San Francisco Victorian

Well after 4 months, well over the allotted time for the job, the back of the house is complete. Everything is buttoned up, painted, and in working order. The entire back of the house was opened up, stuffed with insulation, covered with plywood, wrapped with a vapor barrier, and finally draped in concrete-fiber clapboards called Hardiplank. Hardiplank is cheap, easy to install, and lasts decades. Also, since its made from concrete it wont rot, warp, or be attacked by bugs.

In addition to the new siding, the master bedroom got 3 new double insulated Pella windows as did the kitchen and bathroom. The deck was also beefed up structurally and properly bolted to a new ledger that was absent before. How this deck stood up for so many years as it was is still a mystery to me.

All in all, its good to have this thing buttoned up on the western side as it takes the brunt of the weather. I wish I could say the insulation helped more than it does but we still have so many sides not insulated that it didnt make much of a difference; although the master bedroom does benefit from the new windows slightly.

Here is the Flikr photo set of the process:

Construction began on our house over a month ago and is finally approaching the final stages. We had the entire back of the house opened up to replace all the siding, move the electrical and plumbing inside, fix a few of the beat up windows, as well as add insulation. The job was supposed to be much simpler but of course there is always an unexpected turn with an old house. Our contractor found dry rot as well as some very unsafe workmanship when the house was built which had to be replaced.

Below is a photo of what the back of the house used to look like. The previous owner probably decided to cover the thing in shingles rather than deal with the upkeep of the original clapboards.

More pictures to follow as the project continues. For now, check out the progress on flickr.

Its been a while since the last post so I decided to give an update as to the goings on with the house. Since the holiday season is upon us the work has slowed down. We have been doing some odds and ends around the house as always but mostly just relaxing and enjoying all the holiday parties, including our own. The picture above is of the house all lit up before our holiday shindig.

Next year we have a lot of projects planned including the backyard, shop, and wine cellar so stay tuned. Happy holidays.