Oh, I just a-door you.

We recently got done installing new siding, and we also had the house painted (before the dead of winter sets in.)

Our old front door (atrium door), which was always intended as a temporary door, suddenly started looking quite shabby.  Turns out it was pretty rotted too.

I had recently read how well this project turned out over at Redneck Modern, so, I asked if Hunter would come do mine as well.  I liked the idea of just replacing the door, instead of having to mess with the glass around the doorframe.

There were a couple of challenges - like discovering that the doorpost 4x4 was no longer fastened to a wood pad in the slab, and was just loose.  I was tempted to replace the rotted wood with some PT, and fasten the 2x4 to it, but Hunter wisely suggested anchoring an L bracket to the post, then filling the hole with cement.  We dropped a tap con screw anchoring the bracket to the slab as well.

A nice surprise was discovering that the electric release for the door still works, and even better, fits and works perfectly with the new lock mechanism.  We now have an electric release for the atrium door (assuming the deadbolt is unlocked, of course).  The buzz it makes reminds me of visiting my grandfather in his Yonkers NY coop apartment.

Old door

New door in place

New locks

Curb appeal.  Or is that curb a peel (get it, orange?)

The door turned out great, the color is perfect, and Hunter is extremely meticulous in his work.  As he joked, he makes all the mistakes on his own house, so that he can do it perfectly for everyone else.

Garage Door Hardware

Our siding project is almost over.  I'll post pictures once I get everything painted, promise.

In the end, I opted to have someone install the siding.  Yes, I could have done it, but lack of time, and dubious skill with a circular saw, combined with $100/sheet raw materials, made this the right choice.
Plus I still had inside work to do, beams to repair and refinish, etc.

Are you familiar with "scope creep"?  Ah yes, plan for the unplanned.

Three related projects that I wasn't planning (or budgeting) for crept their way in.

First, there was some minor rot behind the siding, in a few places.  I scraped out the damaged wood, and repaired with products from the Rot Doctor.

Second, the electrical panel, which I had upgraded in the last few months, was sitting on top of the old siding.  It made sense to instead recess it into the wall, essentially another whole service upgrade, though this time recycling the panel.

Before:

After:

Worth the effort, I think.

The last unplanned project was the garage doors.  We pulled the old doors, intending to replace the siding, and discovered that one of the rollers was completely missing.  I did some searching, and found a place in South San Francisco called Crown Hardware, who sells an almost perfect replacement.  At $100/pair (you need two pairs for two doors) it wasn't cheap, but I was thrilled that someone still makes it, and this version has modern bearings too.

Old hardware (notice the missing roller!):

New hardware:

This is the actual product.  Crown Industrial's part number is 4Z2R, #4 hanger.  Link

Oh, we also ended up rebuilding the door frames out of PT 2x4s because the old redwood had rotted out.

The other big fix was the center post.  Ever notice how on many Eichler E11 models, the center of the garage seems to sag?  The center 4x4 post sits on a piece of redwood, which in many cases rots out.  The post then sinks, causing the garage doors to sag and drag, and it also impacts the roofline.

The fix was to jack up the center main beam support with a floor jack, supported with 2x4s on each side, and replace both the rotted redwood floor plate with a new piece of 2x6, and a new redwood 4x4 post.  I put the post into a metal cup, so it wouldn't be in direct contact with the 2x4 under it (and also to give it some additional support).

Old frame:

New floor plate:

New frames:

Last word of advice - when you are replacing siding, it's a great time to:

• install seismic retrofits, such as oversized floor plate bolts
• run wiring for additional outdoor lighting or outlets
• install R13 insulation

If you've already done the above from the inside, well, great.  Even though I had done so, I still found cases where I realized I needed/wanted additional lights and outlets for example.

That's it for now.  I think this is one of those posts that will become very helpful to someone in the future.  I hope it is!

Beam me up Scotty

Once again, I've been too busy to blog regularly, so here's some catching up.

Captain's log, stardate 20110208.
The electrical has been upgraded to 200A service, and a new panel installed.
This was more of a safety upgrade to eliminate the rusty and fire-prone old FPE (Federal Pacific Electric) breakers and panel.  Dave from Beckert Electric did some nice work and was very creative:

Now, about those beams.  Recall that the old beams had rotted on the outside, which allowed water to penetrate the beam, and from there to the uprights.  A total of three beams needed to be replaced, and two of the uprights.

It's a fallacy that the beams in an Eichler run the full length of the house.  They generally don't.  The beams are supported by the upright posts, and the beams meet on some of those uprights.

It's still a massive job, but I found the right man for the job (Frank at Larco Construction, 925-595-3180).

His method (from my observation) is to:

1. Support the ceiling on either side of the beam (so you can safely remove the beam) using a temporary wall made of 2x4s.
2. Cut the beam into small chunks and pull the chunks down.
3. Cut away the many, many nails holding the beam to the tongue and groove wood ceiling.
4. Replace the uprights (if necessary).
5. Carefully measure and cut the new beam to size.
6. Lift new beam into place.
7. Screw the new beam into the ceiling for extra support (and to prevent twisting).

The new beams are the closest you can find to the original, but as Tony points out, today's wood is nothing like the old growth wood used in those Eichler beams.  Hold a piece of the new beam vs the old and you will notice a huge weight difference.

OK, onto the photos.

Here's the bracing on either side of the (now removed) beam:

Old beam in chunks on the floor:

Hhighlight of the extent of the dryrot at the front of the garage beam.  Protect the tops of those beams!

Another little Eichler thing.  The tongue and groove ceiling is not all one straight shot.  Seams are staggered slightly for strength behind the beam, but you'd never notice it when the beam is in place:

Finally, a small very cool Eichler find.  The "E11" here refers to the model of this particular home, written here by hand on one of the upright supports.  At the bottom it also says "Walnut Creek":

That's all for now.  Full speed ahead to the next small project.