Farewell to Facebook...

(as a reminder all pictures may be enlarged by double clicking on them)  

As I prepared to close my Facebook account and encourage folks to stay in touch via this blog, it occurred to me that it had been 5 months since I had updated it.  Well, there's a lot of water under that bridge so hold on.  I'll try to be brief.

The last posting on this blog found here has, as it's last picture, the kitchen and front entry way with a hint of what was coming.  I had gotten as far as putting some furring strips and foam board insulation on the walls in a portion of the living room.  The living room/dining room areas would be the last major endeavor and that would include putting battens on the ceiling and painting the OSB.  Readers of this blog will recall the manageress/designer's desire to created an ecclectic residential cabin look which maintains some of the more interesting aspects of this former "Snake Pit Rod and Gun Club" property.

So back to the Living Room walls... a part of the issue we faced with this project has been the reality that when it was originally built, it appears that different folks put in efforts at different times and with different levels of motivation.  We found both 1/2" and 3/4" furring strips and 1/2" mixed with 3/4" insulation so that required replacing a number of pieces before adding the second layer of insulation.  With the outside siding work and the inside work we're at about an R-17 to 19 which is sufficient in this application.  As per the rest of the house this was covered with pine tongue and groove.

This treatment, along with the basic cement block construction gives us 9" deep window sills which we both agree really bring it up a notch.

So the almost finished product seems to work pretty well.  We have placed an order for the stone which will go behind the wood stove...

 

 

 

 

     saavy folks might remember these

              doors from this post 

 

I am still a bit flummoxed with the front and rear entry doors.  Neither was installed plumb, although they are level.  It also seems that little thought was given to the finishing of the door jam so there's a 1 inch clearance on the free side and 1/2" on the hinge side...so finishing those will be a challenge, but for now...we can entertain!

As to the next step, we've chosen a manufactured stone veneer called "Valley Forge" Fieldstone produced by Stonecraft Industries. The order has been placed and we're just awaiting pick up. We'll likely use the same color in a "Cobblestone" form for the exterior foundation and the chimney, but that's on next year's project list.

 Next up will be a report on the wood storage shed under continuing construction...it has served to house all of the lumber and will serve, when we're done with the major house renovations, to store the outdoor furniture and Carol's bicycle during the winter months...

I still have a few tweaks, like finishing upon the ceiling battens, but just for review:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mostly, kinda', sorta'...

And the kitchen is mostly, kinda', sorta' done.  Battens have been cut, oiled and installed on the ceiling. The countertops arrived perfectly cut (although the backsplashes were all 4" too long so some onsite cutting took place).  But all-in-all the Kitchen Manageress is quite pleased.  We chose to go with quartz after the laminate was made wrong and a new order was going to cost more than granite or quartz.  The color is called "Sienna Ridge".  We thought it would have a bit more rust coloring in it but are satisfied that it is neutral enough that a beige or a gray paint color will also work with it. (No, I am not repainting...yet.)

 

The  Manageress-Designer wanted to maintain an eclectic sort of camp/fancy look so we used rough cut 2"x2" white pine lumber for the structure and OSB for the open shelving.  (The open shelving is really nice for accessibility.)

Today was spent hanging pictures and other such important finishing
touches.  I used a couple of drawer slides for the garbage bin/compost bucket shelf so that it slides out and in for ease of access.  I still have to add another one for the dog food.  And the Manageress-Designer still has plans to hang a curtain in front of the section immediately under the industrial sink.  So as I said at the beginning, its mostly, kinda', sorta' done.  

The one more significant change (in my mind) was a resizing of the island counter top.  The former butcher block was 38" deep by 8' long and the new piece of quartz is only 25" by 8' long so we'll have to see how that goes next time we serve buffet style.  I think there will be sufficient space.  The positive side of shrinking the depth of the island counter top is that it gives us more room in the kitchen for folks to stand around and talk which is always a good thing.

With the open concept kitchen/dining/living areas it's helpful to have different conversation areas.

Saavy folks might also have noticed I have done some more painting on the ceiling. That involves two things: 1. the Manageress-Designer being gone for the day; and 2. moving furniture. So, it's a bit at a time.  The glossy bright white and the fluorescent lights were just a bit much! So we're going with a Oyster White eggshell finish.  And I was able to tweak the budget a bit to get the first wall of the living room's furring strips and insulation in place, so...

Now that March has come and a new "budget season" has begun, it's time to do some living room work.  Stay tuned!

 

Hurry up and wait...

So after three months of material back-ordered, confusion on the style, etc, the counter tops finally arrived at the local "Big Box" store...and were made incorrectly.  A part of the order included 2, 2'x4' sections with 90 degree straight edged end caps and a half-round bullnose edge on each of the 2 long sides to be used for the kitchen islands.  They came in with the half round bullnose long edge on one side and an unfinished edge on the other...

After another four days the Big Box store through which we ordered the items still has not received a call back from the manufacturer.  And because the custom project had to be paid in full in advance, we have no option but to take a full refund and cancel the order (not a choice we want to make) or we wait...

In the meantime I put some fancy-shmancy OSB covers together for a work surface... as we "hurry up and wait." (HOPEFULLY,to be continued, soon.)

The Camp Kitchen...

Simple, neat, tidy, and a bit drab...positively functional and stunningly not too masculine.  And so it began...

Cupboards and counter tops, were relocated to the workshop and the former horse run in, now the garden shed.  The airport landing strip fluorescent lighting fixtures were removed and some relocating of electric supply for outlets and fixtures was done, AND the appliances were all replaced. This has left the kitchen in something of a continual state of dysfuntionality.

But kudos to Carol who continues to champion the work, work amidst the challenges, and meet the challenges of the project. She managed to organize the kitchen in such a way that little to no momentum was lost in the preparation of meals, entertaining of family, and general functioning of the household.

I had picked up some nicely dried rough cut 2x6's (again from Jake West at West Branch Lumber) and ripped them into 1 3/4" square posts and cross members, gluing and screwing them to make the shelving support structure, when all of the work was suddenly interrupted by one of those memorable "Oh yeah!" moments. It occurred to me that before setting those shelving/cabinet units, I would have to finish the floor since that was to be a full 1" rough cut pine, all my measurement would be off.

So to work on the floor I went and hence am just getting back to the kitchen project which I had intended to have finished by the end of September. (Note it is now the end of November...)

Upon finishing the floor we were at least able to move back into place the shelving and pantry cupboard that had taken up so much space in the "Bible Study" (as my grandson calls the den).  I really love the way my wife makes simple things look great.  The open shelving and the cupboard were both brought back from Ghana and remind us that even this is not our "home".  It's simply a place that reflects who we are and where we've been. Our home is still ahead of us...Maranatha!

I also have to applaud my wife yet again, for her strange love of things I consider to be rough, basic, and almost classless. Such as OSB (Oriented Strand Board).  It was her idea to keep the OSB ceilings, paint them and add some 1x3 firing strips for a gridwork look.  And when she decided to opt out of closed cupboards and for open shelving in the kitchen, she again suggested the use of OSB (which is always a treat for the checkbook when compared to other options)!  

And so back to work on the 1 3/4" square framing, glued and screwed (to maintain the "camp" type rough look. We're still waiting on the countertops which were estimated to take 5-6 weeks. (We are currently at the 4 week mark and are sincerely hoping they will arrive before Christmas.

I have added a platform for the recyclable bin to sit on (under the sink) and will likely balance that with the same on the other side where the dog food is kept. Carol will then finish the sink treatment with a curtain to cover the front, camp style, to hide that stuff!

I had a couple of scrap drawer slides in the shop which I used for a floor level shelf so that the trash and compost bucket were more easily accessible.

And now most of the structural work is complete. Just waiting on those countertops.  We opted for a laminate type for ease of cleaning and "no worries" maintenance.  The particular pattern is a Wilson Art HD Laminate called "Golden Romano."

The countertops will be right and left of the stove and sink, and replace the butcher block on the center islands. It goes remarkably well with the "Peppery" colored accent wall.

So, all in all, hopefully by God's grace, and before Christmas the kitchen will be completed and after the first of the year I'll start into the homestretch which is insulating, hanging, and oiling the pine tongue and groove in the living room/dining room, painting the lr/dr ceiling, and adding the battens.

By spring the house should be completed (only 6 months behind the original estimated time frame), a maintenance plan in place, and I will once again be bored...hmmm wonder what the good Lord may have in store???

**Update Countertops due Dec 6, delayed until Dec 19th, now delayed until at least Jan 19th...

Mike's Tree

I sometimes feel like I am planting trees under whose shade I may never sit.  That's a part of growing old.  It's a part of understanding the uncertainty of our days.  It's a gifting for the future.  I think of my children and grandchildren when I plant a tree.  Our long term goal is to leave a substitute "lake house" for them.  (Our children will understand the allusion.)

But digging holes here on the mountain is always a challenge.  A hole like the one to the left can easily take an hour or more.  There are stones which have wedged in together sideways and any other way the water table may move them. There is a prying, and leverage, a heavy lifting at times that almost defies understanding, at least for those of us less used to this loamy type of soil.

Today I planted two trees.  We usually wait until Martin's Landscaping has their end of the season "Buy One Get One Half Off" sale and pick up two.  We also have taken to planting trees in memory of departed loved ones, friends, and/or neighbors.  

This hole belongs to a Crimson King Maple, that wonderfully shaped, deep purple leafed kind. (And "no" it was not named after the rock group King Crimson for you twisted musicians.) This particular specimen has lost most of its leaves at this point in the season, but it will remind me of one at the end of 3450th Rd, Waltham, IL on a lot owned by Charles Hagenbuch, a lot I always wanted to own and build a home on.  And it will be a reminder of a beloved family and congregation.

But there is also the occasional surprise in digging these holes (as I also have previously reported).  This time there was a stone that barely showed above the ground.  It was only slightly raised above the surface so I never dug it up.  The mower passed over it with inches to spare on clearance. And it was only 10 inches or so in diameter, or so...BUT...

After three hours of digging and prying, and sliding, I managed to get this multiple hundreds of pounds stone out of the ground, proving yet again, that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" There were two pieces of motivation for me in this endeavor. 1. I'm stubborn and stupid. And 2. This tree's placement was important.  This was where the Scarlet Oak was going for Mike.  My "neighbor Mike" (as my grandson referred to him) recently passed and his friendship needed to be recognized.  He was a man of few words, one who largely kept to himself, but a man's man, the kind of man that normal men like.  And his dad used to own the piece of ground on which we live. So, MIKE GETS A TREE!  It will look onto his property.  His horses will graze in the background. And, hopefully, it will be a reminder and an encouragement to his wife, Carol, his sister Sue, and his children as they turn up the hill to the house.  Here's to you Mike - Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Not Quite Done But... pt 2

When last we visited we were not quite done.  There was still the issue of the entry areas and we were considering just getting some peel and stick tiles to put down until we could find what we wanted.  

But at a visit to a home center type store to shop for said peel-n-sticks we found an interesting possibility that we both instantly agreed on.  It was cheap, functional, and the color scheme worked. After an hour's wait (no kidding it took an hour to get someone to cut four linear feet of 12 foot wide floor product, so y'all now know which home good store we're talking about) . Anywho, as my mother used to say, we left the store with glue, the indoor outdoor carpet and a few other items.  

So after a bit of a fitful start and a few wrong turns I got the front entry way piece laid and was all set to frame it in when my grandson showed up ready to help the old man. (James is always ready to play with tools and to do "hard work.")

The trim was cut from the rough cut white pine I secured from Jake West at West Branch Lumber in Morris, IL and shaped, stained, oiled and set.

And the front entry way was completed just in time for a couple of bowls of Pop's Ham and Bean soup and one of Grammy's Grilled Cheese sandwiches.  A perfect lunch for a cool day and a couple of "hard workers."

The afternoon sped by and short work was made of the back entry way.  James was pleased to be able to take a seat and admire his hard work before Dad whisked him away to pick up Mommy from work.  A good job done well.

And so now the old man gets to get back to work on the kitchen which was supposed to be done by Sept 30.  

"Deadlines are more like ideas." [Kris Kaufman]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Quite Done But...

...you get the idea.

The flooring project is largely complete at this point.  We still have the entry ways to attend to and some baseboard moulding to attach but we have been able to place the rugs and move the furniture into place making things a lot less cluttered.

We started by laying the rough cut planks in place and screwing them down as you can see in the picture at the left.The patina that developed through the outdoor air drying really added a nice touch. Even though some of the coloration was lost in the sanding process the results were just what we had hoped for.  In this style of flooring application there are notable gaps, not large but the planks, because they are rough cut, are intended to maintain a certain rustic appearance, a look we enjoy.

Once that was accomplished we set to staining and oiling.  We ended up using the same stain that we used on the exterior of the house, the Ready Seal stain I've really come to like. For the finish we used Boiled Linseed oil cut 50/50 with paint thinner for ease of rolling.  I just used a standard 3/8" roller cover and applied three coats, allowing for 24 hours of drying time between the coats and another 3 days before setting the rugs and furniture in place.  This meant moving the furniture from one side of the house to another (a couple of times) as well as filling the spare bedroom (what our grandson calls the Bible Study) with cabinets and a whole assortment of things). The final look was a matte finish which while providing less protection will allow the floor to age more quickly.  Since we used White Pine, the flooring will scuff, mar, divot and otherwise appear more rustic sooner.  (Some folks actually take hammers and chains to mark the floor before staining!)

 

 (click on pictures to enlarge)

But the final look works.  Again, our hope is to provide a more primitive or rustic cabin type appearance and I think we've done it. 

Now back to the kitchen shelving...