We used our day to leisurely finish up the painting around the shop's fascia, windows and doors, put the last screws in the metal roof, and cover up the house foundation for the season. Here you can see how we've employed our arsenal of retired advertisements to protect the foundation, as well as the former Yome deck / MFW bandstand. If Google Maps takes any new pictures while these are splayed out, we just may try for an endorsement deal....
Does this make us look kind of redneck-y?
The whole roofing process is done now. During the process I was having second thoughts about Snap Loc roofing. It does go up quickly, and a lot of the work has been done for you, but some of the details around corners, edges and the ridge are less than eloquent. The bit of trimming we did have to do was a real pain in the neck, too. We ended up giving up on the tin snips and tackling the project with a jigsaw, which is not recommended. The tin snips, in addition to being tedious and painful, were giving up bent, jagged edges in very visible places, like the plum cut over the fascia on the front gable end. Now that it's done, I suppose it went well and looks good, but we definitely have a better idea of what we do and don't want when it comes time to do the house's roof.
The next step is finding siding. Our dream of finding some great salvageable barn wood has proven to be unrealistic. As "green" becomes more of a buzz word, and salvage becomes more chic, we're competing with upscale designer builders, public works projects and fancy art museums in Los Angeles for the once ubiquitous beat up old doug fir barn planks. It's fantastic that reusable materials are making their way into the mainstream and cutting edge of design, don't get me wrong. It does mean that thrifty little gatherers like ourselves are being overbid and discouraged from using these materials, though. Old, distressed barn wood is being sold for $5 a linear foot! On craigslist! We just can't afford it. The plan right now is to contact some local mills and price some cedar tongue and groove planks, which are generally less than $1 a foot. Tough time to be trendsetters, I suppose.
Coming soon, the exciting details of our PV Solar setup! Jonathan, our solar guy, has been working on a new mounting setup, which we'll be the first to try out. The whole process will be thoroughly documented. I'm hoping to film a little interview with Jonathan the next time he comes out, too. Stay tuned!
Good luck with your siding. If I think of an idea I'll pass it along.
ReplyDeleteI also hope you have better luck with your PV system than we have had with ours, but supposedly, the last major thing gets done tomorrow and they'll throw the switch. We're grid-tied (Steve insisted- not what I wanted, but it was that or no system at all) and that's been the crux of the problem. I assume you won't be, so yours should be a LOT easier to get done (read: faster).
Oh, we'll be grid tied all right. I really think it's the only reasonable way to live off of solar at this latitude, if you have the option. I'd love to hear more about your experience and what you've learned in the process. We're just beginning the process
ReplyDelete..if this comment works it will be the first time in a friggin week..stupid old version of IE..
ReplyDeleteI like the covering..I am of the school that any covering is better than no covering at all..sure it looks alternative..but having things properly covered is SOOOO mainstream! hehe
I also got a kick out of your last post..'talk me off a ladder..made me laugh..been there!!
I am offgrid..but I like it..it IS work..such as last night when I was reading at 1AM and the battery bank went below a safe level and the power went off..truthfully I also was running a TV, transferring files from my iPod to the laptop and 3 lights..ususally I would pop on the generator for a quick charge but when I go home today it will be all charged up again...it IS a pain but then again that is the first time we have run out of juice in a while..and much of it is usually due to a bad connect on a terminal that oxidizes and forces me to clean it every couple of weeks..and I forgot.
WOW! You guys have really done a nice job. I really liked your roofing idea and the roofing design is also very nice. Yet simple but stylish! I hope you all have learned a lot from this roofing process.
ReplyDeleteRoofing contractors