Porch 2.0

This started off as a tweet stream, but is also a great blog post.  It's about how every project is like an onion.  You think you understand it, but as you peel it, you find that there are layers that need to be trimmed out.  Most onions are completely salvageable, you just need to plan for the fact that some parts will need to be thrown out.

This spring I took the screen frames off my screened in porch to replace the screens. The frames turned out to be rotted. I'll build new ones eventually.  In the meantime, it still looks better this way.  

After pulling out the frames, I noted that one 4x4 had been badly weathered and needed replacement. I bought $100 of lumber to fix it and the posts mounted on it. Well, after removing it, I realized the rot extended to the deck beneath it.

I pulled off the facia and the side frame also needed replacement. Both it and the end frame were also badly joined to 2ft extenders.

I searched for and got estimates from deck/porch contractors to demolish the old porch, expand and add a deck and handicap access ramp (combining another project into this one).  That started a few weeks ago.

Two days ago, while digging the footings, they drilled through my well line.

Today, the well company came out to fix the well line.  While trenching to reroute the line they found the power to my barn and severed it with their backhoe.

I now have to hire an electrician to run a new (installed to code) electrical line out to the barn now.

In case you were wondering, this is not a disaster.  It's just another day building upon the experiences I routinely have in my day job as a software developer.

The title of this story should be something about how Porch Maintenance Release 1.2.0.1 subsumed and became Porch 2.0, with Water 1.5.1 Patch, with a subsequent Barn Electrical Patch 1.3.2, which will probably ship with the MVP of Barn/Office 2.0.

For what it's worth, my farmhouse is a collection of 1895 and 1970 construction with few extra (uninspected) homeowner modifications built in, and an add-on side deck I had professionally installed when I moved in (complete now with hot tub).

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Postscript:

Because of all the on/off hammer with the well water supply, I now have a leak in the cold water to the upstairs bathroom, and a toilet valve that's constantly running downstairs, so two more tiny patches. Also, I have a small driveway patch to make because they had to extend the hole for the water feed into the macadam across the front step. I'm sure there will be more to come.