We had a good day on Monday with highs in the 80s. Rick finished patching the north side soffits and fascia, and then we moved indoors to work on the leaky window in the garage. When the window was put in, the installers slathered on a thick coat of plaster on the inside. All of that plaster, due to water seepage, pulled away from the whole inside of the window. Because it came out so easily, we were fortunate to be left with a fairly smooth original window opening. However, the wooden supports on each side of the window showed, so we knew that we would have to take steps to seal and to cover the rough edges.
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| Rick chips off the last of the loose plaster around the window. |
Our first step was to clean out all of the loose plaster and to smooth the area. Rick then squirted in some Great Stuff to seal the cavity around the window. He always tends to overdo the Great Stuff, so we both spent some clean-up time getting rid of the oozing, excess Great Stuff. Rick then climbed the ladder a little higher to discover that the leak in the wall was due to the HVAC pipes and wires that were coming into the house. Those pipes and wires are supposedly protected by a galvanized cover outside, but the rain still seeps in and gets into the garage wall. We are going to have to caulk the edges of the covering to keep the water out.
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| Great Stuff will keep the cold and bugs out, but we still have to plug the leak in the wall to keep water away from the window. |
On Monday, we called in Art, the arborist for the city, to look at our trees and to offer us some suggestions. The good news is that the live oak on our property is healthy and in very good condition. Art suggested that we just put in posts as close as we can to the tree when we build our fence, and then cut out the panels to follow the contour of the tree with temporary supports on those sections. With temporary supports, we can move and adjust those sections as the tree continues to grow.
Art told us that the bottle brush tree in our front yard was dying, and that we should have it removed. He suggested replacing it with a live oak -- which is NOT going to happen because I do not want to rake up leaves from the front yard forever -- or with a Florida elm. I have not had a chance to check out how messy a Florida elm might be, so our decision on that is pending. He also suggested a rigid bottle brush tree for elsewhere in the yard, and perhaps a palm or two near the street.
The bad news from Art was that the large palm in our front yard was too close to the house (which we knew), and that it was unstable in a storm. OK. That one will have to go because I do not want it falling on the house some day. He suggested a smaller palm in its place, but we are hesitant to do that since a smaller palm there would block our view from the kitchen. We might just use some smaller, flowering shrubs in that area to hide the plumbing fixtures and clean-out drains. Why the builders could not have put those connections on the side of the house is beyond me, but we will deal with them as is. What choice do we have? Some shrubs, bushes, and perennials will solve our problem once we have the time and the money to plant them. Maybe next year...
Art also suggested a Florida elm for the middle of our backyard, and he thought that a weeping bottle brush tree would be appropriate for the area behind the guest room and south of the Florida room. I would like to see a tree there, and Art said the location was sunny enough for the bottle brush to grow well there. Those two suggestions are something that I would like to see happen when we come back in the fall.
We have reclaimed water in this neighborhood. That means that for a very economical price, we can tap into the treated wastewater that the city offers for landscape irrigation. For a little over $1800, we can have the city come out and install the necessary equipment for us to use the water for the next 20 years. We would have to put in our own pipes and sprinkler heads for our yard, but doing so would allow us to automatically set up timers so our trees, vegetation, and grass would be watered year-round. Homeowners who have irrigation systems have beautiful yards; the rest of us have sparse grass that turns brown for most of the summer months. Right now yards are green --either with grass or weeds-- but that will change by the time July arrives.
Rick was really excited about the possibility of an irrigation system. I was not so sold on it, not only because of the labor and cost that it would entail, but also because neither of us has any idea how to properly set up such a system. Research shows, however, that professional companies, for a small fee, will design a system for us. Yesterday Dan, from the city's water department, came out to assess our reclaimed water hook-ups. He found that the supply line to our property was plugged, but that we could have the system unplugged and a meter installed with little problems. We are going forward with plans for using the reclaimed water when we return in the fall. This is just one more thing that we will somehow work into our budget.
Yesterday delivered the promised rain that weather forecasters predicted. Dan had come out in the morning while the skies just threatened rain, but by noon they delivered with a couple of good downpours. That gave Rick time to research which irrigation systems to use, and it gave his sore arms and back some much-needed recovery time. We have been pushing to finish the house really hard, and it is starting to take its toll on our aging bodies.
Right now Rick just finished sanding the soffits and fascia on the north side of the house. It was very cold (in the low 50s) when we went out this morning, so we waited a bit for the weather to warm up. While he did the sanding outside, I slapped on some masonry sealer around the inside of the garage window. We bought molding yesterday to frame the inside of that window. Once the sealer dries and I can add a couple of coats of paint, we will be ready to complete the inside trim on that window.
Rick just went outside to start the prime coat of paint on the soffits, so I had better get out there to help hold the tall ladder. If there is one thing that we do not need, it is for either of us to be injured.
Rain is predicted both for tomorrow and for Friday, so we will have to see what we can accomplish in the time that we have left to work outside. This weekend is Easter, so maybe we can take a little time to connect with family members and to help them celebrate the holiday weekend.
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