I am back been gone a while and just got off my rear end and will be posting regularly and connecting my You Tube Channel tomy blog. Stand by for more!! Thanks Russell P Parks

A lift For Carrie

A very dear friend, who was originally a client, had called with a unique request: She needed a lift built so that her healthcare provider could give her back a break from having to lift her into her therapeutic tub.

There were several things to take into consideration as we thought through exactly what was needed. The criteria for this lift were that it had to be easy to use, compact and low maintenance. There was nothing off-the-shelf to speak of that we could simply buy and install. I looked into different units designed for institutional use, but they were very large and extremely expensive. I checked into modifying a floor-mounted model, but that turned out not to be a good option, as the process of cutting and welding it would ruin the finish and make it very hard to maintain around the water from the tub.

After an exhaustive search on the internet and with medical suppliers, I landed on a plan. I would purchase a hand-crank hydraulic lift that I would fit to lift what I welded. It would be a wall-mounted lift that was very similar to davits I had built and used on fishing boats back in a previous life. I would have the whole unit powder-coated blue to match the trim tile in her bathroom.

I built a prototype out of wood first, then welded up square tubing that was ¼’ thick steel with gate hinges that were rated for ½ ton witch, made the ram the weak point at 350 pound capacity. Carrie, my client, weighs about 85 pounds, so it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s strong enough. I through-bolted the hinge plates through blocking in the wall through a 2x6, horizontally run across several wall studs. The hinges have grease zerks that allow for lubrication.

It took quite a few man hours to put it together, but it was really a labor of love and it works quite well. Carrie’s healthcare provider’s back is not getting any worse, and Carrie is getting her daily therapeutic bath – just what the doctor ordered!

The Lead Dutchman

A client of mine recently moved into a mid-century house where the plumbing had not yet been upgraded. After they found that their first water bill was through the roof, they decided to first replace a leaky faucet and old style toilet that was always running. We picked out a great low-flush, high-volume toilet and a good faucet.

The challenge in all of this is limiting the scope of the repairs to just the replacement of the fixtures, not re-plumbing the whole house. Because of the old galvanized pipes, discharged flakes of rust get into the supply line and it damages the fixtures. So we want to make sure that what we install is easily repairable and that new parts are readily available. This is why I always buy from local supply stores that have the repair kits available for any fixture I supply and install. I do not like to install fixtures that come from the Big Box Stores, as I’ve really had problems with the service of these fixtures down the line.

This installation had an added problem with the old waste lines. The toilet did not have a flange to accommodate the new style of toilet. The old style is a lead elbow that ties into a cast iron waste line. Short of replacing this waste line, we used a Lead Dutchman to make the transition from a modern flange to the old style waste line with no flange. The new brass flange is fastened securely over the Lead Dutchman that looks like a lead high top hat with the top removed. It’s turned upside down and the brim rests on top of the floor. The top part goes into the lead waste line. It’s trimmed and molded to fit the unique shape of the lead elbow that some old-timer probably installed when the house was built. If the shape is really weird I apply some heat to help make a airtight fit. Then a wax wring is installed over the flange and the new toilet is placed on new “closet bolts,” attached to the new flange.

Once the supply line is hooked up, the new throne is ready for use.

“Hanging (Installing) A Door”

My project for today is to replace the exterior door to my office. I went out and purchased a solid core, flush door and field cut it to fit my non-standard opening. With the old jamb left in place, I will mortise the hinges on the door to match the jamb. My shop is thirty feet from my office so the field work is easy.

I put in a new deadbolt and lock set that’s been keyed to the other doors on the property. Again, I prep the door to receive the deadbolt and lock set in the field. I also prime the door before I install it and after cutting it to fit the opening. This is a very important step, as it’s an exterior door and can wick moisture into it if it has not been properly sealed with a good exterior primer and top coat.

All of this is sort of fussy work and not always the most cost- effective way to deal with a door opening. More often than not I have the door supplier pre-hang the door in their shop to meet all the dimensions I give them. To place an order for a pre-hung door you need the dimensions of the rough opening (R.O.), the jamb size (or wall thickness), type of lock set and deadbolt you wish, what type of threshold you have, the finish of the door hardware and which way the door opens (door swing). It will usually take a week for the door to be ready. It then takes a good two hours to install this pre-hung door as opposed to the 4-5 hours it takes to field cut a door, prep for all the hardware and install the door.


Yet I choose to field fit this door because it’s cheaper for me and I have the time, even as the door shop is faster and more efficient at pre-hanging a door than I am in the field.

The trick to all of this is a door needs to be hung plum to a stable door jamb for it to function well. The deadbolt should operate freely without having to pull or push on the door. It should be a non-event when a well-installed door operates as it should. People don’t think twice about a door that functions well. But when a door doesn’t operate with ease, you’ll definitely notice it over time as you use it.

The Business of Being In Business

The Business of Being In Business

Here at A Carpenter I wear many hats. For years, I have bid on projects, tracked costs, invoiced clients, paid bills and worked in the field. This last year, with the help of software, I took on the task of running my own payroll and paying state taxes that are due on the 25th of every month. I then pay the employee taxes an employer needs to pay every quarter. Sometimes I do all of these different activities in one day. It can be quite a challenge! When all goes well it’s quite rewarding. It’s like a large computer game, as most of all the “office work” is done online or in the virtual world of my accounting software. The program does a special blump-te-beep sound when the books reconcile. I have taken it to the next level. When I was an apprentice carpenter, just learning the trade, I never thought I would be into it this deep. It’s part of the deal.

For me to take my trade to the streets under the trade name of A Carpenter, I need all my “office work” in order. In the fine State of Washington if I follow the rules the state backs me up. If a carpenter is doing a side job and is unlicensed, not bonded and not insured it is perfectly legal for a home owner not to pay for the work. The carpenter who is doing work like this is committing a crime.

The other side of that story is this: as a General Contractor who is bonded, insured and registered with the State of Washington to do business, the home owner has to pay for the work. It is a crime not to.

It is really a great system that rewards the people doing the right thing and punishes those who do not. I found it all shifted for me when I realized the State of Washington was on my side if I followed the rules. I have access to resources within the state who assist in me getting further educated. I have relationships with an architect, a lawyer, and a long-lasting relationship with my CPA. These professionals guide me through the fog of doing business. It has been quite a journey as I have navigated the process of following the rules. Life Is Good!

Repair of Leak on Roof

A client requested I locate and repair a leak on the roof of there commercial office building. On a previous trip to the job site I had located the source of the leak by going from the inside above the suspended ceiling and pulling away the insulation. Then a trip or two up to the roof, some measurements and bingo the leak was found. It was not going to be a easy fix as it would require the removal of metal siding and flashing to make inspect the condition the framing. I could see from below that it was an old leak and that the wood truss was rotted out by the water damage. Not a big leak, but small, and persistent over long period of time. Like years, the water was being absorbed by the wood for most of the time. With certain weather conditions the leak would intensify. The day I was at the job site it was raining very hard with a southerly wind. A slow leak was coming through and a tub was catching the water. Not a 911 situation, so I proposed I come back when it was not raining to remove the siding for an inspection, to follow up with a proposal for a long term repair.

On my next trip I drilled out the rivets holding the flashing and siding on, pulled some nails. The material under the siding was wet. There was structural damage to the framing. The flashing at the top of a parapet that housed a skylight was installed poorly and was the cause of the leak. This building has this same faulty detail through out. I will have to take my time on a recommendation for a long term repair, but for the short term I had a plan.

I installed a window wrap product called Vycor over the building paper at the corners that I had exposed. As I reinstalled the siding and flashing I embedded it in sealant. Instead of rivets I used screws with a rubber casket. This is not a pretty fix, but effective. In the coming weeks I will present the client with a proposal that will address the issues that lead to the rot, but for now they are dry.

It was a challenging day on the roof because it became quite windy. Stuff was attempting to fly away. The metal siding and flashing is light and the wind was playing tricks on me trying to fly it away. Back in the fall I was doing another project at this same site and noticed a bright banana yellow Porsche Boxer in the parking lot. I have been working on the building on and off for a few years and know most of the workers. I asked who has the Boxer? Then in a Russell Humor sort of way I went into his office and told him I will needed to give him my insurance information as I had just backed into his yellow car. I almost had him, but it was sort of not funny. Anyway the Vycor is in a 1 foot wide by 75 feet and ways about twenty pounds. The wind caught it and almost rolled it off the roof onto the boxer. Defiantly not funny!, but sort of in an ironic way.

Organize My Shop- Building Storage Boxes

Once a month I like to spend a day or two in the shop organizing my tools and supplies. I have a procedure that I go through that usually takes me to building storage boxes for supplies and tools. I am working on a component system that will make it easier for me to switch from a Handy Man type service call where I may need the tools of three or four trades to a larger Commercial Project where I am trade specific as a carpenter and sub out all the other building trades to specialty sub-contractors.

I have some extra ¾ AC plywood that I will make shallow, but wide drawer type boxes that will hold my specialty tools. I will have the boxes segregated into trade specific activities. I will then be able to plan my day and grab the needed box and place in the van. The categories will be Door and Window, Cabinet, Finish Carpentry, Sheet Rock, Electrical, Plumbing, Heating and Venting, Roofing, Flooring, Fencing, Landscaping, Painting, Gutters and Downspouts, Siding ……..

Then I get into building boxes for car camping, shelves for storage of my camping gear. I get lost in the details for a few days then let it go. I have literally and figuratively compartmentalized my life, escaped into the process and emerge with a sense of peace.