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November 2, 2022

Keeping Our Eyes On...The Next Step

By Barry Rudesill

For those of you who have been following these posts in the past year-and-a-half, you know that we’ve been working to redo much of the exterior of our house. In that time, we’ve ripped off all of the old siding, removed the old windows, and tore off the gutters, soffit, and fascia. We then added foam insulation, house-wrap, new windows and a patio door, new siding, repainted the soffit from white to brown, installed new fascia, and – finally! – new gutters!

At the start of this project, I knew how to exactly do...none of these tasks! (Well, I DID know how to use spray paint!) I didn’t have experience, I didn’t have tools, and, when we first ripped off the old siding and saw the work that needed to be done, I admit that I secretly wished that we hadn’t even begun! It simply felt too...overwhelming!

The first day of “work”, my Dad drove up from Eau Claire – over two hours away – and helped me to understand how insulation and house-wrap worked. At first, I wondered why I had two boxes of 2,000 cap nails each; that seemed like overkill. After pounding in about 3,000 cap nails over the course of the project, I’ve come to learn that there IS a reason for needing that many!

When we took out our first window, it was kind of fun! I felt like Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor and I will admit that I grunted a little bit when I picked up the window and carried if off to the discard pile. And then I found myself staring at an empty hole in my house with literally no idea how to fit a new window in!

That’s when a friend of ours, Dale, came over and showed me how to install a window for the first time. When we were done, it was plumb, square, level, and perfect! I stepped back and looked at it with pride...and then Dale said, “Well! One down, now there’s seven left!” And then he went back to his work and I had to take what I learned and apply it. (To whomever buys this house next, let me assure you that with the amount of caulk and spray foam I used, there is literally NO chance of water getting in behind the windows!)

From the windows, we had to install a patio door. At this point, I was totally overwhelmed. Dale came back, and two other friends – JD and Kowatch – showed up. Dale showed me how to prep the opening and then, together, we lifted the HUGE door and installed it.

When we went to install the picture window in the living room, things went...wrong! Removing the old window, it swung up, clipped my son hard in the ribs (he’s all right, but I think I’ll hear about it for a few more years), and almost crushed the rest of us! Definitely NOT my finest moment. And then my group of friends came back and helped me to install the new window, and I realized something: there would literally have been no way that I could have ever done that alone. None. I didn’t have any tools or technology that could have solved it; instead, I needed my friends beside me to lift that monstrosity!

Then came siding… Again, my father came and with him he brought a whole bunch of tools that I had never seen or used before. He explained to me how to use them, showed me how it was done, and then watched me apply that knowledge. And then he left, and it was time for me to use the tools over and over again.

Some days I used those tools well, and things went smoothly. Some days, I had a brain-block and I screwed up a piece of siding. (Or two!) But, over time, the more I used the tools, the more proficient I became. (It also helped that Dale came over and installed the corners of the house!)

When the siding was done, I spray-painted soffit from white to brown. Lots and lots of soffit… (It was cheaper than buying new, the old soffit was in good shape, and it meant less stuff in a landfill.) Then my Dad gave me another tool and I was away hanging soffit! Shortly after that, Dale came over and showed me a trick to hanging fascia.

Finally, there were only gutters left. Now, I’ve hung an entire three gutters in my life. Once with my Dad helping – really he did the work and I “assisted” – and the other two times I did it...wrong. (It’s amazing the sheer number of ways you can put a gutter on wrong!) Because of my experience, I had no desire to touch this part of the project!

So, I called an “expert” who told me it would be $2,500 to install the gutters! And, with that quote, I got to install my own gutters! This time, though, I wasn’t doing most of the work by myself. Instead, my entire family joined me in lifting the 70+ foot gutter onto the back of the house. Without their support – literally! – there’s no way I could have done it. Since we completed the installation, it’s rained and, strangely enough, the water all seems to flow the right way and go down the downspouts!

Our house, when we started, was ketchup-and-mustard colored, had windows with seals hanging down, and was so poorly insulated that when the wind blew it would cause candles to flutter INSIDE the house! We couldn’t afford to leave it like that, but we also didn’t know how to repair it!

The success of this project, simply put, came down to the fact that I had people who knew, who volunteered to come alongside of me and teach me, they brought the tools that I needed to make the changes, and they got me started and checked in on me as the work progressed.

For my part, the reason the house is finished is because I kept working. Believe me, when the window came crashing in, I wanted to be done! When the snow was flying and I was on a ladder trying to finish the siding, I was seriously considering quitting the project! This summer, when it finally came time to install gutters – something I had tried before and failed – I wanted to say, “Close enough!”

But each step brought me closer to “done”. Each step brought about the changes I was looking to accomplish. Each step made our home a better place to live. None of the steps were “pleasant”, none of the steps were “easy”, and every step hurt to accomplish. (I realized that I AM getting older!)

By focusing on each step, by not getting overwhelmed or discouraged, by surrounding myself with people who could teach me, help me, or guide me, the work got done.

If you’re on your journey with The Trek, you may know the feelings I’ve been describing. But you need to know that you are NOT alone, that you CAN do the work, and that there is a destination in mind, a time when you can look back, relax, and reflect on what you’ve accomplished.

All that’s required to be successful? Simply focus on what you need to take the next step!

On behalf of all of us here at The Trek, we hope you enjoy your journey!

- The Trek

November 2, 2022

Keeping Our Eyes On...The Next Step

By Barry Rudesill

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