Elmcroft - Leaky Bathtub Door & Other Repairs

Today John Ford (George's friend and local retired builder) and I installed a new tub/shower door on the bathtub. In removing the old door we found the source of the leak that would wet the floor after a shower. The bottom track was corroded so that water was not draining out the drain holes. The tracks would fill with water and spill over. Also, the tub surround to tub joint was not caulked under the door track. That meant that water could leak behind the tub. It's all better now. The new door does not have a track on the bottom, just an aluminum sill. So, the water just sheds back into the tub.


Yesterday, John Ford repaired three doors. The door from the living room to the terrace now closes a little better but it is warped at the bottom and really should be replaced. The double doors to the music room now close properly. And, the front door was planed a bit so it now opens and closes without having the force it. I could just see a realtor bringing a prospective buyer in the front door and having to lean into it with a shoulder to open it.

The front steps are falling apart and I have a mason coming Friday to look at it. I will also have him repair the rear steps where one flagstone is loose.

John Ford will be replacing the door to the cellar of the coach house next week. Then he and I will start on repairing the stable section of the barn. That corner has sunk about 4-6 inches so that the clapboards on the walls are sloping. It will have to be jacked up and concrete piers put into the ground for permanent support. The outer walls are just on the dirt.

We also have an estimate from a builder to repair the rear loft area of the coach house. Three windows will be replaced and some of the clapboards replaced and repaired.

We hope to get all the work done by the end of November but the painting of the rear of the coach house will probably have to wait until spring.

It's too bad that these repairs couldn't have been done while mom was still alive. She would have really appreciated it.