Also note the lovely new fence that can be seen out the back windows!
Now about building that deck...
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The first major step towards our impending kitchen remodel (with cabinet delivery
due within a few days!) was to replace a set of old windows with an Andersen
sliding glass door. This required plumbing work (see below) to reroute baseboard
heating pipes before beginning this part: drywall demolition. Just a bit over
one (very) full garbage-can's worth! New studs will have to be installed, as well
as a new header, because the door is wider than the windows. Also note the lovely new fence that can be seen out the back windows! |
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| The old air conditioner has to go, and the old 220V line has to be removed. Insulation was bad enough around the AC that you can see how paper wasps set up a nice little colony right inside our insulation. (Fortunately they were long gone by the time of this work.) |
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| The baseboard heating reroute required about 25 feet of new pipe runs in the basement, and five copper 90-degree bends soldered in place. Not a single drip after the first attempt! |
| While doing the plumbing work, we also cut lines and installed a new house hot water cutoff valve, since the old one was leaking and corroded to the point that the handle snapped off in Todd's hand one day. It was also dripping on the furnace and causing corrosion, so the new cutoff was moved to a point over the floor and 90 degrees horizontal, also to avoid stem drips. |
| At this point it's time for a little catnap. This is one of Horatio's favorite places to nap, whether or not we're sitting on the couch. Note how the cushion has obligingly deformed to fit his sleeping position. |
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| The ceiling was propped up and a new support stud was installed and toenailed in before the old stud was cut. The first picture shows the cut stud peeled away, and the second photo has both old studs removed and both new studs installed. The header was still well-supported by the sheathing, so it needed no separate extra support. |
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| To finish up one day, we pulled the air conditioner and promptly deposited coil rust everywhere, then boarded up the hole for the evening so the cats wouldn't decide to go exploring. The old air conditioner is worth exactly what we paid for it -- nothing. (But someone picked it up from our curb anyway.) |
| Let's see the cats get over that barrier! (They didn't, but Horatio was awfully vocal in his indignation. Hermione just crawled downstairs and slept on the couch.) |
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| Where did the window go?? After taking a sawzall to all the nails around the window, we levered it out and moved it away, and no glass was broken in the process. (Just don't ask Jen about her nose.) |
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| We pulled the old header out and installed the new header, then hammered it in just about everywhere we could. There's a little 1/8" gap on the far right, but otherwise it fit in just fine, and the framing opening fit the door dimensions right on. Jen expresses her considerable relief that the wall doesn't come down after the support is removed! |
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| We installed the frame, then installed the stationery door, and it all fit with a little bit of shimming. After installing the sliding door, it's time for "Quick! Screw it all in and let the cats out!" |
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| The exterior view after the end of day two, with a functional door in place. |
| Yes, we have discovered a new favorite place for the cats... once they got over the total shock of having this huge funny-smelling hole in the side of the house. |
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After screen door purchase (another adventure) and installation, external
trim and prime and paint, and electrical work for a motion-sensitive halogen
light, work was complete for the weekend. Note the clever screen door claw
protection device (e.g. plywood). After this we temporarily reinstalled
drapes to cut down heat, and we installed those side shingles beneath the
door as weather protection. I think we'll leave the "Andersen"
sign on the door until we sell the house... Now about building that deck... |