Jeff's Home Renovation

Spending $7.00 to save $75.00

2009-05-31T11:39:00.001-07:00

We were having some more drain problems.

The laundry tub was draining very slowly, so when we were doing laundry it was filling up. Since we don't watch the washer & dryer like a hawk we didn't notice this until we also did a load of dishes at the same time.

The laundry and kitchen sink drain through the same stack, so they conspired to fill and overflow the laundry tub. Luckily we have a floor drain right in that area so there was no damage. The drain was blocked BEFORE the floor drain, other wise we'd have had a bigger problem.

I could have snaked the drain if I had a snake or if I could have gotten the brass access plug off of the stack. So I went with Plan B.

In this case, Plan B was liquid drain cleaner. At $7.00 a bottle it's much cheaper than a plumber. IF it works.

I gave it a couple of tries according to the manufacturer's directions and didn't notice any appreciable changes, it still drained verrrrrrry slowly.

Hoping that the chemicals at least started breaking things up I decided to give it a little force. One of the two tub drains was plugged and a hose was stuck in the other one. A wet towel was used to seal around the hose as well as possible.

After a few seconds of pressure from the hot water heater I could hear things break loose and the water started draining quickly.

I'm not sure if it was the pressure or the chemicals or a combination of the two, but the job is done and I didn't have to call the plumber to snake the drain.

Granted it might not be a bad idea to have somebody come out and scrape the pipes, but at least I don't HAVE to do it now.

Getting the Garden Started

2009-05-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

It was a nice day so I decided to get started on the garden. I've had the tarp down over the grass for about 5 days in an effort to kill the grass.

It didn't work out quite as well as I had hoped, probably because I didn't cut the grass real short before putting the tarp down.

The ground was still pretty damp, and since our ground contains a lot of clay it didn't till as well as I had hoped.

Either way, the tiller did a pretty good job cutting through the sod. The tiller was certainly worth the price I paid (free).

Over the weekend, if the weather is good I plan to hit the store and pick up some landscape timbers to frame the garden. Then a few yards of topsoil to fill it in and I should be all set for planting.

Since it's late in the season to start with seeds we'll just put in plants from a local greenhouse.

More to come.

Beautifying the Ranch

2009-05-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not putting pictures of me in front of the place, but thanks for the thought.

There is a planting bed at the front of the house. It's got a southern exposure so it gets plenty of sunlight. Last year my wife picked out the plants for it, and her theme was "Flowers that Jeff hates."

This year I beat her to the punch and picked up some plants from Menards. I got a half-dozen different styles/colors, including some grasses.

To prepare the bed I finally got a chance to use the rototiller. It was a tight fit in this narrow bed, but it chewed through the ground without a problem. Well, it should, it's only lightly compacted dirt. I did the same on a planting bed on the side of the house, but haven't picked up the plants for that area yet. I still need to remove the stump from an old burning bush which was planted there and allowed to grow wild.

I also started preparing a spot in the back yard for a garden, which should really give the tiller a workout. Currently the spot is covered with a thick layer of grass. I could possibly till right through it, but if the grass is still alive it'll start growing right away once I plant and water the garden.

The goal is to kill the grass. Yeah, I could remove it with a sod cutter or a shovel, but that's a LOT of work that I don't want to do, so I went with "Plan B".

Plan B is covering the ground with a dark tarp and letting the heat generated do the hard work for me. Between the heat and the lack of sunshine I should be able to accomplish the goal. I could also use a lot of grass killer, but would rather not.

Since the days are longer now I'll probably break out the tiller after work in the next day or two and break the ground up. Then it gets covered up again for a few days before tilling again. Maybe it'll be ready to plant in a few weeks.

More Regular Maintenance

2009-04-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

While you're cleaning out your gutters and changing the batteries in the smoke detectors, don't forget your furnace air filter.

This one was installed last fall. I use Honeywell filters that are pleated and about 4" thick. Pretty nasty looking.

The back side is nice and clean. This is what the new filters look like (except for the wire mesh which is only on the back side). The 4" thickness along with the pleating increase the surface area tremendously compared to a generic 1" filter. Because of the extra surface area I only have to change the filter twice a year.

Ghetto Metal Fabrication

2009-04-26T14:03:00.001-07:00

Back to the rototiller I got for free a few weeks ago. I didn't notice it right away, but there was no shield around the tiller blades. This wouldn't keep it from operating, but it would make using it a very dirty operation for me as it would throw dirt all over me.

Time to do a little metal fabrication!

A few years back I did a lot of metal fabrication in the garage of our previous house. This Humvee replica was built on a Chevy Suburban chassis. Everything brown was fabricated from scratch. The cammo parts are military surplus, and the doors are replicas. Compared to this, a dirt shield for an old rototiller should be a piece of cake!

First step was to remove the motor from the tiller. Four bolts and the throttle cable were removed in about 5 minutes.

The lower unit only needed a little de-greasing.

I had enough spare sheet metal laying around to do this, but most of my metal working tools are still packed up. This was a pretty simple job so I went with hand tools. Aviation snips, a 24" x 24" sheet of aluminum, a 3 pound mallet, and cordless drill is all I needed.

The back end of the sheet was cut to fit over the frame and the sides were bent down. The aluminum bends easily, so I didn't have to use a metal brake.

It's probably wider than it needs to be, but I can easily trim it back later after I try it out for the first time. As it sits now it should easily keep me from getting covered in dirt. Total work time, about 90 minutes.

The thin metal would benefit from a couple of beads being rolled into it, but it's not worth the effort right now until I get a chance to try it out.

After mounting the engine it fired up on the 3rd pull. Life is good.

Spring Gutter Cleaning

2009-04-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of rain over the past few days, and it looks like it'll keep up for at least another day or two.

Since we moved in there have been pretty regular "issues" with the downspouts, as they get a pretty good build-up of leaves and twigs which can block the flow and plug the downspout. Plugged downspouts lead to water coming in at the foundation, which has meant water getting into the basement.

I took a little time when the rain stopped to go check the downspouts, and found that two of the four had some build-up. Neither was too bad, but one of them could have easily escalated to full blockage with a little more debris.

Five minutes of work and they're all cleaned out and ready for more rain. I also found that one of the drain lines was ready to come disconnected, which would have let all the water drop straight down to the foundation. Probably from the kids playing around it, would be my guess.

The blockage I get now is nowhere near as bad as it was last year thanks to the tree trimming I've been doing. Trees which were overhanging the house were cut back as much as possible, so now much of the junk ends up in the gutters thanks to the wind. I won't cut the trees back too much more, as they'll really start to look hacked up if I do that.

Taking Advantage of a Nice Day

2009-04-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since I did any work in the garage. About all I've done in the past 8 months out there was making it messier.

Took care of that today, and got things about half-way done.

All the big stuff was pulled out and rearranged. I also broke out the leaf-blower and got all the old leaves and dust out.

I still need to go through all the stuff on shelves and clean off the work bench so I can tune up the chainsaws and do some other work which wouldn't be appreciated on the kitchen table.

Yardwork FREEBIE!

2009-04-17T16:44:00.001-07:00

A few days ago a neighbor had an old table saw and rototiller out at the street, giving them away.

The tiller found it's way to my garage, thanks to another neighbor who grabbed it for me. He talked to the folks giving it away, who said it was last used a few years ago and worked well then. Health problems led to it's dis-use.

I figured if I could get it working it would be worth the price (free).

Luckily, it was stored without gas, so there was no build-up in the carb. The air cleaner was damaged by mice, but they didn't get anything into the carb so I can run with it as-is. The throttle cable is shot and needs to be replaced, but works good enough for now. The plug was pulled and it looks good. I also confirmed that it was sparking when the starter was pulled.

I put some fresh gas in and gave it a few dozen pulls and couldn't get it to even sputter. I wasn't sure if there was a problem with the carb, fuel line, or anywhere else, so I poured a few tablespoons of gas directly into the carb.

Three pulls later and it fired up and quickly settled down into a smooth idle. I hit it with some engine degreaser and got it cleaned up so I can more easily give it a tune-up.

It needs: an air filter, a drive belt, a throttle cable, an oil change, and maybe a new plug. Maybe $20.00 in parts and it should be ready to rock. No idea how old it is, but it's probably at least 25 years old. We'll see how it really works later this year, as I'm planning to do a small garden.

Meat - it's not Just for Breakfast Anymore

2009-04-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

"Vegetarian" is an American Indian word meaning "bad hunter".

Recently I've been spending more time working on my BBQ recipes - pulled pork, ribs, etc. Not just thrown on the grill, but in a slow-cooking smoker, designed to cook the meat at a low temperature for upwards of 18 hours.

Yum-diddiley-scrumptious!

While looking at recipes and methods online I noticed a lot of information on grinding my own meat for sausage patties, brats, links, etc. This seemed like an interesting thing to try, because I like to make sausage patties for breakfast on the weekends, but they're always expensive (I'm cheap) and you're never quite sure what is in 'em.

So I found a couple of promising recipes and picked up a meat grinder.

It's the old-style crank, and not motorized. I figured if I like how they turn out and I start making and freezing the sausage I can always upgrade later on.

After the first trial run, I'm surprised at how well it works and how good the sausage is. If I buy the meat in bulk it will cost me 30% less to make my own sausage and control the ingredients. I usually buy pork shoulder for $1.50 a pound in 14-18 pound bulk packages for making BBQ, so no problem there.

The first batch I made is pork, salt, cayenne pepper, rubbed sage, black pepper, crushed red pepper, coriander, and Accent (MSG). No other preservatives, additives, finger nails, or fillers. Accent is the only semi-questionable ingredient, and I'm going to do some tests to see if it tastes the same without it. If so, it's gone, too. I'm also planning to experiment with how much fat is in the mix. Pork shoulder is very fatty, and ground sausage is usually very fatty too. If I can use less and still get good results, so much the better!

First taste test confirmed that it's a very tasty recipe. The sausage patties aren't all perfectly round and even like the store-bought stuff, but who cares? It'll all look the same at the end of the day...

I plan to try grinding my own hamburger soon. Those who have done so often swear by it, as you can control what cuts are used, the amount of fat, etc.

Garage Door Maintenance

2009-04-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

Since we bought this place, the garage door has been a big pain in the ass. It never really opened or closed as well as it should. Over the past few months it's gotten to the point where the door won't open or close without help (me lifting or pushing down on it as it moves).

Not knowing jack-sh1t about garage doors, I figured it was just binding up on the track somewhere, so I spent a couple hours screwing around with it trying to get it to work better.

No luck.

Finally I decided to just bite the bullet and call a professional. Scheduled appointment was today between 9 and 11 am. The tech calls at 8:30 asking if he can show up 15 minutes early.

Hells yeah!

Dude gets here and gets to work. First problem is that the rollers are all original to the door installation and are worn out, wobbly, and generally crappy.

15 minutes later and he's got the original steel rollers replaced with non-steel (Plastic? Teflon? Space-age polymer? No idea...). The door moves much more quietly and with much less slop, but still doesn't open or close properly.

He adjusted the springs a number of times trying to get the left and right side to have the same tension. It got better and better, but still kept binding up. Then he noticed one of the pulleys was a little worn out. Worn out to the point where the bearings were shot and it was very hard to turn. It was hard to see when it was installed because the brackets holding it covered almost all of the center. The pulleys were the real problem.

In go a pair of new pulleys and the door FINALLY opens and closes like it should. Quiet, smooth, and without extra effort.

None of what the guy did was rocket science, but if you don't know what to look for it's damn near impossible to guess your way through this job. Looking back at it now, I could have done the job myself IF I knew what to look for. This is one of those jobs where you pay the pros, watch what they do, and then do it yourself the next time.

On the picture of the new roller you'll see a bunch of grease on the wheel. This is grease that the previous owner put on the track, which is a big no-no. Grease actually causes more problems than it solves. In the winter it gets hard (at least up here in the north) and it traps all kinds of dust and dirt, gumming up the track.

After his work was done I sprayed the track with engine degreaser and wiped it clean. I love how quiet the door is now. The new rollers also come with a lifetime warranty, so if/when I ever install a new garage door they'll just use those rollers so I don't have to buy new ones. If I keep the receipt that long, that is...

Installing a Microwave Over the Stove

2009-04-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Forgive me Father, it has been 3-1/2 months since my last post.

It took that long to get over my renovation burn-out, I guess. Feels good to get back to work, since there is still so much left to do, and so much half-done.

Something which has been bothering me longest is that I haven't installed the microwave above the stove yet. We're still using the little counter-top one we've had for years. It works, but it wastes counter top space. I bought it's replacement when I got the appliances after we moved in almost two years ago. Time to get it installed!

First thing I needed to do was to cut a hole for the exhaust vent. I've had range hoods in the past that always just recirculated air back into the living space. Finally one that vents outside!

From below the hole is a little rough. Not a big deal, nobody will ever see it once the microwave is installed. Here you can also see the 4x4 blocking I added to drop the mounting hardware down a bit. The mounting screws that came with the microwave were 4" long metric threads, but I need 5-1/2" because I added a 4" spacer under my cabinet. Why? Because I mounted our cabinets 4" taller than normal and still wanted the microwave at it's "normal" height. No hardware stores around here carry longer mounting hardware, so this is "Plan B". It also lets me beef up the way it's installed - stronger than it would otherwise be.

Before I installed the cabinets, I installed an outlet on the wall for the microwave. I didn't know exactly where the cabinets were going to be, so I left some witness marks on the wall telling me how far up the outlet was located. The red ink tells me that the outlet is about 1" above the base of the cabinet. The black vertical line tells me where the wall stud is located, and the black horizontal line is the top edge of the microwave once it's installed.

A test-install shows that everything fits and works properly. The 4" spacer above the microwave is actually kick-plate for the base cabinets. The metal piece above the microwave is for the venting. It converts the rectangular vent to a round tube (it's upside down in this picture).

Hopefully I finish up most of the install today. I want to finish all of it except for running the exhaust into the ceiling. I need to find out where the joists are so I can cut the holes.

White Death, December '08

2008-12-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

Sure, this isn't Denver or Buffalo, but we're getting our fair share of snow.

Friday morning starting at around 1 am we got about 8" of snow before 8 am. By the end of the day it was around 11".

The snowblower worked great, and it appears that the Loc-Tite did it's job. Damn, no new snowblower for me this year I guess....

What really confuses me are the idiots who go out driving before the roads are cleaned up. Now not everybody out there is an idiot. I was out there while there was still no way to see the actual street. 6+ inches of snow in the intersections, etc. The idiots are the ones who go out un-prepared or poorly equipped.

Like the people with their cars stuck in 6+ inches of snow in the turn lanes.

The main roads are bad enough for cars, but to think that your car is going to make it through a tight low-speed turn with snow up past the frame? FAIL.

A lot of the cars I saw on the roads were police, and some of those police cars were running tire chains, something I've never seen on police cars around here.

I'm a different kind of idiot I guess, as I love driving in the snow. But since I drive a Jeep I have a little easier time getting through the snow. The only area I was even remotely concerned with was when I was trying to enter the remote parking lot at Best Buy before the lot was plowed.

There was barely a path wider than the Jeep going in, and snow at least 8" high. There was also a big pile of snow to get through from the plow trucks clearing the street. A little extra gas and I got right through.

On the way out, a guy was stuck in the same spot with what I assume to be a 2 wheel drive pickup (back wheels were spinning like mad, front wheels weren't moving at all). He was evidently an idiot.

If your job is critical and you're needed, take your chances. Going shopping at Best Buy probably doesn't count as critical.

Unless they've got a killer sale on HD TVs, that is.

Tonight we're supposed to get another 5" or so.

Yay...

I Own the Snowblower from Hell

2008-12-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yeah yeah, I'm still alive.

I know it's been months since my last post, but I've done pretty much jack-squat on the house since then, other than paint the bathroom.

I've finally determined that my snow blower is the illegitimate love-child of Satan and Oprah. (I should probably disable comment posting as soon as I publish this).

It's big, old, and heavy and I think I'm doomed to a lifetime of dealing with it.

But it DOES have cool tire chains!

For years now I've been waiting for it to die so I can justify spending $700 on a new snow blower. But like the Energizer bunny on meth, this thing just won't quit.

A week ago we had some snow so I fired it up. 2nd pull, as always, and it immediately settled down into a smooth idle. When I was about 80% done with clearing the drive it started to shake and make a loud banging sound, like somebody had thrown a frozen cat into the auger.

Don't ask me how I know what that sounds like, I'm not sure what the statute of limitations is on that quite yet....

I shut it down and found that the entire auger assembly (the spinning blades of death in the front) was lose and hanging at an odd angle.

YAY! Time to get a new snow blower!

Oh, wait, the bolt that holds the right side of the auger just fell out. And it's sitting 2' away from me on the driveway. Damn. 3 minutes and a 3/4" socket wrench later and it's back up and running.

At least I didn't have to spend the money reserved for the kid's Christmas presents on a replacement.

Today we're getting more snow so I broke it out again to take care of the first few inches of snow. Again, about 80% of the way through the work and it starts to run weird.

This time it was idling poorly - revving up and down and generally running like crap. I thought it was running low on gas, but when I checked I found that I still had half a tank. I noticed that the shield covering the carb was wobbly, which is different because normally it's nice and tight. I thought it might just be a lose screw, but as I was moving the shield it I found that the engine ran better depending on how the shield was held.

The entire carb was actually lose, and letting in additional air while letting out some of the gas intended for the engine. There are two screws which hold the carb in place, and both had worked themselves lose.

A few minutes later I had it tightened up and it was running great. For about 5 minutes. The screws backed out pretty quickly and I was back to having to tighten 'em up again.

This time I put some Loc-Tite on the screws to hold them in place. I'll know tomorrow if it'll hold. If not, maybe I'll finally get that new snow blower.....!

Being somewhat mechanically inclined has really paid off though. Two problems that could have resulted in expensive trips to the shop with the snow blower were taken care of with about $.02 in Loc-Tite.

Assuming that fixes the current problem. I'll know tomorrow when I fire it up and try it again.

Take Care of Your Tool

2008-09-28T13:44:00.001-07:00

Here's one that most people never think about. Shovel maintenance.

Yes, maintenance for your shovels.

As with other tools, if you take care of your tools they should last a lifetime. Unless you buy cheap crap, since you can't polish a turd. Well, you can, but a shiny turd isn't much better than a dull one.

Below is the blade on my garden spade/shovel. You can see the edge of the blade is bent backwards, which creates resistance when trying to plunge the blade into your own skull after watching your NFL team blow it in the last few minutes of the game.

After my headache was gone, I decided to do something about the blade. This bent-over edge was from the manufacturing process, and probably shouldn't have passed quality control. I noticed it after getting it home and using it, after it was too late to swap it out.

Yeah, it's dirty. I'm not big on cleaning tools at 10 PM after burying pet hamsters in the garden...

So as with sharpening the mower blades, out comes the Angle Grinder with a sanding flap disc installed. Some people might cringe at spending $15-20 for a power tool like this, figuring you get what you pay for. Well, normally you do, and I'm all for spending more for quality tools. When it counts, that is. These grinders from HF have proven themselves to me.

Realistically, how often will the average home-owner use an angle grinder, so why spend $75 for a good one? These cheap-o's from Harbor Freight are actually pretty decent quality. I currently own three of them, and have burned out at least 4 of them in the past 5 years doing some rather major metal fabrication.

But if I burned out 4 of them how can I say they're decent? Because the 4 I burned out combined cost as much as one decent grinder, and with the work I was doing I'd have worn out even a higher-end grinder. Plus, I use three different discs; a sanding flap disc, a cut-off disc, and a metal grinding disc, so having one grinder dedicated to each task saves time & effort.

About 1 minute later the rolled edge is gone and the edge is reasonably-sharp. You can get the same results with a hand file and a little effort. I've got plenty of metal-working tools, so I might as well use 'em.

The blade won't stay sharp for long, but when it comes to digging out plants a sharp blade will much more quickly cut through roots, making your work easier. The metal on this shovel is pretty thin so I just beveled from the back edge.

I gave the same treatment to another shovel, sharpening from the front and back since the metal on this blade is about 50% thicker than the other shovel.

After the edges were sharpened I took a wire brush and knocked the dirt off. A coat of oil then protects the bare metal from rust.

I used to keep a 5 gallon bucket filled with sand in the garage. I dumped about a quart of old motor oil into it to thoroughly coat the sand. When I was done with a shovel I'd just jam the blade into the oily sand a few times to clean off the dirt and give it a coat of oil in one step. I didn't have room in the moving truck when we moved so I gave it to my neighbor. Some day I'll replace it.

Mower Maintenance

2008-09-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

If you want your mower to last and provide a good clean cut for years, you need to take care of it. That includes changing the oil and air filter. You also need to keep the mowing deck clean and the blade(s) sharp.

I'll get around to changing the oil and air filter later this fall, but wanted to take advantage of a nice day to do the maintenance on the deck.

First step was to get the mower up high enough to be able to get at the blades. I could have just jacked the back end up with my floor-jack, but figured that I might as well raise the front as well. Jack stands were placed under the front end to keep it level, the transmission was left in gear, and the brake was locked.

It's been a year since I cleaned the deck - much longer than it should go without a proper cleaning. Cut grass builds up underneath, creating a block to the cut grass being discharged. It also traps moisture against the metal of the deck which can cause the deck to rust out.

I took a small scraper and got out all kinds of build-up, which should help the mower work a little more efficiently.

Next up was sharpening of the mower blades. I installed these right after buying the mower about 1-1/2 years ago. They're still in good shape, but the leading edge is getting a little dull. There were a few small dings from hitting either branches or pinecones.

Each blade is held in place with one bolt. Be careful when removing a mower blade, as I've heard that some mowers use reverse-thread bolts. When you think you're loosening the bolt you could actually tightening it. These were standard threads.

In many cases you can stick a piece of 2x4 between the blade and mower deck to keep the blade from moving when you are trying to break the bolt loose.

The angle-grinder ($12.00 at Harbor Freight for a 4-1/2" grinder) was used with a sanding flap-disc to remove the grass build-up and to sharpen the blade. There was quite a bit of build-up on the blades, but the sanding disc took care of that quickly.

You'd think that the blade should be sharp like a knife, but realistically, how long would that sharp blade last? I ground the blade sharp and then ran the sanding disc straight across the sharp edge to blunt it. The flat edge is about 1/32" wide.

To make sure the blades were balanced I set them on a small nail driven into the garage wall. As long as the blade stays horizontal it's good enough. Yeah, it's low tech and not as precise as a professional shop could do, but it's good enough for now.

After re-installing the blades and checking for vibration (none), it was time to clean the engine.

I changed the oil last year, but skipped cleaning the engine. I cleaned around the drain plug, but that's it. It's now dirty as the surrounding area. I sprayed on some engine cleaner and brushed it in with a cleaning brush.

A few minutes later the gunk sprayed right off and everything was nice and clean. It'll be possible to see if there are any oil leaks now, and the engine should be able to run a little cooler without a layer of gunk & grass coating it. If nothing else, it'll just make changing the oil a little easier.

This work took maybe 30 minutes and is something that the average do-it-yourselfer can do without a problem. The only tools I used were a scraper, a grinder, and a wrench.

If you don't have a jack or ramps like I used, you could just tilt the tractor and put blocks under the raised wheels to give a little more access.

Later this season I'll put some info online about getting the engines winterized.

Crud in the Pipes

2008-09-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't a medical condition.

Since the dishwasher was installed the other day I noticed that the water flowing out of the kitchen faucet was slower than normal.

At first I figured it was the new shut-off valve installed on the hot water line, which may not be allowing full water flow.

But that shouldn't make the cold water line also flow more slowly, which was also happening.

Other faucets in the house were fine, so it was just something wrong with the kitchen faucet.

The fastest and easiest thing to check was the aerator (where the water exists the faucet) which just screws on & off. There is a screen inside there which traps debris.

The screen in mine was covered with a ton of debris and rust from the water line, which was slowing the water flow for hot & cold. Basically, there was a crud build-up that was blocking water flow.

The debris was probably dislodged in the pipes from the water being turned on & off during the dishwasher installation. The water was shut off to the house and faucets were opened upstairs and downstairs, draining the lines of water. When the water was turned back on, it knocked loose some junk that had built up in the lines, which got trapped in the aerator.

Lucky for me I turned the faucet on first, which sent the crap to the faucet instead of to the dishwasher!

Cheap, easy, and fast. The way I like my solutions.

I Will Wash Dishes by Hand No More Forever

2008-09-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Slightly modified quote by a famous leader. 10 points to the first person who knows what the hell I'm talking about.

I didn't want to wait for the weekend to get the dishwasher installed, and I had a couple of free hours to kill this afternoon, so I gave it a shot.

I cut out the guts of the lower cabinet and made sure there was plenty of room. Judging by the picture I've got more than enough!

As mentioned previously, this is just a temporary installation, done on the cheap. I had the water supply line and most of the parts I needed, but did find that there were two special pieces that I had to go out and buy.

First was a 90 degree elbow which fits into the bottom of the dish washer. Second was the splitter valve that connects to the water supply line. I could have gotten away without using the splitter valve, but then I'd have no hot water supply to the sink. Not the best solution.

The electrical hookup is ultra-temporary. I don't know where the final electrical line will be run, so I took an old grounded extension cord and cut the end off. I spliced it into the wiring on the dishwasher and secured the wiring so it won't move around and chafe. I'll just plug it into the wall when I need to wash dishes for now. Half-ass yes, but it works.

The blue protective layer is still on the outside in this picture, but the dishwasher has a stainless front.

Under the sink you can see the new lines. Hooking into the drain, the big line that looks like it's coming from the middle of the sink is the dishwasher drain line which actually loops around a bit. The extra slack makes it look like it's coming from the center of the sink - it actually comes through the cabinet wall on the left up high to create an air gap.

The black line down low is the water supply to the dishwasher. It connects to the gold splitter valve in the back of the cabinet.

I had a small drip from the valve when I turned the water on, but a quick 1/4 turn and it looks good to go. No other leaks were found.

I put in a little dishwashing detergent and fired it up to clean it out and make sure it's working properly. So far, so good! I look forward to running a load through it tonight.

Total cost, about $8.00 in parts that I needed to buy anyway.

Dishwasher Installation, On the Cheap

2008-09-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

When we bought this house, it had never had a dishwasher installed.

We figured that we could live without one for a year while the renovation work was taking place. In fact, we purchased the dishwasher when we bought the new appliances for the place right after moving in.

It's sat in the box waiting to be installed ever since.

The remodel work is progressing very slowly, as there is plenty to do outside, and I'm enjoying time with the family while it's nice out.

But we're finally sick of doing dishes by hand and using paper plates half the time to avoid having to wash dishes every day.

Plus, I'm sure we waste a lot more water washing them by hand compared to what a new dishwasher would use.

The problem is that the dishwasher will be installed on the side of the kitchen which I haven't started work on yet, so there are cabinet doors and drawers and a wide base cabinet where the dishwasher is going to go.

To make things difficult, I'm cheap. Some call it "frugal", but I will admit to being cheap. I hate to spend money on renovation stuff if I know I'll just be tearing out the work and re-doing it later.

The project: install a dishwasher while spending NO money for parts. None. I can only use parts I already have on-hand, even if it means an ugly install. It's meant as a temporary install, so I'm not aiming for "pretty". Lucky for me I have a good selection of parts on hand from previous work. Hopefully enough to pull this off.

At this point, I know I'll be re-using the dishwasher, but don't know exactly where water or electrical lines will be run. I also don't have a garbage disposal installed yet (dishwasher discharge lines typically connect to the disposal) so I'll need to tie in to the sink drain directly.

Since the lower cabinet is wider than the dishwasher needs, I plan to use a trusty saws-all to cut out the wood I don't need, and leave about 1/3 of a door on the hinges to hide the gap that used to be cabinet. It'll make more sense when I start the work and take pictures. Promise.

The drain line is easy, although I'll be installing it without an air-gap for now. When I do the work for keeps I'll put that in place. Electrical will be temporary hook-up as well - enough to make it function safely for now.

Over the next few days I'll need to go through my supplies and get everything together. I want to install the dishwasher this weekend. The only items I'm not sure how I'm going to handle yet are the splitter for the water supply and the drain line. The drain isn't high-pressure, so I'll use garden hose if needed. The supply IS high-pressure so I'm hoping I have a long enough stainless braided line.

Game on!

Happiness Is...

2008-09-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Much needed rain,

Cleaned gutters and downspouts before said rain,

The wife and kids out of the house for at least one of the games (Dad, who's #12? Dad, who's #88? Dad, who's #72? Dad, who are the guys in the blue shirts? Dad, can we watch cartoons? Dad, when is the game over? Dad, will you unlock the basement door so we can get out?),

A plasma TV,

Having the two games I want to watch playing back to back.

Quality jerseys to watch the game in, although the GB #4 jersey is retired and will be replaced for GB games with #50 AJ Hawk.

I love the feel of quality jerseys - sewn on letters and numbers, heavy-weight fabric, etc. Well worth the extra cost, in my opinion.

Aggrivation!

2008-09-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

This isn't related to the house work, so deal with it. If it makes you feel better, remove the name Microsoft and replace it with Home Depot. Where I say Xbox insert the words cordless drill. There, now it's about house work.

Microsoft sucks. There, I said it and feel better already. They suck suck suck suck suck suck suck.

About a year after it first came out I purchased the Microsoft Xbox. It died shortly after the warranty ran out (isn't that always the case?).

I figured it was just a fluke, and since I had a bunch of games for it already I purchased another one to replace it.

That one worked fine, and eventually ended up in storage because games weren't being made for it any more, due to the new Xbox 360 coming out.

So about a year after the 360 comes out, I get one because it has the games I want to play and because it will also play my old Xbox games.

Until today.

It's dead now, too. Xbox owners are all too familiar with the term "red ring of death".

This time it died with 2 months of warranty left, so Uncle Bill at Microsoft gets to pay shipping both ways and pay to fix/replace the counsel.

Surprisingly enough, that's not what really bugs me. The thing I'm irritated about is the tech support system at Microsoft.

The first thing callers are subjected to is a computerized "person". "Hey, my name is Max, thanks for calling!" Gee, thanks crappy computer program, thanks should go to Microsoft for selling me a crappy product, leading me to get to deal with you...

The sound quality of the "dude" I eventually got to talk to (after "Max" failed to help me) was pretty horrible. I'm assuming he's either somewhere So Cal or he's doing a great job at disguising his Indian accent. The sound was so bad I had to turn the volume on my phone way down to keep it from distorting, but then I had a hard time hearing the guy.

Plus, the music on hold was some techno-crap, which was also heavily distorted. The distortion may have made it more tolerable, I'm still not sure... He kept apologizing for putting me on hold - he must know what I was forced to listen to.

The call dragged on an extra 10 minutes because he had a hell of a time trying to get my address to work in his system. Waukesha County uses a grid system for the streets, such as N85 W20345 Oakdale Drive (not my actual address, you stalkers), which tells you exactly where you are, even if you don't know the street name. The addresses are weird, but very useful if you spend 3 minutes trying to figure 'em out.

I can't blame him for the address issue. Finding an address like this in Mapquest or other online map programs is often a lesson in futility.

With all that said, I understand technology can be problematic. But 5 years down the line a company like Microsoft still putting out crap quality products? Amazing.

I think it's safe to say this is the last game system I buy from Microsoft. 2 out of 3 going bad indicates a bit of a problem.

Damn technology. When I'm Emperor, companies will be forced to provide QUALITY phone support, and any CEO who uses a "Max" for support line will be sodomized with a roadcone and 2x4.

This "Work" Thing is Starting to Get Old

2008-09-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Some more tree trimming was on today's schedule. Now both trees on the side of my house are much cleaner looking, and I'm able to get much more light to the ground. There is a lot of moss back there which I don't think will survive much longer.

From the road, the side of the house looks a lot lighter physically now, without all the visual weight from the trees.

Each of the two trees resulted in a full trailer full of branches which were taken to the recycling yard to be ground up for mulch. It's still kind of scrubby looking at ground level, as I need to get all the old pine cones raked up and cut all the little weeds and crap that had been trying to grow.

Over the next few weeks I plan to do a lot more cutting & pruning. Might as well make full use of the trailer while I have it! I want to get all the trees near the house trimmed back so there is nothing overhanging the gutters. Clogged gutters suck.

Check Your Gutters, Folks!

2008-09-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Not just on a sunny day, and don't forget to check the downspouts, too!

We're finally getting some rain, after about a month of beautiful dry weather.

Being the anal-retentive home owner that I am, I took a quick walk in the rain to make sure water was only coming out of all the downspouts. In heavier rains, it doesn't take much to clog a gutter. I know this first-hand, and have had the water in the basement to prove it.

Upon checking the downspout by the tree I recently did a bunch of trimming on, I noticed that the downspout (which drains directly under the tree) wasn't draining any water. None. Zero.

The other downspouts had a little trickle coming from them, so I knew something was up.

Evidently, when I was pulling the cut branches out from under the tree I disconnected the downspout from the vertical run that goes up to the gutter. When it was re-connected, it was put on upside down which left a 1/2" gap in the bottom (hard to explain, but trust me) that all the water was pouring out. Right up against the foundation.

Not good, if the rain were to continue for too long.

5 seconds later and it was fixed.

No damage, but if I didn't notice it and it was left this way too long during a storm I could have ended up with a lot of water in the basement.

Moral of the story: check the gutters AND the downspouts. Not only when it's nice out, but when it rains, 'cause that's when you'll notice if it's working or not.

Taking My Own Advice

2008-09-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

So not too long ago I was blathering on about chainsaw maintenance and not leaving gas/oil mix in the gas tank because it goes bad quickly enough to damage the little 2-stroke engines.

This afternoon I realized that my weed wacker and leaf blower have been sitting with the same gas/oil mix I put in at least 3 months ago. The leaf blower doesn't see a lot of use, and that gas may be even older. Not a good idea.

To be safe, I drained the gas from both tanks and put in enough fresh mix to fire 'em up. I let them run long enough to warm up completely and flush out any old gas, and then drained the tanks. They were then started again to run through any remaining gas in the lines. My plan is to drain the tanks and run them dry every time I use them from now on. In theory, this should help avoid getting a varnish build-up in the carburetors. The weed-wacker has been good to me so far. It's at least 10 years old and has never needed service. The leaf blower is only about 3 years old and still runs great (as it should).

Since I was showing some lovin' to the 2-strokes, I decided to also check out the 4-strokes on the push mower and the riding mower, by checking oil, air filter condition, etc. The push mower gets very limited use and mainly sees duty mowing the ditch - it's too steep of an angle to be safe on the rider. I might run one full tank of gas through it during the entire mowing season.

All of the motors are in good shape for the remainder of this season, but I'm making a list of spark plugs, air filters, crankcase oil, bar chain oil, and gas pre-mix oil for my next trip to Menards. I want to have everything on-hand to do all of the tune-ups this Fall. If I wait until Spring I might just keep putting it off.

It's early to talk about winterizing engines, but I do have a list to follow.
1. The engines will be started and warmed up to make sure they run properly.
2. All gas will then be drained and the engine started to burn off gas remaining in the lines.
3. After the engine cools down I'll pull the spark plug and put in a little squirt of oil.
4. With the plug out and the kill-swith in the "OFF" position, slowly pull through about two cycles to fully coat the cylinder.
5. In goes the new plug and the engine is ready to hibernate for the winter.
6. The three chainsaws get their blades removed and taken in for a professional sharpening.
7. The sharpened blades get stored in a can of oil.
8. The chain bars get cleaned, coated with oil, and warpped in newspaper.
9. The 4-cycle mower engines get gas drained and oil changed.
10. Air filters get replaced on the mowers and chainsaws.
11. Mower blades get removed and sharpened.

All that stuff will probably cost me $30.00 in parts and will hopefully keep my motors happy for another season of abuse. It'll probably take about 2 hours to do all the work. I can take a small TV out into the garage to watch a Packer game and be done before the game ends.

Some people fill the gas tanks on the mowers with gas mixed with a fuel stabilizer for winter. Since all of the gas tanks on mine are plastic, I think I'm better off leaving the tanks empty. My snowblower has a metal tank which is kept full at all times, even during the summer. The reason is that the metal rusts if it gets a chance, and an empty metal tank can get moisture in it from the air, leading to a rusty tank. I've seen it on motorcycles stored with empty tanks, so I have to assume it could happen on a snowblower.

Changing subjects, a while back I mentioned the weird design of my windows - the windows original to the house. Besides never having had the trim work painted (THANK YOU, previous owners!), the top panes are hinged. To open 'em, I remove the screen from the lower pane and then flip a little lock on each side.

The whole top pane then is pushed open as shown below. The only reason I can think of for this design is that it might allow warmer air closer to the ceiling an easier way to get out in the summer. It doesn't make the windows easier to clean by any means, so that's not it.

With the top hinged out I can then open the lower pane if desired. Maybe this helps air circulate? If the top window is open the screen is useless as it has to be removed to open the top window. If the bugs are out in force (welcome to Wisconsin) opening the top window is kind of useless because the house will be swarmed with bugs.

The more I look at these windows, the more I think I want to keep them. They're a weird design, but they're all solid. They also have two panes of glass so they're reasonably efficient for their age. I figure I can remove them one at a time to completely clean 'em, scrape and loose paint, sand 'em, and re-glaze 'em. A few of them need new glass which I can cut to fit myself. Doing one window per weekend as time permits in Spring and Fall might take a couple of years, but at least they're in good enough shape now that they can wait.

Last for the day, I put the boy character to work helping me clean up under the tree I was cutting on a few days ago. We ended up with 6 boxes of pine cones, small branches, and needles. I'll take it to the yard waste recycling station next weekend. This trailer was filled twice, just with junk from the ground.

I'm much happier with the cleaned up tree now. The big thing next spring will be to find ground cover plans that like living under pine trees. A lot of plants won't grow there because of the soil acidity. I'm planning on covering the area beneath this tree and the one behind it, and extending that planting all the way up to the house (just to the left in this picture). It's all scrubby looking and crappy right now due to the lack of light. Only weeds and really thin spots of grass have been growing there for the past decade, and a lot of the area is just dirt, which does nothing to help shed water away from the house.

Revisiting My Favorite Past Post

2008-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

A year ago I posted my opinion about the ethics and business practices of one of the Flip This House companies. Checking out which of my pages get the most viewings, this one is always at the top of the list along with people searching for Ikea cabinet information.

This morning I re-read the post for the fun of it, and then looked at the comments. To start, here is the unedited post:

A&E's Flip This House, San Antonio Scumbags
First, let me say that I have less than zero respect for that raging piece of crap Armando and how he conducts business. With that said:

This week's episode (and I don't know if it was a rerun or not) had the previously mentioned shit-bag flipping a house which should have been condemned and bulldozed. It was filled with cat crap, rats, roaches, debris, etc. Just plain freakin' horrible. Bad enough that the neighbors called the police due to the smell.

Well, Armando figures he can just clean out the garbage and paint using some odor-neutralizing paint and he's good to go. Typical cheap-ass-don't-worry-about-who-may-actually-end-up-living-here-in-the-future attitude from him. His brother had the balls to quit on him so he wouldn't have his name on that project. Good for him.

As they get deeper and deeper into the flip, they end up having to replace drywall, plumbing, etc., all of which cost this cheap SOB plenty more than he expected. Since all he seems to care about is money, this made the episode fun to watch. I mean seriously, how could anybody with even a small slice of intelligence walk into a house that is literally caked in cat crap, urine, and worse, and figure that it's NOT going to cost a ton to clean it up correctly? Better yet, how could anybody figure the house could even be saved?

I am amazed at how he can disregard the potential health-issues like this. To my knowledge, they didn't remove any subfloors on the place (they could have been concrete, but they didn't really show). The odor-blocking paint probably helps, but that only covers the surface - the problem is that the urine is soaked into the wood. Anybody who dislikes cats (like me) knows how bad cat piss smells and how difficult it is to fully remove from a house - especially when it's hot & humid. Last I checked, Texas gets that way occasionally.

The condo I renovated a few years ago (here, here, here, and here) had a cat-piss problem, but it luckily localized in one area which we could daily wash with bleach. After a dozen washings it got a heavy coat of primer and paint. All molding was removed and replaced. New carpet tack-strips, padding, and carpet was installed over the concrete floor too, and we could still very faintly smell the piss if we got right down on the floor.

At the end of the show, they accepted an offer on the place from a lady with two young kids. I was happy to see that the sale fell through. She had two freakin' kids and they were going to sell her this polished-turd of a house. Nice ethics you got there, Armando - it looks like they've never been used. Shit-bags like you who are only interested in making money have a special layer of hell reserved just for you.

I don't know if linking directly to one of the comments will work, so I'll just quote it here:

April 21, 2008 10:29 PM
Nina Erdos said...: You're an attention whore. What about the people who did this to the house or the owners who left it this way? At least Armando took on the project and in the end it was 8 million times better than the disgusting abandoned crap it once was.

Why spend so much energy hating someone based on an edited TV portrayal? This is a country founded and built on capitalism, yet someone who improved a neighborhood and is earning money as a result of it is chastised. Did you renovate your cat house for free?

Get off of your ridiculous high horses and get a life.

My response? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! You delusional moron. People that let their own house get destroyed are not the issue. It's their house to destroy, and when it goes up for sale, buyers know what they're getting. Armando did every thing he could to hide the problem - a problem that will very likely NEVER go away and will remain a health hazard for future owners. That house should have been razed.

Regarding this being a country founded and built on capitalism, does that mean people should not have ethics with regards to how they do business? Is the only goal money? For some people, it evidently is. And I'm sure that A&E went out of their way to only show the bad side of Armando - yeah, blame it on editing. A turd is a turd, no matter which side of it you look at.

As for me renovating my "cat house" for free, of course I didn't do it for free. I actually renovated it for my dad (who owned it as a rental for about a decade) for a share in the profit. Why? Because I knew if the work wasn't done he was only going to get people low-balling him on price, because the place was left a dump by the tenants. That meant I earned a whopping $6,000 for 6 months of part time work. That covered clean up, demo, building, and working with the Realtor to finally sell it. It was done knowing full-well that nobody was going to get rich on the sale, as that was not the goal.

If you consider that being on a high horse, you must be related to Armando and as fvcked in the head as he is.

* The opinions and comments above are those of "Muskego Jeff", and probably irritate scum bags with low moral standards and no business and personal ethics.

I really should go back and read old comments like this more often. This idiot just gave me 15 minutes of joy, laughing at somebody actually defending that waste of a zygote Armando.

I Saw, Therefore I Am

2008-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

One one corner of the house I've had an extremely large evergreen that I've wanted to cut down since we moved here. It's huge, drops a ton of pine cones, and makes a perfect home for varmints under it's lower branches because they lay directly on the ground. It's also a pain in the ass to mow around.

Unfortunately, I'm the only one who wants it gone - my wife likes it as it provides shade for one of our bedroom windows. Therefore, I'm outvoted and the tree stays. But that doesn't mean I can't at least make it look better.

Since my smaller saw got to come out and play at my dad's house a few weeks ago, I figured it was time to break out the larger one this time around. It's best to not just let chainsaws sit forever without use. This saw is only about a year old, and since it's not an expensive brand I don't expect it to run nearly as long as my old Homelite has. Either way, it really runs well and made short work on the pine.

Here's the tree with the lower branches removed. I still need to go in with a hand pruner and take care of some of the remaining low-hanging branches. I also need to get in there with a rake and remove about three decades of pinecones and needles. I may put woodchips under it to clean it up a bit, but the pine needles may look good enough on their own.

My dad is storing his truck & trailer at my house while he's away on a trip, so I'm making the best of it and putting 'em both to use. I got everything cut off the tree loaded into the trailer, and it's a very full load.

I did a little cleanup under the tree and think I'll like how it looks once the excess material is removed. Kind of reminds me of a campground.

I also took a little time to work on two windows on the front of the house. Here's one of 'em with the new glazing in place. I only did the bottoms of the windows again, as the sides and tops were in decent shape. I'm still considering either completely rebuilding the windows or replacing them with higher-efficiency windows in the near future.

Mmmmmmm..... Glazed Windows

2008-08-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

I've been planning for a while now to take care of the windows on the house. Other than a few small cracks in two of the windows, they're all in pretty good shape. None are painted shut and they all work as they should. Eventually I'll get around to replacing the cracked glass, but for now I'm focusing on the glazing.

For the most part, the glazing is still decent enough for another season or two. The worst parts of any of the windows are mainly the glazing at the bottom.

The window below is the worst one, which needs to be re-glazed on three of the four sides. The paint is also peeling on the wood. My big concern at this point is if there is any rot in the wood.

I got this far just by pulling loose paint by hand, which really had me worried.

After removing the old glazing and as much loose paint as possible, I was happily surprised to find that there was absolutely no rot. I put in a few new points to hold the glass steady and proceeded to the next windows.

Across the back of the house I did work on about half of the windows, again mainly across the bottom of the glass. After getting 'em all cleaned up I primed the bare wood. After a few hours of drying I re-glazed the windows and now get to wait a week for them to dry so I can prime and paint 'em. The picture below is just before the re-glazing.

Another job I took care of today dealt with plumbing for the bathtub. Since we moved in we've had to deal over and over with a slow drain which often clogs. The culprit has been the old drum-trap. Because of the design it's really hard to snake the drain to get rid of hair clogs. I don't mind using Drain-O once in a while, but this drain needs it almost every other week!

I started the work by cutting the whole drum out and picking up an adapter for the copper pipe so I could connect the PVC. I had to get a little creative with some 45* elbows to move the P trap over.

Oh, and the burn mark on the floor joist was NOT from me (you can see it was there in the first picture before I started any work). I hope this was from the previous owner and not a licensed plumber...

With the new trap in place everything drains perfectly now, and if I need to run a snake down from above it'll work. With the drum, the snake keeps getting hung up inside the drum.

Happiness is a Warm Saw

2008-08-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

I finally got plenty of work done over the weekend.

Too bad it wasn't on MY house.

My dad asked me to come up to his place and help him remove some trees. This is the second time this summer we've removed trees from his backyard and you STILL can't tell it was ever done!

There are so many trees in his small back yard that even with a dozen of 'em removed it still is fully under canopy. We've got one more cutting planned for fall, and then a couple of sessions for next spring/summer.

The biggest trees we took down over the weekend were about 7" thick at the base, so I took my small saw:

This little Homelite was my grandpa's saw a few decades ago, and it made it's way into my possession. A year ago I tried starting it for the first time in probably 10-15 years and it was a no-go. The seals were shot and it needed the attention of a professional.

Lucky for me, old saws were made to last and are usually repairable. A guy I work with does tree removal on the side, and also repairs old saws. He said he had this one running in about 20 minutes, and that with proper care it should last a lifetime. After adding gas/oil mix and bar oil I can have it started from cold in 15 seconds.

He strongly advised using more oil in the gas:oil mix on both of my gas chainsaws as well as the gas weed-eater. The way he looks at it, the worst thing I'll do is foul the plugs, but I won't have to worry about trashing the engine due to lack of lubricant. The saws and weed eater all call for 40:1, but I'm running closer to 30 or 35:1.

I do have a small problem with the small saw wanting to die instead of idle, but as long as it's being revved to cut all is well. Plus, it starts with one easy pull so it's not like I'm creating a lot of extra work for myself.

This brings me to my tip-o'-the-day: don't store your chainsaws with gas or oil in 'em. Drain the fluids and run the engine to get rid of any remaining in the lines. Old gas makes small engines run like crap, and if you let it sit long enough it won't work at all. Also, the bar oil tanks leak a ton of oil all over the place if you don't empty the tanks. At least all 3 of my saw's leak oil from the oiling system (that includes the one electric chainsaw).

(I was going to put a picture of my other gas saw, a McCullough Eager Beaver on this post, but I didn't have a picture of it and when I tried doing a Google image search for Eager Beaver I got really distracted....)

A Rant

2008-08-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

It's off the topic of homes and renovations, but I don't care. It's my blog and I'll write what I want.

My rant is with the Green Bay Packer organization, specifically anybody within the management team that let (forced?) Favre to leave the team.

16 years, two Super Bowl trips, record after record after record and you donkeys think that Aaron Rodgers is the "future" of the team?

Please....

I've got nothing against Rodgers, and hope he does well. But I'm not betting on it. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the Jets (who had a dismal record last year) end up this season with a better record than the Packers (who lost in the NFC Championship Game).

All due to one player.

I've got nothing against the Jets, and now find myself rooting for a team for which, until today, I couldn't name a single current player.

I've ordered my new Jets jersey and will wear it happily, possibly to a game or two at Lambeau this year.

I won't abandon my home team, and I certainly won't stop being a fan of the one guy who did more to make Green Bay a powerhouse than just about anybody in team history.

I don't doubt that Favre and his agent could have handled things a lot better with regards to his retiring, not retiring, retiring again, etc., but let's face it: even after 16 years he's a far better quarterback than ANY other player on the Packer roster. Keep him on the team until you have someone better - don't push him aside and then blow smoke up my ass about it being "best for the team".

When that jackass Thompson has done 1/100th of what Favre has done for the team and city of Green Bay I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. At this pace I've got a few hundred years to wait.

Back to Work!

2008-08-03T12:14:00.001-07:00

I've been slacking on the work around the house for a while now. The weather has been nice and I didn't feel like busting tail when I could be enjoying the weather.

For a while now I've been wanting to get some of the landscaping taken care of in the back yard. There were two large overgrown bushes that needed to be removed.

Removing the visible part of the bush is easy, and gave me a good excuse to break out one of the chainsaws. Removing the roots, on the other hand, sucks.

In this case, as I dug down I found that the roots weren't too large so I wrapped a chain around the roots about 8" below ground level and attached it to the lawn mower. I had my wife drive forward and I chopped at the root system until it broke free.

The root system on the other bush is a LOT heavier, so I'm planning to just dig out as much of it as I can and will then take the chainsaw to it to cut it off. As long as it's well underground I won't have to worry about ever seeing it again.

I also took care of the drain line from the sump pump. When we bought the place it was just a plastic/pvc line laid on the ground. The problem I ended up with was that the water would freeze in winter leading to the whole line getting blocked with ice. Since the sump pump runs all year long, this isn't a good option.

I re-used the line as it comes through the wall, but then immediately turned the line up so that it could gradually slope down towards the end. It's not pretty, but the line will be hidden by the planting we are going to do next spring.

Here you can see the slope along the back of the house. I'm hoping that when it's running that it acts like a siphon and pulls extra water out of the crock. In the past, anything left in the line would run back down into the crock - a couple of gallons total. Either way, the water is finally going to have a good way to get away from the house. On the ground are the remains of the old pipes used to try and get water out.

It's been so dry recently that the crock was only about 1/3 full, but it was enough to test the system to verify that it works. Tomorrow we're expecting rain, so maybe I'll know for sure.

And now for something completely different. Bacon Salt! So many things cooked these days get some salt added, from steaks on the grill to potatoes in the oven. Since bacon makes EVERYTHING better, I got these and have tried them a few times. I think I'll probably only use them on steaks and burgers. The bacon flavor comes through faintly and isn't overpowering.

Trip Pictures

2008-07-18T20:37:00.001-07:00

If I don't do this now I'll probably forget to do it, so here are some of the highpoints of the road-trip.

The first major site we hit was Mount Rushmore, the weekend after July 4. The rid on top of Roosevelt's head was for the removal of the fireworks hardware which was used for the celebration. It'd have been cool if they could have made showers of sparks shoot out of Jefferson's eyes, but that probably would be dignified.

Next up was a drive through Custer National Park, a very scenic and cool drive. The animals roam free, and these two buffalo came in for a nice close-up. This one was inches from my door as I passed him - I could have easily touched him as we went past.

We went through Deadwood, which was a disappointment for me since I'm not a gambler. I was hoping for more of a historic city. We went up to the cemetery where Wild Bill Hickock is buried and saw the grave sites of a number of notable Deadwood's past citizens.

The main focus of the trip was going to Yellowstone for 3 nights. I knew it was a big place before we went, but if you've never been there it's hard to fathom just how massive the park is. I drove around 300 miles within the park and seldom drove on the same road twice.

How do you sum up Yellowstone in a couple of pictures? You can't.

This is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There was a late thaw so there was still snow on the ground in places. The water was flowing much more heavily than normal for this time of year, so the falls were more spectacular than normal (from what I was told).

Instead of putting up a picture of Old Faithful (I have about 50) I'm going with a thermal pool. The colors are actually different types of algae which live in the different water temperatures. This pool used to be blue in the middle, but crap throw in by vandals over the decades changed the temp of the water causing it to reflect green instead of blue.

We took two days to drive from Yellowstone to Milwaukee, but didn't skip a small side-trip to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Anybody who's seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind has seen it. I'm not a rock climber so I didn't get to go to the top.

The weather was about perfect - 70's and 80's for the entire trip, with cooler temps in the mountains. There was no rain for about 2,500 miles of driving meaning the Jeep got to bring back a few thousand souvenirs for me.

A Case of Slacker-itis

2008-07-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Alright, alright. It's been a while since my last post.

In my defense, I've been doing other things. Working. Sleeping. Eating. Blah, blah blah.

Really though, most of my time recently has been spent preparing for and going on a road-trip with the family to Yellowstone. Since we drove, there was a lot of preparation for the vehicle, packing. etc.

I got some very nice pictures that I'll post in the future, covering stops in Yellowstone and the Black Hills (Custer National Park, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore). In fact, I took just over 1,200 pictures over the 10 day trip. Now I need to spend a lot of time weeding through to get the best pictures - who wants to look at 90 pictures of the same waterfall??

We also had some very cool close-encounters (good description, as we also went to Devil's Tower) with some buffalo. Close enough that I could have reached out the window and slapped one, possibly earning some major scarring to the Jeep in the process.

Nature is pretty cool, even if you have to drive over 3,000 miles round-trip to see it!

Flood Pictures

2008-06-08T14:00:00.001-07:00

Today we had another pretty heavy storm roll through. Luckily it was much shorter in duration than the one 12 hours before. The rain ended a few hours ago, and I decided to get out of the house to see what the flooded areas look like today.

Closest to my house is a somewhat low-lying area which is a tree nursery. Down the center of this picture is normally a small creek with maybe 1' of water in it. It's usually only about 4' wide with slow moving water.

Now it's reached the top (about 20' across), but yesterday all the ground in this picture was under at least a foot of running water. From the tree-line on the left and swamping the small trees/shrubs on the right.

Farther up-stream is a new bridge over the same creek. At this time last year there was about 75% of the flow capacity that is there now. Currently the water is flowing about 2' below maximum height. Last night it was about 2" from overflowing onto the road when I drove by. It could have maxed out and flowed onto the road at some point.

The water flows under the road and appears to flow directly into this house, about 50 yards up the side-road. Anybody want to guess what the guy in the picture is thinking right about now?

In reality, it's the office for the same tree nursery shown in an earlier picture and the water flows under it. It must have been built here on the assumption that the water will never be high enough to hit the building. I've seen it within a foot before after some heavy storms, but last night the water was at capacity under the building and was therefore forced to flow around it. They're lucky it didn't tear the place down. I'm assuming they had plenty of wet carpet in there today.

If you're wondering about erosion making the place fall, the whole creek leading up to the building is cement and rock, as are the creek walls under the place. That's not to say that it'll prevent water from destroying the house though, because Mother Nature can be nasty when she wants to be. Erosion has destroyed far better designs than this.

Right about where the 3rd car is (the dark one driving away in this picture) is where there was about 6" of water over the road last night. Today it's dry, but the ditches on either side of the road are still very active.

Too bad this home/business doesn't have one of those "active" ditches. As of today the people who live here are still pretty screwed. I don't care how good their sump pump is, they can't have a dry basement today. Last night the water was up against the business (the block building - yes, I know it's ugly as hell) and there was a car in the driveway right in front of the door which was up to it's rims in water.

As of an hour ago, the city came by to place a pump in the water to try and get the level down somewhat. The houses next to these guys were almost as bad off, although they did have power after the storm was done so at least they had lighting to work by.

This was the first time I really took notice as to how far my house is above the water. On my drive back home I noticed that I go up a couple of very small hills - enough to put me about 10-15' above this water level. While 10-15' may not sound like much, it'd take a LOT bigger storm than this to raise the water level to the point where I'm underwater. I hope...

...A Three Hour Tour... (Sing Along)

2008-06-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty major storm roll through today.

This was the hardest rain I've seen since we moved in, and the most rain in such a short time (3-4 hours) my neighbor has seen in his 26 years in this neighborhood.

I expected that I would get some water in the basement, as it's happened before when we got some major storms. But this storm was just a little heavier than usual.

While I was in the basement moving some stuff out of the way of the water so it had a clean path from the wall to the floor drain I heard what sounded like a hose running. Inside the house. Not a good sound to hear.

I noticed some water dripping down the dryer's exhaust vent and I figured that was what was making the sound. Only there wasn't enough visible water to justify the sound.

So I pulled the dryer away from the wall and pulled the vent off the back and was greeted with a flood of water coming down through the vent. It was about equal to what you'd get by sticking a garden hose in the vent.

As of this morning, the dryer worked well. I'm hoping that it was designed with the electronics up high enough in the box to avoid water damage, otherwise I'll be buying a new dryer in a few days. I'm going to give this one a few days to dry out just to be safe.

Other than the possible dryer, there was no damage done other than a few empty cardboard boxes getting soaked. I'd say that there were easily over 500 gallons of water that flowed through the basement today, and I know I'm luckier than some others in the neighborhood.

I took a drive with my neighbor after the storm stopped, and we were amazed at how much water was flowing in the ditches and creeks. At one point I estimate we were driving through at least 6" of water.

What really surprises me is how stupid people can be about driving in water like this. Granted, I probably shouldn't have been out there either, but I'm driving slowly through the water in a Jeep with plenty of ground clearance. I wasn't worried about flooding the engine as long as I stayed on the road. That much can't be said for the idiots charging through the water in minivans and cars. I'm very surprised that none of them flooded their cars while I was there.

A couple of houses along that road had water right up to the foundations. They did have power, so I hope their sump pumps were able to keep the basements reasonably dry. I'm guessing that over the next week there will be a lot of flood damaged property sitting by the curb for pickup.

With all that said, I'm pretty confident now that the next major project for my house will be a new patio. For something different, I'm going to have this one slope AWAY from the house. If I had that kind of slope right now I'd only have had minimal water in the basement, and not a steady stream.

Granite Tile Backsplash

2008-05-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

I've been slacking on the counter top work for a while. Too many other little projects took up my time. I've really wanted to get working on the backsplash, since the design I'm doing is a little different than I've done before.

On the previous backsplash I did I just used a 4" tall tile with a bullnose edge. I wasn't happy with the finished result because the whole backsplash just looked too thin.

For this backsplash I'm using tile cut to 4" tall, but capping it with a pencil trim all the way around.

At the corners I'm cutting the pencil trim to 45 degree angles. The gap between the vertical and horizontal surfaces will be filled with caulk.

To create the little gap I'm looking for and to keep the tiles from sliding down the wall I taped some washers in place. A benefit from having done so much metal fabrication work is that I've got a good selection of hardware like this in various sizes and thicknesses.

New Microwave Install

2008-05-18T16:58:00.001-07:00

Part of the kitchen remodel includes an over-the-stove microwave. This will free up a lot of counter space. Earlier in the work I installed a new electrical line specifically for the microwave, and also marked the stud locations on the wall behind the microwave.

The install kit includes bolts for securing the mounting plate to studs as well as hardware for mounting to the drywall.

The strongest method is securing the plate directly to the studs. In my case, the stud locations only allowed me to use one of the two studs. The right side of the microwave (the heavier side, by the way) is secured with three screws into the stud while the left side is secured with three drywall butterfly bolts.

As I was deciding which cabinets to order I was worried about the final height of the microwave. I'm around 6' 3" and didn't want the microwave blocking my view of the stove top because of it being placed too low, so I went with a slightly shorter cabinet above the stove than was recommended. After the cabinet was installed I could determine what size spacer would be best used between the cabinet and microwave. In my case, about 4" was ideal. 4" was also the height of the toe-kicks that I got for the lower cabinets.

A spacer was made with the toe-kick which works nicely to space the microwave where I want it. I need to do a little custom work for the mounting bolts now that go through the cabinet, because the bolts aren't made to handle anything longer than a 3" spacer. I'll go with longer bolts if I can find 'em.

Grout - It's not Just for Breakfast Anymore

2008-05-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

I used a color called "charcoal" for the grout. The flash of the camera really makes it look lighter than it is. Under normal lighting it blends in well with the rest of the tile.

I'm also very happy with how the pieces I fabricated for the front corners turned out. I used regular flat tile and cut it to size on the tile saw. Then the angle grinder was used to rough the pieces out to about 95% of the final size. A couple of different grits on the sander took it to the final size.

A couple of coats of polyurethane later and the cut pieces blend in perfectly with the regular tiles. They're not perfect, but they don't stand out in any way, which is what I was aiming for.

The backsplash is next.

Surprise, Another Post on Installing the Counter Tops!

2008-05-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

I broke out the tile saw today to get things rolling. I got this saw at Home Depot a couple years ago for around $90.00 or so. So far, it's performed well, although the fence is semi-useless as it's extremely hard to get it set up properly. Either way, I haven't had any real problem cutting straight lines with it. The final cuts aren't as perfect as the factory cuts on the tiles, but they're pretty darn good.

It's got a deep enough cut to be able to go through the trim pieces in one pass.

As mentioned earlier I am laying out the tiles on these two tops to have the center piece be full-width. The top and front are cut and installed, but I still need to do the sides and backsplash. I'll take care of these after the adhesive for these tiles is completely dry. I could do it while the adhesive is setting, but I think I'm better off waiting

I picked up a corner trim piece. The other option was to use two straight sections and miter the ends at 45 degrees on each. I did that once before and don't like how it looked compared to a pre-cut piece.

Done for the day. Tomorrow I'll try and get the edging done.

Coming up I'm going to need to get creative on some of the edges. The main surfaces are glossy and smooth while the edges are dull and slightly rough. Two corners by the stove will have the rough edges exposed, and they'll stand out like a sore thumb. That is unless I find a way around it.

I picked up a disc for the angle grinder that is supposed to easily cut & trim granite.

I took a standard edge and tried rounding the corner over, similar to a bullnose corner. As you can see in the picture it's now rough and really stands out.

I used some clear polyurethane to coat the rough edge and it did a great job in mirroring the shine. The edge of the tile is still too rough and needs some sanding with a very fine grit, but it's a good way to verify that it'll work.

Counter Top Tiling

2008-05-08T19:20:00.001-07:00

To date I've used granite tile to finish one kitchen and two bathrooms as part of a remodel a few years back. That was my first experience at tiling and there are a few things I would now do differently.

One thing which I wasn't happy with was a slight unevenness in some areas. We rushed the job a little and didn't spend enough time making sure everything was as straight as possible. From a standing position it wasn't noticeable, but when you ran your hand over the top you could feel it.

I wanted to make sure that didn't happen this time around. Mainly, because I'm living in this house - it's not a flip.

What I'm trying this time is setting the main full-size tiles as a starter row. I'll spend extra time getting this row as perfectly flat and even as possible so that when I add the rows on either side I'll have a good base to work from.

The two full size tiles and edge trim were stuck down, and the edge trim was shimmed into place with folded heavy paper (alright, junk mail) to get it exact. After these dry I'll work on the rest of the top without fear of accidentally moving these starter tiles.

To make sure the tiles are flat I'm using a couple of different techniques:

First I eyeball it to make sure the edges are lined up. Gentle tapping is used to help seat the tiles and to get the top surfaces even with each other.

Next, a straight edge and level are used to make sure they are also nice and flat over the full depth of the top.

Last, I take a 5" drywall taping knife and stand it up on edge on the tiles near the joint. I slowly push the blade towards the adjoining tile to make sure it slides easily onto the next tile without getting hung up on an uneven joint. It's run both ways over the tile and at a number of points across the length of the joint. If it doesn't get hung up the joints should be pretty damn close to perfect.

By contrast, when I do the travertine flooring I just use my hand and run it across the tiles to make sure I'm happy with the heights. In my opinion, the flooring is nowhere near as critical as the counter top.

In the picture you can see the 1/16" spacers between the tiles. The tiles which will flank the full size tiles will be about 6-1/8" wide each.

The last time I did the granite tile tops I just used the 4" bull-nose edge across the back for the back splash (shown here upside down). It worked well, but looked a little plain.

This time around I'm going to cut 4"x12" strips from full-size or scrap tile to use across the back. I'll cap it with the pencil trim shown here. These pieces are just taped in place for now to see how they'll look. I think it'll add just enough "extra" to make this top look "complete".

Granite Tile Counter Tops

2008-05-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start building the counter tops yesterday, but I made the mistake of meeting with our company's personal trainer and he proceeded to destroy my arms for the day. By the time I got home, there was no way I was going to start screwing around with plywood and power tools. I got out easy - a senior VP he was also working with at the time said she could barely move after they were done.

That left the counter top work for today.

I'm sort-of making up the final sizes as I go along here, and the first piece I do will be the smallest of the counter tops. During the creation of this first top I'll figure out what kind of layout I want for the grout lines, how big the tile spacing will be, etc.

So far, I'm measuring, thinking, measuring, drawing out my options, measuring, and then cutting the plywood. I'm starting things off with two layers of plywood totaling 1" thick combined (3/4" and 1/4"). On top of that will be 1/4" of cement board. That 1-1/4" will match the thickness of the edging I am using and will make the tile look like a thick slab instead of thin tiles.

The tile I am using is called Green Mountain. I've used it before in a renovation with the same color combinations we have in this kitchen and really like how it looks. I'm adding lights under the upper cabinets which will really show off the color and sparkle of the tile.

I a hoping to be able to use the layout shown below, but the overall cabinet width that I need to cover is probably going to be about 1/4" too wide to pull this off due to the side panels I added to dress the cabinet up. If I try putting the tiles like this I'll probably end up with wide grout lines, which I don't want. If I run a full-width tile in the center of the cabinet and approximately 6-1/4" wide tiles to each side of it I should be OK. I might waste more tile, but such is life.

A Counter Top Decision has been Made

2008-05-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

For months we've been kicking the options around regarding the new counter top. Solid surface or granite tile. Solid surface has a lot of features we really like. It's non-porous, it can be fixed if a corner is broken off, it won't stain easily, no grout lines, etc., etc., etc. Granite, on the other hand, just looks fvcking fantastic.

We decided to go with looks and deal with the extra work - we're going with granite tile.

I picked up the material yesterday to do the first two small counter tops, the ones which flank the stove. One cabinet is 25" wide and the other 31". I had 8 of the 12" tiles in the Mountain Green already from a previous remodel project, so I was able to save $80.00 right off the bat.

As with most tile purchases, the standard square pieces without special edge work are the cheapest. When you get into the trim and edge pieces you often have to dig deep into the wallet, cause that stuff is damn expensive. A 12" pencil trim piece 1/2" wide is the same price as a full 12x12 tile. The thick edge treatments can easily run $30 or more per linear foot.

For these two tops, I'm going to end up spending about $500 in material, including the grout, thinset, and base material. The larger counter top on the other side of the kitchen (the half of the kitchen I haven't started tearing apart yet) will probably cost twice that amount. I'm kind of afraid to put pencil to paper to figure out what it'll cost...

Overall, that's about what I'd spend for a solid surface counter from the company I work for. I'm sure I'll take a lot of crap from co-workers when they find out I went with granite instead of a product we make, but I have to live here, so I might as well be happy with the way the place looks. So screw 'em.

Over the next couple of days I'm going to get the plywood and cement board for the base and get things rolling. By the end of this coming weekend I plan to have the counter tops done. Then I can focus on the 30 other little projects which still need to be done before I can start demo on the remaining half of the kitchen.

Oh, and since I did the trim-work since I last posted a picture of the kitchen, here's how it looks now with some of the lower molding and door handles. I've got all the food put away and found that I've got a LOT more room than we had previously. I also really like the drawers instead of doors for the lower cabinets. Since they pull out all the way I can make full use of each drawer's room. The cardboard counter tops in this picture are just temporary (I hope).

Kitchen Cabinets - Finish Line is in Sight!

2008-05-02T20:07:00.001-07:00

Being the dedicated remodeler that I am, I skipped going out with some friends tonight to work on the kitchen. I really want a stove for the weekend!

First job was to put a hole in the floor for the gas line. I had to go through the travertine tile, cement board, linoleum, and the sub-floor.

A hole saw designed to cut through tile worked great. I went through to the sub floor and then used a regular 1" bit to finish off the wood. The little donut of travertine is pretty cool - I might see how long it lasts on my keychain.

Fast forward 90 minutes and the gas line is run and stove is hooked up and running. This is my first time ever using a gas stove, and I think it'll work great for lighting my cigars.

By 10:00, I'm done for the day. There is a little trim work that needs to be done still, including adding the door handles. I can get that taken care of tomorrow, and then it'll be time to get rolling on the counter tops.

The work is done for the day, I've been without a stove for a couple weeks, and I'm hungry. I haven't installed the microwave with the exhaust vent yet, so I can't make anything too messy. Eggs it is for the stove's maiden run. Tomorrow morning, it's time for pancakes!

Ikea Cabinet Trim

2008-04-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

There has been something bugging me about the Ikea cabinets, which is the trimwork around the bottom. The way my cabinets are laid out, there are no "same-size" cabinets next to each other. This means that the way I had them placed it would be difficult to do the bottom-trim the way I had planned.

I decided that the best way to accomplish my goal was to add an end-piece between each cabinet. That would allow me an easy task of putting in the face trim across the bottom front.

On the bad-side of doing this, I've got the extra cost of the material and the extra width in the overall run of cabinets.

In this picture you can see how the two side pieces help box in the sides of the taller cabinet. Once I add the front trim it'll be very difficult to see the lighting I will hide in there.

With two cabinets installed, I moved the new fridge in place to make sure I had enough room. Here is where a lot of pre-planning paid off, as it fit in with just enough space to make it look right. There is plenty of room on top of the fridge, although the trim I have yet to install there will make the cabinets look closer.

The fridge looks huge right now, but once the trim and counter tops are in place I expect it to look a little more to the right scale. The lower cabinet is sitting directly on the tile, and will end up sitting higher once I put it's legs on.

It doesn't really look like it, but the doors on the fridge are stainless. The sides are black. The stove, microwave, and dishwasher are the same.

Since these cabinets are in, I might as well get some use out of 'em! These new tall cabinets can hold a LOT more than the old ones.

The base cabinets will line up with the larger upper cabinets. I clamped a side-piece in place to see how it'll look. These pieces aren't cheap, so I plan to cut them in half so that the cabinets look fully trimmed, but if you pull the stove out you can see there the piece was cut. In this pic, only the left trim is in place. I'll add the trim to both sides which will match the upper cabinets.

These are the standard feet provided by Ikea. Injection molded plastic, which can be screwed in or out to adjust the cabinet height. This works well and can help make life easy on uneven floors. I'm not too concerned with the pieces breaking over time, as the cabinets will be screwed to the wall keeping them from moving. The foot design allows you to bridge two cabinets with one foot if desired, although I'm not sure why you would want to go with less support.

Another option for the base would be to build some custom base pieces from dimensional lumber.

The standard Ikea toe-kicks clip onto the legs. I don't know how sturdy that will be, and I might need to brace it up with some extra material. I don't remember ever kicking the toe-kicks a whole lot in the past, so maybe it'll work better than I expect.

Overall, I can't complain too much about anything regarding quality on the cabinets. It's no surprise as to how they're constructed or how they are installed. The only thing I'm not real happy with is the lack of information and options presented in the Ikea literature regarding trimming out the cabinets. The books and install directions don't really show any options, so it's up to the installer to figure things out.

I've said before that I obsess over details, and it's times like this where it pays off. I've only got one trim piece which I'm not sure how to handle yet, but given a few minutes I'll find a way to make it work.

Installing the Upper Cabinets

2008-04-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

I had hoped to do this yesterday, but I spent the better part of the day at a friend's bachelor party.

There is still a little work I need to do on the electrical connections before I can do the final install on the upper cabinets, but since I hung the cabinets I decided to install the doors and side-trim to see how everything is going to look.

At this time there is still a bunch of adjusting that will need to be done on the hinges for the doors. The hinge design allows you to adjust each door individually. You can also see a small gap between the doors, which is really a gap between the two cabinet boxes. After I get all the electrical work done the cabinets will be screwed together to make sure they're properly lined up. At that time, this gap will disappear.

Grouting the Tile

2008-04-26T06:55:00.001-07:00

I didn't take any "during" pictures of the grouting, because there is a limited time to work with the grout and I didn't want to mix up any more than necessary. I used a sanded grout with a flexible grout admixture instead of water.

It took only about 20 minutes to push the grout between the tiles, followed by a solid hour of cleaning them of grout haze. There is a very fine haze on them still, which I should be able to remove with a dry towel.

The two rows closest to the wall are mostly made up of the ugliest tiles I had, since they'll be covered by cabinets and appliances.

When doing tile work (or if you're in sales like I am...) a good set of knee-pads is in order. You don't want to crawl around on the floor scrubbing grout without some extra protection. Good sponges and plenty of clean water is in order. I use a two-bucket system. The first bucket is used to get most of the grout off the sponge and the second bucket is to help clean the sponge as much as possible before wiping the tiles.

Sunday night the grout should have dried long enough for me to seal it. After that is done I can put the appliances in place and start on the lower cabinets.

Speaking of the cabinets, I mentioned on an earlier post that I was going to trim the back edge of the upper cabinets to see if I could get the cabinets closer to the ceiling.

The plan worked, and I can put the cabinets within 1/8"-1/4" of the ceiling. I'm not sure if I'm going to do that yet though. I might go back to the original plan of using a trim spacer. I need to stand back and look at the options first before making the final choice.

Some Companies Really Don't Want my Business

2008-04-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

So almost 4weeks ago I was blathering on about getting my water system upgraded. Read all the exhilarating details here:

http://muskegojeff.blogspot.com/2008/03/two-different-contractors-two-different.html

At the time, I was getting two estimates (and ended up going with the third guy). The second guy said he'd send me an estimate. I figured it'd be a couple days, maybe a week tops. Past that kind of time and they don't want my business.

Today the quote finally arrived! 25 days after coming out to look at the job. They looked at the job on March 28, the estimate worksheet is dated April 16, and the envelope is dated April 21. Yeah, these guys are a stickler for punctuality... Only the USPS did their job in a timely manner by getting me the mail in one day.

To top it off, they didn't even quote me the material I asked for. I asked for the Iron Curtain iron filter and separate water softener. They quoted me a combined unit and an overall price $1,000.00 higher than I ended up paying another guy two weeks ago!

Now the big question is do I just throw out the estimate and forget about it or send it back with a note explaining how their way of doing business is not going to help them earn customers in the future?

I'm leaning towards option C, sending it back with the various dates highlighted and a note saying that by the time they finally wrote up the estimate I had already been enjoying the system installed by another company for over a week.

Paint Up, Travertine Tile Down

2008-04-20T14:32:00.001-07:00

The plan for today was to paint the kitchen walls and get the tile down that would be below the appliances and lower cabinets. The paint was as uneventful as painting can be, so I'll just post the obligatory picture and be done with it. I didn't paint everywhere, as the cabinets would hide a lot of the wall, so why bother?

To keep the grout lines straight and in-line with the lines already done in the kitchen I could have used a chalk-line, but I'm not a fan of tracking the chalk dust around the kitchen. My method was to use my Ryobi laser level. I lined one end up with the current grout lines and the other end of the laser line with a mark on the far end of the kitchen.

Mounted on a tripod it was easy to keep it in place throughout the tiling.

About 2/3 of the tile I'm putting down today will be hidden under the appliances and lower cabinets. For those tiles in the first two rows I picked the ugliest and plainest tiles I had. Better looking tiles are reserved for areas that will be visible.

Here is the finished work for the day. The third row was done with the good looking tiles.

How'd the laser line work? Everything lined up pretty damn well, so I'll keep repeating this method as I continue with the floor in the future. Putting a mark at the far end of the floor I'm able to make sure that the width of the lines are consistent across the full length. The tile-spacers make nice little targets for the laser.

In a few days I'll grout the floor and will then be able to install the appliances. As of now we're without a stove until I finish this up and run the gas line. Oh, and speaking of the gas line, I guess I should have drilled the hole for it before putting down the cement board and tile..... Oh well.

Prepping the Floor for Tile

2008-04-19T16:28:00.001-07:00

The goal for the weekend is to get a substantial amount of "heavy" work done in the kitchen. Demo is done, and the third cost of plaster has been applied to the walls.

I'm thrilled with how the Dust Control joint compound has worked. All of the dust from the sanding fell within 2' of the wall. Nothing floating around the house, much less the rest of the kitchen.

While the final skim coat of mud is drying, I prepped the floor for the cement board. Normally I would prefer to remove the old layer(s) of linoleum, but considering they're both stuck very well to the floor and especially since there's a good chance that the bottom layer has asbestos, I'm leaving them in place.

I removed the lose edges and the base molding, and filled the low spots where there is no linoleum (the areas covered by the previous lower cabinets).

2-1/2 sheets of 4'x4' cement board and 150 screws later and the floor is ready for tile. I'm only applying tile to this small area of the floor for now, and when I do the other half of the kitchen I'll do the rest.

While I was screwing down the cement board, I took the opportunity to run some 3-1/2" deck screws through the cement board, linoleum, and sub-floor into the floor joists to get rid of a little squeeking where the old stove location was. It might have gone away on it's own after the tile is installed, but considering it reflects where the sub-floor is moving I figured it was best to get rid of the problem now so I don't have to worry about the grout cracking later on.

Once the floor was done, the drywall was ready for it's final sanding, followed by a coat of primer & sand texture.

Tomorrow morning I'll pick up some paint to give the walls a coat before doing the flooring and hanging the cabinets. Once the walls are painted I can start installing the floor tile. I figure I'll be installing about 35 square feet of tile.

Test Fitting the Ikea Cabinets

2008-04-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today's goal was to get the drywall mostly done so that over the weekend I can hang the cabinets and start tiling the floor.

The first step was to get another layer of drywall mud on the joints so that it would have time to dry overnight. On it went, no big deal. I followed up with a sponge sanding. As it looks right now I'll have to give it a light sanding tomorrow morning before giving it the final skim coat.

After the mud had dried long enough to not be messy I put up the track for the upper cabinets. I started with the track about two inches higher than recommended by the Ikea instructions. Why? Because I knew I would have about 1/2" of floor build-up from the floor tiles and because I wanted a little more room above the counter tops. Everybody in my family is above average height, so it's not like we won't be able to reach the shelves. However, if midgets move in here after us, they're fvcked.

With the track up I could hang the cabinets. With the mounting track placed where it was, I had between 1-1/4" and 1-1/2" of gap between the ceiling and the top of the cabinet. Normally, when hanging the track at the recommended height you would only have the wall studs to screw into. By raising the track like I did I get to use the wall header giving me a lot more strength.

In the opening that will house the microwave I marked the stud locations. This will make it easier and quicker to screw the mounting plate to the wall. I had also marked the stud locations on the wall behind the cabinet before I knew where I was going to mount the cabinet rail.

The sides and bottom trim will provide a nice place to hide the under-cabinet lighting. The lights will throw a lot of light but not be visible to anybody but kids. Or midgets. The bottom trim will sit out farther forward, but I couldn't temporarily clamp it into place where it will finally sit.

Jumping back to the space above the cabinets, I had considered filling that gap with a small filler piece, but then changed my mind and decided to raise the cabinets to put them really close to the ceiling. I raised the track by 1". The cabinet mounting hardware allows me to move the cabinets up by 1/2", so in theory I should be able to put the cabinets right up against the ceiling.

"In theory" compared to "reality". The top and bottom of the cabinet extend back beyond the back wall of the cabinet so the cabinet sits flat against the wall, even though there is a mounting rail behind it. The drywall mud in the corner keeps me from pushing the cabinet up the full 1/2" I mentioned previously, so my plan is to cut off that top edge. Once it's cut off I should be able to get the gap down to about 1/8", a small enough gap to fill with caulking. The final result should be a nice clean install.

Tomorrow I'll pull the cabinets down and do the final mud work. By the end of the day or on Sunday I can paint & texture the wall and then hang them back up, possibly for the last time.

Slinging Mud

2008-04-15T17:59:00.001-07:00

Time to start slinging mud. I need to have the kitchen ready for cabinet and flooring install this weekend, and time during the week will be short. In the past I have always used standard drywall joint compound.

This time around I'm using the compound with dust control. I wanted to buy one gallon, but the local Menards only sells it in the 3-1/2 gallon containers. I'm hoping it keeps until I get to the other side of the kitchen. Worst case scenario is that I'm out $12.00.

I've read from a couple of people that this dust control version is well worth the extra few bucks. I'll find out for myself.

It's been a couple of years since I've done any drywall work, so I got back into the swing of it by doing the easy sections first - the areas I cut out to run the cable through the studs.

It went on easily, and I gave it a going-over with a sponge after it set up a bit. If I'm lucky (and careful) I should have very little to sand.

Only about 1/3 of the joints will be visible once the cabinets are in place, which I'm really happy about. That means that I can do a semi-half-ass job on about 2/3 of the joints.

Even though most of them won't be visible I still hit 'em with the sponge, but I won't bother final sanding them. Only the visible parts will get the extra effort.

Now that the first layer of mud is on, I'll let it sit until Friday, which should be the next time I get time to work on it. There will be some shrinkage to deal with and I'll need to feather the edges a bit.

Overall I'm happy with how it's looking so far.

Wiring and Patching Drywall for the Kitchen Remodel

2008-04-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

The demo on one-half of the kitchen was done yesterday. Today the plan was to get the wiring installed and the holes patched with drywall.

I had five outlet boxes to install - one for a switch to control the under-cabinet lighting and four for outlets (including the one mounted high on the wall for the over-the-stove microwave. There are a number of ways people go about getting the wiring to each of the new outlets.

I wanted a reasonably straight-forward way of getting the wiring from stud-bay to stud-bay that didn't include running wire all the way up into the attic or down through the basement. What I did was to make the cut-outs for the outlets and then cut out the drywall between them.

I could then drill holes through the studs for the wiring. All the wiring could then go through a single hole in the floor plate.

If I were just adding wiring for the outlets I might have just run the wiring through the floor, but I needed to add a switched outlet for the under-cabinet lighting and tie it into what used to be the power line for the range vent hood. Lots of back and forth, so it was easiest to make an opening to get the wiring through the walls.

Here's a tip which will save a bit of work when it comes time to finish the wiring at the panel. Mark the end of the wiring with a description that makes sense to you. The one shown here is pretty obvious. If you're running a bunch of lines at the same time this will really help when it comes to labeling the new breakers.

Fast forward a couple of hours and the drywall is all in place. I need to clean up the edges a little and then I can start mudding. The patching in where the soffit used to be will be somewhat easier than it looks, as only about 1/3 of the seams will be visible once the new cabinets are in place. The ones which will remain hidden will be taped & mudded, but I won't waste much time getting them perfect.

Jumping back to the "before" picture, removing the soffit does open up the kitchen a bit. This wasn't my big goal though. My goal was gaining storage. Consider that the entire area covered with the soffit (plus more) is now storage. The cost to tear out and patch the soffit was about $20 in material.

Removing Cabinets with Extreme Prejudice

2008-04-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

It took about half an hour, but the upper cabinets were removed without too much of a fight. I wanted to remove them without damaging the wall, because that will save me time later on if I don't have to fix it. I didn't care too much about the soffits, as those aren't staying.

I found that the easiest way to remove the cabinets was to simply cut the nails (LOTS of nails...) with a reciprocating saw. I worked a pry-bar between the wall and cabinet enough to loosen the cabinets enough to get the saw blade in and then down they came.

I still haven't figured out if the blue paint seen here was primer or if the room was actually painted this color. I really really hope it was just primer. Over the blue is painted a coat of olive green - not a real improvement in my opinion... You can easily see the outline of where the cabinets were, even after cleaning the walls with de-greaser.

The black spot in the middle is the vent for the range hood.

Tearing the soffits out wasn't too big of a project. I found that the best results were achieved by using the reciprocating saw to cut the inside corners by the ceiling and wall so that the drywall would break away easily as the inside structure was pulled apart. This kept the drywall from tearing.

The structure of the soffit was just 2x4 construction. I was concerned with hidden wiring, and actually got out with minimal wiring to deal with - just the one cable in the corner. I need to look at the structure of the wall to see if I can just notch the 2x4 to make room for it.

This corner also has some water damage from the previously leaking chimney flashing.

With the soffit removed, the kitchen does feel larger. I used some painter's tape to mark where the cabinets are going to be placed so I could make marks on the wall showing future outlet locations. The only outlet on that wall was used by the fridge and microwave, leaving nothing to power small appliances. When I finish this wall, the fridge and microwave will be on their own circuits and there will be a GFCI protected circuit for each counter top. The stove also has it's own circuit. Good thing I've got plenty of space open in the new electrical panel!

I started the electrical work by moving the plug which used to be for the fridge down low on the wall for the stove. I'm switching from an electric stove to a gas stove, so I can also remove the current 22ov outlet. Once the final location for the new stove is determined I can run the gas line for it. I got lucky in that the plug I moved was between the right studs and was just long enough to allow me to use it for the stove.

Now that the electrical line is run and tested for this outlet, I can patch the old outlet hole as well as the hole I made which was too low. Oops... Oh well, nobody will ever see it after the stove is in place and it'll be an easy patch.

Actual Real Kitchen Progress!

2008-04-11T18:31:00.001-07:00

Since the water systems are now upgraded I can FINALLY turn my attention to the rest of the kitchen. I didn't want to start this work earlier, because I didn't want to install a dish washer that would just get messed up with rusty water.

That excuse is now gone, and our water is still blissfully clear.

The kitchen work will take place in two stages: South wall followed by North wall. South first because it'll be easier and will allow me to work out the bugs before I do the harder North wall.

First step was to empty out the cabinets and remove the doors. I plan to keep the cabinets in one-piece as much as possible to give them away. While I really hope that nobody would use them in their kitchen, I think they'd make good garage cabinets.

As I'm taking everything apart I find out how "old school" cabinet installers did their work here - by using multiple large nails per stud. Yay. Installing cabinets with screws makes cabinets much easier to install and remove. You can also see here how there are no "backs" to the cabinets. The back wall is actually the textured drywall. For some reason, I find this kind of disgusting. Probably because the walls in the kitchen have decades of gunk built up on 'em.

Uppers are cleaned out and the work has started on the base cabinets. The cabinet to the left of the stove came out easily Only one screw was holding it into the drywall. Not into the stud, but only into the drywall. Nice and secure. This cabinet wasn't original to the house.

The cabinet to the right of the stove was original and was installed very securely. So securely that it got destroyed in the process of removing it. I wanted to save the drywall more than the cabinet, because the new fridge will be installed there and I don't want to patch drywall if I don't have to.

One thing that was bugging me about the cabinets in the house is how the uppers and lowers didn't line up. I figured it was because the cabinet to the left of the stove was replaced at some point with a wider base or because there was originally a very narrow stove. From the paint that was covered by the lower cabinet for the last 50+ years and based on the sub-flooring, I was right. The lower and upper cabinets used to line up properly.

My original plan was to have the whole wall cleared of cabinets and appliances tonight, but we're dog sitting a friend's puppy and I'm stuck watching the dog instead of working. By end-of-day tomorrow I want to have the entire wall demo'd, including soffits, range vent, and flooring. If all goes well I'd like to have the drywall patching started for the soffets and maybe even some of the electrical changes laid out.

New Water Systems are Finally Installed

2008-04-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

Just as promised, my plumber showed up this morning (yes, on a Saturday) at 8:15. He worked straight through till 9:00 tonight and got the entire job done by himself.

Here's the water heater I started the day with. That weird looking hose to the left of it is the flexible gas line. I doubt this is up to code. The vent has a pretty long run to the chimney as well. This water heater is around 16-17 years old, and the water shut-off valve is corroded to the point where it doesn't work.

The water softener is probably a decade older than the heater. I think it still works, but it's hard to tell. Our water isn't hard, but the insides of this unit are completely caked in rust and junk from the well. Like the water heater, the valves are shot and need to go.

Hours later, here's the new layout. I didn't use this end of the basement for anything, so even with the extra equipment I'm not losing any usable space.

It may look like a lot of extra copper, but we only added slightly more than was taken out. There is a little back-tracking of the copper runs because we didn't lay things out in the order that the water flows (from iron filter to softener to heater). We decided it was better to put the heater close to the furnace so the gas supply line was short and so that the heater was close to the chimney.

The water softener (blue tank and black brine tank) were placed next to the sump crock so it would have a short run for the overflow vent should it ever be needed. The iron filter went in the middle 'cause that was the only space left.

All new bypass valves were installed, new hose bibs replaced the rusty & leaky old ones, and the system was leak-tested. Enough room was left between the parts to allow for easy access around 'em all.

After we got everything tested and the water started flowing, the system automatically started flushing as was expected. The iron filter can be set to flush every day, two days, three days, etc. so we're not wasting water. We set it for every three days and will see if that's often enough.

The water softener can also be set to flush every X days or after a certain number of gallons of water are used. We set it to flush every 850 gallons. Again, time will tell if that's a good setting for us. I need to pick up the salt for it tomorrow - I forgot to get it when I picked up the water heater.

I had the plumber do a couple of other changes while he was here, such as connecting the hose bibs to the filtered/softened water instead of running straight well-water through 'em. In front that was so we could wash the cars with the water and not have spots or stains. In back, it was because it was easier than running a separate line for straight well water.

I also had him plumb the gas line for my upcoming kitchen remodel. The stove we're putting in is gas and the line needed to be moved. He added a new shut-off valve for me as well.

Overall cost? $3,000.00 for all parts and labor (I supplied the water heater, he supplied everything else). With the water heater it came to $3,340.00. That's $1,000.00 less than the other plumber I was going to use, although the more expensive plumber's estimate included $400 for chimney lining. I figure I can line the chimney myself for under $100.00.

I would definitely use him again, and plan to to move the bathroom closet flange when I do the bathroom remodel.

No Time Like the Present

2008-04-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

So the plumber was here and looked the job over this past Tuesday. Nothing difficult. We went over the options and he gave me some ideas. Essentially I'm leaving it up to him to make it all work out. He told me he'd call me Wednesday (yesterday) with a price.

He also said he'd check on some prices to see if it'd be better for him to buy the water softener or if I should get it on my own.

How many stories have there been where contractors promised and didn't deliver?

This isn't one of those stories.

He called, and we decided that he should pick up the Iron Curtain iron filter and the water softener. I can get generic residential products at Home Depot or Menards, but for the same price he can get slightly better equipment.

I told him if he'll buy the products I'll pay him some extra to do so. It's worth it in gas and time savings for me. Plus, even though he's been a plumber for 20 years he's only had his own business for a year and it's good for him to get in front of the suppliers more often. I'll buy the water heater, since he can't really save me anything there.

Price we agreed on was $3,000.00, including re-running the gas line for the water heater. If the water heater costs me the $400 or so I'm expecting to pay, that'll be just over $500 less than the contractor I was going to go with, plus I get to help out "the little guy".

As of yesterday there was no date set for the work to begin. He'd check his schedule and get back to me in a few days.

"In a few days" turned out to be more like "the next morning". He called and said he's picking up the water softener and iron filter Friday (tomorrow) and would like to install everything this Saturday. HELLS YEAH!

Now I'm in a rush to go pick up a water heater. After working 9 hours, getting the kids homework taken care of, hitting the gym at work, and eating a quick salad for dinner (my brother just shit his pants after reading those last two items), it's time to go grab a 50 gallon water heater.

If he doesn't show I'll cry. In a manly way.

The only part that sucks is that the weather is supposed to be in the high 50's and sunny Saturday. Some of the best weather we've had since last fall.

Two Different Contractors, Two Different Solutions

2008-03-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

A while back I had a plumbing contractor come out to give me a price on upgrading our water system. New water softener, iron filter, water heater, and a few other misc. upgrades.

$4,000.00. The guy was here on time and really knew his stuff. He even had one of those cool metal clipboards which all the best contractors have. He suggested either lining our chimney or switching the water softener over to a power-vent. The water heater is the only item currently using the chimney and it doesn't generate enough heat to burn off the moisture in the chimney. This could lead to problems.

That's fine with me, since I'd like to take the chimney down below the roof line so I could patch the roof where it currently exits the roof. This removes one major area that is prone to leakage.

The thing I really liked was that he gave me a full written estimate which detailed all of the items that would be done for the price. None of the existing copper from the pressure-tank to the softener and iron filter would be kept, it'd all be replaced with larger diameter pipe, new on/off valves, etc. All new.

Today I had another company come out. The guy who showed up really puzzled me. He knows plenty about pipe sizes and about the water softener/iron filter combination that they sell, but beyond that, he didn't seem to have a clue. I asked about a power vent for the water heater and it was like I was talking another language. That made me nervous. His sales-pitch was pretty much non-existent.

I asked about pricing and he just said $1,900 for the water softener/iron filter, and they'd change pipes as necessary. He didn't know what the water heater would cost but said it might require electrical upgrades. Um, no, it won't. I had those done and pointed out all the dedicated outlets and breakers.

By the sound of it he'll also want to re-use the existing flexible gas supply line for the water heater. Um, no way. It was done half-ass 15-20 years ago and I don't want it like that any more. No written estimate for a job that could cost $3,000 or more, either. Makes me wonder how these guys have stayed in business.

So let's just say the water heater costs $1,000.00. (the first company figured $900). I'll be about a grand less than the first company, but is it worth it? I'm leaning towards the more expensive contractor because he not only spelled out what was going to be needed, but also put it in writing.

In theory there should be no surprises, since they're replacing everything except the pressure tank. I'll talk it over with the wife tonight and make an appointment in the next day or two to have the work done.

The Blizzard Does a Vanishing Act

2008-03-22T16:30:00.001-07:00

So we ended up with about a foot of new snow yesterday which gave us enough snow to make this season the 2nd heaviest for snowfall on record for us.

Today temps were in the upper 30's, and about half of the snow has already melted. The driveways are dry and most of the streets are dry except for where the city did a half-ass job plowing.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the upper 30's and Monday in the low 40's, so I expect us to be mostly snow-free again in a few days.

Weird weather...

Is it Winter Already?!?

2008-03-21T15:37:00.001-07:00

This morning when I left for work around 6:15 it was dark out. Even in the darkness, I knew there was no snow.

At 5:00 the same day:

The Minivan-o'-Deth is covered in about 8" of heavy packing snow. The local fish-wrap is predicting 10-15" before it's all over. That normally means we'll get 2" or 40". So far, they're not far off, and the fun is expected to last through the night.

Moral of the story: if you tell Mother Nature that you'll still respect her in the morning, don't post naked pictures of her with a donkey on the internet from her own computer while she's still passed out. I swear they were Photoshopped!

On the good side, I finally got a good chance to try the 4wd capabilities of the Jeep and am extremely impressed with how well it goes through snow. I had about 14" of snow at the end of the drive and it just crawled right through it without spinning the tires or making a running start. It never felt out of control and didn't slide a bit on the hard-packed snow-covered roads.

I really need to put a hitch and some recovery hooks on it though. I carry two tow straps just in case, but have nowhere good to hook them up except for the axles, and I'm not a fan of using them like that.

Once Spring gets here....

A Shocking Update

2008-02-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, not shocking for me, because I had hired-guns do the work for me. That's right, the electrical upgrade has finally been done! By professionals with trucks, tools, and permits! 4 electricians, in fact. It took about 6-1/2 hours total for the whole job.

To recap for those who don't know and who can't be bothered to read about it in my previous posts, the electrical system in my house was maxed out and ready to be retired. The panel was original to the house and provided 100 amp service. There was no room for the additional circuits I need to continue the remodel.

Attached to this "Old and Busted" panel is a box which used to control an electric water heater. The theory was that the electric company would turn the heater on and off as needed only during peak usage times, saving you money. We had one of these in the house I grew up (or at least got older) in. I don't recall my dad doing cartwheels with joy over his savings, and I think these things faded away. Either way, it's an empty box.

Speaking of Old and Busted, here where we started with the service on the outside of the house. The original meter with a ~~crappy & rusty~~ well worn conduit, bringing power into the house below grade. Naaah, a little rust on the pipe won't compromise it's strength, will it? The gray box to the right is for the cable service.

Well above ground, the electricians started by running heavier wire which connected to the wires serviced by the electric company. A new mast-head was installed and the existing down-tube was used so no roofing needed to be done. The pipe at this end was large enough for the heavy wires needed for 200 amps.

Old and Busted meter box was replaced by New Hotness meter box. A larger diameter (and not rusted) pipe now brings the heavy wires in above grade. Everything below grade was cemented up to keep water out - a good idea in my book! The cable box was relocated to make room for this new larger box.

All work outside is now complete. I had an electrical outlet added outside, since there wasn't one before. It's got a large weather-proof box and is also a GFCI outlet. After the inspection I can replace the dirt moved to dig out the old pipe. Two new ground rods were installed and tied in with the old ground rod.

Moving inside, the old box was pulled from the wall to make room for this baby! Capable of 200 amps of juice. I'm somewhat certain that this picture was taken before they finished the install.

Here we go, "New Hotness" all buttoned up and ready for action! The little box to the right of the panel is a whole-house surge suppression system. An outlet just below the panel was added for the washer & dryer. Previously I had to plug the dryer in through an extension cord - not a good idea. I've got a lot of room to expand with this new panel, and the best thing about it is that the circuits are actually labeled with correct descriptions! At least half of the breakers on the old panel were labeled "Pump". The PO must have had some weird pump-fetish...

Remember this little gem? The PO thought this was a good way to wire the electric stove.

Here's a closer look. Yes, that's electrical tape wrapped around the cord to "protect" it. Before opening these boxes to check what kind of wiring fiasco was inside, the main electrician I was working with guessed that the wires were just wire-nutted together, giving power to the stove and the old electric fireplace I tore out on one circuit.

What he found in the box surprised him. The larger of the two boxes was actually a small fuse box, something most home-owners wouldn't have access to. He figures that whoever did this had access to material, such as a maintenance guy would, but didn't know/care enough about code to actually spend the little extra time to do the job right.

In the following picture you can see the extra wire added to the center terminal on the back of the stove. My electrician took this as proof that either the PO had help or kinda knew what he was doing (my money is on "he had help"), because this wire blah blah blah blah (I have no idea what he said/meant). Something about tying the neutral to ground or something like that.

I asked him to clean it up enough to pass inspection. I didn't want any more money than needed spent on it because it's going to get ripped out in a month or so when I get crackin' on the kitchen remodel. He installed new wiring, cleaned up the mess inside the little boxes, and I'm good to go here. It's still not as pretty as I'd like, but pretty costs more. They also installed the plug in a bad location behind the stove, forcing the stove to be away from the wall by about 3". Again, I don't care because it's temporary. No sense in having them waste their time to re-do it if it's not going to stay.

Trail Mix anyone? With a side order of 40 years of accumulated grease splatter? Yum yum, gimme some! When we moved the stove out (possibly the first time it's been moved in over a decade) I threw up a little in my mouth from the site of what greeted me. Yeah, like yours is sooo much cleaner...

Still to be done: There are two breakers which we haven't been able to identify yet. A 20 amp and a 15 amp. I haven't gone through the house yet checking each outlet, but that's next. We figure that at some time in the past the PO did some remodeling (HA!) and maybe added an outlet or two. Until I figure out where those breakers control, the breakers are off. That should make it easier to find the dead circuits so I can label 'em.

Bring it on, Mother Nature!

2008-02-23T14:45:00.001-08:00

I'm calling Mother Nature out, and daring her to bring her A-game with some snow. Any normal person wants winter to end, the snow to melt, and the ice to disappear.

Newsflash, I'm not normal.

I'm also itching to try out the new (to me) get-away vehicle, a '95 Jeep Cherokee which should be plenty capable of carrying any home renovation material I've got planned.

Nothing fancy, and far fewer bells & whistles than the previous get-away minivan-of-death. Fine with me, as that means less crap to go wrong. Power windows, locks, seats, etc are fine when a car is new, but after a few years, good luck with all those electronics. Ask me how I know...

It's been years since I've had 4wd, and I remember how much fun it was being able to go through just about anything nature brought. The minivan-of-death wasn't bad in the snow, but considering I leave for work well before the all the roads get plowed in the morning, this should make the commute a little easier.

The only down-side of getting the Jeep is now my driveway is starting to look like a used-car lot. I've got the two minivans-of-death out front along with the red GMC in the background which I'm storing for my dad for 3-4 more weeks, plus the Jeep. One more car in the garage rounds it out.

All of 'em run and none are up on blocks, so I'm not quite to red-neck status. Yet.

So once again, Mother Nature, get your ass moving and bring the snow. If you've got the guts.

And Now, for Something Completely Different

2008-02-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

Two topics today, completely unrelated to home renovations. Also unrelated to each other, but also related to each other. Makes no sense? It will.

First, the company I work for finally took delivery of the remaining Christmas gifts that were given out to employees in December. In December we were given a couple of games, a big tin of popcorn, and a check. We were told there were to be more games, but they couldn't get 300+ copies of each in time, so they'd come later. Today was later. Catchphrase and the DVD version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader.

While looking at the DVD box for "5th Grader", I noticed something:

Quite honestly, if you look at a little box and expect there to be a DVD player or a TV in the box with the DVD, you are barely smart enough to be considered human, much less smarter than a 5th grader.

It's sad that we actually need disclaimers on stuff like this...

Rant #2: today was the primary election in Wisconsin, and I am sure I am not alone in saying this: "Dear politicians, now that you're done telling us how your opponent is a big fat smelly liar who molests chipmunks, please get the hell out of our state and take your TV and print ads with you."

How are these unrelated topics related? Because politicians keep treating us like we're all 5th graders. Forget the issues, it's all about popularity and soundbites.

The main one which bugs me for some stupid reason was watching Hillary a few days ago talking to a local Wisconsin reporter, blathering on and on about how she went to the Wisconsin Dells when she was younger. Whoop-de-do. So did I, so maybe I should be a write-in contestant in the state.

Blah blah blah, I like cheese, vote for me.

Why Ceiling Paint Choice is so Important

2008-02-16T13:41:00.001-08:00

Anybody who has looked at all the differences in paints has probably also been surprised at just how many choices there are. Flat, Eggshell, Semi-Gloss, Gloss, etc.

On walls, flat paints often look great, but don't stand up well to abuse and can be hard to scrub. Glossy paints are easier to maintain, but don't look "right" on many walls.

When it comes to bathrooms and kitchens you also have to consider how the paint looks, but also how easy it will be to clean and how it'll hold up to moisture.

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of the grease-buffet that is my kitchen ceiling above the stove. At that time, I was planning to try a few different cleaners to see what worked best for built-up grease.

I had some time to kill today so I figured this would a good day to give it a shot. The grease on the ceiling has probably been building up for at least a decade, and it was my guess that it wasn't going to go without a fight.

Wrong!

I started the cleaning with a standard Clorox cleaning wipe, and found that it worked perfectly well. The only down-side was that the wipes aren't that big and therefore didn't last that long. Here's the result from one wipe:

The ceiling had been painted in the past with what appears to be a Semi-Gloss paint. It's got at least a half-dozen coats of paint, so the sand texture is pretty smooth making it easy to clean. If it were a flat white there is no way it would have been this easy.

Now I'm pissed at myself for living with this disgusting mess on the ceiling for so long. If I had known it was going to clean up this easily I would have done it a year ago.

One of my Biggest Fans

2008-02-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Replacing a fan - an easy job that makes a big difference on the look of a room. Unless you're incompetent when it comes to all things electrical, like the previous owner of my house.

The house came with three ceiling fans, each one uglier than the last. All three were the same style, and the kitchen fan even included some hideous 80's style lighting.

With yesterday's Blizzard-of-Death-'08 bearing down on us I took a break from playing with the Snowblower-of-Death and replaced the fugly-ass fan in the living room. You can tell by the paint around the trim that I took lots of care when I painted the ceiling.

I'm not about to do a step-by-step on how to change a ceiling fan. Fact is, if you need to find help from me to do anything, you're in more trouble than you know.

At 6'3" (6'8" in my favorite pumps) I wanted a fan that also hugged the ceiling more. Into the picture is a new Hunter fan. It came with a God-awful light kit which I decided to break and throw away.

Ceiling fan tips:
- Push the air up into the ceiling in the winter to force warm air in the rest of the room down.
- Push air down from the fan in the summer to make it feel cooler.
- Or maybe I've got those two backwards.
- Sharpen the edges of the blades or line them with razor blades if you really want to create a spinning vortex of death.
- Ceiling fans are usually not strong enough to support the full weight of a noose and adult unless you install additional blocking in the ceiling.
- Rewiring the fan for faster operation will never get your house airborne. You'll have to join the Mile High club some other way.

Now THAT's a Snow Job!

2008-02-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

Storm of the decade.

The "perfect" storm.

Blizzard.

Whatever you want to call it, there's a whole sh1t-load of snow on the ground which wasn't here 24 hours ago.

Some areas are expecting 16-20". I'm guessing I'll end up with around 14" of heavy, wet snow. Luckily I remembered to hose the inside of the snow-discharge chute with WD-40 before starting snow-removal, or I'd be running into jam after jam in the snowblower.

The snow started somewhat light yesterday afternoon. By bedtime we had around 4". This morning around 5-6", and the storm was looking like it might not hit as bad as expected. Weathermen were still promising a huge storm, but they've been wrong before.

Either way, schools were closed and the kids were staying home. I was in to work this morning at 6:30, planning to take a half-day. I got home and started snow-blowing at about noon, removing around 8" of snow.

3 hours later I had to do it again, removing around 6" of new snow.

And it's still snowing, so I'm guessing that I'll break out the snow blower one more time tonight.

The sick thing is that I actually like it. The snow looks great when it's fresh, and the house feels nice and warm after busting ass removing snow from the driveway.

Unfortunately, this means just one more delay in getting the electrical system upgraded. Every time we have it scheduled, the weather screws up the plans. Go figure...

Hanging an Ikea Cabinet is Easy (So Far)

2008-02-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

Once I actually start the real installation work on my cabinets, I want it to be as easy as possible. I've never installed cabinets before and the last thing I want to do is get stuck half-way through because of missing parts.

I figured that I will take some time while waiting for the electrical and plumbing upgrades and hang the cabinet I assembled the other day.

The Ikea literature makes it look easy, but then again why would they possibly make it look hard to do?

Step one was to find the high spot on the floor and measure up from there. A couple of lines are made on the wall, and the track shown here leaning against the wall is then mounted. Normally this track would be cut to length, but since I'm just doing this as a mock-up, I'm leaving it full length.

The cabinets are held to the track with these sliding metal bolts/glides.

With these sliding bolts installed, the cabinets can be slid left/right as needed for aligning the cabinet. Minor adjustments can be made up/down as needed as well.

From the inside of the cabinet, you can see how the cabinet box is held to the track with a nut and clip on each side.

From the side, you can see how the cabinet box is designed to be held straight, while straddling the track. The top and bottom of the "box" extend back fully to the wall while the sides are open for the track, wiring, etc.

With the box mounted, the doors easily clip into place. Shown here is the recommended mounting height.

Covers for the mounting hardware are included, and they slide in place.

After about 60 seconds of tweaking the hinges, the bottom edges of the doors line up nicely.

Not so for the handles. I didn't do a good enough job in drilling the holes, so on each door the right handle hole is slightly higher than the left. It'll take about 3 minutes to fix, but when it comes time to do all the handles I'm going to build or buy a handle jig. This isn't noticeable, but I know it's not right and it bothers me.

From the recommended mounting height, I end up with about 3-1/2" between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling. While that works, I think it's a little too much. My plan is to move the cabinets up about 1 to 1-1/2" so I can use a smaller filler strip to cover the gap. This will also give me more clearance above the counter tops. Before I make this decision for sure though I'll build one of the larger cabinets and see how it lines up with our current cabinets.

At this point, the cabinet is pretty bare looking. There are no side-trim pieces installed and the trim along the bottom has not been installed.

Ikea Upper Cabinets and Flavorful Ceiling

2008-02-03T17:36:00.001-08:00

The SuperBowl is on, and I'm not really a fan of either team (although I'd rather see the Giants win because I think Randy Moss is the biggest a-hole in the game).

To kill a little time I decided to build one of the upper cabinets we just picked up from Ikea today to see how the construction will be compared to the lowers.

The main "box" itself is no difference other than it being smaller than the base cabinet's box. Also, instead of drawers it's got two doors and interior shelves.

The only real decision we had to make was the orientation of the handles. At first, we planned to install them vertically (the base cabinet handles are horizontal). After looking at it a little while, we decided to match the base cabinets and mount them horizontally.

On this picture you can see how the grain of the wood doesn't flow from one door to the other. Some people wouldn't like this, but it doesn't bother us. I've seen pictures of finished kitchens with these doors and I like how it looks like this. Realistically, 98% of people out there would never even notice it.

The hinges were included with the cabinets, and overall, I'm very impressed with them. There is a lot of adjustment available in each hinge, allowing you to tweak each door as needed to make sure everything is lined up properly.

Each hinge has two screws for adjustment. One screw pushes the door attached at that hinge in or out, and the other hinge adjusts the door left or right (when the door is closed). In theory, this will allow you to make sure each door is exactly flush with the door next to it and also allow you to make sure gaps are even all the way around.

This cabinet is going over the refrigerator, and what amazes me is that this cabinet is bigger than any of the current upper cabinets we have on either side of the kitchen. What mainly accounts for this is that we're removing the existing soffits.

On this side of the kitchen alone, we are going to lose about 2 square feet of floor space to the larger cabinets (space we really won't miss), but in return we are going to gain about 12-15 cubic feet of storage. We will also gain 2 more square feet of new counter top space plus regain about 2 square feet of space currently used by the microwave which sits on the counter.

I threatened earlier to post a picture of the ceiling above our stove. This picture shows why it's so important to not only have and use a vent fan over the stove, but to actually vent it outside! The fan above our stove is not connected to the ductwork in the attic, meaning somebody in the past did some really half-ass work and never completed the job.

Any time you use our stove top, even if you run the fan, all the smoke/grease goes right up to the ceiling. For contrast, I put a clean sheet of paper in the picture. I'm hoping I can de-grease this mess enough for new paint to stick.

The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!

The Ikea Cabinet Fairy Paid us a Visit

2008-02-03T14:06:00.001-08:00

In my never-ending quest to crush the suspension on the family truckster, we took a drive down to Ikea today to get all of the cabinets which will be installed in 1/2 of the kitchen.

With the third row of seating removed, everything fit well and I could have fit in a couple more boxes if needed.

After this half of the kitchen is done I'll make another trip to get the cabinets for the other half.

Why not get everything in one trip? Because there is no way it'd all fit without breaking the suspension.

Plus, even though I'm fairly sure I know what items are needed, I know there will be some waste and I don't want to go overboard on scrap. By doing this in two trips I should minimize material waste, save the van, and have less material taking up space in the house.

Plus, Mrs. Muskego Jeff likes to shop the store and since it's over an hour away, she doesn't get to go there often.

I mentioned in the previous post about Ikea cabinets that we were given a wrong piece when I got the first test-cabinet. Two cabinet drawer doors were missing and I was given a side trim-piece by accident. Today, I was shorted the same pieces and given the same wrong pieces. The part numbers aren't even close together, so I don't know how they made the same wrong mistake twice in a row, unless the pieces are stored in the same spot in their warehouse.

This time, however, I was smart enough to take inventory as I was loading the van. The workers there are either very trusting or see this problem often, as all I needed to do was go back to the merchandise pick-up desk and tell them I was missing two pieces and they got 'em and handed them to me. If I had less impressive morals, I could have gotten some extra door fronts by simply lying.

Regarding the purchase of the cabinets, everything went ridiculously smoothly. I'll credit a lot of this to my anal retentive attention to detail. Instead of just using the layout program available on Ikea's website, I downloaded a small CAD program (Delta Cad) and drew everything to scale. Their layout program is useful, but notoriously quirky. Here's what I came up with:

Something that isn't really clear in the planning program is that side trim-pieces are sold separately, so you only buy what you need. If you have a row of cabinets side by side, you don't need outside trim for each. In my case, I needed trim for most pieces.

I also had listed pricing from the catalog in the drawing so that I would know approximately how much this trip was going to cost. I was pretty much dead-on accurate until the trim was added (it wasn't listed in the catalog, so the price was a guess for me).

The dude at Ikea who took care of the sale for me needed a total of about 7 minutes to get everything rung up, including the mounting hardware for the upper cabinets (which I forgot). Since I listed part numbers all he had to do was type in what I had already listed.

This was probably the easiest sale he had to deal with all day, and also saved me a lot of headaches because the kitchen area at Ikea is typically very busy.

Bagless Vacuums do not Suck

2008-02-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Recently our old vacuum decided to give up the ghost on us. It didn't go out with a whimper - it actually scared the hell out of my daughter who was using it at the time.

I thought she had tried to vacuum up a Lego or some other hard object, which then got stuck in the beater bar, jamming the motor. I grabbed a screwdriver and took it apart to see what happened, and found that half of the impeller blades were broken, which actually broke the whole motor assembly case. Not an easy/cheap fix, so we tossed it out and got a new vac.

The two main choices for us were traditional bag vacuums and the newer style bagless vac. We've always had bag vacs in the past, and it always seems that we're running out to buy bags. We gave the bagless style a shot this time around. A Hoover 12amp, to be specific.

In this case, the dirt is sucked in to the main chamber on the left. A fine screen separates that open chamber from the filter on the right. Small dust gets through the screen and trapped on the filter. Anything which gets past this filter gets picked up by one of two more filters. Compare that to just a single bag designed to trap everything.

On the downside, the available space to hold the picked up dirt is small compared to a bag, but considering you can just empty the collection bin be back in business in a minute, it's a small price to pay. Typically I end up having to empty the bin after a full vacuuming of the house. If I don't do this, it blocks the screen and filter too much which reduces suction.

Here's the empty vac ready for action.

After just a few minutes and two rooms, I've got a good collection of dust going. This brings up the real down-side of a bagless vac - you end up seeing just how much crap you've got in your carpets. With two kids, two adults, a dog and a cat in the house, this can be pretty nasty looking at times. Dumping the container can get a little messy, since everything isn't contained in a simple-to-dispose-of bag.

One thing I've noticed is that after vacuuming my allergies usually do not cause me too many problems. With our old vac, this wasn't the case. I'd get a bagless again in a second. The hastle of dumping the container after each use is minimal compared to how creating a dust-storm every time we clean.

Exploratory Surgery

2008-02-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

Killing time this morning I was reading a few blogs where there was kitchen remodeling involved.

One in particular got me a little worried, as they found out a little late that removing the soffits opened up a whole world of pain due to buried heating ducts and plumbing.

Granted, this work was being done on a two-story house and I'm working on a ranch, but it still made me worry a little about what I could find if I don't do some exploring now.

Since I've got a ranch house, the only plumbing above the kitchen will be plumbing vents which are vented through the roof. There is also no HVAC ducting to deal with, as it's all run under the floor and easily accessible from the basement. There is a small amount of ductwork for the vent above the stove, but I know this runs through the wall. Hell, it's not even hooked up right now, and since the stove location will change with the remodel, I plan to change it out to make it functional. Eventually I'll post a picture of the ceiling above the stove and show why it's nice to have a working stove vent...

I do know there is at least a little bit of electrical wiring in the soffit above the sink, as there is an electrical outlet for a clock there. Depending on where those wires trace back to, I might be able to re-use them as a power source for the under-cabinet lighting I'm going to add.

This is the soffit above the sink. The ceiling has not yet been painted, and only the wall to the right has been painted since we moved in. I can't wait to get rid of these cabinets. The open door does not close properly due to stripped out screws on the hinges and misaligned closing magnets. You can see the edge of the clock outlet at the far left side of the picture.

On the other side of the kitchen (the stove side) is it's twin. Again, I stopped painting where I knew the demolition would begin.

Having never opened up a soffit before I didn't know what to expect. My assumption was that it was either going to be an open box with some structure inside or that it'd be filled with insulation from the attic. I was hoping for an open box. A couple of hammer hits told me that it wasn't going to be as easy as I had hoped.

The soffits - or at least the ends - are filled with insulation. I haven't dug around in the attic insulation to verify, but I assume this is because they are open to the attic above. Oh well, it's better than having to re-run plumbing!

Since our remodel plans include a lot of new insulation in the attic (blown-in, if possible) I'm going to push that part of the work back a few months and do it after I get the soffits removed and covered with new drywall. That'll keep the new insulation in the attic, where it'll do more good for our heating bills.

Time Flies

2008-02-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of our moving in to this place.

While this house wasn't the one we really wanted at the time we bought it (our first choice sold to another buyer), it turns out to be a better house for us in a better location. 10 minutes to work for both of us, a nice 1/2 acre yard in a quiet subdivision, and close enough to "civilization".

To mark the anniversary, I plan to go out today and buy the rest of the cabinets needed for 1/2 of the kitchen.

Since I'm going to do the cabinets and flooring in two stages, I might as well buy material in that manner too. This will also allow me to figure out all the little details so I know what to expect for the other half of the cabinet work, as the second stage will be larger and more involved.

I budgeted $3,000.00 for upper and lower cabinets, and it looks like I might hit that number dead-on.

Counter Top Choices

2008-01-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

As with any big project, there are a lot of choices to be made. Countertops are for us, a huge decision.

Not only do we want something that looks good, but the price needs to be within our budget and the material needs to be durable.

I mentioned a long time back that our two main choices have been solid surface and granite. We both like the look of granite over solid surface. It has more "depth" and character, plus it's a natural material that just plain looks fantastic.

It also has some downsides. If I'm going to do the job myself I need to do it with granite tiles. I don't mind the small grout lines, but some people don't like 'em. It's also a porous surface and needs to be protected regularly. It's also easier to damage and harder to fix than solid surface.

With the other material, solid surface is something I normally wouldn't try myself, but since the company my wife and I work for manufactures and fabricates it, we're a step ahead and I can have the pieces easily made to my specs at a discount.

The colors aren't quite as pleasing to us as granite, but they still look great compared to laminate tops and help give the kitchen a quality appearance.

What I really like about solid surface, and what has really pushed me in that direction is the durability. Scratches can be sanded out, it's non-porous, and more stain resistant.

With all that said, I'm about 80% certain we are going with solid surface. It'll hold up well to a house with kids and pets, and I won't have the regular maintenance in keeping it sealed.

I brought home the color charts yesterday so we can start narrowing down our options. The kitchen needs to be solid surface, while for the bathroom we can do either solid surface or cultured marble. A lot of the colors are the same, but the finish is different, so we'll have to kick that around a bit.

3-1/2 of these color cards are for solid surface.

These are the cultured marble options.

I expect about 10-15 days for fabrication and I can then pick up the finished pieces. Once we pick out a color, that is....and install the cabinets so we can have counter tops made to match the actual layout.

Until then, I'm finalizing the kitchen cabinet layout. I did find a 12" cabinet that will work for us that will allow us to put the dishwasher to the left of the sink. I need to break out the graph paper and draw the plans up in detail just to be sure though.

Ikea Kitchen Cabinets, Part 1 of Many

2008-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

I've had about a year to look at kitchen cabinets, and the prices on some of them make my soil myself. Before you say it, I know the saying "you get what you pay for".

Well, I'm not renovating a $500,000 house here, so I needed a good combination of price, quality, and appearance.

After reading as much as I could find about them, I decided to not only drive the 90 minutes to check out Ikea's cabinets in person, but to also buy one in the style we were most interested in.

There are about 4 different cabinets in the layouts we're looking at which are all 24" wide, so that's the size we got, with three drawers. If we decide to go with different drawer faces in the future we can just buy the new faces and screw them in place easily.

Before I get into the adventure that is building a cabinet, let me say this about the Ikea store we went to: It's fvcking huge! 3 floors packed with just about anything you'd need in a house. I'm not a fan of the style of a lot of stuff there, but the sheer amount of stuff for sale is impressive.

If you've never dealt with Ikea's cabinets before, they are a modular design which you get the "pleasure" of putting together yourself. If it saves me money, bring it on!

So we pick out the style we want and get a print-out of the details from the kitchen department. At the check-out, they point us towards the pick-up area and we go to wait. 5-10 minutes later a girl calls my number and gives me a push-cart filled with boxes and bags (see the first picture below). I sign off on the pick-up sheet without taking inventory of every box and bag. Hey, it's only pieces for one cabinet, she can't screw that up, can she?!?

The big box in the back left is the main "box" of the lower cabinet, which is a generic box used for all the various combinations of drawers and doors. The only option here is one of two finishes. The three boxes in front of it are the three drawers. The front box to the right is the small drawer front, while the big piece in the back right is the wrong fvcking piece that I wasn't smart enough to check before leaving the store. It was supposed to be the door for the lower drawers, but instead looks like a side trim piece for an upper cabinet. If I can't return it I should be able to re-use it later. The bags in front are various hardware pieces which I'll cover in a little bit.

Step one is assembling the "box" of the cabinet. The wood is veneer over particleboard. Depending on who you want to believe, some say this is better than solid wood. It's cheaper, so for me, that's better! The pieces are all in good shape, no ding or dents, and well packaged.

If you've ever assembled a desk or entertainment system, you can do this. The instructions are a little vague in places, but it's easy enough to find your way through the process. I used my cordless drill to make it easier, and made sure to use the clutch set to a light setting to make sure the screws didn't get over-tightened, which would destroy the particle bard. I did the final tightening by hand with a screwdriver. These are the sides of the cabinet.

The back of each cabinet has a couple of metal brackets which will later be used to attach the cabinets to the wall. My Ryobi 18v drill has seen plenty of action and still runs like a champ. (Come on, Ryobi, how about a couple of new lithium batteries for all the promoting I do for you guys?)

The cabinet sides and top/bottom are connected with dowels and screw posts. They don't look very strong, but once the cabinet is in place they'll be plenty strong enough. When I moved a year ago, I threw out a desk which was assembled with the same type of hardware. It had moved with me at least 4 times and even though I beat the hell out of it over the years, it still held together well. The instructions don't say anything about using some glue in here with the dowels. While I don't think it would hurt, I doubt that it's needed.

Hey, we've got a box! The top isn't a full piece like the bottom, because it doesn't need to be. It saves weight and money this way.

The feet are interesting. Instead of building a traditional base for the cabinets there are four feet with can be adjusted to make up for uneven flooring. It's hard to tell from this picture, but each foot assembly can be rotated 180 degrees so that it spans two cabinets. This helps spread the load between cabinets and helps even everything up. They're just held in by gravity, although I will probably put a little silicone sealant in each mounting hole just to help hold everything in place when I'm placing cabinets. The extra hardware shown is to hold the toe-kick pieces in place. I didn't get the toe kicks yet - I'll worry about that when I figure out how many linear feet I need for the final install. Since they're clamped in place with these plastic clips, they aren't as strong as a regular nailed-in piece, but they should be able to handle the limited kicking they'll get.

With the box done and sitting on it's feet, it's time to build drawers. Two drawers will be without a face for now, until I pick up the correct piece. The sides and back of each drawer are metal, while the face and bottom are wood (well, particle board....). Each piece has it's own instruction sheet and hardware.

First up is the bottom drawer. The slider assemblies just screw in place with two screws. Super-easy and quick to do. They have some built-in springs to close the drawers and to keep 'em closed. The instructions tell you which of the pre-drilled holes to use for each slider assembly. This same box could be used for adjustable shelves instead of drawers.

Each drawer also comes with a dampener to make the drawer close slowly and smoothly. If you just give the drawer a push to close it, when it's about 3" from slamming closed it suddenly slows down and slowly closes on it's own. I consider that a pretty nice feature.

Here is the 24" cabinet about as complete as I can build it for now. Each drawer face is adjustable up/down, and the lower ones have an extra brace which helps make sure the face is nice and flush with the other drawers. The lower drawers share one face. I'm not sure how much I like that yet, but we'll see how it goes. I can always easily change that in the future.

As you can see here, the drawers extend fully, giving you access to all the crap that ends up in the back. Once the cabinet is in place, the counter top will over hang the front by an inch or so.

We really liked the handles on the display cabinets in the store. They carry a decent selection of handles, although a lot of people go out and buy something elsewhere. In this case, one-stop shopping for us. The directions don't tell you where to mount the handles and the fronts aren't pre-drilled (different handles need different mounting holes) so I laid down some tape and found the center-line vertically and horizontally. Once I have a lot of cabinets to do I'll either make a template or buy a jig. For now, this was quick and easy, and the handle is centered.

Two holes later, we're happy with the result. I'd be extremely happy if I had bothered to make sure we had all the correct parts to build the cabinet...

So the verdict so far is that the cabinet appears to be a very decent value at $223.00 including drawer pulls. My only complaint is that nothing in the store has a regular English name - it's all Swiss. Cute marketing ploy, but it's irritating trying to understand the documentation, sales tickets, and instructions at times.

When it comes time to build a dozen or so cabinets, the best thing I can recommend to make the job easier is to get an old door and put it on a couple of saw-horses so you can do the work without crawling around on the floor.

This cabinet took about 75 minutes to build. Since it was the first one and a learning experience, the next cabinets should go much more quickly. I expect that if I were to build another on a work bench that I could have it done in 45 minutes.

When it comes time to build and install the cabinets, I plan on only building the boxes and installing them. After they're all in place I can worry about the drawers and doors. That will keep my build area a less cluttered and keep the weight of each cabinet down while I get everything in place.

Doin' the Electric Slide

2008-01-09T15:13:00.000-08:00

Alright, I'll admit it (again) that I haven't done jack-squat on the house for a while. The Xbox 360 has been drawing way too much of my attention, and I'm thinking I might have an addiction to it.

Regardless, work must go on.

I'm probably repeating myself by saying this, but before I can do any "meaningful" work on the house I need to finish two large projects. First, the electrical system on the house needs to be upgraded because:
- it's a 100 amp service which is maxed out.
- the previous owners wouldn't know proper wiring methods if their lives depended on it.
- if I'm going to add a dish washer and disposal and heated bathroom floor, I need room in the panel for those three circuits.

Second, I need to update the water supply system in the house. I blogged specifically about our crappy water a number of times, and it's almost time to pull the trigger on getting clean water here.

Before I can do that, however, the electrical needs to be done because I'll need some good dedicated circuits for the new water softener and iron filter. More on that later.

For now, I got an electrician out here to look over the system and he's now been hired to come out and take care of the service panel for me. I can add circuits and do normal wiring, but changing out a 45 year old panel and upgrading from 100 amp to 200 amp is slightly beyond my comfort level.

Here's what $2,000 American will buy me:

A new 200 amp panel will be installed. The supply line from the outside meter into the panel will be replaced with an above-ground line. (the line comes to the house on overhead wires and runs down the side of the house to the meter, then underground and through the foundation wall - we're getting rid of the part which goes underground).

The half-ass wiring to the stove will be fixed so the whole system will pass inspection.

The old conduit which carried wiring that went to the crappy old fake fireplace will be reused to carry new wires dedicated for audio/video/computer equipment.

The furnace will be isolated on it's own circuit, meaning the sump pump, basement lighting, and water softener will finally get their own circuits.

The existing wiring for the A/C will be replaced with the proper larger-gauge wiring.

An outdoor outlet will be added by the patio, meaning I can finally plug something in out back without having to run an extension cord through the window.

A GFCI outlet will replace the regular outlet above the laundry sink, and will be relocated close to the washer/dryer so I don't have to use an extension cord for the dryer.

A whole-house surge suppression system will be installed.

A few other misc. items will be taken care of by the electrician, along with all permits and mapping out of the circuits for me. No longer will half of the breakers be labeled "pump" and the other half "lights".

I had budgeted $2,000 for this, and expected to pay that +/- $200.00. I'd have come in on the low-side if I didn't spend the extra $175 for the surge suppression. Cheap insurance, in my opinion, and exactly on-budget.

Work should start in less than two weeks, so hopefully I can get the water guys out here right away after electrical is done. Then I can start on either the kitchen or bathroom. Assuming the electrician shows up and works... I've heard too many horror stories about no-show contractors to feel warm & fuzzy yet.

My First Post of the New Year

2008-01-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but I swear I've got a good reason.

Until recently the only TV in the house has been a 32" tube. It works well, but it's hardly the center-piece of a real entertainment system.

I knew I couldn't count on Santa to upgrade my viewing experience, so I took it upon myself to rock my own video world. Into my life came a 50" plasma high-def flat screen. Oh. My. God. What a difference!

There are a number of channels we get which are broadcast in high-def and also at the same time on another channel in standard def. The difference is about the same as looking at an old VHS tape compared to DVD.

The Mrs. took a few subtle hints and supplied me with an Xbox 360 to go with it, and once I added the high-def cables for it I was all set.

The next step was getting the Xbox online with my computer, so I wired up a router and the two devices can now communicate. This means that music, pictures, and video stored on the computer can be played on the plasma. The PC will eventually be used for file storage when we get around to getting a laptop, but that's a ways down the road.

After I renovate the family room I plan to wire the TV, DVR, stereo, and computer together so that I can have total control of the system from one spot. I can play background music from the computer through the Xbox or play music from iTunes directly through the stereo. Any sound coming from the TV could be played in 5.1 stereo through the stereo, too.

The gears in my mind are turning at warp speed with the possibilities!

Long story short, I've put off any meaningful work on the house while I spent the holidays with the family - kicking their asses at Halo 3!

Kitchen Design and Flow

2007-12-15T15:56:00.001-08:00

I'm putting together the cabinet and floor plan for the kitchen remodel. The only real constraint I have is the window on the north wall. The sink will remain in that location.

Obviously the dishwasher should be near the sink, and I want counter tops available on either side of the stove.

Currently, the cabinets on the sink-side of the kitchen are in this arrangement, although there is no dishwasher. On the stove-side of the kitchen everything is currently reversed (the fridge is closest to the living room, which blocks some of the flow visually into the kitchen).

The table is not drawn to scale, so I'm not worried about the flow around it.

The green outline represents the counter top - solid surface or granite. Red outlines are lower cabinets, and blue outlines are upper cabinets.

I have considered having the dishwasher to the left of the sink, but I think it'll work better here, even though it means longer supply & discharge line runs.

Depending on how tired I am as this project progresses, I'll probably open up the wall leading into the family room by about 12". This will mean moving the electrical switches too, which I really don't want to do, but it'll really open up the room a lot.

There are currently soffets above the upper cabinets. I'd love to remove them and installer taller upper cabinets, but this could create a whole mess of extra work that I really don't want/need right now.

To all you professional designers and those who have been there before, am I missing anything which would improve the flow of the kitchen?

A Fireplace Built for a Man

2007-12-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

I was going through a bunch of pictures I have and ran across some pictures of a fireplace that any red-blooded guy would like in his living room. Hate chopping wood for the fire? No problem, you can burn logs the size of a Toyota in here! For a size reference I've included daddy's little tax-deductions. If I stuck my head up into the flue I could stand upright in there at 6'3.

Can anybody* identify this fireplace or name where it is? I'll give you a hint - there is public parking right outside this building, although your car or truck is not welcome within a mile of the place.

* My brother should know where this is, so he's not allowed to chime in.

Walk up a flight of stairs and you get a good view of the building. A lot of stones went into building this place!

Blurring the Line Between a Fake Fireplace and a Real Fire

2007-12-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

I've complained about the crappy old fake "fireplace" in my house before. It's old. It's fake. In general, it sucks large quantities of ass.

I now know it's also a fire hazard and was installed by a previous owner who should NEVER have been allowed near anything electrical.

Yesterday I smelled what I assumed was a hair burning on the heating element of the "fireplace". It stunk, so I turned the fireplace off. This piece-o-crap is (was), unfortunately, a major source of heat for the family room, so I knew I'd have to finish burning whatever was stinking sooner or later.

Today was the day. It's in the low 20's outside, so this room is too cool for my comfort - about 65 degrees when the rest of the house is 70-71.

I get back from work and crank the thermostat up, wanting to make the stink before the kids get home so I could blame it on the dog. Don't judge me.

About 30 seconds into the burn I hear a fizzle (cue Snoop Dog) and see copious amounts of smoke coming from what is normally a fake fire. Not a good sign.

Until this time, I didn't know if this smoking pile of crap "fireplace" was hard-wired or plugged in. Deciding that having my house burn down would not be the best way to start the weekend, I grabbed the plastic "logs" and turned the whole cheap-ass "fire" sideways and notice that there is no fire, but plenty of smoke coming from the heating coil.

That calms me down a little, as "smoke without fire" is better than "fire with urine soaked pants".

I find that the base the "logs" are sitting on is hinged, so I remove the "logs" and find that there is a 220 volt plug underneath. The "logs" were then unplugged and the whole assembly was removed so I can let it cool down before throwing it into the garbage.

With the crappy fake "fire" (and real smoke) removed I noticed a few things. First, the flooring in this room was crappy brown tile - probably asbestos. Crappy brown carpet over the top of crappy brown tile is actually a step up in a couple of ways. I've also noticed at least part of the reason this room has been so cold. This "fireplace" has been constructed directly over the top of one of the heating vents, meaning that this vent was blocked and useless. Useless like a book showing proper electrical work in the hands of the previous owner, but I digress.

Here we have what should be outlawed in all 50 states plus Canada (Mexico, you're on your own). This rolling drum simulates fire in the same way a Yugo simulates a luxury car. The smoke was coming from years of gunk built up on the electronics caged in on the left.

Wiring done to code? Not for me, thanks. Buried deep inside the base of this crap-tastic "fireplace" is a 220 volt outlet to power this garbage. At least I assume it's 220 volt. It's a 220 volt plug and 220 volt receptacle, but I've learned not to trust that things in this house were done correctly. I will not be surprised at all to find out that it's actually wired as 110 volt. Notice how the receptacle is cocked to the side? It's just laying there, not firmly attached to anything. Nice job, previous owner.

With all of the crap out of the way for only 30 minutes, this heating vent has already raised the temp in the room by a few degrees. I had been planning to add some baseboard heat, but now may not have to. If I need to, I've at least got the wiring already in place. Assuming it's actually 220 volt. Gee, what are the odds...

This cage is what was used "back in the day" to hold smoke in. Over time, smoke gets smarter and unless you're careful, it finds a way to get out. In the wild, smoke is allowed to run free. I prefer free-range smoke, but I'm all about conservation of the species.

Instead of using a baseboard heater, we are also considering installing a fireplace which uses real fire to heat the room and part of the house. A pellet heater would be nice, but I need to look into it to see if they look authentic enough. Last thing I want to do is remove old crap only to replace it with new crap.

Kitchen Electrical Upgrades

2007-12-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned that my kitchen will (hopefully) soon be getting updated. One thing which I didn't mention but that should be part of any kitchen update is the electrical service.

One side of our kitchen has an outlet to the left and one to the right of the sink. On the other side of the kitchen there is only one outlet hidden behind the microwave. The microwave and refrigerator take up the only plugs on that side of the kitchen.

None of these outlets are GFCI and one plug has an open ground - not the best idea around a sink...

As part of the kitchen update all outlets will be tied through Ground Fault outlets, and will also be on new circuit breakers. God knows how the previous owners had this place wired.

New outlets will also be added so that every part of the counter-top has electrical service to it without use of extension cords or running cords over the stove.

A feature we had at the previous house which we really liked was an electrical outlet at the end of the "L" on the counter. That's in the plans for the kitchen re-do as well.

I had also installed some under cabinet lighting at the previous house which I plan to do again at this house. This time I'll need to get a little more creative in wiring, as I want to get both sides of the kitchen wired on one switch for the little puck-lights which will light up the counter top.

It's details like this which you really need to pay attention to if you're going to do the work yourself, like I am. I don't want to get all the cabinets installed before remembering that I need to run some wire or change plumbing.

Kitchen Design, and the Spinning Auger of Death

2007-12-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

If all goes as planned, we'll be able to order our new kitchen cabinets either in late December or early January. New countertops will be done as well (look at the following pictures and see if you can tell why...).

We're still arguing about granite tile or solid surface. We both like the look of granite more than solid surface, but I'm the one who has to do the installation work and I'm the cook and I really like how solid surface compares when it comes to cleaning, staining, and durability. It's just damn hard to get past how much we like the look of granite.

To make it an even tougher decision, the company Mrs. Muskego Jeff and I work for manufactures solid surface countertops so I can probably get a killer deal compared to what all of you looky-loo's out there can get. Decisions, decisions.

Here's what I've got to start with: a pretty much original 1960's kitchen. No dishwasher, no disposal, but plenty of storage and a metric boatload of ugly. Take special notice of the aquarium in the picture. Notice the nasty looking water? I changed it yesterday - that's the rust in our water. Before starting the kitchen remodel I really need to get an iron filter installed, otherwise all our new appliances are going to look like crap in a matter of months.

We like the layout of this side of the kitchen, so we'll only tweak it a bit. The counter along the wall will be longer by about a foot and the portion which branches off at 90 degrees will be smaller, opening up the path through the kitchen a bit. It'll also house the dishwasher, unless we decide to put that to the left of the sink. I'm still working out the layout in my head and on paper. To the left of the sink would probably be best since it wouldn't block access to the sink, but having it to the left of the sink really limits the stock cabinet sizes available to make it all fit properly.

This side of the kitchen really makes me scratch my head (I'm pretty sure it's not lice this time). It looks like the installer was drunk when this was done. Notice the range hood in relation to the stove. It's not an optical illusion or perspective issue - the hood is about 4" shifted to the right of the stove. Not only that, but just to the left of the microwave is the fridge. The fridge should line up with the upper cabinet, but I have 6" of space there instead. Either the upper cabinets on either side of the range hood were too narrow or the lower cabinets on either side of the stove were too big. Either way, they all match, so I'm guessing that somewhere along the line the previous owners decided they needed more room and installed the same style lower cabinets, but in a slightly wider size. This pushed the fridge over 6" to the left.

Yes, that's bacon in the pan and Mountain Dew on the counter top. The crescent rolls are in the oven and I hadn't started the eggs yet. I cook, clean, renovate, help the kids with their homework, and hold down a good job. Wow my wife got lucky. I'd be all over me if I weren't straight.

Speaking of the Mrs., she read my last post and asked what the hell I was talking about with reference to the snowblower being "single stage". Since you bastards in warm climates probably don't know either, allow me to educate you in the ways of your stupid cousins to the north.

A "single stage" snowblower has what I like to call a "spinning auger of death" on the front (see picture). This sucker spins at a high speed, and the slope of the blades pulls snow into the middle where it is then thrown out the discharge chute (that sounds dirty) at a high rate of speed.

When it's spinning at full speed it's completely freakin' deadly. Picture a 250 pound food processor with no safety protection powered by a gas engine. A neighbor at our previous house lost 1-1/2 fingers trying to clear stuck snow out of his snowblower. He forgot about this little tip: "turn the fvcker off before sticking your hand anywhere near the auger."

There is another type of snowblower which is a lot more common now: a 2-stage snowblower. The main auger runs at a much slower speed, and is designed to pull the snow into a second auger which is running at a high rate of speed. This second auger is located inside and out of the way, so it's "safer". I've never used one, and based on how this tank runs I may never get a chance to.

I noticed that this snowblower has never been too far from home. It was made in Racine (just south of Milwaukee) by Jacobsen. It started it's life around Janesville (south-west of Milwaukee ), and then moved to Whitewater (west of Milwaukee) and then to Milwaukee County. Now it's just west of Milwaukee again. Always less than 100 miles from where it was born.

I couldn't decipher the year the snowblower itself was made from the serial number, but. . .

. . .the ID plate on the engine leads me to believe that the engine was made in either 1972 or 1975. This sucker is almost as old as me, and probably older than most of the people who actually made it this far through the post.

The engine was also made in Wisconsin. Just like me this snowblower is probably stuck here for life.

According to Tecumseh, "lubrication" is important. Words to live by, kids.

Removing Snow, the Old-School Way

2007-12-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

How many times have you wanted some shiny new tool or other equipment but just couldn't justify the price? That's what I'm dealing with when it comes to my snowblower. I have no idea how old it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were over 30 years old. The last time I had it tuned up (10 years ago) the dealer said if it needed parts that I'd be out of luck. Luckily, none were needed.

This thing is big and heavy, and since it's a single-stage blower it can just about destroy anything which hits the blades when they're spinning. I wonder if I can get the cat outside and make it look like an accident... It's old-school snow-blowing at it's finest. If I remember correctly, it belonged to my step-grandmother who gave it to my dad, who eventually gave it to me. I've had it for around 10 years now.

As long as it continues to run I can't justify spending $500 on a new snowblower. Yeah, a new one would be nice and would throw snow farther, but this bastard just keeps chugging along.

Since that last tune up, it always starts on the second pull. Always. Until today, when I break it out to prepare for the first real snow of the year. I figure I'm ahead of the game by getting started on it as the snow just starts to fall. It's always started, why would today be any different?

Hello, Murphy. I see you brought your Laws with you today.

Yup, it doesn't start. I drain the gas and put in fresh gas. No dice. I pull the carb shield and spray in some starter fluid. Nothing. I pull the plug and find it's got spark, but it's weak and the plug is covered in gas and soot.

Before going to get a new plug I consider that it could be some debris in the bowl of the carb, so I start to unscrew what I assumed was the float bowl's mounting screw. It's actually the carb's needle - I've never seen that kind of setup before. No biggie, it screws right back in place, and I leave the bowl alone.

Off to the local ACE to get a replacement plug and to let my shoulder rest from pulling on the starter for 15 minutes. It had electric start about 20 years ago, but that starter died and could not be fixed.

I drop in the new plug and it fires right up like there was never a problem. It's running a little rough though, and not reaching full RPMs (as determined by my calibrated ear). Either way it still works and I remove the few inches of snow from the drive. I hoped the way it was running was from some remaining old gas, but then I remembered that I probably changed the setting on the carb's needle as I was screwing around looking for the problem. With the throttle set to full speed, I gave the needle a few turns and it's back to running like a raped ape. It actually seems to be running better now than it had for the past few years.

Damn, no new snowblower for me. The driveway is big - two cars wide and at least 3-1/2 cars long. 15 minutes of work now.

Happiness is a Tecumseh engine, blaze orange paint, and surface rust.

Let There be ROCK!

2007-11-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

Back in my college days, I used to play a lot of music in the apartment. A lot of loud music. Extremely loud, to the point where I was threatened with a call to the police if I didn't knock it off. Point taken, no need to involve the po-po.

The stereo I had set up was quite capable of causing conversations that went something like this:

Me: "Hey, give me a beer!"

Other Person: yelling "What?"

Me: yelling "Give me a beer!"

OP: yelling "What?"

Me: pointing to fridge "Give me a fvcking beer!"

OP: yelling "What?"

Me: yelling "Your mom really needs to shave her back, now give me a beer!"

OP: yelling "What?"

Me: yelling "Is that your sister? She's hot! Can I have her number?"

OP: yelling "What?"

And on and on. The volume was either low or blaring, usually blaring. That's what college is all about. I listen to a lot of different music, from rock & metal to classical & punk. I really can't stand country, except for Johnny Cash, but that's a whole different story. One of my roommates at the time loved Jimmy Buffet, and more often than not when I returned from class he had Cheeseburger in Paradise or some other song I now can't stand playing. God, how I hate Jimmy Buffet now. I didn't mind him at first, but the same stuff over and over from a roommate I also began to hate with a passion has a way of doing that to a guy.

To get to the point, I finally hooked up the speakers after about 15 years and discovered that they are still capable of being waaaaay too loud. They're the size of furniture, each weigh a good hundred pounds, and still pound out the bass. They'll go great in what will eventually become the TV/family room. After I get around to renovating it that is.

What I really like is how technology has changed since I last used the speakers. Back then, I had the receiver/amp, a CD player, tape player, and equalizer all hooked up into it, and had a couple of huge racks of CDs taking up floor space. Now it's just the receiver/amp and the iPod. All the CDs are in storage, the tapes are long gone, and everything is nice and neat. The equalizer may still be used in the future, but I'm not going to bother with that until I have the room done.

So here's to you, engineers responsible for designing the Cerwin Vega D-9 Loud Speaker! I raise a glass of Mountain Dew to you.

(the picture is from shortly after we moved, with these tanks stacked in the garage)

Come on Baby Light my Fire

2007-11-24T14:06:00.001-08:00

Aaaah, if only it were a real fireplace... (notice the glow of the yuletide light bulb behind the plastic logs)

I still can't wait till I get to tear this crappy fake fireplace out. We've been using this 2nd family room as a work and storage room since we moved in, but with Christmas coming we need to make room in the main family room for the tree. Extra furniture and the computer can go in this room for a while. Before that happens, there is a LOT of cleaning to do - all the tools, boxes, new appliances, etc need to be moved around for room. Lots of fun . . .

This is also the room where the Great Mouse Eradication of '07 is taking place. My fear is that now that we've moved so much stuff around, that they'll go elsewhere. To help keep the odds in my favor I finally picked up the Victor snap-traps - 8 of 'em. 4 in this room, 4 in the basement ('cause I think they might be coming in there and then migrating upstairs), 2 in the garage, and 1 on the stairs. Yeah, I know that adds up to more than 8. Included in the counts are the crappy traps I've been using plus one covered trap for the stairs that the cat probably won't get caught in (and oh, I'd feel so bad if that were to happen...).

I've also looked at the TomCat traps in a little more detail and think I understand why they don't kill the mice quickly.

When the mouse trips the trap the jaws close quickly, but don't gain enough momentum and don't have a strong enough "snap" to really feed the mouse a cup of hot death. The Victor traps, on the other hand, use a thin metal bar which travels 180 degrees, allowing it to gain some good momentum. Plus, that bar is a lot thinner than the "jaws" of the TomCat trap meaning a more localized impact on the mouse. For a comparison, hit your hand with a rubber mallet and then with a regular hammer. Which hurts more? The smaller face of the hammer.

To test my theory (and look like either an idiot or a God to my kids), I put my finger in each trap. By far, the Victor trap scared me more before the experiment and did hurt a lot more. The TomCat didn't hurt at all, while the Victor trap hurt like hell.

Get ready mice, I'm bringin' the pain!

Tunnel Vision

2007-11-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

There is more to life than killing mice. I've actually been doing a little extra work here and there to finish up some of the projects already started.

Trim was finished around the front door, garage was cleaned out, basement organized (a little), etc. Just nothing that really resembles a "project".

I still have a few outdoor projects to finish before winter really hits. Mulching the last of the leaves which finally fell, brining in the hoses, cleaning out the gutters. You know, fun stuff like that.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my brother "Smudgemo". Here's your cake! Sorry it's late, blame dad.

Freddie Mercury? Two Minutes Till Showtime, Sir.

2007-11-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

Ba da bup, bup, bup, another one bites the dust!

I wish I could say the mice are dropping like flies, but with only two dead varmint under my belt, I'm far from being the "Great White Hunter". And no, I don't really keep the dead ones under my belt. I keep 'em under my pillow like any normal person would.

I'll put some of the blame on the traps. I've had no "real" success with the sticky-traps, although they've been a lot of fun for me to play with. Stick finger to pad, pull finger off pad and giggle at how sticky it is. Repeat.

The snap-traps I got are the TomCat line.

They kind of suck - in a bad way. Too many times I've checked the traps only to find them empty of peanut butter. They're super-easy to set, but require too much weight to set 'em off. I did find that if I stick the peanut butter WAY onto the back of the trap's lever and on the main spring that it forces the moue to really get far into the trap which hopefully increases my KPD ratio. That's "kills-per-day", for those of you who don't read Mouse Killer's Digest (honest, I buy it for the articles!). It's in all the finer book stores and WalMarts.

If (when) I find one more trap licked clean I'm going back to the hardware store to get some good ol' fashioned wood base spring-traps-of-death. Trickier to set, but it's hard to beat how well they work.

Maybe I should try some cheese in the traps. I haven't seen this brand before, wonder if it's good...

Somebody with lots of expensive tools has too much time on his hands.

UPDATE:
Score! One more mouse and one pilfered trap. I'm still making the call Jeff 3, Mice 0 (Since I'm not dead. Yet.)

UPDATE #2:
Overnight, one more mouse. It's a blood-bath! Well, not really. And those traps really suck worse than I expected. I was hoping the first mouse was just a mutant, but all three mice I've got so far survived the trap and had to be taken for a swim to finish 'em off. I've never had to do that with the old Victor board traps. I'm going to get a couple today before the Packer game:

Not because I feel bad for the mice, but because I don't want mice paralyzed from the waste down crawling around the house demanding better parking spots. Jeff 4, Mice 0.

UPDATE #3
Cue the Count from Sesame Street: 1 dead mouse! 2 dead mice! 3 dead mice, hahahahaha! 4 dead mice! 5! 5 dead mice! Let me count them again!

I also had a neighbor e-mail me this f'd up little gem of a picture:

Awwww yeah, shake that tail if you want me to call you again!

The Mouse Went Out Fighting

2007-11-16T14:51:00.001-08:00

Hopefully it's the only mouse, 'cause if it isn't, the other ones are smarter and I'm in trouble. It actually took two traps to catch this first one.

I wasn't sure if the sticky-traps would work, so I put a snap-trap right next to the sticky one in an area I was reasonably certain was in the mouse's regular path.

This morning, success! And confusion, since the mouse was caught in both the sticky and the snap traps. Front-half sticky, back-half snap. I don't know if it was just running past the snap and got caught or what exactly happened, but I chalk this one up as a Win for me!

So far, no signs of other mice.

Update:
The following bit of brilliance was stolen from "The House and I" blog, obviously proving that I'm not the only one with too much free time. I'm almost tempted to use this as my new screen background.

Stupid Mice, 1. More Stupider Jeff, 0.

2007-11-13T18:07:00.001-08:00

Now they're just screwing with me. I checked the traps and found the furry little bastards took my peanut butter bait from one of the snap traps. Last I checked, I am still not running a bed & breakfast for rodents!

Based on comments from my previous post about the mouse (mice?) in my house I was going to be civil and put some food on the sticky-trap, along with a Sudoku puzzle to keep 'em fed and entertained while waiting for the hammer. Now I'm just going to use a bigger hammer.

They keep this up and I'm going to re-watch the end of Fargo to get some more ideas on how to best handle this little problem.

Don't make me go all Peter Stormare / Steve Buscemi on your asses, mice! (Fargo reference)

If it makes you feel better, pretend I'm talking about this Hammer:

Are These Freakin' Leaves Glued On?

2007-11-13T15:22:00.001-08:00

Alright, it's almost the middle of November and I still have trees which haven't dropped even close to all of their leaves.

At this rate I'll be raking leaves in December.

This tree is still changing colors!

If it doesn't get with the program and drop the leaves this week I'll consider removing them by force. Mr Maple Tree, meet Mr Chainsaw. Unfortunately, this tree is all that blocks our house from cars which could otherwise run directly from the adjacent street straight into our house. I was told that a few years ago the FedEx guy came close to it due to icy roads, and that the previous owners of the house were paid well for the "damage" to the lawn.

I Hates Meeces to Pieces

2007-11-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Stupid little mouse, running through my peripheral vision. That's the first and last time you make that mistake.

A quick trip to Menards and I'm ready for you and your varmint friends. I got sticky-traps, snap-traps, and poison. I'm going to kill all you little fvckers one way or another!

We'll see if those sticky-traps are worth their salt, I've never tried them. One thing I know I didn't want is to put a snap-trap on the stovetop, so I put a sticky-trap up there to see if my hunch is correct, that they're getting up there. I'm actually looking forward to waking up early tomorrow to check out the traps. I'm hoping to see some carnage!

Snap-traps are going inside some of the base cabinets and other out of the way areas. At least out of the way enough to make it look like an accident when the cat finds one... (my wife doesn't read this, I'm safe)

The poison is going in the garage, and I'll probably put some stick-traps around the car as well. It won't see any road time once the weather gets bad enough and I don't want those furry little bastards chewing through the top or in some other way wrecking the car.

Updates as warranted... I think a body-count is in order.

Giving Thanks Where Thanks are Due

2007-11-11T11:22:00.001-08:00

A quick Thank You to all past, present, and future members of our Armed Services and their families.

Water, Water, Everywhere, and None is Fit to Drink

2007-11-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm being all domestic and crap yesterday doing a couple loads of laundry and some dishes. All is going as well as can be expected, what with doing dishes and laundry, until I head downstairs to move the laundry to the dryer. As I round the corner I notice water on the floor around the floor drain. Hey, that's not supposed to be there! I figure it was just a burp in the line and think little more of it after I cleaned it up and mopped around the drain with bleach (I do not want to know what was in the drain). In goes another load of laundry and back to the dishes and other misc work. I come back down in a half hour and find even more water on the floor than the last time! SHIT! I did what little I could to find out what's blocking the line, but I know I don't have the tools or expertise to fix this. I have to call an expert.

Not knowing what it'll take to overflow the line and not wanting to risk a cesspool swimming pool in the basement, I look for a way to block the drain. My rationale tells me that if the floor drain is blocked, the water in the drain would need to back up far enough to start filling the laundry tub. Much better option than having the whole floor covered. I don't have anything to plug the drain, so I go to Plan B. I pulled an extra toilet wax-ring off the shelf of renovation supplies and seat it over the floor drain. On top of that goes a 5 gallon bucket filled with water. It sealed nicely and kept any extra moisture under ground where it belongs. That was all yesterday.

Today, I call a local plumber figuring I might as well keep the money local if possible. They say they'll have somebody over between 3:00 and 5:00. The guy was right on time (actually 5 minutes early at 2:55) and got to work. First, a 50' power-snake was sent down through the floor drain. From what we could tell, it looked like the blockage was under the foundation of the house and would probably come out easily. He was running water through the drain the whole time to make sure it flushed through, and eventually that water started backing up. The blockage was farther down the line towards the street. He moved the snake to the cleanout closest to the road, about 20' closer than he was previously, and ran it through again. No dice, it's still blocked. Out comes the big gun, a 100' power snake with a rotating blade which will cut through roots, turds, or whatever it hits. It takes him almost all 100', but he finally hits the blockage and everything suddenly flushes through. This evil-looking tool scrapes the whole pipe clean of build-up, so we should be good for many more nights of Mexican food.

Total cost: $145.00 to keep the pipes flowing. Not bad, considering I was going to run a 30' snake through it to see if I could find the blockage. Looking back, that wouldn't have done jack squat, so it's $145.00 well spent.

I had another guy from the same company come out an hour later to test our water (the first guy only snakes drains, the second guy does the "less crappy" work. I wanted to get an estimate on replacing the water softener with one made since the Kennedy Administration, and also wanted to get a price on an iron filter and water heater replacement. I could probably do all this install work myself, but that'd be a LOT of plumbing work and I don't think I want to load my plate that much right now. In round numbers, it'll run $1,000 for a new larger water softener (the water measured 25 grains directly from the well) and $1,750 for the iron filter. He said our water only measures 1 ppm of iron which he said is pretty low, but he's either wrong or the iron was hiding, 'cause we got waaaay to freakin' much iron in the water. Add to this another $200 to upgrade our existing supply lines to 1". That should help provide a more consistent pressure, which would be nice. Nothing says fun like somebody flushing a toilet while you're in the shower and having the pressure drop to next to nothing...

I had him quote me a replacement water heater as well, something which I have planned to do myself. There's another $1,000 which includes a slightly larger gas water heater and fixing the code "issues" for the current gas supply line. On top of that, I'll either need to spend $400 to put a chimney liner in (the furnace doesn't use the chimney anymore, and there isn't enough heat from the water heater to burn out the winter moisture - not a good thing for the chimney) or spend that $400 to convert the new gas water heater to a power vent model which would vent out the side of the house. Probably better to go with the power vent, even though it'll mean a little more electrical work for me. That way I could tear the chimney down and patch the roof to hide the fact that there ever was one. That would also eliminate a very likely place for the roof to leak. No matter how I slice it, to fully upgrade the water system in the house it'll cost me just over $4,000. We'll see what happens, stay tuned.

Our Family is Growing

2007-10-12T04:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but I've actually been working on the house. Honest I have! I've actually been tackling some large clean-up jobs making room for a new member of the family which we hope to have join us this weekend. So much to do - moving boxes downstairs, and getting rid of stuff we don't need in the process. It's a huge undertaking since we never fully unpacked all the boxes since we moved in. Baby needs a place to sleep, afterall. Can't quite bring myself to leave her out in the cold rain! We're going to need a lot of room, because Baby is pretty good size. Almost 18' long and around 3,800 pounds.

More Electrical "Fun"

2007-09-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning and I've been awake since 5:30. Once my brain slips into gear in the morning, there is no going back to sleep for me. To avoid waking anybody else up I decided to spend some quality time in the basement doing some more electrical work. The main task was to replace the old worn-out outlet which the washer & dryer plug into. I assume it was original to the house. It was worn to the point where the plugs wiggle easily and could fall out - an easy problem to fix with a new $.79 outlet. It was mounted in a shallow double-gang metal box with metal lid - nothing out of the ordinary. I trip the breaker and check to make sure there is no power before I start this time. The circuit tester confirms the outlet is dead, so I start to remove the two screws holding the cover plate in place. First one is fine, but the second screw is a fucking wood screw. Yeah, a screw with a sharp point and sharp coarse threads is the perfect choice for electrical work, especially if you want to pierce the wire's jacket and short the whole damn thing out.

In the conduit and box are two red and one white. The red are hot lines and the white is the neutral. The washer/dryer are on their own circuit which is exactly what I wanted to see - that accounts for one of the red/hot lines and the white/neutral. The white/neutral runs from the fusebox to this outlet where it then follows the other red/hot. Basically, I've got one neutral for two circuits. As I posted yesterday, I'm not an electrician and don't know if this is common or not, but the plug I'm replacing is less than 5 feet from the fusebox. Just run the neutral the full length with the fucking hot you moron! Why tie it into an outlet and create another splice in the process? Since there is another hot in the conduit, I kill that line at the breaker before I switch out the outlet since both circuits share a neutral and I really don't want to wake up the family by screaming like a girl and pissing my pants while I get electrocuted.

So getting back to how it's laid out, the washer/dryer are good to go with a new outlet. The wood screw has f'd up the screw hole on the box, so I either have to replace the box or make it safer. "Safer" it is since I don't want to have to re-wire the whole thing. I blunted the point on the screw and pushed all the wires to the other side of the box. It's a double-gang box with a single outlet, so there is plenty of room. The cover is replaced and all is well.

Oh, did I mention that the other red/hot wire supplies power for the lights in the laundry area, the water softener, the sump pump, and the furnace? Not to mention an extra pair of outlets which aren't in use right now because they are old-school ungrounded outlets. Whoever the genius is that did this deserves a punch in the throat. When we replace the service panel and upgrade to 200 Amp I'm moving the furnace to it's own circuit and doing the same with the sump pump.

Update from yesterday's rant: Here's a picture of that cool (crappy) light I removed which was hard-wired and had the electrical box secured only to the fixture and not to a stud. I'm 95% sure it was originally a light over a pool table, and I'm 100% sure the installation sucked copious amounts of ass.

This joke of a wiring job is how the P.O. connected an electric stove when the place originally was set up for gas. I don't know what else is run inside the line supplying the stove, but the conduit runs towards the far end of the house where there is a fake fire-place with heat-o-lator (which will be removed with extreme-prejudice in the near future). Let's see just how fucked up this is... The power cord is hard-wired into this box, which is mounted in a half-ass manner to the double-gang box. The other end of the plug is hard-wired to the stove. The end in this picture used to be the plug, which would allow you to unplug the stove to move it. That wouldn't work here, because the plug won't fit through the hole in the floor which used to be for the gas supply. Basically, the stove isn't going anywhere without tripping the breaker and unhooking the wires at one end or the other. I guarantee this is not up to code without even looking it up. Oh, did I mention that where the plug goes through the box was just wrapped with electrical tape instead of something a little more safe? Yeah, that tape is good for 50+ years of protection from chafing of the wire. Jackass... The most worrisome item for me is that if there is a big water spill in the kitchen and the water gets behind the stove, it's going to go right through the hole and follow the wires down to the box. There isn't enough of a drip-loop in the wire to keep it from shorting out. Somehow the city electrical inspector didn't notice this although my home-inspector got a laugh out of it. Since we're changing back to gas, I didn't make the P.O. pay to fix it. Assuming it was her husband who did it and he's long since dead I didn't see any reason in letting her know how lucky she is that he didn't burn the place down. Damn I'm a nice guy.

Our House's Previous Owner was NOT an Electrician

2007-09-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Preliminary note: if you're not sure about a circuit, be safe and turn off power by tripping the breaker.

I'm not an electrician either, but I do know how to do things in a manner which won't kill me or the next guy. The P.O. in our case wasn't an electrician, and he sure as hell didn't know how to do electrical work properly (my first clue was the half-ass wiring for the ceiling fan/light in the kitchen). This time, it's the basement wiring which was added at least 20 years ago to provide additional light to the basement, back when they used to have a bar down there. It was done with a combination of rigid and flexible conduit, and on the surface it looked OK - no visible wires, conduit clamped to the plug boxes, etc. Both lights I was changing out were old, crappy, and hardwired so they needed to be removed and replaced with grounded outlets so I could plug in some generic fluorescent tube fixtures. The basement is only used for storage and laundry, so fluorescent tubes are good enough for now.

Once I started taking things apart is when I found what kind of half-ass job was done. Typically on a switched outlet, if you flip the switch to the "off" position it breaks the circuit's black/hot wire and the fixture is dead because power can't get to the fixture. I'll usually work down-stream from the switch like this in relative safety (I'm dealing mainly with very simple circuits in this case, and if I'm in doubt or if I'm replacing the switch itself I kill power at the breaker). In this case, the P.O. put the switch controlling the light on the white/neutral line instead of the black/hot, so even with the switch off live power was still going to the crappy old hardwired light I was removing. Normally this is easily found ahead of time, but the light fixture I was removing was a 1' x 2' pool table light which was screwed directly to the floor joists with an electrical box screwed to it's top. I removed the screws holding the light to the joists and as I was lowering the light I decided to pull the circuit tester from my back pocket to check things out, since I didn't know what was hiding in the conduit (my circuit tester doesn't read power if the wires are in the conduit - it only registers power when the wires are exposed). Lucky for me I did check it before starting to remove the electrical box screwed to the light and found out it was live, or I could have easily become the circuit's ground. To make it more fun, the P.O. did a crappy job using flexible conduit for this run. There was not a solid ground from the flexible conduit to the electrical box, so he wrapped a length of copper wire around the conduit and ran it through the screw holes on the box. Yeah, that'll work.

The last fcuk-up in wiring by the P.O. was that he used way too much flexible conduit. I've got about 2' too much line flopping around between the open studs. Oh yeah, it's not secured to the studs either, or I wouldn't care quite as much about having too much conduit. Tomorrow I'll have to stop out and get some clamps to secure the conduit to the studs.

Holy Half-Ass Wiring Job, Batman!

Long story short, I killed power at the breaker and replaced the old switch and re-wired the circuit so that power is cut on the black/hot instead of the white/neutral. The fixture was replaced with a new single-gang box and grounded plug, properly set up to connect to the flexible conduit. As much excess conduit as possible was removed from the line to clean things up. I went from having three small light fixtures in the basement to having five generic shop-type dual-bulb fluorescent tubes. Now that I've got good lighting I have noticed a number of other "interesting" electrical adventures in my future. Since the old bar was ripped out long ago I am guessing a number of the old circuits down there could be removed to clean things up a bit. I haven't checked code, but I would think that the water pump should be on a dedicated circuit and not have three other outlets on the line with it...

The funny thing is that our house passed an electrical inspection done by the city before we could take ownership. These problems weren't super obvious (like the hardwired 220 line for the stove done in an even more half-ass manner - more on that when I get to that part of the kitchen renovation) but should have been noticed if they were serious about the inspection.

Moral of the story: just because the P.O.'s work looks OK, don't trust it until you check it yourself. You're P.O. might have flunked Electrical 101.

Kitchen Wiring

2007-09-19T17:22:00.001-07:00

I've been lazy for the last week and haven't replaced the old switches and outlets. Until today. I scraped a dozen old layers of paint off the screws and removed the switches from the boxes. One thing which has bugged me since we moved in is that the previous owners did a little custom wiring of their own. When you walk into the kitchen, the light over the table should be able to be turned on from the hallway entrance or the back door. However, after the house was built a ceiling fan with light was added and they decided to f' up the wiring so they could have one switch for the light and one for the fan. The problem? One switch was at the hallway and the other switch at the back door. These used to be 3-way switches and now they're 2-way. At the hallway, they just removed the third wire. They did have sense enough to wrap the cut wire with electrical tape at least. Note all the grunge on the switches - yum!

At the back door I have no idea what they did, as the wires aren't marked and there is no obviously disconnected wire(s). I'll need to pull the ceiling fan from the ceiling to see what kind of mess I've got there, and once that is done I should be able to get things back in order. We're removing the fan from over the table and will go with a regular light fixture on 3-way switches. The switches here (and in most of the house) are wired utilizing those damn push-in connections. Half of them are loose enough to slide a bit as I pull the switches from the boxes. They're easy and fast, but I don't trust them.

Here's one thing I don't trust about them. One switch had some electrical tape wrapped around one side. At first, I thought it was to cover a side terminal - it wasn't. As I peeled the tape off, a chunk of the old switch came off with it. Yay for quality original switches!

Am I the only one who installs all new cover plates with the screws all lined up vertically? It may be over-the-top when it comes to worrying about detail, but I think it makes it look more professional. I have no life....

Cleaning Product Round-Up

2007-09-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm home sick today. Not because I feel like death-warmed-over, but because I have to interact with a lot of people during the day and don't want to take the blame for getting my co-workers sick. I've got plenty of sick-days left for the year, so I may as well relax at home. Well, there isn't much relaxing since I can't just sit around. I took a drive to Menards to get a spare filter cartridge for the water filter and figured since I'm there, I might as well grab some more cleaners. All the stuff we used to use at our old house is useless here, due to the iron/rust in our water, so when we find something which works we stock up.

My definition of a "successful" cleaner is one which works with minimal scrubbing. Why work harder than we have to?? I've previously posted about my love for Super Iron Out, and since that time we've found a couple of other cleaners which also work wonders with our crappy water. Summit Brands is first on my Christmas list this year. I loved how fast and easy Super Iron Out works, so when I saw Instant Rust Out from the same company I figured it was a safe bet for $2.00. I tried it in the two worst areas for rust - under the toilet rim and in the bathtub. The rust in the tub dissolved quickly and with no scrubbing so I gave it a shot on the toilet. The problem we've had in cleaning the toilets is that the rust is up under the rim where it's hard to get cleaners on it long enough for them to work. The Instant Iron Out spray bottle is small enough to fit into the toilet far enough to spray on the rust. 20 seconds later and the rust is almost completely gone. No scrubbing or other effort other than applying a second spray to finish the job. This stuff is cheap and easy (like me) and works great.

I also tried Lime Out Extra from Summit Brands, but since we didn't have much of a problem with lime it wasn't too successful for us. It did seem to put a big dent in the toilet rim rust, but not without a lot of scrubbing and re-applying. I won't bother buying this one again. I would like to try their White Brite if I find it locally and I assume it works like Super Iron Out on laundry. One of the larger Super Iron Out bottles I bought a month ago came with their toilet tank tablet. I tried it and it seems to slow down the rust, but I still get rust build-up in a few days time. In the interest of saving money and using fewer chemicals, I'll probably not buy these again and just pour a little Super Iron Out in the tank every week or so. If I ever get smart, I'll put one of the tablets in one toilet tank and leave the other empty to see how much of a difference it really makes.

Sloppy kisses are also being sent out to HomeCare Labs, makers of "the Works" cleaners. Our neighbors have told us about the Works spray cleaner, and we agree that it works great for cleaning the bathtub and surround. It does require a light wipe-down with water to finish the cleaning process or you end up with streaks. It has worked well enough for us that we decided to give their toilet bowl cleaner a shot. Just like Instant Rust Out, this stuff made the rust disappear in quick order. It's shaped to allow you to shoot it under the rim, which is handy, plus it's designed for regular cleaning of the toilet so it's a one-chemical solution for the bowl.

Besides working well, all of these products are reasonably priced, something which is important for us since we need to use 'em so often. If you've got rusty water, give these a try.

Since I'm on a roll complaining about my water, I found a test-strip to check my water hardness. I ran a hose for a few minutes (since the hose bibs outside are the only water sources I have which don't go through the water softener). This picture was taken an hour or so after I did the test, and the test strip faded a little in that time. Basically, I don't have hard water. I have Sweet-Jebus-That-Water-is-so-Hard-You're-Off-the-Charts water. I'll have to "borrow" a couple more free pamphlets (which include a test strip in each) from Morton's when I go back to Menards to see how the water rates after it goes through the old softener. I think I've got it set properly for daily use, but it doesn't hurt to check.

The Kitchen Takes a Big Step Towards Non-Crappiness

2007-09-09T16:28:00.001-07:00

When we moved into the house in March, here's what the main wall of our kitchen looked like - wood paneling and linoleum flooring. The walls hadn't been painted in at least a decade and were very grungy. Soon after this picture was taken, the paneling was removed and the back door in was replaced.

For the past month, we've had a very colorful kitchen to look at as we tried to decide which colors to go with. We decided on the far right dark beige (Sherwin William's Wheatfield) for that main wall, and the lightest beige on that same wall (Kilim Beige) for the other walls. Today was the day I finally had enough of looking at the walls painted like this. Off came the outlet covers and the trim and flooring was covered. Unlike most of the other floors in the house, I actually care about the kitchen floor because it's the travertine tile I installed a few months back.

Like the living room and hallway, I primed the walls and added some new texture to make the walls look like they aren't covered with a dozen layers of paint. Even with the primer you can still see the test colors peeking through. Nate: Want a ceiling fan/light?

We (I) painted the accent wall first and as soon as I started, we decided that the color looks like something you'd find in a baby's diaper. The lighter beige really made it look bad, but by itself it looks great. I broke out a sample of the darker color we had from the 1/2 bath renovation and tried it (as shown in the pic below), and we liked how that looked so we picked up a quart of that to repaint the wall.

It's not obvious in this picture, but the accent wall is now painted the darker color (Sherwin William's Tamarind) and the other walls are painted Kilim Beige. The colors go well with the flooring, but we really need to get some additional color in the kitchen now. The ceiling has yet to be painted, as I didn't have enough ceiling white to do that today. Well, I have enough, but it's flat paint and not suited for a kitchen ceiling. Plus I need to relocate the ceiling fan so it's centered over the kitchen table which means I'll have a little patch-work to do before it gets painted. Tomorrow I'll replace the outlets and switches. Overall, it looks a LOT better than it did yesterday and a metric ass-load* better than it did when we moved in.

* "metric ass-load" is a unit of measure invented in the early 40's by the Royal Navy. It's about 30% heavier than a U.S. ass-load.

Water Pressure

2007-09-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks, I've been noticing that our water pressure has been lower than I had remembered it being. It wasn't a major difference, but it was something that I planned on looking into at some time. Well, yesterday it really started bugging me as I noticed that water pressure dropped severely when I flushed a toilet or ran water from the tap. I checked the pressure tank and it read the same 60 pounds that it has had since we bought the place, so I figured that wasn't the problem. The next thought was that it was an issue with a clogged line somewhere, but since the copper supply lines are large enough, I figured that wasn't it either. Tracing the supply lines and checking faucets upstairs and in the basement found that all were low on pressure, so there was definitely an issue somewhere. The only thing I could find which could be the culprit was the water filter I installed. In an earlier post, I droned on and on about the water filter I installed to help combat the rust we get from our water well. About a month and a half ago I pulled the filter and cleaned it in some Super Iron Out to get rid of the excess rust. I never thought that there was other stuff clogging it, and that's what was causing my low pressure problem. A new filter was installed and we're back to normal. Some people install pressure gauges before and after their water filters which give them a visual notification as to when their filters are getting clogged. When I eventually re-plumb the supply lines for a new water softener I'll probably install a larger filter and put the gauges in. Until then, I'll just change the filter every few months and be done with it.

Mmmmm, Paint Fumes Smells Gooooods

2007-09-04T18:48:00.001-07:00

Are you done yet? Watching paint dry sucks.

The walls are painted and now it's time to replace the grungy old switches, outlets, and cover plates. The switches here are the original 30+ year old ones, with a new white cover plate sitting in place. The paint is getting a couple of days to fully dry/cure before I put the plates in place. Since you're wondering, the pieces of blue tape are areas which need a small touch-up of paint. It was darn near impossible to see the spots like this when the paint was wet.

The urine-yellow closet is no more, replaced by a boring/neutral light-beige. The wood flooring is original to the house and still in really good shape. It's probably never been refinished, since it can't get a whole lot of wear in such a small closet.

If a gimmick tool works, is it still a gimmick? The dark paint strip was done with a paint edging tool shown in the pics below. You just dip the pad in paint and run it along the edge between the wall and ceiling. It's got guide wheels which keep it from hitting the adjacent wall. It's MUCH faster than cutting in by hand, and it does a LOT better job than I could do without it. To edge the whole room at the ceiling, baseboard, and around doors took about 45 minutes total. Since I'm tall, I didn't even need to use a ladder. I rule.

This is the paint edging tool. Very simple - a handle, a pad, and two wheels. I got this one years ago, and think HD still sells them. You can see the little guide wheels to the right side of the tool.

Bye Bye Dirty Ugly Walls

2007-09-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time coming, but the painting is well underway, even with a slightly hurting back. 1-1/2 gallons of primer and a gallon of ceiling white later and the living room and hallway are looking a LOT better. The walls are only primed, but not seeing the old nail holes or marks where shelving was really has the room looking good. After the walls get a night to dry, I'll put the paint on the walls. I'm going with Killem Beige by Sherwin Williams, and we'll have an accent wall in the kitchen of a darker shade.

The front entrance patch blends in nicely with the old wall, too. I still have to patch in the base molding. When the carpet is replaced, it'll cover the flooring patch I put in after the demolition.

The front closet is no longer urine-yellow in color. Well, it partially is in this picture, but it's done now in reality. A bare white closet doesn't make for a good picture, though. That back wall was really torn up from the past few decades of use. I have some leftover light beige from the 1/2 bathroom which I may use on this closet instead of using the Killem Beige. Might as well find a use for the remaining 2/3 gallon I have left over, since it won't be used anywhere else in the house.

Attn: Murphy. Your Laws Suck!

2007-09-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the other day when I gave myself the pop-quiz as to what the long weekend had in store I said I was going to get rolling on the living room work (yeah, and also check out what those wacky Germans do for fun). The answer I gave for the quiz was off - it should have been "F: Pull a back muscle moving furniture and lay on the floor for an hour by myself in the house hoping I don't suddenly have to take a wicked leak cause there was no way I'd make it to the bathroom in less than 20 minutes."

Luckily (?) I've been through this before and knew this one wasn't too bad, but it did force me to put the bulk of the work on hold for most of the day. Towards the end of the day I was able to move around enough to get the lighter furniture moved and all the trim taped. Today I got rolling on the rolling, and am putting down a coat of primer with some sand texture added to make the texture look new. I was going to spray new knock-down texture, but the more I look at it, the more I'm happy with the sand texture. Plus, it's a hell of a lot less messy and time-consuming. Once I put down the final coat of paint, the sharp texture of the new sand should blend in nicely with the old sand.

What's really taking a metric ass-load of time is actually rolling the paint instead of spraying. I love how fast and easy it is to spray, but the overspray and having to cover EVERYTHING sucks when the house is full of stuff. Doing bedrooms isn't bad since those can easily be emptied of everything, but the living room has couches, TV, etc., which I don't want to mess with. Before & after pics will be posted when I get around to it. But first, it's time to head to HD to use a gift-card I got from my Realtor. It's out of the way and I don't like spending money there, but free is free and I need new paintbrushes.

Friday Quiz

2007-08-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

You just send the wife and kids away camping with friends for 3 days - what do you do?

A. Max out the credit cards (before they do the same on camping supplies) on strippers and booze.
B. Get rid of a full 20 yard dumpster.
C. Find out if what they say about German porn is true.
D. Use the free time to get rolling on the living room renovation.

Answer? E. All of the above, obviously.

The dumpster was picked up a short three hours after I called, which is about 72 hours faster than I expected them since they didn't know if they'd have somebody in the area before Tuesday due to the upcoming holiday. Again, this company has earned my repeat business and I'll recommend them without hesitation.

I'm starting on D after I get the living room cleaned out a bit of all the extra stuff I won't need in the way. Should be fun..... lots of fun.....