Archive for September, 2006
I’ve been putting extension jambs on my Andersen windows, and I’ve come to the conclusion that that company is very strange. The extension jambs for my Andersen awning windows are great. They fit in grooves on the window and are pre-drilled. In other words, placement is idiot-proof and attaching them with 3.5″ trim-head nails or screws is easy.
Putting extension jambs on Andersen double-hung windows, on the other hand, is not so easy. There is no groove and the jambs aren’t pre-drilled.
Don’t the product designers at that company ever talk to one another? Maybe the double-hung window guys are sociopaths. They must be the same ones that designed the awful Andersen patio doors.
End of rant. Extension jambs explained: My walls are made from 2×6 lumber. Andersen windows are made to fit walls made with 2×4s. Extension jambs are small pieces of wood trim that make up the difference between the depth of the wall and the depth of the window. Now you know.
September 26th, 2006
We built front and back steps, so it’s much easier to get in the house now. The process is much like building a deck — the back steps have a little landing that is a mini deck. The back is made from all pressure-treated pine. The front steps (which have no landing) have mahogany treads. Nice.
Neither set of steps is completely finished, which is typical of us. The front needs a top piece for the handrails and copper caps for the posts. I plan to buy both this weekend. We’ll leave the railings off the back steps until large appliances and furniture are moved in. It’ll be much easier to get the stuff in without the railings there.
The photo of the front steps also shows how we’ve enclosed the end of the first-floor porch that faces the street. This is a design feature that appears on all Charleston Single House style homes. It’s nice on my house because it will block the hot southern sun in the summer. I’ve ordered a louvered door to fit in that opening.
In other news … all the shingles are on the roof. A heavy rain gave it a test and there were no leaks. We passed the electric and plumbing inspections with no problems. Yippee! The insulation contractor will be here next Thursday; all the way from across the Bay. He’ll spray all the insulation in one day, which should be interesting. I’ll take plenty of photos.
Click the house pics to enlarge.
September 22nd, 2006
We’ve finished the siding (thank goodness); it was getting to be tedious. Well … there’s actually still a little to do on the upstairs porch, but that doesn’t count. The Hardiplank siding looks good, but I’ve got two suggestions for the manufacturer: make longer lengths so there will be fewer seams and make more variations in grain patterns. The silica dust is annoying, even when using shears to cut the planks. I can’t imagine the dust clouds that would be created if you used a saw to cut this stuff. Wear eye protection!
The electrician and the plumbers have zipped through their rough-ins, and both are ready for inspection. It’s great to see progess on the inside of the house — and the bathtub is even in place.
Marshall and I are finally putting shingles on the main part of the house. The tarpaper had a nice long “test” and even with all the rain we only had one tiny leak. Click the photos to enlarge.
September 7th, 2006
Well, the weather forecasters got that one wrong. They predicted we’d get a lot of rain but little wind from Ernesto here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Instead we got gusts of up to 60 mph, along with 7 inches of rain. Count ‘em 7.
The wind blew the metal roof off the historic Cokesbury Church in Onancock, but the tar-paper on my roof stayed put. Go figure.
A tiny bit of rain blew in the cracks of my unfinished house. But the plumbers let more water in. They actually tried to work on Friday during the storm, and dragged my tub into the house. Naturally some water was dragged in too. They also opened the upstairs patio door (for ventilation?) and some rain blew in there too.
I hate sub-contractors.
September 3rd, 2006
