A fine weekend it was, despite the cold and wind. You can always tell when winter arrives in Iowa. Not by the ice or snow though. Two words: Static Cling.
Last week was one long gray smear punctuated with insulting rain. I ventured out to work at the lodge anyhow, thumbing my nose at the 6:30 sundowns we're having these days. The gen kept up marvelously though it's that time of year to switch over to a 10w30 before the snow really starts flying. East shed roof soffit work is complete; I've been working on the west now the past few days. Things should be easy enough but there are dependencies that make such a task a non-trivial matter (compared with throwing some aluminum soffit up there). First you need solid blocking at the end joints and down the centers of the soffits to prevent the plywood from sagging over time. A trip up in the bucket yields all but the last block measurement (it depends on the others). Some have angled ends but the others are mostly 90's. Invariably all but one will fit OK, that one will require trying to carefully shave a 1/16" off without breaking out the miter saw and dragging it 100' in the dark, spitting rain, for one cut. The less appealing alternative is to shut everything down and try to pull the generator 100' through the wet grass and mud, make a cut, then drag it all back. With strings and straight edges the blocks can be put in. I designed the shed roof soffit overhangs so that only 1 sheet of plywood, split down the middle, would yield the necessary 16' run. When you're in the bucket you try to do as much as you can to minimize the trips up and down, not only because it takes some time but because the batteries get exhauasted pretty quickly. So, you measure for the exact soffit widths and head back down.
They also take paint on the face and edges, so you need to make sure you've planned on when you're cutting and rollering them to take advantage of the week's forecast. It makes no sense to work chronologically if tomorrow is gray and overcast yet today is beautiful and the plywood still needs paint. Figure a night inside to dry and they're ready to put up. Back to the prep work; J-trim along the building is next. After establishing a straight line under the lookout joists, some clamping creates a "shelf" to rest the far end of the aluminum j-trim on. Alternating drill bits and square-drive bits through the inside of the trim allows fastening to the siding with small screws without distoring the aluminum or binding it so tight it won't cooperate with the plywood. After the first section is set up, measurement and tin snips are required for the next piece. With vertical grooved siding insects could still come up behind the trim following the grooves, so some dark colored caulk does the trick, filling the groove behind the trim, but being careful so that none of it is easily visible from the ground. Cut a double-J piece for the leading edge and you're ready for the (already cut width and length) plywood. Some pilot holes before you take it up in the bucket helps things along once you're up there wrestling with it.
Assuming the first sheet went in and lined up OK, only a couple screws can be put in (you'll need to play with it once the other sheet is up). Now though, things get tricky. The side soffit transitions "into" the rear, meaning you'll need angle and length for the second sheet of plywood. And don't forget the last block you didn't put in from earlier. You can put it in now using a straight edge and the previous blocks installed as your reference. Assuming you've got good numbers for your cuts based off the first plywood sheet, and that you've already removed the rear-most sheet of plywood already in place that was the rear roof-soffit, and that you've painted the cut edges in the plywood you're about to put up, you can now try…putting it up. Assume it fits on the first try, you go ahead and put in a couple screws. Now you need to know the angle of transition into the rear sheet; the circ saw and table saw can cut a piece of solid blocking with the angle you need. Put that in. Now, the trickiest part. Cutting out the relief area of the rearmost soffit plywood you took down so that the side soffit you just put in "transitions" into it. After the trimming and finessing and panels roughly installed, you can now drill and place the remainder of the fasteners. You'll still need to paint everything again to cover the screws, nails, and hand prints (you did readjust the first sheet of plywood to butt squarely now, didn't you?) But that can wait for the total-soffit-paint in spring. Congratulations. It' just taken you several evenings to put up some stinkin' plywood.
Now that you know the secret, would you finish the west soffit for me? I painted the last cut sheet Friday night after work and managed the j-trim and caulking. Got everything put away just as the rain was starting again. Met up with Cam and Ben at the Panther and witnessed the strange goings-ons. Save for one or two people, maybe, by 11PM there was no one over 40 in the place. We shot several games of pool against team Bocephus Jangles, with me proving just how bad I've gotten the past two years. On the upside, they've got Clap for the Wolfman in the juke.
Sat AM we were up, at 'em and on the road with the parents, Bandit and an enclosed trailer. Managed to knock out a prelim design for another outdoor construction project on the way. We moved Brittni out of her Minneapolis abode and had too much fun (at least me anyway) with the neighbor dog, Tripper, that bares a striking resemblence to a young Bandit.
With everything moved out, Cara, Britt and I did some shopping, including Swank Interiors where we spent too much time and money. I came away with a set of NOS aluminum tiki-torches, a 50's clock-radio and a pyrex kitchen graduated-cylinder. Both of them restrained me from buying yet another set of colorful juice glasses. Another notable was trying to find Macy's Home, pinpointing the couch I've had my eye on to see color swatches, and then befuddling the gentleman in the basement with odd carpet requests. Back in CF by midnight.
Saturday was a fun departure and sleeping in Sunday was a welcome change. But I did want to at least accomplish my list of tasks at the lodge before heading to the parents for dinner and a going-away/bday party for Brittni. One little problem. The western wind was blowing almost everything sideways. People. Powerpoles. Cars. Trees. You name it! 30-50mph would not have been unrealistic numbers, especially out in the country. I resigned that it would be pretty stupid to pilot a sheet of plywood from the bucket in that weather. So I planed and ripped cedar for corners, put away the 150' garden hoses, blew out the hydrant line, loaded up the latex paints, etc. Then hefted the 4 large lead-acid batteries out of the picker to bring home for a proper charging, doing my best to keep the acid off my hands. Sunday night: Pizza, laundry and squirrels with cameras.
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