Archive for the 'home improvement' Category

04.04.09 A Big Operation posted in home improvement, photes

Harlo came over today to help me get setup to hang the flatscreen above the fireplace. I’ve had the wallmount on the wall, but couldn’t do much without a second hand to help me remove the mantle.

It took a lot longer than I expected, and we didn’t even finish the job. It turns out that drilling through 6-inches of brick can take some time. Especially when you don’t have the right angle of approach.

In the end, we were able to prep boxes for power and data. After Harlo left, I ran power and installed outlets in the bookcases and above the wallmount. There were already some antique outlets inset into the top of the mantle. They were tied into the same circuit that controls the entire upstairs and half of the living room. I’m planning on putting this whole fireplace TV wall power onto a new circuit. That’ll require some more romex.

Tomorrow’s tasks: Cut a hole by the wallmount for the data cables, run cable/ethernet to the non-fireplace side of the bookcases, and tie all the power into a new circuit. If all that goes well, we should be ready to hang the TV Monday night.

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03.24.09 It’s a Leak posted in home improvement, photes

Well… looks like I’ve got one more chore on my Spring chore list.

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06.06.08 Making progress: bathroom edition posted in home improvement, personal, photes

Whew! We’ve got tile up on the walls. Looking good, methinks.

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05.05.08 The New House posted in home improvement, personal, photes

We’ve got work to do on the bathroom, but it’s mostly in pretty good shape. With the market what it is, we’re getting a super fantastic fun deal #1.

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07.09.07 Porch progress posted in home improvement, personal

We’re getting there. I’ve spent the last two days sanding down the pressure-treated posts. I really wish the local stores had the planed versions rather than the raw posts with 100s of perforations. I remember a time when pressure-treated meant the wood was just green. Now it means rough hewn and full of holes. Bah. At any rate, I spent about an hour on each sanding down the rough surface to get down to the green meat of the wood. Then, I spent between 2 and 3 hours applying wood filler to fill the holes. I had to let each side dry for at least a half hour before I could rotate the post, otherwise, the filler would ooze out of some of the bigger gouges in the wood. Once dry, I spent another hour sanding the filler down to create a mostly smooth surface. There are still some gouges that need to be filled again, but I figure I can do that once they are standing.

So, I created some post-toppers and bottomers and squeezed the newly improved posts into place on the newly improved deck surface. Then, I sanded down the rough spots of the old street-side railing and screwed that into place. The mailman will be pleased to see our mailbox in it’s proper place again.

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07.04.07 Out with the old (porch) posted in home improvement, personal, photes

If we have any hopes of getting a good offer when we sell our house, we’re gonna need to fix the porch. It was built of 30-year-old tongue-and-groove decking that had about 10 layers of chipped paint on it. One of the corner posts was rotted to the core, while the other one was hollow and basically non-functioning. This should be an easy thing to do, right? Right?

So far, so good. The old came up without a problem, and I’ve got decking supplies for the new one. Hopefully, everything continues to go smoothly.

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10.10.06 Now Entering the Hoth System posted in geekery, home improvement, technology

After much delay, I have finaly renamed our home wireless network. For those who don’t know, I have made a standard practice out of naming my computer and geek-related technologies after the Star Wars universe. As such, all Apple products have been named for the Rebel Alliance and all PCs for the Galactic Empire. Desktop machines were named for planets or cities, and laptops were named for starships. Miscellaneous portables such as cell phones were named for small craft or animals. My 1st gen iPod is sitting in the drawer of my desk with the name TaunTaun. Seems appropriate since I have chosen to name the iMac “Echo Base.” The old PowerBook was portable, so it was named after the Rebel Blockade runner, “Tantive IV.” And since it was the primary ship orbiting our old wireless network, that network had been named Yavin System. Well… since the iMac is “Echo Base” I just had to rename the wireless network to the “Hoth System.” We can’t have an incongruities on my watch. Next step is to have Sarah rename her Vaio laptop.

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10.06.06 Bathroom. In Progress. posted in home improvement

So… yeah… while Sarah and Nora were in Wisco, I decided to start work on our bathroom. We have been wanting to remodel it for some time, but ever since the pregnancy, there haven’t been many opportunities to create dust around Sarah and now Nora. Enter the surprise. Sarah had no idea I was tackling the job so soon. In the span of 3.5 days, I managed to tear down all of the lath and plaster, move a heat register, run some electrical, re-frame the existing ad-hoc shelving unit, and hang drywall on 95% of the walls. I had some help with the drywall, of course.

I don’t know if I can count the number of times I said to myself “what have you done?” The good news is that it has all turned out pretty good so far. Sarah’s not super-pissed. She’s actually relieved. She managed to come home to a partially finished bathroom and she never had to wear a dust mask. Now let’s see how long it takes me to finish the rest of the room!

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09.28.06 I’m so in trouble posted in home improvement, personal, photes

Sarah and Nora haven’t even been gone 8 hours and I’m already tearing things apart. This time, it’s the bathroom. We’ve been wanting to work on the bathroom for a long time now, but since the pregnancy, we’ve been wary of creating dust in the house. So, what better time to get dusty than when the wife and kid are out of the house?

I have already had several moments of “what the hell have I done?” thoughts. Seriously, what the hell have I done? Sarah’s gonna kill me.

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07.24.06 Announcing Monday. posted in home improvement, nora

Well, another fine weekend has ended. Nora was an absolute peach the last few nights, so the house is in a general state of rest. There were a few household tasks I failed to complete, but I blame that on the heat. Even with an A/C unit in the window, the heat outside permeates and you just lose all energy to move about.

One thing I did accomplish, though, was the birth announcements for Nora. A little pink. A little design. And a little girl. I think they turned out great. Don’t you? If you be technically inclined, feel free to download the PDF. Otherwise, you just might receive on in the mail.

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