shutters

we promised that when the snow melted we would install the last of the shutters, well- here it is, the big day!

gorg...

so now, the first and second floor ceilings and walls have all been painted and are ready for trim, interior doors and tilework.  but first, on monday the hardwood floors are scheduled to be refinished.  it is a three day process of sanding and finishing, sanding and finishing, and sanding and finishing. 

in the meantime, we will be painting the basement and possibly working outside (weather permitting)!

shutters in progress

    lowe's severe weather raised panel shutters

siding update

we are almost finished installing the siding...

here is the before (in case you forgot!):

 

here is the back:

and what it used to look like:

these are ladder jacks. they clamp onto the ladder so that you can span a board across them to provide scaffolding- definitely makes work easier!

it's not blue!

we got this siding at home depot because the only grey that lowe's carried was a light, silvery grey and we wanted something darker. actually wish it was even darker, but this will do.  the color is called granite.

it looks blue in these pictures, but its actually a warmish grey.  in fact, this is the actual color:

weird how it looks blue. i almost dont want to post these!

renovation can be hazardous to your health

we are ready to start installing the new vinyl siding, but first- all of the vinyl trim needs to be installed

you need to trim out every edge, corner, top and bottom of a wall...and you need to trim around every door and window.

installing vinyl siding may be one of the easiest do-it-yourself projects--you just need to know a few important installation tips and you are good to go! for example, the first time i installed it i was surprised to learn that you don't hammer the nails in tight, you leave a little slack because the siding expands and contracts with fluctuations in temperature- notice that the nailing flange has slotted holes which help allow for this movement.

you use a trim called j-channel around windows and doors.  it creates a slot to receive the siding panels. (and it looks like a J in cross-section)

over all doors and windows, the bottom side of each end of the J-channel is cut and bent downward so that any water caught in the channel in these areas will be shed away and down the side channels.

the corner boards are also going in 

and all of the windows have been caulked and painted

which brings me to this question:
why is it that so many standard construction materials are incredibly toxic? 

this is the label from DAP caulk....stuff that you typically squirt along seams and gaps, then you take your BARE finger and run it along the bead of caulk to smooth it out (and further push it into the gap)

harmful if absorbed through the skin?  are you serious?

of course i read the label AFTER i used the product all day yesterday- so much that i was picking it out from around my finger nails when i was finished!  who wears gloves when they are caulking?

and then i read the label on the low-temp paint, and it was basically the same-it also contains toxic cancer-causing chemicals.

ugh!

so the next time i caulk anything i am going to try wearing surgical gloves...that should be interesting!
:)


let's finish with something nice....ooo a sunset:

aluminum is the new gold!

we found out today that we can get $2.50 per pound for aluminum at the local recycling center.
we only brought a small load of the aluminum siding to the center today, but brought back a whopping $72.
 
i think we have another 4-5 loads worth...not bad!

UPDATE 1:

2nd load brought in $104

3rd load was worth $96

UPDATE 2: Aluminum is just plain Aluminum.  Scott told me that he miscalculated the value of the stuff...it's actually about 50 cents/lb.  that's okay, we still got about $300 for the lot!

:)

black is the new red!

we installed (and painted) the new front entry door:

(notice, the aluminum siding has been removed)

we had to patch the wall around the door, but no worries- the new siding will cover the patch

this is a benchmark therma-tru fiberglass door that we got at lowe's.

and we also installed the french doors:

a little before shot:

and progress, believe it or not!:

and we also demolished the crooked brick and concrete step...that is no longer needed

one of these days we are going to find a buried treasure to make this all worthwhile- you'll see!

on the lighter side, this image is on the side of our box of 'contractor' trash bags...i thought it was hilarious...


it was even funnier when i realized that i was looking at it upside down!

ha!

climbing ladders and stuff...

the replacement windows were delivered today

along with the french door

the lumber stock is for the deck project...in a couple of weeks!

today, scott stripped the old shingles (2 layers) from the lower roof 

while I stripped the aluminum siding, starting with the backside of the house

i had to get over my fear of heights to climb that ladder!  it really doesnt look high from the ground, but from the top of the ladder, its pretty freakin' high!

i thought i would have more done by the end of the day, but i was still getting used to working from the ladder...i am hoping to be more productive tomorrow.

we are stockpiling the aluminum so that we can bring it to the local salvage yard for recycling...

...oh, and cash!

:)