It’s hot as biscuits out there today. 

I just returned from a dump run (it’s what I’m good at) that I undertook when I could no longer stand the sweaty confines of the dust mask I had to wear while scraping and sanding strips of our 100-year-old cedar siding for re-use. We assume that at least one of the paint layers is lead-filled, and take appropriate precautions.

You might think we are crazy for trying to re-use this stuff, but here’s the deal: we had to have new stuff milled to match at $1.63/board foot (plus $200 setup fee), which got expensive fast. 

We failed to factor into our equations the stuff that had to be pulled off the South side of the house where the old tongue-and-groove sheathing underneath the siding had begun buckling and warping after 100 years of fierce weather exposure. The siding is brittle there, too, so not all of it survives removal.

So there is necessity. 

There is something cool about this old wood, too, though. It was likely cut and milled very nearby; at the time this house was built they were still harvesting lumber from nearby Skyway and Taylor’s Mill operated in Rainier Beach.

Having just returned from the dump, where we offloaded a bunch of plastic and Hardie plank scraps, it also feels good to do what we can to reduce waste where we are able. It’s a small thing, but it’s something.