Sometimes You Gotta Do It Yourself

There have been times when I fully intended to find a piece to fill a particular need, but ended up making it myself...Take the simple door for example. Our closet was in need of some doors, but I couldn't find any to fit so, I'm making them myself.

Here's the closet:




























and here's the doors in progress:


















We're doing the same thing for the medicine cabinets for our upstair's bathroom...eventually, there will be mirrors in the doors, but for now, here's the progress:



























Here's the downstairs medicine cabinet (finished) that we made awhile ago. Inside, we cut some extra marble for the shelves.

Millworker Man

Millwork ain't easy
Millwork ain't hard
Millwork it ain't nothing
But an awful boring job
I'm waiting for a daydream
To take me through the morning
And put me in my coffee break
Where I can have a sandwich
And remember


Then it's me and my machine
For the rest of the morning
For the rest of the afternoon
And the rest of my life

(James Taylor--Millworker)

O.K...My Mojo Did Go--But Only For A Little While

Again, as previously posted here, and here, we've been working honest...although we did have a great summer visiting family in San Diego (Beach!!!), and then, later, spending time in Boston (Great City!!!) and then Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire (beautiful!!!). So our Mojo did go, but only for a little while...

We have been working our butts off for six years--forgoing outings, and visits with friends and families--this year we took some time off (two months, actually) and didn't do too much on the house...We did manage to get a few things done as shown below, but first the fun.

Our friends Brian and Tami (and family) have invited us out to Lake Winnipasaukee for years--and always we have declined because the house was in such disarry....but this year things were tied down enough that we thought we could go--and I was afraid that we wouldn't be invited again if we blew them off yet one more time.

Our other pals, Paul and Cami, flew out from Seattle, and we flew out from San Francisco...spending a few days first in Boston--our first trip there. What a great city. We loved every minute. We then went up to the lake and had a great time thanks to our generous hosts (If you are reading this--thanks again)

Paul, diving into the lake...




Lake Winnipasaukee



...And Boston


We did manage to get most of the downstairs finished (most, not all) and much of the time was on trim work--wainscotting, baseboards, door surrounds and the like. This took an incredible amount of time...and I'm glad the trimwork is largely done downstairs.

So here are some obligatory "before" and "after" on the house on the entry of our home.


(Before)




(After)

Did My Mojo Go? Part Two

As I explained in our previous post, we've been busy--too busy to blog much (my bad). But we have been working....

Before we moved downstairs (yet again) to complete the upstairs (trim, floors, bathroom), I wanted to complete as many projects as possible--this included the fireplaces.

As you can tell on the "before" pictures, there wasn't much there...We found some pretty beat up, cast iron fireplace surrounds and had them "powder coated" to prevent further rusting...I then got some salvaged marble (that came off a library) and tried my hand at marble fabrication...Which didn't come out too bad, considering I only had a skill saw, a diamond blade, and a 4-inch grinder to work with...It was surprisingly easy--but I haven't reached Michaelanglo's mad skillz.

Dining room fireplace before:

The dining room after (with fireplace)

The livingroom fireplace (before)

The livingroom (after):

Did My MoJo Go? Hell No!

I've been busy since my last blog entry. I need to catch up. So periodically I'll add a post and pictures to prove that my mojo didn't go.

We are still camping with a mortgage. We continue to live downstairs as we do all the trim, floors, and finish the upstairs bathroom. But before we could move downstairs, we had to finish a bathroom...and we did!

Here's the Pics...

Before....

After:

Enough About Corn

I think all the sex talk got me so flustered that I forgot to deliver on my promise to Carol…I had promised to give her info on the materials used in kitchen...So here’s my resource info for Carol (and anyone else who might be interested).

Tile:

The tile is your standard 3x6 subway tile. The manufacturer of the tile is B & W Tile. We purchased the tile from our friend who owns Tile and Stone in San Rafael…(if you ever want to see some lovely eye candy you should check out the show room…)

http://www.bwtile.com/

Cabinets:

The cabinets are somewhat of a long story—because of the limitations in the room (fixed windows, chimney, wall openings, etc.) it became apparent that we would need custom-sized cabinets to make things fit properly. After trying to get bids from local cabinet makers—who failed to return calls and return bids, I decided to go in a different direction…And I'm so glad I did.

Instead of having the cabinets built locally, I decided to purchase “Ready-To-Assemble” cabinets from Scherr’s Cabinets and Doors. Let me just say that working with Leon Scherr was a pleasure—he was extremely helpful in making suggestions in the design—and wasn’t bothered by the fact that I would constantly make changes to the plans and send them back (Note: these changes were because I was changing my mind, not because the plans were wrong). Leon went through about five sets of plans before I ordered…He was extremely patient throughout the process.

Almost every cabinet is a non-standard size—which is no problem for Scherr’s since they built each cabinet to order. You can specify the type of wood and the finish…all the drawers are dovetail construction.

Because the cabinets are ready to assemble, the cost is considerably lower than other cabinets—but the materials are generally better. Putting the cabinets together was relatively easy…and because we saved considerable money on the construction, we opted to upgrade the drawers and inserts with “Blum-Motion” slides—where the door shuts itself at a certain point. If you have some basic construction skills, using a rubber mallet and screw driver, you easily put the cabinets together. The difficult part is hanging the cabinets---get some help with this one…and check out a book on installing cabinets.

http://www.scherrs.com/


Hardware:

The hardware came from House of Antique Hardware (They have great hinges too at reasonable prices).

http://houseofantiquehardware.com/


Sinks and Faucets:

The Sinks are Shaws Fireclay from Rohl and the Faucets are Perrin and Rowe and Country Collection from Rohl.

http://www.rohlhome.com/


Countertops

You can get a complete description of the countertops along with a link here.


So hopefully this helps Carol—and thanks for the nice comments.

Sex and Corn and the Kitchen is Done

Garrison Keillor once said that “Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.” I’m not sure what they are growing on the prairie, but I’ve never had corn that good before. Maybe my mad culinary skillz are not as proficient as Keillor’s. That being said, living without a real kitchen for the past six years has given us a renewed appreciation for real food—albeit, not to the level of Keillor.

(The Kitchen "Before")
Preparing a thoughtful dinner, some crusty bread, and sharing a bottle (or two) of wine with friends and family, while lingering over dinner and enjoying each other’s company has been something that we have missed terribly as we have gone through the rehabilitation process. We took a step toward getting this back recently by (mostly) finishing the kitchen.


“In cooking you’ve got to have a ‘what-the-hell attitude,’” wrote Julia Child. We took this inspiration to heart when it came to our kitchen—both in the planning and execution. In our previous apartments and homes, we have never had a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, or new appliances. Not this time. Since this is the home in which we will stay, we tried to include our dreams and our wishes, and not feel too guilty about it….So for the first time in our marriage we have a dishwasher, and a new range, and our wishes. And while dreams seldom match the reality that follows—this time it did.

(The Kitchen--After)
There was a time, during the holidays, I would do my best to prepare a “gourmet” Christmas Dinner for our friends—choosing recipes from chefs like Alice Waters or Thomas Keller and try to replicate them—mostly to mediocre results. But that didn’t matter so much. What was nice was to be surrounded by people who mattered to us and us to them…and as the wine was poured and shared, the culinary mistakes became less noticeable.

Slowly as we all had kids, home projects became all encompassing, jobs got more demanding, and time became harder to hold, we stopped having our Christmas Dinners. That may soon change. Our friends, Michelle and Glen, have put us on notice that they have procured some special bottles of wine that are awaiting an attempt at cooking well…

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Wrote Virginia Woolf. Perhaps it is time to start planning a meal….

Patrick's Folly

This is the picture of a once-prominent home in my town...The house became known as "Hasting's Folly" as it nearly bankrupt the owner in his obsession to build it.

I may be the reincarnation of Mr. Hastings.

Something happens when you marry yourself to an old home. Common sense flies out the window.

Money becomes irrelevent. The "Costco Rule" of never being able to leave the store without spending at least $100.00 applies ten-fold to that god-forsaken hell hole--Home Depot. Like your last diet, you tell yourself this time you're going to be good and watch the purchases. But your willpower always lessens and instead of looking through the cabinets to find your stash of Oreos, you are instead cruising the pages of Restoration Hardware, Rejuvination, and the black hole of Ebay. You convince yourself that after six years of sleeping with caulk in your hair and paint in your ears that you deserve it...and out comes the cash. Starting Monday, though, you'll be good...sure you will, you lying bastard.

You become hell-bent on getting it done...and you don't know if it is because you love the home and you want her to have everything, or she is some kinda whore that demands your last cent if you have any intention of sleeping with her tonight. It gets to the point where you can't distinquish between the two--You start to feel like the Faye Dunaway character in the movie "Chinatown."

Jack Nicholson: Who is she? And don't give me that crap about your Lover because you don't have a Lover.

You: I'll tell you. I'll tell you the truth.

Jack Nicholson: Good. What's her name?

You: Patrick's Folly.

Jack Nicholson: Who?

You: She's my Whore. (Jack Nicholson slaps you).

Jack Nicholson: I said I want the truth.

You: She's my Lover. (Another slap) She's my Whore. (Another slap) My Lover, my whore. (Two more slaps.)

Jack Nicholson: I said I want the truth!

You: She's my Lover and my Whore!

I understand you, Mr. Hastings. I understand the obsession to finish, to do it right, and to get it done. I hope I can do it without losing everything...including my marbles, which are obviously rolling out of my cranium as a I write....

______________________________________________________________

P.S. In case my wife is reading this--Honey, everything is fine, really. This was a exaggeration of sorts. We're fine--really. Now, if I can just find my Oreos.

P.S.S. Here's the rest of the Hasting's story in case you are interested...quoted verbatim from the Benicia Historical Museum website.

This 3 1/2 story, 40 room mansion cost over $85,000 to build and another $265,000 to furnish. There were 21 bedrooms but only 3 bathrooms, 88 doors and 85 windows all topped by a 15 foot tower. He installed speaking tubes and call bells and the "Harvey Method" hot water radiators for heating. A gas engine pumped water from a 50,000 gallon cistern in the cellar which was fed by a spring 10,000 feet away and a tank on the roof held another 2,000 gallons. The house was insulated by two inches of sand between double flooring and wall laths which made it almost sound proof and draft free. There were marble floors, onyx and marble fireplace mantels. The kitchen tables, counters and drain boards were all marble-topped. The walls of the library, games room and billiard room were beautifully paneled and the staircase alone cost $8,500.

The Hasting's family consisted of only his wife and five children so the real reason for Mr. Hastings to build such a castle was to upstage his rival, Lansing B. Mizner. In the 1870's, he had gotten into an argument with Mr. Mizner and Mr. Goodyear and swore to show them up. Interestingly enough Mr. Mizner never got around to building his mansion. This didn't matter to Mr. Hasting's who was obsessed and ended up spending his entire fortune on the house causing it to be known as "Hasting's Folly".

It was a boys dormitory for a short time for the convent school and finally closed then torn down in 1937.

Fun With Floors

These are my "lessons learned" from finishing our floor….Sexy stuff, let me tell you.

Our original floor was doug fir. We had nice wide planks of about 5 inches. But when the previous owners added on to the home they merely made their new plywood sub floor match the height of the old floor and then they carpeted in a nice avocado green shag. Ooooh la la.

When we rebuilt the additions and gutted the downstairs, we pulled all of the original floor out and saved it in our garage. Our house looked like this at this point:







































Lovely, don't you think?

With the house down to the floor joists, it gave us an opportunity to take care of some HVAC issues, plumbing, electrical wiring, replacing any rotted boards, insulation, as well as cleaning up 125 years worth of people leaving crap in the crawl space. When we were done with this, we laid a plywood sub-floor over the entire house…It was good to have something to walk on—I was tired of slipping, falling, and getting splinters in my butt.

But now, what to do? We didn’t have enough wood to cover the entire house. I checked on some mills and the cost of milling wood to 5 inches was astronomical (about $12.00 sf—unfinished)…so I looked for alternatives.

I came across a company called "Beyond Waste." They recycle old 2X4’s and re-mill them into flooring—they have great character: nail holes, staining, and good graining. And the price was right: $4.00 per sf. The problem was the boards only come in 3 ½ inch widths…hmmmm.

We decided that since our old boards were already up, we would re-lay them with the new 3 ½ inch boards in a random pattern. Problem solved.

We also decided to "flip" our old boards (that way we didn’t have to sand through the various layers of paint and black "mastic" that was on most of the boards). This turned out to be one the best things we could have done, because on the stairs, where we couldn’t flip the boards, sanding/stripping/scrapping off the paint was a real PIA. It would have driven me to poking out my eyes. Glad we flipped em.

After 120 hours, the floor was laid…with rough cut side of the "old boards"facing up and mixed and matched with the newly milled "new boards." At this point, I thought we might have made a mistake…The place looked like the OK Corral…and the color difference between the old and the new—along with the difference in size really was startling. But we moved on….cuz what else were we gonna do?

Although we did our best matching the tongue and grooves, the floor was pretty rough—the rough sawn side of the old boards and the difference in wood meant that we would have a lot of sanding to do….We started by using an edger (four trips around all the walls using 36,60,80 and then 100 grit paper). We then took a drum sander with 24 grit paper and sanded on the diagonal. This did a good job of "leveling" the floor. We then went with the grain with 36,60, and 80 grit paper. Finally, we switched to a vibrating sander (with a big pad) and finished with 80, 100, and 120 grit…The vibrating sander worked great at finishing while the drum sander really helped bring the boards into shape. We then thoroughly swept, sucked, tacked up all the dust. (Dust will kill a floor).

We then applied Zinsser sealer (wax free) which really "popped" the grain. We had planned on re-applying a tinted sealer on the new wood (to help it match the color of the old wood), but after seeing the wood sanded and sealed, we really liked the look and decided to skip this part…

We then started applying Fabulon polyurethane…6 coats in total. In between coats we would sand with a 320-400 grit screen using the vibrating sander and, again, clean in between coats. We did not sand after the final coat—instead we will use Howard’s polishing compound and the vibrating sander to smooth out the floor, and finally use Howard’s Wax n’ Feed to bring out the shine—but that will be done right before we move our furniture back in. Right now, even in all of it's filthy glory, it looks pretty good: