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Dry rot repair for home exterior in Milwaukie, Oregon

By Robin Bragg on March 14, 2018 in Dry Rot Repair, Exterior Siding

Bragg Construction was recently called out to a home in Milwaukie, Oregon to repair dry rot and reside the home exterior. Upon arrival the dry rot was so severe that in was obvious that dry rot repair needed to be done before new siding could be installed and new paint could be applied. Faulty flashing around the chimney chase had allowed years of water intrusion to cause damage to the siding, sheathing, and framing.

Dry rot framing for the chimney chase to removed and replaced

Dry rotted corner post removed from Milwaukie, Oregon home

Subfloor and sil plate framing with dry rot in need of removal

Removal of siding and plywood wall sheathing:

This home had what is called by some as “double wall construction”. What that means is that there is a layer of standard plywood on the outside of the wall studs. Felt paper was then applied to the plywood “sheathing”. Over the top of the tar paper a layer of cedar siding was applied. ALL of these items were rotten and deteriorated and had to be removed. About 6 wall studs had dry rot that must be removed.

Surgical removal of wall studs:

Dry rot is a fungus that destroys wood. Dry rot must be removed and replaced. Careful removal of wall studs, (which hold up the house), are removed and replaced a few at a time. Knowing how a house is built is useful knowledge when disassembling and rebuilding. A lot of dry rot removal is more than just surface repair.

surgical removing of dry rotted framing chimney chase

Surgical removal of dry rotted framing chimney chase

Rebuilding of the firebox surround:

Wall studs, top and bottom plate and even portions of the sub flooring are carved out in a logical and careful way and replaced. New plywood sheathing is cut fitted and nailed. A new “Improved vapor barrier” is installed.

Rebuilding of dry rotted with sil plate, sub-flooring, and wall studs

two wall studs, rebuilt base, and all the tools to remove dry rot

All of the tools to remove dry rot

Exterior siding installed:

This home is now ready for new siding and paint. Cedar or cement siding are 2 good options for siding. Both options will last a long time if properly maintained with caulking and Paint.

Chimney chase with new siding from top to bottom

Finished home exterior painting and cleanup:

Bragg Construction and Remodeling does multi-trade projects. On this home we repaired a large amount of dry rot, repaired framing, installed plywood sheathing, “improved Vapor barrier”, lap siding, caulking and paint. Dry rot repair is complete.

Window Removal and New Siding for Clackamas County Home

By Robin Bragg on March 7, 2018 in Dry Wall Repair, Exterior Home Painting, Exterior Siding, Windows

Bragg Construction was called out to a Milwaukie, Oregon home for window removal. The client was looking for more wall space for cabinets during their kitchen remodel which meant closing off and removing a window. After the window was removed, new wall studs were installed, insulation put in the wall, interior drywall was installed, exterior vapor barrier was inserted followed by new siding, new caulking, new painting and worksite cleanup — let us show you how it was done.

Window removal:

One piece of siding was carefully removed to determine if an exact match was available. Once the match was found the material was ordered and put on stand by so that the install could be done with out hesitation. The window was removed and set aside for donation.

Beginning of window removal project

New wall studs with insulation:

New wall studs, (2 x 4’s), were installed into the window opening, plywood sheathing was cut, fit and nailed to the exterior and insulation was fitted to the interior.

New wall studs in place after window removal

Interior drywall:

drywall was installed to the interior, taped, mud and plaster, ready for the cabinet install.

Exterior vapor barrier:

Modern “Improved Vapor Barrier” was installed over the plywood sheathing to prevent moisture intrusion.

Exterior vapor barrier to protect against water intrusion

New siding, new caulking, new painting:

The new siding was a nearly perfect match and not noticeable at just 3 feet back from the surface. Precision caulking and 2 coats of paint finish the project to the complete satisfaction of the client.

New siding, new caulking, and new painting on home exterior

Work site cleanup:

Bragg Construction and Remodeling of Clackamas Oregon cleans up after all projects. We are skilled multi- trade craftsmen who take pride in our work and do not consider our work complete until the clean up is done. We love our work and consider it a privilege to serve you.

If you have a window removal project, please consider contacting Bragg Construction and Remodeling at 503-341-0884.

Painting, Dry Rot Repair, Moss Removal, Gutter Replacement by Bragg Construction, Gladstone, Oregon

By Robin Bragg on February 26, 2015 in Exterior Home Painting

Painting, Roof cleaning and Gutter replacement, Gladstone, Oregon

At this Gladstone home Bragg Construction completed exterior painting, roof cleaning, dry rot repair and gutter replacement.

Bragg Construction and Remodeling Serves Gladstone, Oregon to Portland, Oregon. Professional Carpenters and Craftsmen from Bragg Construction complete Exterior Painting, Dry Rot repair, Moss Removal and Gutter Replacement on this home in Gladstone, Oregon. We have been serving the Portland area for over 30 years. We are multi-trade, job completion specialists.

Retired owner of the home Bob, watches every day and concludes that the Professionals from Bragg Construction and Remodeling are perfectionists. We show up when scheduled, complete our work joyfully, and clean up after ourselves. We love our work!

This home in Gladstone, Oregon needed a lot of work. Fortunately it was mostly cosmetic. There was moss on the roof, worn out gutters, dry rot in the fascia boards, and the exterior paint was very tired. Bragg Construction and Remodeling was able to complete all the work with His team of skilled Craftsmen. We cleaned the moss off the roof. We removed and recycled the old gutters. Our Professional Carpenters fixed all the Dry Rot on the house siding and fascia boards.

The Painter thoroughly prepared the house for painting. Scraping off the loose paint, caulking and filling nail holes. Priming all the bare wood came next and then 2 coats of full acrylic latex paint. The trim color was applied, including a third contrasting color for the front door. The gutter man installed new gutters. The job site was cleaned up.

Attic Vent Lake Oswego, Oregon by Bragg Construction

By Robin Bragg on February 19, 2015 in Attic Vents

Here is a project picture gallery of an attic Vent installation in Lake Oswego Oregon by Bragg Construction and Remodeling. The home has real wood, cedar siding so a Professional Carpenter is a good person to call to get a quality completion. The home has a tile roof with no other ventilation. This part of the house is called a “gable end”. It is the triangular part of the house related to the roof. This roof was not too steep. The rubber feet of the platform ladder held nicely on the tile roof. In addition to a tape and pencil, can you see the seven main tools used to complete this project? The ladder was very helpful as was the lay out stick we created. First we drilled a pilot hole and verified a clear location inside the attic. Next we used tape, pencil, level and lay out stick to mark the location of the hole and trim.

Some of the professional tools needed to layout and cut the exterior siding.

Close up of layout out lines with a pilot hole in the center.

The cedar siding had minimal framing on the back side so we chose a circular saw for the primary cuts. A reciprocating saw would have shaken the thin cedar siding to bits. In the corners we used a great little surgical saw called a multi-master. (This saw enables you to cut square corners, something you cannot do with a round blade in a circular saw). After cutting the hole in the siding we added some backing to the cedar siding.

Marking the location of the vent cutout.

Exterior siding cut away to make way for attic vent.

The trim was built with a 5/4 x 4″ clear, kiln dried, cedar with a rough sawn finish to match the cedar siding on the house. Notice the picture on the ground. We protect the driveway from over spray and prime all the end cuts before assembly This is standard practice every time we work with exterior cedar siding or trim. We fastened the trim material to the wall surrounding the vent with stainless steel nails and screws. The finished vent was painted with 2 coats of full acrylic latex paint. The trim paint is just 1 shade darker than the body.

Kiln dried clear cedar trim for the home’s exterior.

Finished vent with primed and painting trim.

We are able to add attic vents to your roof or Gable end siding. Call a Professional to get your job done right. Here is a close up of the finished product.

close-up of finsihed attic vent added to Lake Oswego home

Attic vent (closeup)

Drywall Repair, Ceiling and Framing by Bragg Construction, Portland, Oregon

By Robin Bragg on February 12, 2015 in Dry Wall Repair, Framing

Professional Carpenters at Bragg Construction and Remodeling complete Drywall Repair and Framing of a ceiling in Portland, Oregon. Plastering, Texturing and Painting complete the project. The attic of the house was wide open to the hall of the home resulting in heat loss. Bragg Construction and Remodeling provides Professional Carpenters and Craftsmen able to complete Frame and Finish Carpentry. We are also highly skilled at Drywall, Plastering and Painting. Adding the Framing and Drywall to the Ceiling made the room both beautiful and energy efficient. We protect our work area with tarps and masking. We always clean up after ourselves.

Bragg Construction crated a cleanly framed ceiling to hang the new drywall from.

Newly hung drywall with mesh tape ready for plastering.

Here is a picture of the Ceiling Framing being added to close off the attic. A lazar level is used to strike a level line completely around the room. A “ledger” board is installed on both sides of the hall way. Then the ceiling joists are carefully fitted and spaced two feet apart. The Framing is not spanning a very wide hall so 2 x 4 framing is plenty strong and there is ample room in the attic to add insulation.

Here is a picture of the drywall being installed. Since the hall was three feet wide by 16 feet long we used a 12′ piece of 5/8″ cut into 3′ pieces and turned them perpendicular to the hall. This method made the ceiling easier to hang, easier to plaster and created less waste. Yellow mesh tape was added to the seams, fast drying plaster was applied on the seams and corners.

Two coats of “Topping Plaster” are applied, ceiling texture, primer, sealer and 2 coats of paint. Bragg Construction and Remodeling Provides Professional Craftsmen who are highly skilled at smooth plastering, quality painting and matching textures. We get your job done quickly efficiently and clean up after ourselves. Call us today for all your Remodeling needs. (503) 341-0884

Drywall, Plaster Repair, Baseboard and Painting in Lake Oswego, Oregon by Bragg Construction

By Robin Bragg on February 5, 2015 in Dry Wall Repair

Here is a Drywall, Plastering, Base Board Installation and Painting project in Lake Oswego, Oregon. We have been serving Lake Oswego, Oregon for more than 30 years. This project is a perfect example of the multi-trade skills of Bragg Construction and Remodeling. This project needed a Professional Carpenter for the baseboard and trim installation. An expert Plaster Applicator was needed to repair the drywall, skim the topping plaster and create a perfectly smooth wall. A Talented Painter was also needed to complete the priming and painting of the “pop corn” ceilings, walls and wood trim. Bragg Construction and Remodeling provided Professional Carpentry, Professional Drywall Repair and Professional Painting necessary to complete this Home office remodel.

Removal of the loose plaster and Paint are shown here in the first two photos. We provide a dust free environment while working by meticulously covering the floors, cleaning up as the job progresses, and wearing booties or slip on shoes.

Removal of loose water-damaged plaster

Drywall Repair, remove loose paint, wash and seal

A distinctive thing we provide on our dusty remodeling jobs is a whole house Air scrubbing system. The air scrubber machine has a HEPA filter to clean the air in your home as we work. Here is a picture of the machine on a tile job completed for a local pet store and dog day care. The customer wanted to see if it was working so he ran his hand across the pre filter, (notice the finger stripes across the pre filter). This machine will filter the air in an average home 3 to 5 times a day. We include this in all our remodeling jobs.

The next 2 pictures show the completed Drywall Patch. The Patch is flat and smooth. The “pop corn” ceiling has been painted with 2 coats of paint the patch has been primed and then painted with 2 wall coats. The first picture shows all the parts of the process and the second picture shows all steps completed.

Drywall Repair, Skim, Sand, Prime, Paint

Drywall Repair that has been skimmed, sanded, and primed

Drywall repair with finished painting.

The final two pictures show a couple views of the finished home office remodel including new carpet, new base board, drywall, plaster repair, freshly painted ceiling, walls, and trim. Wouldn’t you like to work in a newly remodeled office? Call today, We would love to serve you.

Paint ceiling, walls and trim home office

Painted ceiling, walls and trim home office in completed.

Base board install, plaster repair, prime and paint ceilings, walls and trim

The completed home office with new carpet, baseboards, plaster repair, primed and painted ceilings, walls and trim.

Door installation in Gladstone, Or

By Robin Bragg on January 29, 2015 in Front Door Installation

Bragg Construction and Remodeling provides Professional Carpenters and Craftsmen. We have been a family owned business for over thirty years. We have completed hundreds of door installations in the Portland area. We service Gladstone to Portland. The door opening shown here needed several modifications. These modifications, while complex, are well within the skill set of a Master Carpenter. Here is a picture of the old door. After the old door is set aside work begins on leveling the sill so that the door can sit on a solid base. framing and a piece of cedar are glued, shimmed and screwed to the framing.

Old Exterior Door

Prepping the sill by re-framing and leveling

A unique trim application was planned to accommodate the wacky framing of this old house. The next 3 photos show all the various cutting that had to happen to fit the new door to this old house. The vinyl siding was cut back so that the exterior trim would set flush. The old sub siding was cut back and the header trimmed to make way for the taller door. The framing on the side of the opening had to be shaved the length of the stud so that the opening would be wide enough for the new door. There is a reason Carpenters are sometimes called wood butchers.

Cutting back the vinyl siding to prepare the opening

cutting back the subsiding allow for a taller door

Cutting back the subsiding allows for a taller door

Shaving the framing wall stud to make the door frame wider

The door was hung, “plumb, level and square,” key to any proper door installation. Stainless steel screws, nails, glue, caulk and shims are all used to insure that the door is solid and weather tight. The excess shims are trimmed. A custom tapered sill support is cut, fitted, caulked and nailed. The next 3 pictures show the factory trim flush to the vinyl siding. A creative remedy to this is to add a 1×4 flat casing with a nice looking reveal. This trim covers the vinyl, fits nicely to the factory trim and completes the weather tight seal of the door.

Finishing the hanging by trimming away the excess shims

Building a custom tapered cedar sill support

Factory trim landing flush to the vinyl siding

cedar 1x4 flat casing to trim out the extrior

Cedar 1×4 flat casing to trim out the exterior

Completed exterior cedar trim

1 x 3 flat trim is added to the inside. Brand new hardware is installed. The site is cleaned, and the old door recycled for garden art. Another happy customer. This old house with a brand new perfect door.

Interior trim 1×3 flat casing

Jam extension 1×3 flat trim and brand new hardware

Completed door exterior with clean up job site by Bragg Construction

Door installation in Oregon City, Or

By Robin Bragg on January 29, 2015 in Front Door Installation

This is a before picture of an exterior front door replacement that is well underway. This project was completed at a home in Oregon City, Oregon.

A Front Door Installation is a good project to get Professional help. A Skilled, Professional Carpenter will make the job look simple. Don’t be fooled, there are many tricks to a Successful Door Installation. Bragg Construction and Remodeling has installed hundreds of doors in Portland, Oregon. We strive for all our doors to be perfectly installed. There are several steps to a quality door installation. We recommend that you let your Carpenter do all the steps of the process to insure a perfect installation. Here is a summery of the process:

First, accurate Measuring and Ordering. Please let your professional Carpenter do the measuring and Ordering. You should be involved in the choice of your door but take recommendations from your Carpenter. Choose a door with a good balance of beauty, function, quality and cost. When choosing your door be sure to decide who is going to pick up and deliver the door. Once again We recommend that you let the professionals do this. If you damage your door we will cry for you but you will be responsible for the cost and time delays.

After picture of an exterior door installation in oregon city

This is the after picture of the exterior front door. This was a relatively simple install because there were no changes to the framing. We also recommend new hardware when change a door because the door will function and look good.

We have the right Truck to keep your door safe and warm. After we Pick up and deliver the undamaged door we remove the trim around the old door. We double check again that the new door will fit before we remove the old door. Next we remove the old door and set it safely aside. We Verify and level the sil as needed. We Install the new door. “Plumb, level and square” is the saying of a Professional Carpenter. Sometimes the door opening has to be modified. My next blog post will show a door install that needed several modifications. The door is “hung” plumb, (that means straight vertically) and level (horizontal). The door gets secured with screws, nails, and shims. Foam weatherstripping fills the gaps between the door jamb and the framing of the house. Interior and exterior trim are applied, hardware installed and touch up painting applied as needed. We clean up our debris and dispose of the old door and other trash.

Cedar deck in Gladstone, Oregon

By Robin Bragg on January 22, 2015 in Cedar Deck Installation

This custom cedar deck was installed in Gladstone, Oregon. Cedar is a beautiful wood and if properly maintained (stained every 1-2 years) should have a life of 20 years.

Here is a picture of a Cedar Deck in Gladstone, Oregon. This Deck was built by Bragg Construction. Bragg Construction provides Professional Carpenters and uses top quality materials. The Decking is Kiln dried and pre stained on all four sides. The foundation is a concrete slab with galvanized brackets to secure the Pressure treated frame of the Deck to the foundation. We used a Pressure treated frame and Kiln dried, pre stained Cedar Decking. The Decking was secured with Stainless steel screws. The frame was built with galvanized hardware.

This cedar deck will cover a concrete slab.

Here is a picture of the Foundation. A solid concrete landing and concrete sidewalk. There is no need to tear all this out and start over. The challenge with this foundation is to find strong ways to secure the frame to the concrete. We used a couple different types of fasteners to secure the frame to the concrete. The frame is all Pressure treated lumber, mostly 4 x 4 and 4 x 6. Notice the area where the landing was located that thinner frame material was used so that the decking would land perfectly with the door. We used non rotting plastic shims at frequent intervals to add support in this area with 2 x 4 framing. A 2 x 6 rim was added to the outside of the frame for strength and to make the frame perfectly level. The frame was nailed together with Galvanized fasteners and Stainless steel screws. Notice that the cut ends of the boards are covered by an edge board. No railing was needed for this deck since it is only 2 steps to the ground. A wide step was added to the ground. Upon completion a second coat of clear stain was applied with extra attention given to the cut ends. We leave our job sites spotless and haul away all the debris.

Cedar deck framing with 2x4s and 4x4s

Cedar deck frame in Gladstone, Oregon

Shimming the cedar deck frame to cover the concrete slab

Cedar deck frame with galvanized brackets

Galvanized brackets affix this custom cedar deck frame.

Pet Door Installation in Portland, Oregon

By Robin Bragg on July 23, 2014 in Pet Door Installations

Assessing the best location for your pet door

This blog post will take you step-by-step through the process of a recent pet door installation we did in Portland, Oregon for a medium sized dog.

We can help with the process of choosing a good location for your pet door installation but typically going through a non-glass door is simpler than going through a wall (because you never know what you’ll find inside of your wall, of course, we’ll check before we cut).

Once the decision has been made for the location of the pet door installation it is time to get to work.

Total Time Spent on Project: 4 hours (including proper clean-up)
Tools Used on Project: skill saw, sawzall, mult-master, vacuum, tarp, assorted handtools
Other Project Comments: In this case, the Portland are client supplied the trim kit and exterior wall plate and we left the work site completely cleaned so they were ready to enjoy their new pet door.

Pet Door Installation Step 1 – Cutting a small round hole on the interior

We begin by cutting a small round hole on the interior wall in order to check inside the wall. If there is electrical running through the wall we might want to choose another location and patching the small round hole is a simpler task than irresponsibly just beginning with large exterior cuts to your siding. During this pet door installation we found 4 obstacles 2 electrical outlet boxes and a foundation tie-down bolt and bracket. After cutting out the rectangular space from the interior and exterior it was time to deal with the obstacles.

Pet Door Installation Interior Wall by Bragg Construction

Interior picture pet door cut-out showing the tie-down bolt and, bracket and electrical box.

Pet door installation exterior wall cut out by Bragg Construction

Cut-out of exterior siding.

Assessing the Obstacles Step 2 – Moving on outlet box and cutting the tie-down bolt

We began by cutting the excess portion of tie-down bolt with a multi-master oscillating saw. Next, we changed a round exterior electrical box to a rectangular electrical box in order to make room for the exterior trim of the pet door.

Pet door installation exterior wall cutting a tie down bolt by Bragg Construction

Multi-master tool will cut the excess tie-down bolt for the installation of the pet door.

Pet door installation exterior wall moved electrical box by Bragg Construction

Exterior outlet boxed that needed to be swapped out for a rectangular outlet box to make way for the pet door installation.

Installing the Trim Kit Step 3 – From the trim to the wall kit

In between the interior and exterior trim kit we install a wall sleeve to protect your pet from the wall insulation. This will also minimize drafts for the home owners.In this case the client had already purchase the trim kit which we were able to work with but in some cases you may want/ask us to supply it. The customer supplied their won plate cover to match their home exterior (not pictured here).

Pet door installation finished interior wall by Bragg Construction

Pet door installation finished interior wall with trim kit by Bragg Construction.

Pet door installation finished exterior wall by Bragg Construction

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