Rehabilitating a HardieBacker Home

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

Unanticipated work obligations put this on the backburner. Today, the 1:24 gang and I finally returned to work, beginning with some measurements for new frames…

…and proceeding on to the chopper to make the various frames. I found a bag of poplar sticks at a big box store to serve as my scale-ish lumber.

Because the windows and doors are rectangles and squares in only a loose sense, I did have to apply a file to shape the cutouts. The first window frame went in OK, with TiteBond III serving to fix wood to concrete…

…and by the end of our session, we had both doors and a big “picture window” framed.

Most will require some sort of filler (construction cement? all-weather silicon?) to fill the gaps between the frames and the core.

The lads stage lumber for tomorrow…

…but I have to clear the lanai for some 1:1 scale events, so they may be optimistic about the chance to earn Sunday premium!

Going forward, doors will come from scrap material, possibly old hotel keys, and windows will come from our stash of plastic trays @Pete_Lassen donated to the cause a while back. The subroof, as mentioned in an earlier post, is cut and ready, but I am debating whether or not I want to go through the hassle of converting beverage cans to corrugated metal roofing. Oldest Daughter wants me to go that route; I told her to start cutting. Cue cricket noises!

I am far enough along to figure out how to finish the exterior. I think I’ll stain the frames, then mask them before stuccoing the exterior walls. Once we see what that looks like, we will decide if we want to paint the stucco, too.

Progress…slow, halting progress, but progress!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

All framing is in. I haven’t had the time yet to seal those gaps between the new frames and the core. Stupid need to go to work…

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

The issue with this hobby, as I have noted before, is that once you demonstrate passing capacity with tools, you find yourself beset with repairs that beforehand you either ignored or sent to a pro! That, along with work, has blocked meaningful progress. Still, the 1:24 gang and I grabbed this…

…based on the fact that it was waterproof, paintable,
adhesive, and already open.

We did not, however, know that it dried clear!

Anyway, the lads and I set to again last night…

…and we should be good to go to stain the wood frames in my next free second!

Aloha!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Slow progress between family affairs continued over the last weekend.

The 1:24 gang selected some scrap basswood and crafstick bits for doors and frames.

A bit of trimming and some varnish with exterior stain later, and the lads stepped back to admire their work.

Alas, yours truly did not, in fact, get all the glue off the wood, so the stain is a bit mottled.

Lesson learned…be more careful with the glue or just keep sanding!

If I get a free second, I will mask that wood so that I can put on the concrete patch that will serve as the exterior’s “stucco” whenever I have 20 minutes of daylight to myself! I have also decided to use our “tar paper” style roof (roofing material glued upside down and painted black) because

a.) I don’t want to cut up, anneal, and crimp beverage cans;
b.) the building is small enough to be a target for the “fur girls” as it was before; and
c.) my father-in-law’s water tower is really looking bad, and I need to move onto that project sooner than projected!

Updates as progress merits!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

The 1:24 lads and I masked up the wood…

…then broke out the Quickcrete…

…and gave the house its “stucco” siding.

The weather is particularly humid, so I am going to wait to let this cure before I give it a coat of paint. In the meantime, I found suitably sized scrap of roofing material to serve as “tar paper” for this little house. While I consider myself behind schedule overall for my 2023 goals, I am pleased thus far how this little rehab is coming along.

Have a Great Week!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

Things finally slowed down enough last weekend to return to this project. I was happy to have Kid-zilla at my side for most of our projects this weekend. The 1:24 gang is fun, but they will be around after Kid-zilla leaves for college!

Anyway, being the only crewman around and interested, he had the privilege of selecting colors.
He selected yellow, and, after helping him open and mix the paint, I left him to it.

We let it dry, until yesterday, when I turned him loose on the masking tape so we could see the door and window frames.

We did have to mix a bit of brown paint to fix some of my masking errors, but it came out pretty good.

Unfortunately, I forgot to account for the thickness of the concrete patch when I set the frames, so everything is a bit too recessed. Live and learn!

Next step is the “glass,” followed by some interior lights and the roof. Being subject to Acts of Dog, exterior details will be minimal. Getting close to moving on to the next project!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

I have been working on this between work and family obligations. In a series of short and very disconnected sessions, I got the HardieBacker subroof on, glued on the roofing (inverted shingles), and cut up a broken epee blade to serve as a roof topper. Here is where it stands as of today:

I still need to put “glass” in the windows. I will probably raid Y.D.'s bead box again for doorknobs, I will install some simple interior lights, and I may make a small chimney pipe. I am anxious to get this done, as I need to move on to new projects, and, frankly, I miss a bright, cheery house out on the Triple O!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Final Update:

Kid-zilla and I had a big railroad day on Monday. He alternated between playing and projecting and even combined playing with projecting as I attacked our sundry projects, to include this one. First, I added windows using the bount from @Pete_Lassen 's kind material donation of a few years back. I affixed them with clear silicone glue. We’ll see how that holds.

While Kid-zilla sent a member of Haluku’ilio’s finest poling about the railroad for a MOW inspection (more on that evernually here Submarine Transport for the Triple O), I rigged a very simple light for the interior:

2xAA in the battery box have proved their worth as power sources in all our projects. The rest is an LED soldered t the leads and affixed atop a bit of scrap. It looked very nice at night. Maybe I should’ve taken a picture of that, too.

I thought about some basic details, like a chimney stack or doorknobs, but they won’t survive either the “Fur Girls” or the handling required to clear the railroad after every run. This structure is durable, looks like a house, and works. I’m calling it pau (finished). We are now arguing about where it should reside when we set it out, but, for now, here are the 1:24 posing with “their” work at a proposed location in the yards at Pu’u’oma’o.

I am glad we opted to repurpose the core of this structure. It restored a needed bright and cheery residence to the railroad just as some of our older structures are beginning to show the wear, , honored the desires of the family to preserve our fist structure, and it taught me a few things about materials along the way!

Thanks for following along!

Eric

[Pete_Lassen]

E6000 works great for the “glass” ! Good to see you still have some left!

[Eric_Mueller]

Thanks for the tip! We are slowly working through the stack, letting it go to a variety of uses!

[Rooster]

@Eric_Mueller

Final Update:

While Kid-zilla sent a member of Haluku’ilio’s finest poling about the railroad for a MOW
Eric

Eric said…“poling” and has been reported to the moderator!

I’m not real sure who Mow is and how he became a member of Haluku’ilio’s but Kid-zilla has somehow infiltrated this secret society even if he doesn’t have a diesel!