Murasaki99 ([info]murasaki99) wrote,
@ 2008-07-16 06:53:00
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Current location:construction zone
Current music:NPR News
Entry tags:home improvement

Roofing
Even as I type, the workmen are tromping over the roof, new and old, putting on the new shingles.



Interior shot of the picture window in the family room.



Fresh tar paper on the roof, and a vapor barrier around the exterior plywood. And windows! :)



New roof on the front of the old roof -- yay! :) Doesn't look that much different in color than the old roof, but it'll last a good long time now.


Vapor barrier and windows are now in the frames. I'm getting window sills in big enough to support potted plants, which will be really nice.

Time to dash off and corral the cats in the back room soon so they can poke a hole in the wall through the old kitchen window to make the door into the pantry. Things are going along quickly.


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[info]aayesha_r
2008-07-16 02:48 pm UTC (link)
Windowsills wide enough for plants are also wide enough for cats, in my experience. I came home to sunny cats visible through the windows and piles of dirt and broken plants inside more than once. I wish you more luck!

I love the planters in front of your your house, with the raised, tiered effect. So much more attractive than a flat bed, or a mass of shrubs.

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-19 05:00 pm UTC (link)
Looks like the windowsills will be a normal width to start. You're very right about the cats - when it is cat vs. plant, the plant loses. :D

Thanks on the planters. Usually they sit more forward along the walkway, but the builders pushed them all against the house to keep them out of the way while they were roofing. I love the fact the plants can be re-arranged as needed.

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[info]kayshapero
2008-07-16 09:08 pm UTC (link)
Whee! Twice as much house.

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-19 04:53 pm UTC (link)
It certainly expands our options -- but we still need to de-clutter and downsize to combine households. Heh, don't be attached to material possessions is the lesson of the year. :D

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[info]kayshapero
2008-07-19 11:09 pm UTC (link)
Who doesn't? Still looking good!

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[info]x_expat
2008-07-16 10:40 pm UTC (link)
W00t! Things are moving quite along! Looking more and more finished!

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-19 04:58 pm UTC (link)
Its getting there -- I'm totally exhausted this week from the full time job and then coming home to more work. But artwork is coming, even if I am getting slowed-down a bit. :)

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[info]ithilwen
2008-07-17 12:26 am UTC (link)
Wow! It's a house addition now, not a patio! How exciting! :D

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-19 04:57 pm UTC (link)
I'm very tickled now that it is starting to look like a real house again. :D

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[info]centaurg
2008-07-17 08:23 pm UTC (link)
You've got this big empty space over the big window; I assume a vent will go there, but perhaps a big attic exhaust fan could mount there as well? I expect there will be roof vents as well?

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-18 02:29 pm UTC (link)
Yes, the builder says a nice big event will go up there. Evidently modern code for the local area says no attic fans, there's too much of a danger of fires. It's designed to do passive ventilation with air intakes under the soffits on the roof. And then vents at the peak. They've got the framing in for the attic pulldown stairs, and some decking in the area of the attic where we can put some light stuff for storage. I'm not sure how much weight engineered trusses can bear, since are already bearing up the weight of the roof.

My neighbors put in some kind of special fan that sticks up -- I used to see them on the top of industrial buildings in Philadelphia all the time. I think it's another passive type fan or vent, if it gets too hot up there in the attic, I might go ahead and install some of those later on.

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[info]linmeister
2008-07-18 06:21 am UTC (link)
Congratulations, Murasaki, it's a house! :D I envy your extra-wide windowsills, although I think aayesha_r is right about the potential design incompatibility between plant pots and cats. Kitties certainly do love sunny windows!

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-18 02:32 pm UTC (link)
it looks like the sills are about four or 5 inches wide, I'm not sure if that qualifies as extra-wide or not. It turns out if I want them really wide I have to file some sort of change of plan with the builder (and pay more money of course). So I'm going to wait and see how these do.

Modern windows don't seem to take up as much space in the window frame as old ones.

They got all the shingles on, so it definitely looks like all one house now, the deciding may arrive today, and the plumber has been working on the pipes. Hooray for modern piping!

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[info]centaurg
2008-07-18 03:48 pm UTC (link)
Modern plumbing has some advantages, such as a minimum of soldered fittings. If the soldering isn't done properly, the joints can micro-crack under stress as they did in my house after the 2001 earthquake here and begin to leak. Looks like your installation had continuous runs of various tubing, so that's good, and compression fittings at the connections.

I'm planning on a window sill extension in the laundry room, just so the cats can enjoy a warmer inside perch next to the external "cat cage" we built several years ago. Also an experimental double window consisting of a simple wood frame with heavy plastic film so the big window can be left open on cold winter nights. Alas, all the other windows in the house are single-pane, which is a pain in my energy budget that gets worse every year. Ah, the joys of living in a rental...

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[info]murasaki99
2008-07-19 04:50 pm UTC (link)
Just posted the latest, with lots of plumbing-pics. New materials mixed with copper pipe -- looks good.

The cat-windowsill shelf sounds like a great idea. Single-pane glass is a real energy waster -- are there retrofits you could do, or maybe get the landlord to upgrade?

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[info]kayshapero
2008-07-19 11:14 pm UTC (link)
Good stuff, copper pipe. We had some put in here about ten years ago when the old and kinda crufty piping gave up. Fortunately Yama the Plumber was able to advise us as to where to find a trustworthy repiping service after he found out what blew up. No problems since.

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