What?

posted by Brit at 10:01 PM | 0 comment(s) |

Don't Forget to Vote!

Tomorrow is the big day! As I drove up the valley this campaign season, looking at all the signs in the yards I was at first struck by all the division in my neighbors - Republican, Republican, Democrat, Republican, Democrat.... Then I thought more about the need for debate and participation in our democratic system. I urge everyone to vote their conscience - mail in those ballots tomorrow if you haven't already.

posted by Scott in Washington at 9:54 AM | 0 comment(s) |

The destruction

Two days ago I finally got around to doing something that I've wanted to since the first day we looked at the house; tearing down the old deck off what is now our bedroom. It never had an easy life, rarely getting much needed preventative maintenance and wasn't really a good design for our climate. Tear down is always the easiest part of any project and getting the old deck down and carted around the house to the burn pile was less than a day's work. The plan for now is just to build a set of stairs from the bedroom door down to the yard and leave it so for a year or two. Eventually we'll probably replace the deck with a concrete slab and roof like the one over the deck on the north facing side of the house. Click on the photo to view more project photos in Flickr.

posted by Scott in Washington at 1:49 PM | 3 comment(s) |

Project Enduring Containment

Here is a view down the 23 steps from our front door to the street, or as we have been calling them since having kids; The Stairs of Death.









When I built the deck a few years ago, I put railings all the way up the steps and along the front of the covered deck itself but for some reason I stopped there, never building the full enclosure.

This past Saturday, I finally got around to finishing the rails and building a proper gate. The impetus for this tardy burst of activity was the three year old recently escaping from the shoddy child gate we had slapped in place and running off into the woods towards Grandma and Grandpa. We just barely caught the little booger before he was gone.







It rained most of the day, and ironically in an attempt to seal the deck off from dogs and other mud vectors, we got everything filthy.















The little guy really wanted to come out and help but he doesn't have his union card yet so he had to stay inside.















Not allowed outside, he had to content himself with bifurcating the livestock... Sort of disturbing really...














My dad came over and built this rack, which hangs in place and can be lifted onto pegs to block off the stairs of death.













Clever 45 degree cut blocks use its own weight to hold the barricade up against the railings.












Here is my railings and gate. I'm still trying to decide whether it needs some X bracing. I hope not. I like the way it looks as it is.










When I built all the railings for the steps and main part of the house, I notched the 4x4s by six inches and then ran carriage bolts through the part that hung down, bolting them into the 2x12 deck supports. This didn't turn out to be as sturdy as I'd quite like in a few places. So this time around, when I had three new posts to install, I used pressure treated and ran them down all the way into the ground. I still bolted to the 2x12s, but hope this will be much sturdier.

posted by Scott in Washington at 7:31 PM | 1 comment(s) |

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

posted by Scott in Washington at 8:51 PM | 1 comment(s) |

Sunday

End of a Day

posted by Scott in Washington at 9:42 PM | 0 comment(s) |

new digs with brother

posted by Scott in Washington at 2:40 PM | 0 comment(s) |

See, we do actually read to the boys...

I promised all you non-readers out there in non-blog-reading-land that the next post I made about the project room would show it in completed project, in-use status. Today I am in the happy position to oblige. I still have a little bit of quarter-round to put up, but other than that 30 minute task, we are done. Finito! Move it on down the road. My oldest son has moved in completely, even putting himself to bed in there – strange freak occurrence that that is. Last night on the baby monitor we heard the following repeatedly, (Bump), “Ow, sorry…”

posted by Scott in Washington at 2:37 PM | 0 comment(s) |

Around-the-room

These five pictures run from left to right. You are seeing the same doorway in the first and last photos. I uploaded the five pictures one-by-one to Flickr as well.

How many more entries will I post to this blog, declaring the current project to be almost complete? This time it really is, I swear! All the finish work that had to be done before sealing is done. The final coat is on the floor. All that remains is a little molding, paint touch up, and to nail sealed ¾ round to the joint between the pine board wall and the beginning of the sheetrock – all told about an hour’s work left to go.

I have learned in remodeling the upstairs of my house that some projects can only be measured in the segment of your life they consume. When we first decided to rip up the carpets and break out the sledge hammer I had just finished college and we had a new little baby that we were still adjusting our life to welcome. Now I’m just about finished with my graduate degree and we have two son who really, really need their own rooms.

Tonight we will start moving in the beds, the dresser, and the desk. Stuff banished from the basement will return after years of wandering in the wasteland. My next post will be when the upstairs room is abso-fabo-utely DONE!

Next, I’m thinking about replacement decks and doctoral programs, probably in that order.

posted by Scott in Washington at 3:03 PM | 0 comment(s) |

DSCN2525

Another shot of the "distressed" look of the restored pine flooring

posted by Scott in Washington at 2:42 PM | 0 comment(s) |

DSCN2527

I put the camera down just above the floor in an attempt to get a shot of the degree of gloss in the Gymcoat surface. This is two coats of satin and one heavy coat of gloss. The pine boards got one thin coat of the gloss while I had it out. It appears that the extra cost was warranted and this floor looks like it will cure to be much tougher than the polyeurothane I put down in the first bedroom upstairs.

posted by Scott in Washington at 2:41 PM | 0 comment(s) |

Mmmmm, Smell that pine

Firewood on the porch - thanks to uncle Todd for helping me lug it up the stairs.

posted by Scott in Washington at 4:37 PM | 0 comment(s) |

Ship's Log, January 2007

Times on Clark Creek are currently busy but a good kind of busy. It has been cold and icy the past week or so and we have kept snow on the ground, which is unusual.

Update on the project that will never end: I finished sanding the floor and sealed it. I got a more expensive sealant this time designed for gym floors, sports bars, etc. that hardened up very nicely. It has a more matt surface than what I used in the first upstairs floor I refinished and I think will probably be much more resistant to scratches, fogging, etc. This weekend I finished up the finish carpentry and started sealing the pine. I’m using the same stuff on the walls as the floor, so hopefully they will withstand many years of childish scribbling with crayons and the work of other hunnish vandals. I think when I’m done sealing the pine walls I’ll clean everything up and put another coat or two on the floor. I didn’t sand it quite as smoothly as needed it turns out and patches of it are not smooth and snag on sock-clad feet – not so good. After that, all that will remain is a little touch up work and finishing the door. Then, finally, we will be past this particular chapter in home improvement. May I never again blindly leap into a project without considering time, cost, and inconvenience to my family (not to end on a down note).

posted by Scott in Washington at 4:37 PM | 1 comment(s) |

Terminé construyendo la mesa

I finished the table this morning with a layer of padded vynel table cloth, covered by the boy's train track table cloth from his birthday party last year (Neither were my idea Keefer-san). The vynel should give enough padding to the corners (which I also rounded pretty well with the belt sander) to keep little faces and bellies from getting injured upon impact, while not being too padded on top so as to prevent trains from choo choo'ing and pencils from drawing.

Feeling comfortably sore today from my run two days ago and a trip to the gym yesterday. Another run is probably called for this afternoon.

Still not writing paper.....

posted by Scott in Washington at 11:09 AM | 0 comment(s) |

Stout II

Mmmm, stout in the pot....

My goal is to have this stout and a pilsner in the bottle and sufficiently aged to go in Christmas baskets if they turn out to be tasty. I might also do an IPA if I get time. Crafty time is precious, though, and I want to spend some of what I have out in the studio, making more Christmas presents. Crafty!

I'm supposed to be writing a 20 page paper right now. The wife and kids have left me alone for this express purpose and what am I doing? Brewing beer in the kitchen - ah the procrastination...

posted by Scott in Washington at 11:03 AM | 0 comment(s) |