The Kirkpatrick's D.I.Y. Project 2006 (Year Two)
Siding Installation, Finally!
November 3 - 5, 2006
We were supposed to install siding October 27 - 29. In fact, Mike went
up early on Thursday to prepare so that we could start work on Saturday
as soon as my Dad and I arrived. But the weather didn't cooperate. When
we heard the forecast for rain and high winds, we decided it would be
fruitless to even attempt to install siding. So we postponed.
I took the above photo on Saturday, October 28 as the
front moved in. Looks quite ominous, doesn't it?
Mike did get some work done before coming home.
He installed the trim around the garage.
He put some siding up on the porch so we could see what it was
going to look like. If it weren't raining, he would have done more.
We think the color—sage green—is perfect for a woodland home.
He also installed the soffitt on the porch roof.
That was it for siding installation last week.
This week when we arrived, the first thing Mike did
was install insulation. The weather was supposed to be
clear and cold for the weekend. Without insulation, there
is no way our kerosene heater would have kept it warm.
We only installed temporary ceiling insulation and
insulation between the house and garage. It worked.
Thank goodness! We awoke on Saturday only to discover that the mercury had
dipped to a low of 22 degrees Fahrenheit outside. There was a heavy frost, too.
Because of the insulation, the house managed to maintain a temperature of 58
degrees Fahrenheit. Without the insulation, it probably would have been around
40 degrees Fahrenheit inside the house. That would've been WAY too cold.
Anyway... no more Fall pictures. Winter is here!
Hunting season is here, too. Time for the dogs to wear their blaze-orange vests.
The first task of the day was to drive to Moorefield to pick up the pump jacks
we had rented. I think they are a scaffold-type apparatus that would have helped
reach the gable peaks. Unfortunately, they were 24 feet long, which was far too
long for the truck to carry. So we rented this scissor lift instead. It was a
struggle to tow the thing back to the house, but the truck managed to do it.
Mike and my Dad dragged a few boxes of siding into the sun to warm it up. If we
tried to work with it cold, we risked snapping and breaking the brittle vinyl.
I drove into town to buy some propane and siding nails. The guys started without me.
They got a nice bit done while I was gone. The sections requiring straight cuts
went pretty fast. It was all the angles in the gable peaks that slowed us down.
Dad served as our ground crew for the weekend.
His job was to measure and cut the siding pieces.
Mike and I did the installation. Dad isn't very fond of ladders and heights.
Siding had to be hand-nailed. The nails can only go to a certain depth.
If the nails are too snug, as the siding expands and contracts it will "bubble out"
and have a wavy appearance. Which, of course, will just not do!
It took most of the day to get this far.
Mike prepares to install the flood lights and final
piece of siding. It was just before dark.
The next day—Sunday—dawned warmer, fortunately for us! Dad is
installing some of the starter strip, which is necessary for the first row.
Hanging siding is so easy, even an unskilled laborer like me
can do it. Once all the important prep work is finished, that is.
Dad is cutting some of the short-straight pieces needed for beside
the garage doors. It took about 45 to 60 minutes to get the short,
straight pieces installed. And the rest of the day to finish the
front gable. Cutting angles properly is really time consuming.
Mike and Dad prepare to hang the first full stick of siding above the garage doors.
All in all, the three of us working together made pretty good time.
We had started around 8:00 AM. By 1:00, we were ready to hang my star.
I've had the star hanging in our bedroom for months. It is the perfect color.
Dad and I take a break while Mike installs the flood lights
and final piece of siding. The front gable is almost complete.
Mike brought the lift down to get the final piece of siding
that Dad had cut. He went back up to finish, but being a guy
just had to test to see how high the scissor lift would go.
The final piece of siding is in!
The floodlights have been installed. Siding work for the day is complete.
A daytime view of the rear gable end.
We had to hurry to return the lift to the rental company in Moorefield.
It is only about 30 miles south of us, which should mean about a 45-minute drive,
each way. But the lift is really heavy. So we expected to need about two hours
for the round trip drive. We were actually back in 20 minutes! The lift and
trailer were too heavy for the truck to pull up the steep hills on gravel
roads. We ended up leaving the lift on Turkey Hollow Road and calling the
rental company to come and pick it up. It weighed about 7,500 - 8,000 pounds.
A view of the finished gable end.
Here's what it looks like from down the driveway.
And from Turkey Hollow Road, a before shot...
... and an after shot. Looks good, eh?
Dad was a huge help this weekend. We wouldn't have gotten nearly as much done
without him. Next weekend, we expect to finish installing siding on the front and
back sides of the house. Weather permitting, that is. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
