Good news!  The painters are back.

Just to recap, in 2015, we had the upper trim painted. In 2016, we hired the same company to paint the two main sides of the house. Now, they are back to complete the bulk of the remaining work which is on the back of BHH.

Although I had grand plans to do all of the window glazing as a DIY project, I ended up asking them to complete the windows after all.

Upon closer inspection, we discovered sixteen cracked window panes. Hiring the painters to repair the windows frees me up to focus on the sleeping porch project when it is time.

The Sleeping Porch

Speaking of the sleeping porch, you may be wondering why I could not stop talking about it two weeks ago, and now, crickets… Currently, the sleeping porch project is on hold. I found a large section of rot on the ceiling below it.

It affects the roof, trim pieces, and all of the crown moulding beneath it. Initially, I was going to tackle this project on my own. However, I discovered that the rafter below the roof is also affected. Sadly, I decided that repairing the rafter was beyond my skillset and my physical capabilities. I am trying not to view the inability to complete a DIY project as a recurring theme in my life.  Since I work solo most of the time, I try to get the most bang for my buck. There is certainly no shortage of projects that I can do instead.

My friend, who is a realtor, referred a great contractor to me. He is going to fix the rafter and repair all of the rotten wood as far down as he needs to go. He will add proper flashing and step flashing around the base of the sleeping porch. Lastly, he will put down new shingles all the way to the hip.

If we take the shingles all the way to the hip, next year, if we are pleased with his work, he can come back to do the front side of the porch roof.

Once he completes the repairs, I can get back to work on the exterior of the sleeping porch. That job will likely take me all the way through September.

The Drainage Project

The great big drainage project has been a great big disappointment so far. Despite numerous calls, the owner of the excavation company had not come through with a bid. At this point, I do not see it happening this summer. I could put the bid out to different companies, but I have a lot on my plate right now. If I get a call, I will re-evaluate at that time. His excavation company is highly recommended by several people in the construction business.

There is one bright spot. The same contractor who is fixing the roof sent a sub-contractor to give us a bid on gutters. The project plan and the price range look good. Andy and I will see how much the run-off improves with gutters. We are crossing our fingers that we might not even need a trench on both sides of the house.

I will sign off with more painting progress photos. I am always in awe of the patience and attention-to-detail that these painters have for BHH. If you are in the area and would like to hire them, please send me a message. I’ll forward their details.

Are you closing in on the end of summer projects where you live? What is the status of some of those big jobs on your to-do list? I would love to know how it is going.