After all the rapid progress toward the end of last year, this year seems a bit anti-climactic. There’s still a lot to do on the cottage just to get it to the point where we can paint the exterior, but each of those things doesn’t make a lot of visual difference. So, a picture of the cottage exterior today, doesn’t look much different than it did last year. One thing that does look nice is the new back porch ceiling.
We will be ready to start painting the exterior next week, and will have to look for a stretch of clear, dry days to get it done.
Once we got set up here May 10, the first thing to do was to clear out the garage and add electrical outlets and lighting to provide a work area.
Next, we needed to finish up the bits of siding that didn’t get completed in the mad rush to get out before another snow storm last year. Rob completed the siding on the back porch and front porch gable.
We weren’t able to oil the exterior timbers on the front and back porches last year because it was too cold. This year the timbers had weathered a bit and gotten somewhat dirty without the protection of an oil finish. Rob cleaned the timbers with Murphy’s Oil Soap and a brush. We had a few days that got into the 60’s, which would allow the oil finish to properly cure, so Rob applied the Watco Exterior Oil Finish on them. The exterior timbers are more protected now.
The next project was adding a tongue and groove ceiling to the front and back porches. Taking advantage of the precious few days that got into the 60’s, Rob oiled the back porch tongue and groove boards in preparation for installation. He ran out of oil finish and couldn’t{ back and front porch ceilings } finish oiling the front porch boards. We’ll have to wait to order some more to finish the front porch ceiling. Rob added a temporary plywood layer to the front porch ceiling to keep the wasps from building a nest in there until the final boards are ready. In preparation for installing the T&G ceiling in the back porch, Rob added a layer of plywood to the back porch insulation layer, which was the final layer applied last year. The plywood allows the T&G boards to be installed over the insulation without worrying about needing to nail into the ceiling joists through the thick foam insulation. After installing the T&G boards, the back porch ceiling is complete except for a trim piece around the edge, which will go on later.
Last year, we had issues with the cell signal in and around the cottage. Outside the cottage, the signal was a bit spotty making it difficult to use the phone. Because we have foil-faced exterior insulation all around the cottage, there was zero signal inside. So, we installed a new cell signal booster that has an antenna that we can point directly at the nearest cell tower out on Dixie Rd. Now we have a better signal at the cottage, inside and out, than we have up the hill in the RV.
The exterior trim was all attached to the house using screws when we installed it last year. Each screw got a wooden plug over it to hide it. Looking at these plugs this year Rob realized that they looked a bit rough, so he sanded them all down and re-primed them in preparation for painting the trim.
The final step before painting was to caulk all the siding and trim. That was a HUGE job! We used 3 ½ cases of caulk.
If the weather permits, the next post should have pictures of the finished exterior paint job.
We did take a little time out to enjoy the land and Lubec.
The girls have been enjoying themselves.
Your place looks awesome.