RSteve
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2008
- Messages
- 2,482
- Reaction score
- 528
In early winter, on a spot on the lower floor of my house, a group of pileated woodpeckers attacked my house when I wasn't home. The 1st floor siding is 5/8 texture 1-11 rough cedar. They put a very large hole in the siding, even getting into the sheathing. I had to fabricate a temporary patch until spring, when I'll have a pro contractor replace the entire panel and, perhaps, apply the same color matched steel siding that's on the second story. When I applied the patch I used two 1" x 11" x 36" constructed boards surrounded by a "picture" frame. Before putting the patch on the siding, I stained it match the siding. Unless you knew it was a patch, it looked like a decorative addition to the front of the house. For an inexplicable reason, perhaps the weather, the seam between the two 11" wide boards twisted and curled opening up the patch.
I decided to buy a panel of the siding, cut it to the appropriate size, frame, and stain it indoors than swap out the patches. I made a template of the patch and brought it to Home Depot. I took a 1-11 panel and laid out specifically where to cut it by a Home Depot employee, so I wouldn't have to cut it at home with a circular saw or jig saw. Home Depot has a great set-up for cutting panels to size. After the panel was cut, I should have measured it again before taking it home. Thankfully, the mistakes were adding extra size, so I can make corrections. Instead of 36", the panel was cut to 41".
When Home Depot opened in Mpls.-St. Paul, they aggressively hired retired tradesmen for the stores. Now, if you're age 16 and can breathe, you can get hired. I think the main deterrent to getting competent employees is that starting pay is $13.00 hour and most local groceries pay more, as does Costco.
I decided to buy a panel of the siding, cut it to the appropriate size, frame, and stain it indoors than swap out the patches. I made a template of the patch and brought it to Home Depot. I took a 1-11 panel and laid out specifically where to cut it by a Home Depot employee, so I wouldn't have to cut it at home with a circular saw or jig saw. Home Depot has a great set-up for cutting panels to size. After the panel was cut, I should have measured it again before taking it home. Thankfully, the mistakes were adding extra size, so I can make corrections. Instead of 36", the panel was cut to 41".
When Home Depot opened in Mpls.-St. Paul, they aggressively hired retired tradesmen for the stores. Now, if you're age 16 and can breathe, you can get hired. I think the main deterrent to getting competent employees is that starting pay is $13.00 hour and most local groceries pay more, as does Costco.