Houseblogging – The Great Plexiglas Massacre!

Kids,

The previous owners had a love affair with the amazing plastic glass. After all, it doesn’t break (yes it does), it’s easy to clean (if you get around to it), it’s easy to work with (if you enjoy frustration), and it never turns yellow (unless it’s exposed to the sun).

They made a sort of panoramic window out of the stuff on the back of the house. Double-glazed, even. They didn’t seal it though, so weather and critters treated it like their own private ecosystem. Those folks didn’t buy full sheets either, so they put in supports where ever their sheets ended. Which was anywhere.


I may have already mentioned that the previous owners had a different idea about winterizing. They continued their dual-glazing theme, but with a metal security door. On this, they applied sheets of plexiglas front and back, screwed together all the way through, and called ‘er good. No, they didn’t have a real door. Why bother, when you have plexi security door thing?

In lieu of the panoramic window, I opted to continue the wall up to the eaves. Just hard backing for a lot of insulation, I guess. I know, weird.

What’s all the more strange is that my Dad and I put in a new steel-clad entry door. Not too expensive, but being pre-hung really sped things up. I intensely dislike cutting in hinges, so the extra money over a plain slab was worth it. Besides, we could devote that energy to something else, like clearing out a great big hole where the security door used to be.

There is also a catch basin off the driveway into the back room. Why they thought that design was a good idea is anybody’s guess (so fire away in the comments, I can’t make sense of it). We built up the threshold to keep at least six inches of water at bay. If any more than that comes, I’m out of luck.


The door’s in now, leaving me with trim work and all of the interior to do yet. Don’t worry, it’ll get done. It’s only Tuesday!

Your pal,

bob