Results Are In

Here are the final results:

What we did: we tore off the shingled siding after the windows and door were installed. Underneath was a coating of plastic, which had trapped moisture and could have begun to rot the wood. Luckily it hadn't yet, so we covered the exposed plywood with tar paper, then we insulated the exterior with foam to increase our R-factor.

We also used Blue Skin adhesive sealant around the windows and door to increase our heat retention. Next we put up our wood siding. We chose a plywood which is treated on one side with grooves and a rough texture to create a board and baton effect. However, in order to install it, we had to use 4" nails to penetrate through the siding, the foam, and into the plywood and studs. Because of this the going was slow, requiring much muscle power to slam each nail in!

The seams on the horizontal were then covered with 1"x2" to complete the look. The seams on the vertical were invisible to the eye, as the edge of the plywood is grooved to overlap with its neighbouring piece.

We made a bit of a mistake, however, and realized too late to rectify it. We were supposed to put the drip edge, seen here

UNDERNEATH the siding, which meant we should have affixed it before we installed the siding. Drip edge is installed flat side against the wall with the rounded angle pointing to the ground. It prevents rain from collecting on the edges of the wood and then seeping up underneath the siding where it will sit and eventually rot the wood. So once we realized our mistake, we had to hammer the stuff up under the bottom edge of the installed siding and nail it in. This worked well enough, except for a lot of dents and some areas where it is not flush to the bottom of the siding. We learned our lesson for next time.

Lastly, we put up the casing and trim around our windows, the door, and the corners. We used simple 1"x4" for all the trim and a piece of 1"x6" for the sill running along the entire length of the two windows. The windows and door were sealed with caulking where they met the casing, then the entire house was painted with a triple protection exterior paint-and-primer-in-one.

As for the landscaping, we tilled the soil twice with a tiller rented from Home Depot. We then added some black soil to the areas that were formerly concrete, and laid sod over the entire area. We planted some Cedars to make a little privacy shield, a plot in the far end of the yard for a vegetable garden, and a couple of Hostas and Ferns here and there. Next year we will add more plants, shrubs, and flowers. For now we have been enjoying our new backyard, now accessible from our kitchen, every day this summer. Life is sweet!