“Honey Do” Hot Place

[thecfarm]

I use to work for the low income. There was a guy that was removing old wooden siding from a house. He turned it over and it looked brand new. I saw it on his house with the new look.

[SawyerTed]

This siding is smooth on one side and rough on the other.  The rest of the house and this section were installed rough side out.  Unfortunately, the texture won't match if we did turn it over.  

When the boss goes to work, the guy doing the work will likely put some new siding on. 

[SawyerTed]

Western red cedar siding prices have been a bit shocking.  I get that the resource is being protected and it's fallen out of favor. But whew!  

The local builders supply wants over $3.00 a linear foot!   That's for 1x8x16.  One board is $49.   Not quite $5.00 per board foot, it works out to around $3.09 a linear foot.   I need 18. 

The orange box store wants $158 for 6 1x8x12.  It works out to $26 per board.  That's $3.25 per board foot or $2.19 a linear foot.  More reasonable but not like prices 35 years ago.  

I use the local guys as much as possible even though their prices are higher by a few percentage points.  Over twice the price of the box store is just too much!

Seems like in 1988 when I put the siding on it was $0.85 a linear foot with the builder's discount.  If it wasn't that cheap, I'm sure it was less than a dollar per foot. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Ted, the "Cedar shock" is a real thing. About 2 years ago my son was doing a restoration/repair/expansion job for a client and when he priced out the White Cedar he needed for siding he about choked. I forget the exact prices and won't guess, but he went back to the client to share the news and tell them he needed to get the material costs from them up front, he couldn't float that kind of money until the job was done. :D I did get the drops off the job. ;D F4S in any of the the cedars is crazy.

My Pop built a 12x14 shed when I was a tyke. I don't remember him building it (probably 3 y/o at the time), probably 1958 and he did a fine job on it. Some windows, nice door, the siding was a fancy T&G ERC material. I got to repaint it every 3-5 years. Doug fir framing. Anyway, as a young adult working as an industrial carpenter I remarked at how expensive wood was (circa 1973) for some side jobs I was doing. He told me when he built that shed his total material bill including nails, shingles, siding, framing, plywood (floor), hinges, and windows was under $100.00. It blew me away then, and it blows me away today. What would an ERC shed cost today?

[Tom King]

White Oak makes good siding.  I believe a man with a sawmill could come up with something.

[SawyerTed]

Tom, I did try to get the boss to let me cut some poplar or pine siding.  It will stain to match but she's afraid it won't ever match.  And you know if mama ain't happy...

She's working part time to pay as we go for the renovations so she gets what she wants.  

I ordered the cedar from the orange box store.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, if Momma ain't happy, then ain't nobody happy. :D Go with the WRC, you only bite the bullet once on cost, but could die many deaths if you try to compromise. ;D

 I have often been 'forced' to spend the extra money to do it right, when in my bones it was a really hard swallow. Can't say as I ever recall regretting taking the high road.

[Resonator]

Real estate is one of few assets that appreciate in value, so it's possible you can get your money back when you sell.

[SawyerTed]

You are 100% right.  While selling isn't likely, the value of our home/equity is important.  

We'd like to leave it to our children.  It's in the middle of the family farm of nearly 300 acres.  That's part of Emily's argument.

She also wants a screen porch on that side of the house.  That means we will be seeing it up close a lot.  

In the grand scheme of things, an additional $500 is small potatoes on this home.  I saved several times that on the flooring anyway.  

In 1988-89 I was the contractor and builder of this house.  At 26 and 25 we held back on some amenities because we thought we couldn't afford them.  

Now we are better situated to fix things how we want them.  I'll have opportunity to put in some flooring made with sawmill lumber in about 18 months. 

[SawyerTed]

The Doctor, Emily, is getting a cedar lined closet.  

This is my first purpose cut project lumber.  I cut this red cedar on the LT35 before it left.  It's been in the dry for close to 2 years.   

I think mama will be happy.  It's been planed.  I'll cut it to length and joint one side then rip it to width on the table saw. 

She's fine with random widths on the closet wall.  




Going in the planer.
 

 
My stack of planed cedar.

 
This cedar is 10" wide.  In my area, cedar like this is a bit unusual.   

[GRANITEstateMP]

Love that look, and the smell to boot

[newoodguy78]

I'm not sure what the current pricing on western hemlock is but might be worth looking into for any of you folks with a clapboard siding project. In the past I did a lot of clapboard siding and used the hemlock quite a bit. 
Really liked the quality and price point of it over cedar. When it came to something that was to be painted or solid stained you'd never know it wasn't cedar, had one smooth one rough side just like cedar clapboards. Long lengths weren't a problem either which was nice on longer walls. Durability wise it's held up well, I've been back to several jobs that have been done for 15 years or better. One thing I found when nailing on the ends was pre drilling should done. Never found that to be a big deal though, just took a siding nail clipped the head and left it chucked up in a drill nearby.

[SawyerTed]

Progress is slowing a bit.  But for a noe man show it's coming along. 

The house wrap was left over from my buddy's cabin build.  It's hard to put up by  one's self in 25 mph wind.  :D  If it didn't have print on it nobody could tell.  

Reused the cedar on the two short walls. It has worked out good.  

It took a week for the door to arrive after ordering it.  

Rough electrical is done and sheet rock ceiling is installed and mudded.  

Walls will be red cedar and beadboard.  



 

 

 

[SawyerTed]

With my son's help, we finished hanging siding.   Reused on the front short walls and new on the long wall.  

With the help of a "preacher stick" (old carpenter's term because it keeps you honest) the siding is nicely lined up with the old adjacent siding.  




The "preacher's stick"
 

 
Reused siding


 
New siding.  

[Resonator]

I've used "preacher blocks" on different siding and roofing jobs, to keep all the overlaps equal. I've always thought the definition was referring to "tell you what to do, or guide".
I've also heard the term used by different tradesmen and engineers, for guide pieces made on site used in fabrication and assembly. I'm sure the term is as "Old as the hills". (Old saying). ;)

[SawyerTed]

The carpentry "vernacular" is interesting and it's always fascinating to me to hear the regional differences in terms (and their definitions).  

This Old House comes to mind in that New Englanders have a much different carpentry language that here in NC.  

And example is the term bullnose.   Some places it's a rounded edge like on a stair tread, other places it's a facia board covering the tails of rafters. 

Having worked on a few jobs in different regions (even within NC), a man learns to ask questions.  

[SawyerTed]

Yesterday was a long day of fitting bead board paneling.   Got most of it done.   

The area where insulation is showing will have the cedar lining.  It's mostly just for accent.   

Along with that it finally came time to remove the window that becomes a cased opening.   Got that done.  

Paint and electrical will be next.  Then flooring and final moldings.   

The last thing will be the built in cabinets on the end.  

 

 

  

[SawyerTed]

A little paint, finished the electrical and cedar lining/accent wall.   

Tomorrow I'll start on the floor.  The built in cabinet is after the floor.  


 

 


 

[SawyerTed]

It's really getting "hot" now!  Black powder deer season starts Saturday.  Plus two cousins, who I've not seen in years, and I are going fishing three days next week.  

So I'm rolling on with it!   



 

 

Did I say it's hot where I am?    :D

[SawyerTed]

Here's the cabinet going in one end of the closet

Working my way down applying drawer fronts and handles.  Maybe I'll have it done by Friday.



 

[Walnut Beast]

Looks great Ted!