems to be slowly dying. There are two very large limbs that have no leaves at all near the bottom of the tree. I'm going to have to find a way to take care of that sooner than later. One large branch extends out toward the street. Nobody ever parks there car in front, but kids to walk back and forth to school around us. We don't have sidewalks, so they tend to walk on the street, and there isn't much through traffic or walking around here, but it is a potential problem that needs to be taken care of before somebody gets hurt.

Chainsaws and step ladders. What could go wrong?



Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, July 12, 2019 9:53 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Oh...

I found those pics of the light switch that I had to bring into the bedroom:









Honestly, I forgot how tricky that was. Kind of cool that I have a bit of a diary of the previous work I've done right on this site. :)


And that used to be what my best friend called "The Clown Room" before I fixed it up.









Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, July 12, 2019 12:42 PM

BRENDA


Out in a bit. Books to donate and the weather can't make up its mind.

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Friday, July 12, 2019 10:55 PM

BRENDA


My brother has been transferred back to a rehab facility in the city I live in. He says he hopes to be out next week and home.

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Friday, July 12, 2019 11:38 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
My brother has been transferred back to a rehab facility in the city I live in. He says he hopes to be out next week and home.

Thanks for the update, Brenda. That is good to hear.

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 2:39 AM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
My brother has been transferred back to a rehab facility in the city I live in. He says he hopes to be out next week and home.

Thanks for the update, Brenda. That is good to hear.



We'll see kiki. He thought he'd be home this week.

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 3:30 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
My brother has been transferred back to a rehab facility in the city I live in. He says he hopes to be out next week and home.

Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Thanks for the update, Brenda. That is good to hear.

Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
We'll see kiki. He thought he'd be home this week.

Hm. Well, time works wonders.

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 3:43 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


SIX I'm still trying to wrap my head around the color scheme of that one room....

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 3:51 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


lol yeah. Pretty gross.

If the mold wasn't going to scare me off and save me from buying this house, too bad the primary color room didn't.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:38 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


I can't make up my mind about those stairs. It's not just a matter of money here, but a matter of time. There's still a ton of stuff I need to be getting done with the house and it's a super time consuming process. I think I just need to take it one step at a time and get the other step finished and button up that exposed facia in the front and try to figure out of the racoon is gone so I can start cleaning up the porch attic and seal off the house attic from the porch.

That last part is pretty scary. I really don't know how I'd know if the racoon is still up there or not. I could be picking up after her and she could sneak up on me and bite me on the ass or something.

At least the ammonia didn't seem to drive her back into the house attic though. There's no mistaking when she's up there.



Oh jeez... The weather just changed again. We weren't supposed to have rain at all in the next week to 10 days. Now there's a 50% chance of thunderstorms today and 40% chance tomorrow.

Ugggg... nasty. It's also going to be in the 90's every day this week. Going to be sweating in my house even when I'm doing nothing.


Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 1:08 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
My brother has been transferred back to a rehab facility in the city I live in. He says he hopes to be out next week and home.

Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
Thanks for the update, Brenda. That is good to hear.

Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
We'll see kiki. He thought he'd be home this week.

Hm. Well, time works wonders.



True enough. But it also just shows how bad his left leg was hurt.

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 1:09 PM

BRENDA


Had a power outage here this morning. Don't know what happened. It went out around 8:33 that's when the stove clock stopped.

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 1:21 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


CLEANING UP AFTER A RACCOON:

Gloves.
Mask.
Shovel and plastic bags.
More shovel and more plastic bags.
Bleach and a bucket of bleach-water.

TAKE A GOOD SHOWER AFTERWARDS

I'm trying to figure out what else you need to do to protect yourself from raccoon parasites and diseases. One of those parasites is potentially brain-eating (altho you have to eat raccoon shit in order to be infected. But if you breathe in contaminated dust that might do it, too.)

With all of that heat and humidity, plus working in an attic, you have my sympathy! we've been having 90+ weather lately too, but it's not anywhere near as humid, and I still sweat my ass off just working outdoors.

Try to do your attic work in the AM.

Do you own a fan, or two or three? It might help to position a fan to cool you off while you're working up there, plus sitting in the breeze of a fan after a shower is very refreshing.

Stay hydrated! Hubby swears by Powerade Zero, but if you don't want to spend the bucks make sure to salt your food well, and drink plenty of water.

*****

BTW, I was looking at the pix of your work in detail. You're a perfectionist, I think; ou do good work! Nice electrical!

That "clown room" ... it looks like you removed the carpet to expose the hardwood floor, correct?

*****

My "near term" plans were derailed by needing to button up the holes under the (six) sinks that the plumbers created when they replaced our iron waste lines with ABS. Right now we're just using cardboard; hubby is doing all of the hard under-sink work* and I'm his trusty helper.
*I developed a strange problem, when I lie down on my back and roll my eyes "upward" - t the top iof my head - INSTANT and overwhelming nausea! I first noticed it when I was putting some shelving together and I thought it was just a one-off, I next noticed it when I was working underneath a sink. I have no idea how that developed; supposedly I could see a doctor and get the problem fixed (otolith wandered into the wrong place in my ear, or something) but I just didn't want to take the time/spend the money.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876 .

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 4:42 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Jack, I didn't want to pound on this topic too heavily because I didn't want to be the only one and look like chicken little and get dismissed offhand. But when I called raccoons filthy and nasty, and a bunch of other negative descriptors over my posts I was referring to: their habits (shit oozy poop everywhere), their health risks (crap-ton of viruses, bacteria, and parasites carried internally, externally, and in their poop, that you don't want to get), and their nature (aggressive / unafraid).

http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/agricult/pdf/raccoons.pdf

In addition, while they aren't rodents and don't chew their way into everything, they have VERY clever hands and minds*. For example, they will work normal live-traps open and escape. (They'll also work chicken roosts open, pet doors open, and so on.) And they do find small structural weaknesses and work them open as well. So after clean-up, if you want to make sure you're excluding them, find out where they're coming in and block / nail / screw with whatever heavy-duty / strong / permanently attached thing you can get to keep them out.

* I should have included that they're also strong, persistent, and good climbers.

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:09 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Well... the since one that I have seen behaved as if she was afraid after days/weeks of banging on walls and growling through them 10 times louder than she could. Once I knew she was up in the porch attic back then and I finally built up the nerve to open that door and point that flashlight around and spotted those beady eyes staring at me, it took her a few moments to realize that I was looking directly at her and when she did she ducked out of sight.

That all means nothing though if I actively back her into a corner and/or mess with any kids she's got up there.

Trust me, I've taken everything you've both said about the racoons to heart. I'm not so far as like Howie Mandell where I go around with latex gloves on 24/7 because of germs, but I believe I have a healthy and rational fear of those microscopic monsters that live in unclean places... especially after what they've done to my jaw bones.

I just wish I was more up on my tech these days and I had a camera that I could put up there and monitor for motion 24/7, just to see what the situation is and take the guesswork out. Night or day, I would have no idea what potentially bad situation I could be walking into by going up there.

I'm glad she's been out of the house attic for weeks now, but at least when she was up there I could sort of monitor her activity because of the noises she'd make (usually sometime around sun-up and sundown, but not exactly like clockwork).

But apparently she's been living up in that porch attic for weeks without me even knowing. What little noise she does make during the day when I'd be out there having a smoke break or cooling off with ice water under the fan was incidental and I didn't hear it. I just got lucky the other day that I was working out front of the house that close for a few hours and happened to hear her stirring above the soffit in the front of the porch during hte middle of the day. Thankfully, the smell of crap isn't in the house itself, so I was unaware of the mess up there even until I had to go up there to check it out.


I took the day off. We'll see if that was a mistake or not tomorrow. Thunderstorms now. I never put the facia back up, or even got that finish coat on. But as long as we don't have torrential winds blowing the rest of the aluminum off, I'd have to say that it's probably more protected from the elements now with the caulk and two coats of primer even without aluminum up there than it was before I found out how bad that situation was.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, July 13, 2019 9:17 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Do you own a fan, or two or three? It might help to position a fan to cool you off while you're working up there, plus sitting in the breeze of a fan after a shower is very refreshing.



As hot as it is up there and as miserable as I'll be, I really don't like the idea of blowing around a bunch of killer bacteria particles to get into my eyes and nose and mouth. I mean, I've got a good hepa filter mask and some goggles, but I had those when I bleached the vapor barrier in my crawlspace years back and it still burned the hell out of my lungs. I think I'm going to have to deal with the heat.

Quote:

Stay hydrated! Hubby swears by Powerade Zero, but if you don't want to spend the bucks make sure to salt your food well, and drink plenty of water.


Water is free.

*****

Quote:

BTW, I was looking at the pix of your work in detail. You're a perfectionist, I think; ou do good work! Nice electrical!


Yeah. I'm a perfectionist for sure. :)

It's why I never really got into doing the work for money. I take too long to get things done. When I'd work for my friend's dad who taught me a lot of the stuff I know, he'd often tell me "This ain't the Taj Mahal".

Quote:

That "clown room" ... it looks like you removed the carpet to expose the hardwood floor, correct?


Yeah. The entire 2nd floor had beautiful hardwood floors that I refinished. I didn't even know about them when I first bought the house. I had always planned on refinishing the hardwood on the first floor that I knew about when I bought the place, but I doubt I'm going to be sticking around long enough to ever get to that. They really don't look that bad. The 2nd floor was beat to shit though, so that's why somebody decided to just cover it with carpet at some point.

*****

Quote:

My "near term" plans were derailed by needing to button up the holes under the (six) sinks that the plumbers created when they replaced our iron waste lines with ABS. Right now we're just using cardboard; hubby is doing all of the hard under-sink work* and I'm his trusty helper.
*I developed a strange problem, when I lie down on my back and roll my eyes "upward" - t the top iof my head - INSTANT and overwhelming nausea! I first noticed it when I was putting some shelving together and I thought it was just a one-off, I next noticed it when I was working underneath a sink. I have no idea how that developed; supposedly I could see a doctor and get the problem fixed (otolith wandered into the wrong place in my ear, or something) but I just didn't want to take the time/spend the money.



Jeez... I've never heard of that before. I hope it's nothing serious!

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Sunday, July 14, 2019 2:28 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


"hepa filter mask"

Well! I get to put some of my environmental lab work knowledge to use!

Briefly, a HEPA mask filters out very fine particles. There are other filters that chemically adsorb ammonia, others that adsorb VOC (organic solvents), or sulfuric acid vapors, and so on.

When it comes to half (or full) face masks with replaceable filter cartridges, one USED to be able to purchase individual cartridge types that you could screw one into the other in a stack, that you could then screw into your half (or full) face mask respirator, so that you could customize your cartridges for the job. Do you need HEPA + VOC like for paint spray work? Or HEPA + acid for metal plating? So, for example, you personally would have been able to stack a particulate filter on top of an ammonia filter. But sadly, the a$$holes in industry decided to outsmart the consumer, and created generic 'multipurpose' filters that may or may not meet your needs, or single-purpose filters you CAN'T stack. Pisses me off.

Moving on ...

Here are the various designations for disposable particulate filters you might run in to:
Respirator Rating Letter Class
N - Not oil resistant
R - Resistant to oil
P - Oil Proof
Respirator Rating Number Class
95 - Removes 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter
99 - Removes 99% of particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter
100 - Removes 99.97% of all particles that are 0.3 microns in diameter or larger. Those are the same specs as as 'HEPA' filter.

You'll see for example N95 disposable masks in hardware stores. For the work you're doing, I think they have too much leakage around (10%) and through (5%) the mask. See at the least if you can pick up an N100, which filters more of the smaller particles and is generally made with a better fit and lower leakage rate.
Or even better, see if you can get a half-mask respirator with replaceable cartridges, though those are quite a bit more expensive.
If you DO get a half-mask respirator, see if it fits well (called a 'fit test'). Take the cartridges off, put the mask on, block the cartridge openings with your hands and breathe in. You should be sucking a vacuum, with no leakage. (Formal fit tests are more rigorous: while wearing a mask with filter you have a plastic bag put over your head with the bottom open - they're not trying to suffocate you! - with a severe irritant - dioctyl phthalate - introduced into the bag. If the mask fits well, you never breathe the irritant in. If it doesn't fit well, the tester gets immediate feedback as you choke and cough.)

I also looked up ammonia.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207883/
Nonlethal, irreversible, or long-term effects occurred when damage progressed to the tracheobronchial region, manifested by reduced performance on pulmonary function tests, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, emphysema, and bronchiectasis.
Nondisabling reversible effects were manifested by irritation to the eyes, throat, and nasopharyngeal region of the respiratory tract.
**The odor of ammonia can be detected by humans at concentrations >5 ppm; the odor is highly penetrating at 50 ppm (10 min). Human volunteers exposed to ammonia showed slight irritation at 30 ppm (10 min); moderate irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and chest at 50 ppm (10 min to 2 h);** moderate to highly intense irritation at 80 ppm (30 min to 2 h); highly intense irritation at 110 ppm (30 min to 2 h); unbearable irritation at 140 ppm (30 min to 2 h), and excessive lacrimation and irritation at 500 ppm. Reflex glottis closure, a protective response to inhaling irritant vapors, occurred at 570 ppm for 21- to 30-year-old subjects, 1,000 ppm for 60-year-old subjects, and 1,790 ppm for 86- to 90-year-old subjects.

** You want to be under 50 ppm and your indicator will be "moderate irritation to the eyes, nose, throat, and chest".

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0028.html

The IDHL (immediately dangerous to life or health) concentration is 300 ppm.

The OSHA PEL TWA is 50 ppm.
The OSHA PEL (permissible exposure limit) is the maximum TWA (time weighted average) concentration you can be exposed to when averaged over an 8 hour day and 40 hour week, which is 50 ppm. (As an example if the first 4 hours of your day you're exposed to 100 ppm you can have no exposure the rest of the day. But obviously, you can only go so far limiting exposure by limiting time at high concentrations. At high concentrations you can be injured, rendered incapacitated, or even killed.)

The NIOSH REL (recommended exposure limit) TWA is 25 ppm. That is thought to be the exposure safe for a full-time worker over a lifetime.

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Sunday, July 14, 2019 11:12 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Shows what I know... I know mine were 95... not 100.

I also didn't know you needed separate cartridges for separate functions either.

I have a half mask that you snap the circular cartridges on. I haven't used it in years though. I'll test it out like you said before I do. Thanks for the tip and the info.




And I probably had 500ppm or more with the bleach for around 4 hours when I cleaned it. I was in bad shape afterward and had to miss work for a few nights. When I tried smoking a cigarette shortly afterward it felt like somebody had burned my lungs. Whenever I get really sick in the winter (about once every other year) the bronchitis that sets in usually lasts a few weeks after I'm over it. That never happened until the bleach incident.



Damn... I didn't even know Ammonia was the same type of thing. I just thought it was an unpleasant smell. I can't imagine how a racoon is going to stay up there since I emptied nearly an entire bottle into 10 plastic cups and poured some on rags and the flooring. I might have killed it in it's sleep if it didn't vacate on its own after I got out of there.
.
Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Sunday, July 14, 2019 3:42 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Also, fwiw it's not a good idea to mix bleach with ammonia, or bleach with substantial amounts of urine, or bleach with substantial amounts of poop, as that can create toxic chlorine gas and toxic chloramine gas. I did that once when I accidentally peed into a toilet I was bleaching out (I forgot it still had bleach in it). I know that windpipe and lung pain you posted about, though probably not as well as you do! I think bleach bottles do have that caution about not mixing with ammonia on them.

Now that you know what IDL (immediately dangerous to life and health), OSHA PEL (permissible exposure limit) TWA (time weighted average) maximum exposure averaged over 8 hours, and NIOSH REL (recommended exposure limit) TWA are; you could probably reasonably well look up whatever you want to look up in the NIOSH pocket guide.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/default.html

I'm not sure how the professionals clean up and sanitize after an animal infestation. That, sadly, isn't in my repertoire of knowledge to pass along.


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Sunday, July 14, 2019 6:21 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


However, this is my personal, unexperienced plan I would try, and see how well it works out. Double glove with at least one set covering up onto the forearms / disposable Tyvek® Coverall (available at hardware stores and online, but as I've been told, it's as hot as wearing a plastic bag. I've been told that professionals who use them wear them on top of underwear only.) / N100 (HEPA) particulate mask / 7th Generation sanitizing wipes (funky-smelling herb-oil based anti-bacterial wipes that also do a good job cleaning) / safety goggles / heavy duty trash bags for waste / thermometer to monitor ambient temperature / perhaps a good 4 x 4 piece of plywood to move around to span the ceiling joists as a platform

Perhaps I'd start with a sprayer and a dilute deterg solution and spray down anything really dusty or friable (eg insulation, old boxes), just enough to keep the dust down. Then I'd manually // clean up (with wipes) / wipe up (with wipes) / gather up (eg insulation, old boxes) // toss out // as much stuff as I could, to reduce the physical, biological and chemical load as much as possible. After the place appears physically clean, I'd get out the trusty sprayer and fill with a standard sanitizing solution (I'd need to think about bleach v lysol v any other ..) and spray all previously contaminated surfaces with enough solution to keep the surface damp for the specified time (with bleach, it's 10 minutes).

Now, irl, any of these steps might stumble into unanticipated problems. But that would be my initial plan.

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