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Our front porch remodel is now complete. New door, new stone siding, new ceiling, new posts, new railings, new decking, new light fixture.
Ka-Ching!
And while there were a few bumps along the way… I have to say we’re pleased with the results.
For someone who’d never worked with stone siding before, my husband did a good job.
As long as you don’t look too closely. 😉
Before and afters.
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Cleaner, fresher and much more attractive.
👍
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Since the new door was in and trimmed, at least on the outside, it was time to resume stonework.
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I’ll be honest and say the husband really wasn’t looking forward to this part.
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Inside corners are tough to line up properly.
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And we know precision finish work is not his forte.
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But he knocked that small wall out quickly and it looks pretty good, from afar.
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The section that’s really giving him a headache is between the door and the window.
The stone siding sections are 36 inches long…
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So of course the distance between the door and the window is 38 1/4”.
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Not wanting little 2 1/4 pieces and seams running the whole height I asked him to cut the sections different lengths so he could stagger the joins.
This suggestion was not well received.
🥴
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Back at the shed extension project, some trim was added.
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And oddly added at that.
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And even though the third wall/door hadn’t been figured out, work moved to the roof.
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Where my too cheap to buy more husband used part tar paper, part leftover ice and water shield.
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He kills me that way.
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The man thinks nothing of dropping $200 for dinner, but balks at buying a last roll of tar paper or another full piece of wood when leftovers will do.
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Whatever.
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This is where the third wall should go… except the raison d’etre for the extension is rolling the antique carriage under cover so my husband wants to leave it open. I’m lobbying for some type of large door but with the roof angled for rain and the side of the existing building so clearly off square I’m meeting a lot of resistance.
🥴
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Work on the second wall of the shed extension was underway yesterday.
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And another window was added.
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As you can tell, I keep my distance. Any suggestions from me are met with a bruised male ego and annoyance that I’m questioning his carpentry skills.
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Which, of course…
I am.
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See that last remaining spot to be sided? It’s a funky little section that required careful measuring and cutting.
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Which my husband never does.
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It’s just easier to gerry rig the section with 3 different size pieces.
Sigh…
🥴
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Work has resumed on the shed extension.
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And it’s extended to contain two windows.
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The wood siding was purchased from the same local man who provided the existing shed’s siding…
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Problem is….the old siding was 8” wide and the new is 12”.
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This bothers my husband not one iota…
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But is apt to drive me crazy every time I look at it.
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As does my spouse’s less than even board cutting.
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‘Good enough’ has always been good enough for my man when it comes to building.
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🥴
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As previously reported, the new door is in and secure.
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Though my husband’s faulty depth measurement raised its ugly head on the exterior.
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Raw unfinished wood was showing on both sides…
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Thankfully since he’ll be butting the thick stone siding next to it, a bit of pvc trim covers the mistake.
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I usually get nervous when my husband has to mitre something…
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But he did well this time around…
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With only a few minor adjustments.
😊
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The new door was seated but not quite right, so a temporary doorknob was installed overnight.
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Not attractive, but it kept the bugs out.
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His Lordship is not happy with the new decorative glass. It distorts his bird viewing and I’m sure I’ll hear more about this issue in the future.
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My husband rolled his eyes at the fancy door handle I bought, but it went in easier than most.
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If you can believe it.. a full day was spent making adjustments, shimming, un-shimming, moving, tweaking and leveling the door so it closed properly with no gaps. Wood had to be added on both sides of the frame since the door was slightly too small for the rough opening.
After that, insulation was stuffed in holes…
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Of which there were many because my always in a hurry husband measured the rough opening incorrectly.
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The height was fine, but the width was off by a good 2 inches…
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Which means all new moulding will be needed.
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Sigh.
🥴
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Now that we had a giant hole on the front of the house, it was time to fill it.
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Which meant moving the unbelievably heavy new door into position.
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It may not look like it, but this thing was an absolute beast to maneuver.
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My husband and his friend literally crab walked it across the lawn.
Three steps. Rest.
Three steps. Gasp for air.
Three steps. Regret not paying a contractor to do the job.
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Slowly… it got closer.
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And then? It had to be lifted up the two granite steps.
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Which was even worse.
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Please note my husband is engulfed by an unforgiving yew bush at this point.
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Finally, it was in.
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Though, as you can see….
Not without issues.
🥴
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Remember our old… I’m estimating 50 years… front door?
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The one we have to replace before my husband can finish the stone siding on the front porch?
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The one that was impossible to replace in that particular configuration.
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The one for which we ordered a replacement but have been waiting forever for it to arrive?
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It arrived.
And Holy Macaroni Batman! The thing weighs a ton. It took three delivery men 20 minutes to manhandle it 10 feet.
I was afraid they’d damaged it but when my husband removed the packaging it looked fine.
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Yes, it came with handles.
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Though the ones on the right were put on the wrong way.
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I’m not looking forward to my husband installing this door. Careful and precise are not his favorite words and it may require a lot more finesse than he’s capable of delivering.
Sigh.
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Remember when I told you about the husband putting his new (old as dirt) treasure in the shed?
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Besides being a tight fit and hard to maneuver, there’s no room for his beloved zero turn lawn tractor …. so a few days after he bought the treasure?
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Construction began.
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Yup.
Another project is underway at Casa River.
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Shingles have been stripped…
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And framing has begun for a shed extension.
You know, like the one he tore down a few years ago.
🥴
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Sigh…
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River's world..... 