What I did at my house today...

[phil]

I'm envisioning a problem you might face now in that if the posts are not positioned just right your new fence may not fit the spacing of your new posts.

using pickets over is often ok and saves some money. the top and bottom rails tend to droop then the panels fall out. the rails can be chnged and you can cut the pickets down a little shorter to remove the rot along the bottom edge. usually I find myself making he fence rather than trying to get the posts just in the right spot because inevitably there will be something the way of at least one of them. if you make the fence you can alter the length of the panels. taking those pre-made panels apart to shorten them an inch is more difficult than building them from scratch.. That's what I've found at least. it is possible but they are all stapled together.

I like to notch out the garden ties, the round things you find in the lumberyard with two flat sides. they are pressure treated and what I like to do is use those and notch them to take the ends of the pickets by removing a section and nailing it back.

that way if the fence needs to also serve as a retaining wall at the bottom I can stack some of them together.. they come in a range of sizes. I find it economical that way. I guess you could nail the strips along them but I just run them over the saw and remove sort of a quarter of it,, then from what I removed , take a 3/4 x 3/4" chunk to accomodate the thickness of the planks then I nail what is left back which is a piece that resembles a 1/4 round.
that way I dont have to spend on the strips as well , I even use that piece I removed to repair other parts of the fence.

since Im cutting into wood that is treated, I apply some wood preservative along where I cut it. I also stick a little washer under my strip so that the slot cant' collect water and rot the bottom of the pickets.

in this way I find I need to buy only the garden ties and nails, then use the old pickets again if they are ok. they tend to get some shrinkage , big gaps between the pickets due to overall shrinkage across the grain adding up. so I tighten up the fence so I need maybe one extra picket per panel. I'd plan on tossing a few pickets due to knots , warpage etc. If they are cedar and seem very light this seems ok. then the rails are not carrying a ton of weight. as long as they fill the space and not all rotten they are ok with me and the cedar pickets seem to last a long time.

if you go to buy the parts you assume the cost of the pickets , posts and nails but then go to buy the 3/4 x 3/4 strips and find they are actually quite a bit more expensive at the lumberyard than you expected.. so cut your own if you have a tablesaw..

I'm not knocking buying the pre-made panels.. they look nice when they are all new and your neighbors will like that.

if you pour concrete around the posts, always set the posts in position first fill the very bottom with gravel then put the cement only near the top. If you plant the post in what is essentially a bucket made of concrete without an opening at the bottom, it will retain the water and the bottom of the post will rot quickly. it seems to be a common issue.

[Corsetière]

Wooohoooo! HAPPY DAY! So much accomplished!

- FINALLY! I have new attic windows at the front of my house! (Thanks, Dad! Still need to sand, stain, finish, and reattach latches.)


- The old windows at the back of the house are completely restored and reinstalled! I think the latches are so pretty now! And damn! I am getting pretty decent at glazing!







- The sashes and sills of the two smaller windows on the north side of the house (that I almost forgot about!) are now stripped and I took down the window frames so I can restore them now. Looking forward to the day that I can re-side the house and take down that stupid soffit that is blocking out half the light and hiding my beautiful corbels. But one thing at a time...


- Also restored and reinstalled the header of this pocket door! Still have to touch up a little damage that happened with the finishing nails, but boy, does it ever make a difference in this room! A taste of what is to come with the restoration of the entryway!

[Manalto]

Looks great, Larissa! Those latches are something. Well done.

PS - tell your dad if he wants a warm weather break this winter I can keep him busy in Alabama!

[Gothichome]

Larissa, if that hole in the wall is we’re you intended to set the finishing nails, I would the fix the draft that that blew your hammer off course.
It all looks good, and soon it will look fantastic. Nice to have those windows done before the snow flies.
Did you find a means to display your Art Nouveau plaques?

[Corsetière]

Looks great, Larissa! Those latches are something. Well done.

PS - tell your dad if he wants a warm weather break this winter I can keep him busy in Alabama!

Thanks! The latches say "patent 1871" on them, so I am wondering if my house is a bit older than I first thought? I don't know the span of how long something attended in 1871 would be put into use. The style of the latch is aesthetic movement so that is certainly contemporaneous. I was thinking the house was 1900 based on other hardware but who knows now.... more research to do because our city's records were burnt down with the courthouse in the 30's. Sanborn fire maps and the library are in my future.

Ha! It took me months to convince him this is what was needed and to get him to actually finish the job. lol! He was telling me we needed to put in vinyl windows. Barrf! My new goal is to take some woodworking classes so I don't have to rely on others for this anymore. I would have used different wood for this job, but hey, at least it is an improvement from what was there!

[Corsetière]

Larissa, if that hole in the wall is we’re you intended to set the finishing nails, I would the fix the draft that that blew your hammer off course.
It all looks good, and soon it will look fantastic. Nice to have those windows done before the snow flies.
Did you find a means to display your Art Nouveau plaques?

lol! Oh yeah, that was the fun hole we had to dig out to access the pocket door hardware adjustment. Apparently they hung the door before they plastered. It was not simple to get in there and I'm not thrilled to have to fix *yet another* plaster hole!

No, I have not hung the plaques yet because I need to finish some small crack repairs on the ceiling in that room (dusty!) and install picture rail too. But I think I have narrowed down what I will do for the border between the picture rail and the crown molding. I was going to buy some Bradbury and Bradbury wallpaper border for the room but I don't think it is quite wide enough so my plan is to print or stencil an art nouveau border onto fabric and hang it like paper. I think I will pop out to a wood trim shop soon to see my options so I can get a solid plan together. I know I can get picture rail online but I'd love to find a local source and save on the pricey shipping!

[Willa]

Hey Corsetiere - those windows look amazing ! It must be so much brighter now that you are missing a couple of plywood-over-window-holes with actual windows in their place.

There is something uniquely disheartening about old windows that are saggy/rotten/poorly fitting. I can sort of understand people's panic to replace those with new ones - except that repair and sympathetic replacement is the only good choice, IMO. New vinyl replacement windows are a different kind of disheartening.

The improved attic probably feels like you've discovered a whole new room in your house. That's how I've always felt after I've fixed a bad room into a better room.

Fantastic latches, too.

[PaulJohnson]

The windows look phenomenal. I envy his glazing skills.

This is truly a labor of love. Please keep sharing updates.

[Willa]

The windows look phenomenal. I envy his glazing skills.

Her glazing skills are good.

[Corsetière]

The windows look phenomenal. I envy his glazing skills.

Her glazing skills are good.

lol! Thanks guys I am getting pretty decent at it! There is a steep learning curve.

Willa, thanks! The attic is much nicer now. Can't wait to finish up the little side windows and the sashes and sills. Still a bit torn on which parts will be stained and which will be painted. Must make a decision soon though, due to weather!