When I installed the rain gutter, it did not come with enough kit to prevent it from leaking a little at the seams. So as it’s nice weather, I decided to setup the scaffolding and fill the gaps from the inside of the gutter with some silicone kit.
It’s much easier to do this with the scaffolding.
Aesthetically not ideal, but functionality sufficient;
After I extended the rain gutter by a few inches, rain is now transported just off the edge of the deck.
One day I will install a downspout that ends up in a wooden barrel. Until that day, this will suffice.
Finally a little bit of rain; thunderstorms have been forecasted for days, but today the rain added up to a whopping 0.25 inch.
On my way back from my visit to HCPL I took the backroad that follows the river. It wasn’t as low as I thought although the river pass was completely dry.
Don’t worry, I did not end up in the gutter. But I did install a rain gutter today;
In case you have a hard time seeing the gutter; that’s because it’s brown. Mounted on the fascia boards. Rather flimsy aluminum, but at least aluminum so it won’t rust or crack.
It will prolong the life of my deck boards, as the rain and condensed water will now be funneled off to the side.
Instead of an ugly down drain, I simply opened up the right end cap so that water can poor out that side. It should hit just off to the right of the deck. There should be little leaves and other debris in the gutter as there are no trees taller than my home nearby.
And yes, the gutter is mounted slightly non level, allowing water to run off to the right side.
Maybe there will be a thunderstorm, in which case I can check if it works as intended.
The last remaining paper wasp nest openings were under the roof at the front of the house.
Today soffit boards were installed to close off these gaps.
The paper wasps were definitely looking for their front door. I have seen many in a state of confusion finding what used to be their front door is now blocked by the soffit.
Any small gaps were filled with transparent silicon (now showing white as it’s still drying)
I almost got stung by a paper wasp, but managed to make my way down the scaffolding before it could sting.
With all likely nest spots filled, Ozuye should no longer have a wasp issue.
Since the top two boards of the west side were already put in with the help of my friends, I could now easily and safely finish the lower boards on that side. Just in time, as I could see 3 paper wasps looking for the front door which I had just blocked with boards.
As they landed, I could shoot them with the anti-wasp spray. Vengeance is mine 🐝🤠
For those of you unfamiliar with paper wasps; above is a picture of one, with a 9V battery for size reference. They’re roughly twice the size of European wasps. Everything is bigger in Texas.
It’s not an easy job, as it’s two stories up, but thanks to the help of my friends, the first soffit (the area under the roof on the outside of the home) is now in place
On the other side, the top two boards are in, so the rest will be reachable from the scaffolding without a ladder. We took as many safety measures as possible; fixing the scaffolding to the wall and a bracket around the ladder to prevent it from tipping over. Climbing gear and rope ensured that in the unlikely case of a fall, it would not lead to injuries.
Other than for staining, I won’t have to go up the ladder on the scaffolding anymore.
The roof still needs a finishing touch so we are making preparations to do this safely; a mounting point for a rope is installed at the top.
Safety first when working at high altitudes.