A Little Sheetrock Repair Explained

This picture is of a linen closet ceiling. The extent of the damage may not show up very well in this picture. There is not one thing out of place, nor a speck of dust in this lady's house. She had her prized linens on the top shelf, thinking they were safe there. However the condensation drain for the air conditioning in the attic above was poorly designed and became plugged by a build up of mildew sludge. Eventually the pan under the A.C. unit began to over flow and did so for some time until she noticed wet items on a lower shelf. You would have thought she found a corpse in there the way she carried on. It wasn't too difficult to fix, this sort of thing happens a lot in these parts.
This picture shows how much of the damaged sheetrock I removed to sound, unaffected wallboard. I did not let the lady see the mold and mildew growth which had accumulated on the back side of the sheetrock. Her husband ran block for me. The pan under the A.C. unit and the tube for the drain are visible to the left. I installed new sheetrock, floated and painted, putting everything back good as new.
This is kind of complicated to do. I will explain how: First thing remove obstructions and put down heavy dropcloths on the floor. Protect yourself. Over my overalls I wear an old army field jacket and cap. I got these cheap at an army surplus store. Put on gloves, a dust mask and eye protection. I always carry ear plugs in a little case in my pocket. Besides your wrecking tools, have a couple of very heavy duty construction type trash bags handy and a shop vacuum. Make sure you have good lighting. While working keep the site clear so you aren't stumbling around like a drunk painter. It wouldn't hurt to take some pictures if you may need to have some reference in the future. You may as well have all the repair materials and tools at the ready; your shop vacuum, hammer, wrecking bar, saw, cordless drill, 2x4's, , screws or nails, sheetrock, "T" square, knives, pans, paper tape, joint compound,etc. If you are repairing an exterior wall you will probably need to re-insulate the affected area as in the case of this ceiling. Take time to set up good lighting and prepare to anticipate what you will need to get all the way from demolition to taping the newly installed sheetrock in one shot.
The basic procedure is: Set up, demolition, demolition clean up, assessment and planning, additional framing (if needed), new sheetrock installation, clean up, taping and final clean up.
Sheetrock is cheap, so you may see during your demolition that by removing a larger piece of sheetrock you may avoid the need to stub in additional framing to attach the new sheetrock.
When you have the new sheetrock properly installed and the site is picked up, go ahead and tape the joints with joint compound and paper tape. When you have this done, then pick up everything and take the dropcloths outside to shake out and fold up. Then vacuum and clean the site. At this point you will be ready to begin the next phase of finishing. Try to accomplish all this in one, fell swoop, stopping only for lunch. Unless you know some really advanced techniques you will be done for the day as the joint compound will need time to dry before further finishing can be done. Good preparation is a wise investment of time and will save you a proportionate amount of time and effort in the execution of the project.
If you are contemplating such a project and need some consultation, just let me know.
Bob The Painter - over and out.

Bob The Painter - Agent Of Change

People call me when they desire change. Time and the elements conspire to make life tired and worn. Peoples' most precious possessions must receive investments of treasure to appreciate in value. Bringing positive change to peoples' lives is what I treasure most in practicing my craft. I approach this privilege with care. When properly done the action makes life better and isn't making life better the point of any improvement project?
The home is the most important financial investment people have. That's what I've heard said. I believe it. Yes, I cause upset with the chaos and dust. Yes, it is unsettling to have me and my dropcloths and my strange tools in your home. Yes, any kind of work can seem pricey. If my customers' plans are sound, if I can give my best, when I'm done and gone their lives are better; their bottom line is improved. Take care of and improve your investment. It shelters the life you live.
I think sometimes I come into peoples' lives in times of trials and tribulation. I don't judge. The greatest treasures are those of the heart in love. I am Bob The Painter and I know how to paint, restore and improve most anything. If I can give aid to help shelter, protect and nurture these treasures for my good customers then I am doing work that is truly worthwhile and my practice is not in vain.
I say, ' protect your greatest treasure and enjoy it while you live.' If I can be of service to you please get in touch.

The Historic Ahwahnee Hotel

This is a view of a portion of the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park in California. I took this picture as I sipped a Martini the size of a bird bath on the terrace with my lovely wife. You will notice that I have a link to the National Parks Service preservation briefs. This grand hotel was restored by or according to the NPS as it is a prominent feature of Yosemite. I saw somewhere on a NPS web page the restoration of this national treasure.
It was all so breathtaking. The hotel has real romance and drama. You expect to see Hollywood stars at any turn, or other power brokers of the world. The room at the top floor with the balcony may have been one of those $1500 per night rooms.
This is really someplace to experience. This is the finest example of the Preservation Heritage that I have witnessed so far in my life. For my money this structure is the bellwether preservation project. This picture is pitiful compared to the grand interior. There is a certain electricity in the air there. Any words I use to describe the experience fall far short. This is the kind of place to go all out spending a golden anniversary. A once in a lifetime experience. I feel sorry for anyone so wealthy as to be bored in this place. They would truly be poor.
I imagine anyone interested could look up Yosemite on the web and go from there. My only advice is take proper clothing and some good hiking shoes. Get a good park map, go straight to your accommodations and park your car. Then get on the first bus you see and go from there. Trust me, you will figure it out. They have hybrid buses which run on biodiesel and they are free. It is a wonder how they move millions of people around a place of such rugged remoteness.

Wood Siding Repair

This picture is of wood siding on an addition of a house in a posh neighborhood. Believe it or not the house had been painted only one year previously. I have ground off the peeling paint with a ceramic wheel which does a good job of removal and feathering.
As near as I could tell there were two principle causes for the premature failure. Number one; the addition, in my opinion, was done by someone with little experience because among other reasons, the re modeler had far too many joints in the siding where he should have used one, long piece. It is sort of piece- meal. Every exposed butt joint had dramatic decay as you can see in the picture. I am not a qualified builder, but I think, on the whole, the addition had fundamental flaws. Failure is sort of built in on this one.
Number two; when the current owners had it re painted, the painter did a 'scrape, spackle and spray' kind of job. His preparation fell very short. So the paint job failed within the first year.
One thing I am sure of is that both owners thought they were getting good deals at the time.
We did the best we could given the budgetary constraints. I replaced a good many pieces of bad siding and rotten trim, eliminating many butt joints. I ground off the peeling paint to a solid, paint able surface. I used a marine grade epoxy primer on the bare wood and used heavy duty filler. I also gave the lady a 3 year warranty. So she and I will haggle the next three years over what is warrantable and what is chargeable. I just want them to have a nice house.
When you build or add on, use a builder who won't cut corners on your most important investment - YOUR HOME!

Plaster Wall Patch

The top photo is of a crack in a plaster wall. At one time there was an unvented gas heater on the floor in front of this wall. I thought it was neat how the crack took the shape of a flame. I had cleaned out the crack and applied a bonding agent.
The bottom picture is of the patch ready to be painted. All of this work was done basically along the lines of the Parks Service Preservation Briefs which I have linked on this blog. Look under patching plaster walls in the index. What do you think of this?
If you need help with something like this let me know.

Coming to Argenta

This time of year business can be slow but it seems that there is a lot to do. Taxes have to be done and the utility bills are high. There is anxiety about the economy. We live in a great country where we elect our leaders, but we have to endure a constant onslaught of election campaigns that feel more like an assault that seems inescapable. Worry and indecision seem to conspire to overrun us all.
I refuse fear. I will keep in mind the day coming when baseball returns to Dickey Stevens Park with the green grass. I will keep struggling with the Ideal. I will keep in mind the jostle and excitement of buying fresh produce at the farmers market. I can't wait to stroll the river walk with my beloved on warm, summer nights. We will admire the skyline across the river.
Further in the future I get excited about our coming new neighbors on Maple Street. Someday we will walk to a grocery store. We will greet and be greeted by name. We'll get a chicken and some vegetables fresh from the farm. We'll cook out and enjoy hospitality with friends around the table in the warm evening air. We get to be a part of history in the making here in Argenta.
Bob the Painter will be busy.

We Have Fun

I love my job. I get to work in all kinds of places and by the time a job starts to get old, I get finished and it is time to move on to the next one. Most of all I like the people I work for. If I didn't already have a name for my company I would call it something like Exorcist Paint Co. I like to get into a place that is hideous, that haunts the occupants, and run off the bad vibes and bring on a fresh, new outlook. I hate the oppression bad surroundings bring.
People call on me when it is time for change in their lives. It is my job to guide them safely to the restful waters and the green pastures they so desire and deserve. My greatest hope in practice of my craft is that I truly improve peoples' lives. My greatest fear is that when I am done that I have not lived up to my craft.
I love the struggle. I love understanding that change is upsetting, but having sure knowledge of how to push through difficulties with the aid of good plans. I love working with people and seeing them come together over a labor of love.
Sometimes the latest news brings me down. But my world is with those I love. If the news is bringing you down get a fresh perspective. Grow and change! Have some fun- get something done.
Aren't I a sap?

Our House

Our house is a Craftsman style built in 1928. For years it had been a rent house duplex. The house had deteriorated to the point of being uninhabitable by humans. Two young ladies ,along with their mother, bought and completely renovated the house. They in turn sold the house to my future wife, we moved in and got married on the trolley.
This house makes a perfect case study of restoration. Here are pictures of the kitchen before, during and after the renovation.
You can see that they removed the plaster and a good bit of the lath. They used sheetrock to do the walls and ceilings. They retained the original windows. They installed cabinets which came from a modern day home center. The counter tops are concrete which they made on site . The floor is tile. The plumbing, electrical and hvac are all new. The walls are insulated with cellulose.
The house was not in the historic district when they did all this. Their purpose was to buy an old, rundown house for cheap in an up and coming neighborhood, fix it up following a tight budget, and sell the house for a profit. I will say that they were very successful. The work they did on this house was a labor of love. I know it must have been emotional for them to finally sell the house after two years of hard work.
Time has gone by and now the historic district has been expanded to include our house. Property values continue to rise in the district with development projects coming to completion. New developments are announced regularly. As I understand the historic district designation comes from the Department of Interior by way of the National Park Service. I've been told that structures in the district can be torn down on the Twelfth of Never, which is the day after Hell freezes over. This changes the economic equations governing homes here. The historic designation affects things such as loans, taxes, insurance, etc.
Experience taking care of owners of property has taught me that properties take on a life of their own. Structures set aside for perpetual preservation will definitely outlive anyone reading this. Sub par improvements of a lasting nature will have a degrading effect on valuation, therefore on the lives of the occupants. Any kind of improvement project, whether good or poor, will challenge the owners to their limits. Primary improvements should make life better.
Primary structural improvements are absolutely justified. I say this because such improvements are very costly and require the supervision of an Architect and/or Engineer. Is this expense going to be recovered with a corresponding appreciating value? Is the outlay justified?
Will anyone take on this question and comment?

Parlor Painting in the Baker House

Here is the current project. It is the Baker House at 5th and Main in the Argenta Historic district of North Little Rock, Arkansas. This marker tells the story of it's origin.
The area pictured to the left is the Parlor.
I will have some more pictures of the exterior once all the seasonal decorating changes are complete over the next few days.
The Baker House is a wonderful Bed and Breakfast. My wife and I spent our honeymoon there and our first anniversary as well. It is owned by Scott and Sonya Miller and the Innkeeper is Guy Mahan. I hope I have spelled that correctly. I will add a link to their site. It is a fabulous House and I look forward to many features of the establishment.