February 10, 2017

House Projects: Front Windows Done!

Continued from here.

Our project after the holidays was to replace the last of the front windows and put up new siding.


The big question was whether or not the project would require structural repair similar to what we had to do on the back wall of this room. So the first thing Dan did was to remove that bottom board of siding to get a better look at what was underneath.


Amazingly, the sill beam was quite solid, not rotting away like the other wall. Equally amazing, was that the brick foundation was level.


Assessing from the inside:

You can see how blown-in insulation compacts over time.

With the insulation removed, you can see the gaps in the old exterior shiplap
siding. No sheathing.  If you look at the floor vent opening, you can see
that the vent was placed very near the crawlspace vent. Also not a good idea.

The first step, then, was to remove the old windows.


The sashes are identical to all the others originally installed in the house. The difference was that all the others had their own casing, whereas these were framed together, as one unit. Dan separated the two with his reciprocating saw, and also used it to cut the nails holding the frame in place.



Window out. The only damage we found was to the original rough opening sill.


No matter, that came out too so Dan could build a new rough opening, because the new window is longer anyway.


It is also narrower.


Next the gaps were filled in.


We had some old subflooring to fill in the spaces. That and the old siding became the sheathing. Then new siding panels went up and window trim.


Once that was done it was primed and painted.

Almost done.

It's almost like a picture window, isn't it? I'll have to get used to this larger look, just as I had to get used to the smaller look of the new front bedroom window. I'm also thinking about a window treatment; the curtain may or may not stay.

Still to do:
  • trimwork along the top of the siding panels 
  • trim for the corners
  • install the new crawlspace vent (old one was broken)

I'd also like to get somewhat around the outside corner on the right as well, to protect it from rain and such.

This is the side of the sun/loom room. Eventually
we hope to clear this all out and add on a greenhouse.

We'll see though, because as winter gives way to spring we need to shift gears. Anyway, it's a relief that there wasn't damage to repair and that the job was done so quickly.

30 comments:

Theresa said...

Looks lovely Leigh! How nice not to have to go through a whole reconstruction process. Is your loom set up to weave?

Sam I Am...... said...

Good job!

Leigh said...

Well, I'm sorry to say that only the outside is done! Dan has put insulation batts in between the new studs, but we will have to put up a new wall and of course the interior window trims. We probably won't get to the room's interior until after we deal with that last wall on the side. And who knows when that will be!

I'm thinking, though, of using the front bedroom for my weaving and crafting room because I'll have more room and wall space. That room is still under construction as well, so my fiber pursuit in the meantime is knitting. :)

Leigh said...

Thanks! Next we need to clean up the front yard and the porch so I can get a relatively uncluttered shot of the entire front of the house. :)

Mama Pea said...

No sheathing under the siding! Isn't that amazing? Do you think in the day the house was built that was common in your area? Lovely transformation done by the Dynamic Duo once more.

Hey, I see you got a little snow during the process.

Leigh said...

I think the lack of sheathing wasn't uncommon. There is a modern idea, at least, that we're in "the South" so we don't need as much insulation. It's true our winters aren't as cold, but the summers are blazingly hot enough so that insulation is truly necessary! Anyway, it's made a noticeable difference in that room, even with one more wall to go.

Ed said...

Being from up north, I'm amazed at some of the things I see, including all the gaps in the shiplap, something we don't have up here. When I resided our house a couple winters ago, we had a black fiberboard sheathing and then the siding. After removing the old siding, I wrapped the entire house in plastic house wrap and put up new siding. Essentially I wasn't adding anything but the plastic house wrap and it made a HUGE difference in the comfort of our home, especially during winters. It also reduced our heating and cooling bills considerably. And there weren't nearly the gaps in our sheathing as your shiplap!

I'm guessing being further south, the payback wouldn't be quite so dramatic. Probably just putting in the bat insulation to replace the compressed blown insulation will give you a great payback.

Looking great! I have found the neighbors really love having your house look nice on the inside. I got lots of compliments that first summer after we finished the outside and I'm sure you will too.

Unknown said...

I had to laugh out loud at your comment of "as winter gives way to spring..." I can hardly wait to shift gears as Spring here in Western NY state probably wont arrive until May... BRRRRR it is cold out!

Lady Locust said...

Wow Leigh that is looking great. Bet your "curb appeal" view is looking great. Hope the side is equally sound and level. You should show a before and after of the whole front of the house. Between the porch and all the windows and paint of course, bet it's like night and day. Well done😊

Nancy In Boise said...

Lucky outcome! It's nice when that happens...

Gill - That British Woman said...

nice to have bigger windows.

Chris said...

I love the easy jobs, but I imagine there's a lot more work to do on the inside. Are you going to reuse the blown in insulation, or are you going to go with a different option?

Excellent job by the way. You're almost there!

Chris said...

I just read your comment to Theresa, about insulation bats. :)

Mike Yukon said...

I would think that room must feel warmer now even though it's only the one wall repaired.

Leigh said...

The extra insulation does make a huge difference. Maybe they just didn't think it was as important back then (?) Or maybe because they didn't have central heating and A/C, who knows! For us it's made a wonderful difference in both cold weather and hot. And yes! The neighbors are telling us how nice the house looks!

Leigh said...

Allison we've had some days in the upper 70s recently and I'm just not ready for it! I think living with wood heat has really helped me acclimatize. I enjoy working outside in the 40s. Colder is too cold!

Leigh said...

I'm definitely planning a before and after of the house front! It's an amazing difference, and one that we're very happy with. :)

Leigh said...

No complaints here!

Leigh said...

Especially when they're energy efficient! I love the light, and without letting in a lot of cold. :)

Leigh said...

Chris, I have no idea when we'll get to the inside. Dan's big motivation is to get the outside done. I imagine once that's done and we get tired of living with so many loose ends we'll get it done. :)

Leigh said...

Mike, it really does make a difference. I was surprised. It's quieter too.

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

It is so nice to accomplish things without everything being wrong! I didn't realize your siding was blue. You are so patient in getting things done! Nancy

1st Man said...

Wow, that looks SO nice! And I'm fascinated how you went from horizontal to vertical and what a difference it makes in the appearance! Great job!

Bill said...

Bravo. It looks great. I'm always impressed at all things y'all are able to do yourselves.

Leigh said...

We have to be patient because it's pay as we go!

Leigh said...

It's an example of letting our finds do the designing for us. If we started out with a design plan at the beginning, it definitely wouldn't have looked like this. :) But we find such good bargains that we can't pass them up. It's fun to see how we can make them work together and the result is certainly our own.

Leigh said...

Doing for ourselves is the result of having more time than money! The slow going is because we don't have much time (or money, LOL). We're happier with the work and the results, though. No doubt about that.

Farmer Barb said...

Whoopee! Gorgeous!

Cassandra said...

It looks great! And a greenhouse would be *lovely* right there!

Renee Nefe said...

I was just saying to kiddo the other day that we need to go around and fix some of the things that are coming apart on our house as I kicked a baseboard back into place. It is interesting to see what short cuts were taken by the builders on this house. Not only do we have baseboards that are popping off or have gaps to the floor... we also have several places where instead of drywall screws it appears that they used roofing nails to attach them, and those are popping out now. :-/
Glad your window project went "smoothly" on this one. Hope the rest goes well also. I like your plan to move the craft room...but that begs the question...what will the old sun room become?