It all started last summer when I met with a potential new siding sponsor. He was so excited he drove to my house to see the project for his own eyes. To this day, he's the only one that did. We chatted for over an hour, and I asked for his design and material recommendations, and he agreed to be my siding sponsor. I emailed him with the follow up documentation, and then we chatted on the phone a couple of times regarding the timing. And, then, nothing..... I didn't hear from him for weeks. And then weeks turned into months, and finally I came to the difficult conclusion that this guy was not going to follow through and no number of voicemail messages or emails was going to change that.
This was a big deal not only because I now had no siding for my project but financially I had not saved for any either.
I let it go, mentally, and continued on with the internal build while keeping my eyes out for good deals. I can tell you now, in the middle of winter there are not a lot of great deals on siding in Oregon. A few, but not in the quantities I would need.
So now, on top of a siding supply problem and a financing problem,
I started to question my design concept entirely.
The build inside has progressed to the point where I am almost ready for drywall but wait....there are a couple of small leaks. Of course there are, my "house" is a wooden box with a metal top, wrapping in permeable plastic. So, now, I cannot really proceed much further on the interior until I install the siding and verify that the annoying little leaks are resolved by the addition of said siding.
So, back to research mode I went, looking for a good deal and wondering how far my design would wander from my original plan. I found a local mill who advertised redwood board and batt siding and gave them a call. They weren't interested in a full sponsorship but would consider giving me a discount for a large purchase.(more than $1000) So I waited a couple of weeks until I had the money in hand, and called them to make the delivery. They were out. So, they agreed they would make me more (they are a mill, after all) and deliver two weeks later on "Sunday or Monday".
Today is Sunday and since I hadn't received a call I called them to verify they are still coming. They told me they won't be delivering today because their mill is "broken" and they're waiting for parts. But hopefully, they said they would get them and possibly deliver next "Friday or Saturday". I am not bad mouthing them, mind you, but it is quite frustrating that I took the day off tomorrow in anticipation of a delivery that is not happening and they didn't even call.
And, as it turns out, it was quite a blessing in disguise.
On a whim, I went on craigslist and saw a cedar mill outlet was closing in two days and selling off their remaining cedar inventory for "offers". Siding, decking, dimensional, you name it.... So, if you're looking for a happy ending to this story, here you go. I went over, made them an offer, and got premium grade. T&G. tight knot, 12 foot long, reversible, cedar boards for less than I was going to pay for utility grade redwood boards.
My nerves, however, are completely shot. Making such a tough decision, so quickly, and after so much drama has wrecked them. The 2nd largest purchase for my tiny house is now done. All I have to do now is rent a truck and pick it up tomorrow.
So, what happened to my design concept plan? It is intact and moving forward and I am quite happy with it. On my way home from getting the siding, I stopped in to pick up two sample quarts of stain, and the trim color.
It will be, in a word.........stunning.
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