In-laws House Strikes Again

[drillman88]

I woke up this morning with a dread in my heart.I had to go tear down the old crawlspace access door and put up a new one at my In-laws house.At the risk of sounding paranoid,I think someone built this house to torment me.Every project I have ever done there tests me in some new way.The house was built in the 1960's and is fairly well built.It just seems a minor problem turns into a major headache when I work there.
I pulled out my tape measure this morning and new it had got me again.The opening was 38" wide at the top 39 1/2" at the bottom.65" tall on the right and 66" on the left.The left side was 1 1/8 from plumb and the right was about 1/2 from plumb and they were running in opposite directions.
Im glad my MIL was in the house when I telling the house what I thought of it.
There was no way to shim the opening and make it look right so I had to cut to fit and it turned out pretty good just a big headache to measure and layout.

[smorris]

I have to laugh, sorry. My MILs house exists simply to torment me. Everything becomes a big deal, I've learned to haul just about every tool there because something will be needed I didn't bring.

[JoeyGee]

I thought that was just the univeral truth of every house ever constructed. Maybe it's just the ones I run into...

[Pappy]

My parents bought a 1 bedroom house with a screened in porch in Nov '48. moved in with 3 kids (2, 7, and 12) and me on the way. Dad closed in the porch and, over the years, turned that little house into 3 bedrooms with a den and 2 car garage.

My step-father still lives there and is one of those individuals that is a menace to himself, and society in general, with a screwdriver in his hand. Maintenance has pretty much fallen to me and I have pretty much come to the realization that my 'Dearly Departed Daddy' weren't no carpenter! His electrical work is functional but would probably cause several inspectors to run screeaming into the night.

[jon_ramp]

Every project I have ever done there tests me in some new way. It just seems a minor problem turns into a major headache when I work there.

I feel your pain. I've never known a home repair/remodel project to be otherwise.

[cabinetman]

Old construction differentials aren't my only complaint. I'll be at new construction site measuring for custom work, and with the GC standing right there, as problems are pointed out, I'll hear "Deal with it".
.

[drillman88]

It's not only the house it's the yard as well.The house was built on a hillside and is terraced in the back,think large humps,about 3' drop offs with large roots protruding from the ground from a huge sweet gum.I have stop trying to cut the grass I just spray weed killer about once a month in the summer.I have broken my riding lawn mower more than once it is too difficult to push.

[docrowan]

Hey, the contractor who built your mother-in-law's house gets around! He built the house I'm living in!

[drillman88]

My MIL called me yesterday and told me she was happy with the looks of the door and felt more secure with a more solid door in place.So I guess it was worth the trouble to put her mind at ease.
I still will cringe when the inevitable happens and she needs something else.

[Richard in Smithville]

Come to my house. There is no such thing as a square corner or straight wall.

[Ed62]

Come to my house. There is no such thing as a square corner or straight wall.

The ones with square corners and walls are hard to find.

Ed

[jonmulzer]

I helped a friend frame out his basement this weekend. Well, more properly he helped me because he did not have a clue. The walls sloped in between 1 1/4" and 2 1/4". You could hold a plumb bob flush at the top of the block basement wall and it would not touch at the bottom. In some places, if I had used a chalk line as a plumb bob, it could have spun freely and not touched the walls. The stairs are crooked, no matter how you look at them. They are off by a few degrees, in all axis. Stone cold sober, you feel drunk walking through his house. ****, it takes me a few beers to NOT stagger through his home! They don't make 'em like they used to, and that is a good and bad thing.

When he asked me if we would need anything special to run the trim I told him a miter finder, a coping saw and plenty of caulk. Good thing it is painted trim, stained would drive me crazy.