Week 22 - Punch List

Many things got finished this week and crossed off the punch list, but not all; some things were done, but not right; and one very big problem was added to the list at the end of the week.

It was important for me to realize that, just as would be the case with my own clients, when the end of the project nears, it is up to me (the client) to find and point out things I want fixed before I finally sign off on the whole thing. So I have been going over the project rather obsessively every week trying to find those things that still need to be done or changed. I still occasionally find something, which keeps me at it.

For instance, when I was on the garage roof checking the soffit transition that was installed the week before, I noticed that part of the torchdown roof is not properly sealed, so that went onto the list.

Among the done things, the last little bit of siding on the porch rail was completed. Little pieces of trim in various spots around the outside were finished or fixed. And materials for a repair that I will do later myself were obtained.

It doesn't show very well in pictures, but the edge of each front step was either trimmed or beveled to make them consistent. The top step was cut flat, but the others were the tongue edge of the tongue & groove porch boards. I wanted the tongue removed because I felt that it was just an opportunity to split the board if it were hit wrong, sort of an inevitability with steps.

I had the contractor insulate the access panel between the basement and the new crawl space and provide a more sturdy latch than was originally installed. While he was at it, he insulated several other holes and spaces along the same juncture. It isn't a pretty door, but it's functional, and I can replace it later when I decide how I want to reorganize the basement.

The new storm door was installed, at which point we discovered that the hardware did not fit. As it turned out, the hardware was right, it was the door that was wrong. I do not know yet how this will be resolved, but at the moment I have a storm door without a handle or latch. It keeps the flies out and the cats in.

I have also been jumping from task to task this week. I began doing the casings around the windows, starting with the two awning windows in the office which, being as high as they are, will show my mistakes the least. This way I was able to work out a method.

With a little more confidence, I moved on to the bathroom window ...

... and then the hall window. This makes four out of seven done, except for the detail work. Last will be the lower office windows which, being right beside my desk, will get the most use and inspection.

I finished the third of my four pocket doors. Which is when we discovered a previously unknown, and potentially serious problem. The door does not slide easily into either of the two remaining pockets. It binds on the center support inside the wall in both cases. So far the possible solutions seem pretty radical. We shall see.

The remaining closet doors are now all stripped and bleached, which means I'm done with that particular mess, at least for this project. But since I don't have the casing material yet, I set them aside again.

Since it rained most of the week, I also threw a cover crop on the newly levelled front yard, It's the same mix of annual rye grass, crimson clover and buckwheat that I have used before. However, since this is the post-construction front yard, I will either keep it mowed or turn it under before it gets very tall.

The last thing I did was to dismantle the wall in my basement which had defined my old sewing room, giving a clear path between the new garage door and the basement stairs. At a future time I will want to redefine work and storage areas in the basement. For now, I am just intent on clearing as much junk as possible out of the basement while I still have a dumpster at my disposal.

Week 23 - Casings