The Agony of Color and the Thrill of the Door

The rain broke and we finished the firring task. The sun was saying to us, "it's your 2nd wedding anniversary, go do something that freshly wed people would do." So, our love lead us to Ballard's Re-store for some high-end junk rather than some high-end food.
If you look closely, you can see Ned's back door is holding our 2nd Anniversary Present, can you guess what it is? If not scroll down for the answer.....
























Patricia spotted this beauty on the clearance rack (as clearance as anything can get at a building salvage shop in the heart of the most desirable neighborhoods in Seattle). Since we all know the 2nd Anniversary is the Wood Door Anniversary we had take this door home with us.

As a side note, when searching for a new door in a salvage yard, take careful measurements of both your existing door and its frame. Our new door only needs some slight shaving along the sides and a few inches trimmed from the bottom. Most doors made now are not solid wood and neither is our new door. Many are made with wood fiber center covered by a thin layer of wood ( a veneer) on the front and back sides. These doors are all made with a short section of solid wood at the bottom, top and along both sides for making adjustments. We need to take a mere 1/4 inch off the width and about 4 inches off the height. It will be tricky to do and our friend Brian has lent us his circular saw to get the job done right. That job will have to wait. Patricia and I, tired from the previous day's work and looking for some pampering on our special day retired the remainder of our afternoon and all of our evening to Banya 5 for some earned hot and cold therapy.

While we rest in the Eucalyptus Steam Room you can have a glimpse of what our house will look like with the new door installed....
... at this late date (9/02/2009) we were still agonizing over the best colors.

By now (10/13/2009) we've made up our mind, and the true colors our up on our house. For you locals, you'll have to do a drive-by to see for yourself. Don't be shy - tell us what you think in person :) For the rest of you, well, you'll just have to wait until we catch up on our blog writing. Trust us, you'll love it - at least from afar.
:) Patty-homemaker & Color Master Spence

The Rain Came But so Did the Blue Tarp

Like many Seattle days we were visited by several days of rain. While our grass enjoyed the much needed drink of cool moisture bound in from the Pacific Ocean, Patricia and I pondered how to keep the progress going. Team work brought the best solution. While I knew we could work and stay dry under our two-feet-deep-eaves I hadn't many ideas about how to stay dry while cutting materials. Patricia then pepped up with, "let's use this blue tarp," which was large enough for one of us to run the saws under while the other worked under the eaves.

With our problem solved we were able to return to our best working relationship. With Patricia measuring and cutting and I nailing we both quickly finished the next stage of installing the firing strips needed to hold the siding slightly away from the house...
...This is not the traditional way houses are built but for our wet climate in Seattle this method is better for reducing the chance of our house "catching" The Mold. Later, I will explain with diagrams and pictures how this system, called a 'Rain Screen', works.

'til then my friends, I'm signing off. It's been another hard day of labor in the rain, while Patricia's back at work, cozy in her new office digs.

Spencer