Gear Acres

Next Project...Oak Door with Beveled Glass

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:23:00 +0000

Last night I resumed a small project that I had started over a year ago. I usually have several projects going at one time. This allows me to work on one project while waiting for a part, perfect weather, inspiration, or ambition. Sometimes I just get bored with a long term project and need to do something else to just break the monotony.

Several years ago I bought the door that we are going to install between our vestibule and foyer. When I stripped the paint from the doorway and saw witness marks from previous hinges it was confirmed that indeed there had been a door at one time.

I purchased an old solid oak door with 15 beveled glass lites. This door was covered in numerous coats of paint. Some of the tiny trim around the lites were loose and had paint drips behind the glass. I needed to remove the glass and clean the paint drips if I was going to return this door to it's previous glory.

Slowly I removed the trim which was only attached with one small nail. The beveled glass was not only paint covered and filthy but also very thick heavy glass with a slight green tint. Once all the glass was removed I could finish stripping the paint drips.This left me with a stack of very heavy and very dirty glass. I was very careful when handling the glass as I did not want to have to replace any broken lites nor did I want to cut myself. The procedure I used took a whole evening to complete and resulted in a case of dish pan hands for me.First of all I placed a thick bath towel in the bottom of the sink. I then very carefully place one piece of glass onto the towel and then turned the water on. I used a couple drops of dish soap to help clean off the grime. I found that a sponge with a Scotch Brite pad on one side worked the best at cutting the dirt. Once I had removed all the dirt I could see where I needed to use a razor blade in a paint scraper to remove the paint. I then dried off the glass and placed it onto another thick bath towel.Here is a photo of the finished stack of clean glass.
The next step is to reinstall the glass and return the small trim pieces without breaking the glass or the trim pieces. But before I can do that, I have to finish the project R and I are currently working on. More on that...tomorrow.

Shingling Through the Rain & Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:57:00 +0000

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. This was a perfect fall day unlike 2 days ago. Let me start at the beginning.

Day 1 consisted of removing the security wrought iron door that was installed as an interior door. Some of the bolts needed to be removed by grinding the heads off with a pneumatic grinder with a cut off wheel. This took the majority of the afternoon and it was far to late to start removing the ugly exterior door which then would have left a hole in the wall.

Yes, that is an old Defender game. We also have a Stargate, Tetris, Mr. Do, and an Elevator Action game. This is why this is going to be the game room when we are finished. We also have a 1920's billiard table. This room will be the last room we complete since we have the saws and all the tools stored in this room.
Day 2 started with removing the ugly white aluminum cross buck door. Easy, quick, no problem. Next step was to remove the interior door trim and the door jamb. A reciprocating saw made fast work of this part of the demo. The door sill lifted right out because it was half rotted and this left us with the rough framing. We then measured and cut 2 X 4's to frame in the area so that we could sheath it with 1 X's planks to ready it for shingles.While I cut the 2 X 4's R removed all the remaining shingles from around the door and at least one shingle in every row on the adjacent wall. We needed to remove those shingles so that we could install the shingles in the corner properly. When the shingles were originally installed they did not overlap alternating rows. This is done so that the shingles are less likely to get water behind them in the corner.

Oh wait....I forgot to mention that as soon as we removed the second door and were at the point of no return....it started raining and then it started sleeting and then it started getting very windy. Thankfully I was manning the saw and R was the one outside.....hee hee.

Once the hole was framed in I started looking through our scrap pile for all the 1 X 6's, 1 X 8's, and 1 X anything that we saved when we did any demo. We were lucky in that we had enough used lumber to close off the opening. Once the framing and sheathing was complete we covered the entire areas with 2 inch thick foam board since the remaining untouched part was covered with 2 inch foam board. By the time we finished closing up the opening....the sun popped out and the wind died down. We called it quits at this point.

Day 3 was warmer and actually we had just had sweatshirts on but it was still windy. My mom and dad stopped by for a quick visit and then we assembled all the needed materials and tools except for a utility knife with a sharp blade. Every time I buy a utility knife I also buy a package of blades but when I need a new blade I can never find the spare blades so we were off to the hardware store.

Ace is our hardware store of choice here in Grand Blanc and lucky us.......they were having a 20% off nearly everything sale. We purchased a new utility knife, more utility blades, a package of different size hacksaw blades (for another project), and a handful of caramels. We then decided that since we were out and about that we should stop by the Hot Dog Stand up town and grab a couple of hot dogs.

We finally made it back home and started shingling. The first row takes the longest because essentially you are shingling it twice making sure to stagger the shingles so that none of the gaps between the shingles fall too close to one another. Shingling continued until B & G showed up on their motorcycle. We completed several rows after they left and R informed me that he wanted to watch a sprint car race on TV at 8PM. So we called it quits.Day 4 (today) was warm with a slight breeze. We shingled for about 2 hours and then realized we were running out of nails so it was back to Ace hardware for another box of nails. Had we paid better attention yesterday we could have gotten those same nails for 20% less. We also got another handful of caramels.We had to decide whether to install all the shingles perfectly straight (which is the correct way) or to slightly leave imperfections so that it blended with what was already installed. Whoever installed the shingles adjacent to where we were working did not do the best job. I know over time the shingles shrunk slightly. We chose to try and blend the work so that once it is painted it will look like it was all done at the same time. In a perfect world we would re shingle the entire house but you have to pick your battles and that is currently not on our agenda.

Two hours later we were done shingling. We also removed an ill place light that was by the door. Tomorrow I will pull the wires back through the wall and disconnect it from the switch. R also removed several insulators that were left on the side of the barn and are no longer in use. Just more needless stuff left attached to the exterior of the house.There is also an old mercury vapor light dangling from the peak of the barn and an old basketball hoop that needs to be removed. Both will require the extension ladder to reach them and currently the extension ladder to waiting for me to clean paint off one more storm window hanger.

We finished the day by picking up a couple piles of leaves, planting eight tulip bulbs, and hauling 5 trash cans full of scrap wood to the curb for trash pick up Tuesday morning.

What was that? Oh, I forgot to show you the completed project. Here for your viewing pleasure the completed shingles. Notice the light and insulators that were removed. First a before photo to remind you of the ugliness. Notice ugly door, ugly light, and ugly insulators.

Homeowners Insurance Paid Through Escrow Account

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Two weeks ago I received a check from our mortgage holder for an escrow overage. I didn't think much about it until the next day when I received a letter from my homeowners insurance agent saying that our insurance had not been paid and would be canceled in two weeks as we were already in the grace period time frame. This was the first time in nearly 30 years of home ownership that this has happened.

I called the 1-800 number on the escrow statement. The bank's representative assured me that the payment had indeed been made 1 day before it was due. Now I find this ironic since banks are notorious for telling you to allow for 7-10 days for payments to be processed. I can only assume now that they do not extend that same courtesy to those businesses that they pay. Maybe I should charge them a $49.00 late fee and tell them next time to make sure they allow ample time for processing.

I called my insurance agent just to make sure that the payment was received. She told me that, "yes, it indeed had finally arrived." She also said that this is becoming more of a problem. Seems that lending institutions are holding onto their (actually 'your') cash as long as they can. She said that Chase was by far the worst. Our mortgage is with Citizens Bank (originally Republic Bank) and Citizens recently failed the government stress test for banks. Ironically their CEO received a huge bonus as well as the former CEO who recently left. I sure hope their bonus arrived on time.

Moral of story....no matter how punctual your mortgage holder has been in the past about paying your insurance premium double check that it indeed has been paid on time. I have no faith in banks at all these days. But at least I can sleep easier knowing that the CEO received his bonus.

Stupidity with a Capital 'S'

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:14:00 +0000

See that nasty old aluminum cross buck door? Tomorrow, fingers crossed, it will be gone. Here's the deal. Who puts a wrought iron security door on the inside of a house and then to make matters worse, like that wasn't ugly and stupid enough...they added an even uglier storm door on the outside. So basically I have two storm doors and no exterior door. What were they thinking? Jayne, of Dainty Digs fame, has a neighbor called WTB and he calls this stupidity. That's right.....stupidity with a capital 'S'.

This door is located in what is to be our game room. The room already has a set of patio doors so I don't think egress is a problem. On the other hand wall space is lacking in this room because of the numerous windows. So the plan is to remove the set of storm doors and wall it up.

Unfortunately our 2 X 4 inventory is low so we will have to spring for 2 X 4's but the rest of the supplies we already have on hand. So this amounts to another low cost/no cost project.

The aluminum door will go into the scrap pile and the wrought iron door will be stored in the barn along with the other wrought iron door we removed. There is yet another wrought iron security door on the kitchen door that still needs to be removed.

My guess is that this project will take 2 days to complete so it will probably take 4 days.

A/C Unit Removal Complete

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:27:00 +0000

As dusk fell yesterday, we were at this point in the A/C unit removal......This morning, with rain imminent, R climbed the ladder and I cut shingles and handed them through the window. We used old shingles that were removed in a demo project elsewhere on the house. We even reused that inappropriate trim piece under the window. Previously it had been installed with the thick part down and the thin part directly under the window ledge. The only reason we reinstalled it is because it will all be ripped out next summer when we install French doors and the small balcony. Plus it was raining and we needed to wrap this project up pronto.

So what's on the agenda for tomorrow......I'd like to remove one of the many doors in the game room and close that off while we are in a shingling mood.

Added November 3, 2009....This photo was shot today and gives a better view of the shingle repair that we completed yesterday in the rain. It's not perfect but will suffice until next summer. Plus the price was right.....$00.00 That's right nothing. We used old wood for framing and old shingles. As a matter of fact, R threw the old A/C unit in the scrap trailer, so we probably made 25 cents.

Bye Bye Old A/C Unit

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Finally a day without rain or wind so we removed the a/c unit from the 2ND story on the back of the house.

R wiggled, pried, pulled, and obviously used his feet to get the unit out of the wall. Once it was removed we were able to see what would be needed to close up the hole. Luckily whoever installed the unit framed the opening with 2 X 4's. We measured, cut, and installed 2 X 4's to give us a place to nail the sheathing to.But before we installed the sheathing, G showed up on his motorcycle. We used his appearance as a chance to help us turn over the cement birdbaths basins. Every winter R and I dutifully turn over the birdbath basins so that they are not damaged by ice during the winter. Normally R and I take care of this but my shoulders can no longer support the weight plus make the twisting motion to turn over the basins. Once that was completed R and G talked motorcycles as the daylight burned.

Back to the gaping hole in our bedroom wall. I rummaged through our pile of used wood that we saved from previous demos. I found some 1 X 6's and removed any old nails. We cut the old 1 X 6's to the correct length and nailed them to the 2 X 4 frame work we installed earlier.It was now too dark to start shingling. Notice the moon over the ridge of our barn.
I'll shingle tomorrow while R tends to some projects that he and G have planned (racing related).

Storm Windows Installed Just In Time for the Storm

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Over the last several days, R and I finished installing the last of the storm windows. Several storm windows needed glass, several requiring gluing, and all needed their thick coat of paint removed. Just scraping the glass to remove all the paint spray and sloppy painting took me hours of work. But now we have another barrier against the winter winds.

R took time out to clean out the gutters while he had the ladder out to install the storm windows on the second story. He tied himself to the chimney and then later on brought his duelly truck around front and tied the rope to it rather than the chimney. Hopefully this will be the last time we have to clean the gutters as all new gutters will have gutter caps installed when we replace the old gutters.
Speaking of wind....it is almost 11PM on Friday night and it is 70 degrees but extremely windy. Today R and I worked in the rain replacing a missing downspout and were pleasantly surprised that we were not freezing to death.

The plan tomorrow is either to pick up leaves or remove an A/C unit that was placed in the wall by cutting a permanent hole in the wall. We have central air so the window/wall unit is no longer needed nor wanted.

Here is a photo of the ugly useless A/C unit. He also removed the last of the old antenna wire that was attached to the outside of the house along with numerous old clips, hooks, and bent nails that held said antenna wire in place.
Future plans call for that newer style window above the A/C unit to be replaced with small French doors and a small Juliet balcony. This room is our master suite and we are hoping to increase cross ventilation. This is the east side and the west side has two small windows in dormers. The north side has a fireplace and the south wall is an interior wall so we could really use an increase in window space. I am sure these were small double hung windows at one time.

Once the A/C unit is removed and replaced with sheathing and shingles I will probably resume my stripping of the trim in the foyer, vestibule, and dining room. In between that we will have visits from the chimney guy to install caps in the three chimneys, a visit from the furnace guy for a tune up on the two furnaces, and a visit from the gutter guy to install new gutters on the front of the house.

Upper Sash Operational

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:18:00 +0000

We were able to install only 4 storm windows today not because we were slow but because we worked on making one of the windows upper sash operational.Next spring we will work on all the other windows so that their upper sashes are operational also.

How did we do it? The little tool I wrote about in my last post helped to make sure all paint was removed from areas not visible and compressed air from our air compressor to blow out all the debris and dirt. Once we could get the sash to move a little it went fast after that. A little jiggling and once the sash cord was exposed we pulled on the cord and that seem to free it up and the weight started doing it's job. It is hard to say when the last time that upper sash moved.

While R ran to the hardware store...every job requires at least one trip to the hardware store....I cut back some of my perennial flowers. That makes spring clean up go a little faster and it looks a little neater during the winter.

Tomorrow I have some appointments in the morning but the plan is to install 3 more storm windows and to buy the glass needed to repair the last two storm windows. Then I can get back to stripping more trim.

If I have some extra time tomorrow I think there are a few leaves that need to be raked up.
Most of the trees in our yard have already dropped their leaves except for all the lilac bushes which are still very green.

Wood Windows Need This Tool + Vehicle Maintenance Tip

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:14:00 +0000

I have been looking for this tool for some time now. When I owned my first home, eons ago, all the windows were painted shut. Years later when I sold that 1921 Dutch Colonial all the windows opened and closed with one finger. I was able to accomplish that feat using a tool like this......
The serrated edge cuts through the paint layer that is holding the sash in place. I usually start at the top of the bottom sash and work my way down each edge by rocking the tool slightly back and forth. This action cuts through the paint and breaks the paint into little chips that will either drop out or can be vacuumed out. I even use it on sashes that are not painted shut just to get any paint, caulk, or dirt out from between the sash stop and sash. I found this tool at Ace Hardware for just under 10 bucks. Also now that I have purchased this new one.....the tool I purchased 25+ years ago will resurface.

Vehicle Maintenance Tip...Fall and spring is the time of year to buy a bottle of dry gas or fuel line antifreeze/water remover to put in your gas tank. Dry gas helps to remove any water that has accumulated in your gas tank from contaminated gas or condensation due to the changing temperature. If this water is left in the fuel tank during the winter it could freeze and interfere with fuel delivery. Believe me that is the last thing you want when the temperature is below freezing. Some brands of dry gas or fuel line antifreeze have injector cleaner added. Why not kill two birds with one stone.

Dry gas can be bought for under five bucks and if you look online before purchasing you can usually find a brand that is offering a rebate form for an additional couple of bucks off. I usually buy 2 bottles, one for now and one for in the spring. You can also buy it for 99 cents during the off season. Dry gas does not have a shelf life as long as it stays sealed and should last for several years, so if you run across a good deal nab a handful of bottles.

Pour the whole bottle of dry gas into a full tank of gas. Do not pour a full bottle into a partial tank.

Also do not buy any gas additives that promise increased fuel economy. Several years ago I participated in a fuel additive test for our local TV station. I cannot remember off hand the name of the product but it was endorsed by an Indy 500 racing legend. The additive cost $16.95 for 16 ounces. The directions called for adding 2 ounces to a full tank of gas. This required measuring 2 ounces using a shot glass. I accidentally spilled a little on my fuel door. The fuel door required replacing 2 years later when the fuel door rusted through from the inside out.

The additive did very little to increase my fuel mileage. I believe my mileage increased .2 mpg during the time I used the additive. My engine was running rather rough by the time the bottle was empty. I was glad when the testing was over.

I cannot say for sure how the additive worked but my best guess is that it fools the O2 sensor into thinking the engine is running rich and to compensate for the rich state it leans out the fueling. Long term lean condition can cause damage to your engine. Your engine runs at optimal efficiency at 14:1 air/fuel ratio. Over the long term you would notice a decrease in power so you would need to use the accelerator pedal a little more to compensate, thus using more fuel. It's would be a vicious cycle of less power, more pedal until you ran out of pedal. At the very least you would be replacing your O2 sensors. Some vehicles have 2, 3, or 4 O2 sensors. One on each side of the engine in the exhaust after the accumulator and then one pre and post of the catalytic converter. The O2 sensor monitors the air/fuel ratio and is continually relaying that info to your vehicle's computer so that it can make changes to the air/fuel ratio to keep fueling in the 14:1 range whether you are at 10% pedal on a decline or at 50% pedal hauling a trailer up an 8% grade. O2 sensors can range in price from slightly under $100 to almost $400.

A tremendous amount of testing goes into calibrating your engine to run efficiently. There needs to be a balance between mpg, power, and durability. Don't throw that all out the window by using a $16.95 bottle of what smelled like lighter fluid. The cost of the additive would buy roughly 5 to 6 gallons of gas.

FYI...for you scientific folks.....I started both tests (with and without additive) with fresh oil changes, new oil filters, and new air cleaners. I also drove exactly the same route (to and from work) and in nearly the same traffic conditions. The only variable was the outside air temperature. Cooler temperatures make for more power so less pedal is needed which could have accounted for my .2 mpg increase when I used the additive.

Two More Wooden Storm Windows + Curb Side Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:33:00 +0000

I thought I had located all the wooden storm windows but I was wrong. R asked me if I "got the two upstairs in the loft?" So I went up there and lo and behold there were two more, one for the powder room on the first floor and one for the window in the staircase. Yea!!! two more to strip.

One was without problems. The powder room storm was in great condition and looks to only have a couple of coats of paint on the inside but of course the usual 1/8th of an inch of paint on the outside. The other storm has a broken pane and the bottom stile was loose and some what deteriorated. I used Gorilla glue and a bar clamp to fix the loose stile problem. I'll take a closer look at the wood after I unclamp the storm window.

Today was what fall weather is suppose to be like it and was one of the few days we have had that has been in the 60 degree range. A couple more like this and I think I could get all storms stripped and glazed.

Now on the the curbside treasure. I found this one myself as I was driving over to B & G's house. This chair will work perfect in my kitchen as a desk chair once I paint it satin black and cover the seat with a black and white toile fabric or maybe a black and white buffalo check. Currently I am gluing a crack back together. No doubt this is why the owner toss it.

Wooden Storm Windows

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:39:00 +0000

I noticed what appeared to be more wooden storm windows while walking around the outside of the barn looking at R's window work. In one of the windows was what appeared to be the corner of a wooden storm window. I found not one but two windows.

The living room has 6 large double hung windows. When we purchased the house there were 5 windows with storms windows. I found the missing storm window in the barn minus it's glass panes.

The last 3 days have been spent removing between 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch thick paint from both sides of the storm windows. I have two completely stripped. This is one of the living room storms. There are 4 storms this size and 2 that are even larger.

I like the looks of wooden storm windows but these are far too heavy to install every year. Small bungalow windows are one thing but these are too heavy to hold up in the air to install. I know there are companies who make wooden storm windows that have interchangeable panes/screens that can be changed from inside the house. That sounds like a better solution for our second story windows and these large first floor windows. But until then, these will have to suffice.The hardware is in bad shape. Some storm windows are missing their hangers and the ones that have their hangers look like this......I was able to remove the majority of the paint by boiling the hangers in water with a little dish soap and using a utility knife to lift off the thick sheets of paint. I'll use spray primer on them and then white spray paint since the storms and trim will be white.

More than likely I will not have time to paint these storm windows before the winter. I still need to replace a lot of the missing glazing and time is running out. In a perfect world I would prime, paint, and glaze before installing but with this crazy weather I'll have to settle on just being happy with having the storms installed.

B & G's Deck...It's Finished, Finito!!!

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:01:00 +0000

There were times we wondered if this day would ever come...but it did and the deck redo is done.

The weather is too cold to touch up the cream colored stain so that little chore will have to wait until next year as will any furniture choices or placement. Winter came a little early this year and when most people are putting away their furniture it would be foolish to stage the deck and then take it all inside.

Let's start with a couple of before photos. These photos show the condition of the deck when B and G purchased the house.

Notice the set of steps on this end of the deck. We eliminated those steps and installed a 6 foot wide set in the middle of the front of the deck. Also notice the only section of railing that was installed on the deck. B and I removed it by just pushing on it.
In this photo notice the undersized rim joist. Besides being undersized it was in very poor condition. The deck also did not have any joist hangers installed and the only attachment was toe nailed twist nails. G installed joist hangers wherever possible.This photo shows how high the deck appeared because of the undersized rim joist. By installing a wider rim joist the deck now is visually lower to the ground. This is also the side we installed the 6 foot wide steps.And now the new and improved deck.
Here is an close up of the 6 foot wide steps. These steps will also act as additional seating. Next year B's plan calls for a stamped concrete landing at the bottom of these stairs with a walkway going to the garage entry door.
We used wood button plugs to cover up the screws that were used to hold the risers in place. FYI the wood button plugs line up nicely. I have no idea why in this photo they look all askew.A close up of the hand rail cap.
We used those same wood button plugs to cover up the screws used to attach the 2 X 12 rim joist to the old 2 X 6 rim joist. Carriage bolts were used to attach the deck posts. Once they were painted they mimicked the wood button plugs. I wanted to continue and use the button plugs to cover the screw holes on the spindles but G thought it would make the deck look like it was riveted together. I say "pshaw!" but I was over ruled.
B and G did a great job picking out both of the deck stain colors. Both the cream and the redwood color were perfect choices and contrast nicely without being gaudy. The cream color is an exact match to the body color of their house. We thought it was important for the deck to look like an extension of the house and not an add on. Finally this last photo shows how we notched the post to accommodate the 2 X 4 used for the hand rail. The photo also shows some of the touch up that needs to be done in the spring.
All in all we are very pleased with how the deck turned out.

Barn Window Repairs

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Today I continued stripping the paint off the woodwork in the foyer. It appears they changed hinges and door knobs at some time. When I stripping the doors I found the old screw holes and witness marks from the surface mounted hinges. Those were removed and butt hinges were installed. Currently all the doors have glass knobs but it appears that at one time the strike plate was notched into the surrounding trim.

I am almost done stripping the wood work in the foyer. I still have the baseboards on the two long walls yet to do in the living room. The vestibule has some of the paint removed around the doorway between the foyer and the vestibule. Several years ago I bought a 15 lite door to go between the foyer and vestibule. I could see witness marks that at one time there was a door there that formed an air lock when you opened the front door. When I removed the paint from around the doorway I found several witness marks. It appears the doors had several different sets of hinges and was hinged at one time on either side. My guess is that they decided they didn't like the door opening to the same wall as the front door so they changed the door so it opened to the other side of the vestibule. I assumed they didn't like that and removed the door all together. It is a large door being both extra wide and tall. I don't think this will be a problem for us as we feel the kitchen door will be the primary entrance for both us and visitors. I'll take photos tomorrow.

R worked on his barn windows today. The barn has eight windows on the ground level and two double hung windows upstairs. We plan on replacing the hay loft door with a large double hung window because we need the extra sunlight inside the loft area. R needed to replace or repair 4 of the 8 lower windows. Last year on election day we went to a Grand Illusion Gallery in Grass Lake Michigan and purchased extra sashes to use to repair the windows. Obviously those windows were painted brown and painted poorly I might add. Today he finished 3 of them and was almost done with the fourth when it started getting too dark and too cold to continue.The windows still need to be scraped and painted but it is too cold. The important thing was to get the broken windows repaired so animals couldn't crawl into the barn. I'm guessing that most of the window damage came from when they moved the barn before we purchased the house.B & G finished their deck today. I will take photos tomorrow. I think it looks great. I would estimate that the cost of revitalizing the deck was just under 1500 dollars and took about 3 months to complete. I know that it sounds like a long time but some weeks very little was done. Stopping for painting and staining took up a lot of the time plus add in racing and well it adds up to 3 months before you know it.

One final thing......It is just too dang cold out side. At this rate we will have 7 months of cold weather. Winter is now from the months of October through April. Spring is the months of May and part of June. Summer is July through August. Fall is the month of September.

Another Curb Side Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Before I get to the curb side treasure, I will catch everyone up on what I did today. Today I stripped. OK, now that I got that out of the way...onto the curb side treasure.

Several months ago R and I were driving to somewhere and found this chair out to the curb. I yelled "STOP"! R said "Why?" I said "I want that chair." He said "You've got to be kidding me?" I said "No, I want it."Once we got it home and in a better light he agreed it was worth saving. Now on first glimpse you might think......ewwwwww.....but look closer. The wood is in great shape although it could use a coat of paint. The cushions, at one time, were very cool. They appear to be a pearlized (is that a word?) leather.I think this chair will end up in my bedroom.Let's do a little prognosticating.

prog·nos·ti·cate v. prog·nos·ti·cat·ed, prog·nos·ti·cat·ing, prog·nos·ti·cates

1. To predict according to present indications or signs; foretell.

2. To foreshadow; portend:

Tomorrow I will be stripping.

Odds & Ends plus the 'To Do' List

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:48:00 +0000

R continued to putter around in the barn redoing his barn windows. Tonight he bought hinges, 1/4 round, and sash locks. One of the sashes needed 2 panes replaced so it was off to Ace Hardware to get glass and glazing points. As he drove by the front door I yelled to him and he stopped. I realized I had a $5.00 off certificate earned with Ace Rewards. Generally Ace is a little higher than Home Depot but it is close and if you are in the middle of a job sometimes it is better to pay more than drive 7 miles and shoot a whole hour of your time.

I, on the other hand, inoculated my ash trees one last time before winter. I have had good luck with the Bayer brand. I use it on all my ash trees whether or not I see infestation. The last 2 years I have spent approximately $600 each year to protect my ash trees. We currently have a huge ash tree that is 80% dead. It was already too infected by the time we bought 'The Gear'. It's sad because this tree is at least 100 years old which predates the house by 20 years.

Stripping continues in the living room. The built in cabinets are now free of paint. I am dreading the job of stripping the fireplace, so I think I will do the baseboard next.

Onto the 'To Do' list. Once I complete the living room I am moving into the foyer, then the vestibule, and then the dining room. The dining room will take some time because there are two built in corner cabinets, 3 large double hung windows, a large wooden bay window ledge, 3 entry ways, 1 door, and baseboard. The paint in the dining room will not come off as easy as in the living room because it is a different wood. The paint comes off in little gobs. Plus it smells like pine tar which makes me think it is clear pine.You can just catch a glimpse of the built in cabinet on the right side of the photo. Also the photo above shows the 3 windows with the bottom sashes removed.

On to the truth is stranger than fiction....look at the photos of my recent visitors. You will find them located on the right side of my blog. I am thinking that it must be the recent blog posts about stripping. I hope they were not disappointed. I checked my pockets for $5.00 bills and found none, so obviously this stripping does not pay as well as some other types of stripping.

Stripping Progress

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:08:00 +0000

I got a late start on stripping today. An early morning doctor appointment and a nap were the the reason for the late start.

When the doctor's office called yesterday to remind me that I had an appointment at 8AM, I thought to myself "who was the idiot that made that appointment?" I got up at 6AM, which is totally against my biorhythm. Holy cow, even when I was operating daily on 4-5 hours...I was never under any circumstances awake at 6AM. So needless to say when I returned home....I took a nap.

Fast forward to 2PM. Remember I said I needed to get the dwarf irises and day lilies planted? Job completed. Now on to stripping.....no wait...R decides today is the day he wishes to fix the barn windows. We confer on what needs to be done i.e. which windows need replacing, which windows just need a pane or two, and which windows are fine and just need to be realigned to eliminate air infiltration.

This brings me to a question I was asked awhile back....do you and your husband like doing projects together? The answer is "NO!" We tend to only work well together on meaningless projects like digging a hole or planting a tree. When it comes to anything that is remotely complicated.....well....let me give you an example.

About 5 years ago we bought a grill. We had the option of paying 50 bucks for them to assemble it or take it home and to it ourselves. The box said in large letters....."EASY ASSEMBLY 30 MINS". Well let me tell you it was not 30 minutes it was 3 hours. Even though both R and I are card carrying journeymen who's trades require assembly and dis assembly, we have two totally different methods. R is left handed. I am right handed. R would rather poke his eye out than read the manual. I like to peruse the photos. R retrieves tools as needed. I like to get all my tools ahead of time. R always sets his tools on the ground. I like to set my tools on a table etc. When G (engineer) lived at home it was a third totally different approach. He likes to read the manual and research everything to death!

It took us 3 hours of arguing, assembly, dis assembly, re assembly before we were done with that grill. So for mental health reasons we take on separate projects. I decide on all decorating issues, he can suggest but he really doesn't care so that is good. He's good with demo. I prefer non demo work. He's the worst painter. He's best with a spray can so I deal with all painting issues. I decide which plants to plant and where....he likes to water and tend to them.

So that takes us to today...he was in the barn and I was in the living room. I completed my task of stripping the woodwork and casing around the door that leads to the sun room. I haven't a clue what he got done because 1 hour into his project he was off to pick up the large band saw we had in storage.

B & G's Deck Update Before the Rain

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:55:00 +0000

R and I stopped by B & G's to do a little deck work. The 'To Do' list is getting small but the threat of rain is large. We knew we would be lucky to get the remaining spindles installed before the deluge. We were lucky. The spindle gods were smiling upon us today. We finished installing the spindles at 4:30PM. I started to snap a few photos at 4:39PM. The rain began at 4:35PM.The 'To Do' list includes installing railing cap on the hand rails, cut railing cap ends to correct overhang length, screw down the railing cap, fill screw holes, and touch up paint.Deck work was done for the day so it was back to 'The Gear' for more woodwork stripping. Both sets of windows in the living have been stripped (except for muntin bars). Tomorrow I start on the door casing, jamb, and woodwork that opens into the sun room. The door has already been stripped.

I think the woodwork stripping in the living room will go like this.....

Windows (2 sets) DONE
Door casing, jamb, and woodwork around door to sun room
Door to sun room DONE
Inset cabinets (2)
Inset cabinet doors (4) DONE
Baseboards
Fireplace

I conducted a test spot on the top of the mantle and it appears to be popular or birch, never stained, and the first paint color was olive green. Door to sun room is to the right in the photo.
If by chance it decides not to rain sometime in the near future I need to transplant some blue dwarf irises and a light yellow spider day lily that came from R's mother's house. I would also like to strip the paint from the exterior of the second set of living room windows. But I don't have any faith in the weather and if I can just get these plants into the ground...somewhere....I'll be happy.

B & G's Deck in the Dark

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Will it ever stop raining? Will it ever be warm again?

It was almost dark by the time it quit raining but that didn't stop us. We worked and froze in the dark.

Just about twilight time G was cutting kerf cuts into a railing post so that we can inset the support of the hand rail cap. B was sanding the edges smooth so that there are no sharp edges on any of the boards.
Once the daylight was gone we broke out the big work lights.....viola...let there be light.
The list of 'To Do' items is getting shorter. We still need to install the spindles on the two sets of steps, screw down the wide railing cap, install the hand rails caps on the steps, fill screw holes, and touch up paint.

We started work on the deck on August 4th and the temperature outside was 90 degrees and sunny. Today it was rainy and in the mid 40's. Ironic that it was nearly too hot to work on when we started and now it is nearly too cold to work on to finish.

More Window Stripping

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:38:00 +0000

I finished the initial stripping of the front bank of windows in the living room. Of course it needs touch up work and sanding but the majority of the paint is gone.Some of the paint flaked off the muntin bars but I still need to tackle that. I'm mulling the idea of using Peel Away.

See those two areas of white paint at the very top of the window trim? One spot on the left and one spot on the right. That is an area where for some reason they cut out the trim. I'm assuming it was for curtain or drapery hardware.

Today R used a rubber coated dead blow hammer on the two saggy upper sashes. He was able to get both windows to move a little but he said there was still paint that needed to be removed before the sash will go back up where it belongs. So if it doesn't rain tomorrow it looks like I will drag out the extension cord and heat gun to see if I can remove the paint that is in the way. Hopefully my saggy sash problem will be cured tomorrow.

I have removed the paint from the sash locks (except for one window) and the paint from the sash lifts. I'll reinstall them tomorrow so they don't get lost.

We might get a frost tonight and if we do it will be curtains for the remaining tomatoes. But to tell you the truth...I'm kind of burnt out on tomatoes. R and I have been eating them with nearly everything since the first one ripened in July.

A Case of Saggy Sash

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:21:00 +0000

I now have 2 of the 3 windows stripped. Window number 2 and 3 have upper sashes that have fallen about 1/2 inch, a definite case of saggy sash if I ever saw one. This makes it's impossible to lock the sashes. I will strip window number 3 and the window stool tomorrow. Hopefully Wednesday will be rain free and I can go outside and use a rubber mallet to persuade the upper sash back into it's rightful place.

B & G Deck Update

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:11:00 +0000

We are heading down the home stretch when it comes to finishing B and G's deck. We had a full crew today. B, G, B's mom, R, and myself. There was sawing, sanding, drilling, and painting for 8 hours with just a small break for pizza and to admire our work.Here are R and G installing spindles to the left side of the deck while B and her mom notch out one of the few remaining posts.
B and her mom sitting on the steps. Additional seating was one of the reasons for installing extra wide steps on the deck. Looks like the steps are doing what they were designed to do.B spent most of the day filling screw holes, patching bad spots, and touching up paint. Here she is touching up one of the posts. Notice the railing cap we installed just before we called it quits for the night. We still need to trim the end off but it was getting late and we needed to install the remaining cap boards. We used a biscuit joiner on the 45 degree cuts on each corner. We added several long screws to secure the two pieces together after installing the biscuits . We clamped them to made sure they do not move until the glue dries. Once it stops raining, G will finish screwing down the cap and cut off the ends allowing for a 2 inch overhang.
All that is left to do is install the remaining three step posts, build the railings for the steps, and install the spindles on the steps. When that is complete, B and I will install the remaining 3 exterior lights. That should be an all day job at the rate it took us to install three lights the last time.

I promise to take better photos next time. These photos all seem tilted for some reason. I swear I was just drinking diet Coke, too.

Added at 1PM...I was driving into Fenton this morning and realized I could stop and snap a few better photos of the deck.
The forecast for the next three days is rain and high winds. Welcome to fall....fall that 3 week time period before the six months of winter. Grrrrrr

Back to Stripping Windows

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:50:00 +0000

It rained.....no wait...it drizzled all day so that means inside today.

I am still working on stripping the windows on the outside but with todays weather I figured I would just start stripping those same windows inside the house.

Who ever painted the interior the last time it was painted, painted every surface flat white. They not only painted everything flat white but they did so by spray painting. Needless to say all the trim has to be stripped if we are to achieve a nice semi gloss finish.

While taking a closer look at the window I noticed that calamine pink color. Look closely in the area by the sash rope. I started stripping the paint on the sill using my lighter duty heat gun. Immediately the paint started coming off in large sheets leaving little residue behind. Then I remembered I didn't take a before photo.....so I stopped and snapped a quick photo.
I removed the sash stops once I had removed all the paint from the trim on each side of the window. I now could easily move the sash up and down. This also allowed me to get to some of the harder to reach areas on the outside. Then it was on to scraping the paint off the sashes.I realized the wood was different than the wood in the dining room when I stopped to snap another photo. Notice how the wood is dark........now moving to the dining roomThe window on the right has some of the paint removed from the left side. Notice how it is lighter?

Hmmmm.....the dining room wood appears to be birch or popular. The living room wood is maybe redwood, fir, or ???? The grain is very tight and hardly noticeable. I lightly and quickly sanded just to see the results and wow I think it will paint up beautifully.

Now I know some of you will say....."It's blasphemous to paint wood trim." I believe this trim was always painted since it does not have a coat of shellac or varnish present. So by painting the trim I will be restoring the trim to it's original condition. That condition of course will not be calamine pink but semi gloss white.

Tomorrow we will be back at B & G's for more post and top cap work. Let's keep our fingers crossed that when we leave their house tomorrow the only remaining work will be the spindles.

Thursday is Freebie/Rebate Day

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Today was literally a freebie/rebate bonanza at our house. I not only received coupons for free products but I also received $$$$$$$.Every month I participate in the Rite Aid rebate program. I then use that money to buy H & B items for the next month repeating the cycle. Last month's program had more than the usual number of items that I buy so my rebate check was for $50.98. Not too shabby.

Also from Rite Aid I received a $10.00 gift certificate because I purchased Zyrtec allergy tablets. So now I have $60.98 to spend at Rite Aid. I also have $6.00 coming soon from another rebate.

In addition to the cash I also received coupons for free products. From My Coke Rewards I received 8 coupons for a free 12 pack of any Coke product and because any drink needs a nosh to go along with it, I received from M & M a coupon for a free Mars brand product. Just what I need...a candy bar to go with my Diet Coke.

This evening my sister and I attended a cooking demonstration hosted by Taste of Home magazine. I plan to try several of the recipes as soon as the weather turns cooler and I have some extra time. When I do, I will post them on my cooking blog.If you have the chance to catch one of their shows/demonstrations please sign up. The tickets were 10 bucks and you received a goody bag filled with magazines, recipes, coupons, and trinkets. They also gave away at least 35 additional prizes from a coffee maker, slow cooker, cook books, food, floral arrangements, and saute pans. Did we win anything? Pfft.....of course not.I did though run into a former co worker that I had not seen in 10 years. We still exchange Christmas cards but that has been our only contact. It was nice seeing her again. I rarely run into anyone since I rarely venture to my old hometown or anywhere where former co workers live. As I told my sister tonight I am sure most people think I just fell off the radar. Unless you hang out in the lumber section at Home Depot, frequent garden shops and nurseries, stroll through antique or consignment shops looking for unique bric-a-brac, or roam the racing/car forums....I doubt you will run into me.

B & G's Deck Update + Racing Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:03:00 +0000

Today was the day everyone was looking forward to........we started the railing installation.

Here is a photo of B and G making sure everything is on the level.
We used two 8 inch long carriage bolts to attach each post. The photo below is of R using a ratchet and socket to tighten the nut on the back side of the rim joist. We used 8 inch long bolts because we needed to go through two thirds of a 4 X 4 and one 2 X 8 and one 2 X 10. Next spring G will re tighten the nuts after the deck goes through a winter and the lumber shrinks even more.
There's those shorts again!!!!!

Just as dusk fell and after the posts were installed on the perimeter of the deck we started to install some the 2 X 4's that join the posts together to form the railing. A 2 X 10 will cap off the railing. The spindles will be square 2 X 2's.

In the photo below the railing looks rather tall but believe me when I say it is not...I am just short.

Notice how the patio door blinds are open at the bottom.....that's Twiggy making sure everything is done to spec, I think she's undercover for the building inspector.
Next on the agenda for the deck is to make 4 additional posts for the step railings, finish all the 2 X 4 installation, install 2 X 10 cap, cut spindles to length, install spindles, and touch up paint.

In racing news.....R finished his first season racing a sprint car in the MTS Series. He accumulated enough points to finish the season in 10th place and also at age 57 won Rookie of the Year honors. I guess this retiree isn't sitting home in a recliner watching TV. The trick is to stay active. Here is a photo of the happy guy today as he was taking the car apart to power wash it.
Speaking of retirees.....my newly retired sister has taken to writing letters to the editor of The Flint Journal newspaper. Seems one of Flint's favorite columnists, Andrew Heller, made a statement concerning the advertised mpg of his new GM vehicle and she had to set him straight.

Added 9-24-09 Seems Andy felt the need to pull that particular column. Maybe the formidable Marcia smacked him upside the head and said "Dumb Andy dumb."

And just for your FYI, the advertised mpg is the average after the engine is broken in. You may or not get that mileage right away. Remember with a new engine everything is tight because of the close tolerances that are used today. Tight equals friction, friction equals heat, heat equals less efficiency. When purchasing a brand new vehicle it is best to get an oil and oil filter change after 3k miles and after that change to every 5k for fossil oil and 7-10k for synthetic oil. Also unless the vehicle came equipped with synthetic oil, use fossil oil for the first 10k miles before switching to synthetic oil. DO NOT SWITCH TO SYNTHETIC on an engine with a lot of miles on it, you will be wasting your money and you could develop oil leaks.

All vehicles in this household have always used synthetic oil once they were broke in. Our vehicles have 260k, 430k, 330k, 8k miles on them. Who says GM vehicles don't last? The vehicle with 8k came with Mobil One and says to use Mobil One only because it was designed (due to the coating on the piston of this high compression engine) and tested to use only Mobil One. My husband uses Mobil One in all his vehicles and I use Valvoline full synthetic in mine. I think synthetic is the only way to go. It is more expensive (roughly twice the cost) but you can get twice the miles and it saves non renewable oil for more important uses. So I guess you could say synthetic oil is green.

In NASCAR news...The Chase has started. Tony didn't have a great day but it could have been worse. He had to pit to replace an axle cap. That is kind of an odd problem and usually a sign that you have damaged the axle spline from spinning the tires before they hit the ground when you are coming down off the jack. Tony still finished on the lead lap.

At the beginning of the season I joined the fantasy racing league on the Pepsi site. I am currently ranked 999th out of 55,980. I did pretty good this week and should move up a little when they tally the points from today's race.

So let me get this out of the way......Gooooooo Smoke!!!!! Good luck in The Chase.

B & G's Deck Update

noreply@blogger.com (dynochick (Jan)) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:52:00 +0000

B & G have been very busy at work and we have been tending to end of summer chores and patio furniture excursions so the deck building has been very slow until today.

Today B and I went to Home Depot and bought the last board needed to complete all the risers. On the way home I had B stop at my favorite consignment shop so I could buy a painted small rectangular kitchen table I saw yesterday for 15 bucks.

The table was looking prudy ugly. It was painted white and had pink laminate glued to the table top. Yesterday I was able to peel the laminate up and take a gander under it. I found oak....yes OAK.

So now the table is mine. I will strip it and then decide what I want to do with it.

Back to the deck.

Once we were done shopping we cut the riser and installed it. Then it was on to the posts.

To make the notch where the post sits on the rim joist we had to use kerf cuts and then chiseled out the remaining wood. The kerf cuts worked best when they were about a 1/4 inch between cuts. We then used a hammer to knock out the cut portions. I used a chisel to remove the remaining bits of wood. The entire procedure took approximately 15 minutes were post. B then sanded the post making sure to remove the sharp edges on all sides of each post.

Here is B making kerf cuts while her mother in law takes photos and a break.
This is the post after all the cuts were made.Here's the post after the majority of wood is removed using a hammer.This is what the post looks like after the chiseling is done but before it is sanded.Finished post before paint.We then measured the post to the correct height and cut. Then we had to cut a notch to accommodate a 2 x 4 at the top. We used the same procedure that we used to make the notch for the rim joist.

The remaining cut was the bevel at the bottom of the post. It is a 45 degree angle with the bottom 1/4 inch cut off.

Tomorrow the posts and the remaining unpainted risers will be painted. Once the risers are all painted I can reinstall the stained treads.

Saturday is R's last race day this year and they need to be at the track at 1 PM so it's iffy if all the painting will get done before they blast off for the racetrack.