Mmmm...wood is yummy!

Today the Kiwis removed the rest of the siding. Who are the Kiwis, you ask? My great pair of contractors with the fab New Zealand accents. I like them a lot. They seem to handle my oddities well, which says a lot.

So here's the update. Most of the house look great (that is, what I can see around the edges of the Tyvek). Here's the side that faces the street:



Here's the front porch stripped. See how lovely the wood looks! Great condition, perfect for siding:


The back of the house likewise looks great. The concrete foundation skirting you are seeing is only on the laundry room. Hilary and I had fun testing a bunch of paint colors on the house last week; all our test samples except the fuschia & red are gone with the siding. The door will turn into a wall and the stairs will be covered with a deck. Bye, bye! The smallish window just to the right will be replaced with french doors:


For the most part, the house seems to be in good shape. Windows, as expected, are the biggest issue. The bay of three windows at the front of the house is very badly damaged by termites. No shock there; I knew about that damage from the beginning. The bathroom window, likewise, has quite a bit of rot around it, which isn't a suprise. The wood foundation skirting that is sunk more than six inches under the ground is, of course, in awful shape and is one of the most important reasons to undertake this residing project. Texas weather means that wood should never touch the ground. The workers dug out this lovely view, under the termite-eaten window:


Blech. Finally, there was one really nasty surprise--so nasty I couldn't help but just laugh at it! Who knew that there was a major party going on some time in the past underneath one of the living room windows? The Kiwis left it open for me to see:

Yipes! Actually, this isn't so bad (at least that's what the optimist in me says). The sheathing can be replaced, and I'm removing a window of this exact size in very good condition from the laundry room. I'll suggest to the Kiwis that we swap them out. I'll let you know what they say. It's such a relief to have everything exposed so I can fix it. Happy house!

That's all for today.

--Molly

Getting Started!

Just two days in, my exterior seems utterly transformed. It's exciting and scary. I expect the project to be completed in about a month (ok, you can laugh now). Comments, encouragement and opinions are welcome!!

The renovation will include the following projects:
1. remove vinyl and asbestos siding, soffits, etc.
2. frame in laundry room window and door
3, create a new back exit from kitchen with french doors
4. reside the house
5. trim out a newly stylish front porch
6. add a deck off the back
7. surround the back yard with a privacy fence
8. replace the shed (maybe) and shape up the carport
9. Gut and replace the kitchen (NOT part of the current plan, but hopefully up soon!)
Here's the front of the house BEFORE:


Two days ago the contractors came by to take a peek under the siding:

As you can see, the vinyl covers asbestos shingles. Underneath are gorgeous wood windows and good, solid wood planks that hold the asbestos. The following detail shot shows you the planks, which will hold the Hardie Plank siding well. They are smooth and flat, which is important because Hardie is so straight that it shows flaws underneath. Don't miss the cute ripply edge of the old asbestos siding! Why oh why do people install vinyl?


Today when I got home from work, half of the house had had its siding removed! The Tyvek is just temporary, protecting the house in case it rains (yeah, right; we would do anything for rain right now!). Check out the windows, released from their ugly screens, and the big porch. The gutters are gone, and underneath the aluminum soffits, the wood soffits coverinf the underside of the eaves seems to be in really good condition:


OK, that's all for today. There is some rot here and there (as expected) but I'm so pleased that this project is actually underway. There's no going back! Please send good renovation karma.

--Molly