Is that a cabinet? This looks like something that should be labeled "redneck repairs". Ya think they cut out the 2 existing studs on the left so they could use their ready-made creation?

It was a pass thru over the sink to the addition on the back of the house.

The PO clearly had no concept of headers. We have yet to find a header anywhere in the house.

But sure why wouldn't a piece of 1/2" MDF be able to support the second floor?

On the bright side, it looks like you are only missing 2 studs, so it isn't too much worse than most old door framing. If you have a double top plate of old growth lumber, it probably isn't even deflecting that much.

On the double-bright side, a couple 2x4's will only run you $5 bucks.

It's an old balloon frame, and it's held up quite well with all the abuse it's had over the years. We say it's scary that we are the best thing that ever happened to the house.

The bright side is I was making him dig into the wall anyhow to build a closet for a washer & dryer. And he needs to put a header over the current door.

I think your 'carpenter' must have done a few jobs at my house over the years - the work looks similar. For instance, there was the replacement of one of the large brick piers holding up massive double back porches - with 2 2x4s! And then there was the collapsed in back door where the header & frame were missing & only the top piece of the jamb remained! And how can I forget the joist that had been cut through to allow for a waste pipe! They walk amoung us.................Strange that you never hear of houses collapsing on these idiots!

Strange that you never hear of houses collapsing on these idiots!

Sure they do!

Your PO obviously had redeeming abilities with a paint brush and rightly put their energies into what they were good at...or did you marble the cabinets? Better than most cabinets I've seen!

KarinL

"Strange that you never hear of houses collapsing on these idiots"

I really do wonder how ours is still standing. I guess it was built well to start with.

At one time one of the owners tried to burn the place down with a molatov cocktail. The fire department must have come quickly.

The cabinets have gone to the dump. That crackle paint was horrid and the cabinets were all particle board and nasty.

That was marbelizing??????? On my monitor it looks like blood spatter - of course if I had to look at that bucolic backsplash every day, there might be cause for the spatter!

Well, they looked cool on a photo but I probably wouldn't have kept them either :-)

Actually my theory is that the external cladding - full three-quarter-inch usually - holds the house up. Ours is built with 2x3 studs, so in our case I'm certain it's the cladding - house is square and solid. Joists are 2x6, which is more problematic and may yet be a problem - in one long room we have a sagging floor.

KarinL

When we started opening up walls in our old house (that had been changed and added on to many times) we did not find a single correctly installed header in the entire house! We also had several "interior that use to be exterior" support walls to deal with.

We had some walls were windows had been moved, the old one was pulled out and studs patched in overlapping the cut off ones (little or no support) and then the ones were the window was put were cut off and no headers put in as they did not want to mess with the plaster.

We also found enough electrical issues that we were more amazed the house hadn't burned down long before we got to it.

I take comfort knowing we are not alone.

We had this: The upper jamb in this doorway held up the header. The header supported part of a staircase and the wall of an upstairs bedroom. Somehow that door still opened and closed.

I've seen those cabinets, or their twins, on a site that collected photos of the ugliest kitchen cabinets ever seen.

Glad to see you found their highest and best use: landfill.

worthy - The Kitchen Forum? Yeah, that was me.

If not was it somewhere else?

Well at least I didn't die of boredom looking at them, which is the case with a lot of cabinets shown on and swooned over on forums that I'll leave unnamed, nor gag on the slavish obedience to trend that often masquerades as taste. And they probably weren't particle board with off-gassing fumes. I totally respect that you wouldn't want to live with them (not a fan of the colours used myself) but I stand by my opinion that a little creativity and evidence of DIY - AND FUN - in a kitchen merits a small cheer and bit of respect, even if it isn't your taste, and even if throwing it away is totally justified and understandable :-)

KarinL

"gag on the slavish obedience to trend that often masquerades as taste..." Yeah, my thoughts exactly- too funny! Oh, but we digress.
Diane

Actually the fumes were from the mold growing under the sink (plumbing leak that obviously went unattended for a long time).

Initially my plan was to strip and paint them. But after seeing the condition of the inside I changed my mind. We are replacing them with recycled cabinets purchased from a customer of my husband's business.