Roof, Siding, and Other Fun Stuff!

I left off last time with finishing up the front porch. Now I got the roof and the siding on. It took almost the whole month of July to get that done. We have had so much rain that I couldn't catch a break in the weather half the time. But alas I got it done...well almost. The steel used is 24 gauge galvalume for most of the house. The first batch of metal that I bought was ordered through Lowes. That turned out to be a mistake because they sold me 26 gauge galvalume which looks kind of crinkly when it's up on the wall. That is the only thing I am not really happy with. But overall it looks pretty good. I ended up going to a local guy for all of the 24 gauge galvalume. His business is called Copper by Tom. They have been a big help in determining what type of flashing I would need and gave me a lot of good advice on how to put everything on. And it turns out they have a huge solar panel system at their house and gave me some really good advice about who to go through down here. So thank you Tom!

Galvalume roof.

First piece of siding to go up!

First row.

Second row.

Third row.

 I also put a first coat of Black Jack elastomeric roof coating on the roof. But that is the only coat I got to get on this month. It has just been raining so much! This paint helps to:

• Save money by lowering cooling costs up to 30% by reflecting light
• Flexes up to 350% to resist cracking
• Waterproofs

Got more spacers up.

First few rows on the other side.

Third row.

Chicky is trying to help!

Fourth row tacked up.

I put up my first decoration! It's copper plate of a Mayan calender. It use to be a bird bath in my garden at my old house.

Getting there!

Now for drilling in all of the screws! Lots of screws!

Put edge flashing on the front sides.

Edge flashing on top right. Still haven't finished putting in all the screws!

There will be a square galvalume gutter going across the top to hide those lines and then trimmed up.

I only put on piece of flashing up on the left side until I finish painting the roof. The ladder was very slippery when up against the flashing. It was just to dangerous so it will have to wait.

I bought two 7000 lb. stabilizer jacks to go on the side of the trailer frame near the tongue. Still gotta hire a welder to put these on.

This is my Haier 5000 btu A/C. 515 watts and 6 amps. 

Check out my shower! I found this at World Market of all places! $90 on huge sale down from $150!

It's an outdoor shower that you would see next to a pool. But I am going to put a shower pan underneath it and use it inside.

30"x 30" base

Soap dish.

It stands at just over 6'.

Indoor construction zone.

 A few views from afar:

Finally I get to do some work on the inside! These angles are at the front of the house and taper back to almost the center of the house. These will provide extra support for the walls and provide aesthetics whenever I cover them with wood. It looks cool in my head! You will just have to wait and see!

Right

Left

View of both sides from the rear of the house.

 I decided to go ahead and put the roof on for the power closet that is going to be on the back of the house. This closet will house the electrical box, solar power stuff like the inverter and charge controller, backup propane water heater, bathroom vent, outlets, the a/c will be sticking out the wall but will be hidden by the closet door(eventually), water entry, etc. The bottom of the closet is going to be steel mesh. Strong enough to hold stuff but breathable. The propane water heater and the a/c need to vent. 

Framed it.

Sheathed it.

Put on tar paper.

That's all for now. I thought I would have gotten more done this month but the weather did not cooperate. Since I am working on the inside mostly, the rain won't matter and I can get this thing livable before labor day. So the month of August will consist of electrical and plumbing, some if not all of the insulation, framing for the loft and bathroom, shower, kitchen sink, maybe part of the floor, stabilizer jacks, and a few other miscellaneous things that I will go into when they are completed. And just today I got the hole cut for the a/c unit and ran an extension chord to test her out! And I also bought online my propane Camp Chef outdoor camp stove/oven/grill that will go on the front porch! Until next time!




Wish me luck!!

Back at it!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. It took me the whole month of May to get moved out of my house and settled at a friends temporarily for the summer. Plus I have been doing some extensive research and planning because I keep coming up with new ideas for the house. So that brings on new sets of questions that I have to find answers for. So I am trying not to rush anything to prevent me from doing something wrong and having to start a project over again. Basically, this is a series of pictures on the installation of the front porch. I also put furring strips on the roof and on some of the sides to prep for the metal roof and siding. I also purchased some of the metal and have started the roof, purchased two 7,000 lb. stabilizer jacks to go near the tongue for added stability (they have to be permanently welded on), and purchased my bathroom door(random I know but this is how things happen!). My friend Adrienne also gave me some of her kitchen cabinets because she is redoing her kitchen. Have I mentioned I love free stuff!!

Furring strips to prepare for metal siding.

The front porch has begun!

The aluminum panels are vents usually used for attics. I had them laying around from a project at my old house. I think it's going to look cool.

 Used decking to go up the sides.

The thing that looks like a window is actually just going to be a shelf because I am putting a stove/oven/grill right below that.

Same thing on the other side.

Shelves are trimmed in!

 Now for the decking on the ceiling.

I decided on cedar board and batten siding,

Found this at The Green Project in NOLA. Brand new sliding glass shower doors for $75! This is going to be the door to the bathroom.

Done with the boards now for the battens and trim.

Boarded, battened, and trimmed!

First few rows of metal roof are on. This metal is called 5V Crimp. I chose this because it's the closest thing that looks like standing seam roofing without having to buy the crimping tool. You just screw it in through the ridges not the valleys and on some of the flat parts.

Not going to stain or paint the cedar. I am just going to let in grey naturally. But I might stain or just seal the decking on the floor, walls, and ceiling of the porch.

 

All in all, I like how it turned out. It is cool and modern looking to me. And everyone I have shown seems to like it so it is a success I guess. Let me know what you think!

Next things on the list is to get those jacks welded on, metal roofing and siding, steel cable X-bracing inside walls and ceiling, 3 windows installed, electrical and plumbing, and spray foam insulation. If I can at least get all of that done I can move into the house and finish it from there. I have till labor day to get that much done(hopefully more!) because that is when I will no longer be able to stay where I am at now.

Wish me luck!!