In tearing down old work be as careful as in putting up new.
Old material should never be destroyed simply because it is old.
When putting away old stuff see that it is protected from rain and the
atmosphere.
It costs about 15 per cent. extra to work up old material, and this
fact should be borne in mind, as I have known several contractors who
paid dearly for their “whistle” in estimating on working up second-hand
material.
These remarks apply to wood-work only. In using old bricks, stone, slate
and other miscellaneous materials, it is as well to add double price for
working up.
Workmen do not care to handle old material, and justly so. It is ruinous
to tools, painful to handle, and very destructive to clothing.
In my experience I always found it pay to advance the wages of
workmen—skilled mechanics—while working up old material. This encouraged
the men and spurred them to better efforts.
Sash frames, with sash weights, locks and trim complete, may be taken out
of old buildings that are being taken down and preserved just as good as
new by screwing slats and braces on them, which not only keeps the frame
square, but prevents the glass from being broken.
Doors, frames and trims may also be kept in good order until used, by
taking the same precautions as in window frames.
Old scantlings and joists should have all nails drawn or hammered in
before piling away.
Counters, shelving, drawers and other store-fittings should be kindly
dealt with. They will be wanted sooner or later.
Take care of the locks, hinges, bolts, keys and other hardware. Each
individual piece represents money in a greater or lesser sum.
Old flooring can seldom be utilized, though I have seen it used for
temporary purposes, such as fencing, covering of veranda floors while
finishing work on plastering, etc. As a rule, however, it does not pay to
take it up carefully and preserve it. Conductor pipes, metallic cornices,
and sheet metal work generally, can seldom be made available a second
time though all is worth caring for, as some parties may use it for
repairs.
Sinks, wash-basins, bath-tubs, traps, heating appliances, grates, mantels
and hearth-stones should be moved with care. They are always worth money
and may be used in many places as substitutes for more inferior fixings.
Marble mantels require the most careful handling.
Perhaps the most difficult fixings about a house to adapt a second time
are the stairs. Yet I have known where a man has so managed to put up new
buildings that the old stairs taken from another building just suited.
This may have been a “favorable accident,” but the initiated reader will
understand him. Seldom such accidents can occur.
Rails, balusters and newels may be utilized much readier than stairs, as
the rail may be lengthened or shortened to suit variable conditions.
Gas fixtures should be cared for and stowed away in some dry place. They
can often be made available, and are not easily renovated if soiled or
tarnished.
It is not wise to employ men who have nothing but their strength to
recommend them. As a rule they are like bears—have more strength than
knowledge, and lack of the latter is often an expensive desideratum.
Employ for taking down the work good careful mechanics, and do not have
the work “rushed through.” Rushers of this sort are expensive.
Never send old material to a mill to be sawed or planed, no matter how
carefully nails, pebbles and sand have been hunted for, the saw or planer
knives will most assuredly find some you have overlooked, then there will
be trouble at the mill.
Have some mercy for the workman’s tools. If it can be avoided do not work
up old stuff into fine work. If not avoidable pay the workman something
extra because of injury to tools.
Don’t grumble if you do not get as good results from the use of old
material as from new. The workman has much to contend with while working
up old nail-speckled, sand-covered material.
_Builder and Woodworker._