Elkhart House Project - 

June 27, 2004

Siding complete (almost).   We got pretty much all the siding done this weekend despite the weather.  Southeast Texas has been hit with rain about every day for a couple weeks.  Doing siding in the rain  is doable  but not pleasurable.  It rained both Saturday and Sunday morning for a while.  Not hard enough to stop us but just enough to muddy things up.  Made it real sloppy.  I laid tar paper on the work areas to keep the red clay from sticking to our shoes.  It helped but everything was still wet and messy.  We stopped about 2:30 on Saturday (I'd had enough).  I mowed the yard and we needed to go to Lowes for some lumber for the doors.  We left the house about 5:00pm. After Blake and I ate dinner and went to Walmart to kill some time then to a movie.  Saw The Terminal with Tom Hanks.  So-so movie.  Wait for the rental.  No desire to see White Chicks....whatsoever. 

 

We started out on the side facing the street.  Then worked around the back.  The back wasn't to bad with the width being 24' and the HP being 12'.  Blake's about 5'4" so we used a scaffolding on some saw horses with a left over 2x8x24 joist.  After that it was ladders all the way.  No real pictures while in progress.
Found a good flashing for the door frame.  Lowes had it and it is called ledger flashing.  This allowed me to use a 2x4 for the trim leaving a nice reveal.
Some tar paper over the flashing should keep the water out.  I lost some of the cut corners after the frame was complete.  I wanted 16' but forgot to add in the 2x trimmers after that.  In hindsight I should have put the trimmers on first, then a 16" corner. Not a big deal, I still like the look.
The finished look isn't that bad.  You can see I still have to finish the eaves boxes to close up the soffit.  Then add the corners and the 1x2 trim everywhere.
The front was the hardest of course.  All the angles around the doors and the door trim.  I started about 8:00am on Sunday.  I think I called for Blake's help at about 11:00am.  I think I climbed down for the last time about 1:00pm.  Just some of the light trim left and then to paint.  The vent added just enough.  We also though about an arched window but just settled on a Lowes special vent..
My #1 helper and the little black yard rat, Bailey,  in the front.  You can see the scaffolding on the side of the house and the one piece of siding that I'm short.  I could probably piece it but I don't think I had any scraps over a few feet long.  I need about 8'.
I pre-assembled some of the parts for the doors back in Houston.  We stayed a bit later to get one installed. Actually not to bad.  I don't have the springs on yet but with some grunt it will open and close.  These are pretty lightweight doors but they are under $200 each. 
A few shots from the road.  I even got the yard mowed this weekend.   WE also hauled off the "burnpile" on the side.  Just didn't want to leave it around.