Siding and Concrete

Continuing on with the siding work on the back of the house – we were able to get it buttoned up this week. After work, I ran the siding to the left of the door including going up over the door. This is always interesting. The siding is cut to shape in a sophisticated and precise molding machine. Yet, the boards varied in width by over 1/8″. This makes it fun because to keep the courses level with the opposite side of the door, I kept having to shave off the top of the siding to make it narrower. Evidently these boards were wider than the ones already installed. Oh well, I trimmed them and got them installed beside the door.

Flashing

Next up was another fun area – where the siding lays on the roof. If this had been properly flashed originally, then it would be no big deal. But since it wasn’t done right originally, it makes a bit more work to do it now. I took a bunch of measurements and then fabricated a piece of continuous flashing to fit. This will be the bottom piece and also contains the kick out flashing which will stop any water from trying to get behind the siding below the roof. It also diverts it into the gutter. After a successful dry fit, I installed it. I was able to do this without tearing up any shingles. Next, I made step flashing for under each course of shingles. This flashing is like continuing the shingles from the roof up the wall. It’s good protection. Lastly, the siding will cover all of this. I like to hold the siding up off the roof a bit so that the end of the boards aren’t in contact with the shingles. If they’re in contact, they’ll tend to stay wet and rot out sooner. I buttoned up the flashing work and continued on with the siding up the gable wall.

Electrical lines

When I got the siding installed up to the electrical line, I tightened up the ratchet strap holding the power lines which took the tension off of the anchor. With the tension off, I was able to remove the anchor. I ran the siding where the anchor was and then pre-drilled for the big lag screw. Next, I reinstalled the anchor and then reconnected it to the overhead lines. With it reconnected, I removed the ratchet strap and continued on with the siding. I installed the last few pieces and that’s a wrap (for now).

More termite treatment

With the siding complete, Oceana sprayed the new siding with termite pre-treatment. After it dried, she got a coat of primer on everything. It’s starting to look like a house again!

Concrete pad #1

Next up was the concrete pad for the A/C. We had talked about placing the A/C at the inside corner near the dining room window, so that’s where I formed up the pad. With the form work and fill work completed, we fired up the cement mixer. We mixed and poured and mixed and poured until the forms were full of concrete. I troweled it smooth and then pulled a broom across it for a light non-slip texture. The next day we placed the A/C unit on the pad. After looking at it for a bit, we decided we didn’t like it there. We actually would prefer it not in the window and over to the left which is closer to the middle of the wall.

Concrete pads 2 & 3

So I formed up for more concrete – connecting between the new pad and the original pad at the back door. We had planned on pouring concrete here all along so no big deal that we’re having to do it now. One thing I’m doing different with this pour is that I did the form work and fill work in the evening so that we can do the pour early in the morning before the sun gets too hot. The next day we mixed and poured until that slab was full. I opted to add a joint in the middle of the slab so that it looks like 3 concrete pads (4 if you count the old one by the door). Once again I put a broom finish on the concrete.

Indoor A/C units

Next up, we started installing the inside A/C units. We went with another mini-split style A/C system. This unit will have 3 indoor units – one in the kitchen, one in the living room, and one in the master bedroom. I started off installing the hard one – the one in the kitchen. I call this the hard one because it’s going up in the ceiling and the roof line is real tight in this area. Fortunately most of the work is done from below on the ladder. I cut out where I wanted the unit to go and then removed the old drywall. The drywall didn’t fall nicely as I had hoped and I ended up getting a face full of old insulation. I don’t know what this stuff was made of, but it was terribly itchy. The fiberglass I have been installing here is nothing compared to this stuff. It was bad. After getting cleaned up, I looked at the framing work in the opening. It’s too tight to fit the unit here, so I’ll have to shift it back towards the dining room.

Modifying the framing

After laying it out, I shifted the opening back to the dining room and cut out a new hole. This time I removed all of the insulation before pulling down the drywall. With the new opening complete, it was time to modify the framing. One of the ceiling joists is right in the middle of where the unit will sit. So I cut it out, headered it off, and then framed in around the unit. With the framing complete, I looked for the installation kit for the A/C. This included hangers and bracketry needed for installation. Well, it’s not there. I checked the other A/C. Nothing there either. Bummer. So I made my own adjustable height mounts and got the unit installed in place. It looks great! Kind of. Other than the massively large drywall hole around it, it looks great. We will be tearing out all of the drywall in the kitchen, so I’m not too concerned with that right now. However, I will need to cover the hole for the time being so the hot attic air doesn’t get into our soon-to-be air conditioned house.

Odds and ends

Barring any major issues, we should have the new A/C unit up and running next week. That’s incredibly exciting. I found a baby turtle trying to get into the shop. I nearly crushed the little guy as I didn’t see him. I guess mama turtle succeeded in laying her eggs when we saw her in the yard a few months back. I took him down to the lake and let him swim off. I found a widow spider too. That one didn’t get released back into the wild. It went splat. Oceana planted new sunflowers which seem to be coming in nicely. She got the garden all tilled up and she’s ready for another round of planting. That’s all for this week. Thanks for following along our crazy journey.