New Year!

   Despite only being a few days after the last visit and even with the New Years holiday, some work has progressed towards the goal of installing the cedar siding on the house.  I got the chance to visit the site on the Monday after New Years and found Mike and his helper at the house, installing additional posts to the porch.
   The last time we visited, we decided that three more posts were required on the front porch, two on the front and one at the back.  They're not going to be structural but will bridge large gaps that the railing couldn't span.  Mike was quick to implement the plan with one post installed when I got there and another being worked on.  They also installed some of the corner trim on the first floor so the cedar shingle installers could get to work installing the siding.  I'll never cease to be amazed at how dedicated Mike is to completing this job.

   The templates for all the exterior doors were dropped off a couple of weeks ago by Hardwood Door and Bevel and Mike and his crew is getting around to installing them in the door spaces.  They'll need to be in place for the siding installers since they'll butt the siding right up against the template.  The door should be the same size as the template so once we get it installed, we'll just need to caulk the siding to the door jamb and it will be all set.  Here's what the installed template looks like from the inside of the mudroom.  This is an eight foot door and the top half will be glass since it will be the only window in this otherwise dark room.  Mike and his crew had to fabricate the arch above the door, which will be insulated and trim finished on the inside.  It looks like the door molding will be pretty tight to the walls here but there's plenty of clearance to the ceiling. 

   Here's how the same door looks from the outside.  The top trim is the same that is installed around the entire porch, but since the porch ceiling is around eight and a half feet, the door cuts up into the trim more.  We'll have the same issue with the exterior door off the great room too since it also sits under the front porch.  It looks odd, but I think it will look better once the real door is installed.  The thing that's missing from the template is the door frame, and it looks funny because it looks like the entire door will take up the space.

   The top and corner trims have been installed on the first floor so the cedar siding installers have a frame to install against.  All the siding will be framed by the 1-by cedar since it's on all the corners and windows.  The siding will be caulked against the frames and painted.  There shouldn't be a reason to replace the caulking no a short term schedule.  Maybe once every other painting if the paint lasts eight to ten years.

   Here's what the actual siding looks like.  It's rough sawn cedar shingles stapled to a plywood backing board.  There's a water wicking membrane between the shingle and the plywood so any water that happens to penetrate the single will hit this layer and keep the plywood dry.  The shingles are stapled to the backing board with two staples.  I couldn't tell what the staple material was so I'm not sure if there should be concern about staining or corrosion.  I think it's advised to use stainless nails in real cedar shingles because of the acidity.

   Here's a shot of the side of the shingle system.  Mike had some from another project so he brought it by so I could take a look.  The full shipment should get here this week.  Each later overlaps the one below by an inch or so, and provides about an eight inch reveal.  As you can see, the membrane also overlaps the layer below so water can wick out and on top of the layer instead of staying behind the shingles.

   Here's the back of one of the pieces showing the quarter inch thick plywood backer, the water proofing membrane, and the cedar shingle from front to back.  Also keep in mind that there are channels in the ICF so if any water gets all the way through behind the plywood, it can just wick down.  Since it's ICF and concrete, we don't have to worry about vapor from the house condensing behind the plywood.

   Since I was there, Mike cut a couple pieces and tacked them to the wall so I could see how it would look.  I'm still a little apprehensive about using a natural material for the siding but because of HOA rules, there's no getting around it.  The siding will be painted a yet to be determined gray and all the trim will be white.  I'm hoping the combination of a good paint and good painters will help with the durability of the siding.  Lots of houses on the ocean coast use cedar siding and they seem to weather it well.  It remains to be seen if I'll have woodpecker problems like my neighbor does.

   A little more detail on the two cast iron tubs.  Here's one of the little feet that are on the bottom.  I'm not sure if this is all it sits on or if a concrete bed needs to be poured under it. They'll be moving the tubs into position this week for the rough inspection.  The master tub still isn't on site and I think that's probably needed for the inspection.  I'm anxious to see that installed since I still have yet to see the drain routing and also because we had to change the tub selection to fit the install.

   On the underside of the tub is the size and model number, part of the casting mold.  I'm not sure how the tub will be protected once in place but I'm sure there's a standard way since installers tile around finished tubs all the time.

   I didn't get a shot if it last time, but here's the Roxul that's being installed in all the plumbing chases.  I have no illusions about complete sound proofing, but I think it's a good measure towards sound dampening the noise of  water rushing through the pipes.  The house I grew up in had cast iron stacks and no insulation and even with the mass of the pipes, flushing toilets were audible.  In our current single story house, I can hear every tickle of water moving through the pipes when I'm in the basement.  Hopefully this stuff will help mitigate that sound.

   One more shot of the back porch, standing in the gazebo.  The corner trim and some of the top trim is new.  We'll be replacing the space above the sliding door with a transom window so the siding installers won't be able to complete that part until the window is installed.  Everything else should be accessible and the siding goes up fast so there should be some dramatic changes to the exterior soon.

   So that's about it for now.  Lots of activity this week.  Electrical installation is moving forward with plugs and lighting.  Siding is starting to go up today.  I have a walk through with Jonathon from The Sound Vision tomorrow so it's perfect timing to get coordinated with the electrical installers and bring everything up to speed.  We're still waiting to hear back from the bank underwriters about the extension of the loan, but once that comes through, the last piece will fall into place.  This is totally happening!