[hayduke]

I'm a long time forum user as a result of my work in the IT field. I've also been a DIYer for many years now. Not just home improvement projects either.

I did a lot of work to our old house in Flagstaff, AZ. We've recently relocated to NE Washington, and bought a home in need of a lot of work. Having more confidence in my abilities than money, or time unfortunately, we took on this project. Some things I'm hiring help because I either don't have the knowledge to do it "right", or I need it done faster than I can get to it.

The house was built in 3 stages. We believe the original house dates from 1928. There was an addition put on the East side of the structure at some point, not sure when. This section has the kitchen, a bathroom, and the laundry/mud room. Then, in the 80s sometime, there was another addition built on the West side of the home. This is a 2 story part, making the home somewhat of a split level layout, with a large garage/workshop below and a master and living room up above.

The original part of the home is over a basement (very common in this area). The first addition was built on posts. This is one of the major problems that need to be addressed. That side of the house needs foundation work. There is wood touching dirt in the crawlspace. Some of the supports are just sitting on cinder blocks and don't look at all safe/strong! There are some floor joists that are rotting. A section was already repaired in the past. I suspect when the major 2nd addition was built. This is one of the projects I plan to get help with. Even if I was certain I knew the best method to remedy the situation, it's not a one man job!

I've already done a lot of work on the electrical in the house. I rewired the original parts of the house that still had cloth covered wire. Much of the house already had Romex installed. I also replaced most of the breakers as the old ones were of a style that led to arcing. This caused some burn spots on the bus in two spots. I consulted with two friends that are electricians, the electrical in the house is solid now.

The plumbing needs some love too. I replaced the water heater with a Marathon model. While I was doing that, I cleaned up some odd plumbing between the supply from the city to the water heater. It appeared that there had been something changed at some point and there was a convoluted routing outside the wall. I made it much simpler and put it all into the wall. I was also able to remove the old galvanized pipe between the supply and the water heater. The new addition uses cpvc, but there is still some more old galvanized running to the first addition.

After replacing the water heater, I still have rust coming out of the pipes in the kitchen, so I think I am going to replumb that side of the house completely. I'm happy to find this community where I can ask questions.

So that's my story so far. Sorry this is so long, but you may learn that I tend to be long winded on forums

Nice to meet you all!

[oh'mike]

Welcome---Sounds like you need more time--have you considered giving up sleep for a year?

Join right in---Posting pictures always gets fast attention and have fun!--Mike---

[hayduke]

Originally Posted by oh'mike

Welcome---Sounds like you need more time--have you considered giving up sleep for a year?

Join right in---Posting pictures always gets fast attention and have fun!--Mike---

Sleep? oh wait, I think I remember that

It's all about prioritizing the projects.