Two Doors Down, Three to Go

Thanks to JH, we managed to install two doors (count 'em, two doors) on the barn. I had spent the previous week preparing the ROs and he came over to install. I figured that it would take half an hour and we'd be done, but of course it took a lot longer than I'd expected, or for that matter, hoped. The reason is that doors are tricky, you really have to get them in right or they won't open or close properly. What a drag. It doesn't help that they are heavy and extremely cumbersome, but such is life.

So JH and I wrestled with the doors for a few hours and managed to get them in, but not before I basically took a bath in silicone caulking. That stuff gets everywhere. We could have gone on for longer, and JH had indicated that he was ready to, but we had places to be, so I reluctantly put off installing more doors until next week. We had to get to the bike store to find A a new bike, and we also had t-ball (my first practice as coach-yikes) and guitar after that, so no time to waste actually trying to build a house.

One note-the wood pile is about 40% done. Meaning that when we reach 50%, we'll have enough wood (hopefully) for this winter. 100% will mean we have two years worth of wood, which amounts to about 10 cords. Is that crazy, or what?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Stoked About Britton's

I just read in the Standard that Britton's, our local lumber yard, was bought out by Bethel Mills. Good news for aspiring real men (as well as certified real men) throughout the area. You don't give it much thought, but having a bona fide lumber yard so close to home is a great thing, saving us the hassle of having to go to W. Leb. Plus, they're local and use native woods, which is kind of cool, in a Vermont sort of way. I have to confess, I didn't think they were going to last, but it seems to me that the arrangement works out for both parties, not to mention aspiring home improvement gurus like myself.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to cbcs for the pic.

More Fascia, Cleaning Up and the Lawn

The fascia on the gable side of the house was much harder to remove because not only is it nailed to the rafters, but it's attached to the roof, as well. Imagine my surprise when I removed the nails attaching it to the beams, and the darn thing wouldn't fall down. I had to pry the thing off from the roof, which wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that I was nearly 30 feet off the ground on a shaky ladder. Bummer. I got the fascia off, finally, but not before destroying the drip shield attached to it - it's just a thin piece of flashing. I spoke with the roofers and they said they would put a new one on, and if I wanted to, I could simply remove the thing. Easier said than done, but at least my path of destruction won't have too serious a consequence... I hope.

I'm also embarrassed by the level of mess that has accumulated in the barn, but only because when JH comes over to help, he has to maneuver around all the clutter. I think this is what keeps R from visiting the structure, the mess would send her into shock, so she wisely just avoids it. It's a good thing my Mentor isn't around to see it, he'd have a cow. My brother-in-law, PR, as well, but thankfully they're all a few area codes away. I want to clean up, but I just can't find the wherewithal to pull it off. One day.

In the meantime, there are windows to remove on the second floor, windows to order to replace them, not to mention a 2nd story door to put in. What were we thinking installing a door on the 2nd floor?

For all it's worth, I did finally mow the lawn, and since we put so much effort in restoring it, I didn't want to hack it too short, so I set the mower on high, which did absolutely nothing to the grass. I had to set it lower to get any effect, and it did look better, though I still think the grass is a work in progress. Kind of like everything in life.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to NRL for the pics.

Stumped on the Barn Doors

In a good example of "so close, yet so far," JH came over the other day ready to install doors, and they ROs ended up being just a touch too big. I need to shorten all of them by about an inch or two, enough to make a difference and create a gap where our biggest enemy, water droplets, can sneak in. So, we instead spent the day fitting all of the doors and seeing what needed to be done. I recorded the difference and will add more wood.

The debate came up about whether or not to use PT wood. The sill is PT, and in certain places, the frame above it is PT, but I don't think that's what S&MG did. The frame that rests above the PT sill is rough cut, so in one door, I did the same.

Either way, JH recommended using PT since it will get exposed to water, but now I have to get it, and I hate cutting that stuff. He mentioned that we could get around it by adding the wood to the top of the frame, thereby eliminating the need to use PT wood, and at the time, don't ask me why, I declined that option.

In retrospect, I think it's the way to go. That way, I can use the wood I have and take care of it before next Thursday. Amazing what a day or two of thought can accomplish.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

doors too small
debate over PT wood
embarrassed by mess, will clean
finished shelf, need backing

Fascia, Lawnmower Tuneup, and Chainsaw Issues

In a good example of things that are daunting and intimidating, yet aren't so bad once you actually do them, I started to remove the fascia off the barn. Mind you, I never would have initiated this if not for the roofing company telling me I had to. Sometimes it just takes a higher power to get things moving along.

As I mentioned, it wasn't so bad, and I'm assuming putting the new fascia back on will be a lot more difficult, but I can't dwell on these things. You have to celebrate the moments when life throws you a bone. I managed to get the boards off one side of the barn, and decided to quit while I was ahead. While most people would have continued until they finished the job, I had many other things that needed attending to, and I've decided that the only way I'm going to get them done is by chipping away at the respective stones.

So from there, I moved onto the next project, which was yard maintenance. While I was stewing in self-satisfaction over the minor triumphs of our lawn, I had to remind myself that at some point I was going to have mow it, and that meant breaking out the 'ol Toro and getting it up and running. I messed by not running it dry the previous year, so I did what I thought to be the next best thing - I siphoned off the remaining gas, drained the oil, and pulled the air filter. I then had to get the oil and filter before I could run the thing.

From there, I moved on to the wood pile. I have about 5 cords of tree length wood that still needs to be cut up, which means I can do real-man activities like use my chainsaw. The only problem was, I couldn't get the darn thing to start. I couldn't believe, the thing is less than a year old, and it wouldn't kick in. It looked like a trip to Joe's was in order, I needed a replacement chain, anyway.

I went to Joe's ready to plead my case about the saw (it was still under warranty), and while I was there, pick up the necessary real-man supplies. They took the saw out back, and got it started from the get-go. It turns out I'd flooded it, though I was only following their recommendations about how to start the thing. They'd warned me in the beginning about flooding it, but I still managed to screw things up. Oh well, the learning continues.

On the bright note, the saw was fixed, and I was ready to cut the grass. Spring is in the air, if you didn't notice.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to NRL (our son) for the pics.

Mondays and Chainsaw Redemption

Early this week, I managed to slowly chip away at the stone and move things along. It appears that this is the only way things are going to get done around here, and excessive obsession with the big picture will only result in frustration and inaction, two areas that I excel at.

With this in mind, the prior week, JH and I were installing window in the barn when one of the ROs was too small, by less than an inch. We had put all the other windows in, so rather than waste his time watching me enlarge the RO, we ended the day and I decided to open the hole myself. This wasn't such a big deal, but the re-sheathing part was the pain. After that was done, I decided to see if the window would now fit, figuring I could do this much on my own. The RO was snug, but it slid in fairly easy. Because the fit was tight, it held the window in place, so I could go to the other side and check the level, which was fortuitously right on.

At that point, I figured I'd just install the thing, so I pulled it out, caulked the edge, and put it back in, then nailed it. How's that for real-man initiative? Of course, I had N take a pic of it. Just for the record, N is my official blog photographer.

I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but I also found out that my chainsaw sharpening techniques weren't completely off-kilter. I took the chain into Joe's and D told me that it looked fine, that he'd seen a lot worse. Great. I proceeded to use the saw to cut a few cords of wood, and then I had the issue of cutting up that massive header that was infested with carpenter ants. I needed to make smaller pieces for the burn pile, and the thing is long (about 9 feet) and thick (about 7 inches). Using a rotary saw wasn't going to cut it (not pun intended), so I decided to try the chainsaw. I was worried, of course, about nails, so I carefully chose my cutting paths and went for it.

Of course, I forgot to consider nails hidden deep within the structure, and proceeded to fry my chain. Bummer. The minute I hit the metal, I knew I screwed up. Darn. Oh well, at least I have a replacement chain. I'll have to get another.

One new project in the making is a shelf our kids want for their Lego creations. A even drew up a design with specific indications of dimensions and sizes. How cool is that?

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Upcoming Week

I contacted the fire marshal about burning some scrap wood, but never heard from the guy. Not sure how I'm supposed to approach this, but I'll keep trying. This, however, was fairly fortuitous, because I was going to burn a ton of cedar shingles that I ripped from the front porch, and I just learned from my mentor that they are extremely useful as shims when you install a door. So I went outside last night and grabbed a bunch from the burn pile. Talk about good timing.

When JH comes over on Thursday, we'll finish putting in the final window and maybe even give a stab at putting in a door, but that may be well over our heads.

At some point, I have to get on that deck, and let us not forget the fascia on the barn, mowing our newly refurbished lawn, and making a dent in that wood pile.

Until then, thanks for reading.