A Few More Repairs

There are still projects going on around here.  The guys decided to take on the roof rot on the front porch.  It seems that the drip edge meant to reroute the water from the corner out across the sidewalk was really not put together right in the first place so the fascia had developed some bad places so the demolition crew dug in.  They had to replace a very small section of the roof itself too.  

Dave is checking out the fit of the replacement fascia.  We really lucked out on that one.  Dave went to Lowe's looking for a 2"x10" cedar board that was grooved on one side.  Apparently that isn't something they keep in stock BUT someone had returned one 10' board which was just exactly what we needed. It was even roughly grooved down the length of one side.  Steve was also up on the roof working down from that side.  He pounded in a few nails that were loose all along the fascia on the second story.  We have one more spot up there that still needs fixing.

We also knew that the corner fascia on the second story in back was separated.  How did we know?  Well, first we heard either birds or squirrels in the attic right in that corner.  Haven't heard anything for quite some time so now is the time to get it closed up.  I really didn't want either father or son up on that ladder but they don't listen too well.  Discovered that there were never any nails into a couple of the studs which is why it separated so that got fixed.  We also got the spotlights up there replaced.

It's a long way up there.  Now that the spotlights have been replaced, we will be able to track those little dachsies down when they don't come running at night.  I guess you can see how gone the grass is around here but hopefully it will all come back once we finally get some rain.

Thanks for stopping by.  Come again anytime.

The Garden Gate

The project "dujour" is to install a two door garden gate and replace the "pedestrian" gate in the front fence next to the garage.  I say garden gate because it is not wide enough for a car but will allow access for a small trailer to be stored in the back yard.  As you can see on the left, the old fence has been removed already.  The dark brown fence is belongs to the neighbor who is also half way through a project.  On the left, you can see a temporary fence set back in the yard so the dachsies can be outside, can see, but can't get in the way.

Looking out toward the cul-de-sac, Steve sets the new post in place while Dad supervises.  Isn't it absolutely great to have a son who comes to visit and helps with projects?

There was much supervision going on here as the furkids were also very interested in the project.  Harley gave some serious thought as to whether he could get through the bars but, in the end, made the wise choice not to try.  He could have probably wiggled around enough with that weinie loose skin to do it but the temporary fence is just propped up.

This is DH's version of a french drain.  Everyone in the subdivision has to be very careful not to disturb the land contours for water flow.  They did a really good job of that when the subdivision was planned.

Bricks replaced and ground cleaned in prep for beginning the gate hanging and fence replacement.

The garden gate frames are already hung.  I missed getting a picture of that part but you will see the frames later on.

The gate won't even be visible from the outside as the hardware is all hidden on the inside.  Steve takes a break to talk to his honey.

See how well hidden things are.  The garden gate is in the middle on the right side.  The pedestrian gate is partway open on the left.  That is the only hardware that shows.

Here things are all opened up.  The last step today will be to lay sod in front of the garden gate.

Inside view of the gates.  Slide bolts will also be added to the garden gate on this side.  The metal frames that are used to build the gate frame were $30 for each gate but they appear to be well worth it.  They are more than just the angle iron you can see--the metal continues between the 2x4s.  These gates will not be sagging for many years, much better than the typical z-frame usually used.

Thanks, Steve, for helping your Dad with a project he has wanted to do for a while.  Just had to wait for the temps to go below 100 degrees.  These gates were built on retiree time--three days with lots of relaxing in between!