Al B's House rework

[hilld]

Alan,

It looks like your camera might have been dropped and the focus is off (sensor out of alignment), I have had to send several cameras back to Nikon to get that issue fixed. You might have to do the same.

Derek

 

[AlanB]

So Monday night was spent digging top soil from the area of the front pond to support Hanna's landscaping business. Sometimes (seems often) the house slips to second place behind making a living.

Yesterday, Mingo and Christina tiled the top of the outside fireplace they had built last trip to the US. Kind of "sealing off" the exposed mortar top which was starting to weather poorly.

After that, they went to the house and started on the tiling of the entry way between the living room and kitchen. It is looking pretty sharp. One side is done, they started the other side, and I picked up the adhesive / mastic to do the center last night. I will grab some pics tonight.

I spent my evening loading trailer loads of dirt for Hanna, that she was hauling out to the customer. I also replaced the outlets and light switch in my bedroom and cleaned out Christina's room in prep for the floor guys coming in.

Some clothes are loaded in the truck, Hanna has the cot in her truck, so I am quasi "moving in" tonight. At least a couple nights a week to start making some more progress there and save some drive time and gasoline.

Tonights projects are more outlets, light switches etc. probably also try and get Dean's room cleaned out, and maybe the bathroom closet shelves sorted around.

Probably be a little tractor maintenance in there, and a little cleaning of the back area as well.

I think my camera has decided it likes me ok again, (actually I think I had accidently (unkowingly) pushed some of those buttons on the back.

I think Mingo has Fri and Sat slated to build the mailbox. Probably try and be there with him for that.

Life is good, albeit it passes me by quickly, while I seem to wade around in molassas.

 

[rox]

Alan,
You know they do sell soem very nice ready made mailboxes
I fear you are developing the Eddie Walker syndrom, "I need/want this I'll just build it." Kidding Kidding. It must be great to ahve the skills and tools to make/build/fab/re-build everything in your home. I guess what you don't know we are all learning from you as well.

Kind of off topic but interesting. I was back in the states to spend Mothers Day with my mom and family and we took drove by and took a look at the first home my dad built in 1952-1955. He looked at the roof and said, "My God those look like the same shingles I put on, I swear that is the same roof. I remember when I bought the shingles I bought the heavest ones they made. And look the roof still looks good" Can you believe it, an asphalt (I guess it is asphalt) shingle rook lasting 55 years and still looking good. The roof is pretty steep if that makes any difference. The house is in Kenosha Wisconsin. Same windows and everything, my dad built the picture window i the front. The house still looks great. Sorry to be off topic but reading what you are doing to your home Alan reminded me of that visit with my dad, seeing what he did.

 

[AlanB]

Probably what I consider my best trait, is I think there are loads of people out there smarter then I, and I have no problem asking for help, guidance and direction. I usually find that most people tend to get real specific in what they are good at. Mingo is an excellent stoneworker / mason, but to him, the electric is black magic and voodoo....

Rox, one of the other things I jokingly (slightly) call my wife and her crew is "Chicks that Rock" Kind of goes with the "A Woman's Touch" business. They have been doing more and more patio's and hardscapes, and she wanted to do a mailbox with Mingo while he was here. **** near ended in a fight Saturday between her and I as she had me working on a mailbox when there was all the other stuff with the house to do, but as I dislike sleeping alone................ I was a mailbox base building individual.

Anyway, HillD, I guess you must be right, these pics came out with the left out of focus as well. How much does it cost to have it fixed? I am betting it is just time to get a new one, probably was about $100 snapshot digital at the time. Maybe $200.

Anyway, here is a fuzzy left side pick of the archway from yesterday, Mingo did the grout in brown today and I got to help with the cleanup.

Yesterday I got the closet shelf stuff done, and the closet wall closed up, also got to ride some yesterday in my "ponds" that was cool, I needed the break.

Hanna cleaned out Dean's room, so we got the door frame repaired to usuable condition, it is very much out of square, and short of jacking the supports of the ceiling around, I did not see us squaring it, so I trimmed the door to fit, and got the trim all re-set and looking ok.

Tomorrow is Mailbox 101. May have to take some time off work and visit with them and learn a bit myself. Maybe that will be my layoff plan

 

[hilld]

Anyway, HillD, I guess you must be right, these pics came out with the left out of focus as well. How much does it cost to have it fixed? I am betting it is just time to get a new one, probably was about $100 snapshot digital at the time. Maybe $200.

I have had most of the repairs done under warranty, but I am not using a consumer camera, I am using professional SLR's (I make a living doing wedding photography on weekends). I would think that a new camera might be more economical, just make sure it takes the same kind of memory card, otherwise you will have to buy those as well.

Derek

 

[AlanB]

OK, so you walk into circuit city and ask for the cheapest digital camera that they have.

$28 + $8 for an SD card.......

So the quality probably ain't so hot, and the colors don't really come through, but I think for this, it will be fine.

Painted the kitchen today, and while it is not the color I would pick, it is not the red that shows in thes pictures either Probably should spend more money, but if I want real pictures, I can grab Hanna's camera.

I am sure it has something to do with flash etc.

 

[rox]

Alan,

Sure is easier to pait an empty home rather than one that has furniture in it, isn't it? It sue does look red in the pics! What color is it actually. Oh and happy Fathers Day!

 

[AlanB]

I have a buddy who is re-habbing a burnt house while he lives in it. The term "NO FUN" comes to mind.

It is definetely better to paint etc, with nothing in there and floors that are about to be replaced.

At that, I still hit the freshly painted ceiling with paint,,,, and I still stuck the back side of the paint pole in the ceiling fan... (running by the way)

The color was what I would call a kind of terra cotta, it is darker then I would have picked, but my wifes color sense and mine do not go well together. I figure, she does not tell me how to do the garage, and I don't care what she does in the house.

She was (is) going to paint the hallway the same color, and I told her I did not think it a good idea as it will make it even darker. But in the end, so long as I do not have to do it, I could care less.

I also finished up changing all the electric switches and plugs and cover plates upstairs (still need cover plates in the kitchen though) and I got some more trim done in the bath (man is that time consuming) and I got the cut outs in the floor where the pocket door and the stub wall were filled in and patched so it is ready for the new flooring. Cleaned up outside some more, and started digging a hole to bury some of the solids from the house and use as fill.

Got a pole saw for fathers day, so that should help trimming back some of the tree's etc.

It is all good, Mingo goes home tomorrow, another month gone by and still not moved in.

But I do have a dang nice mailbox. Of course there is about $800 (yeah, no stuff) in materials in the darn thing and about 40 hours labor that did not go on the house. I will probably be pissed every time I look at that thing.

 

[rox]

But I do have a dang nice mailbox. Of course there is about $800 (yeah, no stuff) in materials in the darn thing and about 40 hours labor that did not go on the house. I will probably be pissed every time I look at that thing.

The mail box? Chuckle-Chuckle Alan... as would I...every time I saw it.

However you surely do the same thing, focus on something a project that the wife thinks is not so high up. int he end it does all seem to work out. I ahve noticed that you didn't post any mailbox pics of the finished mailbox, I guess now I know why

 

[AlanB]

The running joke is that after folks see that mailbox, they will knock on the door of the "servants quarters" and ask where the REAL house is

There is enough of a grain of truth there to make it not very funny to me