The master is almost finished

As many of you may recall, we were thrown into replacing a wall in the master bedroom and worked with Tom Kelly, of Kelly Plaster, to fix cracks in the walls that had been poorly repaired in the past. He recommended that we wait 21 days, for material cure-time, before we primed and painted the surfaces. That gave us plenty of time to pick a color that we both agreed on and do some demo on the old trim in the space.

We chose a color near Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage and had it mixed in Valspar Signature. Consumer reports had rated the paint highly and we had great experiences throughout the rest of the house (good flow and coverage), so we stuck with it. On Tom's direction, we painted the fresh plasterwork with two coats of primer (we once again chose Valspar) and waited. The white spots you see are actually where, after painting the trim, pulling off the painter's tape peeled off the finish back down to the plaster. Let me tell you, that was not a pleasant experience...

I guess in classic fashion, I was wondering who I could yell at about it. I figure that Tom knows when plaster cures, so that shouldn't cause the issue. I used two coats of primer and the premium Valspar paint. The primer didn't say, on the can or otherwise, that it couldn't be used over this material; but in the end the finish failed. Despite that, you might even say that the tape maker (it was 3M) maybe made the batch too sticky...who knows. Bottom line, it slowed us down and I wrote some terse e-mails (more because if I managed the products, I would want to know if homeowners were having issues). We'll see how they respond.

Much in the theme of many of our completed rooms we created custom plinth blocks to accommodate the low outlets (as a reminder, the outlet height cannot be fixed easily because they are sunk into the concrete block walls) while doing the new baseboard trim.

This was also the first room that I did returns in on the ends of the moulding to give it a little more flair, since it is the master. The trim was done with the Festool Kapex KS120 Mitre Saw, which diminishes the instances of tearout with a smooth action. Like the rest of the rooms that we did,we used a MDF trim that, being a painted, was a great solution because it reduced the possibility of swell or shrinkage post installation and allows for a consistent and smooth finish.

An additional challenge to the master bedroom was the fact that it abutted to the bathroom and shared a wall with the bathtub (the same wall that was bad news earlier when the wall was rotted due to tub leakage). Because of this wetwall (where the showerhead and drain pipe was behind a wall in the closet) being behind a closet wall we needed a quick access solution. We (actually Ben) designed a faceframe and access panels to accommodate this. It had previously been some drywall that was faling apart and just screwed into whatever, which was, at times, nothing. the faceframe was made from 1x2 boards that were double stacked and ripped to create insets. The faceframe insets hold cabinet grade birch plywood boards that we custom cut to fit with stainless screws to hold them in place and window-sash hardware on the tops to enable quick access. The panels were screwed into the faceframe and in-place when the frame was installed to better ensure that the frame did not rack and cause panel securing issue later on. We still need to prime and paint the access panels.

We'll be moving in soon. Keep tuned in for more updates!

The dads and the nephews

Before the updates begin, I want to say we are up to NINE followers. How exciting! If you regularly read our posts, don't be afraid to follow our blog. It's lonely in Bedford and we like to think we have friends somewhere in the U.S. We appreciate all of your support and user comments, so keep them coming.

Since our last entry, we've made some progress on the house, but not as much as we intended. In mid-July, we took some time off to visit our nephew Lucas in Chicago. Lucas turned one and is just adorable! Some highlights of the trip included taking pictures in a large duck cutout that Mark made, watching Lucas tear into his cake, and enjoying a competitive family game of corn hole on the back patio. Our gift to Lucas was a rocking dinosaur named Danny, which the little guy really seemed to enjoy. We'll see if Lucas becomes a competitive bull rider or a leading paleontologist. Either career probably could be attributed to Danny. 

Back at the house, Ben tackled the exposed framing/wiring located at the top of our fiberglass tub surround by installing Durock (cement board). Before the walls were rebuilt in the master bedroom and in the hallway, Ben carefully inserted blue rigid foam insulation between the framing to help reduce the sound of the shower in the master bedroom. Speaking from experience, this was a much needed addition to our house as before it felt like you were showering with the person in the bath, even though you were still in bed.

Overall, the installation of the Durock went well! It's nice not to shower while looked at wiring. We still need to tile above the shower, which maybe we'll get to this month. You'll notice that we've created a nice system of blocking off the shower in between repairs (tarp + tape + cardboard = safe tub), a process that we may patent in the future.

In late July, our dads came to visit. Karl (Ben's dad) came first bring tiding of joy, otherwise known as two six-packs of beer. Karl helped Ben fix our crooked wall. Ben, the master shim maker, had attempted to make the repairs himself but Karl suggested that in addition to shims, perhaps the drywall needed modification as well. The end result is perfection - a far cry from the warped unplane wall of the past. Additionally, Ben added back part of the lower wall by the sink, which makes the room feel a little more complete.

When Mike (Tiff's dad) arrived, he also brought tidings of joy, but in the form of a wine bottle. Do our dads know us or what? While Ben worked on repairing the ceiling, ripping up more flooring in the bath and patching some concrete, my father and I attacked the backyard going after Japanese Honeysuckle like the force of Target preparing for undergraduate students returning to Bloomington. Though we diminished our privacy in the process, the honeysuckle is wounded and we will attack again to make sure it dies. Speaking of death, upon our return to our house, it seems that our grass perished due to the heatwave that hit the midwest, so we bought sprinklers. It'll be a long slow road to recovery, I'm afraid.

To avoid the unpleasant visits of the Roto man who routinely pays us unplanned visits only on romantic holidays (e.g. our last anniversary and on Valentine's Day) we decided it might be best NOT to be at our house on our anniversary and headed out to Oregon to visit our new 9-week old nephew Morgan in Oregon. The trip was a total surprise for me because it was truly a vacation! I thought that I'd have plenty of time to work, but Ben definitely had an agenda planned. When we arrived, Steve (Ben's brother) showed us around Portland, we tried some microbrewed beers, saw beautiful homes up in the hills, and I picked up a kelly green tablecloth for ND tailgates (Go Irish!). The next day, we headed out on a beautiful long drive to a lodge in the high desert of Sisters, Oregon. Steve, Abby (our sister-in-law), and Morgan joined us that evening. We dined at the microbrew pub onsite and went hiking the following morning. During our hike we discovered there was a serious forest fire in the area, but far enough away where we didn't need to be too concerned. We played in Sisters for another day and on our way home, Ben and I visited Bend, OR where we sampled beer at a local brewery. Later that evening, we also met with Ben (Turbo) Zoladz, his wife Mary and their kids for some appetizers and beers at the Flat Tail brewery, and the kids are getting BIG. The following day Steve took us around the Willamette Valley to sample Pinot Noir while Abby and Morgan recovered from the outing in Sisters at home. We ended up buying several bottles of wine and are happy to report the bottles made it home safely. The next day, we packed up everyone in Steve and Abby's Scion (including Sally the Lab) and headed out to the coast, where we ate amazing seafood, watched male seals fight on the pier, went to the Rogue brewery, and visited the beach. The last day of our trip was made complete with another tour of Portland (where we dropped by the Deschutes brewpub).

A great week away and we're back at it. Stay tuned for more updates on the renovation!

Restoring historical character (by accident)

It's amazing that a month has already gone by since the walls first came down. We are happy to report that our plaster contractor, Tom Kelly, is finished with his magic as he repaired the walls in the master bedroom, closet, and hallway. It is so nice to have walls back again, even if bathroom might be missing a few (more on that later). The curing time for plaster to set fully takes 21 days, so we'll probably be able to start painting the bedroom sometime in August. If you are interested in visiting our home in the future, just hang tight. Though completing a bedroom is a step in the right direction, you'll probably find your stay more enjoyable when the bathroom is finished as well.

So what's going on in the bath, you may ask? Well, 60% of the flooring is up, all the wall paper is down, and the wall areas where the tile will go are currently awaiting the application of cement board (Note - you can view Ben in action tearing out the walls by viewing the picture at the left). Currently Ben is in the process of building out the wall behind the vanity to ensure the wall is plumb before we put up the cement board and tile. We have all the wall tile now in our possession and just need to get the grout and tile tools purchased and we'll be ready to go in that respect. The floor tiles have been purchased and should arrive mid-July.

In the meantime, I would like to briefly share some history about our walls. It would seem that when the bathroom was remodeled, someone didn't want to bother with the prepping process, lucky us. Just so you can visualize this situation, the walls were originally a light sea foam green, followed by a pink mauve, neutralized later by a light sand color, and then topped off with a skim of drywall and a layer of white paint. The issue I have is not with the layers of paint themselves, but rather, the skim of drywall and the paint job that followed. In the process of removing the wallpaper and sanding, we noticed that some sections of paint literally peeled off of the wall like plastic. As you can tell from the close-up picture of the wall (which I enhanced in Photoshop for viewing purposes), various layers of paint form an exterior that is so varied you may be reminded of your local roads or perhaps the lunar surface. As if the peeling paint were not enough, there are also a few typical hairline cracks by the edges of the windows and a nice thin vertical crack behind the toilet. Once you consider that we're also dealing with various materials on the walls (both drywall and plaster), you'll see why we have a bit of a mess on our hands. The lack of prep work on the part of the former owners means that we'll have to fix the walls like the pros. Our plan (which is based on the folks at Fine Homebuilding) is to: 

1. Patch the cracks in the plaster (Done - thanks Tom!)
2. Clean the walls with TSP
3. Sand the walls with an orbital sander
4. Clean the walls of dust
5. Put down a coat of drywall sealer
6. Adhere three foot strips of fiberglass mesh tape around the entire room (with 1" overlap)
7. Carefully layer one thin coat of all-purpose drywall mud over the fiberglass mesh
8. Wait 24 hours for mud to dry and then fill/sand spots that need to be addressed
9. Repeat Step 7
10. Repeat Step 8
11. Prime
12. Paint

So, although we could have done what the former owners did (e.g. install uneven drywall and hide shoddy prep work with wallpaper), we happen to have a conscious and will make this situation right again.

Speaking of righting a wrong, it would seem that our little bathroom originally contained a half-tiled wall behind the vanity. Within the wall, we discovered pieces of the original tile, which Ben models so well in the photograph. We still have one tile precariously glued to a copper pipe, perhaps installed as a shim by the original builder. The tile was a lovely turquoise/sea foam green, very typical of the 1950's. Ben and I find it humorous that we are basically restoring the wall to its original design. Here is a side-by-side comparison photo of the two tiles. Pretty neat, huh?

It's official: We are an episode of Holmes on Homes (only without Holmes)

If you read our last post, you'll remember the our master bedroom/hallway wall repairs is on hold due to our "wait and see" experiment in the tub, which seems to be holding up well with no leaks in sight! Given our lack of progress in the master, Ben and I moved inside of the bathroom and decided to start stripping the wallpaper. Why might you ask? Here are a few reasons:

1. The wallpaper was going to be damaged anyway when we installed cement board around the tub.
2. Wallpaper in a bathroom is a bad idea (moisture causes the seams to rise).
3. Though the wallpaper wasn't horrible (we did live with it for 10 months), we didn't like it. 
4. The wallpaper was hiding bumps and crevices (thus we felt compelled to investigate).
5. When Ben changed out fixtures last year, it was damaged due to the different placement of items.

Armed with over a gallon of "piranha" wallpaper removal goo, we set to work. The steam method, which Ben perfected in the hallway, wasn't going to work in the bath due to the drywall, so we knew we had to turn to the wet sticky stuff. As we worked our way around the bath, we removed the trim boards, the sink, and all fixtures on the wall. Once the trim came off, we noticed that our vinyl tile was not stuck to the concrete slab as we thought, but was adhered to luan plywood instead. Immediately, my paranoia internal button went off and I panicked. What did I do? Internet research, of course! Not only is luan the cheapest plywood you can buy, I also learned that it should never be used in a bath. Awesome. Without too much convincing, Ben agreed to move a large section of flooring in front of the tub as I was certain the luan plywood underneath the vinyl tile was probably rotten and starting to mold. Although Ben wanted to chisel out the floor, I convinced Ben to use his Festool TS-75 (also known as a plunge-cut saw) under the condition that I would clean any adhesive that stuck to the blade.

Side note: Before Ben cut the floor, as we moved around the bathroom removing wallpaper, we discovered that beneath the luan plywood was vinyl sheet flooring in a lovely faux wood pattern (as if there isn't enough in the kitchen already), which was stuck to a cream vinyl sheet flooring. Just to recap the flooring from the ground up:

• Base layer: Concrete slab
• Layer 1: Cream vinyl sheet flooring
• Layer 2: Faux wood vinyl sheet flooring
• Layer 3: Laun plywood
• Layer 4: Vinyl tile

Ben and I realized we had a decision to make: Fix the luan plywood by the tub or rip out the floor? Neither Ben nor I wanted to rip out the floor, so we opted for the quick fix. We had extra vinyl tile in the garage, so we knew we could repair anything we removed.

Although Ben only intended to cut through the vinyl tile and plywood (see image where Ben is smiling before he sawed through the floor), he accidentally cut through the faux wood layer. When he ripped up the flooring, we discovered mold, which is noticeable in the various dark blobs in the picture to your left. This was not just any mold, mind you, but the sort where you envision mold wars transpiring between the layers. Oh, and the smell was awful, as you can imagine.

As soon as that large piece of flooring came up, we knew the floors had to come out. Since Ben had a project to complete for work, I put on the respirator, took out a hammer, a scraper, put on earplugs, and went to work. Three hours later, I had cleared a space of about 5 feet by 16". Removing layers of vinyl flooring is (expletive, expletive) work. Though the labor was intense and my arm went numb at points, it was satisfying to know that the worst of the mold was gone and no longer near the tub.

The bath, in its current state, is free of wallpaper (except behind the toilet) and 40% of flooring is removed. Much to Ben's delight, he remember he owned the Festool LS 130 with a scraper attachment (an electronic floor scraper for all those who don't know the Festool lingo). Needless to say, when Ben went into do floor removal, he was able to clear a section of flooring in about an hour compared to my three. Thanks Ben for letting me know that you had that tool before I scrapped up the floor by hand. I appreciate that.

So where to go from here? Well, since the bathroom is practically gutted, we decided what the hell, let's do a budget-minded remodel. Ben does work for a cabinet company after all and knows how use 20-20 software for work, so he can make a 3D version of our bath using the exact specs of the product we intend to buy. We'll post his sketch-up of the new bath soon, but in the meantime, check out what we've decided on for the look of the bath remodel.

Cabinets: Aristokraft Teagan in Sarsaparilla

Floor tile: It's a gray porcelain tile that mimics concrete (Style: Etch, Color: Nero)

Wall tile - American Olean Earthenware Spa Glass Glazed Ceramic Tile (bought on clearance at Lowe's!). This tile will go around the fiberglass tub surround and will also serve as wainscoting on two walls.

Sink - Koehler Ladena(TM) Undercounter Lavatory in White

Ben found a guy who manufactures limestone countertops in our area, so that's what we'll be using in the bath. If you have any ideas/feedback on what we've picked out thus far, don't be afraid to leave a comment at the end of this post. We love our blog readers -- all three of you :-)

Cue the music: "And the walls came tumblin' down. . "

Where to begin. . .

Being the multi-taskers that we are, we thought it might be a good time to finally get the cracks in the master bedroom fixed. Just to jog your memory (or if you're new to our blog), shortly after we moved in, we noticed cracks in the master bedroom reemerging. As they grew bigger, we began to grow more nervous and eventually hired a structural engineer from Indy to come down and assess the situation. In short, he told us our back-corner foundation issue was due to the neighbor's maple and we should get that cut down asap, get the cracks fixed and repaired by professionals, and tuckpoint the parts that need work on the exterior of the home. We got the maple cut down right away, but we couldn't get the bedroom cracks patched because the room was FULL of storage. During the late winter months, we slowly moved items out and once I finished teaching for the summer, I started calling plaster contractors to get bids.

We ended up going with a company called Kelly Plastering. Not to brag about them, but Tom Kelly (and his brother Tim) are PASSIONATE about plaster. These guys LOVE the stuff and are superior craftsmen. I highly recommend Tom and Tim (also known as Slick) to anyone in the Bedford/Bloomington area. Since repairing the plaster was a one man job, Tom started working solo in the bedroom on Thursday June 10. About two hours into the job I hear, "Tiffany, could you come here for a second?" So, I walk over to the bedroom and Tom says, "Your wall is rotted out. Look, it's just coming out in huge chunks."

After a contemplative pause, I quietly said to Tom, "Tom, I'm going to call my husband. I think it's best if you give this news to Ben." Tom graciously explained the situation to Ben and then we got to work. I sprang into action becoming Tom's sidekick. As he ripped down the walls, I started to move the debris into black bags. I will add that before the cracks emerged in our walls, we had new carpet put into the bedroom, so as you look at the demo picture to your left, keep in mind brand new carpet is dwelling underneath the rubble and dust.

As noted in the picture of a close-up of the wood, not only was a majority of the frame rotten, (surprise!) it seems that there was termite damage at some point. Had there been live termites (that SWARM mind you when disturbed), I would have screamed, so I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that as well. I should add that though the little guys were present in the past, the house is primarily composed of cement blocks and limestone. Given there is practically no wood in the framing in the main portion of the house, I hope that the termites that once visited us are happily munching away on some other home.

Tom and I completely demoed the wall and rebuilt the frame. While Tom worked and I grabbed the various tools that he needed, introducing him to Festool products along the way. I think the Kapex (the compound sliding miter saw) sold him on the system. Before Tom left at the end of the day, he let me know that in the morning he was going to bring his brother to finish out the plaster job while he repaired the walls.

That night, when Ben came home, we worked until 1 a.m. cleaning up the master bedroom area. We re-secured the plastic protective sheets to the wall and Ben did more demo work (as there was some mold behind the back of the tub). Exhausted and dirty, we both took long showers. On Friday morning, Ben took a shower and went to work. Shortly after he left, Tom and Slick arrived. Although I was upset that Ben had showered in the morning (seeing as how Tom and I were going to demo out the drywall that had been installed around the tub in lieu of cement board - don't even get me started on that), I'm really glad that Ben showered because Tom discovered that our tub was leaking! Tom and I didn't catch the leak the day before because the leak was so small, but any leak behind a bathroom wall is deadly. The cause of the leak, you ask? Well, it turns out that the tub wasn't level due to an oversized plumbing access hole.
Let's just say, I'm surprised the tub didn't fall into a hole (though it would have made for an interesting blog post). In addition to the lack of support, the tub lacked effective caulk. Though silcone caulk had been used when the tub was assembled (fyi - we have a two piece tub/shower unit), the caulk probably gave way when people were standing in the shower. Rather than buy a new unit, Slick suggested we try to fix the tub, so Tom secured the base for us and caulked the interior seams. Notice the steel support beam below the tub's feet. Once the tub was repaired, we just had to wait 2-4 days for the caulk to cure. No inconvenience there.

Before I end this particular post, I should note that Tom and Slick did an awesome job with the plaster repair in the rest of the room. It's really a fascinating process. You can use steel support mesh to help secure the walls that have severe cracks (see pic) and then plastering is completed in a two part process. First you apply a thick almost concrete looking layer over the wire mesh and once the plaster sets firm to the touch, a thin coat layer is added. The plaster must dry for 21 days before it can be painted. Now, since the back of the bathroom wall still needs to be done, which will probably be later this week or next, I anticipate we'll get the room painted sometime late July. On the bright side, at least we'll have PLENTY of time to pick out paint colors. I've added an image of the finished plaster work just so you can see what the finished wall repair looks like at the moment. Again, they did an amazing job.

TEASER -- Check back again soon as if you think our situation is bad right now, wait until you read the next post. We're just gettin' started. . .

The Great Outdoors - Part I

Ben and I spend the majority of May tackling the yard. We started on an optimistic note before we got our hands dirty. After weeks of Ben hinting at his desire to get an outdoor patio set, I conceded. We hit a combo of Target and Bed, Bath, & Beyond to make our little set, which includes an umbrella stand, a cute red umbrella (with a cover, so it remains red), a glass table, four chairs, and even two lounging chairs, though we haven't used the lounging chairs yet as there is too much to do on the house to sunbathe (and I'm also allergic to the sun -- details, details).

The same weekend that Ben and I purchased the patio stand, Carol and Ray came to visit. Carol graciously helped us plant beautiful lilies, Gerber daisies, ornamental grass, and Lily of the Valley in our backyard. Ray and Carol were visiting so that Ray could serve as an expert witness for Ben's ticket from his accident in January. The charges were eventually dropped (just as an FYI), but Ben still had to pay the court fees, so in the end he saved about $30 from the original cost of the ticket!

The following weekend we started by cutting back the middle spreading bush. Ben discovered that the city provides composting bins and that for a mere $27, you can have the city cart away your yard waste all summer long.
With our new bin in hand, we went at the deadly beast and filled the bin to the top after only cutting back HALF of the bush! The before and after pictures don't do the immensity of the project justice. We'll finish trimming the front bushes sometime this summer, we hope.

Ben and I wanted to add a little color to the front of the house so we bought some Azalea plants (a pink flowering bush that is just beautiful) and Hostas (to go in between the bushes) for our planter that has been empty since last summer. Ben carefully planted the fine beauties in the proper mix of soil as instructed by the master gardener at Lowe's. Well, wouldn't you know it, it POURED on Ben while he was working and the Azaleas started to lose their flowers within two weeks. Ben searched online and discovered Azaleas don't like their roots to be in the sun, so Ben bought some nifty rubber mulch which provided the plants much needed relief and they recovered well from the sun trauma.

Now that the front yard was starting to look better, the weather turned warmer and we realized it was time to do something about our air conditioning. You see, the air worked last summer, but it wasn't all that great and we even had an AC repair guy visit us last August, at which time he informed us that we had a leak in our line and that we ought to get it fixed, so at the beginning of May, we started getting bids. By the time we hired a contractor around mid-May, it was HOT outside (and, consequently, inside). Being the good home owners that we are, we replaced our 40 to 50 year old furnace as well since it was only working at about 65% efficiency. Our contractor (Richard and his two sons) worked on installing the units during the Memorial day weekend at no extra charge. Though this is by far the most expensive thing we've done to the home as of yet, it was worth every dime (plus, we'll get about a third of the cost back on rebates and tax credits). The cold air efficiency is just bliss. Really, you must visit to experience the joy.

On Sunday of Memorial weekend (since it was too hot to stay in the house anyway), Ben and I addressed the back of the yard, in particular, the bushes that line our property. I was disturbed by the amount of trees that were growing between the bushes and thought we needed to cut those out before Ben trimmed the bushes back. Just like the front spreader, we filled up a compost bin in no time, so we utilized the empty box from the furnace to keep cutting away. When Tuesday rolled around, I bought another compost bin since our yard obviously requires it. I also researched invasive plants and it seems we were blessed with Japanese Honeysuckle, which though pretty and lovely to smell, will overcome your bushes, kill them, and then refuse to die even though you may try everything in your power to destroy the plant. The honeysuckle had already started killing our bushes, so you'll notice off to the right how much thinner they are in appearance after we cleared off the overgrowth on the top. We still have MUCH more landscaping to do, but the honeysuckle must wait for the moment. Just wait to you read the next blog post!

Back at the renovatin'!

Note - this is a post that Ben started mid-March, so I (Tiff) will leave what he wrote and then add to it.

[Begin Ben's post]: I bet all of you loyal followers have missed us...that is if we had loyal followers. Honestly, it would probably help if we didn't "not blog" for months at a time. What can we say...renovation interferes with everything, including updating people on what you have renovated. We have a lot to cover to get you up to speed.

Since the end of the year/beginning of the year, we have made a lot of progress actually in different areas of the home. We finished painting the (currently library, to become the laundry room) a wonderful yellow that Tiffany feels really brightens up the space. It also helped to loosen up my left a bit after the accident and generally felt like we were making a lot of progress by updating another singular space in the home. Little things mean a lot when you are renovating...trust us!

We have also made a lot of progress in terms of stripping wallpaper in the house. [End of Ben's post]

What Ben means to say is that the hallway wallpaper, a very charming country plaid, came down. I should add that above the half wall of plaid wallpaper, there was a border that said, "God bless this house." Though a very apt saying given the joys we've experienced this year, it too went down and came off easily, so I apologize that it's not visible in the photo. In addition to taking down the beloved decor in the hallway, Ben installed a new small ceiling fan. It's a bit addictive. Once you install one nice fan, you start to see how bad the others look and slowly (one by one), they all change.

Outside of shoveling snow and working in the garage, not too much work could be done outside during the winter. I also should add that Ben rebuilt the shelving in the garage and organized the shop (the portable heater comes in handy during those cold days).

Onward to more exciting posts!

Catching up the blog...small projects around Christmas and a bang-up 2010

LOYAL FOLLOWERS (The few of you there are), it's been awhile since we last posted about the house and progress. We still are working...honestly. Before the holidays we had a few other priorities (e.g. making sure we got presents for everyone) and taking the time make some advent trees for Tiffany's Brother and Sister. The trees were a labor of love and created from pictures of the advent tree that Tiffany's family had growing up. The trees were handcut with an extremely thin blade on my Festool jigsaw for scrolling and the finish was hand applied (including the little flowers...which I didn't know I had in me). These are the things that take longer than you anticipate, but are well worth it in the end.

Christmas was a great time with Family. My wife (and her father, who split the gift) spoiled me with a Bosch 10" 15 amp tablesaw on a gravity-rise stand. Something that has been on my wishlist for years, but had never been imagined in my wildest dreams. It paves the ways for the louvered door project once I get back on my feet (we'll get to that in a few minutes).

We came back to Bedford for New Years. We rang in the New Year like old people...or people motivated to get their home project back on-track. I cleaned up the garage space from projects and Tiff and I kept unpacking stuff from the master bedroom, so that we could clear items out of the office to finish it out and that night I repaired two extension cords. Funny things, extension cords...heavy gauge outdoor ones are pretty expensive but they are so easy to accidentally cut with electric hedge trimmers (this repair had been some time in the coming, mind you that was only one extension cord, I didn't do it to both). We also got the fireplace started for the first time.

These objectives in the bag, we chose a color for the office and have been thinking about turning it into a laundry/storage/workout space. This would get the Washer/Dryer out of the kitchen and provide us a temporary kitchen space while we re-did the kitchen. I will post some ideas when we get those fleshed out. The colors shown below. Our choice is the fifth swatch from the left. No...the images are not color correct or even similar, but they are walls of the room and you get the idea.

Now to the bang-up portion of 2010. Just as we were gaining some momentum on the home reno again, I was in a car accident on Thursday. Sparing the gory details, I was driving the Passatt to work, slipped on an icy patch and did a spin-move into the front of a semi. After an ambulance ride and a plethora of technological testing wizardry, I was pronounced bumped, bruised, strained and "going to get worse on the pain scale", but OK by the Bedford Regional Medical Center. We'll see if there's anything further reaching or if I need any therapy, etc. to get back to 100%. Some pictures of the Passatt to illustrate how blessed/lucky (depending on your personal belief structure) this guy is. These are pictures of the Passatt at the boneyard when we went to go clean her out. We'll take some time to regroup and design that laundry/storage space while I am on the mend.