Details

Last night we purchased some covers for light switches and electrical outlets. It was an in & out visit to the store, but that was the whole visit. I'm not complaining; I'm just drawing attention to the fact that some details shouldn't be overlooked, especially when they relate to electrical safety!

Joist Spacing

So, I did a little measuring last night, and the floor joists appear to be about 16.5 or 17 inches from center to center. I was concerned about this! Does insulation batting come in this width?

After a quick look on a home improvement store's website, it readily comes in 16-inch widths! And it's in stock at the store that's on my way home! I forgot to measure the actual square footage I'll need, though.

I guess I'll be measuring that tonight! I hope they have the quantity I'll need!

It's been a long time...

Hi, Everyone! We've been gone for a while, but we did manage to get some things done since the last post. There are two main advances:

1) We have a working set of washing and drying machines.

2) We have decorations on the walls.

Announcing item number two may be a bit premature. You know how sometimes you hold things up against the wall in several configurations and then decide the perfect arrangement and then you put it up?

And then you realize that you want it completely different?

We did that on Saturday. Maybe we'll post pictures when we're happy with it!

Cancellation

Hi, Everyone,

The Tentatively Scheduled Sand Displacement Extravaganza is cancelled until further notice. Thank you for those who were interested, but a situation has arisen that prevents us from preparing for that event. Also, this blog probably won't be updated again until Friday. Thanks for your understanding!

Further Improvements

Sometimes, you know that you need something, but circumstances may press the point home. For example, half the windows in your house may be the old-style Drafty Port Plus models. A 19 degree morning will help you understand that more efficient windows are required to keep those 19 degrees outside.

Another consideration is that, if we get efficient windows, we'll get a tax credit! Yay! Maybe that'll offset the proposed tax increases they're talking about in Washington!

Have a great weekend! Stay warm! We might have to light a fire in our house this weekend!

Exodus 35:3 - Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.

Okay, it's not so bad as all that. Our heater works great.

Cold Floors

The floors in our house are pretty cold right now. I think it's because there's no insulation in the crawlspace. What an adventure! Maybe that'll be a task for next week...along with laying down plastic under the house.

First step is estimating material. I need to get under there and measure the joist spacing so I know what width of insulation batts to get. While I'm at it, I need to inspect the floor from beneath and note any rotted portions. Those will need to be replaced.

After this, I'll need to measure inside the house to estimate total square footage. This will also tell me about how much plastic sheeting to get for the crawlspace.

Once all this is done, I'll have to get the materials, and then spend an evening or two under the house with a light and some duct tape and get busy.

Let me know if you have any tips!

Luke 14:28 - For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?

I don't think I mentioned books since I made such a big deal about them.

If you'll recall, a coupla weeks ago I made a big deal about getting to our books after we finished the trim. Well, the trim got finished, and we got those books out.

Not all of them, but two bookcases now stand filled. It feels good. I can enter my bedroom now and feel a little more whole. Also, the television is out, so we can watch VHS tapes again. I can tell that this is minor progress because we have not watched any VHS tapes yet, but we have reveled in our newly exhumed books.

Also, I found the change jar so we can take advantage of the Coinstar bonus.

Life is pretty good right now. Really because of Jesus, though; the books pale in comparison.

Proverbs 13:12 - Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.

In the Trenches

Wondering how you can justify unbridled feasting over the holidays? How about some strenuous work under unforgiving conditions?

Tentatively, we're planning to dig a long trench on Saturday, December 12th. What will the weather be like? I don't know, but cold and rainy might be real possibilities. That's why we're calling this the...

TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED SAND DISPLACEMENT EXTRAVAGANZA!

If you enjoy moving large amounts of earth, gravel, and landscaping fabric, then this party is for you! Also, there will be some indoor activities for the ladies. Food will be provided, and for a project of this magnitude, it ought to be awesome.

Once we have more information about the weather, we may edit the name to read

DEFINITIVELY SCHEDULED SAND DISPLACEMENT EXTRAVAGANZA!

Genesis 5:29 - And he called his name Noah, saying, This [same] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

Thankful

We had a great time this Thanksgiving weekend! There is much to thank God for.

Especially when we walked into the house yesterday evening and were greeted by a bunch of improvements that we hadn't had a chance to enjoy yet. Wainscoting's painted, floor's swept, tools're put away, and mousetraps're clear. We're talking nine mousetraps, and no signs that our two thieves from last week had any brethren.

I feel like I'm rambling. Smile big so I feel better about myself!

That's the ticket! Thanks!

Transformation...Go!

Today's post is almost like a flipbook!

First, when the carpet was torn off, the floor in the [airquotes]hallway[/airquotes] looked like this:


Then, once the floor was put back together, we stained it like this:


After that, we put on the polyurethane, like so:


And now, with trim, it looks like this.


If you asked me this instant what I'm thankful for, I think this would definitely make the list. The long list. I have a lot to be thankful for!

I Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What does caulking do?

Behold, Exhibit A.


Behold, Exhibit B.


Thus, the case is proven that caulking is good. Okay, perhaps the case needs better proof than that. Suffice it to say, though, that the whole place looks better now that it has been caulked. Again, a big THANK YOU to Mark and Stephanie for helping us with that end. Annie and I finally finished all the touch-ups and nitpicky bits, and we're beginning to unpack the garage room a little. The TV is not set up, but that isn't what we yearned for...the books are out again.

Now we need to get the place serenitous again so we can leave for Thanksgiving with a clear conscience.

I Timothy 1:19 - Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

Residents

Me: It's like having pets!
Annie: Except you don't love them!

This exchange occurred this weekend, regarding some unwelcome residents in the Claim Shanty. What are the requirements for a pet?

1) Shelter it. - These animals have apparently been sharing our abode for a little while.
2) Feed it. - If they weren't finding food somehow, they wouldn't stick around. We wash dishes and wipe counters after every meal; I guess they're eating drywall?
3) Clean up after it. - This is how we knew we had been invaded. I will say no more.

I have a rule. I have often said that if I have to house it, feed it, and clean up after it, that I would expect it to thank me when it came of age. Many of you may consider me hard-hearted, but I really don't go for pets, especially mammalian ones. So I have been enforcing my rule this weekend - lethally. Two corpses later, we may have thwarted the takeover.

I have never washed my hands so often in my life.

Leviticus 11:26 - [The carcases] of every beast which divideth the hoof, and [is] not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, [are] unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.

This whole post may have been hard to follow. Forgive me for speaking in riddles!

Goal of the Weekend

Goal of the Weekend:

Do enough spectacular stuff to provide witty entries for the whole of next week.

Peace!

Touch-ups...?

Man, we need to do touch-ups. That is, we need to finish the caulking, and paint the filled nailholes. Then we can unpack some BOOKS. ...and the television, which I guess is exciting. But...BOOKS.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 - And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books [there is] no end; and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh.

Can one be a book glutton?

In the Trenches

We're not in the trenches now, but we probably will be soon. This will involve recruiting a crew of strapping young men who will work all day, digging a 2-foot wide trench 40 feet long, for pizza.

It's a drainage issue, and we'd need to get a huge amount of gravel for this, also. I have not begun my calculations, but the scale is just immense.

One item that is helpful to note: we heard that the guy who installed our septic tank actually lives down the street, and he is a pastor. We really need to meet that guy.

Proverbs 27:10 - Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: [for] better [is] a neighbour [that is] near than a brother far off.

Thanks for reading this stream-of-consciousness post!

Caulk is Wonderful

So, I gotta tell ya, caulk is pretty nice. Touch-up painting is still required, however.

When we first started living at the Claim Shanty, we agreed that we would not set up the TV until the trim was done. This rule has expanded so that a large range of items that are currently stacked in the garage room haven't been unpacked. Once the trim is really done, we can start unloading that room, which will be a big step. And having a TV again won't be too bad, I suppose, since we still won't have any ability to watch broadcasts of any kind.

Perhaps we'll get completely finished this week, and then have the weekend for digging a huge trench a la WWI.

Or watching movies.

Proverbs 24:30 - I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, [and] nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.

[twinge of conscience] Okay, probably not watching movies.

Caulking Success!

We had the caulking party this weekend, and it was a success!


Here's some trim in a pre-caulked state. We totally filled in the cracks at each joint! The hardest parts, in my opinion, were the door frames. It's good that we had help! Stephanie and Mark came over, and our friend Terry, who is a pro, literally, showed us all the proper technique. Thanks, you guys!


We have a little more to do before it's done, but that's mostly touch-up painting.
Peace!

Caulking Party!

Last weekend, we also put up the window trim.


Adding that to last night's progress, all of our trim is up, except for the bits that interface with the kitchen. Where does that leave us?

With a lot of nail holes.

If you have a caulking gun, please come and help us caulk up our trim! We will have a short caulking tutorial, followed by caulking craziness! We provide the caulk, but we need each of you to bring your own caulking gun. In exchange, dinner will be provided!

Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 8:00pm

Give us a call if you're interested!

Wainscoting.

So, after affixing one panel to the wall, I would generally have to cut another one. I didn't have a large table saw at my disposal, so the edges were a little jagged. This didn't matter on the shorter wall so much, because the panel abuts a large piece of trim that will hide the edge when it's caulked. However, there is another piece on the longer wall that may not hide so easily. (You'll need to zoom in on these.)




There is a reason it looks a little icky. Instead of trying to put the joints on studs, where I could nail the edges into solid wood, I opted to try a location where I could cut out a hole from the edge that would open for the electrical socket. THIS WAS A MISTAKE. Always try to get your joints to match up at a stud.

Tonight, I have to try to fix this. It's not too, too bad, but you want it to look flawless, you know? Without blemish.

Lev 4:23 - Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.

I WANT MY PANELING TO BE LIKE A KID OF THE GOATS.

Post 101!

Hi, All,

This is post number one-hundred and one. I don't believe I have ever kept up anything like this kind of reliability in anything like a correspondence. I am swelling with pride.

The wainscoting story has gotten ahead of itself. I forgot to mention that before we glued or nailed anything, we used a chalk line and a level to mark the top line of our panels. Since the chair rail rests on this line, it needed to be as straight and level as possible. Also, the 5-inch-plus baseboards would cover up any unevenness on the bottom side.

Once a panel had glue, I placed it and used a finish nailer to lock it in place. The studs had been marked, so I was able to put nails in the top and bottom at each stud. I also put nails in the halfway points between studs to keep the panel flush with the wall. That way, the panel wouldn't give when you pressed on it.

That's a lot to read at once, and it's only the beginning! Hasta mañana!

Did I do this right?

Behold, images of me applying construction adhesive to a panel!


The instructions were to apply it in a zig-zag pattern, leaving an inch or so on the sides.


Also, the tube was very specific about 16" spacing between zig-zags.



This stuff lets out some fumes, though. I opened a window so we would not expire. The vapors continue to flow, however, until the adhesive actually dries. Which I hope is soon. It does get hard to breathe.

Joshua 11:11 - And they smote all the souls that [were] therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying [them]: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.

I guess invisible adhesive fumes are like being destroyed with fire.

Wainscoting...

Did you know that wainscoting has three acceptable pronunciations?



Did you know that our walls do not even closely approximate flatness?



Did you know that there is a lot to tell about how we finished putting up our trim?
Now that it's up, we have to go back and caulk, fill holes, etc. I hope this whole trial is over this week so we can start unpacking into these rooms. More tomorrow!

Proverbs 3:28 - Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.

WAINSCOTING!!

For the record, I got through step 5.

Tonight, perhaps the rest!

When we move the paneling away from its months-long resting place, we once again saw the large gaps in the floor where we can look down inside the concrete blocks of our foundation. Perhaps a little drainage is in order. Also, maybe I should fill those blocks with rebar and concrete. And maybe there should be some kitchen renovation fast, 'cause we're expecting some company to be staying with us in late December.

Maybe we should build a renovation schedule to handle that...but our schedules don't really stand the test of reality very well.

Isaiah 2:19 - And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

It applies if "they" means concrete and rebar, and "rocks" means concrete block in the foundation.

WAINSCOTING

All right, this is it. Annie has a teaching gig tonight, so I have the house to myself. It's time to get that paneling cut and nailed/adhered to the wall. I think I have everything I need, except a 9 volt battery. Here's the plan.

1) Purchase at least one nine-volt battery.

2) Measure the paneling.

3) Set up the table saw.

4) Cut the paneling.

5) Place the paneling, verifying correct dimensions when level.

6) Locate construction adhesive and get the caulking gun ready.

7) Prep the compressor and finish nailer.

8) Put nine-volt battery into studfinder.

9) Locate and mark the studs.

10)Slather adhesive onto each panel, then place it and nail it.

11)Nail in corner trim for the baseboards.

12)Measure and cut the baseboards.

13)Nail the baseboards in place.

14)Measure and miter the quarter round.

15)Nail the quarter round in place.

16)Measure and miter the chair rail.

17)Nail the chair rail in place, using a scarf joint to connect the two pieces required for the longer wall.

18)Measure and cut the vertical trim pieces for the corners.

19)Nail the vertical trim pieces into place.

Voila! That simple!

Here's an oldie but a goodie:

Proverbs 16:9 - A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

I'll let you know what step I got to tomorrow.

Wainscoting

Sometimes, you end up changing your wife's oil instead of cutting wainscoting. Tonight is date night, so I'm not sure if I'll get around to cutting the wainscoting. I did, however, nail in almost all of the quarter round. So, all of the baseboarding is done except some walls that interact with the wainscoting or the kitchen. I even finished the closets. What will we accomplish tonight? Stay tuned for the gripping details!

Wainscoting

Last night, I cut all of the trim for the windows. It's probably painted by now, because Annie is AWESOME.

Today, I hope to at least cut and piece together the wainscoting. Probably I'll nail in the window trim and a bunch of quarter-round. Maybe we'll get some pictures.

The issue with wainscoting is the adhesive, really. Maybe I should watch a how-to video or something...

Exodus 25:9 - According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it].

Trim, Triminee, Trim Triminee, Trim Trim, Cheroo...

We cut and painted and installed a great deal of trim this weekend. We purchased window trim, which I'll probably be cutting this evening. Also, the wainscoting still needs to be cut. I wonder who's going to do that...

Annie's been a trooper about painting all the pieces and getting them ready for installation. She's also a pro when it comes to caulking. She is a little nervous, though, about the possibility of messing up our beautiful trim with a potentially imperfect caulking job. I think it'll look great, as long as I don't get involved.

The chances that I will get involved with the caulking are nearly one-hundred percent.

Quarter Round Miters

Last night, we started fitting quarter round pieces to their respective baseboards, accomplishing the necessary cuts. Many of these cuts are miters, because the quarter round looks better when a diagonal cut is made on each end.

Still using a miter saw that I basically stole from Jon, I'm almost halfway through cutting these pieces to size. I intend to finish that this evening.

Also, last night we bough some door casing for the closet interiors, as well as chair rail for our dining area. This weekend, I'll be cutting some wainscoting as well.

With all the painting that must be accomplished, also, it looks to be a busy time.

A Bit of Backstory

After the debacle with the small house I mentioned some time ago, we continued looking in the same area of town. We found a couple of houses, one of which is pictured below:



The two places were actually right next door to each other, so that was convenient. However, one had been in a small fire; the other had a pond in the basement and a hideous stainless steel kitchen. As I recall, neither had central heat and air. And they were both just outside our price range, on the high side. Good location, though, but we couldn't bring ourselves even to put in an offer on either place.

Numbers 10:33 - And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.

Maybe the whole process would have been easier if we had the ark. Anybody know where that thing is?

And the Trim Goes On...

So, we are slowly working our way through the rest of the door trim. Annie will paint what she can during the day, and then I nail it up in the evening. We still have to buy window trim, though.

As winter is coming on, insulation is looming larger in my mind. I guess I should start pricing batts and 0.006" plastic sheeting for the crawlspace. Then it would no longer be a sandy mess. Instead, it'd be like a dark, well-insulated, claustrophobic playroom!

Rooms

Isn't it nice when you have to open a door to see into the next room? As of yesterday evening, all of our rooms are like that! Before, you could just look between the door frame and the jamb. This was particularly troubling for the bathroom.

Here's a shot of me after I just shot a nail into the trim. I think the idea was to get me actually shooting the nail, but I missed my cue.


Peace!

Serenitousness!

Since we started the trim projects up until Saturday afternoon, our house has been a total wreck. Saturday, we installed a great deal of trim (only doors and windows to go!), but we also spent some time on getting the place livable again. All our floors were swept, our detritus put away, and our dining table reclaimed.

I don't have any photos today, but I hope to have some tomorrow.

Of course, the whole experience of a mostly-clean house is greatly enhanced by the fact that there are baseboards on most walls. Its quite serene!

Exodus 36:25 - And for the other side of the tabernacle, [which is] toward the north corner, he made twenty boards.
I suppose we had about twenty baseboards that we installed. Fitting!

Trim Continues

Saturday looks like a big day for door casings! There are about six doors, all needing three pieces of wood each. All the casings are already cut, but they need to be sanded, primed, and painted before they can be permanently attached with pneumatically-propelled rocket nails!

Also, I'll need to cut quarter round.

I'll try to bring pictures!

Exodus 12:7 - And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

No, they weren't eating blood. It was lamb. We won't be eating either one of those this weekend. And paint is liquid like blood, right? Our paint is called Lemon Edge. Perhaps it is the blood of lemons that is going on our doorposts. Something to think about.

...I hope there isn't a horrible accident that puts any or our blood on the doorposts.

Guest Room All Boarded Up

Last night, before Date Night could commence, a flurry of activity was required to get all of the baseboards in for the guest bedroom. A measurement flub from an earlier stage of production required a splice; a narrow gap in the corner required a chiseled end on one of the spliced pieces; the chiseled piece broke in half; the baseboarding was a success!

You can totally tell where the splice is, but maybe a little sanding and touch-up paint will take care of that.

Probably more baseboards this evening. Gotta go!

Something Got Done

Well, I did drink a lot of water, but it wasn't quite a ton. I felt a little better, so then we installed baseboards in our bedroom. Tonight, perhaps the guest room...?

Crud

What do you call it when you have a headache for two days?

The guys around the office call it dehydration. I'm going to go home and drink a ton of water. In case you are wondering, a ton equates to about 240 gallons.

I didn't do anything yesterday, and probably not much will get done today. Annie, however, keeps going strong! I think that tomorrow will be a backstory post, maybe Thursday, too...

Thanks for reading!

Trim is Totally Getting Painted

Friday, I got off of work early, so I went home to find that Annie and our friend Stephanie were hard at work painting baseboards.




I helped a little. Most of our rosettes are up, too. Maybe we'll get some casing cut, or maybe even some baseboards installed! If we do, I'll try to bring pictures.

Leviticus 14:42 - And they shall take other stones, and put [them] in the place of those stones; and he shall take other morter, and shall plaister the house.

Painting baseboards is kind of like plastering a house. Sorry, plaistering.

Trim painting

Annie here. Just an FYI-I'll be priming and painting trim today till about 4. You're welcome to drop by if you're in the neighborhood, but it might be a good idea to call first.

Another Confession

Well, I cut all the baseboards yesterday evening, but no quarter round and no casings. Today I might be able to nail up some rosettes and a few baseboards, perhaps I'll get to measure and cut casings. Annie's already begun painting the baseboards, so we might have quite a bit done by Monday. Enjoy a few photographs:

Thursday is for Cutting

Tonight, I intend to saw through every board in the house.

Let me rephrase that.

Tonight, I intend to saw through every piece of trim in the house that is currently uninstalled.

I haven't really scheduled this out. We'll see how far I get.

Luke 14:28 - For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?

Confession Time

...I only cut one board on Monday. I didn't cut any on Tuesday, and I don't know if I'll cut any tonight. I mean, it's DATE NIGHT. Very important. But if I don't cut any, then Annie won't have anything to paint tomorrow.

Maybe it'll be a late night.

Perhaps I should quote a verse about priorities.

Proverbs 24:27 - Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

I Used a Table Saw Last Night

Last night saw the beginnings of trim-cuttings. I measured the pieces, worked long and hard at finding a way to cut sixteen-foot lengths on a four-foot table saw, and then tried the pieces against our walls.

Not all walls are straight, apparently.

In our case, I doubt that any of our walls are straight.

I have a lot of cutting ahead of me. I'm focusing on baseboards right now, and Annie is painting the plinths and rosettes for the door trim. I feel all handy, now that I know what a plinth is. Once the rosettes are done, we can measure and cut door casing. Maybe then we won't have a huge pile of wood in our living room/kitchen floor.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 - And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
And a phalanx of baseboards is not easily deal-with-able, either.

Cutting Trim

This weekend, almost all of our trim was acquired (the window trim has not been purchased yet). Now that it is in our house, we need to:

1) Measure it.
2) Cut it.
3) Prime it.
4) Paint it.
5) Second Coat it.
6) Nail it.
7) Touch up it.
8) Caulk it.

Tonight, I hope to do a lot of 1 and 2. I'm really excited. Baseboards should cut down on the drafts dramastically.

Weekend of Trim

We will probably be painting trim in preparation for installing it this weekend. I'm off to borrow a saw. Peace!

Buying Trim

We are in the process of purchasing the trim. Annie bought corners today. These will sit in the corners of the room, eliminating the need for ugly DIY miter joints. She also got bullseyes, which will handle the corners of door and window trim. I'm about to go get some door casing, and then we'll go to order our baseboards.

I'm excited about the door casing outing, because of the location: it's an architectural salvage place. They have all kinds of building materials that were either unneeded for or discarded from other construction/remodeling projects. It's like a museum, but the exhibits are for sale at rock-bottom prices!

Leviticus 14:41 - And he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the dust that they scrape off without the city into an unclean place.

Or an architectural salvage company. Come to think of it, the place isn't that clean...

In Which "Impulse Buy" is Loosely Defined

So, Annie and I went around Saturday, as mentioned a couple of days ago. In our quest, we asked many home improvement experts about the best way to install trim. Overwhelmingly, the response indicated that nail guns are indispensable. One fellow recommended a particular model, stating that its price was well within our budget for the trim project.

When we sought this nail gun, however, we found that it had doubled in price from when he had purchased it. We were at Lowe's, asking the gentleman in the tool department, and he directed us to a mobile air compressor that came with a brad nailer. This seemed like a larger investment than we were expecting, but it was less than the other option.

Then the man showed us a similar package, including not one but THREE pneumatic guns, all for one low price. I admit, I got caught up in the excitement. On the one hand, friends have been more than willing to lend us their equipment for free, but on the other hand, here was the ability to own similar equipment. And THREE pneumatic guns.

We then compared at Home Depot, came away disappointed, and went back for the big package deal. I think this was an impulse buy, but I'm still happy with it.

But Justin, you may be thinking, this wasn't an impulse buy. You considered your budget, you left the store, shopped around, and then came back to purchase it. That is like the opposite of an impulse buy.

I see your point. However, when the price tag is higher than ten dollars, I generally take a week to make a decision. This whole story took less than four hours from start to finish. It feels so sudden.

Acts 19:36 - ...ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.

Door Trim

Now, I didn't do the best job in the world, but this is a HUGE improvement over the way things have been looking since we moved in. Enjoy!

Shop Around

This weekend, Annie and I went on a mission: find an economical means of acquiring trim for our entire house. As a part of this quest, we opened the yellow pages and made a list of half a dozen or so lumber companies.

We found a lot of interesting places. Because our needs are so specific, few lumber companies and home improvement stores had what we needed, and when they did, it was often expensive. We kept notes on the prices of various vital pieces, and now we know what stores to order from for our particular needs.

Why is it so hard to find what we need? Because we need baseboards that will be at least as tall as the old stuff plus the carpet that used to cover our beautiful hardwood floors. It's hard to find a deal on tall baseboards.

We also put up some door trim; I hope to have some pictures for you tomorrow.

Proverbs 20:14 - "[It is] good for nothing," cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.

Bugs!

We sometimes have awesome-looking insectoid life hang out at our house. I've seen many awesome moths, grasshoppers, crickets, ants, wasps, and these:



I see a lot of bugs outside, but these guys get in with startling regularity. Perhaps you are wondering what they are. They are walking sticks, stickbugs, stick insects, whatever you might want to call them. And the smaller one is male, while the larger one is female. Sorry, it's hard to find these bugs singly lately.

Leviticus 11:20 - All fowls that creep, going upon [all] four, [shall be] an abomination unto you.

You can say that again.

The Doors

Sometimes doors stick. Often, planing is recommended. I thought, "Sure, we could plane those doors. Or we could take advantage of the fact that we have no trim and see what our other options are."

The other options ended up being to remove shims. I'll have to replace them, I'm sure, but these doors totally open and close without sticking now that the shims are out. An added plus is that the door jambs look straighter. In the end, I believe it was the right decision.

You might be able to perceive a slight bowing in the jamb as the gap gets narrower near the corners:




In other news, we recently purchased some door trim. I'll let you know what we do with that.

I Kings 7:5 - And all the doors and posts [were] square, with the windows: and light [was] against light [in] three ranks.

Webulon's Revenge

Ah, Webulon, we meet again.



Check out that web. (Photography by Annie.) So, I'm mowing, minding my own business, when I almost run into this. Naturally, my first response is to show it to my wife. She runs and gets the camera, and you see the results here.

No, that's not interesting enough. Suppose it really happened this way:

The Webulon Hive Mind dispatched a Vengeance Agent to our location in the hopes of dispensing arachnid justice on the slayer of the last Webulon. This new Webulon lurked in the backyard, waiting for the perfect time to spring its venomy vengeance. When faced with yours truly, however, it just acted like an ordinary giant spider, until I knocked down its web and ran over it with the lawnmower. Its Octoid powers were no match for my high-speed spinning blade!

And now you know the truth.

Proverbs 26:18 - As a mad [man] who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

In Which an Air Conditioner Explodes

Our lawn has been in great need of mowing, since it has been raining for three weeks, it seems. My mother was invited to our home Saturday, intensifying my desire to cut the grass on Friday night. Work kept me late Friday, and I had to decline an invitation to get together with friends, but I was determined to get that yard done.

I mowed the back lawn first. This was so I would not be tempted to only partially complete the job. It was all or nothing.

Until I blew up the air conditioner. I was just starting on the side yard when I heard a loud hissing, felt a cold spray, and a large number flashed before my eyes: the cost of fixing what I just did. The lawnmower blade had cut into the line dryer on the condenser unit, and all the refrigerant had leaked out.

Our air conditioner guy is great, the actual number was smaller than what I had expected, and he even relocated the new line dryer so it wouldn't be in the lawnmower's path. Premium Air Services, if you would like the name of an extremely nice HVAC servicer who works Saturday mornings as a matter of course.

Also, Webulon returned!



More on Webulon tomorrow.

We Fell in Love with a House

When Annie and I first started looking at houses in the west part of town, we found a little gem that really got our attention:



Sorry for the scan resolution; perhaps the future will hold crisper images.

Continuing on, this tiny little place was in a quiet little corner of Tulsa, very little crime, quaint neighborhood, the works. The house had two outbuildings for storage, which it needed, because it was only 528 square feet. It had a carport. And the price was just about right. We really liked this house from the curb, too; it was a pretty place.

Then we went inside and really looked around. The back bedroom was just added on, probably without a permit, because it certainly didn't meet code. The walls bore cracks galore from a foundation poor. And the central air conditioner? Its outside unit was no longer resident. And the carport was in need of repair and/or replacement.

We realized that the house had real issues, considering the back bedroom and the foundation, so we had to cut the ties of our heart.

Pro 4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.

The Fire House Plan

Back before we knew anything about anything, we seriously considered fixing up a house that had been in a fire. We walked through, noted items that would need fixing, then went to the home improvement store. We found a contractor's pricing guide and got to work, using the following image as a guide:



I hope you find it entertaining. And no, the fluffy things with eighteens in their midst are not flowers, they are trees. Viewed from above. Not flowers. My coworker thought they were flowers. I'm still proud of my drawing. It was freehand.

Gen 1:11-12 - And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, [and] herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.

More About the Fire House

I was hoping to have a picture up today instead of an excuse, but the scanner here at work is not operating properly. Perhaps tomorrow.

I mentioned the "Fire House" a while back, and I wanted to show you the diagram we drew of the place, with several notes about necessary improvements. It is a detailed thing, a cluttered thing, to some, a beautiful thing. Maybe I can find a scanner tonight and get it to you.

Anniversary!

Last week was our wedding anniversary, so we took a little trip out of town. It was fun, but no progress was made on the house last weekend. This week will be a little more backstory, with pictures! I'm pressed for time today, though; thanks for sticking with us!

The Hiatus Continues

Sorry, Everyone!

First, I should probably let everyone know that I'm all right; the fender-bender was not an injury accident. The other guy's insurance company is taking liability, and my claim is being processed.

Second, today's the fourth anniversary of our wedding. I hope you understand that we're preoccupied.

Third, the rainyness continues, precluding further work on the utility room wall.

There is information to pass on, but it'll have to wait. Thanks for your patience!

Sorry for the Hiatus

Hi, Everyone,

I got into a fender bender yesterday, and I've been consumed with the necessary paperwork with that. I hope you will all be patient as the news is postponed another day.

Indebted,
Justin

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Update on the utility room! Moisture totally seeps through the walls, but we can't seal it up until it's dry! The paint we got has a warranty with it, but that warranty is violated if we apply it on a wet surface. "When it's raining, it's too wet to fix it, and when it's dry, it's just as good as any man's house." This weekend might just be perfect for accomplishing all the little tasks inside.

Gen 7:18 - And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.

A New Record!

I felt I should solemnize the setting of a new record from this weekend. Previously, our longest-term visitor was Mark, with a time of approximately 12 hours. We are thinking of honoring him with a small plaque embedded in the floor where the furnace used to be.

His time has been smashed, however, as Annie's parents stayed nearly 28 hours. Congratulations, guys!

I Killed a Bush

Monday was Labor Day, meaning that it was a day where I was free to labor. I decided to attack the roots of the plants on the south side of the house, which we cut down the first day we owned it.

I thought the work would go quickly, as the ground is sandy. I set to work carving a bush's root system out of the ground, and it took me forty-five minutes of continuous hacking. A bush seems to have a really extensive root system. Astonishing, really. Good thing the shovel I was using had a sharp edge, and could cut through most of the roots with repeated strikes. The bush finally came free, and I gloated by carrying this ball of roots around like the severed head of Medusa.

Then it was dinnertime, and I was done hacking at roots. I'll continue working on those plants as time progresses, because they're starting to grow back.

Ecc 3:2 - A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted.

A Fine Weekend

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend! We worked on the utility room quite a bit. The walls are strange in there. Before I describe them, I'll show them to you.


As you see, there is a short concrete wall, which then politely steps out of the way and allows drywall to finish the space up to the ceiling. This concrete wall had some cracks in it, so we patched them up this weekend. Before we could do that, we had to clean the blocks, which was half a day for my father-in-law and me. We had a degreaser that required us first to wet down the wall, then apply the degreaser, then wait 30 minutes, then scrub off the degreaser while wetting down the wall. We did that twice, and it looks much nicer in there now. After that, we had to wait for the whole place to dry before we could apply the mortar fix to actually fill in the cracks. Scrubbing was Saturday, Patching was Monday.

The next step will be to paint the concrete blocks with some sealant. We can't do that for another couple of days, because the mortar fix can't be painted for 72 hours. We may do some more cleaning before then, too. Seems like a lot of waiting for such a simple project. :-)

Ecc 3:1 - To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

Labor Dabor

This weekend ought to be exciting. Big thanks to Jon for helping with the roof; it still keeps our interiors teh dryz. The utility room still has some openings to the outside world, so we're going clean it up and seal it up and Annie's parents are going to help us!

Of course, the biggest challenge of the weekend is getting the place ready for family to stay in the guest room. Not only have we had to move all of our junk out of that room, we've rearranged things to make it more hospitable. Also, i installed a light fixture above the sink in the bathroom, so there's no longer a gaping hole there.

There was a problem with an electrical socket this morning; I might prevail upon Annie to tell that story a little later on. Happy Labor Day!

Rain, Rain, Rain

It's been raining quite a bit here as of late. But not inside my house. And that makes me happy. The storms came through about 4am yesterday morning, and I arose after their passing to inspect the leaky area. There was no sign of a leak. Yay!

However, there is still an opening in the utility room above the concrete blocks that lets water in (though I don't believe the water has gotten that high lately). I ought to be able to dig in there a little bit tonight and seal it up with insulating foam.

Gen 6:14 - Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Garage Rearranged!

Once again, time was invested over the weekend to rearrange the items in the garage room. This time, the purpose was twofold.

First, we had to gain access to the closets. We realized that one of them would probably be the best place to hide out if storms got tornadic. The water heater is in the other one, and it might be good not to cover that up perpetually.

Second, we intend to get the utility room nice this coming weekend. We have family coming up to help us in our housing quest, and the project is painting the blocks with sealing primer that will keep moisture out of the room. A lot of our stuff was in there, though; so we moved it into the garage room. Now only the mower, trash can, bicycles, and ladder live in the utility room (and a few tools on shelves).

Cramming everything into the one room required more efficiency than ever before. Behold!

The Bathroom is Coming Together

This past weekend, we did get some work done on the bathroom. I helped prime the walls, but Annie did pretty much all of the painting. Next will be some final towel racks and light fixtures. Behold!


I really like the color, maybe because of the name: SHARK LOOP!


Annie likes it, too!



We did some other work, also; more pics tomorrow, if the Lord wills!

Sorry about Friday...

Friday, they shut the factory down right after work, so I couldn't update the blog and tell you how the roof held up.

It held up fine!

Of course, the rain was not nearly as hard out at the house as it was at the factory. This renders the roofing results inconclusive at present. I expect good things during the next downpour, though!

I took a lot of pictures this weekend; maybe I'll post some tomorrow!

It's Raining!

Hey, you guys, it's raining!

I hope the roof is holding up!

I gotta run home and see if our days of taking on water are over!

Peace!

More Backstory

Last time I went into the backstory, I mentioned we found a goldmine in an outlying area. There were several cheap houses out there. It was a nice, quiet part of town, and we had never really explored it before. By this point we had a different real estate agent; the first wasn't really responsive any more when we'd call her up. This new one, however, was more than willing to take us around to whatever houses we wanted. Well, we found a few houses that looked really good in their photos, went and saw them, and realized that photos do not tell the whole story. The place we were really interested in had obvious foundation issues, and it was so small that we couldn't really fit any furniture into it.

The best fun came the next time we looked at houses; we saw one that had been in a fire. The place was CHE-EAP, but it was half burnt, and that would require redoing all of the electrical wiring in the house. Also, one of the bedrooms was adjoined to the attic, which was itself adjoined to the great outdoors.

We considered the "Fire House" for a while. We went to a book on current contracting prices and figured that it would cost more to get the place up to snuff than to buy a house that wasn't burned out.

It was a while before we really looked at houses again. By this time, we were looking at renewing our lease at the apartment complex for another year, and we didn't have any good housing prospects, so we signed up to stay on the third floor. With an increase in rent. [sigh.]

1 Cor 3:13-15 - Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Digging Fun!

Last night, I dug. It was interesting. I learned more about our house. The soil is very easy to dig. Almost too easy to dig. Except when it's concrete, which is what some of it is. What does that mean?

There is an area between the utility room door and the kitchen door that collects water during storms. This area slopes toward the corner between these two doors and encourages the pooled-up water to enter our home. My thought was that we could dig up the whole area and put in a drainage solution of some type.

Well, the area in that corner is really concrete, covered by a thin layer of dirt. The concrete slopes toward the corner. I haven't figured out yet if that is a part of the garage addition's foundation or not, so it might be impossible to dig it up, and the drainage issue will have to be solved another way.

This challenge is not terribly upsetting, though, because I dug a little channel for water to flow into that I think is at a lower level than the path water has been taking into the house. I hope it'll keep the utility room dry during the next storm, which may be later this week.

Job 22:15-16 - Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood.

(Is a leaky house a punishment for wickedness? Does the degree of the leak indicate the degree of wickedness? I'm sure I'm reading too much into this out-of-context scripture.)

Roofing Excitement!

Saturday morning, Jon came over, and we did some roofing. It was easier than expected, and cheaper than expected, to install some valley flashing at the joint of the main structure and the garage addition. Now I must wait for rain to see if we did any good. This evening I might do a little digging to allow water to flow past the kitchen door rather than into the utility room door. That part is hard to explain, so I may just have to do it with pictures. For now, here are some highlights from Saturday.


Above, Jon beats something with a hammer.


I didn't realize that tar came in paint cans. I guess I never really put any thought into the question of how tar was packaged.


Cutting shingles is easy and fun!


Jon is bending some flashing to his will.


If someone were to have taken a photo of us from the ground, it would have looked like this.

Peace!

Serenity Now!

Yesterday, Annie had to run to teach Russian, and I was left with the house all to myself. So I cleaned, sanded, moved, put away, and swept. The house's many maladies, such as clutter, dusty floors, and general lack of serenity were largely diminished. The results are below.


Please note the open expanses of box-free goodness.


I love our floor.


This is where we do our eating.


The entryway, from the point of view of someone already having entered.


A peaceful man enjoying the serenity of his home.


Peace!
Philippians 1:2 - Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ.