We’re coming up to the house every other day to ensure the trees are watered. To my surprise and delight, the trees are starting to get leaves 10 days after planting.
We want to make the most of our visit and decided today was a great day to start installing the beadboard on the front porch. First we needed a ladder. I realized quickly our 6′ step ladder was not tall enough for us to get to the ceiling which is somewhere between 10 and 12 feet high. I figured I would find a used 8′ step ladder and we would be in business. I found a seller in Alton near the new house. I made arrangements and headed up to meet him. As we got closer to the house, I updated him of our pending arrival and received no response in return. Eventually, we gave up and went to the local hardware store and purchased a retail 8′ ladder that was about 2.5x the price of the used on. On our way back to the house, the seller reached out and said he fell asleep.
With our new ladder and the existing one, we decided it was time. The first row went up decent, but it was a struggle with only 1 ladder tall enough. Danelle had a towel on the end of a 2×4 to help hold up the other end as I tried to work fast. This was just good enough for the first row.
When we got to the second row, we needed to cut a shorter piece to alternate the seams. This short piece fit (tongue and groove) and was nailed in. When I went to put the second much longer piece in, this is where I realized it wasn’t going to work. We really need a second 8′ ladder to make this work. I reached out to the seller that fell asleep and we went and purchased a used 8′ step ladder to work with the other one. This was the only way this would work. However, the day was getting late and we would have to regroup and finish another time with our new ladders.
Our full progress for the day.
Hogan Haake