Widow lady in east Denison lives in very old house that she and her husband kept repaired over the years. Has old 1920-30 style knob-and-tube wiring throughout the house that badly needs to be replaced (safety). The City has agreed to replace this as part of their community service work, and she is also on the TCOG list for attic insulation (house has none, major efficiency problem). But before this can be done, there is a structural problem in the den ceiling and the section of roof right above it that must be resolved.

The ceiling in the den is sagging about 4” due to broken ceiling joists. The ceiling joists are broken due to forces from the vertical bracing supporting the roof rafters. See photos below. The roof is beginning to sag in the same area. The floor in the den appears strong enough to lay a piece of plywood down and use it as a base to jack the ceiling back up into place. (Use 2 or 3 4x4’s with some hydraulic jacks.) Once lifted into place, new ceiling joists can be added in the attic (will first need to lift up the plywood flooring in the attic for access). Once they are in place, new roof rafters can be added, also from inside the attic. Need someone with house framing and structural experience to lead this team.

This may be all that is needed to get the sag out of the ceiling and structurally stabilize it. Check the other side (kitchen side) at the same time, just to be sure it is OK. Caulk the crack in the den ceiling. Should be enough to allow the City and TCOG to continue with their plans.

Two other lower priority areas that she could use help with:

• Bathroom sheetrock behind the vanity light fixture is damaged in spots due to previous roof leak. Light fixture is rather heavy, and has pulled away from the wall (about to fall down). Two options: 1) Remove the light and mirror, replace the sheetrock on this one wall, install wallpaper or paint.  2) If most of wall is OK, cut 2’x4’ piece of ¼” plywood, sand it, paint it off-white, and install over the damaged area of wall as a support for the light fixture.
• Fridge ice maker stopped working about a month ago. Leaks water into freezer. Might contact appliance repairman to see if he will do a quick (no cost) checkout. (Project CrossWalk has a name.)

This lady does not have enough money to cover the costs of these materials, but material costs should be minimal. Rough list includes: ten 10’ 2x4’s, six 10’ 2x6’s, caulk, small piece of plywood, sandpaper, primer, paint.