Captured this neat shot from my porch of a funnel cloud forming:
Thursday, July 7, 2022
Monday, January 10, 2022
Building a garage
One of the things my home has lacked since day 1 is a garage. Many other Eastwood property owners have a garage that was built after the land was developed back in the early 1900's.
But, alas, mine did not.
What it did come with, was a semi-functional eyesore that was utilitarian in some respects. But, it wasn't a structure. And, it was plagued by cockroaches, wasps and spiders. It also threatened to whoosh off into the power lines whenever a windy thunderstorm blew through.
I'd already done a lot of the initial demolition legwork by disposing of 16 tons of concrete. That provided a few years of backyard peace in the interim.
and then I found Rod Frego, formerly of Reid Construction, now aka Custum Barns and Garages. Incredible. The man is spectacular to work with.
So our eyesore has been replaced with this looker:
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Replaced cast iron sewer vent
A big uh-oh was uttered from underneath the house. I'd discovered the cast iron sewer vent had completely severed in half. Concerned that it might damage the roof, I immediately called on my friend Tommy to inquire if he knew someone who could fix this without completely wiping me out financially. The leveling guys could call any day and that was already a $4,000 job on my plate of home expense woes.
Sure enough, he knew just the guys. $600 later it was all repaired. One less thing to worry about
See what it looked like before...
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
The Birds and the Bees
This endangered species of red-shouldered hawks was gettin' busy with it again for the third year in-a-row:
Their endeavor was quite successful:
Unfortunately, my neighbor cut the tree down.
#SorryToRuinYourDay
#ThinkBeforeYouAct
Monday, May 3, 2021
Goodbye Hanai, My little guy
My kitty, Hanai, passed today. He was the light of my life. He left quietly in his sleep, laying with his fur against my bare chest, in bed, at home with our arms wrapped around him. It was the best way any kitty could ask to go.
He fought so hard to stay alive. He has been there every single day—no matter how hard of a day it was—for over 14 years.
We'll miss you forever, strange little guy—
Baby bear
Sugar bear
Hubba-Wubba bear, and, most of all—
Pooh Bear
* With special appreciation to Dr. Clara Scott, My Family Vet, for blessing this little guy with so many years of life. Without you, I would never have had him by my side (or on my shoulder) for so many years ❤
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Sunday, January 17, 2021
DIY Miter saw storage cabinet
Built this out of some scrap kitchen cabinets to increase the storage in my shop. It fits directly beneath the miter saw stand and allows room for the legs of the stand to slide in and out.
Friday, December 18, 2020
Monday, November 2, 2020
Thursday, October 29, 2020
New LED cabinet lighting
The original electrical was an absolute mess in these. When I moved in, they worked great but slowly each halogen light went out. So I ran to Home Depot and bought 5 new halogen lights, put them all in, and then...
POP -$10
POP -$10
POP -$10
POP -$10
POP -$10
Ouch.
So after a very dark period of time, I finally decided to tackle this project and install new LED fixtures, each with a transformer to reduce the voltage running to the fixtures. They've worked great ever since!
Sunday, October 11, 2020
110 year old piano made by Hardman, Peck & Co., distributed by Thomas Goggan & Brothers
Found this beauty for free on NextDoor. We had it moved for $250 and the tuning cost $135, but it's been a joy!!
Only started playing a few weeks ago so forgive the hiccup at the beginning
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
DIY lean-to storage shed
Monday, September 28, 2020
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Researching the history of an old house
My partner’s house (and my home) is 105 years old. I love it. To me, it’s more than a fixer-upper; it is representative of his scholastic/career achievements and sometimes I think I may have more of an emotional attachment to it than he does. I’ve seen what it was when he bought it, and the time and effort that he has put into it. I’ve also seen the signatures of the care (or lack thereof) of previous owners, and appreciate the narrative of how it’s changed through time.Trust me, I am no stranger to old homes— and I can tell you that they’re *huge* pains in the derrière...but worth it.I’ve sanded, puttied, and painted more than I ever thought I could do in a lifetime in only the past year.The lives that were here (like the 2nd owner that accidentally shot himself in the front room and now rests in the cemetery down the road) play into a larger picture.My Best has mapped out every inch of this place; researched the gas, water, and sewer lines; requested obscure documents from the city in order to determine boundary and property lines, and knows more about the layout of our neighbors’ plumbing than even they know.I’ve learned more about railroad right-of-ways, encroachments, and federal protection of raptor nests than your average chick.Old homes are not simple things.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Saturday, June 13, 2020
New air compressor
My old air compressor had a serious malfunction. Was thrilled to get this new one, which is super quiet...
and...
on wheels!
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
You know you're an old house owner when...
- ....the guys at the scrap metal yard are constantly astounded by the amount of aluminum siding you bring in.
- ....you take scrap metal to the junkyard so often that the attendants start asking how your week has been.
- ....you wear your respirator like a backwards baseball cap so often that you often forget to take it off for trips to the grocery store.
- ...earplugs are always dangling around your neck, even when you're doing the dishes.
- ...white t-shirts are no longer white
- ...you buy gloves as frequently as you buy toilet paper.
- ...you know the employees at the city Environmental Service Center on a first-name basis.
- ....the local grocery store is nicknamed "Combat Kroger."
- ...while removing rotten wood from the backyard, you are disappointed to find a post that no roaches came running out for you to stomp on.
- ...you realize that picking an exterior paint color is one of the toughest decisions you've ever made.
- "You have 17 extra doors, and none of them fit any of the door-frames that are missing doors in your house!" (from my blogger friend Daniel Meyer, ourvictorianbingalow.com)
- ...you despise people who only build new and won't even consider reusing materials.
- ...you wonder why people pay so much for simple things like drywall repairs
- ...you neglect your friends and your job just for a few extra hours to work on the house
- ...you're no longer petrified of crawl spaces
- you trade out your car for a pickup
- ...you start selling junk on Craigslist, just to get the few extra bucks for building materials
- the ladies at the salvage warehouse keep a running list of things you need
- priorities are set based on a) what's sparking* b) what's leaking c) what's causing you to trip all the time
[*just kidding about the sparking part—thankfully haven't had, nor ever expect that issue to arise] - you constantly find yourself saying, "yea, I was working on that but... [then X happened]"
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Go big or Go home: Tips for DIY LED landscape lighting
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1st attempt, using a 45 watt transformer and 20 watt food lights on the trees |
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Mask shortage
Someone donated a set of masks in the little free library during the COVID-19 mask shortage. How cool is that!??!
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Workshop upgrades
[x]
Installed that cute cast iron Kohler sink I bought for $60:
Monday, April 13, 2020
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Mouldings...mouldings EVERYWHERE!
Work in progress
I've been replacing the door casings, baseboards and window casings to better match the architectural era of the house. Luckily, I was able to find a local lumberyard that has great prices, so the materials for 42 doors and windows (which includes both the interior and exterior trim) was only $250.
Took a little time to figure out how to address the 1/2" difference between the frames and the drywall, but after some trial and error, I finally found an easy solution. They've come out beautifully!
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Monday, March 23, 2020
Monday, March 9, 2020
Sunday, March 1, 2020
DIY Window Restoration by the Chimney
I finally got around to this project and it made a HUGE difference in how refreshed the exterior looks.