West side weekend

I focused on the west side of the house this weekend. The original siding is in remarkable shape on this side. Which is surprising since it probably sees the most weather. Maybe the afternoon sun on this side keeps it dryer? The side door frame is new. I had to cut new siding for around the frame since it was all cut short. I did get to re-use some good siding from other parts of the house. The kitchen window on this side use to be longer, so there was a hole under the window. Patched in some replacement sheathing, new tar paper, and we were all set.

Front view

Today I gave the front porch a top coat of paint. We needed a bit of curb appeal. With the exception of the windows and corner boards that need repainting, the house looks great from the front!

Front porch project

After alot of consideration, I decided to put all new siding on the front porch. For two reasons. One, the siding is just nailed to the studs on the porch (no sheathing) so there were alot of cracked boards due to the tear off of two other layers. And two, although structurally sound, the porch has settled over 80 some years. This created a dip in the middle. With new siding we can give it a straighter look. My neighbor Jerry had the system for creating the "optical illusion" of a straighter porch.
A two foot wasp or hornet's nest that is probably decades old.



After a long day, I still was able to throw a coat of primer on our new porch siding.

Looking good

Thought I'd fill some nail holes and primer a section to see what it looks like. The siding is in even better shape than it was on the dormers! Susie and I also pulled off the asphalt siding on the south corner near the deck.

Piece by piece

My plan of attack for the downstairs is to work on about a 8 foot section at a time. Uncovering only what I am working on. Asphalt siding almost completely off the front porch, and started replacing siding on the west side. To my surprise, the side door frame was new, and the siding was cut back about an inch away from the frame. So I cut all new pieces butting up to the door. Getting behind the electrical box was a chore to say the least, even though it was loosened from the wall.

Abatement '09

After waiting all winter, we are starting the downstairs! We hired the same abatement company to remove the asbestos siding. They even walked around the flowers! When they were done, I started pulling off some of the asphalt siding on the porch.