“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” or so the saying goes. It rings true in this house today as we started our first fix.
I mentioned in my last post that the interior stairs were first up on our long list of things to do. A few treads were coming out and a definite safety concern. The first step to that process was to remove the underside to allow access. Sounds like a perfect job for a rainy and cold Sunday, right? But remember, nothing is easy in an old house!
First off, we assumed it wasn’t “that old” and would be a relatively easy removal. Nope, it was lathe and plaster and some other stuff. Nice and dusty and dirty for Dave. But that’s not the best part… It turns out that the lathe and plaster and whatever else was there was actually what was helping hold the stairs up (along with the very heavy duty runner on the top side).
Cue slight “oh shit” moment, as the actual fix for the stairs isn’t scheduled for a few more weeks, and we obviously need to use them until then. Check it out:
Thankfully, after a quick message to our contractor who will be doing the final fix, he popped over to help Dave shore everything up for now. Huge shout out to Gerry Bailey (Baileys Custom Wood and Stone) for coming on a Sunday to help out. He and Dave got the stairs temporarily “fixed” until he can come in a few weeks as originally planned.
This is a perfect example of how century homes work. They are like Pandora’s box, opening something up can lead to a whole lot more than expected. Check back in a few weeks to see Gerry’s final fix for the stairs!
Musings of a Small Town Mom 