Project #1

So yesterday was a great day on a lot of fronts. Probably the most exciting part of my day was that I embarked on my first project of the trip. My in-laws had some rotten trim at the base of one of the walls of their home. My goal was to replace the rotten trim with new good boards. I started by tearing off the existing trim and realized the rot had gone through to the siding underneath. That meant that we tore off the siding as well and exposed the exterior studs and insulation.

I then made Lowe’s & Home Depot runs for fix-it stuff. Fortunately I only had to make one trip to HD and two to Lowe’s (that has got to be a record for me for the fewest trips for one project). At any rate, I’m nearly done with the job and it is really satisfying to work with my hands.

I didn’t take any pictures before starting the job, but Jessica shot a few of me “in action” (not inaction). The plastic sheeting in the picture was a vapor barrier I put on to cover the insulation behind the siding. The temperature isn’t forecast to rise over 50 degrees until Sunday, so we won’t caulk and paint until then.

Today’s project involves tearing down a fence, cleaning out a flowerbed, and generally getting an area ready for a new fence! Did I mention it feels really good to use my hands? I’m excited even writing about this.