And On It Goes

The porch and new front door, that is! The window is back in its' rightful spot, but still needs to be dressed out.




With some good weather, quite a bit should get done next week. It is hard to make rapid progress when the work is done evenings and Saturdays. But I am patient. I said that the longer the job takes, the more opportunity I have to pay down the home equity loan to do more!

I bought a new porch light today.

Watch That First Step

I should feel guilty (I don't), but I titled this photo "Keeps the Jehovah's Witnesses Away". The porch floor has been removed and there are several of the cross supports that need to be replaced. Looks like the decision to do the porch was made just in time. I knew it was not in good shape, but I did not think it was this bad.





"Watch that first step" when you open the front door is all I can say. The porch floor has to be done before the siding can be started on the front of the house. I was told that the beveled glass window will be ready next week. This morning I decided to stimulate the economy again. With new doors for the side and front, new storm doors seemed to be required for the back and side doors. They are still in the box, but will look good when they go up. The drive way side of the house is beginning to take shape.



Is this really my "This Old House"? The wood seen above the siding will be wrapped in white. I am really looking forward to that part of the project.



Stay tuned.

Up It Goes

The siding is going up! The bottom part of the back and all of the back porch are done. It will definitely look like a different house when the job is complete.

Bought a new door for the front and for the driveway-side entrance. I have been watching closely and asking questions. And, no, the guys have not killed me yet for bothering them. They know I want to learn how to do things myself. I have decided to try to do the siding on the garage. I think I can do it. May have to ask more questions though and get a new tool or two (I don't have a good pair of snips), but I really want to do it! The other DIY project I want to do is glass block the basement windows. I have been told that the new systems are easy to work with, but we shall see.

Hope the weather holds!

Progress

Siding has been delivered! It is a nice "sand" color. Very light and not yellow, so I am happy and can't wait for it to start to go up. Basically I asked the installer to get a sand or off-white (cream) - as long as it didn't cost more than white. I had not seen the color until today. I said, "I trust your judgment" and he didn't let me down. Also on the trailer are the boards for the new front porch floor. Looking forward that going into place also.

Then it will be time to do the finish work inside as the windows get trimmed out. For the first time, I am able to open every window in the house. There were several that were painted shut and had not been opened for as long as I have lived here and who knows how much longer. Only one snag so far. The solder in the beveled glass window in front has been sun/heat damaged over the years and needs to be repaired before it is placed back in its position.

The glass is warped and several of the little "panes" are loose. I will call around and see if I can find a glass shop that can repair it. Otherwise it is off to the Habitat Re-Store to see what they have or try to find reasonable (ha-ha) stained glass.

I took a good look at the garage roof today. It really needs new shingles. I guess it will have to be added to the ever-growing list of things I want done in time to get it paid for before retirement. If I keep going, I may never get to retire!

This Old House

As work progresses, I have decided it was a darn shame previous owners did not take care of the "bones". Under the crappy steel siding (yes, steel - magnets clung to it) was an exterior that was most likely quite lovely once upon a time. Good thing I am not in a "historic area" since I am covering those old bones with vinyl.

The top of the house had white shake siding and the bottom boards were a nice shade of green. Had they been taken care of and painted rather than been poorly covered, the deterioration would not have been nearly so bad.

Sad to say, but through a little research, I have learned that the windows do not quite meet the requirements for the energy tax credit. The two important numbers would have to be < or = .30. One of my numbers is .31 and the other is .32. It's o.k. though. They have to be better than what was there.

Rambles

Times have been strange lately. Liberal, Conservative, Populist, Centrist, Libertarian, Republican, Democrat, Right Wing, Left Wing - gee, I thought we were all Americans. Economy resembles the little balls in the lottery machine as it bounces all over the place. Some people screw up and get paid millions to do it, while some people work hard every day and get laid off. I am being taxed for a museum and the extra eight feet of ground that I gained at the back of my lot. But, at the same time, I have a little more money in my pay check because the Federal government is withholding less. From one hand to the other and gone! What to do? I wish I knew.

I figured I would do my part to stimulate the economy and show people driving through the East Bluff that at least one person is staying! This old house is getting new windows, siding and porch floor. If I can stretch the money a little, the garage will get siding and maybe the yard will get a new fence. The motivation of the energy tax credit doesn't hurt, but the face lift and improvements were needed and would have to have been done sooner or later. I like my house and my neighborhood and think that they are both worth investing in.

There is something strange about not having anything to complain about. Maybe tomorrow.

Government Spending

People who know me fairly well, know that I am a news and "human interest story" junkie, but not nearly as knowledgeable as I would like to be. That being said, one of my favorite "must see" television shows is Charlie Rose on PBS. I fell asleep last night and missed it, but caught the 5:00 AM rebroadcast this morning.

There was a very interesting interview with Felix G. Rohatyn concerning government spending and its importance. A little review of some government spending that was at times seen as foolish and wasteful have been anything but. Some of the government spending discussed included Thomas Jefferson pushing for the Louisiana Purchase that allowed for westward migration and the creation of markets for eastern goods. The transcontinental railroad would not have been built without the expenditure of Federal monies, nor would the Panama or Erie Canals.

More recently, President Eisenhower pushed for the Interstate Highway System. How many of us and our cities depend on I74, I55, I155, I80 and all the other local and national interstates?

Seward's Folly - the purchase of Alaska? Deemed totally unnecessary at the time. And no, I will not mention a former candidate for Vice President at this point!

Other government spending? How about the G.I. Bill? Homesteading? Land Grant Colleges? PBS & NPR?

Just this morning on the news, I heard about how our Junior Congressman from the 18th District had secured funds for more than one local fire department. Someone in Kansas might call that an "earmark", but to those community fire departments, its an "atta Boy!"

Banks and businesses have been "nationalized" in the past and then after time, been "privatized" again.

Someone smarter than me should make the case for government investment in infrastructure and causes for the greater good. Oh, wait. Some of those smarter people are. For myself, I have no need of a $600 screwdriver, but I sure could use streets without potholes, bridges that do not collapse and sewer systems that do not overflow.

Note to my government: Invest in the U.S., but do it wisely. Please.