January 1, 2020

Finishing That Corner of the House

One year ago, we finished re-siding the back gable end of the house.

December 2018

At the time, I assumed Dan would also finish off that last back corner. The one in the above photo with the old white vinyl siding. Alas, Dan quickly shifted mental gears from the house to the carport. So that corner has remained an eye magnet for the past year.

Last month, he finally got to it when it became one of the side projects of installing our solar system.


The wiring from the batteries must go through that wall to the inverter (which will convert the batteries' DC electricity into AC electricity for the freezer). The freezer will plug into the inverter on the back porch.

We had a string of really nice days right before Christmas, so Dan got started on this project. The first step was to remove the old vinyl siding.


Thankfully, no surprises there. The original shiplap siding looked the same as it has on the rest of the house beneath the vinyl siding.


The wood siding came down next. No surprises there either. Dan had insulated that wall years ago when he replaced the back porch floor.


The back porch steps were obviously added on after the house was built. You can tell because the old siding runs behind the concrete.


The next step was to remove the back porch overhang bracket, the porch railing, and the old corner molding.


That meant the porch overhang had to be propped. Tar paper was next and then our barnboard siding.


The siding fit behind the porch steps and storm windows perfectly.


The last of the construction part was a new overhang bracket.


The wire you see runs from a small solar panel on the roof to a vent fan behind the crawlspace door. (The panel that contains the fan can be moved as needed.)


This is one reason why the battery box is in such a good place. In summer, the cool vented crawlspace air can blow across the batteries.

After painting the siding, new corner trim and porch railing were added.


Dan finished with the painting before we got another round of rain. At last, the back side of the house is done!

December 2019

Well, maybe I shouldn't be too optimistic about that. Now, he's talking about replacing the back porch overhang and maybe re-doing the back porch steps. It never ends, does it? 😄

But first things first, and that means connecting our solar panels, charge controller, batteries, and inverter. Then we can plug in the freezer! More on all that soon.

32 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

LOL - No; there is no end.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...


Thank God for handy men though! Happy New Year!

Boud said...

I'm very impressed with that degree of competence, even if it took a while to finish. Happy New year to you.

Kris said...

Huzzah! What a tight little project with big benefits. And what a way to start the new year. Congrats. Corner looks really nice. Cheers. Kris

Leigh said...

Gorges, ain't that the truth!

Karen Ann, the best part is he love it. :)

Boud, Dan will tell you - YouTube! There isn't anything a body can't do with a good instructional video.

Kris, thanks! It's such a relief to have it done. We have one more section of the house that needs to be done, which Dan is talking about now. Then it will be mostly done.

Boud said...

What the Readers Digest Book of Home Repair used to be (taught myself to rehang double hung windows, only available tool a steak knife, there) is what YouTube now is. Good for you both.

Mama Pea said...

Progress, progress and more progress! You document it all with such great pictures. In years to come, you'll look back on them all and feel AMAZED at all you've accomplished. I know as this happens when we scroll back through our picture files. (It helps especially when we hit a spot where nothing seems to go "right" and we feel like the wheels are spinning and we're not progressing.)

Cockeyed Jo said...

Leigh, you know what they say about assume.LOL Men are not multi-taskers. They have tunnel vision. Combined, I have 41 years of experience with husbands and how their minds work. The finished exterior is a job well done.

Retired Knitter said...

When you step back and look at your progress in total -you guys have come a long way since moving into this space! Great job. It looks great AND you are so blessed to have such a handy guy for a husband.

Lady Locust said...

Wow! Look at the before and after side by side - what a difference. Looks great!

Rain said...

What a great job Dan did! That looks fantastic! I'm sure you're happy it's completed! :) Happy New Year to you and Dan, Leigh! All the best for 2020!!!

squire said...

With progress, all things will get finished.

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

When you're a homeowner there is always something else to do. YOu guys need to take a day once in a while! Happy New Year!!!

Leigh said...

Boud, we have Reader's Digest Back To Basics and really like it. Lot's of good information. And as much as Dan likes YouTube, we both agree that hard copy books are an invaluable resource.

Mama Pea, well, thank you! Looking back over this year it seems like we did pretty well in the progress department. I so agree how much it helps to refresh the memory when it needs it. It helps keep us from getting discouraged.

Jo, lol. I can't say I'm a great multi-tasker either!

RT, that's why I love to blog - to keep record of the progress!

Lady Locust, that's why I love to blog - to keep record of the before and after differences!

Rain, thanks! Happy New Year to you too!

Squire, I think both Dan and I are ready to finally finish the house. It's been ten years, after all!

Sam, it never ends, does it? LOL Dan's a project person, so he's not happy unless he has a project. :)

Goatldi said...

There you go. And no it never ends until you think you are done and then you move and start over. This is from a non nomadic person until 13 years ago on January 6. Sometimes staying in place takes less effort. And then again. . .

A well earned Salute!

Leigh said...

Goatldi, I suppose it depends on how one defines "effort." Packing, loading, unloading, unpacking, and finding new homes for things is a lot of work! Fortunately, I think Dan and I are getting too old to start over. :)

Ed said...

I'm guilty of doing that kind of thing too. I get amped about a project but after a long time of working on the same thing, my mind goes dull and I just want to move onto something else for awhile. Eventually my mind comes back around and I will finish the project off which gets me amped up for the next project.

Alicia said...

Vives en un lugar muy hermoso con una casa que tiene historia ya que es desde 1920 ,las reformas que estáis haciendo son inmejorables y lo bien que os están quedando, seguro que poco a poco conseguireis vuestros sueños.FELIZ AÑO NUEVO
https://aliegunon.blogspot.com/ me quedo como seguidora tuya.
Un fuerte abrazo

Rain said...

The beauty of art is that there are no rules! You have transformed your home and I would love for you to share that! I added your link anyway lol! It's an art date Leigh, but really, it's about the theme more than anything!

Sandi said...

A transformed home is a beautiful thing!

Leigh said...

Ed, that often seems to be the case! It seems that the most fun part of the project is the initial planning and anticipation. Then it becomes work! lol

Alicia, thank you! It's amazing to think that our home will be 100 years old soon. Sometimes I wish I could get into a time machine and travel back in yearly increments, just to see all the changes over the years. Happy New Year to you too!

Rain, thank you! That's true, it is about a theme. That will help me participate more. :)

Sandi, slowly but surely. Having our own home is a blessing. :)

Christine said...

Wonderful transformation!

R's Rue said...

Beautiful.

Powell River Books said...

You guys are so much more talented than we are. John just finished our cabin deck while we were away in the States on our RV trip. It was probably best not to be there while it was happening. The solar batteries had to be moved to get new boards underneath so there were days without power and the same had to happen with the propane shed. We are back for a short stay and went up to look things over. He did a nice job. But the weather has been so rainy and windy we haven't stayed there yet. And it's not looking good for a good weather window before we have to leave. - Margy

Leigh said...

Christine, it's been a long time coming!

R, thank you!

Margy, you are so fortunate to have John. Seems he always does a nice job. Nice you get to travel to stay out of his way!

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Converting the house was a lot of work, but great job. I also wish you a Happy New Year, Elke

Leigh said...

Elke, thank you! I wish the same to you too.

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

Now that is a true transformation and good for Dan to finally get to that corner ... but now, won't you miss that little eye magnet? It definitely provoked conversation, right? Nicely done, both you and Dan ...

Andrea @ From the Sol

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Great job and congratulations (and, of course, on to the next project)!

Leigh said...

Andrea, lol. I can honestly say it won't be missed!

TB, thanks! Next project on the way!

Kristin said...

Whoa! It's amazing what a difference that little section makes! And the carport looks really good too. And no, it never ends! LOL!

Leigh said...

Kristin, color! It can either draw the eye or blend everything together. Anytime Dan frets over his woodworking I tell him no one will notice after it's painted. :)