Better Is Good, Much Better Is Fabu

on - July 10, 2014

This is a three-day report. It is the end of Day Four with the manlift.

Here are some progress shots:

Top of the stairway BEFORE:

AFTER:

Outside view of the same section:

BEFORE:

(Note, that window is simply a storm window, not a full thermal sash.)

DURING:

AFTER:

(A new Andersen replacement window I got for a great price at the Home Depot.)

The upper eave on the northeast side, BEFORE/DURING:

(Note extraneous overhang on the right. The overhang on the left has already been cut away.)

AFTER:

Note chimney BEFORE:

Chimney gone, hole in roof — DURING:

Extraneous section of eave overhang removed, roof patched – DURING:

Roofing patched AFTER:

And the work continues around to the southeast side over the porch.

The big double window that we’ve been thinking of as “Marsh’s office window” has to be replaced — it is in such bad shape. Not to mention that it is missing its top frame entirely, apparently a “feature” of its installation. We’ll pick something up at Home Depot tomorrow. We’ll also continue investigating cost-effective window solutions for the porch itself, though that is out of scope for Jason’s work (unless we ask him to help).

While the guys are crawling all over the house, I’m not just standing around taking pictures, oh no! I fetch things, measure things, perform demolition, deliver messages, watch the progress, answer questions when there is a controversy about how to approach a certain problem, and today I washed vinyl from the squirrel-infested perforated soffits (my hands still smell of bleach, which is better than the alternative), and assisted Reid with the sheet-metal brake. I also provide my credit card and checkbook for materials.

So I’m not really getting anything done of my own house tasks (bathroom, etc.), nor any creative (or money-making) work; and I come to the end of the day nevertheless exhausted. I hope my light-weight “homeowner” assistance actually speeds their progress in some measurable way, but I’m never sure. On the other hand, I’ve learned a vast amount about wood-frame construction and specific building techniques and tool use, all of which will stand me in good stead for the remaining DIY portion of the project.