The days disappear, and I wonder why the items on my to-do list don’t go with them… Writing this blog post has been hanging on that to-do list for over a month and a half!
Before we could dive in full tilt on installing the siding on the lower portion of the house, we had to first put some holes in the walls! After spending so much effort to make sure your walls are sealed up tight and waterproof, and thinking about how all the siding will be protecting your abode from the elements, it feels so wrong to cut a hole through all that!
But, utilities are great and your water and electricity have to get into the house somehow. And, if you want exterior lights and external electricity and water access, you have to make some penetrations through your so meticulously weatherproofed walls…
We started with the exterior electrical outlet under the bay window. It was nice and small and in an inconspicuous spot. Instead of trying to deal with cutting the siding pieces exactly around all these holes, we decided to use trim pieces to frame around each item for a nice aesthetic look that also simplified our job.
Next up was the spigot. We didn’t want to extend our plumbing more than necessary, so the spigot will be almost right above where the water input will be. Eli decided he felt inputting the water to our house through the floor was best, so no hole for that yet since it doesn’t affect the siding. The spigot is located on the back long wall. Apparently I wasn’t in photo-shooting mode during this installation, so minimal pictures.
Feeling more confident, we moved on to the exterior light by the door. Finding a light that wouldn’t extend out past the legal width of our house was a search. Most usual porch lights stick out too far from the side of the house. But the internet has definitely been our friend in this build, with access to so many more options than we would have had before the world wide web brought us a global network of goods. We actually really like the look of the light we found.
Eli did the installation of the inlet for our electrical, along with another exterior electrical outlet while I was at work, so I didn’t get any photos of that process. You’ll be able to see the final product, though, in photos in future posts of use putting on the siding. …Which, will be coming along shortly!…
Yay! Oh my gosh, it’s beautiful. I haven’t tuned in in a while. I’m going to have to do some catching up! I’ve been thinking about you guys a lot lately. Miss you always!
Thanks, Cynthia! Just wait until you see the photos of the house as we finish the siding on each side!
We miss you, too!