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| With the windows and doors in, it's time to begin adding some exterior trim, starting with the sills. Notice the drip groove in the bottom? It will prevent water from clinging to the underside and running down behind the shingles. |
First clamp the wood in place, then secure it with screws.
The screw holes are countersunk so the screw heads can later be concealed with exterior spackle. |
Adjoining sections are overlapped using a mitered scarf joint. |
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| Above the windows, you might instal some flat trim. If you do, drive galvanized finish nails just below the surface, so they too can be concealed with spackle before painting. |
A piece of cornice molding adds a nice bit of detail where the eaves meet the wall. |
Finally, set a piece of one-by-six in place to fill in the space between the windows. Now it's on to shingling. |
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| To begin,
tack a strip of one-by-two in place as a sort of ledge. Then simply set each shingle on the board and tack it temporarily in place. |
This speeds things up and allows you to make sure the bottom edge of each course is perfectly straight. Once an entire row is set, strike a chalk line as a nailing guide and permanently attach each shingle with two galvanized nails. |
Now, your windows may be insulated, but what about the walls? Use bags of insulation cut to fit each bay. |
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| After stapling the insulation in place, cut out the openings for the electrical receptacles. (make sure the power is turned off before this step!) |
Almost done!
Just attach the drywall to the studs... |
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then cover the recessed screw heads with joint compound, and apply a coat of compound to the joints themselves.
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Then apply paper tape to the joints. Try soaking it in water for a few seconds before applying it; it sticks better and creates fewer air bubbles. Press the tape into the compound, keeping your putty knife at a shallow angle. Taping usually requires three or four applications of compound.
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Tape the corners the same way, first applying a bedding coat of compound. It might help to crease the tape before you soak it. |
The last step for is to trim out the windows on the inside. |
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There you have it! When the weather's good, you can open all those windows, pull down the screens, and still have the breezes and fresh air of the porch you started with. But when it's 20 degrees out there, it's still warm and cozy in your new four-season room. |
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