Oh, and did I mention? (Home renovation warning!)

The siding guys are going to be here tomorrow to start tearing off the rotting masonite siding.

See, masonite is great stuff--in a dry place. Why anybody would try to make siding out of it is beyond me, especially here, where we have two rainy seasons a year, followed by alternating heat and cold. This masonite has lasted, oh, about five years. It's now falling off the house in sheets, which is not good either esthetically or structurally.

So it's getting replaced. With vinyl siding which, thankfully, doesn't look like Vinyl Siding. Underneath it will be some sort of marvelous wrap that deters bugs and moisture buildup, and backing it will be insulation, ditto, that will give my walls an R-value of something like 15. The soffits, fascia, walls, porch ceiling--essentially anything that's wood--will be replaced with this stuff. 

I got a quote on having the rotten wood replaced and the whole place painted, and it came in at a couple grand more than having the joint resided, so residing it is. They're also putting cute little faux-colonial columns up in the front rather than the bizarre wrought-iron trellises (trelli?) that are there now. I'm going to have them save the trelli so I can use them on a deck I'm building in the back.

Also this week, there will be a group of very nice men coming out to reshim the house. It was levelled two years ago when I bought it, but it's shifted since and has dropped about an inch in spots. 

And then, about the time that the siding guys are done working their magic, the window and door guys will show up to replace all the grotty, rotten, unscreened, non-working windows in the joint with super-efficient double-glazed ones. And to put on two doors, both of which will be burglar, zombie, velociraptor, and salesman-proof. It struck me as I signed all the papers (and thus signed away my life, my paychecks, my liver, and my firstborn) that I have never lived in a house in which all the windows opened. This will be a new experience. 

All in all, this place will be way too nice for the likes of me when it's all said and done. 

In further plans, I'll be building a deck in the back (floating; not attached to the house) and constructing a Max-Approved Doghouse, since he really hates the one he has now and would prefer to sleep in the rain. Everybody is hereby invited to Jo's Siding, Window-and-Door, Deck, and Finally Nice Backyard party some time in August, during the hottest part of the year. Make your plans now.

And, if anybody has a few hours between now and then, I could sure use some help hauling dimensional lumber. Just sayin'.