Fixit Time
Well tomorrow I start the first of this spring's home improvement projects. I love this old house. But it is old. And like us old things, we have our issues. And this old dear has seen a lot of suffering at the hands of previous owners. Shoddy workmanship. Oh I am sure done in with the best of intentions and to the best of the owner's abilities. But frankly, it aint much. The back deck was never sealed and is now rotting. The posts it sits on are just resting on top of concrete filled buckets. egad. But that deck is later. The first one I am taking on is smaller and a bit of a warm up. I dont have pictures, but I will try to describe it.
off of the kitchen we have what we call "the cabana". A white painted frame porch that covers a concrete slab. The frame is completely overbuilt. 4x4 posts and beams with other framing done with 2x4s. All fine and good, but it supports white plastic corrugated sheeting. Okay that is a bit over built and wouldnt be a big deal except that it cases the slope to be so shallow that rainwater doesnt run off properly. As water pools, it bows the plastic, causing more water to collect until it starts to run back and come in against the wall of the house. No the back side wasnt sealed either. So enough water collects that moss starts trying to grow on the cement. Slick, let me tell you. And the siding is rotting which is inviting moisture ants. Yuck.
So the plan is to remove the top and the far 4x4 beam. Then replace the beam with one long 2x4 and then a stacked 2x4 in between the supprt posts. That should be rigid enough and cause the far end to drop by 2" creating a steeper slope. Then the outside ends of the roof will be made from new 2x4s with the interior framework made from 2x2s. That will not be quite as stiff as the old frame, but hell, it wasnt doing any good with the plastic bowing in the spaces anyhow. Then I will cover the whole thing with 1/4" plywood and the premade supports for the plastic corrugated sheeting. That will add stiffness to keep the plastic from bowing and collecting water while retaining the cabana look. The side that butts the house will be raised flush with the eave - no, the original build isnt - which should give another inch or two lift at the back for a total of an additional 3" of slope. The butt side will also get a treatment of sealing foam to keep water from working back to the siding and under the eaves. Finally the walkway entrance will get a new gutter and spout. And then the lower half of the siding will get replacement after I tear it out and have the exterminator treat the interior of the wall.
Hopefully I can get most of it done in a day. But with the way these things go on this old house, I will probably find some critical thing that needs fixing before I can finish the job properly.
Sometimes a condo or a crackerbox in SUVerbia sounds like a good option.
A good option until I crack open a beer, crank up Motorhead and dig into a bike motor at 2 AM on a sunday in my shop, that is.
off of the kitchen we have what we call "the cabana". A white painted frame porch that covers a concrete slab. The frame is completely overbuilt. 4x4 posts and beams with other framing done with 2x4s. All fine and good, but it supports white plastic corrugated sheeting. Okay that is a bit over built and wouldnt be a big deal except that it cases the slope to be so shallow that rainwater doesnt run off properly. As water pools, it bows the plastic, causing more water to collect until it starts to run back and come in against the wall of the house. No the back side wasnt sealed either. So enough water collects that moss starts trying to grow on the cement. Slick, let me tell you. And the siding is rotting which is inviting moisture ants. Yuck.
So the plan is to remove the top and the far 4x4 beam. Then replace the beam with one long 2x4 and then a stacked 2x4 in between the supprt posts. That should be rigid enough and cause the far end to drop by 2" creating a steeper slope. Then the outside ends of the roof will be made from new 2x4s with the interior framework made from 2x2s. That will not be quite as stiff as the old frame, but hell, it wasnt doing any good with the plastic bowing in the spaces anyhow. Then I will cover the whole thing with 1/4" plywood and the premade supports for the plastic corrugated sheeting. That will add stiffness to keep the plastic from bowing and collecting water while retaining the cabana look. The side that butts the house will be raised flush with the eave - no, the original build isnt - which should give another inch or two lift at the back for a total of an additional 3" of slope. The butt side will also get a treatment of sealing foam to keep water from working back to the siding and under the eaves. Finally the walkway entrance will get a new gutter and spout. And then the lower half of the siding will get replacement after I tear it out and have the exterminator treat the interior of the wall.
Hopefully I can get most of it done in a day. But with the way these things go on this old house, I will probably find some critical thing that needs fixing before I can finish the job properly.
Sometimes a condo or a crackerbox in SUVerbia sounds like a good option.
A good option until I crack open a beer, crank up Motorhead and dig into a bike motor at 2 AM on a sunday in my shop, that is.
posted by Z at
10:11 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home