Archive for April, 2007
Thursday, April 26th, 2007
Well, well, well. I think we’re going to do it. All that’s left with the house is to re-do the bathroom, kitchen and the back porch. Yeah, just the bathroom, kitchen and back porch….ya know, those cheap and easy projects.
We are going tackle the back porch first. The one we have is in pretty bad shape. It’s made with that Trex stuff…only, I don’t think it is Trex. It may be some knockoff, who knows. All I know is it’s gray and very washed out looking. Also, the porch may be a little crooked, which drives me absolutely mad. The railings are hanging on by a thread due to poor workmanship and the top of the porch collects water. The whole thing just looks really bad. Are those enough reason to get this thing done? (Oh yeah, the bugs out here are TERRIBLE! The current porch is pretty useless as is.)
As you may already know, I made our front porch. I am a pretty handy fella, but I just don’t want to do this one. The first reason is that this one will be screened in…meaning there will be a roof. I am really not in the mood to attempt to build that by myself. Also, I want it done quickly, so no messing around. It would take me about two years to get home all the lumber strapped to the top of my car again. I like to do projects little by little.
I am going to use a contractor that is a friend of my neighbor. He seems like he would do a good job of coming in a putting this thing up quickly. The porch will be 16′ out the back of the house and 20′ wide. There will be 6 sonotube footings, 12″ wide. There will be 2 main girders holding up 2×10″ joists. Everything will be pressure treated. For the floor, he will put down 6×1 5/8″ boards with a 4×4″ every 4′ to hold up the roof. The main beam holding up the roof will be a 4×6″. The roof will have to be built into the current roof, which is the tricky part…to me. I am sure it will take no time for these guys. Also, they are going to put in a set of 4′wide stairs about 4′ out from the house. Currently, the stairs are slapped right up against the house and very loose.
I asked that they don’t complete the railings and the screening. I want to do them. Those are things that I can take my time on. Also, I am going to tear down the current deck. My neighbor, Tim wants to burn it. I have to keep him away because it is pressure treated and I can use the wood for another project. Tim is disappointed, but still willing to help me.
I picked up the building permit from the buidling inspector yesterday morning and have to fill it in and drop it off so the contractor can draw his diagram.
Now, of course, you are going to see lots of pictures of this. I hope you are as excited as we are!
Related posts
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
Have you ever heard of the Epiphany Project? I was just sitting here and a weird thought popped in my head. It was “Epiphany Project.” I know…it’s strange.
Laura told me yesterday that she started listening to the “Chill” channel on the Sirius Satellite Radio I got for her two Christmases ago. I like that kind of music, it’s very relaxing.
If you read my previous post about Peter Kagan or Garrison Keillor, then you would know that I have many a “epiphany” while I am driving, listening to NPR. Well, one night a while ago, NPR aired an interview with the Epiphany Project. They seemed very deep and worthwhile exploring. I like some of the song titles. Here they are:
• Gone
• Lockerbie
• Jealousy
• Walkin’
• Long Gray Line
• Tubwahun
• To The Lighthouse
• Mission Bells
• Blackbird
• Chasing The Moon
• Widow’s Walk
• Goth
• Black II
• Black I
You can listen to some of the sample music here, or purchase the CD.
I like this review found on Amazon’s site:
In a galaxy far… far… away… resides the most exquisite compilation of piano and vocals. It is a galaxy created by Bet Williams and John Hodian. I had the pleasure of seeing this duo perform it “live” and they literally transported my mind to another place… a wonderful dimension. Like another reviewer, I had this in my CD player for months on end. I return to it often. A rare and UNIQUE treasure.
That about sums it up…give it a try.
Related posts
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007
Yesterday hit 86 degrees. It didn’t feel that hot, but I have a weird feeling that this summer is going to be a doozy. Below is a picture of Simon trying to cope.
I am not going to blame this on Global Warming or anything, but just to be safe, I am going to limit myself to using only one square of toilet paper from now on. That was Sheryl Crow’s suggestion on how to deal with the issue. I’m sure you have heard of it by now.
The other day, when I first read about that neat little tip, my mind wandered to the monthly truckload worth of junkmail I receive and the hundred billion tons of newspaper that gets thrown away every day. Yes, I think the one square of toilet paper limit thing should really take off.
Related posts
Sunday, April 22nd, 2007
What a nice day for a ride. Pulling my bike out from the basement and giving it a good wash was on my agenda for the weekend.
I would say it hit about 80 degrees today. Not bad for the 22nd of April. Well, that’s what my thermometer said in the shade.
I got my bike all washed up and headed down to the gas station to put some real gas in it. I think I had old lawnmower gas in the tank all winter. I know, I know, I don’t need any lectures about that. The thing runs great, so your lecture would probably be a bunch of BS anyway.
Ok, so where did I go? I rode all the way up Rt. 52 towards Ellenville, NY, right on top of the end of the ridge. There is an overlook on the side of the road that has hang gliders coming from one side and a good view of the Catskill Mountians on the other. Of course I forgot my camera. Next time, I’ll take some shots. Here is the exact spot…I took this the time we went up to Hunter Mountain.
There were tons of bikes out today and I gave a lot of them the “Biker Wave.” If you ride, you know what I am talking about. Right in front of me, four other riders pulled over to enjoy the view. The woman last in line came to a stop and her bike fell over. I felt so bad. I think it was brand new too. I overheard the others talking and someone mentioned that it was only her fifth time riding, so she shouldn’t worry about it. It just sucks that she scratched up her new motorcycle.
Tomorrow morning…I ride to work.
Related posts
Saturday, April 21st, 2007
I almost totally forgot about this picture. I was so busy the other day posting about our Easter hike at Bull’s Bridge in Kent, I completely overlooked the most important part of the morning – coloring Easter Eggs!
I was informed that this is “Laura’s” gig, so I wasn’t invited to participate. Can you believe it? Well, me keeping my mouth shut is how I maintain a smooth running relationship, so I just continued to go about my business. Laura made some fabulous looking eggs, but I want you to pay particular attention to her hands…yes, hmmm, her hands. Those weird little gloves come out every so often and they kind of freak me out. Just seeing her little fingers wiggle around in them give me the creeps. You be the judge.
By the way, for those of you who are still waiting for the 3rd funniest thing that ever happened in my life, I am still putting it together in my head. Thank you for your patience.
Related posts
Saturday, April 21st, 2007
For those of you who thought it couldn’t be done…well, just take a look below.
This morning I cut a few pieces of half inch plywood and screwed them to the 2×6 beams I set up. Now the wall is rock solid. I also made it seem like the wall is supposed to be here. Notice the hangings. If you have no idea what the heck I am talking about, please see “How To Fix a Sagging Joist.”
Related posts
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
Some people get so embarassed about photographs. They care what their picture looks like on their license or passport. Not me…nope.
I was sitting on the couch last night hugging my cats and I asked Laura to get the camera. I thought she should really catch this. So, she hustled quickly into the other room and got it. Why? Because any chance there is to take a picture of the cats, she hops on it. A picture of me? Well, let’s just say not that fast. Anyway, last night I was lucky.
Isn’t that just so cute? I am talking about me. Oh yeah, the cats too.
It’s funny to think that just a few years ago I was at the peak of perfection. I would walk down the road and people could hardly keep their eyes off of me. I would even hear faint whistles. Now, I am just a rarely shaven thirty something guy with some fat cats. Maybe we will start putting some pep into our walks at night…yeah, that will chisel my chest again and give me that buff, ripped feel.
Related posts
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
I, like many others who are eager to get a jump on the gardening season (I’m sure), have been looking for some sort of an online schedule for plant and tree bloom dates for my area…which happens to be New York.
Right now, the only things I see are the Red Maples popping out the slight red haze that they offer every year at this time. They are the little red buds that seem to disappear after about a week or so only to come back as leaves in a few weeks. Also, our daffodils and other smaller bulbs are pushing through the mulch. I see a few little flowers, but not much more.
I am a pretty impatient person. It is one of my finer qualities. Here’s the thing…I do it every year. I have absolutely no idea when anything blooms in this area. I would’ve thought that by this time, there would be some awesome looking graphics online that shows all the bloom dates for all areas of the country. When I type in Google: “When do trees bloom in the Northeast,” I get a bunch of junk. Now, at least when someone types that in, they will see this post and offer me fantastic links to exactly what I am looking for.
I am getting a little tired of the gray and brown that I see every day driving to work. I just want to see sun and green. I want to go up to Sam’s Point and take some pictures to show you guys. I also wouldn’t mind taking out the motorcycle and gettin’ a little crazy. I promised the guys at work I would take it in at least once this year. Yeah, I know, that was off topic.
Anyway, if you know of the resource I am looking for, please pass it on. Thank you!
Related posts
Sunday, April 15th, 2007
I don’t think I mentioned this before…I know I took some pictures though. A few weekends ago, I added a bunch of lights in the basement. I rewired the whole thing for a total of 8 high efficiency 100w (equivalent) fluorescent light bulbs. They only use 23 watts each. Now, the whole basement glows like a Christmas tree when I turn the lights on. Nice! I like being able to see the dark corners.
Anyway, here is the reason for this post. The other day, I was upstairs walking in the dining room. We recently added a little shelf/table thing against the wall. When I walked near it, it shook. I started softly bouncing on the floor and the shelve shook more. Also, there was a slight dip in the floor in that area. I could tell that I had a slightly bouncy joist. “Hmmmm”, I thought. “How the heck am I going to fix this bouncy joist…that sags as well?” I knew the answer, but as usual, I looked all over online. I found the typical solutions; add cross braces, sister the joist with a new one or add a post. Well, let me just tell you that adding cross braces doesn’t do a damn thing. You should add them when you build the house. They offer a slightly stiffer solution, but did nothing in this case. I added four of them between three joists (really tight) and it may have added a little more bounce. Hard to believe, I know. Also, the sagging was there more than ever. This was two weekends ago. (I am not sure that “sagging” would be the correct term…more like a slightly warped joist.)
Last weekend came and I said to myself, “I am going to tear this sucker apart. I am going to take down all the insulation, cross braces and wires and sister up two joists. That will stiffen it up.” Well, I went downstairs, took one look at the joists and had a flashback. I remember sistering up about 20 joists right after we moved in to find that they did absolutely nothing. Perhaps if you have a really old cabin in the woods or something, sistering joists would help, but not in this case. I wanted a hard, stiff floor that I could jump on. I like to party.
This weekend came and I was on a mission. Yesterday, I used an extra piece of 6×6 that I had laying around and my 20 ton bottle jack. I jacked up the one joist that I thought was the culprit. I put some good pressure on it and walked upstairs. Well, low and behold, I could walk on that area of the room and go nuts. Stiff as a board…to say. I knew that a 6×6 would look just look like some wacko fix down in the basement. I am really trying to keep this place from looking like it was pieced together. Having that happen is way too easy when you are trying to run a clean ship like this. I needed an excuse to put a board there. I called Tim next door over and we both agreed that a two foot wide wall wouldn’t be a bad idea. I could hang stuff off of it and all that.
So here is what I did. Sorry for the dust spots in the photo…I just swept up the floor. While the joist was jacked up, I cut a 2×6 nice and tight. I hammered that sucka right in there. Then, I put the rest of the puzzle together. I let the jack down and there we have it…perfect. I tested it out upstairs and everything feels great. Now, all I need to do is to get some 3/4″ plywood to box it in and I am good. I’ll get a few hooks or something and hang a few things off of it to make it look like I put it there on purpose.
I think that was pretty damn creative. The moral of the story is, when you have a bouncy floor or a sagging joist, you gotta use a post. Don’t try to get around it, just do it. I’m outta here.
Related posts
Saturday, April 14th, 2007
If so, you most likely want to market it. Well, have I got a deal for you. If you own a webstore, a classifieds site, are a dealer or just have tons of stuff you want to get rid of, export (or type) it all into a .CSV file and send it over to me.
I just added a pretty cool feature to the classified sites where I can bulk upload thousands of items at once. It takes about 30 seconds to place all your items online…all in one shot.
Soooo…if you are interested, please visit WebClassifieds.US, PetClassifieds.US, CycleClassifieds.US, BoatClassifieds.US or MotoClassifieds.US to get started. There is a link to more information right on each homepage.
Peace out.
Related posts
