View allAll Photos Tagged homeimprovements
So, why haven't I been doing many SPs, lately? Because the cellar has been excavated to remove soil contaminated by an oil leak several years ago, and I haven't had the house to myself.
Giant, scary hole was filled with at least three trucks' worth of concrete, today, while the house settles from having the foundation shifted. Quite a number of our walls have cracked, and will need replastering.
Taping the bathroom, the day I posted the photo of me looking tired. I'd just finished prepping the walls and taping off the trim, and I was really quite sick, so it tired me out quickly.
Day 3. With the glue dried I cut the table to size with a circular saw. The blade was decades old but it was all I had so that left some nice burn marks on the edge. Sanding took most of them out.
2 pairs of maple/oak 2x4's glued and clamped. Once they are dry I'll run each set plus an additional single piece through the planer before gluing them all together for the final desktop.
So here is how things stand right now...
* The green paint is done but for fixing the edges (not only where the walls meet other walls or the ceiling, where the blue tape took the fresh paint off or the paint got under the tape and got on the walls it was supposed to protect).
* The cabinets have doors, knobs, and "grey ashar" paint.
* ALL the tiling is done. I sealed the wrap-around earlier tonight (had to wait for the paint to dry because, uh, I forgot to do the sealing before I started putting up the tape, heh).
* The switch plates are back on (minus the two I've sent away for, still waiting for those to be back in stock).
* The multitude of paint cans in my kitchen have been sorted through; a whole lot of cans went to the shed, and four are on the back porch open to dry out what's left in them.
* The butcher block will be screwed into place tomorrow; it'd been outside to let the mineral oil do its work and I figure it should come to room temperature before I install it. :)
* I suppose I can take the tape off the microwave and the paper off the countertop there now that the painting is done, eh? Just noticed that.
So the next big project in here will be... putting down the Marmoleum click flooring. It's the earth-friendly kind that Candice Olson raves about on "Divine Design" but never seems to speak its name. Then I can has stove again?
Bridge, almost complete. Needs a few more screws, but it works now.
Home improvement pictures are probably viewed best from the "taken on" archive; link: www.flickr.com/photos/jsf/archives/date-taken/2006/calendar/
1. Old Dining Room Light, 2. New Dining Room Light, 3. New Dining Room Light
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
I drilled the holes for running electronics to the top of the desk then stained and sealed the wood with polyurethan. I've also completed the pipe leg frame and painted it black. Now all that's left is to wait for the desktop to completely dry and then move it into the office.
The concrete going behind the shop was about four inches too narrow to park the trailer behind the fence, so we've had it out front, taking up good parking, for a year and a half. Not for long!
It wasn't until a couple days ago that the final boxes of Marmoleum tile arrived so I could finish the floor. So now with the flooring down, trim up, door on, and shelving back in... that part is finally complete.
All that's left in this extravaganza is the kitchen window (it's a mess, damned crackheads) and putting things away (the familyroom, livingroom, and diningroom are a mess).
The wiring had been done before we started installing the cabinets but it took awhile for us to get around to having the fixtures installed. We opted for the flexible rope lighting which is a bit dimmer than other types but they are low power and it looks to be enough light for our needs.
There is a bit of light leaking from above the valance over the sink. I'll put some electrical tape on the back side and that should take care of that.
[ October 25, 2009 ] Our current home improvement project: upgrading anything and everything under the house.. insullation, vapor barrier, etc. This is us looking confused at Home Depot....
The hall closet, where all the magic happens. We have, um, between five and seven toolboxes, depending on how you count them. You do this much home improvement, you accumulate serious toolage.
This is actually my least favorite part of the apartment. Stacking things is NEVER a good organizing strategy (you're always taking the stack apart and reassembling it), but I haven't come up with something better.
We have this ridiculous old concrete slab in our side yard -- it's where the old landing for a stairway used to be (this has been moved since the house was renovated).
Anyway, it's a huge tripping hazard in the dark and when I try to move trash cans in and out. I figure it's time to remove it. I rented a demolition hammer from Home Depot and went to work. That thing is FUN.
[ October 25, 2009 ] Our current home improvement project: upgrading anything and everything under the house.. insullation, vapor barrier, etc. This is us looking confused at Home Depot....
I went through my old photos and it seems I don't have one of the fence while it was standing. So let me describe it as a series of pallets and held in place with copious amounts of Hedera helix English ivy. I did however take a series of photos for Ice Grapefruit from the roof of my house with my 1.3mpx Kodak 215 -- my only camera at the time -- by coincidence right after it came down and during the period while it was being cleaned up. [EXIF data is meaningless with this camera, so edited date is approximate.]
And other than the wood getting picked up and the ivy being killed, nothing else has happened other than them viewing the newly freed-up space as a way to widen the parking area of their driveway.
Until now.