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![[HELP] I am at my wits end with two recessed lights in my basement and my fingers hurt. Anyone know how to remove these guys?](https://preview.redd.it/11oecxown49f1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4583f57d3a85823f287d80faae3a15eb467f1090)
Rebuilt a 1975 A-Frame over 4 years
In July of 2020 instead of taking up sourdough baking, I bought an extremely dilapidated mid-70's A-frame house & garage in Eastern Oklahoma. A squatter had been living there. Almost no updates had ever been done. It had numerous water leaks and smelled of mold. The electrical system was non-functional and unsafe. The garage had a huge hole in the roof and had been covered by a tarp. It needed a total gut and rebuild. https://preview.redd.it/69bsuv5dj69f1.png?width=1682&format=png&auto=webp&s=bec297489a95074d68821a85a4e384fabb4c1188 https://preview.redd.it/6lir70dwj69f1.png?width=1686&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d5f226bef56abfa6edee1ef848cd0fde9c77b2e https://preview.redd.it/tx2e9sqzj69f1.png?width=594&format=png&auto=webp&s=79192f72f8d3a4bc7582d7a44ec73bb61617f602 I lived about 2 hours away at the time, but I decided to do most of the work myself on the weekends. Once I worked with some of the local "contractors" I decided to outsource even less. The first step was to totally gut everything. Even the sheathing, much of which had a lot of rot due to roof leaks and poor design. I also rented an excavator and dug a trench to bury the electrical service, which was replaced. https://preview.redd.it/p0rjmtrkk69f1.png?width=1714&format=png&auto=webp&s=4424ffc97e03d0fd0a4419d3d4a6ebd173c32dda https://preview.redd.it/xc41lf8ok69f1.png?width=1694&format=png&auto=webp&s=7095a7e5db4dd27cbb2cbb09374e2e099407985d https://preview.redd.it/91st33hxk69f1.png?width=932&format=png&auto=webp&s=ceb33f776112bb437008f869590bdddd86af6c02 The fireplace/chimney took up a ton of room and I didn't want the liability. I couldn't find anyone to take it out so I got creative. I rented a lift and devised a pulley and rope system to lower the sections, which i cut off ~5' at a time. https://preview.redd.it/kak3xqwbl69f1.png?width=950&format=png&auto=webp&s=ad7b543878044a2bb5d60a32999d8371c1282f76 https://preview.redd.it/bdvwafpql69f1.png?width=1694&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e42ae5ef7f6d03de8098a9bc8c7a23230c52047 https://preview.redd.it/5da65i1zl69f1.png?width=948&format=png&auto=webp&s=b56508f71000d8331da0e74182c56b7b562efd9d I hired out the roofing, which had 3 (!) layers of old shingles and a ton of sheathing that needed to be replaced. While they did their magic, i replaced the sheathing on the dormers which was both dangerous and stupid to do by myself. Nevertheless, I got it done with a lot of manual labor and some luck. During this project I removed the framing and reframed for new, modern windows. https://preview.redd.it/mqo5njacm69f1.png?width=948&format=png&auto=webp&s=947420151077b5001d63ed5cee48d8bbd2baeb82 https://preview.redd.it/l5jyns2fm69f1.png?width=966&format=png&auto=webp&s=73a91908a217c63ec376e8639b7eba25e4531721 After having the heat pump replaced, I built a new covered area as the previous was structurally suspect. https://preview.redd.it/oxk32zj9n69f1.png?width=934&format=png&auto=webp&s=0309edc5475ffa63131131d15e945b0cde75dff4 On the interior, I did a fair amount of reconfiguring and fixing of the framing but it's not very visually interesting. I hired drywallers to do the upstairs bedroom They didn't do a great job so I ended up doing quite a bit of finish work. After paint and flooring I had a MUCH nicer place to stay. I spent some winter nights on a cot with no insulation, no floor and only a kerosene heater. Quality of life had improved a LOT. https://preview.redd.it/sqixuohrn69f1.png?width=1696&format=png&auto=webp&s=5eb1424aeaa6da2dca7461ad3359d29366ec6270 In the meantime, the downstairs was still pretty much unfinished. I did some framing work and insulated. Here is the back bedroom, which was an earlier built addition. https://preview.redd.it/378h7lp2o69f1.png?width=952&format=png&auto=webp&s=206416b92793a4e5d1f34751b434c70dfa23d241 I had a new porch poured! https://preview.redd.it/xlxzoxbbo69f1.png?width=950&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a9f99b0167b843197e168920fc6610e7a97d20e Originally the house had a weird elevated walkway over the living room which located the stairs in front of one of the doors and also blocked a lot of light. I tore it down and built some ship stairs. Not the easiest stairs to use but they save a ton of space and are not too bad with the handrail installed. https://preview.redd.it/p2xqcg6no69f1.png?width=956&format=png&auto=webp&s=1633c0b786bdf8c1f9892039505dc5feab896dc2 Front sheathing and new sliding doors! https://preview.redd.it/m8tibgfro69f1.png?width=928&format=png&auto=webp&s=aacf5292b1260d016294e6fbb5b6520ea2565a0f I hired someone to do the siding + exterior paint. Things were really starting to come together now. It was an emotional point in the project for sure. This was March of 2023. https://preview.redd.it/ef2v8vf0p69f1.png?width=2058&format=png&auto=webp&s=29b4f0a5c5e28c5dad212d384b8e8b8d0c337cf8 Downstairs drywall! I hired this out to a guy who ripped me off. I hired another crew to come in and fix it. It was a lot better but I still had to do a lot of touch up and painted ev
| | In July of 2020 instead of taking up sourdough baking, I bought an extremely dilapidated mid-70's A-frame house & garage in Eastern Oklahoma. A squatter had been living there. Almost no updates had ever been done. It had numerous water leaks and smelled of mold. The electrical system was non-functional and unsafe. The garage had a huge hole in the roof and had been covered by a tarp. It needed a total gut and rebuild. I lived about 2 hours away at the time, but I decided to do most of the work myself on the weekends. Once I worked with some of the local "contractors" I decided to outsource even less. The first step was to totally gut everything. Even the sheathing, much of which had a lot of rot due to roof leaks and poor design. I also rented an excavator and dug a trench to bury the electrical service, which was replaced. The fireplace/chimney took up a ton of room and I didn't want the liability. I couldn't find anyone to take it out so I got creative. I rented a lift and devised a pulley and rope system to lower the sections, which i cut off ~5' at a time. I hired out the roofing, which had 3 (!) layers of old shingles and a ton of sheathing that needed to be replaced. While they did their magic, i replaced the sheathing on the dormers which was both dangerous and stupid to do by myself. Nevertheless, I got it done with a lot of manual labor and some luck. During this project I removed the framing and reframed for new, modern windows. After having the heat pump replaced, I built a new covered area as the previous was structurally suspect. On the interior, I did a fair amount of reconfiguring and fixing of the framing but it's not very visually interesting. I hired drywallers to do the upstairs bedroom They didn't do a great job so I ended up doing quite a bit of finish work. After paint and flooring I had a MUCH nicer place to stay. I spent some winter nights on a cot with no insulation, no floor and only a kerosene heater. Quality of life had improved a LOT. In the meantime, the downstairs was still pretty much unfinished. I did some framing work and insulated. Here is the back bedroom, which was an earlier built addition. I had a new porch poured! Originally the house had a weird elevated walkway over the living room which located the stairs in front of one of the doors and also blocked a lot of light. I tore it down and built some ship stairs. Not the easiest stairs to use but they save a ton of space and are not too bad with the handrail installed. Front sheathing and new sliding doors! I hired someone to do the siding + exterior paint. Things were really starting to come together now. It was an emotional point in the project for sure. This was March of 2023. Downstairs drywall! I hired this out to a guy who ripped me off. I hired another crew to come in and fix it. It was a lot better but I still had to do a lot of touch up and painted everything myself. This is what would become the kitchen. I designed and built the kitchen, which was from Ikea. I can't recommend them enough. It hit the budget, was highly configurable, easy to install and worked great. To be continued... [link] [comments] |
