One more update from 2019…
Siding
In the fall of 2019 we had a visit from Steve’s parents and the guys worked on several projects but the one that stands out is the siding.
We’re once again using fiber cement board siding by James Hardi.
We used the Hardipanel Vertical Siding with battens on the garage and will continue to use the board and batten on all tall gable ends of the house.
Hardiplank Lap Siding was utilized on the addition that connects the garage to the original house and we will continue to use this on the other or short sides of the house.
Hardi is a cement board that is rot & moisture resistant and noncombustible. Our two previous builds were sided with Hardiplank Lap Siding and we never had to re-paint or repair.
The front gable end of the house was tackled first…
(Gotta be honest, this made me really nervous!)
It took some planning to be sure the battens would cover all the seams, so after much planning, it started to take shape…
And on to the second level (yes the scaffolding was leaning)…
The weather cooperated beautifully for most of the week…
And then it was done!
Just needs a coat or two of paint (it’ll be white like the garage).
Next was the back gable…
Weather impacted this part of the project and then it was time for the Baumann’s to leave. The board got finished on the first floor and the battens will come after the second story gets finished.
Electric
I have to admit I dropped the ball on this one.
Who new that the can light industry had undergone so may changes since LED lights entered the market?
I simply thought I could spec out a 5″ LED can in white and be done with it.
Well I guess I could have, but who knows what I would have gotten.
The options abound…
The LED bulb can be flush with the ceiling or recessed. It can be a spot light or flood light. There are different options for “warmth” or temperature of the light (measured in Kelvin) and options for how well the light renders out color (Color Rendering Index, CRI).
Dang who knew?
Not me, at least not at the time I scheduled the electricians, and that is where this project got temporarily derailed.
So, a serious thank you to Harrington Electric for being so understanding about the delay in sourcing and obtaining the housings and lights I finally chose. They did have a fair amount of other work to do roughing in electric for the new kitchen…
and surrounding hallways.
After a lot of research I was able to make an educated decision and chose the…
Cobalt 5″ LED recessed light by Nora Lighting.
Why this one?
Several important reasons: the light source was truly recessed up into the ceiling which reduces glare (but it also reduces the cone of light it creates, so I needed more lights to cover the area), the 3000K was perfectly bright (still on the warm side but the 4000K was too stark and blue), it had a great CRI of 90+ and it had a coordinating housing.
Done!
The housings came in while the Baumann’s were still visiting so Steve and Earl placed all the cans.
The electricians returned to wire the housings, we passed inspection and then we had light. Eventually they will be on dimmers.
They were well worth the wait!
I’m not sure who enjoys the snuggling more: the puppies or Valarie?
Well that wraps up our 2019 projects!
I wonder what 2020 will bring?
It’s motorcycle season once again so look twice and save a life!
