October 30, 2008 - Nearing Completion of the Back Porch

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We started this beautiful day out early. Here is Michael, working on getting the paver centered and the height just right so the whole thing is level. The small sticks you see screwed to the posts are called furring strips. We used them to screw the bottoms of the posts together in such a way as to hold them all perfectly perpendicular to the leveled top of the porch until we got them and the pavers they were sitting on buried and set in earth.



Looking along the three posts next to the foundation, we decided to see if we could affix them in any way.



We cut small pieces from leftover wood and trimmed them to fit the uneven irregularities in the wall.



Here is one fitted. But the more we messed with it, the less we thought it would be successful. The porch is going to be sturdier than the wall when it's all said and done, and we just didn't want to tie them together.



My gas powered chain saws are not running. My husband was a tinkerer. Therefore, all the stuff we have is stuff that needs to be tinkered with to get it going. So my dad loaned me his electric chain saw. This was to trim the tops of the posts off to be flush with the tops of the joists for laying down the deck boards. I was not especially looking forward to this job. Of all the things to do, THIS is the one you have to be really careful doing. The chain saw is awkward, especially holding it over your head and sawing sideways - and now with a power cord to mess with as well.

I ended up sitting atop the joists for cutting the boards. And, because I was careful and thinking about being cautious, all went perfectly fine.



Laying a few boards across the top gives you a way to be up there and working.



All the tops are gone. It's beginning to feel like a porch!



These imported vicious version of the lady bug are a scourge here. These are not the sweet lady bugs that eat aphids in your garden. These are orange, they bite, they stink, they swarm inside your walls, and they probably send mail to their Japanese friends about the great digs they've found here in America. They come out in spring and fall, and drive you nuts.



Beginning to add a little dirt at a time and settle it in with water. You want these to be good and solid. We buried them below the frost line.



Working on the steps now. Lowe's didn't have precut stringers long enough for us, so Michael and I made some of our own. Here we are eye-balling one out so we can mark where the cut-outs for the steps will be.



Marking the first cut-outs. I don't have an exact science down. I'm sure there is a formula for this somewhere, but I don't have it. But even if you are a little off, you have leeway in raising or lowering the stringers at the bottom to make it all level.



After cutting as much as the skill saw will reach, there is a little nub left.



Michael is hand sawing each nub out.



The top of the first stringer, ready to be marked and trimmed level with the top of the porch joists. The we used the whole thing as a template to mark out the other two board for two more stringers.



You can see the bottom is not resting on the ground. That is so we can rest it on pavers, keeping it out of the dirt; for longevity.



The top fits squarely against the joist.



The bottom is a little high here, but that was to be expected. It's a slope and the other stringers sit closer to the ground.



It's hard to see in the dark, but underneath the bottoms of the three stringers is a board we screwed them all to, to hold them separate and still. At the top is another board, temporarily affixed to the joists with nails which will be replaced with bolts. We are temporarily holding the whole bottom up with some scrap wood until we can finish it.



We were really hoping to finish the whole thing that evening, but left it there.

Yours,
Faith
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October 23, 2008 ~ Back Porch Goes Up and Sukkah Comes Down

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The following day was the end of the Feast of Trumpets, so we took our sukkah down. We really loved it. It was also windy, so capturing the fabric to fold it was a challenge.




We took took the boards apart for storage and to be reassembled for the next time.






Then we got back to work on the porch. We had already dug out the holes some weeks before. The ground was so hard to dig that we sometimes just dug a few holes a day. But one they were done, we laid sand in the bottoms to give a flat place to set the pavers that would support the posts.



Here you can see where we changed the plan on the fly. It was going to be so hard to affix the ledger board to a wall that was falling apart anyhow, I just wanted the whole thing to be freestanding. You see, when the crew laid the foundation, they didn't bother to do it according to the frost line. So as the ground freezes and thaws, the wall cracks and breaks apart. It's just decorative, but it looks awful and is not going to get any better. Sadly, this is a common problem in this part of the country. Many construction crews are not the best.

We leveled the gravel and put large stones under each post near the house. Ideally, I would have buried those posts as well, but I have a french drain directly underneath them, so that was not going to work out.



Here we are setting the perimeter posts, getting the whole thing square and level. You just keep moving them up and down, back and forth, until it's right. It can be tedious, but anyone can do it. Level is easier for me than making it square. I've always been less than adept at getting building frames square and I get peeved over it sometimes. LOL But to level, just affix the end that is the correct height to the post with only one screw. Then you can raise or lower the far end until your level reads correctly with the bubble between the two center lines.



It's late, but we got the joists up and level! Well, with one caveat... We actually put a slight slope downward as the porch goes away from the house wall. You can't notice it really, but it's enough that rain will run away from the house.



Beautiful!



And then we had to lay some boards across the top to pretend we could walk out of the house and use a porch for the first time in 4 years!



Another great day of fun, and getting goals accomplished!

Faith
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October 22, 2008 ~ Back porch project.

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Building the back porch took some turns we did not expect. At first I was going to repeat what was done on our front porch when my dad came and helped during the summer. I figured continuity would be best. Later, we simply did not do it that way, as it was not worth the trouble to me. But we started out by preparing to attach the porch to the cinder block wall that runs underneath the outer walls. To do so we needed to get underneath the house, get rid of any spiders, and then drill holes through the cinder blocks and affix a support board inside...

Always be prepared. ;) Spiders are only your friends...



...when they are not crawling up your pant leg...



...or in your hair.



GOING IN!




WITH a spider stick, of course.



But it was only good for gathering cobwebs, as we didn't find any spiders. We still set off the bug bomb for low areas. You can't use a regular bug bomb or it will just spray straight up and drip down from the ceiling. There is a special type made for crawl spaces. Make sure you use those.

It was pretty clean in there.



We got out and began sawing the threaded rods to use for securing an inner board through the walls to an outer board, or ledger, that the porch itself would rest on and be affixed to on the outside of the house.




And then we began setting up to saw the boards we would need for the framing. We don't have a workshop or garage or anything, so we make do with what we have. We used some of the boards as a table, laying them across the trailer. It worked well, despite being on a slight slope.



We let the fogger do its job, and we took a little time to cover that table frame. The one that had blown over in the wind and shattered. We cut a cheap Dollar Store vinyl table cloth in a circle and tucked it around a scrap piece of wood we cut for the top. Nice enough to sit at and enjoy a cold drink and a book while the BBQ is heating up.



And that was one day of work.

Yours,
Faith
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I Have Not Gone Away.

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Actually, I have been amazingly busy. I have wanted so much to share what was going on, but I couldn't.

You see, I was working on a project, a back porch, and trying to get that done. I took quite a few pictures to share. On the last day, when it was completed, which I believe was October 31, I was finishing up cutting the very last board for our deck and I caught three of my fingers in the skill saw.

Yup, I am embarrassed to say, I was not careful enough. So, I was not typing very well for some time. Instead, I was recovering from surgery to save one finger which they told me at first it would likely need amputation. The "A" word!

Let me assure you all. This was an accident that was completely avoidable. The story is kind of funny, in my morbid-sense-of-humor way. I hope I can share some of it with you as time permits.

I DID get to keep my finger. I am still paying on the skin graft surgery and my finger does not look it's former self, but I can type again. I do make more mistakes and am slower, however I hope that will continue to improve.

Meanwhile, I will be catching you up on more of our Lemonade Adventures, with Michael and me.

Faith
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Wow! OK This looks much better!

It's done. Now we have the BBQ in a spot, as well as a little outdoor kitchen I bought years ago as a chicken butchering station. You can hook a hose up to it and have running water with a sink and drainage. It has racks and storage drawers shelves, and such. Really a nice thing to have around.

The little blue bench is a checker bench I made about 20 years ago. Two kids can sit on it and play checkers on the board I painted in the center. Storage for the checkers I made is underneath, but they were lost many years ago. Michael is ready to help me make some new ones, though.

The round table was a patio table I had purchased last spring. The wind blew it over while I was at a friend's Pampered Chef party. I came home to shattered glass all in my lawn, pebble walkway, and driveway. I cannot even count howlong it took us to pick all that glass up! So it's topless except for a plywood circle I cut to fit in there. I want to cover it with something to spruce it up...

Today we made more chips, so I took some pics for you.













We took them and the salsa out to our sukkah and spent another relaxing time there. We went on a walk later and picked up natural decor for the season.






Are the holidays here already? Seems we just began summer!

Faith

Our First Frost!

Today we spent the day at church and visiting with friends and family. I try to stop by my parents' house at least twice a week, especially on Sunday after church, and visit. My mom has Alzheimer's. It's not too bad yet, but it's getting there. Sometimes they will come out for a meal, but they would rather stay home, so we go there more often, and I will bring meals for them.

It was a beautiful day. Thank you, Lord.

Faith

Painting the town...

This day was quite filled with painting.

Yeah that's about it.

Painting.

Very good for project money, though.

Now is a good time to tell you that I am also studying to be able to work at home here on my computer. I try to spend 4 to 10 hours a day at it, trying to learn as quickly as possible, since I don't quite know what tomorrow will bring. I do my studying and practice at one desk, while Michael does his school work at the one next to me. we try to get it done in the morning, and on days where I can fit it in, I will also work in the afternoon or evening. Whew! Rainy days are good for that especially.

You can't help what other people are willing to do to make your life difficult. But you can sure choose how to deal with it. I haven't always been this upbeat about the lemons' I've been given, but I discovered that God had not abandoned me and all I have to do is wait on Him. Sooner or later He makes it work for good. This is a great source of joy!

Faith