The First Siding

It is hot here. Non-locals may not be aware that spring and fall are the times when the weather gets really hot here, our actual summer. So naturally we are in the middle of a heat wave this weekend, and today it hit 92F.

We spent the first part of the day faffing around trying to get ready to install the siding. I'd be hoping to do mechanical ventilation for the crawlspace, but that turns out to require essentially sealing the floor up with plastic, which was not going to happen. Instead we're putting in the required foundation vents, which naturally have to go through the building paper just installed, one at each corner of the house.

Noel marked them inside, and then drilled at each corner to mark where they are so we can cut from the outside. That also helped us get started on installing the boards.

Our friend Hafez came over to help us, and we added a second coat of primer to several boards. Our plan is to be priming the boards as they are being installed, because we just don't have the room to stack them all in a second location.

Then it got stupid hot, and I retreated to the safety of the air-conditioned bedroom (too much heat fries my brain). When it cooled down a little, we restarted work.

The tricky board is the first one. After that you can just add new boards above it easily.

Some time ago we bought a finish nailer which has a special head for nailing tongue-and-groove boards, and it works like a charm. The bottom board was also nailed on its face into the wall, because it will be supporting the board above it. We'll caulk those nail holes, and you will never see them.

The corner treatment will be a little weird -- the house typically has corner boards at each corner so we'll match that -- so we used the laser level to line the next wall bottom board up with the first.

Then it was really too dark to be working, but we did get started. It's really fast getting the boards up and extremely satisfying.

posted by ayse on 10/04/14