In lieu of drag racing, sled pulling, or anything else for that matter, I've been working on the house this summer. Last year was the roof, this year is vinyl replacement windows and (hopefully) attic insulation.
My brother Steve is a licensed builder, and he helped me with the first 6 windows (all 29x69) because Id never installed a window before. He told me from the start that he'd show me how to install them, then I was on my own. Well, after the first 6, Im thinking, "piece of cake". Oh, how wrong I was. :rofl: Our home is 140 years old, balloon construction....so you can imagine the fun we've been having adapting modern lumber to old-school dimensions. (true 2x4s, no headers, dead-ended studs...etc, etc)
The last 6 have been fun. First, I had to remove one whole window (29x69) and frame the opening back in, as its in the kitchen and is a prelude to a newly designed cupboard setup for next years project. Then I had to rebuild one sill (28x54), then completely rebuild the next 3 window jambs (2-19x15, 1-21x24) due to rot or bad placement.
I started the last kitchen window (48x69
) today. We had decided to enlarge the window size from 29x69, as the window looks out on our backyard. The larger size will also compensate for the other window being gone. Got the interior plaster and trim removed a couple weeks ago, and had a whole day off today, so dove in. Got all the framing and rough-in done today, and tomorrow will go about the actual window install. Have to get some more fascia material for the exterior facing and some longer screws to anchor the window in the jamb.
Wow, has this been an adventure. But whats really surprised me is that I have carpentry skills. Always had the attitude of just jumping in and see if I can do it.
So now you know the real reason I havent done jack-sh*t this year on the truck. Just thought Id share. Oh, a nice bonus to this is Ive been dropping weight....down to 170lbs now! Only 5 more to go!
My brother Steve is a licensed builder, and he helped me with the first 6 windows (all 29x69) because Id never installed a window before. He told me from the start that he'd show me how to install them, then I was on my own. Well, after the first 6, Im thinking, "piece of cake". Oh, how wrong I was. :rofl: Our home is 140 years old, balloon construction....so you can imagine the fun we've been having adapting modern lumber to old-school dimensions. (true 2x4s, no headers, dead-ended studs...etc, etc)
The last 6 have been fun. First, I had to remove one whole window (29x69) and frame the opening back in, as its in the kitchen and is a prelude to a newly designed cupboard setup for next years project. Then I had to rebuild one sill (28x54), then completely rebuild the next 3 window jambs (2-19x15, 1-21x24) due to rot or bad placement.
I started the last kitchen window (48x69
) today. We had decided to enlarge the window size from 29x69, as the window looks out on our backyard. The larger size will also compensate for the other window being gone. Got the interior plaster and trim removed a couple weeks ago, and had a whole day off today, so dove in. Got all the framing and rough-in done today, and tomorrow will go about the actual window install. Have to get some more fascia material for the exterior facing and some longer screws to anchor the window in the jamb. Wow, has this been an adventure. But whats really surprised me is that I have carpentry skills. Always had the attitude of just jumping in and see if I can do it.
So now you know the real reason I havent done jack-sh*t this year on the truck. Just thought Id share. Oh, a nice bonus to this is Ive been dropping weight....down to 170lbs now! Only 5 more to go!
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