Hick spent a couple days this week working on the back of Pony House, on the side with Bathroom 2. He stripped off the old layers of siding, put in insulation, and finished it with the vertical sheets of cedar siding that I don't really like. He still says I'll like the finished house-back. I'm not so sure.
Hick spent Monday stripping. Heh, heh. I actually like this old wood siding better than the new stuff Hick is using to cover it up. But I'm not the one doing the work. There used to be a window here, which won't be now. On the inside, Hick is going to put a mirror in that space. Like a framed mirror. He happened to buy two mirrors at the auction for a grand total of $2.
Yeah. Not a fan of this look. I would at least expect it to be painted white.
That white middle section will be torn off, and it will be an open back porch, but under roof. For now, Hick is leaving it there, to use as a storage area for his tools and materials, so they're out of the way while he's working.
Thursday, Hick had a hired guy there (who works for Hick's friend, who's a general contractor), to crawl around under the house and check out the duct work and plumbing. They found rotten floor joists under the Master Bathroom, so Hick has to replace the whole floor there. Also, he will need to shore up the floor joists under the Master Bedroom, but they're not rotten.
Hick hopes to finish Bathroom 2 by Monday evening! That's what he told The Pony. I'm not so sure, but Hick says he can. Maybe he means get all the fixtures in place, not necessary finished like move-in finished, with paint and everything. He set the shower base where it's going to be, to take some measurements.
Hick needs to put down the sub-floor and some kind of insulation board, and then he's using the laminate flooring, which he said is the kind MEANT to be used in a bathroom, which is labeled as such by something on the back of it. In fact, he said the laminate flooring he used in his Railroad Car Shed actually came out of Back-Creek Neighbor Bev's bathroom.
Anyhoo... he's got the toilet there, and a vanity top here in the BARn for the sink. I think he might need a cabinet to set that on. You can see the back entryway there through the wall studs. So he needs an inner wall, and outer wall which will again be that vertical cedar siding. He's keeping that board wall, and scrubbing and painting it.
This is Hick's favorite part of the job, when he can show off a nearly-finished room, that actually looks livable. I don't expect him to be done on Monday, but for sure by the end of the week.
Saturday, the tree guy is coming to deal with the (possibly) pecan tree. A price of $3000 has been agreed upon. Next to the heating and cooling, this will probably be the biggest expense of Pony House.
I am simply amazed by Hick's many talents.
ReplyDeleteHick does have amazing self-taught talents. He went to vo-tech in high school, but it was for automotive work.
DeleteHis construction skills have been learned from observing assorted tradesmen while they did a job for someone, or watching This Old House. He can look at something and know how it needs to be built, like he can take apart machines and know what's wrong with them.
So far not liking the siding either, paint might make a big difference. Coming along though, may not end up with a silk purse, but improvement big league! Or as a liberal might say Biggly.
ReplyDeleteHeh, heh. They would also dislike the thought of living in such a house Biggly.
DeleteIt's a $23,000 house. It can only improve! The Pony doesn't need a silk purse. A European Carryall will do. He will get a safe, livable house, not a mini Taj Mahal.
Now the back of the house has two matching sections of vertical siding it doesn't look too bad at all. Just the one section looked odd, but now there's a symmetry to it.
ReplyDeleteHow far away will The Pony be when he moves in? One hour drive? Half an hour?
I still think it needs to be white, and horizontal. The Pony will be about 20 minutes away, but it seems less. Closer than my mom's house was.
DeleteIt's 10 minutes to Backroads, and another 10 from there to Sis-Town, where Pony House is. It's curvy roads, then in-town driving, so about 5 miles to Backroads, another 5 to Pony House. Heh, heh! The Pony will probably wish it was farther.
That Hick has talent. I wouldn't worry about the multi colored wood/siding. There are three new hotels and a senior housing development just completed down the highway from us, and there are three different colors of the building materials, sort of like a patchwork of exterior. mayeb tghere was a bargain store somewhere or this is the new style.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Hick would like to think he's a trend-setter! It's probably a combination of cost, and what was available when they needed it.
DeleteI agree with you about the siding, it looks out of charactor with the rest of the house. Is he going to use the same siding in the middle?
ReplyDeleteThe middle will be ripped off to make an open porch. I know the inner sides of the two bathrooms will be the same as the back. Not sure about the actual back of the house where the door will be. I think if it's all painted white, it will look better.
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