Squeezing in a Day

I tried to squeeze in as much as I could yesterday, the one day of sunshine that we've been granted, and it wasn't easy. The trim around the roof is in worse shape that I thought, and while I sanded off the paint I found that some of the sections were rotted and I wondered if they needed to be replaced. Not an easy gig. I ended up painting over the sections that were salvageable, but am thinking I might need to go back and either put wood filler on the rotting parts or find a way to replace the wood, which seems like a bear of a job considering the location. I'll have to consult my mentor.

The actual painting was tedious because I had to use the extension ladder and do a section at a time, then move the darn thing. First, I went up and sanded, then let it dry for a few hours, then back up to paint. Meanwhile, I'm balancing precariously at 20 feet while the sun is beating down on my head and the mosquitoes are feasting on my blood. What a drag. Either way, I'm thinking for now that I'll seal the rotting sections from the rain until I learn more about what to do. Unfortunately the weather is calling for more rain, so I'll have to deal with that.

I also managed to get to begin working on that deck, and it wasn't as bad as I first thought. Taking the shingles off was easy, it's the tiles that will be a bit more challenging. Not only are they grouted around the edges, but they are cemented to the floor. I found by chiseling the edge of each tile then forcing a pry bar underneath, I could lift the tile and get it off in one piece. I did break the first one, but it was a learning experience. The hammering and chisel was loud, I think it echoed through the whole valley and rocked my ears, so I'll wear ear protection, but it's been working so far. Granted, it's only a few tiles, and it's going to take some time, but just goes to show you what you can do if you just give it go. It's impressive how much time I waste fretting and worrying about something when it would be finished over the same duration if I just took the first step and did it.
The shingles were a breeze because all it entailed was ripping the things off, and they break like pencils, though what the job lacks in strain is made up for in quanitity-there are a lot of shingles, so it's going to take some time. I'm not sure what to do with the nails in the wall. I thought I'd yank them out for aesthetic considerations, but then realized that would leave holes and thus ways for dreaded moisture to get into the wood. Darn that moisture. So for now my plan is to leave them and eventually hammer them in. Again, I'll consult my mentor.

One thing about doing home improvement projects is that it generates amazing amounts of waste. Not only do you have to collect it and store it, but once you trash it, how the heck am I supposed to get it to the dump with our little Mazda? Yet another plug for owning a truck, but don't get me started.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.