Get the Lead Out!!

Hello Everyone!

We are still plugging along. We did have a rain delay Tuesday but I'm not complaining, we need the rain. The yard needs to be mowed now and that will take some time - oh well.

As the title says "Get the Lead Out!!"

True, we are removing every spec of lead paint we can, but that's not what the title is alluding to.

However, speaking of lead paint...

I had my lead level checked at the Doc's the other day and finally got the results back. My lead level is elevated 2 points above normal. I don't think that's too bad considering the use of heat guns on this paint and the fact that I help my father, periodically, in his lead smelting business.

Anyway, what the title is in regard to is the old lead glass window in the first landing of the stairwell.

This is the one.

As you can see there are already two broken pieces. Also, the wood moulding holding it in is SO bad that the paint is all that's really holding it in. As I scraped the window moved.

I'm not sure it will survive the sanding process so it's got to come out.

In it's place we'll install a plain piece of glass until one of two things happen; it gets repaired or gets replaced by stained glass.

This will be an interesting project I can work on during the Winter. As Gary, over at 'This Old Crack house' says (albeit about gutters) "[it] is an art form that I am willing to learn".

I will tackle the removal tomorrow so stayed tuned.

Here's a bit more of what got done.

The triangular section of the porch roof took a total of 10+ hours and thanks to the tightness of the corner I couldn't get every spec.

You can also see that the paint around the window is, for the most part, gone as well. The Paint Shaver doesn't allow me to get right up to the trim edge so we scrape out the areas around them.

Tomorrow there should be a rather large swath of paint gone.















This is the area the father-n-law concentrated on. Again, the areas around the windows, as well as the spots where the Paint Shaver can't be used, got worked over.

Did you notice the long white line under the main window?

SWMBO asked me to leave a patch of paint so she can try her hand at the Paint Shaver (that ought to be fun).

I will leave you with the following picture it's of our 'newest' problem.

And here it is - a rather large separation point.

This is the upper most section of the porch roof where it 'should' be snug against the house. The gap is about 1/2 an inch wide at the top. It is proof positive that the porch is sagging.

With a light I looked inside the gap as best I could. Not much was seen but what was there was not good - there was a sliver of daylight coming through a crack somewhere along the part where the roof meets the house.

We will need to address this when the porch gets a face-lift.

Well, that's about it for now; I'm tired and sore and ready for some much needed sleep.

Till next time...

Cheers!
Larry~