Replacement Windows and Dry Rot

Since the windows in the two original bedrooms were not energy efficient, not to egress code, and broken, we decided to replace them. We switched from double hung windows to casement windows, so now both windows meet the fire code. All three big windows on the north wall match, because we also put a casement window in our bathroom in the back. In the picture below, you can see the girls standing next to the new window in what will be Molly's room. Notice that both girls are wearing their Big Bear Run t-shirts -- the whole family ran a 5K the day before this picture was taken. As an aside, both girls did great! Molly and Jake were only about a minute behind Emily and me.



When Dan and Fernie opened the wall around the front door in preparation for attaching the new front porch, they were met with an ugly surprise. We must have had a leak up in the top of the parapet, because the framing on both sides of the door is really rotten. It also looks like there is some old termite damage. Dan thinks the right side (when facing the door) is okay, but the left side needs to be replaced. Of course, the left side has plaster and lath on the inside (in our old bedroom), so if it gets messed up during the replacement of the framing it will be a huge pain to patch. In the picture below you can see the back of the plaster and lath and the mess that is that corner of the front of the house. The picture at the top gives a close up shot of how bad some of the framing is.



We are definitely going to get the framers to fix it as well as they can -- we would really prefer not to have the house held together by paint and caulk -- but it means more time for the framers and more money for us! The only good news is that the sill is still okay.