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As I found out, with KSever's help pointing me to a website with very good instructions, the task should have been pretty straightforward, really: take out the old drywall; frame the new openings removing old framing as needed; put plywood and tarpaper over the holes where the old windows used to be; and install new cedar siding. We began the process on Friday night by removing the drywall on the affected walls. My daughter's (Kate's) room went quickly. The studs were in good shape if a little too widely spaced by modern codes. I turned my attention to our bedroom, and that's when I found the termite damage.
As I inspected, though, my spirits began to rise. Poking with a knife blade, the damage didn't seem to be as bad as it appeared at first. I saw no live termites, and the tip of the blade struck solid wood nine times out of ten. I cleaned up and went to bed.
Saturday morning I arose, ate breakfast and made coffee, and got right to work. Removing the window in our room was a trial made harder by the fact that, having never been properly sealed against the weather, the nails holding the old jalousie window in place were rusted tight. Eventually though, it did come out, revealing more damage. Worse, it also revealed live termites.
By this time my father-in-law had arrived and begun working in Kate's room. A quick conference between him, me, and the wife ensued, and we decided to find out how extensive the damage was, and to replace whatever framing, siding and underlayment were needed. That entailed removing, by the wife's calculations, about seventy-five square feet of wall, and replacing the framing and underlayment for fifty, in an area roughly the shape (and size, it felt like) of Africa, from the start of the gable down to the sill plate. At this moment, our house has a large, ugly, tarpaper scar on the north wall, waiting for trim work and siding, but at least it's weathertight, and the new windows, Pella Low-E argon-filled double-pane Series 450's, are in.
I started my day at 8:00 or so in the morning. We ended, the last tool put away at 10:30 at night.
Thank God for cool dry weather, which made having an 8 foot by 10 foot hole in the side of my house bearable. Thank God for my father-in-law, a man absolutely fearless on a ladder with a power saw. Most importantly, thank God for my wife, who supported us and who, through probably two hundred miles worth of driving, kept us supplied with drywall, plywood, studs, donuts, and Really Good Cheeseburgers.
Finally, now, two weeks later, the last two (of four for this project) windows are in - no damage this time. Because the new windows were slightly smaller and going into the same locations, and because there was no damage to the walls in question, it was a simple matter to fill in the openings to the correct size and do the installation. We've also had a visit from the exterminator, a small business owner rather than one of the big chains. Bait stations are in.
The rooms are warmer now, without the drafts we'd normally begin enjoying this time of year.
Measure with a micrometer
Mark with a crayon
Cut with an axe.
As I inspected, though, my spirits began to rise. Poking with a knife blade, the damage didn't seem to be as bad as it appeared at first. I saw no live termites, and the tip of the blade struck solid wood nine times out of ten. I cleaned up and went to bed.
Saturday morning I arose, ate breakfast and made coffee, and got right to work. Removing the window in our room was a trial made harder by the fact that, having never been properly sealed against the weather, the nails holding the old jalousie window in place were rusted tight. Eventually though, it did come out, revealing more damage. Worse, it also revealed live termites.
By this time my father-in-law had arrived and begun working in Kate's room. A quick conference between him, me, and the wife ensued, and we decided to find out how extensive the damage was, and to replace whatever framing, siding and underlayment were needed. That entailed removing, by the wife's calculations, about seventy-five square feet of wall, and replacing the framing and underlayment for fifty, in an area roughly the shape (and size, it felt like) of Africa, from the start of the gable down to the sill plate. At this moment, our house has a large, ugly, tarpaper scar on the north wall, waiting for trim work and siding, but at least it's weathertight, and the new windows, Pella Low-E argon-filled double-pane Series 450's, are in.
I started my day at 8:00 or so in the morning. We ended, the last tool put away at 10:30 at night.
Thank God for cool dry weather, which made having an 8 foot by 10 foot hole in the side of my house bearable. Thank God for my father-in-law, a man absolutely fearless on a ladder with a power saw. Most importantly, thank God for my wife, who supported us and who, through probably two hundred miles worth of driving, kept us supplied with drywall, plywood, studs, donuts, and Really Good Cheeseburgers.
Finally, now, two weeks later, the last two (of four for this project) windows are in - no damage this time. Because the new windows were slightly smaller and going into the same locations, and because there was no damage to the walls in question, it was a simple matter to fill in the openings to the correct size and do the installation. We've also had a visit from the exterminator, a small business owner rather than one of the big chains. Bait stations are in.
The rooms are warmer now, without the drafts we'd normally begin enjoying this time of year.
Measure with a micrometer
Mark with a crayon
Cut with an axe.