Tag: home improvement

Winding Down

My summer is quickly drawing to a close.  My last class for the summer semester is tomorrow, I start working at TS again on August 10th and the birth of my second child is becoming more imminent as each day passes.

I’ve been pre-ocupied with class and remodeling the nursery.  I don’t feel like the progress is coming along like I wanted it to with the nursery.

This is the first room that will be “complete” in the house.  While we have painted, installed doors, ect.  One thing we haven’t done is change our trim from stained to painted.  This room will be.  Once little one is born, we will take a remodeling break and then change the trim, each room at a time.

I’m very happy that I was able to take a break from work this summer and focus on my studies.  While I only have one grade posted thus far, I believe I’ll have 3 A’s and a C.  The C is due to some weird quizzes that had wrong answers!  The professor would sometimes throw a few points our way, but nothing that made up for the loss.  I now have a greater appreciation of what it’s like to be a college student.  If our finances could support it, I’d like to continue going full time until I complete my degree.

My computer’s power supply died again, at least it’s still under warranty.  I took it into PC Max, but it will probably be a couple of weeks before its return due to Antec’s slow warranty claim process.

We bought a new car, well new to us.  With the impending arrival of a new member of the family, we needed a more family friendly vehicle.  I didn’t want to trade in my truck, but I did due to it’s much higher trade-in value than the Kia.  We bought a 2007 Chevrolet HHR 1LT.  We’ve rented them on two occasions and love them!  It looks small, but has a lot more room than you would think it does.

Once I get some time to coordinate my thoughts, I’ll write something with more focus.  In the meantime, if you’re my friend on twitter or facebook – I’ll keep you updated.

A New and Improved Space

We officially finished the remodeling portion of our basement area over the weekend.  Rachel, Taylor and I applied the epoxy basement floor coating on Friday night.  It required 24 hours to fully cure, so by the time her family arrived on Sunday we were able to give the first full tour of our proud accomplishment.

Here is what the space looked like when we purchased this place.  It was dark, dingy and uninviting.



Until now, we mainly used the space as a place to “put stuff.”  We didn’t use or utilize it for any meaningful purpose.  We knew the time would come when we would have to use it, and that time came quickly.

One issue that we weren’t sure about was if we had any structural issues.  The downstairs would get water when it rained heavily.  The first step was to take out all the old paneling and carpet and get the space down to its bones.  To our luck, there were no visible issues.  We corrected a majority of the water issues with a repair to the gutters.

We had many decisions to make, all of which were extremely difficult.  We needed to decide what to cover the walls and floor with, whether or not to install new cable and phone lines.  Many of these decisions  brought on major arguments-in which we were able to bring to the surface any issues we had with each option. 

In the end we decided to go with new paneling, an epoxy basement floor coating, and to add some electrical outlets and completely rewire our homes phone and cable lines.  We decided to add a wired LAN as well.

The only step left is to connect all the new phone, cable and LAN wires, which I plan on doing this week.  I will then officially move my office to a space we have dedicated for that purpose.

The other area, which I am calling the “Den” we have purchased and placed 2 futons and added an area rug.  We needed a space for guests to stay, and this space is perfect.

We did not remodel our fireplace, as all aspects of fireplaces are very expensive.  The things I want to do are not major, but are expensive.  I hope to have that complete within a couple of years.  There’s nothing more comfortable and calming to me than laying by a fire listening to music or reading.

I now have a bedroom to remodel for our growing arrival, baby girl Lawmaster!

Continue reading “A New and Improved Space”

I Can See the Finish Line

Much time and effort has been spent recently on finishing the basement.  My dad came over 2 days this week and helped me, and Rachel has helped me when possible.

I finished installing the new paneling on Friday and we starting installing trim today.  To help save money, we have went with a “rustic” look.  Instead of using “regular” trim, we are using 1×4 standard boards for baseboards and ceiling trim.  We are going to leave them unfinished to help with the effect.  We are then using pre-finished trim for inside and outside corners and filler strips.  These pre-finished pieces are interesting, as the finish isn’t a stain or wax, but like a sticker.

My plans for tomorrow are to work on the trim some more, and get as far as I can.  I start summer classes on Monday, so I will need to rest up as my first class is at 8am.  We are also going to look at 3 futons for possible purchase.

Our plans were pushed way up due to an unforeseen email I received from my aunt Beth.  She’s coming out!  They should be here July 3rd.  We always stay with her when we go to see them in Oklahoma, so we need to return the favor and show her some Hoosier hospitality.  We have currently planned taking a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as they’re big racing fans, fireworks at Memorial Stadium and a tour of Monroe Reservoir.

We’ve decided to purchase 2 futons for our sitting area downstairs, to make it cozy and a good sleeping area.  We are also bumping up our plans to install a shower downstairs for my aunts arrival.  This way any guests we have will have their own full bathroom.

We will soon get to finally utilitize all of the space in our home, and not just half of it!

Catching Up

I’ve been too busy lately with all of my on-going projects to post any lately.  Since I’ve got some free time, let me update you about the ongoings happening in my life.

It’s a Girl:  We found out last Wednesday that we’re expecting a baby girl.  While Rachel is happy she’s having her first child, I’m a bit indifferent.  I’m not saying that I’m disappointed, I was just hoping for a boy – merely because I already have a daughter.  She was acting up during the ultrasound and wouldn’t let the technician get a good look at her heart, so Rachel is going to have another ultrasound during her next appointment, just to make sure she’s developing normally.  We have had a boy’s name picked out for over a year now, but have been having trouble with a girl one.  We’ve finally decided on 2 – which we are keeping secret until she’s born.

Remodeling Blues:  I’ve been over-occupied lately with remodeling.  While I have made a lot of progress, there is still much to do.  Last week I finished the next to last set of wires I need to pull.  It was a complete nightmare, but this will give us some flexibility in the layout of our living room in the future.  My next job is to cover up our duct run and post downstairs.  We have decided to use some decorator panels downstairs instead of paneling or drywall.  These panels are relatively inexpensive and will eliminate the majority of painting we would need to do with our original plan.  I hope to get the downstairs almost complete by the time I go back to school in June.

No Flash:  Friday while in the midst of “wire pulling hell” I wanted to take some pictures.  I discovered our camera, a Nikon Coolpix 7600 has a problem.  The flash isn’t cooperating, you can’t turn it on in most of it’s modes – and even in the modes it does “function” it doesn’t work.  We’re working on finding a solution and have found a nice one with the Nikon Coolpix S210.  Now it’s just a matter of purchasing it.

Demon’s Are Gone:  The spring semester has officially ended.  The last few weeks were quite the nail biter, as I did horrible on 2 chapter tests in my Math-050 course.  I’m pleased to say that after 10 years of taking this course off and on, I have passed it with an 86%.  This summer I am taking 5 courses, this will enable me to finish my degree in 7 semesters.  With a baby coming, the sooner the better.  The next course I am dreading is Math-111, I took it once and failed.  I hope with 050 off my back, and a little help from Rachel I can conquer this as well.  I’ve decided to change my degree and concentration.  I originally was seeking an Associates of Science in Computer Information Technology with a  PC Support & Administration concentration, after reviewing the coursework I know a little about everything.  I don’t feel like I’ll be challenged or forced to use my brain to it’s full extent for that matter.  I’ve decided to get an Associates of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems with a Programmer / Analyst concentration.

Free Tix:  Being a smoker, I get mailings from time to time with coupons, offers, etc. from tobacco companies.  I was pleasantly surprised when I received a voucher for free tickets to the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.  My mother has received this same offer, but for Kentucky Speedway (as she lives in Louisville).  I’ve decided to bring my mother, as I don’t think Rachel will be comfortable in the heat all day.  We get free parking and free rental of headset radios to listen in on the teams.  I’ve never been to the 500 before, and being free makes it that much better.

Fit For a Princess, Almost

Over the weekend Rachel and I painted Taylor’s room “Pink Gingham.”  We also installed a new 6 panel door to her room.  Her door was the only one in the house that would not latch.

I wanted to do some other things to her room, but we really did not have the time.  Hopefully we can get this done soon.

I will have some pictures as soon as I get my  main computer back from the shop.

Phase II of her room includes painting her trim and door “whipped white,” and installing new baseboard trim and a new bi-fold closet door.

Next home project on the list:  Basement remodel.

The only task that really worries me is the wiring work I want done.  I need to hire someone to pull some cable and cat-5e wire from the attic to the basement.

We plan on gutting it to the block walls, and starting fresh.  I need  to re-wire some outlets and switches.  We are also going to rework our old and tired brick fireplace.

I hope to have this done by next spring.  Hopefully my wife will release her kung-fu grip on our checkbook so we can finally utilize our entire home.  Since we’ve moved in our basement area has been only used for storage.

The Bedroom of Her Dreams

The next project Rachel and I have is to actually finish a room in the house.  That room being my daughter Taylors’ room.

We are installing new baseboard trim, a new entry door and a new closet door.  Her room is going to be painted a light pink and the existing trim in her room will be painted a beautiful color named “whipped white.”

On deck after that is the remodeling of the downstairs.

Making Progress

Rachel and I were very productive this weekend.  We painted our foyer, I changed the oil in my  truck, trimmed some tree limbs with the help of my neighbor, and I mowed the front yard.

This week I plan on peeking  under the carpet on our stairs to see exactly what is under there.  If it’s hardwood, I think we might actually finish the foyer area.  It will only require some paint, stain, and some stair rail parts.

I love the look of stained treads with white painted risers.  I want our stairs to look similar to this picture.  I would also like a runner, but that is an issue of contention in the household.

Cool and Smooth

I started bright and early on installation of our new solar attic fan.  I wanted to get it done before the heat of the day set in.

The first thing I had to do was remove the cover of the old fan.  While I do not have any pictures of it, it entailed removing some shingles and prying it off the roof.

I then had to replace those shingles I had to remove to prepare the hole for the fan.

As you can see, the top half of the hole has been removed completely of shingles and roofing felt.  I then used my reciprocating saw and pry bar to loosen and remove any nails in the vicinity of where the flashing of the unit goes (underneath the shingles).

Now it was time for some test fitting.

As you can see, the bottom half of the flashing is above the singles.  This is how the instructions said to install.  It took a few times, but we finally got it.  The major pain was the fact that the fan is so close to the peak of the roof.

I then applied some roofing sealant, some call it tar to the underside of the flashing from the 9 o’clock to the 3 o’clock positions.  I ran 2 beads of it for an extra layer of protection.  I then slid it right back to the same spot.

I then nailed the unit in place as the installation instructions recommended.  Then I applied roofing sealant to the areas where I nailed the fan into place.

That’s it!  It was running before I even had it fully installed.

I was very surprised that it only took me about 2 and a half hours to fully install this fan.  I dread any work on a roof, but this went as smooth as can be.

Many thanks goes to my dad for helping me with this one.  It’s much easier to pass things from ground level to a roof with another person.

Now hopefully our attic will stay cooler, our energy bills will be lower, and we will have no leaks.

The next solar project we are discussing is water heating.  It’s hard to decide on what type of system to decide on.

New Light Fixture

By now I have become somewhat of an expert on light fixture installation, but this one was a doozie.

When I removed the old light fixture, I discovered that it was just merely attached to the drywall and not a junction box.  This new fixture required one, so I went to Menard’s and purchased one.  When I went to install that, it became even more of a jungle.  There was the layer of drywall and underneath that a layer of 1/2″ OSB (Oriented Strand Board).  It had to be removed by means of a reciprocating saw.  Because of the vibration of the saw, more drywall than what I wanted fell off, leaving a not so pretty site where the fixture is mounted.

You can’t see it unless you’re right underneath it, but it’s going to drive me crazy until I fix it.

Solar Power Here We Come

Our 34 year old attic fan has basically bit the dust.  The bearings have just went kaputz!

As I wrote previously, we are replacing it with a solar attic fan.  Rachel and I did some research, and decided to go with a Attic Breeze – Model AB-201A.

By far it’s largest draw is a lifetime warranty.  Most other models have between 5 to 10 year warranties on the working parts.

It is coming from Texas, and I’m expecting it’s arrival within a week or two.

I will post energy saving figures and installation pictures as soon as possible.