Closet Remodel Continued

Now Playing: Weezer - Perfect Situation

I know it doesn't look like much now, but there was so much wasted space before that I thought a closet organizational system was well worth it. Alison's help has really shaped my design. She made me look on the internet for space-saving designs, and it was eye-opening.
You can see the wasted space, and then the mess that is currently the closet.

Progress Log: New Closet Doors

We've gone from 48" mirrored folding doors to 36" two-door six-panel. Alison got into it too, priming the back of the armoire, cutting away some drywall, pounding in some nails, and unscrewing the door (twice) after I built myself into being trapped inside the closet. It was a lot of fun to have her working with me. I just wish the doors would have cooperated as much. They just didn't want to get plum. The bottoms of the doors liked to swing out, as you can see in this picture.

Drawers

I built the frame an even 30" inside width. Add on 2X5/8ths board and you've got 28&3/4". Incorporate drawer rollers that total 1" thick with only 1/32" play, and we're at 27&3/4". Exactly the width of the drawers from the dresser that mom gave me when Alison and I got married.

Then go to Habitat for Humanity and find cabinet doors that are that same 30" tall, flip them on their sides, and mount them to the drawers, and you've got this: Next in is the casing (trim) and the counter-top. For the counter top I'm thinking a re-used piece of marble countertop. I've got to find 30 inches of it. Then shelves, then doors, the list goes on. BUT, it's coming together just fine.

A Big Girl!

Buying a new table saw made me feel like a little girl. I must of stood there for 45 minutes, pacing back and forth between models. That was after the two-days of internet shopping, and the almost decision to go with Craftsman. (I went to the local sears and saw that it was a big piece of crap!)

I finally decided on a Hitachi. It got good reviews, has rollers and collapsable but sturdy legs, a big table, etc, for a good price. I had to downgrade from the model I really wanted because I thought it just wasn't worth another hundred dollars.

I came home with a huge smile on my face. I can't wait to use it!!!

Bathroom Built-In

I've been hard at work, remodeling our Master-bath and closet. Here's the idea in my head for the built-in I'm creating. It'll be in the bathroom, to give more storage, a place to 'work' from, etc.

Pictures of progress are here:

Recently Discovered the Blues/Thanks Colin

As the title says, the Blues genre has a new fan. I guess it all started when I discovered John Hiatt via a movie we watched last year. John's talented, but only one song really targeted the type I wanted to hear more of. That song? "Feels Like Rain."

Fast Forward a year, and Alison and I were in the same living room, watching "the Skeleton Key." It was a combination of the sites and music (which was a folk-type blues) that triggered the throught in me: "Holy crap, I'm a blues fan." I guess it's a feeling that the music fits my environment while driving. The lowcountry is solemn, inciteful, expressive, honest, and sometimes creepy.

For those that know me, and this thought just occured to me, this could seem like the natural evolution from Smashing Pumpkin's uber-melancholic meddlies. Ahhh, but here's the song for today: John Lee Hooker - 'Graveyard Blues'. Anyone have some more single-guitar or harmonica blues music for me?

On a side note, my brother-in-law gave me two CD's entitled 'Songs with People Screaming in the background' before I left Florida. I was skeptical at first, and who wouldn't be expecting a thrash-metal and mosh compilation? But knowing Colin, I figured it'd be more eclectic than that. I was right. And I used them today for my BBQ. Thanks, Colin. I spruced them up as you can see here:

Only one thing: Accapella Vanilla Ice????

Glad to be a T

Thomas is a historical name. Tom is too boring. Tommy's too italian. But T, now I'm glad my name starts with that. Great words begin with the letter T. Think of them all. Verb T's include think and tell; cheery T's include terrific and tremendous (don't dwell on terrible); Qualities of being T's include tall, tan and thin; Cool things that are T's include tanks, trucks, trees, timber, tubs and tele-everything; and there's the absolute T total. Okay, there was that one T tubular. But really, that went away as fast as it could.

Happy Valentine's Day to my lady, lady letter A.

The vacation to Grandma's and Grandpa's was just what I needed. I just needed to get away. I put on my uniform tonight and it felt weird. For six months it was my skin. Now it's foreign.

Look at some photo's here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=rp3d47m.3cufukii&Uy=-9tyav9&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0'>http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=rp3d47m.3cufukii&Uy=-9tyav9&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0">http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=rp3d47m.3cufukii&Uy=-9tyav9&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0 , or be content with this one of me fooyaying ("phoo-yay-ying") at Alison's Dad's.

More Pictures Available

000_0101
Originally uploaded by This Cat Tom.

If you'd like to see more pictures from the house, you can see them on Flickr.

100% Completion

Day Four: Finish work from days 1 to 3. See? I'm adjusted. No more 90% completion. The gutters got a good workout today from a heavy downpoor. I went to Habitat for Humanity, only to be disappointed in finding the plantation shutters I'd waited so long to find were 18 instead of 17. It wasn't until I was home and it was after 5 that I realized 18's would work. The trim would have to be adjusted... but it's going to work. I've just got to buy them tomorrow morning before they're gone. IF THEY'RE NOT ALREADY.

Here's 100% completion:

I hate wiggly shower heads

So the title says. It's plain annoying that you have to grab the neck to turn the head. It becomes a two-hand process. I worry someone won't be as smart and I'll have a pipe that finally broke off.

I cut a hole in the wall to finally fix ours in the bathroom. The retaining fixture had nails driven in either side, but only half way. Then they were bent over themselves. It held place but gave jiggle. So I'm now wondering: Is it supposed to have play? Anyone? Beuller?

I screwed that retainer in so hard that a monkey could swing from the neck and the water would still hit the very same tiny marks on the shower floor.

Day Three: Counter-Flashing and Bathroom

So I FINALLY completed the counter-flashing on the chimney. Did a pretty good job compared to my other half (done prior-to deployment). I figured out some little tricks such as: bricks to hold the flashing while the cement/tar set up, special bends to make the aluminum flashing customize to brick and regular-flashing, and LOTS OF TAR.


Then I got down on the bathroom. Alison started it while I was away. I came up with some new ideas. 1) Shelves/Cubby behind/above shower 2) built-in vanity (like an armoir) 3) yeah... new tub. Love to sand old popcorn ceilings... yep.