DIY – Page 22 – Dust Bunnies and Dog Toys

See Dog Run

Published on December 22, 2013December 24, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

The last critical move in project was a dog run for the girls, who have a doggie door at the deck. We had planned to install a fence near the clearing line, but now that winter has frozen the ground solid that isn’t an option until spring. Instead, we created a temporary dog run along the back of the house from used kennel panels I scored for just $100 on a local buy/sell page and free pallets from companies around town.

We closed off two sides of the deck by layering pallets on top of and next to the deck, screwing them together and then to the deck itself. A design the Klampets would be envious of! LOL

We tied the kennel panels together to make the main area of the run, from the deck to the hot tub, which also ended up acting as a portion of the run’s barrier since it’s so close to the house. It’s not ideal, but it gave us a place to strap the kennel panel and a single pallet to, to complete the enclosure. As you can see the girls don’t much care what it looks like, as long as they have toys to play with in the space.

It’s certainly not pretty and it’s not a big space, but it allows them to go outside during the day to go potty and play when we’re not home, so it accomplishes the goal.

We open the gate when we’re home so they can wander in the woods and explore a bit further, which they are totally enjoying. They are pretty good about sticking close to the house so that if they are out of sight it only take a few moments for them to reappear when called. Sangria has also learned that she can go out the gate and around to the front of the house when she hears someone working in the garage, so she quite often ‘shows up’ to help if you leave the garage door open! That girl is one smart cookie! Tequila on the other hand, apparently doesn’t care enough to leave her toys to see what’s happening, because she rarely follows Sangria around to the front.

Unfortunately, the snow on the roof slides off right into the run, so we’ve had to be vigilant about keeping the area shoveled so it doesn’t accumulate high enough to block the gate, or encouraging anyone to jump over – either the girls to the outside or critters to the inside!

I’m not sure how moose proof the run is as we haven’t seen any on the property since moving in, so I’m guessing that the girls make enough noise to keep them at bay. I’m certainly ok with that, especially if it means I don’t have to shoo a moose out of my garden come summer!

So I Went a Little Shoe Fanatic..

Published on December 22, 2013December 24, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

After the pantry, the Master Closet was the next priority project. We had a plan all drawn up and ready so the hubs just started cutting and installing. Unfortunately, he was transferred to an overnight shift just before the move, so this drastically affected how much he could get done in a day. That meant that the ladders and tools that had cluttered the kitchen for the first few days post move, now resided in our bedroom and closet for approximately a week.

For those of you who know me personally, you’ll understand that just thinking about that makes me itch because I can’t stand clutter in any sense. Finding an outfit for work from the wardrobe boxes each morning was wearing thin and I still hadn’t found my office shoes, jewelry or purses. Although I was trying to keep my side of the room as organized as possible, the hubs had gone the ‘man route’ and had stuff everywhere and anywhere. I involuntarily twitched every time I walked past his side of the bed.

About the time he’d gotten my side of the closet almost finished, I found the box with my shoes and purses. I pulled out a few pairs of heels to get me through the upcoming days and put them along the wall in the closet, because well, that’s where shoes belong. I knew he would be cutting a hole in the wall to flush mount my full length mirror jewelry cabinet soon, so I held off unpacking my wardrobe and spent a half hour covering all of my shoes to protect them from the dust that would be created. Apparently I didn’t do a good enough job, because I came home to this the next day.

He’d realized that my shoes had gotten dust on them, so he thought the best option was to move them into the bathroom away from the dust. So there they were, on my bathroom counter. Who knows what germs those beauties held on their soles, which were now on my counter! When I noticed there were also Sasquatch sized “dust” foot prints on the bathroom rug, I asked if Big Foot had broken in to try on my shoes while I was at work!

I began cleaning shoes individually, which resulted in pockets of saw dust being spilled out of the inside of each all over the floor. It was at this point that I pitched a full on fit, which the hubs believed was fully directed at him and his efforts to install the closet. Many huffs and puffs from both of us and a long talk later, I was able to explain that it was the feeling of living and unpacking “in construction” that had me irritated rather than him.

We set a deadline to get the closet done and tidied up what we could for the time being. Luckily, he finished up a few days later and I was finally able to unpack all of my clothing and organize everything in the new space.

Well worth the wait! The trim leaning against the mirror will be used to cover the gap between the cabinet and the wall.

My side also has long hanging space and room for my boots! — My side also has long hanging space and room for my boots, which I’d planned to keep by the mirror!

The ottoman under the mirror holds the laundry bags I use for dedicates and at-home dry cleaning, but it also makes for a great spot to sit in the mornings and put on my socks or nylons. You might have noticed the trim molding on our access panel is missing. The builder’s foreman said he moved the panel a few times and it “just fell off.” Sure… whatever, it’s a moot point now. I’ll eventually get a rug to cover the panel anyway so it’s not a huge deal, and it worked out because that’s right where the laundry baskets sit so it would have actually been in the way. I also still need to add the crown molding shelves to hold all my heels, but that will come in time. For now they can live lined up against the wall.

Overall it’s just what I envisioned. There’s a spot for everything and there’s still room to grow! Which most women would probably agree is worth the week or two of stress involved to get to say that. 🙂

We’ve Got Mail!

Published on December 21, 2013December 24, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

The first necessity at the new house was a mailbox! Because our home was new construction, we had a brand new address which required a new mailbox. Out here in the boonies the route carriers call the shots, rather than the main post office and its common practice to have a ‘group row’ of mailboxes at the entrance to the neighborhood rather than individual boxes at each driveway.

Our route carrier requested that we either add a new box to the group row or rent a lockable box in the group terminal next to the row. When we discovered that the rental box was almost $200/year and required an annual contract we opted to go with a personal mailbox.

We picked out one we thought would stand up to the elements and I had grand plans to paint our address on it with the same gold paint I used for my gold dipped wedges.

That idea quickly went down in flames when the stencil didn’t fit well and the first letter turned out like this.

My next option was to use my Silhouette, which still had to be unpacked and set up. So the next day I found the Silhouette and set it up along with the computer. I chose a simple font and measured the size I thought would look good, then arranged our name and address for the front flap.

Sorry, not sharing our address just for safety. :) — Sorry, not sharing our address just for safety. 🙂

Once the design was cut, I applied it to the front of the box, pulling off the excess vinyl and leaving behind the necessary text.

I was quite proud of my handi-work and went to show the hubs who noted that we didn’t have to put our name on the box, just the address. My response: “Oh.” I wasn’t about to tear off my hard work, so I just removed the name when I resized the same art or the side of the box.

BoxFinished — The un-distorted address really does look sharp. Wish I could share it with you all, but better safe than sorry.

Once my portion was done, the hubs rigged an extension for the row and added our mailbox at the head of the line. Come spring, when the ground thaws, we’ll install our own post, since we’re not sure how long the extension will hold up over time.

It’s simple, yet functional. I might jazz it up a little more later or I might forget about it and focus on other projects. Either way, we now have a spot to receive mail and that’s what really matters.

It’s Pantry Time!

Published on December 21, 2013December 24, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

The pantry was the second project on our to-do list upon moving in. It’s kind of necessary to have a space to store all your food before you can get the rest of the kitchen in order.

Although I had planned out the Master closet in detail, I hadn’t fully worked out the plan for the pantry, so the hubs and I sat down and thought about the types of food we’d be storing and how tall certain containers typically are. That helped determine the height needed for each shelf and then we just fit as many shelves as possible in the space we had.

The materials were fairly simple: prefab melamine boards and 1x2s. The hubs used the 1×2’s as cleats along the side and back walls, then cut the boards to size and placed them on top.

He secured each with screws into the cleats and then used his new Kreg Jig tool to join the two boards together where they met. There was a bit of trial and error, but overall it turned out pretty darn well.

The pantry also doubles as our recycling station, with containers for paper, plastic and cans on the floor along the back wall.

Because I’m a soda fiend, I knew I needed a can crusher or I’d be emptying that bin every week. We found this one for just $10.

The hubs mounted it on the wall inside the pantry, just above the trash can that holds the cans. It works really well, but we’ve discovered that if you dent the can just a bit it relieves a great deal of pressure, thus requiring less effort to completely crush the can. The dogs are still not fond of this strange new noise making device, but I’m loving the efficiency of it.

We also purchased a large galvanized trash can to hold the dog food so we didn’t have to squat down to scoop it out every time anymore. Now we just lean! This was the last can the store had and we got it for $5 off because of the dent in the lid, which when you put it on the right way is in the back under the shelf and not even noticeable anyway!

There was still room left over once I loaded everything in! Guess we’ll have to do some bulk shopping soon and put it to use! I still have some organizing to finish up in here and want to get some bins to hold onions and potatoes, but overall it’s done and functioning well, so we’re calling it finished for now.

Access to Down Below

Published on November 24, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

The access to our crawl space is located in the master closet. Although my plan is to put a rug over it, we wanted it to blend in with the other flooring, so we decided to cover it with the same material and apply a trim to the edges of the panel. (Please ignore the remnants of the removed builder shelving that wasn’t supposed to be installed – he forgot that we have our own highly efficient design, which we will install just before moving in.)

We replaced the OSB that was in place, as it was already bowed and starting to chip on the edges. Instead we used a solid piece of plywood which hubs cut to size and glued flooring planks to. Next he carved out a spot for the handle, so it would be recessed on the panel. Smart thinking since it will be underfoot everyday in our closet.

Although the covered panel blends in, the lip that it sits on was still visible and exposed so we decided to add some trim to the edges.

We got some threshold molding from the flooring store where the builder ordered our flooring material and miter cut it to fit the square. We didn’t need the extra strip of foam on the bottom since we weren’t using the pieces for a raised threshold, so hubs just sliced them off.

Without the extra strip of foam on the bottom the pieces lay flat on the panel which is what we want them to do. That will allow them to overlap the exposed lip gap, which is at the same level as the panel.

We planned to use both wood glue and small finishing nails, but the nail gun jammed and then malfunctioned, making the nail look more like a staple, so we decided to just use wood glue and clamp everything together.

Notice the builder’s mess surrounding our project? That’s just part of what I described in my post the other day. It seriously makes me itchy, but I’m overlooking it because I know it means progress is being made.

We left it to dry for a few days as other projects were being done around the house. It will soon be installed for the finished inspection. We didn’t initially plan to use the access panel much, but during our home inspection yesterday we realized that we’ll need to change the filters on our furnace and HRV which are in the crawl space, so it will probably see monthly use for a good portion of the year. That actually works out fine since the crawl space will also become home to my holiday storage, saving precious garage space! 🙂

DIY Glass Insulator Pendant Lights

Published on November 21, 2013August 26, 2015 by Jenna11 Comments

We knew we wanted something unique for the pendant lights over the bar in the kitchen, but weren’t sure exactly what that might be. I spotted this idea on Pinterest and immediately loved it. Surprisingly, so did the hubs who took me to an antique store he’d just discovered to pick out insulators for our project a few days later.

We also acquired some heirloom insulators from the hubby’s Aunt in Colorado during our road trip in September, so we had quite a selection to choose from. I set them all out and tried different combinations to decide which we liked best.

We hadn’t given the project much more thought since then as we were busy with other details and the house wasn’t ready for light fixtures just yet. But now that it is, we suddenly had to figure out how to make it happen and choose exactly which insulators to use.

And finally decided this was just right.

My handy dandy hubs found the right bit and snuck in time on a drill press at work to drill the holes. The first four drilled without a hitch, but then while drilling the last one it cracked!

We had a few others in the same color and size, but they all had pretty big chips, so that wonderful hubby of mine made another trip to the antique store and picked up two more for $9 each. He drilled both without a problem, but one did develop an internal crack. We decided to still use it since it added character, and that left us a spare in case any ever did meet an untimely fate and require being replaced.

We followed the tutorial from Pinterest and purchased the same materials to retrofit the pendant cords the builder installed.

It took a little trial and error to figure out the best method for removing the parts we didn’t need and reusing the parts we did, but the hubs made it happen – even though he was super tired!

Work — Notice that mess on the counter? That’s how the rest of the house looks too.. I think I have hives.. LOL

It also took a bit of adjusting to get them all at the same height, but they look awesome!

The builder thought we were nuts when we showed him what we were planning, and all he had to say when he saw the finished product was “It’s different. I’ve never seen that before.” But at this point, if it’s something he doesn’t have to do, he’s game.

The LED bulbs don’t put out much light at 0.6 wt, but the recess lighting in the main area of the kitchen supply plenty of light to cook by. They do make a nice ‘night light’ when on by themselves, so that’s probably how we’ll use them the most. We will be on the lookout for brighter bulbs that will fit, but for now these it the bill.

I just adore the finished result. Not only are they unique and repurposing something that is otherwise unused, but they bring a piece of family history to our new home.

Have you ever used old glass insulators for projects? If so, please share! We still have several and need some ideas.

Shared at Knick of Time’s Vintage Inspiration Party #203!

The Homestretch

Published on November 10, 2013November 10, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

It’s been a long, but very productive week at the house. The shower floor and threshold were poured, niche shelves were installed and a waterproofing coat was done to the drywall. Although we drew out where the decorative tile would go, we opted to make life easier on the tile guy and move it up a little from the niche so he can do a bullnose tile border around the shelves, then a full 12″ x 12″ tile and then the decorative tile. You can see the new line drawn below the shower head pipe. Above that will be one more 12″ x 12″ tile and another finishing bullnose tile. The floor will have a mosaic pattern with similar colors. The tile guy picked that part out without our input so that the shower floor can be slopped for drainage, but he did choose something that coordinates with what we chose, so we gave him the green light to proceed. He will also use a piece of the quartz we have as counter tops for the threshold top so that there are aren’t tile cuts showing on the edges.

The finisher also installed all of the windowsills. The nail holes still need to be caulked, but that will happen at the very end. He also installed shelving in all of the closets, which was not supposed to be done. I felt bad about them wasting time and money, but what they installed was not efficient use of the space – and that’s the exact reason we had that specific request included in our contract. We did save them some cost by choosing not to have crown molding in the master since we didn’t want the lights behind the molding, so I guess it balances out.

The hubs and I have spent a good deal of this week working on the flooring and are officially out of material until the second shipment arrives tomorrow or Tuesday. We were able to finish the main living area, the laundry room, start the hallway and do part of the master bedroom and a section into the master bath so the tile work on the tub and shower can be started.

The odd shapes in the Master bathroom have certainly proved challenging. That small piece in front of the tub and shower took three tries to get the right shape and joints! Luckily, all three were cut from scrap pieces I’ve been saving and categorizing as we’ve progressed. We’ve only had 1 or two mis-cut boards, which were then used in another spot by cutting the mistake off and using it for a starting board. So, overall we’ve had extremely little wasted material.

We’re loving how the floor is looking, even without the trim and lots of foot prints! The girls were in and out the back door the whole time we were working, tracking in snow from outside and it held up perfectly. You probably couldn’t even tell it was damp if it weren’t for all the dust still inside!

The counter tops were being cut while we were there working and we got to see them come in, one by one.

Notice their caulking warming station int he heat vent over by the door? I was actually pretty impressed with their resourcefulness.

The foreman asked if we wanted round or square sinks and since we didn’t have a preference other than that they be under-mounted, I told him to do whatever was easiest. He said the round was, but still laid both out with the counter for me to see before deciding. When he pointed out that the round sinks were also deeper that made the choice clear.

I didn’t think about the fact that the round shape means more counter space until I saw them in the space. Guess that was a good choice!

We left for a bit to get some dinner after we ran out of material, but stopped back by before heading home to see the progress. By then he had most of the counter tops in place and was working on the back splashes. The island is so long it has to have a seam on the bar top, so that’s why there is a bit of bare board on the end. The back splash on the island will go from the top of the inside counter to the bottom of the bar counter, which should be super easy to clean!

I’m loving the under-mount kitchen sink, which will have a single faucet head that doubles as a sprayer.

I was originally worried that the counters would be too dark or too orange, but combined with everything else they look fantastic.

Down the street, the new neighbors foundation is in, as is their well and septic. They are obviously trying to get things up going before winter sets in.

But they may be a little too late since all this came down while we were on-site yesterday.

And because I forgot to put up the window I’d had down for the dogs on the ride in, we took some of it with us…

Please ignore the lovely hole my fur-babies have started in my seat. We’ve decided to just let it go and replace that chair once it’s fully destroyed, since seat covers didn’t prevent it from ripping in the first place. 😦

Our First Offical New House DIY Project!

Published on November 6, 2013November 6, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

I promised a post about our flooring installation, so here it is. It’s been a little slow going because we can only go to the house in the evenings after work, but we’ve made pretty darn good progress in just 3 days. The first night we rented a drum sander from Home Depot and sanded all of the subfloor joints and any spots that had high spots from other portions of construction. Of course, prep work begets prep work and before we could start sanding we had to cut off the excess plastic sheathing installed on the exterior walls as part of the energy efficiency, which you saw in this post.

This stuff was applied with a super sticky and gooey tar-like substance that has been very annoying to clean and work around at the base of the walls. We could have laid the flooring over top of the portion on the floor, but with all the paint, mud and texture residue on the plastic it just wasn’t a good idea, especially since the flooring warranty could be voided if there is any under layment.

Next up was sweeping all of the dust and debris to be vacuumed with the shop vac. There was a LOT of dust and a good bit of debris…

Once the floor was vacuumed, the hubs started sanding. At first he did the whole area but we soon realized that wasn’t necessary so he focused on the seams of the subflooring and anything that had a high spot.

We started installing the next evening. Each piece has a tongue and groove edge so that it locks into the piece next it on either side without use of any adhesive. And without need for an underlayment, it can be installed right over the subfloor, as we did.

It took us a while to find a ‘system’ with the material, but once we did it went fairly smoothly. The hardest part was getting those first few rows down so there was something locking the other pieces into place. There’s been a slight learning curve and a few ‘dang it’ moments, over all we’ve not had any major hang ups. Here’s what things looked like near the end of the first night of installation.

We had the dogs with us while on site and were pleased that they stayed out of the way for the most part. Granted that’s likely because they’d been to Doggie Day Camp and the groomer that day, and were just plain tuckered out. Sangria decided she’d hide out in the pantry since it was the one area we weren’t walking through.

A nearby lot was recently purchased and they have begun clearing for construction. As we left that evening, I was stunned to see that they not only burned the trees cleared rather than grinding them back into the dirt like our builder did, but they left the smouldering pile glowing unattended! I have a sneaking suspicion I’m not going to be crazy about this neighboring project, but I’m trying to reserve judgment until I meet actual people…

The hubs had a light schedule at work today, so he left early to go work on the flooring without me and spent most of the day there. He made pretty good progress, including some difficult ‘tight spot’ pieces that took extra time to cut. Here’s what it looks like now (sorry for the phone pics, but it’s all he had with him, since the ‘photographer’ wasn’t around).

Dining room done into the laundry room and the edge of the kitchen.

Unfortunately we got a call from the flooring store saying there was some ‘mix up in Seattle’ and the other half of our flooring wasn’t shipped until TODAY! It was supposed to already be here, so this is quite a set back. It’s now supposed to arrive Monday or Tuesday and then has to sit on site for at least 1 day before it can be installed. We’re not sure yet how the will impact the overall completion schedule, but we’ll continue working with what we do have until we run out in an effort to keep things as on time as possible.

Inching Toward the Finish Line

Published on November 3, 2013 by JennaLeave a comment

As anticipated the November 1 closing date has come and gone without the house being ready. We’ve signed an amendment to extend the deadline, but it’s still going to be tight to get everything done. The hubs and I went to sand the sub floor in preparation for installing the flooring on Saturday, but found painting and cabinet installation in full swing when we arrived, so we weren’t able to get anything done. We did unload the half order of flooring the vendor had in stock so it could acclimate on site for the recommended two days. The remainder should arrive tomorrow or Tuesday, so we’ll have to let that acclimate on site as well before installing it.

We had a meeting with the foreman and the realtors today to go over the timeline for the new closing date of December 1. We will work on the flooring every evening this week, and the master bathroom tile should be installed in the next few days so we can finish flooring around that at the end. Then the following week all of the finish work will be done – trim, doors, electrical outlets, paint touch up, etc. The should put us at 95% complete for the appraisal the week before Thanksgiving.

The power line has finally been installed, so there is electric to the house now. They ended up having to take a few more trees out at the end of the driveway to run the line, but getting power to the house is worth it.

You can see the small green box to the side of the house. That’s our electrical pedestal. That side of the house is getting pretty crowded with pips and utility features, so I’ll have to figure out some landscaping beyond my rain garden (which will have a retaining wall made from those tires) to hide them next season.

Inside, things are finally starting to look like the finished vision we’ve had all along. The cabinets look great with the paint color and the tile coordinates perfectly as well. Hopefully I’ll have pictures of that later this week, once it’s installed.

The counter tops are on-site and ready to be installed once the final tweaks are done on the cabinets.

I tested out the flooring next to the cabinets just to get a feel for it, and I’m pretty happy – even with the dusty paw prints! I plan to attempt documenting the install over the course of the week and share that, so stay tuned!

Who Knew?!

Published on November 2, 2013 by Jenna1 Comment

So, the other day the hubs comes home with permanent marker on his NEW work shirt. I didn’t ask any questions and said I’d see what I could do. Of course my first resource was Pinterest, where I found over and over again that hand sanitizer would cure this particular problem. Really? I figured it was worth a shot so the next day I tested the advice – and it WORKED!

I didn’t expect this to be a post so I didn’t take a before picture, but I did take one after the first application of sanitizer and then again after the second. In the first you can just barely see where the spot was because it had lightened that much!

After the third application I couldn’t see it at all!

I washed and dried as normal and the shirt looks great – which makes me happy because I really liked that shirt on the hubs! J So next time you face this problem, grab that bottle of sanitizer, dab and rub until it’s gone.