This week we took on a teeny tiny project in which we RE-SIDE our entire house.
No, not RESIDE in our house… RE – SIDE. As in, rip all the existing siding off, and put up NEW siding. As in Hello! What were we THINKING?!
The original plan was to hire someone but when the bids came in $50-$60,000 over budget, we thought, What the heck! It can’t be THAT hard… LET’S DO IT OURSELVES!
(every nightmare project starts with those words…)
Currently half our house is stripped down to the bare wood and tar sheets. When I drove into the driveway with CJ this afternoon, he said in surprise… “They’re painting the house BLACK AND BROWN!”
I had to assure him that no, we’re not that avante garde.
Jay’s older brother is here, along with my father-in-law, and they’re working HARD. I try to keep them happy with massive amounts of donuts, Doritos, and lasagna.
This morning, as they ripped off siding with crowbars, precariously perched on makeshift scaffolding high above the ground, Jay had a momentary flash of brilliance… Or maybe just reason.
“Hey! If we fell from way up here… it could hurt!”
Which led to the NEXT quantum leap of master deduction…
“We should TIE ourselves to something!”
And then the BIG brains came out with…
“LET’S USE CHAINS!”
(I am not making this up)
And so my darling husband and his older brother fashioned themselves harnesses made from metal chains, which they proceeded to fasten between their legs, around their waists, and to the wall. I watched from below, for once completely speechless.
I’m still not convinced it wouldn’t be better to just hit the ground.
***
Carla, Sara, ReesePie, Becky, Sherry, this is for YOU. Proof. Evidence. Oh, the horror!
***
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xo Jen
September 24, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Oh my. Quite the fashion statement.
September 25, 2007 at 3:38 am
Well, hey… once they finish this project they’ll have not only siding experience, but also scaffolding and chain experience. Which should look good on a resume if they ever want to become professional window washers. Oh wait… I saw THOSE guys outside my office last week. They were using ropes, not chains. Never mind.
September 25, 2007 at 4:15 am
Really? They chained themselves to the house?
LOL!
September 25, 2007 at 5:02 am
Oh my gosh! That sounds like a horrible project. My dh wouldn’t even think twice…..we’d hire it out.
September 25, 2007 at 5:47 am
Oh my gosh! Metal chains between the legs! OUCH! I hope your hubby doesn’t fall for your sake. Never chain the family jewels!
September 25, 2007 at 6:06 am
They must look absolutly hilarious. If I were your neighbor, I must say I’d be laughing my butt off!
September 25, 2007 at 6:09 am
We have to re-side our house in the very near future as well. $20,000 I’d rather spend on practically anything else. Wish there were handy family members I could pay with Doritoes and watch them dangle from the 2nd story by chains…FUN!!
My hubby and his brothers would probably think of something chain-ish as well.
Boys.
September 25, 2007 at 6:10 am
omg.
I hearby solemnly promise not to bitch about anymore of our never ending remodeling projects.
September 25, 2007 at 6:16 am
First off, I hope no one falls! Second my mother (yes mother) redid her roof alone (yes alone). She actually parked her tractor with the front bucket up to the roof to catch her in case of fall. She didn’t fall, thank God! Good luck!
September 25, 2007 at 6:30 am
How could you stand to watch? My hubs on occasion thinks “I can just do that”. ALWAYS a HUGE mistake. We had a wooden privacy fence at our last house that had no gate. There was no way in or out of the back yard except through the kitchen door. Our fence got a little crookedy- looking over time. I hope your house turns out OK!
September 25, 2007 at 6:35 am
I’m always amazed at what men (who are supposed to be the more LOGICAL sex) come up with.
My step-dad liked to turn the mower on it’s side to “weed whack” weeds around trees and once said he wanted to used dynamite to remove a stubborn tree stump. This from the man who was a computer programmer for the Air Force for over 20 years.
September 25, 2007 at 7:38 am
wow! now that’s ingenuity at it’s finest!
September 25, 2007 at 8:14 am
Photos please. Or at the very least your head photoshopped on hubby’s chained body.
September 25, 2007 at 8:15 am
No kidding, where are the pics??????????
September 25, 2007 at 8:22 am
pictures of the chain diapers, please…
September 25, 2007 at 8:28 am
Men definitely have their brilliant moments, don’t they?
September 25, 2007 at 8:42 am
Pictures. We need pictures. This is a must document in photos moment. Men are so funny. I would have loved to see that. Still laughing.
September 25, 2007 at 8:55 am
Oh my gosh! How funny. I think we need to see this to believe it! Pictures! :o)
September 25, 2007 at 9:07 am
Sounds like a fun time is being had by all. When you watch them do you picture Al Bundy and Jefferson Darcy putting things together?
September 25, 2007 at 10:29 am
Yikes!
September 25, 2007 at 10:35 am
That sounds about right.
For men.
September 25, 2007 at 11:00 am
My first thought on reading this post was, “are they crazy”. Then I continued reading and became completely convinced that they are, in fact, crazy!
The mind of men?!
September 25, 2007 at 11:02 am
I am looking forward to the I Told You So post!
September 25, 2007 at 11:30 am
Not really sure what to say to that except wow.
September 25, 2007 at 11:32 am
Are you going to be able to handle us on Friday? Because we’re coming, and we will rock your world! Hey, maybe I can be of help? My dad made me put up siding on our house when I was in 9th grade.
September 25, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Brave…truly brave
September 25, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Hey, at least they didn’t use duct tape
September 25, 2007 at 1:04 pm
If the whole thing works, nobody actually falls and the siding looks nice you could hire them out as a trendy new contracting business – “convict caperters”.
September 25, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Oh lordy. I hope you next post doesn’t mention a trip to the ER! :-)
My hubby would TOTALLY try to do it himself. He would end up buying a bunch of tools, get half way through and then it would be unfinished for a good 6-10 months. And then I’d end up paying someone to finish it after several nasty arguments. Oy! I get hives just thinking about that!
Sounds like your hubby will at least accept help. SO that’s awesome. Hope it all goes wonderfully.
September 25, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I feel your pain. Mine is replacing allll the windows himself. Alone. Which also means, I have learned, replacing siding around those windows….ugh. He’ll be done about 2012….
September 25, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Mmmm, man brains….not even adding suger can make that pot any sweeter, lol!
October 1, 2007 at 11:05 am
Ouch, there will be chaffing.
October 1, 2007 at 11:07 am
that CAN’T be comfortable.
October 4, 2007 at 12:15 pm
i’ll bet if you had google’d “chain underwear”, you would’ve found something very similar to what J is fashioning :).
October 23, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Oh my gosh!! Thanks for posting the picture…. I think. lol