The builders finally installed some stairs to the porch (admittedly they were waiting for some decisions from us before building). Seems we have some code issues that are hard to resolve in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
The wall/rail around the porch is only 24 inches high. That was the original height, and we want to preserve that. It feels less enclosed and also does not block the line of sight from the inside.
Because the porch deck is only 30 inches from grade level, a 24 inch rail is OK. Anything higher off the ground would require a 34 inch rail. The stairs, because there are 4 or more risers, do require a 34 inch rail. So how to make a 34 inch hand rail work with a 24 inch porch rail? Basically the hand rail would run right into the base of the columns which is not going to look good.
We're still not sure how to resolve it, but we know the stairs will have a shingled wall running down either side. Until we figure it out we need a set of functional stairs so we can start using the front door again.
The yellow wrapping over the Typar is "Cedar Breather" - it creates a 1/4 inch space between the Typar and the shingles so that air can circulate and keep everything dry. Because of the Cedar Breather, we'll need to bump out our window casings by a 1/4 inch so that our windows do not appear to be buried in shingles. This is not an issue because we're replacing the casings anyway (matching the existing detail). We're keeping the original sashes and sill though.
We're pretty sure a shingle or two might be installed tomorrow - this is what we've been waiting for! Hopefully we still like the color once it goes ON the house.
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