Spacetrawler, audio version For the blind or visually impaired, May 24, 2021.
Uh-oh, you Stribs are all are about to get an earful.
Spacetrawler new schedule will be M-W-F (here on Patreon, of course, always a day early, Sun-Tue-Thur)
So, I was planning on running Spacetralwer’s 3 strips M-T-W, but by popular request they will run M-W-F. Since most webcomic do the M-W-F schedule, I’ve been told by a good number of people it will be much easier to follow if I post those days.
Annnnnd…. the window! The upstairs window was small and rotted, so we got a BIG one used at the ReStore. So exciting! It broke my body (as the only one comfortable to work on the ladder, where much of the work needs be done), but we got that sucker in. And it just changes the room. Amazing.
1. House with tiny window made of rotting wood and missing the bottom half (all the wood under the window had to be replaced, of course).
2. same window from inside (we tore down all those walls, AND the “Vibe” poster.
3. the window and rotted wood being cut away.
4. The BIG hole cut.
5. Big hole from inside.
6. Window put in!
7. Another angle with pretty clouds.
“Let’s just blow the kid up.”
“That didn’t work the first time.”
“There’s another ship chasing us…”
“Hail them.”
“Hey, there’s that guy we killed twice already! Doesn’t anyone stay dead any more?”
“He’s going to lecture us too, I bet.”
I hear echoes of the old Laugh-In “You bet your sweet bippy!” in that last line of Aitana’s which only adds to my laughter at her great delivery. I love, love, love that Ciara slaps down the puppies like a boss in panel 3, but how nicely she passes the conversation to Aitana rather than plowing on under a head of steam.
Mouse count:
1-0-0-0
0-0-1-0
I must admit I am a bit baffled by the stribs. They engaged in highly immoral activities, disregard life, possess technology that is reportedly beyond what the G.O.B. has, but are apparently unconfident in said tech and in themselves to fight, just trying to deal they way out of the situation in a cowardly manner.
Maybe what they have isn’t their technology. Maybe they stole it from someone else, and aren’t fully confident in their knowledge of how it works. This would actually seem to be in line with their current activities.
Maybe they actually were the pets of some fearfully advanced species, and they became intelligent enough to steal a bunch of ships and go feral!
Or maybe they’re just the kind of bullies that turn tail when somebody stands up to them.
The comic is doing great but I’m curious about your other activities.
That lining on the window upstairs? What is it? Is it going to stay there and then you will just insulate that wall from outside with something else?
I’m curious because I’m from a country where we build our houses from Bricks with double walls, etc.
The American style construction fascinates me. 🙂
There’s a great site buildingscience dot com that goes through how buildings should be designed and *why*. E.g. whether a vapor barrier is a good idea and which side of the wall structure it should go on (varies with the climate).
Any time part of the wall structure reaches the dew point and would cause condensation (including use of AC), you don’t want airflow to carry more moisture into the wall. Also any existing moisture needs to escape.
@Daniel, there are two linings. One (the Tyvek) is house wrap, which most codes in the US require (at least with wood houses). Its purpose: it keeps moisture out but also breathes. It’s essentially the newer/improved version of tar paper (which is what we’re finding beneath the shingles). We will be removing the rest of those shingles (which are in very poor shape) and covering that entire section in house wrap before putting new shingles on.
Then there is “flashing tape” around the window, which is just VERY waterproof tape for keeping water from getting in. On the bottom it’s only on the house and not the window, so that water can drain out (IF any gets in), and around the rest it is over the window to keep water flowing to the outside. 🙂
Umm.. wouldn’t that small gap be a point of ingress for insects?
No, it’s fine. I think you’re imagining that there’s an actual gap. It’s covered with other material, just not that tape.
Besides, what’s a few insectoids among friends?
Carry on Mr. Baldwin!
wow, the work on that window, man. that’s incredible. rock on.
Great job on the window Christopher!
We take possession of our “fixer-upper” at the end of next month. I am telling myself that I am not too old for this…
Love the big hole from the inside shot – it’s like looking out into a dreamscape… probably my brain is referencing a movie I no longer remember seeing something like this in.
I don’t know what power tools you have on hand but a table saw, miter saw and a skillsaw are three power tools that are worth their weight in gold. They don’t have to be contractor grade or have all of the fancy attachments. You have to be watchful for worn out stuff but auctions, flea markets and yard sales can turn up some good tool buys. The other thing that was super helpful for me was a book “Carpentry and Building Construction”. Living in a small town I didn’t have to get permits and inspections for repairs and remodeling but it was comforting to know that I was doing it correctly.
I am really stoked to see your pictures of the house remodel! And I’m digging the comments from other posters, too — never done this myself, and curious to learn what others have to say. Cheers!
We replaced all the outside doors, and all the windows in our house a few years before we sold it. I also replaced all the upstairs light fixtures and switches. I did the lights and fixtures, because I kept up on the code for years. My son-in-law did the doors and windows, because that’s what he does for a living. And yes, he had to replace some rotting wood. Now, if something needs fixing, I just call the office.
Looking forward to Aitana’s lecture, frankly. I think she’ll cover some moral ground that the Stribs will either be uncomfortable with, or completely out of their view, which should make for some fun incredulity. Plow them a new one, Aitana!
The house looks marvelous, by the way. A couple of observations: From the angle of the sun, I take the new window to be on the north side. This gives amazing interior light, but the builders were more concerned with winter cold coming in that way; you’ll want to be sure you have adequate insulation on that wall, and reconcile yourself to having a draft from that window no matter how well-sealed; the cold will chill interior air and make it flow down across the floor.
Also… I used to work in house restoration, and north sides are worse than east sides for collecting and raising biologics… everything from mold to moss to fungus. When you replace those north-side shingles, I think you may be better off with either nonorganic shingles (which can be heavy, and put a load on the support beams on that side) or chemically treated shingles that won’t permit anything growing on them. I think saturating them with copper sulfate works, but I haven’t tried it myself. Incidentally, if you encounter damp wood even days after a rain, you might want to soak the area with acetone, which drives the water out and leaves a clear surface you can then seal. But keep all flame sources from the treated wood until it dries; acetone is flammable and acetone-soaked wood is nearly as bad as guncotton when ignited. Don’t ask me how I know this.
A large window facing north, letting in a lot of northern sunlight …
Is that room going to be your new workspace?
When you started talking about making the window a lot bigger my mind immediately went “whoah there’s a lot of masonry work needed for that and then a bigger lintel to support the wall above” but of course you’re in the US where walls of wood are common. Personally I don’t like them because they do things like rot, catch fire or blow away in very strong winds. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen pictures of the latest natural disaster in the US where there is one house left standing and guess what it’s the one made of stone or brick. I keep thinking one day someone will spot the trend, but apparently not since they all get rebuilt in wood. I just don’t get it.
I really enjoy the construction updates and appreciate your courage in attacking a fixer-upper. Been there, done that. Best of luck to you!
Be nice if you could replicate the old casing around the new window. It had character.
Character? Yesss … rather like a character from a Dickens novel, one who had been of high estate, but who has now fallen on difficult times, and must resort to … questionable activities … to support his habits; who frequents bawdy houses and who never looks you in the eyes.