Our Summer Project

Where should I start?  I have been waiting to do this project since we moved in to the house 16 years ago!  I have long dreamt of a big covered porch to go with the style of the house and to change the dormers to better match the Dutch Colonial style of the house.  I am finally able to get a majority of that done this summer.

Here's a look at what the house looked like before beginning the project in May.  We have added a porch roof the entire length of the front of the house.  That was about a week to complete the framework and redesign at the end of the house because the slope that was designed was too steep and didn't look right.

This was at the end of 2 days of building.  Almost finished with all of the rafters and tying in to the main roof.

 

This is what it looked like after all of the rafters were installed, still thinking of how to finish off the back along the side of the house.   Hmmm?

 

This is what we came up with...the flat surfaces that are vertical will be covered with fish scale siding.  What's covered with underlayment will be shingled. The stoop down to the yard will also be covered by a small roof...  I really like the end result.

 

The added supports for the porch swing, which is part of the design past the end of the house, to allow for the motion of the swing, and enough room to walk around without getting off the porch.

 

The first gabled dormer is installed!  Only four more to go!

WOW!  What a difference this makes!  We also changed the windows on the 2nd floor to more efficient ones, and are now closing in the soffits getting ready for the new roof on the entire house, garage, and porch.  It'll be quite the undertaking!   Then it will be on to installing the decorative porch posts and wrapping the support beams in aluminum.

I'll post more as the project moves along, the rain and heat have not been cooperative with completing roof work.

My new lamp post

Back around New Year's we had company in to watch the Penn Sate Bowl game and afterwards when the company were leaving they met with our lamp post at the end of our driveway.  An honest accident, as the post is/was close to the driveway (about 18 inches off the side of the driveway).

This photo is from when Eric was clearing the snow during the blizzard of 2016, but it does show how close the post was to the edge of the driveway.

Eric and I spent weeks discussing our options and exactly what we wanted to do to replace the lamp post, especially since we are planning more home renovations this summer and did we want to have the lamp post fit in with those changes that are planned?  We finally decided to go with a colonial style post versus the black iron one that had been there...plus I wanted it taller than the previous one.

We made quite a few shopping trips looking at our options and gathering measurements, etc.  Here's what we selected:

One PVC Colonial style porch post in white.  Never will need to paint it, a huge plus.  It was also a hollow post through the center, which we thought would make it easy to wire and mount the light.

We weren't so pleased with the cost of the post, but after researching pre-assembled ones, this price wasn't too bad.

I came across this style lamp while doing some other shopping, snapped a photo for reference for Eric since he wasn't along.  When we went back to purchase for our porch lights, garage lights and the lamp post, the price had been reduced, plus there was a rebate on them!  What luck.  The price shown was before all the discounts.

I also wanted the lamp post to have outlets for the holiday lights that we put up and also for the other yard tools and car vacuum.  Our driveway is long and the only other outlets across the front of the house outside are by the front door 100 feet away.

Eric and I put a LOT of thought into this project as we do all of our projects, we don't want to later say "I wished we'd have done it this way".  Well all of this took place back in February...The lamp post finally got put in on  April 3rd.  The weather turned cold, we got 18 inches of snow in between and then we got a lot of rain, so conditions were not favorable to be digging a hole and working with electricity.  In the meantime Eric worked in the garage getting the components all put together ready to install.

During this process Eric discovered that the post we chose was not as easy to install the components on to as he originally thought.  The post was hollow, but not in the way we had thought.  It has a steel pipe running through it with foam insulation around the pipe...a bit of the insulation was removed to run the wiring through and so that the light and outlets could be mounted to the post.  In some ways this error was a blessing.  There will be no space for bugs to make nests or for critters to find their way inside to chew on the wires.

Next the base of the light was to be the same width as the post, but we didn't account for the curved edge of the post, so we had to come up with a solution for the gap along the sides of the mount to protect it from the elements. The fix for this was some weather stripping on each side and weather proof caulking the same color as the post.  Unless you are right at the post looking closely you can't see it.  Another issue dealt with and solved.

Third we needed to find a cap for the post since we decided to go with a side mount light versus one a top the post.  I located one that was for a 6 inch post, thought our issue was solved - but nope, it was about 1/2 inch too large.  So much for building standards!  UGH, so frustrating.  We ended up using the cap I bought and placing a screw down through the top to attach it to the cap that was for the bottom of the post, but had drainage holes in it...you can see them in the bottom of the photo above of the post with the price in the store.  We needed to also seal up the opening we created with the screw through the cap, because we didn't want moisture getting onto the wires through the post, a bit more white caulk.

Fourth, Eric discovered that he mounted the outlets on the opposite side of the post from what we had discussed.  Oh, well...a minor oops.  One that I can live with and him as well.  The rock helps to camouflage them from the road.

Fifth was an issue with the actual mounting of the post & placing it in the ground.  Due to the steel pipe inside the post Eric was concerned with the steel possibly rubbing through the casing of the wire where it comes from the ground to the post.  we ended up drilling through the side of the post at the bottom and running it through a small piece of conduit.  We also used a steel fence post to mount the post over in the ground to give more stability and a deeper base.

Lastly, it is now done!

Once the snow melted my daffodils opened up and looked beautiful against the new lamp post, too.

 A close up of the outlet boxes.  We decided to add and extra box in case we run out of outlets for the Christmas lights.  I wanted to be sure to have plenty and not have so many extension cords everywhere.

The finished lamp post.  SO glad to have it up and a light at the end of the driveway.  Oh, the light  has a dusk to dawn sensor, so no need for a switch.  I'm happy and Eric's relieved that I'm happy with the end result.  Eric's a great handyman when he puts his mind to it...has saved us a lot of money over the years.

I hope you've enjoyed a look into our escapades with this latest project.  TTFN

Finishing Up Projects

It has been so long since my last post.  I have had so much happening.  I decided to get one project done that's been staring me in the face literally for years.  Staining & varnishing my stairs.  Here's the work in progress.

Years ago I had removed the carpet from the stairs.  I loathe carpeted stairs, after having fallen down several, I no longer will have them carpeted.  This is what it looked like this morning at 8 am.

This is what I'm using to stain/varnish the stairs with.  Hoping it will actually save me time.  This is my first time using this product.  In the past I have always done several coats of stain, then several coats of varnish.

The stairs are about 75% done at this point...stained every other tread so we still have access while the other 1/2 of treads are drying.  I was unable to finish myself as my hands and wrists began to swell.  I really hate that, it makes everything so difficult.  An unfortunate drawback of the disease.  :(

 So very grateful for George being home.  He finished the last two treads for me.  Getting ready to do the next set of treads this afternoon.  Total drying time is about 6 hours.  Hoping to get it all done today along with a 2nd coat to dry overnight.