Porch roof and gutter carpentry

The porch on the front of the house was not originally enclosed. It doesn’t have a basement under it (who knows how it is supported), and it has sagged and settled over the years. Its roof sank in the middle, causing the internal gutter to pitch backwards. Little rain reached the downspout at the very front of the roof, and during heavy rains, most water overflowed onto our heads as we walked up the sidewalk to the front door.

I had walked on the roof several times to clear out gutters and downspouts and inspect the second floor gutter, and noticed that the roof felt rather spongy in places, so I was expecting this to be a major job.

Our objective for the porch was to repair the damaged spots and cosmetically fix the roof to create a straighter appearance. Ideally, we would also pitch the roof for a sensible downspout location.

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Roofing update – addition roofing is complete (almost)

The roofing for the addition is finally complete. Well, almost.

Here’s a photo from a few days ago that shows the shingles are complete. The lead vent pipe flashing and the kitchen exhaust vent are also installed.

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How much water can a sump pump pump?

Water continues to be our enemy. The new basement has flooded twice more since the original flood.

Only an inch or two in our latest flood

After re-routing the sump pump into the existing discharge pipe, our front yard has become a swamp. Water constantly drains into the street from our discharge.

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Electrical and other updates

This morning, I met with our contractor and electrician to finalize the placement of can lights, switches, and outlets. We had done all of this in detail in the blueprint phase, which was an incredibly helpful process, but there are always a few tweaks.

Can lights in the mud room are perfectly aligned.

One of the things I’ve realized is that internal structure (framing, joists, ductwork, etc.) can obstruct ideal placement.

This can light under our back door isn’t quite centered due to the ceiling construction.

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Basement carpentry and plumbing progress

The carpenters returned last week and have virtually completed the basement framing work. The plumbing rough-in is also nearly complete. Electrical work should begin next week.

View up from the new basement. Photo taken from what will be the staircase. The stucco has been removed from the former outside wall of our house.

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