High Flying Electrifying Adventure

Before you start, know that we are getting a new roof in March. All things mentioned below are temporary. Don’t judge.

gap between siding and house

There has been some leaking in our garage for a while, and it has done a number on the ceiling. Since it is actually in the garage and not in the house, it has not been a priority but we wanted to get it fixed as soon as possible. We had a roofer come out and look an estimate. We reluctantly followed with a foray on top of our MCM. As a former mountain climber heights don’t bother me, but as a former safety professional I do know that an inordinate number of home injuries occur from ladder use and that over 50% of falls from greater than 10 feet are fatal. I’d hate to be a statistic. Stacy does have some height issues. There was an incident when she first moved in and got on the roof and then could not get down. She was rescued, thank goodness not by the fire department.

While up on the roof we found the source of the water entry. Previous residents had covered the outside with this thin stucco stuff over a layer of styrofoam insulation. Great for energy savings….bad for keeping the MCM house original. That’s another issue, the problem here is the electrical conduit pole was mounted by someone through that stucco. It has not held well and is pulling back that stucco and the original plank siding underneath. See the photo and you know where our water problem is coming from.

YES! duct tape

This meant another trip to the roof, and another climb up the ladder. With stacy on the ladder cutting and handing me strips of aluminum duct tape we were able to close off the gap fairly well. It won’t hold long but it only has to last until March. Did I mention it was cold and windy up there?

I grew up in West Virginia, and this is what we call “redneck engineering.” But we did prove the universal theory that duct tape can fix anything. The good news is that unless you intend to land on our roof with a helicopter you won’t notice it. Still, we are looking forward to March and a new top on our MCM abode.

The Orangeburg Connection

advertisement for orangeburg piping

Or non-connection I should probably say. Orangeburg is a type of sewer piping used while building many MCM homes. Sometimes known as "Bermico" piping, Orangeburg is a fiber pipe that gets its name from the city in which most of it was manufactured; Orangeburg, New York. It was was a low cost alternative to metal piping and since there was no PVC in that era it was a popular choice for builders. It was touted as being "root proof."

"Root resistant" would have been a better moniker. Orangeburg did have some root issues, but the main problem is that it does not stand up well to the weight of the dirt on top of it. The fiber pipe would sometimes collapse into an egg shape. While it can last 50 years, it has been known to last as little as 10. 

This summer, there was a backup incident in our MCM. Bill the plumber came to the rescue and found....roots. He roto rootered it out and it works fine now, but we all know the time will come soon when there will be another backup. Roots continue to grow you know. The orangeburg had to go. As I said in the beginning of this blog, we will not eschew all things 21st century. Love me some PVC pipe. 

what happens under pressure

the big dig in back yard

So begins our first major project. Replacing the orangeburg with PVC. After the dig began we found out that most of the orangeburg had been replaced with PVC but from the house to about 8 feet out (where the cleanout was) it was the dreaded fiber orangeburg piping. 

The best part about this project? Not a whole lot I can do myself. It had to be hired out to the sewer experts. A day or two later, and a few thousand dollars lighter, our MCM is orangeburg-free and the waste flows a slick as a whistle. Not an improvement that can be noticed visually, but one of those "must do" jobs to keep the place livable. And keeps us out of knee-deep you know what. 

Lortondale

We live in Lortondale. It is a small neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was built in 1954 with typical mid-century modern homes. The homes were built in the tract trend of the day and were designed for affordable housing for the booming post-war economy.

While all the rage during its heyday, mid-century modern (MCM) type architecture fell out of favor for post-modernism and other types. As American families prospered and demanded bigger and more elaborate homes, MCM floorplans were replaced with larger and larger homes. With homebuyers seeking the latest and greatest, MCM homes and Lortondale became less attractive and began a slow decline.

aerial view of Lortondale circa mid-fifties

Like many thing (disco music, vinyl records, etc.) what is old comes back in vogue. During the last decade all thing MCM began to attract new fans. With people finally realizing that less is more and downscaling is a good thing, smaller MCM homes became popular again. The resurgence in interest MCM architecture and lifestyle began making homes in Lortondale sought after by a niche group of MCM enthusiast. The homes were cool, modern, right-sized and by comparison affordable. Lortondale homes are being bought by folks, like us, intent on restoring them to the mid-century splendor. 

Several homes have already been restored; some completely and some partially. Most, again like us, are striving to make the homes emanate that MCM flair that make them unique. This blog is dedicated to that effort. We will take you along for the ride as we complete crucial repairs, furnish, decorate and accent our home in a way that would make Ward Cleaver proud.