tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206246952024-03-13T03:50:29.747-07:00This Old GrouseEvents in the life of a young-ish curmudgeon including the story of restoring a 100+ year old home as he tries to keep up with his globe trotting wife.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-52855409011551581392007-12-12T10:28:00.000-08:002008-12-10T14:14:31.346-08:00What Have I Gotten Myself Into?With the recent undertaking of my most ambitious house project ever, I've decided to resurrect the blog to document the effort....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__Rk-4XLfj8w/R2ArqKFQHfI/AAAAAAAAAAM/L3H19YQjR0s/s1600-h/IMG_0496.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__Rk-4XLfj8w/R2ArqKFQHfI/AAAAAAAAAAM/L3H19YQjR0s/s320/IMG_0496.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143158777717988850" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In a nutshell, we're adding 400 square feet on to the back of the house and then gutting the two bathrooms at the back of the house and turning them into a larger master bathroom and laundry room. A few weeks ago, we had the foundation for the addition poured and I've been slowly working on regrading the ground around the addition and digging out the old brick sidewalk that we discovered in our backyard.<br /><br />This past weekend, we had a dump trailer delivered and it will be with us for a week. Half of the trailer has already been filled with the remains of the old brick stairs from the back of the house and the left overs of the dirt dug up during the grading process. The same fellow who delivered my trailer already hauled away six cubic yards of dirt that were dug up to pour the foundation.<br /><br />I have until next Monday to fill the rest of the 24 cubic yard trailer with whatever (lighter) materials I can. So yesterday afternoon, I stripped the old aluminum siding from the back of the house where the addition will go. I'm not throwing the siding away since I can get a few bucks for it from a scrap yard but next I plan on stripping off the very old cypress siding that was underneath it. This old siding is in frighteningly bad shape and I'm trying not to think about the fact that the rest of the house probably looks just as bad under the siding.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__Rk-4XLfj8w/R2ArvKFQHgI/AAAAAAAAAAU/jjVAaqLVrVM/s1600-h/IMG_0498.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__Rk-4XLfj8w/R2ArvKFQHgI/AAAAAAAAAAU/jjVAaqLVrVM/s320/IMG_0498.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143158863617334786" border="0" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1156535672767491502006-08-25T12:47:00.000-07:002006-08-25T12:54:32.766-07:00About the Inspection...From a thank you note from Emmy, the directory of Abeona house:<br /><span style="font-family: monospace;"><br /></span>Picture this: A George Jefferson look-alike grabbing onto both handrails, and jumping up and down on the ramp hollering, "This is the most beautiful wooden ramp I have ever inspected! Thank you!!!!"<br /><br /><pre wrap=""><br /></pre>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1156521355960064712006-08-25T08:35:00.000-07:002006-08-25T09:11:59.753-07:00Ramping up to Opening DayAbout a week ago I received a call from Emmy, the director of the pre-school we're helping found. Habitat for Humanity was building a massive handicap ramp that the school had to have before it could open. Unfortunately, the Habitat For Humanity work crew ran out of time in their schedule and they needed to turn the project over to the school. They had managed to set all of the posts for the ramp, frame it out, and install about half of the decking. That left installing the remainder of the decking, all of the railings, and a set of stairs adjacent to the ramp.<br /><br />Because of my remodeling experience with our home, I volunteered to head up the effort to complete the ramp along with a bunch of other volunteers - some parents of kids in the school, some parents of kids hoping to get in the school, and some just friends of the school. This past week I spent every waking moment I could at the school with the exception of the time I was working my real job (and one vacation day I took from that job). While it was a long, tiring week of sweating it out in the Lousiana heat and humidity, it was also a huge strain on Holly who had to watch both kids at home and at the school at times so that she could help watch other volunteers' children.<br /><br />Somehow, we managed to get the ramp and stairs done in the week if only barely. I spent the last two days setting the stair posts in concrete and framing out the stairs in the brief intervals between thunderstorms. Late last night after I did the last work on the rails some more parents wrapped up the spindles and the project was finally done. Typing the ramp into the porch and building the adjoining stairs has been the most challenging project I've ever completed. I don't think I have ever worked as hard as I have this past week but it feels really good to be done. And even better is that I've just learned that we passed the inspection this morning so we're in the home stretch of getting all the sign-offs we need to open.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_8241.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_8241.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The first half of the railing has gone up. Emmy's husband Kevin and I spent two days installing the railings while other volunteers installed all of the spindles. It was a crash course in complicated angle cuts with compond mitre saws that paid off by the time I got to the stairs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_8251.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_8251.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here I'm installing the last bit of railing on the handicap ramp with the exception of the railing pieces that tie the ramp into the old porch. I put those off until after the stair posts were in place so that I could figure everything out at once.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_8710.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_8710.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />A shot of the completed ramp looking up to where it turns the corner to head to the back porch of the school. All told, this section is almost 40 feet long.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_8712.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_8712.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here is the section of ramp off of the back porch and the adjoining stairs that the kids will use to down to the play area in back of the house. This section of ramp is a good 18 feet long.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1154296238460376992006-07-30T14:38:00.000-07:002006-07-30T14:51:24.893-07:00Like Building a Ship in a BottleTwo days and three trips to Home Depot later, the rail is back in the wall and completely fixed - and I didn't have to punch any holes in the drywall/plaster!!! I've not rehung the panel doors since I want the termite guys to be able to see into the wall cavity. And I also want to give the other door some time to unwarp (its laying flat on the ground with the good door on top, pressing it flat).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7808.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7808.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Fortunately, the destroyed header was not anchored inside the wall cavity (or the termites ate the anchors out). I was able to remove it completely.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7809.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Here is a shot of the old plate, now anchored to two cross-headers that sit on 4 x 4's that were on either side of the destroyed header. These parallel headers are actually beefier than the original one so I'm not worried about their ability to handle the load.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7810.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7810.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Here is a three foot section of threaded rod attached to the iron rail. I drilled a 4 inch hole in the attic over the void in the wall that I poked the rod through. It went in suprisingly easy given that the rod was 4 feet into the wall and the rail weighs a good 40 pounds. The hardest part was getting all the measurements right for drilling the hole.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7814.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7814.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Here's the second section of threaded rod joined to the first and then anchored on two cross headers in the attic. The end of the rail now hangs on the rod instead of being slid into a hook hanging from a header. Once the door is hung, there will be a bit of fiddling to get everything level and centered. Then I can toenail in the cross-joists to prevent things from moving. The monster joist behind is one of the two that takes the load of the great room's ceiling since the center wall was removed to make it one big room.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7817.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7817.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Finally, a shot of the rail in the door frame. It's really solid and I can't wait to put the door back in after the termite guys look at things on Wednesday. I just hope the other door has straightened out.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1154262156922070972006-07-30T05:16:00.000-07:002006-07-30T05:22:36.933-07:00I Love the Smell of Saws-All in the MorningI was up at the crack of dawn today thanks to the alarm cat from hell. So before I hit the shower I decided to cut out more of the beam. I almost made it all the way through it before I ran out of battery power. I should be able to wrap it up this morning.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7805.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7805.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Just a small bit of the beam left!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7806.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7806.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A shot of the side of the opening where you can see one of the other beams I hope to rest the cross-beams on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7807.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7807.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Pieces of the termite buffet everywhere!Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1154228353354912762006-07-29T19:45:00.000-07:002006-07-29T20:00:45.750-07:00Panel Doors, Round ThreeSince Holly took Will and Kate to Mobile this weekend, I decided to resume work on the second set of panel doors in our house. One of the doors is badly warped after dipping it to remove the paint. I've laid that out on the floor and set the other door on top of it (along with some 5 gallon water containers) in an attempt to flatten it out. The other, more serious problem is that one side of the rail the doors hang from is attached to a wood beam that has been completely eaten away by termites. It is old damage - there is no evidence of active termites in the wood and from what I can tell, the previous people who worked on the house just framed around the dammage when they made our double into a single residence. Just to be safe, I have our termite company coming next week to confirm my diagnosis.<br /><br />Tonight, I came up with a plan which I hope will let me rehang the rails in the door opening without having to open up the drywall and plaster lathe. I'm using a saws-all to cut out the damage section of the beam through the narrow door opening. It's sort of like playing an incredible filthy version of that kids game named Operation. I have a three inch gap to work through. If I can get enough of the beam out, I hope I can set several pieces of 2 x 4 on top of the beams that run parallel to one that is destroyed. I then plan on reattaching the rail's mounting plate to these new cross beams. This will give me two of the three rail mounting points back - and that should be enough to rehang the doors. <br /><br />My backup plan is to rehang the rail on 3 foot lengths of threaded rod anchored in the attic. I may even have to do this for just the third mounting point if the first two aren't enough to hold the 150+ pounds of a door. This would involve cutting small access holes in the wall and the difficult task of getting the rod position properly from the attic. So I'm hoping that the third times the charm when it comes to fixing these panel doors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7801.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7801.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is the saws-all next to a four foot section of the destroyed beam that literal fell out of the door frame when I started cutting out the bad section. It's one "face" of the beam and you can see how the termites ate away everything inside of the beam.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7802.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7802.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is the bottom of the small section of beam that I cut out - you can see the main hole for the rail's mounting bolt and the two holes on either side for the screws. I removed the iron mounting plate before I cut it out to make sure I did not damage it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7804.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7804.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />This is a shot up into the door frame that shows the destroyed beam that the doors hang from. The blue tape is marking the exact position of the bolt hole for hanging the rail from. This gives you a bit of idea how small the opening I have to work with (I would hate to have to remove the door trim). I still need to cut out about another 3 inches of depth from the destroyed beam. Unfortunately, my rechargable saws-all battery ran out after the first cuts. I'm going to recharge it (and its spare) tonight and resume the demolition tomorrow morning.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1154010088811367582006-07-27T07:20:00.000-07:002006-07-27T07:21:28.813-07:00Silly Monkey!Did I mention that Will is one of the silliest kids I've ever known. He must get it from his mom...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7460.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_7460.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1154009900713649392006-07-27T07:16:00.000-07:002006-07-27T07:18:20.713-07:00Signs You Might Be A GeekWhen your desk looks like this...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7597.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7597.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And your closet looks like this...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6704.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6704.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1154009723490354522006-07-27T07:10:00.000-07:002006-07-27T07:15:23.506-07:00Bookshelves Done!The bookshelves were actually completed about a week ago but I've been too busy relaxing to post anything on the blog. The week before that I managed to wire the bookshelves with a cable and newtwork connection (for a network printer that we'll eventually get). After that, it was just a matter of priming them, caulking them, and then painting them with two coats. After they dried, Holly and I were able to remove a lot of the clutter from my office by stocking the shelves with our books and supplies.<br /><br />I'm really pleased with how they came out. I'm now toying with ideas for how I can build a matching desk with more shelves for the other end of the office.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6699.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6699.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7602.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7602.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_7600.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_7600.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1152444205178069922006-07-09T04:18:00.000-07:002006-07-09T04:23:25.190-07:00More Progress.....FinallyYesterday morning Holly took the kids to a music class at what will be their new school once it opens. I took advantage of that hour by myself to break out the chop saw and nail gun and install all of the trim on the shelves in my study. I was also able to wire up the outlet in the shelves and install the box for the network hookup. I haven't pulled those wires yet but since the shelves are right next to the wiring closet, it should not be a problem at all. Today I hope to find the time to reinstall the baseboard and door frame.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6645.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_6645.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6647.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_6647.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1151847989647994972006-07-02T06:43:00.000-07:002006-07-02T06:46:29.646-07:00It is hard to feel sorry for New Orleans........when <a href="http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1151823733170410.xml&coll=1">this</a> is business as usual around here.<br /><br />I am amazed that the article was even published in the newspaper. Not that anything more will happen to hold these people accountable for their actions.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1151642325330231052006-06-29T21:30:00.000-07:002006-06-29T21:38:45.340-07:00Shelves Are In!Tonight I was able top build and install the third and final section for the bookshelves in my study. Because of how unsquare the walls are and the difficulty in getting the upper sections in around the door frame, I'm not going to try to build them to the ceiling. In the long run, I may build in more storage on top of the shelves, but I'll do it in place like I did over the shower in the front bath. <br /><br />The next step for the shelves will be to trim them out and install bracing underneath the main bookshelves so they don't bow under the weight of the books. The trimming out of the shelves will have to wait until we get back from the 4th of July in Mobile. The Lowe's in Mobile has a much better stock of select poplar trim boards. So I've been purchasing all of that trim when I can.<br /><br />Tomorrow Holly and the kids go to Mobile for the long weekend and I'll be joining them late Sunday. In the meantime, I'll be installing colonial moulding and shoe moulding in the kitchen, play room, and hallway. Today I picked up 280 linear feet of the colonial moulding which entailed tieing 20 fourteen foot boards wrapped in blankets to the roof of our station wagon. Fortunately, the lumber yard is only about 4 blocks from our home. I probably would have been better off just walking home with the wood if it had not weighed so much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6580.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_6580.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1151464397235682572006-06-27T20:10:00.000-07:002006-06-27T20:13:17.253-07:00Part Two InstalledExciting post titles, eh? Holly had a friend from high school visit this afternoon so that slowed me down since I was on Will duty. I did manage to do the final coat of paint on the second panel door frame. Right before dinner I also talked one of my unsuspecting neighbors into helping me carry in the second piece of the office shelves. Tonight I took the night off but tomorrow I should be able to build the next set of shelves to go on top.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6377-2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_6377-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1151380015331862862006-06-26T20:40:00.000-07:002006-06-26T20:47:36.730-07:00Part One Installed, Part Two on DeckAfter I wrapped up work for the day, I was able to install the lower shelf unit in my study. This was a major undertaking since I had to remove the baseboards, door, and doorjamb in order to be able to slide the shelves into place. I wanted a tight fit that would make it appear like the shelves were built right in. The door jamb extended over an inch into the room and that would have meant some awkward trimming of the shelves to make them look built in.<br /><br />After a quick dip in our neighbors pool (they're still not back from Katrina and have invited us to use it when we want) and dinner, I retired to my lair in the outbuilding. There, in the not quite stifling evening heat, I built the second section of the shelves. This section will be for holding books so the shelves aren't quite as deep but will have extra reinforcement to deal with the extra weight. In order to keep the weight managable, I made them not quite as tall as I had originally planned. So at this point it looks like I might need to make two more individual units for what will eventually be the upper cabinets.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6363.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6363.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6372.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6372.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6375.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6375.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1151120263554736922006-06-23T20:33:00.000-07:002006-06-26T19:51:33.096-07:00Return of the ShelvesToday we spent the late afternoon in our next door neighbors pool with Will (and Kate sleeping in her car seat on the pool deck), so everyone was bathed before dinner. So after dinner I left Holly to put Will to bed and went to work in our out building our back. Two hours later I had built the bottom unit of what will be built in shelves in my study. We have a nook behind the door and next to the closet in that room that we want shelves in. These are going to be substantially wider than the last shelves I built so I decided to do them in three sections as opposed to two. So tonight I built the bottom section and cut all the shelves for all of the sections along with the sides of the next section. If its not too hot tomorrow or Sunday I hope to build the next section and get started on the third if I can.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6177.0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6177.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1151082562217353712006-06-23T10:07:00.000-07:002006-06-23T10:09:22.240-07:00And the hard work continues...Now that Holly and the kids are back home, I've slowed down on the house and am helping out with the kids where I can. Fortunately, I've found that after you've had one kid you're so good that you can take care of the next one even in your sleep. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_6078.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/320/IMG_6078.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1150156074304972262006-06-12T16:33:00.001-07:002006-06-12T16:55:57.716-07:00Getting Up And DirtyAfter basking in the glory of my so-called completed room for the whole morning, today after work I turned my attention to the entrance to what is the kids play room (and what would normally have been the formal dining room). About a month and half ago I pulled out the panel doors and had them stripped. In order to do so, I had to remove the trim around the doors which left a very uneven section of paint where the badly applied oil paint pulled off with the trim.<br /><br />I had learned from the first set of panel doors just how messy this operation was. Then I spent 3 hours sanding and another 6 hours cleaning dust up from the entire front of the house. So this time I did my best to use plastic sheating to create a little tent to trap the dust.<br /><br />It actually worked extremely well, except for the small detail that it trapped all the dust and heat right where I was working. So it was like an exfoliating sauna, only not particularly relaxing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5767.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5767.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5766.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5766.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5761.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5761.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5764.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5764.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1150120863511123512006-06-12T06:56:00.000-07:002006-06-12T07:04:05.763-07:00Done! ** For some arbitrary definition of done.<br /><br />Yesterday I wrapped up the painting in the front room and moved all the furniture back in. So the room is essentially done. I still need to hang some window treatments on our second front door. And this afternoon, I need to sand down the other panel door opening so that I can rehang the panel doors once we get the rollers back from the machine shop. It is going to be a really dusty process so Holly and the kids are staying away until tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can use tape and plastic sheating to create a tent to contain the dust. I'll definitely take pictures of whatever I come up with since I'm sure it will be crazy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5758.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5758.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5757.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5757.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1150028413089462132006-06-11T05:07:00.000-07:002006-06-11T05:21:27.983-07:00Must See TVWhile painting last night, I watched the Stanley Cup. After that was over, I was flipping channels for something else to watch. As luck would have it, I came across some of the best television I have ever seen. It was Great Performances on our local public broadcasting station and in particular, an episode called <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/operatunity/index.html">Operatunity</a>. <br /><br />Given our country's (myself included) ongoing obsession for American Idol, I found Operatunity to be incredibly more than just a singing competition. It a little bit of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115744/">Brassed Off</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147004/">Little Voice</a>, only it was real and so much more moving.<br /><br />I don't know if or when PBS plans on rebroadcasting the episode, but it is worth looking out for.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1149999712123859832006-06-10T21:14:00.000-07:002006-06-10T21:22:44.753-07:00Cream De La CreamOver the last two days, I've completed the two coats of trim paint and the first of two coats of wall paint. So tomorrow all I have left is a second coat of wall paint (cut-in and rolling). I tried to push on and start the second cut-in coat tonight but quickly ran out of steam.<br /><br />A few people have e-mailed me asking about my painting technique so here's a quick overview. Basically, I don't tape the edges nor do I put down drop clothes. Particularly in our old house with lots of "interesting" drywall joints along the baseboard, I've found that I get a cleaner edge doing the cut-in by hand. After the trim is all painted, I do the cut-in freehand. Once it dries, I then tape up newspaper to cover the baseboards from any incidental splatter from rolling the walls.<br /><br />Since these pictures were taken late at night with the flash, its hard to see how creamy the color really is. One of my neighbords described it a luscious - it really has some nice depth to it. The flash also emphasizes that the white of our vinyl shutters doesn't match the trim paint but thats not very obvious by normal light. We haven't painted the two front doors yet since we're hoping to be able to dip them and reveal the cyprus wood like we did for the panel doors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5740.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5740.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5739.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5739.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1149885544001551292006-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:002006-06-09T13:39:04.013-07:00Things Have To Get Worse.......before they can get better. After working a short day today, I moved all of the furniture in the great room off of the walls and into the center of the room. I then completed the shoe moulding in the front room. It took me 30+ minutes to get out all of the tools (nail gun, chop saw, coping saw, etc.), about 10 minutes to do the actual work, and 20 more minutes to put all the tools away. After that I primed the spots that weren't primed before and now I'm taking a break for the primer to dry. Then I can caulk the shoe moulding and start painting the trim.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5738.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5738.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5737.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5737.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1149861477226722182006-06-09T06:53:00.000-07:002006-06-09T07:02:40.013-07:00Score Two for HollyYesterday Holly made two awesome finds on <a href="http://www.craigslist.com/">Craig's List</a>. The first was a lightly used set of Pottery Barn crib linens for free - the very same pattern we're using for Kate's crib. The second was a great art easel along with paper, paint jars, and brushes for a really great price. Holly found them both yesterday, bought them, and had me pick them up in the late afternoon. Awesome finds from my awesome wife!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5736.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5736.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1149861148059964032006-06-09T06:48:00.000-07:002006-06-09T06:52:28.060-07:00Creamed...After painting the shelves in the kids' room, I moved on to the front room. There I did the second and final coat of trim paint on the front wall and did the first coat of cut-in on two of the walls. After that I emptied out the entertainment center (except for the TV) and the bookshelves that go with it. Today I get to move those pieces and install the shoe moulding behind them. Then I can prime that last few sections of the walls and start painting the trim. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5733.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5733.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5734.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5734.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5735.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5735.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1149860852698518862006-06-09T06:44:00.000-07:002006-06-09T06:47:32.713-07:00One thing off the list, finally...Yesterday after work I completed the last coat of paint on the monster shelves. They're finally done and they look great. Well, they're done until I finally get around to putting a door on the upper two openings. All that is left for that room is moving in some furniture and scraping paint off of the transom window. And the lower closet doors - we're either going to paint them or replace them with a curtain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5731.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5731.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/1600/IMG_5730.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6756/2074/400/IMG_5730.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20624695.post-1149736315401375752006-06-07T20:07:00.000-07:002006-06-07T20:11:55.413-07:00Home Again, Home AgainI'm back in New Orleans without Holly and the children in order to wrap up some of the rennovations I was working on before going to Mobile prior to Kate's birth. It feels good to be back in the city but there are a lot of mixed signals I'm seeing in regards to the recovery. <br /><br />In the month or so I've been gone, our yard has gotten out of control again (despite the best efforts of our boarder Alex). I'm doing my best to ignore it and focus on the work that needs to be done inside since it will be next to impossible to do once we have the kids in the house. So today after work I did the first of two coats of paint on the shelves in the kids room and then painted a couple of walls' worth of trim in the great room. Alex also helped me move the piano and some other pieces of furniture so if all goes well, I'll be able to starting rolling paint on at least one of the walls tomorrow after work.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06021751085226689081noreply@blogger.com0