When it rains...

Boy, when it rains, it sure pours.

The list of things to do on the house is never ending, and it always seems to grow in leaps and bounds. I've managed to get the barn almost ready for the roofers. In fact, I'm going to call them and tell them it's ready, even though I still have to sweep some of the moss off, but I can do that in a day (famous last words).

In the meantime, I need a professional (I need professional help) to come and look at the floor boards near the entrance. The water damage has led to some rot, and the question then becomes, what to do next. I think JH and I are capable of fixing the deck, I have a better understanding of how it is attached, and I think removal will not be easy, but doable. However, if the floor boards need to be replaced, we are looking at framing issues, which is a big deal on a finished house. It's easy on an unfinished frame, you just knock out a few boards with a sledge hammer, but on a house, I'm guessing, it's not so simple. Time to call B. The problem I run into with contractors is getting them to show up in the first place, but we'll see.

We also need to fix the pipes in the basement, but JH says he's up to the task. He even has a torch and soldering capabilities. Amazing. What can't that guy do? He's definitely well established in the real man department, he's got an amazing tool set. I think we'll begin on that this week. The dripping pipe is not urgent because it only drips when you turn on the outside faucet, and then we can catch the water in a bucket. I know it's a short term solution, but a solution, nonetheless.

We also have some problems with carpenter ants. This bums me out to no end. I found a bunch of dead ones under the trap door to the deck, and it makes sense because the wood is rotting and is exposed to endless amounts of rain. It is cedar, however, but there must be pine trim somewhere. Either way, there are ants. People say, "Don't worry, they're dead," which baffles me, because surely where there are dead ones, there are live ones. I think we need to replace that deck, but in the meantime, we need to tackle those ants. I also found one in the sink, which really worries me, though there are no visible signs of water damage or rot. The window trim to the basement, however, is rotted, and it's possible they live in there and went on a mission to seek food, which brought them to the sink.

I spoke with HH, who is a former contractor, and she recommended putting poison baits in the form of boric acid before ripping up the walls and deck. I'm all for it, and will give it a try. I will also work on that darn window frame to the basement.

It amazes me to no end how nature continually assaults you, and wins. I'm thinking that composite boards may be in order.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Dimitri Castrique for the pic.