This is some of what I worked on last weekend. I have had a stack of siding sitting out in the yard, getting muddy as you can see, and so the big push was to get all of that used up somewhere on the house. I have not finished painting on the front and did not want to break that scaffolding down just to have to put it back up, so we came around to the back of the house and installed a bunch of the siding there. I also got several runs above the door and windows on the east side so I can, at least, install some porch lights now.
This is not really the back of the house, it will be the side you enter from mostly. To me, the house doesn't really have a front or back. I think that will be more obvious when it is completely finished. This side will also be about on grade with the landscaping when finished. I need to waterproof and backfill this concrete wall and then this area will get a flagstone walkway and patio. There will be natural cedar posts that sit on short, stone columns which will support the roof over the walk also. When the entire house is built, that little bit of roofing overhang will extend down another 12 feet or so and butt into the other part of the house.
Looking around lately I have realized that I have quite a bit of unused material lying around. Interior and exterior trim, paint, sinks, stone etc. so I am going to work on getting all this material in place before I go purchase more. If I get too much stuff in one area I get overwhelmed and frustrated so I need to get rid of all surplus stuff right now. This has several advantages; I'm not going to spend any money because the stuff is here and it will all be going towards finishing the house.
It cleans up clutter and lets me see what I actually have in supply. When I have used up absolutely everything I can get a very close estimate of how much I need to finish each project. This obviously saves money because you don't end up buying more than you need or buy too little, which can actually end up costing you more, if you figure cost of travel or shipping, which you really have to these days. Yes, I'm a little OC but it drives me crazy to waste or go buy something and then get home and realize I had enough but just couldn't find it. I also have some items that I can use to make some really cool decorative, artistic things for the house with and I would really like to do something like that right now. I have had a strong urge lately to make the house look a little more presentable. I don't know why. I'm probably just tired of looking at bare dirt and plywood. Although I have had more weird stuff happening every month on the 7th or 8th.....
9 comments:
I totallly agree with you about getting frustrated. My hubby buys stuff, forgets where he puts it and then just goes and buys more. Ugh!! I finally took over storing stuff so when he says "I need" I can say "here it is"....lol I was wondering about your use of rebar for your deck railing. Won't it rust with rain and cause stains on the wood? Did you seal it before using it?
The house is really moving along ER, and looking gorgeous. I agree with you, utilising everything you have first is the way to go, otherwise you're going to be building a shed to hold all the left-overs lol
Blessings:)
Hey Elizabeth! Yes, rebar will rust so I sprayed everything with linseed oil. You could use any water seal or polyurethane also. I prefer the linseed oil because it is a natural product and actually last for quite a while even outside. All sealants need to be reapplied every other year or so though.
Hey Molly! thanks! Yeah, I definitely do not want to end up storing a bunch of stuff!
ER,
I know exactly what you mean about getting overwhelmed by clutter when doing projects. I am finishing my basement and have to stop every so often to clean up or i will just stop working on it and put it off to another day or week. Also on your rebar railing did you use #4 or #5 rebat? Have a great day.
Nathan
Hey Nathan! Yeah, they even stress keeping your work area cleaned up on our big jobs. I used #5 rebar. I think #4 could be bent too easily if somebody propped their foot up on it or something, you know. I actually wanted to go with #7 or 8 (and think that size would look good) but couldn't find enough to do it.
It's getting there. I wonder if your need to make things presentable is really subconsciously you know winter will be here soon and outside work will stop.
Hey Richard! Well, it could be; I hadn't thought of that. However, you have to keep in mind, our winters are nothing like yours so often times work here goes on without much hitch. Sometimes its a better time to do some outside stuff! We will have a cold spell for a few days but then it will be mild again.
Since we are on the topic of rebar, how did you do the corners? I have studied the pictures and I don't see any splices. I am assuming the splices are not seen because they are inside the two post closest to the corner. Are the splices welded? Excellent job no matter how you did it.
Hey Anon! If you will bear with me for a day or two I will do a post on the rebar handrail and how I did it. I've had a lot of questions on that and the best way to describe is to show photos. Thank you for your interest.
Post a Comment