Keeping an in-progress project watertigh
Skip to the third paragraph if you just want to get to it, otherwise if you’ll indulge me, I think an introduction might be in order:
First off, let me say thank you to all the long time posters here at BT. I plan on taking on my biggest handyman project to date, residing and replacing the windows in my house this summer. I’ve really benefited from the depth of knowledge and wisdom here, even without actually posting yet. Google originally led me to JLC Forums, but I never posted there since I’m not “in the biz”. Saw many recommendations for people in my situation to come here, so here I am. 🙂
My house is about 30 years old, a fairly standard ~2000 square foot split level with some “interesting” character (see attachment). I wasn’t sure about the roofing details and Tudor-ish trim when we first moved in, but I’ve grown to like it. I plan to replicate the look with my reside project. On to my first (of surely many to come) question:
I opened up the hardboard siding and window trim on one of the rear windows over the weekend to get an idea what I’m up against. There is 1″ XPS over the framing with felt over that, but NO sheathing. After inquiring at the local lumberyard, that’s somewhat normal for this area, but I can expect to find plywood sheathing under the siding at the corners. Sounds scary to me, but the house has always seemed pretty solid, so who knows?
My plan is to progressively tear off the old siding and trim, put up steel soffit and fascia, tear out the old windows, and replace them with HardiePanel/HardieTrim and Andersen 400 series casements. Surprisingly (to me anyway), the windows are unflanged and not flashed AT ALL, with the exception of some drip cap at the top. Miraculously, none of them leak.
To further complicate matters, I will be doing this work evenings and weekends over the summer, and mostly working alone. I want to do this job right, so I’ve spent a lot of time reading up on flashing techniques, materials comparisons, etc… and thought I had all the steps figured out until a thunderstorm kept me up last night and it abruptly occurred to me- in the time between when I get the old siding off and when I get the new WRB and and windows in, how do I keep rain from getting where it shouldn’t?
Thanks in advance to everyone for their time.
Replies
Welcome to BT.
Keeping it dry.
I work alone. Demo-Finish on the outside usually can't be done in a day-long or not. So, I try to do my work in steps that allow removal and finish in sections or steps so that I don't have to put up tarps or undo some work in order to proceed.
I'm on one now that started as a door change followed by a new porch construction. This on an 1836 house. Seems this house they saw no need to sheet b/4 they sided. Upon old window removal I found siding/no sheeting and no insulation (no real surprise, but imagined that prior to this owners occupancy someone might have done it).
The door required new frame in that area as the timberframe is pretty out of whack. So too will the connections of the new porch. So all siding (original) will come down, I will sheet it, blow insulation from the outside, tarpaper it, straighten the only window on that side (and make orig. work proper) then side it after the porch is framed.
I removed siding half way up (2 story) and tarped that area for the night. Reframed for porch and plumb, repaired some decayed sill (8x8 handhewd) and tarped it again. *I used washerhead screws through the grommets. Sheeted that lower section the next day, removed the siding above up to the eaves, and tarped again. This side of the house is 14^ x 28>.
Saturday came and the homowner helped me sheet the rest of the way up. We still tarped as the insulators were coming the following Tuesday and heavy rain is in the forecast. They came, drilled and blew and I followed with Protecto window tape and felt paper.
Each tarp up/down took about 1/2 hr working alone.
Looking at your place I think I would change out the windows (removing the Tudor trim as I went), Protecto window wrap them to the weather. Figure a way to weatherize what I didn't take off to do the windows. Then remove old/install new tudor/siding in steps so I wouldn't have to tarp so damn many times. Felt paper can seal out water pretty good enough to protect and save you tarp time.
Doing this nights and weekends will suck but if that's what you got, then that's what you got.
Always be ready for a quick blown up storm. Look around while you work so you might not get a big surprise. Working alone will take time.
Best of luck.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Edited 6/1/2009 5:54 pm ET by calvin
So it looks like tarping is the standard answer here. Rats. The wife is not going to like that option. ;) I've also been mulling over how to get the windows and heavy sheets (nearly 80 lbs) of HardiePanel in place, since the lower roofing detail (what would you call that, anyway?) will prevent getting right up to the house with scaffolding. If I can plan things properly and get soffit/fascia and demo done, I'm considering renting a boom lift over two weekends, doing two sides each weekend. It would seem possible to put on Tyvek, flash the windows, install the windows (say 3 each weekend), and at least get a good start putting up the HardiePanel over two days. But what do I know? I've never done this before.Thanks for the reply.
With regard to tarps, try finding green, brown, or black as they are much more friendly to look at. Your neighbors will thank you and you can always use them again, to cover fire wood etc. and your home won't look like a boat yard. Blue tarps should be outlawed (seriously) from residential neighborhoods.
Edited 6/5/2009 6:20 am ET by Pelipeth
Plan on doing the job in sections and get ready to become real intimate with blue plastic tarps and cap nails. Still, once you do one or two sections and get the routine down, you should easily be able to get one section out & replaced at least to a reasonably watertight condition over a weekend if you have all your materials lined up.
As for getting up to the side of the house, that shouldn't be a problem either. If your're using scaffolding, get some outriggers, AKA side brackets -- they position the planks outside the frame for just such situations as you have. Make sure you anchor your tower well though, since they throw off the center of gravity a bit.
FWIW, you can probably buy enough scaffolding to get the job done, and then resell it when you're through, for less than renting scaffolding or a boom for the time it'll take you -- which will be about double the time you're probably planning on. ;-)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
Edited 6/4/2009 3:03 pm ET by MikeHennessy
There's really no easy solution, but one way to minimize water would be to install the Tyvek or tarpaper as you strip the old siding off. Pull off 4'-5' of siding, put on the new WRB.
It might be a bit of a PITA to have to stop demo to install the Tyvek, but it'll keep the water out.
Get the 3' wide rolls. The 9'ers are good for new construction, or if you have help. You'll have to tape more joints with the 3' rolls, but they're much more manageable.
Thanks for all the tips. Gives me a lot to think about.Re: Scaffolding
I've been keeping my eye on Craigslist for scaffolding. Everything I've seen has gotten away from me before I could get it, but there are deals out there. One guy had 4 sets of 5x5x20 towers w/wheels and levelers for $400/set, but he seems to have vanished.Re: Tarps, blue and otherwise
My wife is very sensitive to projects being "half done". She freaked out when she saw I pulled the casing off a few windows to get good rough opening measurements. To keep peace, I'm definitely going to have to work fast, especially on the front of the house. About the only positive of living out here in farmer land, tarps are the one thing I can get in any size and color. Maybe I'll even get camouflage. ;)Shep, thanks for the tip about the 3' rolls of Tyvek. I think I was a little hung up on trying to get entire sides of the house covered in one solid sheet of Tyvek. Given what I know about the function of Tyvek and its use in my application, I know that's not strictly NECESSARY, it'll just take me a day or two to warm up to the idea. Mulling it over, I can see how that technique will let me work in smaller, more manageable sections.
I just bought 5 sets new for about $150 each. Try looking for scaffolding suppliers in your area -- maybe you can pick up used ones cheap.
As for the freaking out wifey, just enlist her as "crew" -- she'll begin to understand the nuts & bolts of the thing pretty quick. Works for me, LOL! "Gee, dear! If you had been working a little faster, we woulda been dried in by now." ;-)
Or just paint the tarps to look like the house - a little trompe l'oeil. ;-)
As for Tyvek, I thought you said you had foam under the siding? If so, just tape the seams with Tyvek tape and you're good. You'd only need the Tyvek over the ply corner reinforcing.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
If the foam is 1" thick on the studs, it should be 1/2" thick covering the sheets on the corners.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Welcome aboard sucker... er, ahhh, .... matey! I am also a DIYer doing major stuff on my home. I've been where you are, my big project was my roof.
You are DIY, which means you are not only learning new building tecniques, but also new skills like fastening, taping, design, safety, construction project management, etc. The time it will take a pro you could safely multiply by 10 to get the time it will take you. So you are RIGHT to be concerned about rain.
What you might want to do is construct a structure that can be moved around the house as you progress in sections. Something that would give you an 18' work zone wide, maybe 6' deep. With clear plastic tacked to the outside to give you light but keep out wind and rain. This could just be scaffold with an outside wood frame to tack the plastic to. HD sells 10' wide and 20' wide rolls of 6mil plastic (100' long rools) that is pretty durable for this.
Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.