Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

When we show up, we win.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

The willow is too close to the house.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Elections aren’t won by handwringing, cowering, and/or bashing your own candidates.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Come on, man.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Pergola Update

Pergola Update

by | 88 Comments

This post is in: 

All done but a few little things, but got it primed and painted and mostly in place:

Tomorrow the finishing touches, then put up the shades and hanging plants. After that, powerwash the entire deck and stain it grey. Again.

Also got the first coat of polyurethane on the shelves I have slowly been working on:

Those are the bottoms, so tomorrow I will put a coat on the tops, wait 4 hours, sand, and put another coat on.

After the bookcase, projects are taking a hiatus for a while. But you have to keep up on this shit or the next thing you know you are living in a crumbling shell of a house. Gotta keep my eye on craigslist for some cheap wicker furniture. I got the entire front porch set for 150 bucks or thereabout, although I did have to clean it and repaint it and give it some tlc.

Reader Interactions

88Comments

  1. 1.

    stinger

    Your neighbors must be SO glad you bought that place. You have really enhanced the neighborhood, and not only by home and yard improvements.

  4. 4.

    Eljai

    That’s going to be so pretty with the hanging plants. How about some outdoor party lights?

  5. 5.

    Gin & Tonic

    That poly dries enough to sand in 4 hours? The varnish I’m using on the boat is still somewhat tacky after 12.

  6. 6.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Some day I hope to stop by your place and ask to be served ice tea under the pergola while giving Steve ear scritches.

    That day if it ever happens is in a distant alternate future where I’ve won the lottery.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    I keep thinking Pergola is a Shakespearean heroine and then I realize I am thinking about Perdita.

    So never mind.

  12. 12.

    MomSense

    Turned out beautifully, John. I used to have a pergola at my old farmhouse – was a great place to hang out in the summer. Just be careful what you plant on it.

  13. 13.

    Mike in NC

    We were thinking about replacing the warped track sliding glass door to our sunroom. Pella gave us an estimate of $5000. Lowes told us they could do it for less than $2000. The guy they sent over looked at the tile that meets the door and said Lowes wouldn’t accept the job since the tiles would be ruined, but he did take his drill and adjust the rollers, so now we have a great door that cost $35 versus $5000.

  16. 16.

    Jay

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Teak/Varnish trick used by the pro’s.

    Cut the first coat of varnish with 1/3’d teak oil, wet sand with teak oil when slightly tacky, and deschmutz with lots of lint free rags. Let dry hard, pull the second coat of pure varnish. No need for a third coat because you do the same thing every year,………

    because boating.

  17. 17.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Jay: I cut the first coat (first of this year) with mineral spirits about 50/50. Still get some sags.

    It’s not teak.

  18. 18.

    CaseyL

    I am amazed how fast that went up! Looks lovely; will look lovelier when all the work impedimenta is removed :)

    BTW: The pergola roof appears to be well within jumping distance of the bedroom window just above it. Another escape route for Steve!

  20. 20.

    SiubhanDuinne

    My hideous rheumatoid arthritis thing (big ugly carbuncle-like growth on my right thumb knuckle) seems to be slightly diminishing. It’s not really painful, although disfiguring beyond belief.

    Anyone with history of R.A., I’d love to hear from you my nym @ gmail.com

  27. 27.

    Amir Khalid

    Polyurethane? POLYURETHANE?! That’s not authentic! It’s not what Leo Fender used back in the 50s! You shoulda used nitrocellulose!
    //guitar geek joke.

  31. 31.

    RedDirtGirl

    @MomSense: You’re on.
    I really want to instigate a NYC gathering, but haven’t been in the comments enough lately to keep the topic on the front burner. M4 is up for it, and LAO and Helen(not)inEire have expressed interest.

  32. 32.

    Carolina Dave

    I have a wicker couch. Antique! Stored indoors. You can have it. Do I have to plan a trip to WV? Cushions are crap.

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    @RedDirtGirl

    Figured it was too early yet to contact a front pager to try setting something up, was gonna wait until the end of the month. Howsoever, arrive in NYC area July 23, leave August 7. Airlines willing and the creek don’t rise.

    (Sound of jackals frantically clicking to arrange plans to be away then.)

  38. 38.

    Jay

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Teak oil isn’t just for teak.

    The wet sanding and creating a slurry, then wiping it off creates a super smooth undercoat, a more flexible varnish layer, ( less chiping) and a stronger bond between the wood and the varnish.

  45. 45.

    Jay

    Oh, if anybody doesn’t like the open pores of red oak, coating the oak with drywall compound to fill the pores, then wiping/light sanding before stain and a top finish, fills the pores.

    If you use a poly/stain, you can make it look like cherry or mahogany.

  47. 47.

    Jay

    @NotMax:

    With an airbrush, ( and talent) one can make anything look like anything,

    The one limit is nothing can make Treason Tribble not look fugly.

  48. 48.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    Upon reflection, make that with an airbush and a sponge.

    Prior to opening each year, one of the tasks assigned to the lowliest of the newbies on staff at the summer camp was to sand and then apply spar varnish to the canoe paddles. And we had a lot of canoe paddles.

  51. 51.

    Mary G

    I have the same thing, but never knew it’s a pergola; we just call it the patio cover. Most of my hanging plants are near death due to neglect, but when they are thriving it is beautiful, especially because I talked my mom into French doors leading out to it.

  54. 54.

    Jay

    @Mary G:

    A trick with the hanging plants, is to hang them off a pully, lower them down for watering and care, raise them back up for growth and ambiance.

    One way to raise stawberries with out slugs in the Lower Rainland.

  57. 57.

    opiejeanne

    Mr Cole, your house is wonderful now and getting better all the time. The pergola is a great addition that you’ll enjoy for many years.

  60. 60.

    Aleta

    Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Law said her government would indefinitely suspend a bill that would allow fugitives to be transferred to mainland China. The bill fueled days of street demonstrations that brought violence and chaos to the global financial hub.

    WaPo

  61. 61.

    ola azul

    New Yorker piece on Liz: Can Elizabeth Warren Win It All?

    “Now, some of you will know ‘the dress,’ ” Warren went on. “It’s the one that only comes out for weddings, funerals, and graduations. And there it was. And my mama was in her slip and her stockings, and she was pacing back and forth. ‘We will not lose this house. We will not lose this house. We will not lose this house.’ ” Warren’s mother was fifty years old and had never worked outside the home. Eventually, she “wrestled” the dress on, along with a pair of high heels, and walked to the local Sears, Roebuck store, where she got a job answering phones. “That minimum-wage job saved our home. And it saved our family,” Warren said. “If you want to know who I am, you just heard it. ’Cause that’s the story that’s written on my heart.”

    Warren has told the dress story countless times. Gradually, she says, she realized that many families had a version of the experience. “It was years later than that that I came to understand, it’s also a story about government,” Warren said. “Because when my mama walked off to the Sears and got a minimum-wage job, a minimum-wage job in America would support a family of three. It would pay a mortgage, keep the utilities on, and put food on the table. Today, a full-time minimum-wage job in America will not keep a mama and a baby out of poverty.” Her voice grew hard: “And that is why I am in this fight.”

  62. 62.

    ola azul

    Some animals that swim are surprising, e.g. tigers are oustanding swimmers, sloths apparently can move 3x faster in water than on land (relative!) and hold their breath up to 40 min. if Lord Google is to be believed, and elephants use their trunks like a snorkel (and perhaps periscope? not sure how good their sniffers are) when crossing rivers.

    This next I knew cuz I’s seen it once but lacked photographic corroboration till now:

    Eagle swimming

    It’s tempting to say they appear unflappable, but eagles are nothing if not flappable!

  64. 64.

    ola azul

    @Amir Khalid:

    No, I do not.

    But a dog does, a bear does, a wolf does, long’s one is broad-minded about what “seeing” means and not literal-minded to the point of paralyzing pedantry.

  65. 65.

    Amir Khalid

    @ola azul:
    A very discerning sense of smell is still not sight; saying that a dog “sees” through its sense of smell is a figure of speech, not a physical fact. The difference does matter.

  66. 66.

    ola azul

    @Amir Khalid:

    Oh? Sight isn’t smell? Is that literally true? Well now, tx. for lining that out for me and letting me know it matters into the bargain.

    Why do you do this? Seriously?

    To suggest an elephant uses its trunk as a periscope, yes, is a fanciful metaphorical use of language. Delighted you’ve (apparently just) made that realization. And if you reread what I originally wrote, you will note that I used it precisely that way.

    I weep for the seeming absence of your poetical soul. But bless your heart for sticking to your literal-minded bedrock.

  67. 67.

    Aleta

    @ola azul: I had no idea about sloths.

    @Amir Khalid: Instead of calling it seeing, I think of it as mapping (taking place in the brain). A way of organizing our discovery and understanding of a space by sensing. With vision or without vision (usually then by touch and hearing). When my dog comes to an understanding of the neighborhood by collecting and analyzing every smell that interests him, I like to think of what he’s doing as mapping it in his brain. So the same space would be mapped differently depending on the individual’s dominant way of sensing. Our vision is so dominant and fast that unless we’re blind or intentionally block our vision, we’re not so aware of the other possibilities. It’s a bit similar to the alternate space we see or at least feel when playing or hearing music.

  68. 68.

    satby

    The last FP post was at 9:52 last night? This joint is really slowing down. Or everyone has a much more active social life than me.
    Probably both.

  70. 70.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: My social life consists of eating dinner and falling asleep by 8. It’s a big night if I manage to stay awake for the ice cream.

  72. 72.

    satby

    @JPL: I hear you!
    @OzarkHillbilly: INORITE? I’ve developed the unhappy habit of dozing off in late afternoon and then staying awake very late (for me) until almost midnight. Which guarantees only a 5-6 hour night of sleep, not counting the inevitable 3 am wakey.
    Last night 4 hours, putting around getting ready for the market now.

  75. 75.

    Amir Khalid

    @Aleta:
    You are quite right. The sensory map we make out of what we hear or smell or touch is a thing in its own right, as valid as the one we make out of what we see, and related but separate. (Emphasis for the benefit of the poleaxed one.) They should not be conflated, certainly not for a trite literary effect.

  81. 81.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    Looks good and I’m glad it’s coming together. I have some insights into why the old deck was built so shoddily based on a very limited experience with WV construction practices. Back when I was in college in the late ’80s/early’90s, I did a series of Habitat for Humanity spring break trips. The first was to Coahoma, MS, the second to Circleville, WV.

    Coahoma was a dirt poor all black town and H4H was literally building new homes for every single town resident. It was a super well-organized trip – we went down and joined with groups from a couple of other colleges, and there were actual professionals – skilled carpenters, roofers, etc. to show us how to do things right and supervise to ensure that everything came together properly. I have an anecdote that is emblematic of the South’s propensity to cut off its economic nose to spite its to screw over black people that I will present below, but for now, fast forward a year.

    In MS I helped frame in a house. This was my first exposure to construction (other than painting) of any kind other than building a couple of things in wood shop class in middle school and high school. So I get to WV, and walk into the house we’re working on. The framing and roof boards and underlayment were on the house. We spent the first part of the week putting shingles on it, but no walls had been hung so the framing was all exposed. So I’m a virtual novice, walking into this house, and the first thing I notice is that none of the doorways are double framed. Walls are generally build of 2x4s spaced about 2 feet apart but in doorways, to provide extra reinforcement, they frame in with two sets of 2x4s placed right next to each other – literally touching – on each of side of the door and above the door. No one explained why this is but I figure it is either because the door void creates a weakness in the wall or the act of opening and closing doors puts extra stress on the framing so it is necessary to beef it up there.

    Anyway, the first thing I say to the site supervisor is “this framing isn’t up to code”….to which he replied “there aren’t any building codes in West Virginia.” I didn’t argue with the guy but in my head I’m thinking “well, that’s not an excuse to cut corners on on how you construct these houses.” I mean, H4H houses aren’t free – the people do pay something for them and my opinion was those people should get a house that’s reasonably well built. I did spend the first whole day adding another layer of framing to the doorways as best I could. In order to do it right I would have had to tear out the existing framing, which would have been impossible at that point, but I did the best I could. So this is a long way of saying that I’m not surprised that corners were cut on that back deck you’ve rehabbed.

    Back to Mississippi…there was one general store in Coahoma, owned by a white guy (even though the entire town was black) except it wasn’t actually quite in town. The guy had placed the town just outside the town border so he wouldn’t have to pay taxes to help out “those people” and as a result the entire town boycotted the place to the extent they could. The next store of any kind was miles away, and these people had some mobility challenges due to their poverty – some of them owned cars but not everyone, and those cars were far from reliable. This dude could have had all that business to himself and probably made more money off the business than the taxes would have cost him, but he hamstrung his own business out of racial spite. It was like a perfect microcosm of one of the the South’s self-imposed economic challenges.

  83. 83.

    Honus

    @frosty: Billie holiday, Tokyo rose, Sara Jane Moore, squeaky fromme.
    When Martha was sent to alderson my sister said she was going to bake her cake with a file in it.

  84. 84.

    moonbat

    Is said pergola strong enough to support a solar panel or two? Just curious. Two birds, one stone and all that, but if it gets sun all the time it seems like an opportunity to recapture some of that money you weren’t expecting to spend…

  85. 85.

    Another Scott

    @satby: LiveScience:

    Busting the 8-Hour Sleep Myth: Why You Should Wake Up in the Night
    By Natalie Wolchover | February 16, 2011 05:56pm ET

    More than one-third of American adults wake up in the middle of the night on a regular basis. Of those who experience “nocturnal awakenings,” nearly half are unable to fall back asleep right away. Doctors frequently diagnose this condition as a sleep disorder called “middle-of-the-night insomnia,” and prescribe medication to treat it.

    Mounting evidence suggests, however, that nocturnal awakenings aren’t abnormal at all; they are the natural rhythm that your body gravitates toward. According to historians and psychiatrists alike, it is the compressed, continuous eight-hour sleep routine to which everyone aspires today that is unprecedented in human history. We’ve been sleeping all wrong lately — so if you have “insomnia,” you may actually be doing things right.

    The flip of a light switch

    “The dominant pattern of sleep, arguably since time immemorial, was biphasic,” Roger Ekirch, a sleep historian at Virginia Tech University and author of “At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past” (Norton 2005), told Life’s Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. “Humans slept in two four-hour blocks, which were separated by a period of wakefulness in the middle of the night lasting an hour or more. During this time some might stay in bed, pray, think about their dreams, or talk with their spouses. Others might get up and do tasks or even visit neighbors before going back to sleep.”

    […]

    True? Hokum? Dunno. But maybe try to go with it for a while and see what happens.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (Who often takes a nap after dinner.)

  86. 86.

    J R in WV

    @A Ghost To Most:

    @Mike in NC:
    Get an Andersen sliding door. Do yourself a favor.

    We have Andersen doors and windows, installed around 1993, have had to do some work on the sliders, the actual roller devices had become worn, some doors wouldn’t open without huge effort. So I ordered new rollers and a friend helped me take the sliders out, remove the actual roller units and replace them.

    It was where grit could get into the track/rollers and cause accelerated wear on the outdoor sliders downstairs — the one onto the deck from the bedroom and the one inside were fine, so 50% failure rate, both onto a concrete back porch deck filled with tools and not kept spruced up.

    I think the rollers for a door were something like $12 each for two on each door, so around $50 for the two, and I still have new rollers for two more doors. Plus I paid M for helping — at the time he was unemployed. Great banjo player and mechanic.

  88. 88.

    Jay

    Holy crap. Human rights campaigner Yana Peel has been revealed to be the co-owner of Israeli cyberweapons company NSO Group, whose software has allegedly been used by authoritarian regimes to spy on dissidents. https://t.co/EjaYX353qn— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) June 15, 2019

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