All the birds I recognize seemed to have survived the windstorm, except my little buddy with the twisted neck. He was always there in the morning, waiting for seeds before. He seemed to be getting a little better every day. I didn't give him a name because I didn't want to jinx him, but then talked about seeing him next spring. He wouldn't have been fast enough for a storm like that. The neighbor's oak tree. The top was just twisted off.
The wind must have blown the vinyl soffit out from its channel on the back dormer. It should be an easy fix, right? I've been out that window before, but it was years ago. There were at least 15 roofing nails laying on the roof right below that window. They have been there for 3 years since the new roof. I think they are all gone now! I was going to throw a magnet out tied to a string and try to retrieve them. But the window was stuck and I was afraid of ruining it. The guys that put in the heat pump weren't afraid of ruining it, so it opens now. I guess I better get the metal detector out and check the driveway too. The to-do list just gets longer.
I believe I would make a long piece of thin facial strip just wide enough to give a good surface for that vinyl to lay on, you can use brass screws to attach the wood strip to the outer vinyl facial and not worry about rusting. It would look good and not noticeable. Must have been a good wind to get under the edge like that.
Sounds like a good idea. I'd like to make just one trip out and back. Take everything needed. Am I dreaming?
You would need to take the length and width needed to get yourself a piece of wood. I see about an inch of vinyl runner on that outer facial that the flat pieces rest on. You would make an L shaped piece or if you were lucky you could find a trim piece routed like an L shape for a corner but you only need one wide enough to give the flat pieces to lie on without sagging or blowing up again. I would get a trim piece that requires no extra building and you would need a cordless drill to put the screws in, have some tape of some kind that can hold up the strip in place until you can get a screw in on each corner and level, you will be putting the screw in from the outside and they do not have to be very long just a good self tapping thread that will go into the wood and vinyl without any effort, and it won't tire your arms out holding that cordless drill. A cheap cordless would work just fine, I had one from walmart but that was 15 years ago and it cost 23 dollars but it is very handy to have at home. You just have to remember to keep the battery up. The batteries are terrible on the cheap drills but that's why they are cheap. If you decide to go that route you can buy a little can of white paint and a 2 inch brush and paint the wood before you make the repair then it will be hard to spot any repair. Any lumber yard will make the cut in length for you, so take the length measurement from the underside so it fits nicely from inside corner to corner.
Thanks Thomas. I'm going to study what you're describing and try to come back with a sketch to make sure I understand it. By the way, that facia is aluminum cladding on top of wood, if that makes a difference. The wood may not be in good shape. I can't remember. It was covered 30+ years ago. Looks like it will take 1 trip just to check.
I'll make a little sketch in the morning and post it. They sell all types of trim pieces for indoors on corners and ceilings etc. I know they have an L shaped corner trim, that would be the easy way to repair it by attaching it up under the overhead making it sit on the little vinyl step on that vinyl runner that the flat pieces rest on. Second option would be to use an L shaped aluminum flashing cut to length and screwed onto facial board from the inside if you can get your cordless drill at the right angle to screw it down. It does not have to be real wide just a couple inches would hold up that flat vinyl and be better than what it originally has.
Do you mean like an "F channel" fastened inside the old fascia board just above the lip of the cladding? With a little luck, maybe it will just slip back in easily. This was a once in 30 year storm. I'll check it out first, later in the week.
What I was thinking this morning was to make a T Pole light weight and out of 2x2 inch wood. The width about the same length as the inside ledge that the vinyl rest on the facia board. There should be enough flexibility of the vinyl to be able to gently push the center up and it should clear the front ledge it rest on. That image you posted here is almost correct but you don't want a slot to put the vinyl in it has to be a ledge it just butts up against or sits on. I was thinking about a flashing that would be the same width as the facia and the same inside length from the little ledge that the vinyl sits on. But it would be easier to just push the center up all at one time and it should bend upward and clear that little ledge then drop down back into place without using any tools at all or materials. Using one hand to push it all up together and the other to help it to position ... what ever you do be sure to be careful and don't fall. I would go as far as putting a rope around my waist and a board inside with it attached across the window . It would give you time to grab on ;0). I was working with a friend many years ago doing cornice work on new two story homes and we were using 4x4 scaffold Jacks that were like old automobile jacks, you had a foot pedal on each one at the end and you just jack yourself up to the height you needed. I think we had one large nail on the roof decking to steady the 4x4 but one of the jacks didn't lock properly and it dropped halfway down the pole and it happened in slow motion so we both were able to just ride it down like surfing and we never fell to the ground.
The roof is fairly flat below the back dormer. Not dangerous at all. A better look in daylight this morning. The cladding came loose instead. I'll poke around some more later. Glad house wren nesting season is over.
This is why a small cordless is so handy, looks like a couple of screws have come loose or fell out. You could use a screw a little larger to reattach that.
It's our turn here to get the heat now. Next 10 days, highs 95F or more. I'm not getting on the roof until that's over. Plenty of other things to do. Head is spinning just thinking about them. Need to take a deep breath. One at a time.
They have reduced the predicted heat wave here to just 2 days now—tomorrow and Monday—so I went out the dormer window, just to practice and take a look. There was only a 9" x 26" opening to crawl through. There are lengthwise rafters with a facing board nailed across the ends in the back. The (few) nails in the cladding worked out over the years. Will try to hammer the aluminum back as close to its original shape as possible. I have a bunch of leftover stainless steel Simpson Strong Tie screws with wide flat heads, thicker than the nails. They can go back where the nails worked out, plus a few new ones. If I can do that it will be good enough, I think. Retrieved 36 roofing nails with a magnet. Third trip was to spray an active wasp nest. Hope I can move in the morning.
Trying to handle just one thing per day Monday, just the appointment to have a tooth pulled. This doctor's practice was booked up until October 10th. The tooth is not bothering me, but 2 months down the road is a long time. I asked the dentist to refer me to someone else, but he says this one has all your X-rays. What you want to bet this one will want to take new ones anyway? Still thinking about other options. Yesterday oil change in the Ranger. Only 5300 miles. Did the tire rotation also. Seems silly. Went with the synthetic oil. Only one more year on the warranty, so I may be done with all this. Manual says not to wash it too much. Only once or twice a year. I like that. (probably assumes I have a garage) Today it will be the IRS. I'm amazed at how many chances they give you to straighten things out. They must want me to provide Schedule D even though it is 2 pages, and there is just one number on it on both pages, and they already have all this information on 1099s anyway. I do sympathize with the recent budget cuts. I do NOT agree with privatization of income tax prep and submission. Big bonuses to CEOs of Intuit and H&R Block, while employees get $15/hr and no benefits because it's seasonal work. It's one of the few things I say Never on, until they make it mandatory.
They already know how much we make and how much we owe. It is in computers everywhere. Computers don't get paid for their computations. IT guys do and how many of those do the IRS have. Those that earn a little under the table, are they going to report that anyway? The money they save on not paying humans will make up for it. Privatization is not necessary. Nor are extra agents with guns.