Not a pretty topic today, but I've balanced it out with some flowers at the end ;-)
Prior to this lockdown, I'd organised for some help clearing out under the house this weekend. With everyone having to stay at home it ended up being just me downstairs, carefully pulling dusty items out and trying like crazy to avoid any spiders.
My house is a highset wooden Queenslander style. Underneath are concrete stumps (they would have originally been wooden) and the whole is surrounded by wooden battens. This creates an enclosed secure area under the house, but still allows for airflow - which cools the floor above on hot days.
We're on black soil, which shifts and moves depending on how wet or dry it gets. The under house area flooring is a series of concrete sections that have shifted, lifted and cracked as the soil beneath them moves. It's not really a big deal, the space is used as a laundry area, garage, and for storage of tools and gardening equipment. I could get it all cleared out and a new slab poured, but it would cost me a fortune, so we'll just make do with our wonky concrete.
One issue though is water runoff. When it rains the water flows down the slight slope of the block and right through under the house. I have to make sure everything is stored up off the ground so it doesn't get wet. I'm looking to fix it by getting drainage channels put in behind the house.
So at the moment, the floor is a mess of dirt and grass and other detritus coming through from the back yard. Add to this an extremely messy collection of treasures and junk piled haphazardly on any raised surface to avoid the water. On top of that is a heap of stuff that's not mine and needs to be picked up. I want to get it all cleared out so that I can give the whole area a good clean and organise the stuff I'm keeping.
This is just a glimpse of the mess. These old windows are mine and were meant to be part of the renovation. The drooping masonite was probably put up 50+ years ago and has now succumbed to the rain. The whole area looks like part of an abandoned property, not part of a space that gets used daily.
That wheel belonged to an F100 truck that lived here well over a decade ago. I'm sure it can go. No idea what's in the green crate. The whole corner needs sweeping and hosing out.
I found this ancient piece of lino that would have been in the house at some stage. The floor coverings in the main house have been pulled up and there are polished boards throughout, but maybe this was once in the kitchen
The rest of the space looks like a hoarder's paradise. If the lockdown is lifted, then hopefully my helper will be able to come and give me a hand and we can get it all nice and clean.
Then I can go back to pottering in my garden and have easy access to all my garden tools as well.
Until next time,
@Sammie
Original content created by @Sammie.