construction

Last winter we had tried to paint and caulk around the windows of the south wall exterior to see if we had solved our problem of winter rains seeping into the house through the seams around the window. It did not work. This year Tom hired two friends to come in who are in the business of construction and have a crew. They would not guarantee their work of just replacing the windows unless we did the siding because it was really the siding that was warped and allowing the rain to make its way into the house.

The men came by the house to measure the windows for replacement and take a sample of the siding to match. The siding is vertical 5 inch cedar. It has to be custom ordered.We need 16 foot lengths, tong and
groove. Today I awoke to the crew arriving at 7:00 am. they got right to work.

the boys tried to sleep through the hammering but i made them get up. Trevor had weight training and Riley needed to clean up his room before the men came in to replace his windows.


When the first window came off we saw immediately what the problem had been with the water getting in. . There was no flashing around windows. The previous job  had cut the openings and cut the flashing to remove what was previously there, and not replaced the flashing with new. That wont happen this time.

 I had to leave at 10:30 am but they were already over half way through. Most of the  old windows on the house were removed and new ones going in quickly after the space was made  ready.

The new code requires a six inch or more wide strip of  stick seal to go around the window under the flashing, much like a toilet flange. The plywood walls will be wrapped with a third layer of house wrap. The new siding will be on top of all that, sealing everything, no more leaking walls or windows.

 From the look of things this is at least the third or fourth window replacement the house has had. Once the walls were opened up when the old windows were removed you could see where the original framing had been added to at least once. I am counting on modern technology making this the last window replacement for the next 50 years or more.

The project is moving along smoothly. We were nail biting as the siding came off as we looked for dry rot or carpenter ant damage. To our surprise the walls were in pretty good condition. Only a couple of small spots needed replacing on the ply wood level. The insulation was in good condition with no signs of wet or mold or ant or animal activity. If the boards weren't so warped that they would just crack if you tried to flatten them , even the cedar boards themselves from the old siding  were in good condition. Makes me wonder if they were hung green, which could be why they warped and had gaping  .

Our biggest snaffoo was while re sizing the office window to match the rest of windows, the crew stumbled on some wiring running just below the original window. We had wanted to put a door in the office but there was an air vent below the window that Tom would not let me just block off. We compromised with agreeing to get a window that matched the rest on the deck in height and length. Not realizing we would be dealing with having to still move wiring. One of the wires was partially cut during the re size. The project stopped for a short while, while we tried to locate what the wire serviced.

At first we thought it went upstairs. I sent Riley up to his room with a power sensor only to find everything was fine. I had him do the whole upstairs and found nothing wrong. As far as we can tell it is a power wire to nowhere. I am guessing it goes to those unfinished sockets in the basement. A none issue. An electrician has been called though to move the wires out of the way  and cap off the cut wire properly. It did not slow the crew down much though. They just covered the opening and moved on to another window.

The man cave is left with three windows to go, and this office window for tomorrow. The siding gets delivered in the morning and they will probably start putting the exterior wall back together. I have a guy coming to talk staining to me once the siding is up. Tom wants to match the front of the house with clear cedar stain.

I asked the guys if they were going to use scaffolding for the second story window. they laughed and said no just two ladders and a board. I laughed. do you know how much grief Tom gave me when I used two ladders and a board to paint the second story of our new garage in our first home. It was the construction crew's set up. I hadn't thought anything of it. Tom had a fit seeing me up on that ladder. I was glad to see everything put away when I got home today . What I don't know...

I left for work, just as the crew was beginning to remove the first upstairs window by ladder, at around 10:00 am on the second floor.  They were handing the glass in tthrough the opening in  the bedroom to carry downstairs from inside. that way the frame would be lighter and easier to manage. No risk of broken glass.

I came home to a quiet house and almost all the windows set in place. Riley told me they had left a few hours earlier. I figure they quit this house for another when the sun made the work on the south side uncomfortable. They left themselves enough work for another few hours tomorrow with four windows to go out of the 17 and the electrical needing to be moved. The crew is going to have to replace all the interior molding as they had to remove the molding to make the windows fit properly. The new windows are a bit beefier than what was removed.

The old windows are a mix of wood and vinyl windows and over half were shot, with the seals blown leaving that fog  between the pains. Half the trouble with this house was the many different styles of window used. The house is not quite standard, but it will be glorious when we are done.

I am still in a muddle regarding gas in the kitchen. I am not thrilled with my options. One company I really wanted to work with told me no interior work until things slow down in October. I was hoping to have the ovens in for Tom's birthday. The crew may bail me out. Tom's friend said he would ask his cabinet guy about an oven cabinet. With the electrician coming for the window, I thought I might grab him for the oven project and perhaps the laundry room project while he is here. I will see what time he comes tomorrow.I am seeing a couple of patients in the morning, but they will be quick deliveries with luck. it has been exciting watching the fast pace of the progress and seeing how thorough the men are.

Most of all I am thrilled to find out why our house kept leaking despite our best efforts, and knowing that the big storms  wont drip water into my living room this winter.