Lake House Porch Addition, Step Two - Demo, Framing, and Enclosing the Room

In a previous post, I discussed the planning and decision-making process for our lake home addition.  Having made the decision, I was now ready to begin the actual work.  Plan in hand, I headed to the lake for an extended weekend of solitary work.

The old framework was in good shape, but didn't have the look we wanted for the addition.  The old
 6 x 6 support beams would stay in place.

The old porch had a 2 X 4 framework that held the screens in place.  While this framework was in good condition, it was inadequate for my needs.  Specifically, it had a few things that made it necessary to do a complete tear-out:

• Since the support beams were 6 X 6's, the smaller framework would need to be shimmed out to match the beams - a very labor-intensive process.
• The rough openings weren't exactly what I needed for the windows and doors.
• The openings weren't solid enough to provide a good mounting platform for the windows and doors.

Armed with a crowbar, hammer, and driver drill, I began tearing things down.  We weren't going to reuse anything, including the old doors, so I pulled those out and hauled them to the top of the hill. Initially, I was going to save the old lumber, but I soon decided it was more work than it was worth to remove all the nail, so I ended up just ripping it apart and piling it up, nails and all.  After the framework was gone, I pulled out some of the old electrical and fixtures, leaving some lights for the moment.  After about a half day, I was ready to start building!

A couple of things have changed since I last did any major construction project.  I had never used a pneumatic nail gun - I don't even know if they existed way back in the stone ages when I helped my father build or remodel.  Fortunately, Carter owns several nail guns, and she was kind enough to loan them to me for the duration of the project.  I soon discovered that these things are real labor savers!  You also have the ability to quickly drive nails at odd angles.  The downside?  You have to use some restraint, or you'll end up with more nails than board.

I ended up cutting all the framing lumber with a circular saw - hand measuring each board, marking it with a square, and following the line with the saw.  I'm pretty good with a circular saw, but, if I had it to do over again, I'd have bought a power miter saw, and used it to cut the 2 X 6 framing.  Ironically, I ended up buying a big saw for the trim work, not realizing it would have been perfect for the framing.  In any case, I cut all the framing with the circular saw, with no real problems.

Since I wanted the maximum glass area, my windows were custom sized.  The rough opening for each window was slightly larger than the frame size, to leave you enough room to level the windows.  I tried to get each opening as square, plumb, and level as possible to reduce issues when installing the windows.

Rough openings are an inch or so larger than the window frames

I also framed out an opening for the walk-in door and through-wall heat pump in the far end.

You can see the detail, including the "cripple" studs around the openings.  Since the support beams provide adequate strength, I didn't have to worry about structural strength of the headers.

The other end is framed for the sliding patio door.

The view from the outside - Still not much difference!

After framing, the next step was to add the sheathing.  Fortunately, Carter was able to come down to help with sheathing and window and door installation.  Sheathing adds rigidity to the structure, gives it lateral stability, and provides a smooth, solid surface.  Depending on the application, sheathing can be fiber board, foam board, or (my choice) OSB.  OSB (Oriented Strand Board) is a plywood-like material - we used to call it "chip board" - less expensive than plywood, providing a more solid, secure sheathing than foam.  Since I was planning on vinyl siding, I wanted to have a "real wall" - something that would withstand at least a little force before breaking down.  Adding foam board to the outside would provide superior insulation, but I elected not to use it for this project - the wall was almost completely glass anyway, so I didn't think it would be worth messing with.  I would, however, insulate the wall cavities, as well as the ceiling.

Protection from water intrusion is of primary importance in any home.  Years ago, I can remember using tar paper or "builders paper" over the sheathing to protect against water.  Now, you use House wrap.  I used Tyvek brand - a leading product in the industry.  Tyvek stops wind and water from coming in, while still allowing water vapor to pass through from inside the house.   We installed carefully, taping the seams with the special tape made for the job.  We took special care around the window openings, wrapping the Tyvek around the opening, then adding self-stick flashing to (hopefully) eliminate leaks.

Starting to look like a wall!

House wrap added, almost ready for windows.

The gray  tape under the window is flashing - the bottom piece is installed under the window, then more is added up the sides and on top, so water from the top will end up outside, rather than in the wall.

Once the wrap was on, we were ready for window installation.  We were using "new construction" windows, meaning they came with a mounting flange attached.  This simplifies installation - all you have to do is caulk, put them in the opening, shim until they're square, and nail them in.  Of course, that sounds a little easier than it is! 

Our windows were large and heavy, and they weren't at ground level from the outside, so we decided to install them from the inside.  This required us to remove the screen and movable glass pane, and put them through the opening from the inside.  Even nailing the fins - ordinarily the easy part - was more difficult due to the awkward reach required.

First window installed!

I had to lean out the window to fasten the flanges.

Believe it or not, I did the whole project without falling!

Almost done!

All the windows are in.

Once the windows were done, we had to install the doors.  The walk in door was easy - it was pre-hung - just set it in the opening, make sure it is plumb and square, shim, and you're done.  The sliding door wasn't hard, but it was really heavy.  Carter and I had our hands full just moving it into position! Once into position, is was a straight-forward process to level it and finish the job. 

The walk-in door at the far end, seen from the outside.  The small framed opening below the window is for the heat pump.



The patio door, installed.  Note the flashing around the door.

We now had  a completely enclosed room - if the weather turned cold, I could at least work on the inside.  The next step was to add the vinyl siding, so the outside would be completely finished and ready for winter.

I'd never installed vinyl siding before.  It's not very hard, but there are a couple of things you need to be careful of.  Since vinyl expands and contracts with temperature changes, it shouldn't be fastened too tight - it must be free to move slightly.  For this reason, fastener holes are slotted.  It's also important to cut pieces slightly smaller than the opening, to allow for expansion. 

The other thing you need to keep in mind is that the siding isn't water tight, so your fasteners need to be able to withstand exposure to the elements without rusting.  Standard galvanized screws or nails won't do - when they rust, you may get stains running down the siding.  Although I would have preferred to use screws, I had trouble finding stainless steel or other rust-free screws with the necessary broad, flat head.  I ended up using aluminum roofing nails for the siding.  Aluminum nails are very difficult to use - any slight mishit causes the soft aluminum to bend. 

To get started, you first install all the trim pieces - corners and "J Channel" around windows.  This trim covers the cut ends, giving you a nice, finished appearance.  The siding itself goes pretty quickly - starting at the bottom, you nail it up, overlapping slightly at the seams.  The next piece locks into the lower one, again making sure nothing is too tight.  The top of each side slips into a special piece of trim that holds it in place.

Here you can see how the siding, trim, soffit, and fascia combine to give a finished appearance.

The walk in door, with trim.  Note the sleeve for the heat pump on the lower left side.

Here's the look from the lake - a nice addition to our house.

I also elected to cover the soffits and fascia with vinyl.  It installs similarly to the siding, and provides a nice, clean look with very little maintenance.  All in all, I was happy with the look of the room from the outside - now, I just needed to get to work inside!

Soon, I'll post about the completion of the project.

I'm Back!

Just on the off chance that anyone is out there reading this, I apologize for not posting during the last couple of weeks.  I've had a busy time at work, caught (and recovered from) a cold, and took a long weekend vacation at the lake.

Now, I'm back, so I'll get something posted soon!

The President Supports Marriage Equality!

Barack Obama, in an interview today, came out in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry.  While his announcement doesn't change anything, it is an important step towards equal rights in this country - the President, the leader of the free world, has taken a principled stand.

I haven't agreed with everything President Obama has done - in particular, I'd have liked to see both of the wars ended in his first term - but I have always admired him as a man.  The contrast between Obama and Romney couldn't be clearer - Romney stands for nothing other than his desire to be elected.

Already, I hear complaints from the Left - "this doesn't go far enough", "he should have done this earlier", "He should push for a federal solution", etc.  I even agree with some of these complaints - but look at the circumstances.  This statement comes in an election year - one in which he faces a very beatable opponent - and, while it may energize the base, does nothing to broaden his support.  I believe most voters who support gay marriage are already in his camp.  Furthermore, this may serve to fire up the socially conservative Republican base - a group that was largely uninspired by Mitt Romney.  This statement may not be perfect, but it's a courageous stand, taken at a difficult time for the president.

I don't see a large political upside for the president in all this, but history will record this as a milestone.  For the first time, a major political party in the United States will officially endorse marriage equality.  If Obama loses the election due to this - I don't think he will - he's earned my respect.  He'll never read this, but I'll say it anyway:

Thank you, Mr. President. 

Fire!

A couple of weeks ago, we got a disturbing call from our neighbors down in Missouri - our dock was on fire!  More specifically, our fishing boat had ignited - it was completely destroyed, and the dock had extensive damage.  This weekend, we're down here, meeting with insurance adjusters, dock repair people, and boat service folks. 

We were amazed when we saw the photos from the fire, but seeing the damage in person is even more striking.  The fishing boat is no longer recognizable as a watercraft - much of the fiberglass cloth is still there, but the resin has burned completely - it's as if the whole thing just melted.  The steering wheel is laying in the middle of the mess, the pump for our live well is a burnt tube in the back, and the anchor is sitting next to it - the only piece of the boat that is still functional at all.

We have no idea how the fire started.  Our insurance company asked if we had any enemies down here, but all of our enemies live in Nebraska, and we're careful not to let them know how to find us down South.  The fire marshal just ruled it an "accidental fire" - he really has no clue what happened.  It appears as though the fire started near the front of the boat, by the trolling motor batteries, but it's hard to tell for sure.  There was about 12 gallons of gas, split between the front and the back end of the boat, so there was plenty of fuel.  I suspect some kind of short, but that's just a guess. 

Most of the damage was to the area right around the boat.

The whole underside of the roof, and most of the structural members are covered in soot.  Some of the roofing material has buckled, and some support members may be structurally suspect, but most of the structure is OK.

Our paddle boat, once stored on this burnt section of dock, was completely consumed.  Only the pedals remain!

Our other boat sustained relatively minor damage.

This is the adjustable-height seat base from the fishing boat.  It was blown out of the boat, and ended up on the dock.

We had just reinforced the transom on the fishing boat - that's probably the only reason the motor isn't laying on the bottom of the lake!

This fan has seen better days!  The dock will need to be completely rewired.

The photos really don't do justice to this - it's a mess!  The good news is, nobody was hurt.  Nothing except our dock and boats was damaged, and we'll still be able to use the house.  With a little time - and a bit of money - we'll be good as new.

Now, the bad news.  We had two boats, only one of which was insured.  Guess which one was completely destroyed?  We'll get a little coverage under our home owner's policy, but it's still not good news to lose the fishing boat.  On top of that, we liked that boat - it was old and ugly, but we had a lot of fun with it, and it worked well for our needs.

We also lost all our fishing gear - the new stuff that was set up just like we wanted it, as well as some old gear I'd had since I was a child.  A few of the lures in my tackle box were ones I got on vacation about 45 years ago.

The other big negative?  We discovered our dock was under-insured.  Our insurance agent told us we had "full replacement coverage".  That's true, but only up to the limit of our coverage - in this case, about 2/3 of the value of the dock.  Since our first estimate for repairs came to about twice our coverage amount, we're now looking for ways to reduce the expense.  Had we been adequately covered, we'd just be able to say, "fix it"!

Even this dark cloud has a silver lining - after this experience, we'll be sure to evaluate our coverage on both houses to make sure we can recover in the event of a disaster.  What else did we learn?  We learned our agent in Lincoln (Ray Thompson State Farm) is on top of things.  Even though we have a different agent for our lake home, I got a call from Shannon in the Lincoln office, asking if everything was OK.  Our Missouri agent, Joe Varnen, is another story - we finally talked to him today, almost two weeks after the fire.  We are also disappointed that he didn't give us better guidance for setting up our policies - Ray's office will go over our coverage every couple of years to make sure we're set up right. 

In the end, we were responsible for our own property.  We could - and should - have known the exact limits of our coverage.  As I said, we'll get everything fixed, and eventually this will be just one of life's experiences.  Right now, it's a giant pain!