I'm still procrastinating & trying to get my thoughts in order. I was looking at the pictures again & I'm not very happy with the king studs (I think those are the ones that support the header). I was thinking of removing them but that would be a pain so I might sister up next to them & have new king studs that go all the way up tight to the bottom of the new top-header.
I'm almost wondering if I can get away with just patching the floor where it is damaged instead of replacing it entirely (bc holy crap the price of plywood has gone up!) but I'll have to see about that when I have more demo done (and major cleanup bc that area has turned into a junk bin). I need to tackle the weeds that are clawing at the back door & starting to grow through the hole where the cat door used to be. Worst case scenario, I can make adjustments to door height a 2nd time if I end up having to replace the entire floor & I can use transition strips between threshold & flooring if new floor ends up lower or I can trim a little more if new floor ends up higher. I may be able to add a 1/4 plywood underlayment over things after taking care of the door area but before putting in finished floor. (If it wasn't so expensive, removing all of the floor would be good to gain access for plumbing-- but if I cut holes large enough to climb through or at least reach through, I might be able to have access to plumbing. If it comes down to it, my beloved friend has admitted he owes us both of his kidneys at this point & would be willing to crawl under the house to places my fat behind won't fit.
The awning I got can be either 40" wide or 80" wide so I can put up 40" width and then expand to 80" later.
My plan thus far:
- Find where tf I put the new cat door & take it to the workshop
- Drill & cut hole in new door for cat door
- Paint new door (maybe w/ Behr one-coat exterior paint-- my sister's house has Behr paint & it's great)
- Prime & paint awning brackets
- Check floor for level diagonally, perpendicular, and parallel to door (make sure floor doesn't slope up to be scraped when door swings)
- Remove old threshold & cut away rotted floor to find thickness of floor and patch w/ 2x4 or 2x6 (or whatever size is needed to fill the gap)
- Use leveling compound if there is too much slope (I've figured out how to make smaller batches that are easier to manage)
- Create new header with two 2x6s sandwiched together (glue & nails?)
- Remove hinge pins on old door to get it out of the way & make it easier to remove old framing
- Use a piece of vinyl plank to gauge height needed for new door for clearance (1/4" or 3/8" gap above finished floor sufficient?)
- Remove old door trim, jamb, sill, etc (some may already be done from previous step)
- Replace any rotted wood if necessary
- Install sill pan & wrap with self adhering flashing, & caulk
- W/ correct heights known, cut new king studs to proper length & sister to outsides of old king studs (or just set them next without tethering)
- Remove cripples & old 2x4 header (or at least loosen cripples so they are not in the way-- wiring may make this a pain; might need to just measurex2, mark, & cut cripples in place)
- Install new header on top of king studs
- Adjust old header to give 82" clearance from threshold top & use shims to make it level
- Cut cripples to fit tightly between top of 2x4 & bottom of header & jam them in (tethering method nails at an angle? Glue? both?)
- Add internal blocking for awning support (I think they need to be spaced 40" apart-- can awning be screwed in to the header from the outside?)
- Figure out desired height and position of awning (Note to self: find specs for awning to determine height of brackets where they meet the wall)
- Create support frame for awning (it has two long PVC bracket/side supports & a translucent plastic panel for the top that is held in when the brackets are secured in place so putting them on a frame to get it together might help and then frame can be screwed to blocking &/or header)
- Install z-flashing and/or head flashing on top of door frame
- Install new door & cat door- caulk around edges
- Replace old exterior door trim w/ PVC or something waterproof
- Measure & mark floor for cuts for plumbing rough-in & electrical (if any goes through floor-- might go through walls instead)
- Remove old wall paneling & add insulation
- Get whole house surge protector installed & make sure there is a proper grounding rod (add 1 if necessary)
- Replace old wall paneling & install new wall paneling over bare areas around door
- Replace exterior light that broke during hurricane (probably will be underneath awning)
- Remove cinderblock steps, level ground, & install proper concrete steps OR build small landing (can be done later after steps replaced)
I hope I didn't miss anything.
I'm still trying to make sure I'm clear on exactly where the sill pan would go (below the threshold & finished floor?)
I'm also trying to figure out what is available for me to use as a finished door sill beyond the threshold so the threshold won't wobble like the one at the front door.
What is the best paint for coating smooth PVC (I will sand it to rough it up & probably use primer-- want to have it be satin or gloss white)?
For the header: Wood glue or construction adhesive to bind the pieces?
100% silicone or door & window caulk?
I'll have to come up with some sketches of my plans to lay things out better. It has been very cold coming from that back area now that the weather has dropped to the 30° range so this needs to be addressed before it gets colder.
Any thoughts (other than to get my *** in gear?) My friend only has 2 free days a week but he's also having issues bc his ex has been giving him problems w/ custody & the other friend moved out of state so he won't be helping. 1st friend has promised to make time to help when he can though.