Well, That’s Different
After a number of years with just exposed OSB subfloor (and a couple of rugs) as the flooring in my kitchen… It now has (part of) a floor. Do not be fooled by that picture. It is still mostly this… I have
Hauling Ass: On the Road
Add this to the list of things not usually seen in the rearview mirror…
Hauling Ass: Dry Run
Driving 1500 miles with donkeys in the back of your pickup takes a little practice… jury is still out on how well this is going to go.
Rough Framing: Day… What day is it again?
The framing crew had 4 days of great weather, and then the rain spoiled everything. A couple of half-days in there and one really nice Friday have brought us to the point where we now own a very large blue tent. Word
I went to hell and back to sell my house and all I got was this broken pen.
Oh, and a check that will help put a roof on the new place, but other than that… Actually, what happened was I stole this pen from the title agency– you know, as a souvenir– and then karma let me know in
Rough Framing: Day 6 – Things You Don’t Want to See Together
…and… The roof on the existing house (2x4s that were sistered together on the top 3 feet) was not adequate, so it had to come down sometime. Perhaps the day before we were expecting 72 straight hours of rain was not the
DIY House Addition: Step 3 – Foundation
So the ink is barely dry on your building permit and you’re ready to break out the excavator and start digging? If you just read that sentence and said, “What the hell is an excavator?” First, this… … is an excavator. Second,
Unfinished
We’re leaving for the Hauling Ass Tour of 2010 in 6 days. Six. As in, not even a full week away. What we really needed this weekend was a few days that kicked serious butt, and what we got was rain, 50
DIY House Addition: Month 1 Wrap Up
The reality is, we’ve been working on this addition mentally and financially for over a year, and those two items cannot be overemphasized. In the last month the workload hasn’t intensified so much as shifted focus from things-that-give-us-headaches, to things-that-give-us-bruises. I prefer
Rough Framing: Day 4 – Raise The Roof
My mom (carrying a cooler of beer, bless her heart) is acting as Vana for this photo set… I’m starting to see the house looking like the final product. The roofline adds a lot. Still agonizing over the color for the siding,
Rough Framing: Day 3 – Obstacle Course
Given my track-record with staying vertical on my feet, it’s really only a matter of time before I end up skidding across the floor sheathing on my face in a setup like this. Which I expect will provide ample entertainment for 1.)
Rough Framing: Day 2 – Walled In
These guys don’t mess around… MysteryMan asked me today if he thought we could have accomplished this ourselves. My answer: “Could we physically have measured out the walls, nailed them together, and put them in place? Yes. Could we have physically have
Rough Framing: Day 1 – That Was Easy
So what you’re saying is, I go to work and do my Actual Real Job, and when I get off all the heavy lifting will be done? That’s novel. Before it looked something like this: Now at least there’s not a bigass
Doing The Hard Thing: A Partnership and Masonry Story
After three and a half years together, MysteryMan and I have fallen into our respective roles in this relationship… which is to say one of us runs around flailing their arms over their head and shouting “no possible way!” and the other
There’s a First Time…
This past weekend I’m in the middle of my normal Sunday routine, which is to say I’m making the 5th of 8 trips to Lowe’s, and something shocking happened…. let me set the stage. As it was Sunday, I was in my
DIY House Addition: To DIY or Hire Out?
It is the question, but the title of this series is DIY House Addition, so it’s almost like I’ve already given you the answer, isn’t it? But not so fast kids… There are a lot of factors that come into play when
Hauling Ass: On the Road
Add this to the list of things not usually seen in the rearview mirror…
Hauling Ass: Dry Run
Driving 1500 miles with donkeys in the back of your pickup takes a little practice… jury is still out on how well this is going to go.
Rough Framing: Day… What day is it again?
The framing crew had 4 days of great weather, and then the rain spoiled everything. A couple of half-days in there and one really nice Friday have brought us to the point where we now own a very large blue tent. Word
I went to hell and back to sell my house and all I got was this broken pen.
Oh, and a check that will help put a roof on the new place, but other than that… Actually, what happened was I stole this pen from the title agency– you know, as a souvenir– and then karma let me know in
Rough Framing: Day 6 – Things You Don’t Want to See Together
…and… The roof on the existing house (2x4s that were sistered together on the top 3 feet) was not adequate, so it had to come down sometime. Perhaps the day before we were expecting 72 straight hours of rain was not the
DIY House Addition: Step 3 – Foundation
So the ink is barely dry on your building permit and you’re ready to break out the excavator and start digging? If you just read that sentence and said, “What the hell is an excavator?” First, this… … is an excavator. Second,
Unfinished
We’re leaving for the Hauling Ass Tour of 2010 in 6 days. Six. As in, not even a full week away. What we really needed this weekend was a few days that kicked serious butt, and what we got was rain, 50
DIY House Addition: Month 1 Wrap Up
The reality is, we’ve been working on this addition mentally and financially for over a year, and those two items cannot be overemphasized. In the last month the workload hasn’t intensified so much as shifted focus from things-that-give-us-headaches, to things-that-give-us-bruises. I prefer
Rough Framing: Day 4 – Raise The Roof
My mom (carrying a cooler of beer, bless her heart) is acting as Vana for this photo set… I’m starting to see the house looking like the final product. The roofline adds a lot. Still agonizing over the color for the siding,
Rough Framing: Day 3 – Obstacle Course
Given my track-record with staying vertical on my feet, it’s really only a matter of time before I end up skidding across the floor sheathing on my face in a setup like this. Which I expect will provide ample entertainment for 1.)
Rough Framing: Day 2 – Walled In
These guys don’t mess around… MysteryMan asked me today if he thought we could have accomplished this ourselves. My answer: “Could we physically have measured out the walls, nailed them together, and put them in place? Yes. Could we have physically have
Rough Framing: Day 1 – That Was Easy
So what you’re saying is, I go to work and do my Actual Real Job, and when I get off all the heavy lifting will be done? That’s novel. Before it looked something like this: Now at least there’s not a bigass
Doing The Hard Thing: A Partnership and Masonry Story
After three and a half years together, MysteryMan and I have fallen into our respective roles in this relationship… which is to say one of us runs around flailing their arms over their head and shouting “no possible way!” and the other
There’s a First Time…
This past weekend I’m in the middle of my normal Sunday routine, which is to say I’m making the 5th of 8 trips to Lowe’s, and something shocking happened…. let me set the stage. As it was Sunday, I was in my
DIY House Addition: To DIY or Hire Out?
It is the question, but the title of this series is DIY House Addition, so it’s almost like I’ve already given you the answer, isn’t it? But not so fast kids… There are a lot of factors that come into play when
