Here's the punch list on the kitchen white board from the weekend. We did get a lot of crap done, but there were a few stragglers that I wish we could have worked in. Much like last week we're taking a couple hours on week nights to finish up the big To Do list. "Finish insulation on 3rd floor" is still up there, but we determined we still need to do a bit more framing before we're ready for that. Call me crazy but I think it's impolite to run a power saw at 8:30pm on a Tuesday night.
First and foremost we had to finish the rear siding project we started this weekend: stapling up tar paper. The one thing we didn't want to do was leave it exposed for days on end (or god forbid weeks) until we'd tracked down the siding of choice. Some jobs really are better done in steps, especially when facing a considerable time span between beginning and end, and half protection is better than no protection.
Another significant accomplishment was disconnecting the radiator that sputtered at leaky coupling from the moment we turned furnace on last winter and was eventually shut down to eliminate water seaping into floor. Everyone we mentioned this to told us to be really careful messing with plumbing connections, which over time built the project up in our heads into a major ordeal. In fact the coupling loosened up without much of a fight. Almost anti-climatic. Took radiator outside to flushed it out, but no obvious sludge (unlike when we flushed the boiler) so back it went -- this time with a nice wrap of plumber's tape around the threads. Now the steam valves are soaking in vinegar, which I read will rejuvenate them, before firing up the boiler for the year. I'm sure there'll be more mention of heating progress in days to come.
sparks flew
Galvanized metal siding seems to be the meme dour jour. I keep seeing it everywhere-- or perhaps I started noticing it more once we decided to go that direction. There's a place up on 7th avenue accros from Greenwood Cemetary that we bid on about a year before we bought this place. Whomever bought it did quite the architecture number on it. It is covered in corrogated brushed metal installed horizonally. The borders around the windows and edges are all mitered aluminum. Quite the piece of craftsmanship I have to say. But, it does have a bit of "architects students first real project" about it-- down to painstakingly paintng the original dental work on the cornice a San Francisco muliplicity of colors.
Before cutting and putting up the actual siding we had to prep the back of the house. Clearing back some of the numerous coats of roofing product where our house joins our neighbors (row house remember). Then we cut and bent flashing for one side (the other side just got roofing goop out of a tube) and the bottom where the exterior wall joins the kitchen roof. Next we cut, squared and screwed in 1 5/8" galvanized channel to frame the edges and around the windows.
It was not fun work. The pieces needed a lot of adjusting, bending, snipping, and filing. We were using self-piercing tapping screws that are essetially a screw with a drill bit head. Getting them to set, cut and drive pushed both of us to our limits a couple of times. That combined with the cold (vanity note: I have a down vest on under that sweatshirt, I haven't been packing on the pounds) made for quite the frustrating day where nerves wore a bit thin.
I finished (read: I was the last man standing and it still needs more) screwing it up around 8:00pm. Granted we didn't start until 10:00am, but it's still a long day. Under the bright work lights it looked pretty damn fine (if I have to say so myself). I hope I have the same feeling when I see it in daylight.
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