Fixit Time: Part Doo

This afternoon I dutifully visited the local Home Improvement Center. I prefer the local lumberyard right near my house, but they are geared to supplying the professionals and so they are more a wood n' nails kinda joint. So I went to the HIC figuring on getting everything in one shot. Now I should have just done the teardown and *then* bought the stuff. But I figured I had it all planned out and didnt want to make a separate trip on Sunday.

So 320 bucks lighter I walked out with a truckload of stuff. But by the time I had found everything and run herd on 2 full carts in the packed HIC, it was 4pm and I was whupped.

Undaunted, I tore into the poor, innocent cabana.

Now originally, as I noted before, I planned on doing the whole thing in 2x2s and lowering the 4x4 beam by replacing it with stacked and fitted 2x4s. Well the huge HIC doesnt have joist style brackets for 2x2s so it is back to 2x4s. But I did find some l brackets that would do the job but not support the whole weight. So instead I am using 6 2x4 rafters and then using 2x2s in between, rotated so a corner points up to prevent the plastic from bowing. And with no plywood, the plastic will let in some daylight. I am using 2 8' 2X6s as a mount (I know there is a name for it, but it is beyond me) board, notched and fitted under the house rafter eaves. This will give a tighter, critter proof and when sealed, moisture proof junction. Then there the plastic fits in under the eaves, I will use expanded insulating foam coated with sealant to fill the gaps caused the the corrugated shape.

Best laid plans.

So I tear into the thing and as usual, it is more involved than I thought. This house has a perfect record of introducing an "oh shit" moment every time I try to make an improvement. This time it came at the very end of the tear-down. As I pulled away the old eave mounting board (a 2x4 that leaves a 2" gap up under the eave) I and doused with a lot of sawdust. Then I see that the upper wall beam looks like swiss cheese. Aw geeze. Sure enough, a probe of my finger sinks in to the first joint without any effort. When we bought the house that first spring we had a buncha ants appear there. We sprayed them and had the exterminator continue the effort and by year three they were gone. Apparently they were there long enough to do some damage though. I call 'em termites but they could have been moisture ants or carpenter ants or something. Doesnt matter. The work has to get done.

There is a silver lining. The wall is to the utility room addition which isnt part of the main structure. So the wall is only bearing a little weight. I should be able to tear off the siding and then replace the rotten parts. It's just more work than I had planned.

And after all that work...it wont look any different.

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.