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The House
This is our house as it looks now...but not after we get started on the front.
Our Mascot
Kip aka "Squirrel Hunter"
Patio
Mixing cement, by hand, seemed like a good idea until I started mixing. It explains why I now have tendonitis in my shoulder and elbow. Man, I am getting old.... It was raining lightly this day, so i guess you can pour cement in the rain.
Flagstone Patio, In Progress
We hauled in about 4 cubic yards of base gravel to create a sturdy sub-surface for the flagstone. As with any construction project, you will find that each step needs to be completed in a certain order. Get the steps out of order and you create problems, usually extra work, for yourself. Here I realized that before i could lay the flagstone, I needed to pour the step/landing in front of the door( soon to be door). And, before I could pour the step, I needed to tear the window out and install the door. Accordingly, this project took me over a month.
"Where It Happens"
What happens in the garage stays in the garage!
A Backyard Transformed
Bricks, Bricks and More Bricks....
Finishing the Job!
As I have always said, "A family that lays brick together, stays together." Laying brick is just not that difficult. The hardest part is the wear and tear on your body. A lot of bending over and lifting. Once you get your level lines strung, it is just a matter of keep each brick level and even with the prior brick.
Everyone needs good help. The big guy is the muscle and the small one tells me when the brick is level. You know, it is all down at her level.
We had to call in the professionals to get the patio poured. But only after Corbin and I returned 48 bags of cement (each weighing 94 lbs) in 4 pickup loads. But hey, that is another story, let's just say reliable help is a lost commodity.
Taking some of the old patio out due to some cracking. By removing the cracked portion of the patio, it would lessen likelihood that the new patio would crack. At least that is what I was told. In hindsight, I am confident I wasted some serious time and money on removing concrete. Oh well, makes for a good story.
The Fireplace Makeover!
Originally, the fireplace had a square opening and was covered by a 1970's brass bifold door insert. It along with everything else was my least favorite feature of the den. We removed the insert and it looked much better. Then, we rebuilt the opening to include the arch which completely transformed the fireplace to an architectural feature. We had removed the single beam mantle and i built a new craftsman type wrapped mantle in its place.
The Den Before Remodel
Note the door, window and the "pumpkin" painted wall-to-wall 1970's wood paneling.
Tearing The House Apart
The New Sliding Glass Door
The Remodeled Den
When we moved in, one of our first projects was to remodel the den, our primary living space. The den did not have any lighting and was wall-to-wall "pumpkin" colored wood paneling. We tore the walls down to the studs, hung sheetrock and installed canned lighting. We then painted and added both crown and baseboard molding. I could not find the baseboard molding that I wanted so bought 1x6 stock and routed my own design. After routing several hundred feet of baseboard molding, sanding and painting, I have decided that it is a lot easier to buy something close at Home Depot or Lowes. As you can see, we also removed the back door and window and installed an eight foot sliding glass door. Now, this was probably one of the most daunting tasks that I have undertaken. Once you start tearing out, there is no turning back. Well, we managed to get through it and that door is one of the main architectural features in our house. By the way, this is a good time to talk about finding bargains. Critical to do-it-yourself home improvement is to find the "deals"! And, let me tell you, we found the deal on this one. Picked up the door at Lowes and I am not so certain that the guy that reduced it for us didn't get fired. Nevertheless, we saved so much that I didn't hesitate the have it installed by a professional. Now, we have a huge span of glass through which to admire our backyard. Also in the photo, you can see that the fireplace and mantle have undergone extensive remodels. However, I will leave those for another blog.
Remodeling the Breakfast Nook
The Hale Farm, Stonewall, Oklahoma
This doesn't have anything to do with our remodel, I just really like this photo that i took of our family farm.
Here I am installing the arch frame that I built. In the end I realized an easier way to build the frame...by watching HGTV, of course. Oh well, it turned out well and is certainly sturdy.
Working Above the Refrigerator
Rebuilt Cabinet Above Refrigerator
Living in a Construction Zone.
At the time, living through this did not seem all that bad. However, in hindsight anyone that came to see us must have been in a hurry to leave. We were "one" with the dust.
Kitchen Wall Pre-Demolition.
This is how the kitchen looked before i removed the cabinets and built the arch.
There Once was a Bank of Cabinets....
I began this project about 8pm on a Sunday night and by the time I stopped a couple of hours later, I had half the wall torn out.
I removed two cabinets from the kitchen wall and built the arch in that location.
"Missed it by that much"
Amy had the honor of making the first hole for what would ultimately become the arch. I drew a circle on the wall and told her to put the hammer right through the circle. She missed.
What the Hell Just Happened!
Demolition is like peeling paint from a wall...once you get started it is hard to stop. You have to be careful and not tear out too much so as to keep work and costs down.
Frustration!
We saw the concept of a wood stove vent at Metro Builders Supply and I thought, "Well, I can build that". Needless to say, it was not that easy. Nevertheless, after a great deal of frustration (anyone knows me understands that I don't do frustration well) I managed to get it built. The great thing about this hood is that i used nothing but scrap wood that I had in the garage. Peel back the exterior and it is not a very pretty framework inside but it is sturdy and looks as good as the one at the store...well, almost as good.
The Hood Framework
Building this was a lot cheaper than buying it new. I built this "custom" vent hood with scrap wood I had in the garage; uh, I mean the workshop.
Tile by Teri.
Teri is demonstrating her grouting technique. She is also now qualified on the tile saw. She stopped after each row and did a set of pushups.
The New Arch in the Den
The arch was my sister Leslie's idea and my handiwork. I must say, it turned out pretty darn good.
French Door to the Backyard.
Not so certain that it isn't easier to lay brick than to tear it down.
We were racing the incoming rain, but we managed to get the old out and the new in before things got wet. This time of year in Oklahoma, you have to work fast because the weather will change on you.
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