Operation "Vacation": Day 6 & 8
It is done. The problem that has been plaguing us since- well since we bought the house is now officially taken care of. I'm referring, of course, to our crumbling chimney, or what once was our chimney anyway. We were to the point where we would cringe every time the wind blow hard enough or a storm came through, expecting to hear the rumblings of bricks showering down from our house onto our neighbor's. We got a few estimates from chimney companies to do the work, and they ranged from a shocking $2,500 to $4,000. We took this conundrum to the all knowing family, who promptly sent a team up to help. We cannot say enough about how grateful we are for their help, or the value of their collective expertise. They even brought their own lunch thanks to Grandma!
Day 1 began by taking care of the active wasp nest (and the wasps themselves) settled just under the peak of the roof.
Then came the demolition. John became quite adept at making sure the debris fell on the correct side of the house, and aiming the bricks as he tossed them down so they landed squarely in our yard.
After he came down he showed us what was left of the mortar, in essence it was the equivalent of taking a handful of crackers and crumbling them in your hand.
Following this the team quickly mobilized to clean up the yard and dispose of the bricks. The chimney was taken below the roofline...
...and the hole was covered enough to keep out rain, which naturally sprang up. Plans were made to return Saturday to finish the job.
In the meantime Clint and I spent much time trying to figure out what to do with the rusted-through exhaust pipe for the furnace. The long and short of it is that we'll more than likely go with a 90% furnace that vents out the side, rather than pay half that cost to get our chimney and exhaust up to code (I suppose that's important with the baby coming and all). We're a bit early on the furnace, it's only 14 years old and expected to last 15-20 but we'd rather spend the money on something we would have to eventually, than throw half of it away in a short-term solution that would only last as long as the existing furnace. So after consultation with the family, it was decided that Saturday's work would consist of closing off the roof.
They all returned in the morning and got straight to work. Unfortunately it was a sweltering 90 degrees, which wasn't much fun for anyone, particularly those seated on the roof.
They wrapped it all up by early afternoon, and as quickly as they came, packed up their tools and were off. There is no way I could put into words what a relief it is to no longer have to worry about that, and especially how wonderful it is to not have to pay thousands of dollars out to have it done. We are incredibly grateful to have so many that not only have the talent, skills, and know-how to do it, but also the generous hearts to come up for two days to help us out. Thank you Grandpa, Bob, John, Andy & Robby.
Day 1 began by taking care of the active wasp nest (and the wasps themselves) settled just under the peak of the roof.
Then came the demolition. John became quite adept at making sure the debris fell on the correct side of the house, and aiming the bricks as he tossed them down so they landed squarely in our yard.
After he came down he showed us what was left of the mortar, in essence it was the equivalent of taking a handful of crackers and crumbling them in your hand.
Following this the team quickly mobilized to clean up the yard and dispose of the bricks. The chimney was taken below the roofline...
...and the hole was covered enough to keep out rain, which naturally sprang up. Plans were made to return Saturday to finish the job.
In the meantime Clint and I spent much time trying to figure out what to do with the rusted-through exhaust pipe for the furnace. The long and short of it is that we'll more than likely go with a 90% furnace that vents out the side, rather than pay half that cost to get our chimney and exhaust up to code (I suppose that's important with the baby coming and all). We're a bit early on the furnace, it's only 14 years old and expected to last 15-20 but we'd rather spend the money on something we would have to eventually, than throw half of it away in a short-term solution that would only last as long as the existing furnace. So after consultation with the family, it was decided that Saturday's work would consist of closing off the roof.
They all returned in the morning and got straight to work. Unfortunately it was a sweltering 90 degrees, which wasn't much fun for anyone, particularly those seated on the roof.
They wrapped it all up by early afternoon, and as quickly as they came, packed up their tools and were off. There is no way I could put into words what a relief it is to no longer have to worry about that, and especially how wonderful it is to not have to pay thousands of dollars out to have it done. We are incredibly grateful to have so many that not only have the talent, skills, and know-how to do it, but also the generous hearts to come up for two days to help us out. Thank you Grandpa, Bob, John, Andy & Robby.
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