Sweating the Details

The original builders of our house were definitely not detail oriented. Take, for example, the way they installed the insulation in the walls. It says right on it, plain as day, which side should face inward. "Apply this vapor barrier toward living space heated in winter." Apparently, it should have said, "Wrong way, Dipshit."

Tom lives at the other end of the detail-orientedness spectrum, so he takes the time to think through the construction details, and especially about air and water penetration. 

Planning out door frame construction.

This door from the Habitat Re-Store didn't have a frame. Detail of frame construction with weather  stripping added around frame and the bottom of the door. The diamond plate steel threshold came from a local metal scrapyard.

Flashing and wrap to prevent water penetration.

Preparation of opening for sliding glass door.

Sliding glass door installed! We found this one on Craigslist.

Flower garden in mid-August.

Kitchen Window and Door

It has been much cooler here in the last few days, which has made working much more pleasant. Work has focused on installing the door and window in what will be the kitchen. The door came from our local Habitat ReStore and the window came from another local home, so both are being recycled here. Tom built custom frames for both. You can see the foam board insulation going up on the exterior. It will soon be covered with fiber cement panels.

The door and window in place, above. The foam board is protected by house wrap and a wood frame is in place that will support the cement fiber siding.

We're also preparing for working on the front side of the house, so more of the vinyl siding has come off, and the brown board will come off too. The windows will be replaced and the exterior walls will get the same treatment as the back side of the house.