(041) missing tooth

An architectural detail of our house is a board walk (think dock) that runs trhroughout the first floor.. It runs from the front door to the back while circling around the bathroom, through the kitchen and under the stairs as it meets back up on itself in the dining room.

The main reason for doing this was to create distinct spaces for the dining room, bathroom and kitchen, while dealing with some unfortunate variations in floor height at the same time.

It’s always worked well. And I love the how it makes our space uniquely functional.

The bit of dock that runs under the stairs serves a second function. It was constructed as a large hatch that can be lifted (long piano hinge) revealing the stairs to the shop in the basement.

The floor was installed in the winter a few years ago when wood is at it most contracted. Several summers ago as it began to expand with moisture (remember wood always grows wider with humidity not longer), so much so that the last plank on the hatch was literally pried-off once when closing.

It sat there toothless at LEAST last winter and all last summer. Yesterday I trimmed about an 1/8^th of an inch off one side of the plank with the table saw and nailed it back in place with the finish gun. The longest part of the entire job was waiting for the battery on the nail gun to charge.

I could take more satisfaction in this completed task if somehow it felt more substantive. Now I’m pretty much left with, “geese what took so long?”