2021-08 Exterior Woodwork

The month was a lot of external repair work which is a lot easier in summer. It’s too tricky to do this between November and April due to the snow and the paint won’t set properly in the colder months.

Privacy Wall Repairs

The woodwork on the garden divider wall was rotting near the bottom where rain splash had left the wood more susceptible to rot.

I also had to repair the wheelbarrow (skottkärra) because the tyre sidewall split and caused the inner tube to explode when carrying gravel. I’d laid gravel around the main face of the house because the grass next to the wall was growing into the unfaced ground level insulation.

Basement Window Investigation

I investigated the covered basement window and discovered there was no window. It was just a hole with insulation pushed into the gap.

To secure the gap I created a quick frame from pressure-treated wood and used plywood to face it. I added insulation to the outer layer. I wasn’t happy with this but it was more secure than before and I got it done in the rain. The window area was imperfect and really permeable to insects and spiders which I’d like to fix to make the basement more usable.

Whilst doing the repair I got a first glimpse at how the basement-to-wall transition is done. I was surprised that the inner and outer concrete wall seem to have a filling of charcoal, but apparently, this is normal construction for the era (1940).

Siding/Facade Investigation

We wanted to make the house more mouse resistant before autumn when the mice would attempt to get inside the walls and attic. As part of this, we took a look behind the metal siding to work out how the siding was constructed.

Over the original 1940s woodwork, the house uses foam up to about chest height and then stonewool beyond. The metal siding is offset from this by wooden battens. In October the mice run straight up inside. We managed to fit a metal “musband” anti-mouse strip on one side of the house, but couldn’t fit them to the other sides. We added copper wire mesh to attempt to block the remaining gaps.

Sidedoor/Loading Door Repair

I repainted and refitted the basement loading side door and the garden entrance doors and remounted them. They aren’t perfect but should survive for another couple of years. In the long term like to replace the side door with something more airtight to prevent insects from coming in. To put in modern insulated metal sealed door would be expensive to do, however. It was not such a priority and the funds were needed elsewhere.

Preparation for a Greenhouse

Specifically, I wanted to achieve all the targets I’d set for the year, especially where they were promises. I was keenly aware that I had promised my girlfriend I would get a greenhouse built before winter. In hindsight, I really punished my finances by trying to get all the projects completed before winter. I knew everything we did early would eventually pay off. But it was painful in the short term.

The ground had been levelled off, and raised beds prepared that would fit inside the greenhouse.

I contacted the council (Kommune) and did the planning procedure application for the greenhouse (växthus). More than one neighbour would later politely later hint that the town is a long way from the Kommune offices. The phrase “as long as you do a good job, people don’t complain” came up more than once. I had already done it by the books, however. At the end of the process, I got asked for roughly £/$500 for the application which was a surprise. In future, when talking to the kommune I must always ask if there is a cost to the question.