Ascent of the North Face

(Note:  Still not able to do photos--too bad, cause this one's a really good one)


This weekend was the weekend to actually start installing hardie board siding.  We decided to do the north side of the garage first, as that is a plain rectangle with no fancy cutting in around windows or doors or peaks.  I called it the north face, and when one climbs mountains (which this feels like), you do an ascent, hence our expedition this weekend is the ascent of the north face!

On any expedition, you need to research your plan, which involved Rob watching numerous videos on siding and how to use the gecko gauges.

We then installed the drip edges, marked stud lines, snapped chalk lines vertical and horizontal, and assembled the numerous cutting saws for edging strips. and that was just on Saturday. Oh and cut out 240 black squares from tar paper to install inbetween the joints for moisture barriers.

So Sunday was the day of the ascent. our first board when int at 11:30 and our last board at 7:30.  A few air nailer issues with too much pressure and then not enough. And we had to do two rows of boards to get established before we could break out the gecko gauges.  So it involved me holding boards tying to get them level.  Once we had enough for the gekkos to hang onto, they worked like a charm!

We would carry, measure, cut (with me holding the shop vac to suck up any noxious dust while we both work face masks), then siliconing the ends, levelling, and finally nailing.  Oh, and cutting out two boards to install future plug in receptacles.

Six rows and 18 boards later, we had a start.  But Rob tells me that that is only 7% of the total boards used so far.  Not a major ascent, but a start.

This Could Save Your Marriage

(Note: The computer glitch has yet to be figured out, so not able to post photos yet.  Original post date should have been September 18, 2014)

So in advance of installing the hardie boards, Rob was chatting with the guy from Rona and he suggested Rob get some "special clips" that will hold the board in place while he nails it.  You see, the boards are 12 feet long and heavy, and I will be on the other end, trying to hold it, and keep it level.  You know where this is heading....I will be wilting and drooping while we try and position it, which leads to perhaps heated words on both sides...thus the Rona guy, when he found out it was Rob and me doing it, suggested we get these clips, so we don't kill each other. 

He ordered them on Saturday and I picked them up today.  At first, the guys at the lumber place didn't know what I was talking about, but the guy Rob talked to, said yes, it's called Gekko Gauge.  I said it would save our marriage...the guy agreed...he said only hanging wallpaper with your spouse was the worst thing on the planet, followed by doing siding together.

So here is our life saver.  And another bonus...Rob can sell it on Kijji when we are done, as the lumber place said they are always getting calls for used ones (the Gekko Gauge is slightly pricey, but cheaper than marriage counselling!)

That's Hardie Board, not Hardy Boys

(Note: I'm not able to post pictures due to a computer glitch, so use your imagination for now!  The original post date should have been September 11, 2014)

I know, I keep getting them confused, but the siding we ordered is called hardie board and it is made of concrete but looks like wood.  So not the boys' mystery stories.  Now that we have that cleared up, we have good news:  the boards are here!

Rona called and I met the delivery guy Al at the house. He picked the boards up with his forklift and dropped them in the garage. 

His forklift was too tall to fit in the garage, so the boards could only go in sideways...which means, we are parking on the street until we get those puppies up. I tried to sweet-talk Al into helping put up the boards, but he said he had his own honey-do list from his wife!

In anticipation of the boards going on the garage, we finished up the last of the trim boards and blue waterproofing stuff.

And...Jason our gas fitter came by and hooked up Mr. Heater in the garage, so we can have heat in the winter.

So exciting...So this weekend we start putting up the hardie boards...wow...that was a long time coming. And we probably won't have any free time to read the Hardy Boys!

Is It Hot in Here or is it Just the Trim?

So this weekend involved putting up the trim boards and corner boards that got cut a few weekends ago.  Here they are:

I like the patterning on the boards, but that's just the covering paper and will get peeled off once the siding is complete.

Moving along, we had to hang the garage heater.  Rob bought this three years ago and its been waiting ever since.  Now this is no regular heater, it's so robust that we call it Mister!

Mr. Heater weighs a lot and there is no way I can hold it in place while Rob bolts it.  So he had this brainwave....put a board on the drywall lift, strap the heater to the board, and then crank it into position.

Locked and loaded:

In position:


Rob's legs as he attaches the bolts:


Voila!



Now we just need Jason to come hook it up with the natural gas and we have heat--just in time for winter!

Snow in August!!??

Okay, it's been a year since we last did anything on the garage....but that is all about to change!  In the spring, we got a letter saying the building permit was expiring in summer.  I thought that might be the stimulus to get the garage finished, but instead, Rob phones and gets an extension.  Sigh.  However, that led to him assessing the work remaining, meeting with our contractor friend Randy for some advice, ordering the hardy board siding, touching base with the furnace guy Jason to tee up installing the heater, and buying the plastic composite trim boards.


So last weekend, Rob started prepping the trim boards by cutting and routering an edge on them.  But because it's plastic, it doesn't create sawdust, it creates snow!  Lots and lots of snow.  It's almost like shredded coconut.  It went everywhere. But stranger things have happened::snow in August and garage starting to get done!