There are so many F/C threads here that I hardly read them anymore.
But I recently installed a glass deck rail system for a fellow contractor on a new custom home and liked the way he eliminated butt joints and finished his blockouts for fixtures.
For all his trim work, he used texture surfaced pine trimwood and had it wolmanized at one of the local pressure treating plants.
The site is on a hillside about a mile inland from the Pacific Ocean and is exposed to prevailing winds Summer and Winter so weatherization is important.
The headflashings over the blockouts are copper, custom made in a local shop but painted to match the exterior.
The deckrail is by AlumiRail. I’ve installed some Chrystalite glass rail systems, but I like this one a bit better….both are fairly straightforward, but this system seems a bit stronger.
Edited 4/22/2006 11:22 am by Notchman
Replies
Very nice way to eliminate the butt joints...nice handrailing, too.
I don't know if I'm seeing the inside corner boards right...are they on a diagonal? Pretty cool, if they are<G>
The inside corners are just 90 degree butted, with one ripped down to give an equal reveal. I have usually used 2 X 2 for inside corners, but I think this method, with the 1 X 4 looks a little better.
IMO, this home's exterior is not overly exciting, but, given the weather the elderly HO's will be seeing, it should perform really well.
The interior is really nice with excellent cabinets, oak floors and hickory trim and crown. Lots of nice tile work....large walk-in showers with frameless glass doors. Great ocean view, but it'll be windy about 9 mos. out of the year.
The builder, an "old" guy like me, is one of the better builders around here and with his two sons, do about 2 customs a year.
One of the local builders he did his union apprenticeship with about 30 years ago, is one of the local hacks, but cranks out about 20 houses a year.
thanks for the post. never did like fiber cement butt joints. I did a huge house this winter and all the butt joints show. I want to do the cement board on my house but was turned off because of this. I may reconsider.
Nice job, though. But, since I'm on dialup, I opened just the first one....
Downsizing your pics to about 800 X 650 pixels (100kb or less) helps us country boys. :-)
Some of the folks here use Irfanview, but most any photo or paint program will work.
I am using hardie plank and trying to decide how to the trim vinyl windows on my house. I like the way the window trim looks in your pictures. What did you use and can get you post some closeup pictures.
Thanks.
Dan, used primed finger jointed bodyguard 5/4 x 4 with composite sills and drip caps, painted and caulked. don't know how it will hold up, the windsor one the GC has used before has been failing on some older houses.
I've been doing Azek brickmold sides and top (with headflash) and a sill and stool ripped from Trex, which can be stained or painted (IIRC, I got the Trex idea from one of Mike Smith's posts sometime back).
I recently did one; I'll try to get some pics.
Edited 4/23/2006 10:50 pm by Notchman
I like the idea of no butt joints, but I don't like the look; for me. For my customers though, it might be an option to throw out. Something I would have never thought of. I guess that's why I read this stuff.
Grunge on. http://grungefm.com
In all honesty, I'm not particularly fond of the appearance either (but I try to feign enthusiasm about others tastes as I'm sure they sometimes do about mine). :-)
On the other hand, I've hung some beveled red cedar siding, and on long walls have broken it up with verticals that way to avoid the butt joints.
One thing I didn't mention on my original post was that when my helper and I were installing the tempered glass panels, it was fairly cold out and the vinyl lock strips were pretty stiff. On the fourth panel out of 28, the glass literally exploded in our hands as we were forcing it into the upper track.
Even with gloves on, we both got superficially cut up pretty good....bled all over the deck....wiped out about a third of the bandages and gauze in my first aid kit.....
Edited 4/25/2006 12:11 am by Notchman
Regarding the butt joints, I met with a customer today regarding new Hardi Plank siding and I think I will recommend this method to her. It is a south facing wall which gets all the weather and I like the idea and will try to sell it............
Too bad about the glass explosion. That will teach ya,,,,,,,
Just hope you didn't get any in your eyes.
Grunge on. http://grungefm.com