My neighbor has shamed me into working on my house

[Queenie O.]

OMW--will you have a trellis or some sort of divider between the your side and the other people next door, or will it be one big expanse? Nice and roomy, and very professional looking so far! You'll enjoy that new space.

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, Queenie O. said:

OMW--will you have a trellis or some sort of divider between the your side and the other people next door, or will it be one big expanse? Nice and roomy, and very professional looking so far! You'll enjoy that new space.

Actually that is something that went back and forth.  The neighbor first told us SHE wanted to build a full wall there, and we agreed.  My wife had the idea she would put some shade plants on the wall facing our area.  Then the husband thought that would not be very neighborly to have a full wall, and we agreed.  We will have a wall the same height as the front wall there, which should end up about 30-32 inches.  The kids will be able to climb over.  They started on it today.

 

[Queenie O.]

2 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Actually that is something that went back and forth.  The neighbor first told us SHE wanted to build a full wall there, and we agreed.  My wife had the idea she would put some shade plants on the wall facing our area.  Then the husband thought that would not be very neighborly to have a full wall, and we agreed.  We will have a wall the same height as the front wall there, which should end up about 30-32 inches.  The kids will be able to climb over.  They started on it today.

 

That's a good compromise. I agree that a solid wall wouldn't be very airy looking, and probably bad Feng Shui.-

[stevewool]

Its always good to see a building program starting and i am sure it gives many of us ideas for our own places too.

[OnMyWay]

Here are a few more pictures, after three days work.  Only 2 guys came today, instead of 4.

This will be the approximate height of the wall, all around.

This small wall in front is an extra retaining wall that we will fill with flowers of some kind.  Previously, it just had loose stepping stones holding the dirt.  The actual wall will be between the columns.

These are our current terraces.  I don't like the style.  The house was remodeled by the owner of a concrete company, and I guess they thought fake logs (on the top, if you look closely) made of concrete were cool.  We have columns on the carport and the back terrace that are the same "log" style.  On these terraces, I will probably just have them chip the tops off and then plaster them, for a more modern look.  For the other "log" columns, I will probably just square them up like these new columns.

 

[jon1]

Dont forget insulation above the plywood and to treat the plywood so that it doesn't quickly become termite fodder.

[OnMyWay]

3 minutes ago, jon1 said:

Dont forget insulation above the plywood and to treat the plywood so that it doesn't quickly become termite fodder.

What does the insulation do on the outdoor patio?  They did use it next door.

[jon1]

It helps on keeping the heat from radiating thru the roof onto the porch. It made a big difference on my back porch.

 

[OnMyWay]

2 minutes ago, jon1 said:

It helps on keeping the heat from radiating thru the roof onto the porch. It made a big difference on my back porch.

 

Ah, ok, there is some insulation under part of the roofing, but not the whole thing.  I will have them do it.

Side note:  another project in the future will be to clean out the entire attic and put in new insulation.  The neighbor cut a big hole in one ceiling to make it easier.  We have a side opening we can use.  There is a lot of junk and loose insulation up there.  I hope it is safe!

Edited December 17, 2016 by OnMyWay

[OnMyWay]

On 12/17/2016 at 6:05 PM, OnMyWay said:

Ah, ok, there is some insulation under part of the roofing, but not the whole thing.  I will have them do it.

I looked at everything more closely today and just realized that the porch was built in two sections at two different times.  Looking at the roof and externals, you would not know.  The older portion has insulation installed under the steel roof panels  The newer section has plywood installed as a layer of insulation, so that should be fine.

Here is where we are after 4 days:

Removed the forms, finished the walls and plastered some of it.  Chipped the concrete on the columns to prepare for tiles.  Partially installed the plywood ceiling and fixed up some existing wiring to prepare for two new ceiling lights.

Edited December 19, 2016 by OnMyWay