Barbecue Table Continued....

The work continues on the Barbecue table.   Using recycled farm fence posts, it is starting to take shape.  The first picture is the bottom of the fence post leg.  I have counter-sunk where the homemade leg-levelers will be using pipe flanges and a threaded rod.

Here, the pipe flange sits flush....

Threading the pipe flange so it will accept a rod all the way through it.

Here it is installed--Heavy duty with the ability to be adjusted up to 5 inches.

Flipped back over (without the top), the table is starting to take shape....

This will be the section where the drop-in gas grill goes....

And here is where the wood burning Kamado will be placed.

Now, it's on to finishing the top using hammered zinc and building the drawers....

My New Project--Outdoor Kitchen

Most of my work on this house has never come from "plans."  They come from ideas.  I sketch some thoughts and then start--figuring things out as I go.  My latest project is an "outdoor" kitchen,  Here, I have started with a built in barbecue for a gas grill and a kamado grill...

This is the skeleton of the island...

On my way to work one day, a farmer had pulled up a bunch of redwood fence posts--I asked and he gave them to me.  They will be the "legs" of the island.

Because the island will be out in the elements, I have used "wood-grained" tile for the project  This will help with the elements and provide a non-combustable material where the grills set.

This is where we have the island upside down and I'm attaching the legs

 Using my father-law's die and tap set, I will be creating heavy duty adjustable feet from a treaded rod and pipe floor flange...

There is still lot's to do:  Face the front, build drawers, and put on the zinc top.  It will be done when it is done....

A Look Back Provides A Reminder

There are times when I forget.  I forget where we started, the amount of work, the trial and error.  And then I look at these....

Is There Anyone Out There?

I have seen many of my fellow house bloggers come and go...Even Greg, from the Petch House, I see,  has wrapped it up.  I'm not sure what has happened to many of them.  And if any of the "old-timers" are reading this, please let me know what's going on....

I'm not judging anyone who has decided this life isn't for them.   I've had my doubts too:  Has it been worth it?  Has the time and money somehow turned into what I hoped when I first started more than 16 years ago?

Sometimes, the answer is "no."  I often fantasize about selling, and buying a "tiny" house--and using the capital from the sale to help fund other, more fun, more exciting, and less difficult endeavors.  But this house has become something much more than a home.  It has become an identity, a statement of the importance of preserving our past, and a lesson to my children that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  If I sold it now, I would be selling my soul.


When I look at the home I see my mistakes, my challenges, my willingness to finish.  And although I am not done (I need to finish the garage, repaint,  and complete some landscaping details), I am starting to be able to sit back, have a gin and tonic on a Summer evening, and enjoy the home for what it is--a comfortable place with stories, heart, and a sense of place.

This is our home.

Landscaping Continues....



Work continues on the hardscaping for the yard.  We had a bunch of left over stones that used to be our foundation.   We are re-using them in the yard.  After the steps are done, we will fill with a gold colored pebble.....

From a Pile O' Stones (that used to be our foundation...)



...To placement



To finally done..



I'm Still Standing

Is a house ever "really" done?

I know it has been awhile, and some people thought I have fallen off the face of the earth, but you will be happy to know that I'm still standing...and so is the house, which is a good thing.

While the house itself is done (although my wife will tell you that we need some furniture) the yard is still a "work in progress." Here's where we are (in pictures)...

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)