Home Improvement

Door Another Day

Published on September 15, 2014 by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

Another day gone by, another door installed. Shaking up the dining room.

Before, we had a sagging, unable to open, bay window. It was big at 8 feet wide and 5 1/5 feet tall, but the grids broke up the view.

Almost immediately after moving in, we knew we wanted to swap the window for a sliding door. Once we rebuild the rotting deck, we’ll extend a walkway to the edge.

Nearly the same size (only 15 inches closer to the floor), it feels so open now.

Having two four-foot wide sections of glass versus 45 small panes makes a world of difference.

As with our new bedroom door, we’ve hung curtains on either side of the door; essentially treating it like a window.

I think my plants will love this brighter, sunny spot.

Seeing as we just installed the door this weekend, we have finishing work left to do. Like a stained wood threshold, door casings, trim, and paint.

To install the remaining lap siding on the front of the house, we moved the window installing operation to the dining room.

Now the house is ‘bookended’ by doors. Our bedroom on the right and dining on the left end. Lovely little pattern of doors and windows.

Unlike the back and garage ends of the house, the front will have more steel than lap siding. To add more interest and break up the length of the house, we have decided to wrap the bumped out areas in steel. We’ll also carry the steel around the bottom, matching the garage end.

Basically, it’ll look something like this obviously rough Photoshopped version:

And with decks with privacy style railings, maybe something like this:

Contemporary Exterior by San Diego Architects & Building Designers Allard Jansen Architects, Inc.

Also, how hot are dark bands around the decks? Might have to steal that idea, too.

Green = Green: Free Stump Coffee Table

Published on September 12, 2014September 12, 2014 by Our Humble Abode30 Comments

You may be right! I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for. To quote my longtime BFF (not really) Billy Joel.

Often times, I’m not actively searching for specific items. However, if I see something that I can’t stop thinking about, I feel compelled to get it. Such is the case of this giant slice of starting to rot cottonwood.

At 43 inches in diameter and 12 inches tall, this thing is massive, not to mention heavy. Ben thought I was crazy, but loaded the beast up for me.

The affair started innocently, as I drove past the chopped up remains of a 25 foot tall dead trunk. After a few days, I decided to ask by leaving a note with my name and number. Instead of being the crazy woman knocking on the door, demanding a piece of wood. A few hours later, a sweet gal called me back saying I could definitely take what I wanted. Sa-weet. I dropped by to pick out the piece and chatted for another one and a half hours. I guess she didn’t think I was crazy.

Back to the wood. This old cottonwood had died years ago. The stump finally fell over. Which means this thing has real character. After a thorough sanding to get the surface splinter free and as flat as possible, I dug sawdust out of the bug trails.

To get all dust and debris off and out of cracks, I lugged out the air compressor and a spray gun. Worked like a charm to get the gunk out. Then I gave the sides one coat of polycrylic. For added smoothness, I applied three coats to the top, sanding between layers. Sanding between coats is always important, but even more so on an unfinished piece of wood.

At 12 inches tall and somewhat uneven (notice a raised chunk toward the front in the photo below), I attached three steel casters. Not only do the casters add a few inches in height, it makes this two hundred pound slab mobile.

I bought four, but after talking it over with Ben and looking at the base, three worked better. Despite an uneven base, after flipping it over, the top was almost perfectly level. As the old saying goes, “Almost only counts in horseshoes and casters.” Under $6.00 each at Home Depot, these 300 pound rated wheels are heavy-duty.

Four 2 1/2 inch long screws and washers keep the wheels in place.

With the piece sanded, clean, sealed, and wheeled, all we had left was to bring it inside. Basically I made a heaftier version of this stump and put it inside my house. Feast your eyes on our new, rustic meets industrial coffee table.

Adding the heavy (both in weight and appearance) table has helped ground the room.

I’m keeping the old table. Because I love it and it could work well in our bedroom seating area.

This hulking piece was fun to work on and now has a fun story.

And character in spades.

One side has a giant crack along with a woodpecker hole.

Some of the chainsaw marks are still noticeable on the top.

Despite several rounds of sanding with 50 grit paper, the top isn’t completely smooth. I mean, you won’t get slivers if you run our hand across the top. Though it is far from your typical glossy mahogany furniture.

You can feel bumps, divots, and a few rough patches.

For a hot second, we considered screwing the crack back together. Clearly, we decided against that. It could have worked. Or it could have made the split even bigger.

Overall, this was a quick, easy, and inexpensive project. Free stump + a few hours of sanding + 1 quart of polycrylic + three steel casters = my love in coffee table form.

Based on the 17 photos, some very similar, in this post, I think it’s safe to say I’m smitten. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of cool furniture?

Construction Chic

Published on September 8, 2014 by Our Humble Abode7 Comments

Bing, bang, boom, we’ve got a door in our bedroom. Wow, that sounds very Dr. Seuss. I guess that’s bound to happen when I’m around little people all day.

As long as we’ve got half-finished projects, I’m going to refer to it as ‘construction chic.’ As in, “Oooh la la, look at those fancy exposed shims! It’s tres construction chic.” Anyway, I’m almost certain I’ve mentioned our plan to replace the old window with a sliding door.

These old windows were on their last leg. Barely able to open, fogged up, and peeling.

Wanting to take full advantage of the best views in the house, we settled on a sliding patio door and narrow balcony combo. In my dream world, French doors, but the space doesn’t allow for a door swing. From hole in the wall:

Onto a framed in hole in the wall:

Finally to a full door.

Adding 4 inches of insulation to the exterior bumps out every window and door. Windows get deeper sills, and doors, well, they get transition strips. Filling the gap isn’t difficult. I’ll have to stain and seal a strip of oak that we can nail in place.

Totally worth it to be able to see mountains while still laying in bed. Even if it has been a sort of hazy.

As a trade-off, we obviously have less privacy. In terms of window coverings, I think I’ll treat the door just as I would a window. Functional floor length curtains are my favorite. Blinds are annoying to me; can’t stand the cords.

Outside, things are looking equally ‘construction chic’ despite the sun making the painted gray look primer beige.

The ladder scaffolding standing in for the balcony is stunning. You know what else looks hot? Four different materials in this section of the front. Keepin’ it classy, Montana.

Along the bottom, Ben hung a rim joist, which the rest of the 3 foot deep balcony will extend from. Above that, a gap for the decking boards and a small space before the siding starts. Next step, caulking seams and then paint. Replacing the bathroom window (the one between the two doors) and hanging steel must happen before we can build the balcony. Until then, we’ve got the door locked and a tension rod up top so little humans can’t fall out.

With the front sections so broken up, it’s easier to focus on and get one chunk done at a time. Compared to the back and garage sides, this feels quick. At least to me. I’m only responsible for fetching tools and holding pieces when necessary.

Big Ass Benches

Published on August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

We’ve got scrap piles for days. Seemingly of anything and everything. Including a few beams we didn’t use for our deck, walkways, or stairs. To use a few up, Ben built what we’ve dubbed ‘Big Ass Benches.’

They’re huge at 8 feet long and weigh at least 150 pounds each. Two fill in the space by the waterfall, around the fire pit.

To build these behemoths, Ben cut an 8 foot piece for the seat and two 3 foot tall sections for arms. Scraps of 2 by 4 work as cleats and 2 by 6 boards for the backs.

Long screws go through the sides and into the seat.

Back boards connect to a small chunk of wood.

Along with the two in the back, we’ve got another on the front landing.

It functions as a bench (duh!) and a railing, keeping people away from the far edge and steep drop to the driveway.

Light Load

Published on August 14, 2014August 14, 2014 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

I mean that title both in a literal way and a pun. After busting our butts to get the lap siding wrapped up on the back and side, we’ve taken it easy. Partially because the heat limits what we can get done. Also to spend time with visiting family. But that hasn’t completely stopped us from checking a few things off our list.

Early on Sunday morning, to beat the afternoon heat, I climbed up on the scaffolding to edge around the two windows.

With the third coat done, the scaffolding finally came down! And Ben hung the exterior lights, hence the punny title.

Looks so much better and updated than the blue before. Now to measure and order the lower steel.

Two lights also flank the back door.

Our preference is down directional lighting, to decrease light pollution. These Hampton Bay Essen outdoor sconces are super simple and exactly what we had in mind.

A tiny touch of dark jewelry for the house.

In other exciting news, the last five windows and doors for the front of the house came in last week. Weather, please cool off just a little so we can get started with those big changes. From a mother to a mother (nature), please.

With hot temps outside, I focused some of my energy inside. Particularly, the four-month neglected replaced wall in the dining room. I’m finishing up wet sanding the joints to get ready to texture.