Tool Time: Part 2

The new door is in, and the porch floor is repaired. It took a little longer than I anticipated, but the job went smoothly. I mentioned to Mamaw that things would go well if I didn't make any mistakes. I made three, but they were small ones! All in all, I am pleased with the results.

It is always hard for me, being a closet perfectionist, to know where to stop. However, when working on a repair or renovation, one has to stick to the task at hand without allowing the scope to creep. I think I did that pretty well with the help of BG.

The door project consisted of removing the existing door frame and installing the new door. This is always tenuous on a wood framed structure because of settlement and decay. Openings that once were plumb and true are no longer so. New doors by nature, are. So, a little creative adjustment and cajoling of the rough opening is in order. The door went in well and we were relatively unhindered by the rain.

I was irritated, though, because I only found white painted screws for the frame in the box. The new door is dark bronze. I went ahead and installed them. Later on, two days later, I discovered there were screws painted the the correct color. I had inadvertently placed them in my cordless drill case. They weren't marked, but that is no excuse. I felt stupid...

The wall framing was a little bit more involved. The porch started out as a deck. Later, the wall was constructed on top of the deck, enclosing the area. Over time, the deck below the wall rotted. In order to repair it, the rotten portions of the deck and wall had to be removed and new deck and wall framing installed.

I cut the floor back about 12 inches to get all of the damaged wood out. Also, about 18 inches of wall studs had to be removed along with the entire sill plate. I added a new floor joist at the transition of the cut to carry the end of the existing deck and the end of the new. I also added a double perimeter joist to carry the wall. The deck was originally constructed of 2x material. I matched the existing. When the porch was enclosed, a particle board subfloor was added above the 2x's. We were unable to match the particle board, so we chose to use plywood of the same thickness.

After the wall and floor were framed, I replaced the exterior sheathing. The existing sheathing was heavily damaged. It was Masonite. That product is no longer considered a viable product and was subject to a very large class action law suite several years ago. We chose to use an OSB sheathing in the same pattern. I installed the sheathing, set the window and sealed it. All that was left was the trim work.

The trim was not a stock width. So, in order to match the remaining undamaged pieces, I had to rip some stock to width. The window and wall transitions were successfully trimmed. A few tubes of caulk sealant later, the basic work was complete. We didn't work on the interior wall board. that will be the content of another trip as will the exterior painting.

Tomorrow it is back to work. I think I am ready. But right now, my desk job body is tired and sore.

Happy New Year!