LBW (Not Leg Before Wicket, but Lower Bay Window)

I hadn't the heart to take "before" pictures; let's just say that the major theme was rot.
This project really began in March, when, while drywalling and insulating the living room, we found we could look into the wall . . . and out at the world through the rotten floor plate. That streak of light near the bottom of the photo to the left is the great outdoors. From then on it was just a matter of time; we knew we had to tear out the front and rebuild. The only question was how much was rotten?




First, I tore out the old sills, 8 by 8 beams spiked together. They were still tough in places, even though the rot came off in clouds of wood dust. Like the House of Usher, they had a specious appearance of integrity that vanished under hammer blows. I thought I might get away with cutting out the face of the long front beam, but no, the rot went deep in places. I built up new sills out of 8-inch planks, glued and bolted together. I countersunk long lag bolts to link them together. The lower faces of the studs were affected, and of course the plate was quite gone--in fact, that's the part through which we could peek out at the world when we did the insulation in March. After fitting new L-shaped pieces to the studs with lots of screws and construction adhesive, I replaced all the insulation.





The three layers of boards I replaced with a single layer of well-fitted three-quarter inch plywood. Then I applied lots of flashing and Tyvek. I deliberately abandoned the "all shingle" approach in rebuilding the bay. Harold originally used framed raised panels on these bay windows; I was in a bit too much of a hurry for that, but I did add some framing.



I couldn't resist adding the first row of shingles on the front--that was last Sunday. Jo went at it this weekend and finished the shingling. It was a brilliant, sunny day (which I spent in the cellar working on the ducts). Clean up was extensive; it's always astonishing to see how much garbage even a small job generated. We followed our usual ultra-eco procedure (cheap-ass protocol # 5), and separated materials into "trash" and "local landfill," which we hauled away with the lawn tractor. I had to charge up the lawn tractor's battery yet again--I'll probably have to buy a new one next year.

I can see that it now looks a little unbalanced: the shingled area above is much greater and creates a heavier appearance. I think that when we redo this next year, framing it will reduce this effect; also, it will be white and thus visually lighter. Still, broader frames might have been better. I do prefer the vertical effect created by using solid boards on the first part of the bay instead of shingles. And in any case, it all helps keep the outside outside.

Next year we will replace those three ground floor windows. I still have a little pointing to do on the stonework, and some caulking as well; I hope the weather cooperates. Meanwhile, I have the heating ducts back together (almost), and I have devised a plan for the air return. If winter can be kept at bay for another two weeks, we should be fine. Last weekend was a bit of a scare!

Early Snow

It is well before Hallowe'en, and yet we have snow. It began as a drizzle--annoyingly, because I was trying to shingle the area under the bay window--and then turned to big, lazy flakes. These all disappeared as they hit the ground (or the dogs). I went down in the basement to work on the furnace. When I came up, I found that the ground was lightly carpeted; the snow had started to accumulate. Now, to the northeast I see the grass covered in a pale blanket, and the trees deeper in the woodlot are partly hidden by a gray haze. This is not the earliest substantial snow I recall, but it's pretty close. I well remember the year the snow came on Hallowe'en and stayed until April. I hope we aren't in for one of THOSE. The fall colours were late in coming and when they appeared they were a little muted. The snow sets them off nicely, though!

UPDATE: It snew all evening, and the forecast high for the day is only 4 degrees, so I think this will be with us for some time. After a brilliant dawn, the day settled down to dreary clouds. Below is Ye Olde Wishing Well; I know what I'm bloody wishing!

October Rush

Suddenly it's October, and we are rushing to finish the preparations for winter. There are ducts to clean and reinstall, joists to set, and the area below the bay window to shingle and seal. Fortunately, the pellet stove is back in business, with a fresh coat of black paint and careful oiling and greasing. I like the fiery trails the pellets kick up as they drop into the burnbox.