I finally got re-started on the recovery work, after a few days off. Cmpleting cleaning the north end of the basement was the goal today. Goal basically accomplished.
This end of the basement used to be a room. Bedroom sized, and we used it as an extra bedroom occasionally. The most frequent occupant was Dennis. He would stay with us for a few weeks at a time, or a summer, or whatever was needed. We were his address in Washington. Dennis was a film archivist, collector, and protectionist. Over the years Dennis had theaters, put on programs in other’s theaters, homes, overseas, where ever there was a job. Follow the link to see his Wikipedia page.
At some point we acquired a weight machine and needed to find a place for it to live. The room was the only place it really worked. Except that it was just a bit too tall. After some measuring we cut our a piece of the ceiling between the joists, so the high point would fit.
When we were planning our remodel it was decided to remove the room. It was definitely not up to code, and any inspections would require changes anyway. As an old house, removal included noxious materials. Lead paint was a layer or two down, and not too bad to deal with as it only was exposed when the wall or ceiling board was cut. But the vinyl floor tiles had asbestos. So this was my introduction to asbestos removal. Masks, bags and special dumps. In the end this opened up a larger more usable basement space.
By contrast, the work today was limited.
Wiped down all of the exercise equipment. The weight machine has been joined by a recumbent bicycle, elliptical, and a piece that can be used for sit-ups and other things. Most of this was cleaning accumulated dust. The equipment does get used pretty regularly, by Carl primarily.
Swept and vacuumed and mopped about half of the space. There’s a fan running to assist drying.
In the picture the white areas are concrete that was painted with a coating to try and stop water seeping through the walls and floor. It may have worked to some degree as it had been several years since we had an issue. The darker areas on the floor are where seeps came up. It’s not wet now, but the white coloring is gone.
Okay, so this is not really interesting information, but it is a record for me.
Raincharm's Weblog 
Leave a comment