Bolt Hole Report, September 15, 2009

I spent Sunday morning running down to Lowe's and Wal-Mart to do some shopping. I needed to go to Wally World for some groceries and Lowe's for building materials. The use of the utility trailer made hauling sheets of siding, 2"x 6"s, 2" x 4"s, and corrugated clear plastic sheets (actually Tuftex PolyCarb panels) a snap and I got back to the Bolt Hole in time to follow the J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! on the computer. (I couldn't find a radio station that had the game and...well, I've already told you about my lack of TV reception!) I followed that by listening to the Giants win on the radio. I did manage to cartch the first have of the Bears vs Packers but neither team seemed to want to win that one and, not wanting to be subjected to Kieth Overbearing during the halftime show, I turned it off and went to sleep. (NBC really needs to dump that jerk! IMHO) Just as well that it was a football kind of day. We had some pretty good showers in the middle of the afternoon and it poured during Sunday night.

Monday I was back at work on the porch. Mark was busy elsewhere prepping his place for the winter in case he finds himself staying here full time. First I hauled the 20 concrete blocks I bought earlier through the porch door and down into the basement. One at a time. Twenty trips up and down that short flight of steps had my heart pumping and my knees crackling. My kids may have brought the moose back to the Adirondacks by practicing their tuba on the deck upstairs, but if a buck shows up in my back yard it'll be because he thought I was rattling him in when in reality it was just my knees going snap, crackle and pop!

Once they were out of the way, I cracked open a can of tinted primer and painted the deck of the porch using a brush for the edge s and a roller for the bulk of the work. The Valspar primer I used was dry to the touch in no time at all.

After lunch I was able to cut all the pieces for the framework of the skirt of the porch and started to assemble the frame itself. And after dinner, I cut the siding that would be nailed to the frame. I even got two of the half sheets in place before dark.

Tuesday, on my own again, I installed the remainder of the siding, making cuts for the partial half sheets where necessary.

Siding in place on the porch.

The siding is four foot high. The top of the skirt--the rail is 40" above the surface of the porch floor and 5'10" above the ground. That sounds like a lot, but last year, what with the snow sliding being blown off the roof and drifting in front of the porch, it piled up higher than the old rail which was closer to 4'6" off the ground.

The siding actually overlaps the support structure I showed in a previous report, as you can see below. Call it added protection and added support.

Detail showing how the siding overlaps the sill and joists.

Once all the siding was in place, I applied a coat of primer to both surfaces of the new structure. The outside will get a coat of brown paint to match the house as soon as I get down to Lowe's to buy some. (There's always something you forget! Even when you've a list in hand.) The inside of the walls will remain the light gray you see here.

Primed and ready for a final coat of brown.

The last thing to do (besides the brown paint) will be to devise a means of hanging the Tuftex PolyCarb sheets that will serve as windows and to further prevent windblown rain and drifting snow from getting up on the porch.