Fireplace Surround
Tile surround for the electric fireplace insert.
I found a really cool cold-steam electric fireplace on good a clearance discount, so I bought it before I really figured out what to do with it. It sat frameless in my bedroom for a few years until I set to work building a surround for it. Measurements that I carried in my phone's MyMeasures app for longer than I care to admit.
Measurements that I carried in my phone's MyMeasures app for longer than I care to admit.
I built a box out of pine 1 x 12 boards, and added a layer of cement backerboard over the front. Then I got see how well my YouTube education on laying tile would serve me.
My friend Linda had given me a fantastic thick old wooden plank that had served for decades (centuries?) as a bar top in Boston. I love to run my fingers across the dented surface and imagine all the pint glasses that clattered down over the years from hands heavy with beer.
Pirate Sadie
Minus one eyeball. Plus lots of adorable character.
I noticed some redness in Sadie's eyes, which is typical of allergy season. I tried the typical tricks (eye rinse, Benadryl), but only one eye reduced in redness. With a closer look, I noticed a small discoloration to her iris. With one stop at our regular vet, and a second at the veterinary ophthalmologist, I learned that she had a tumor inside her eyeball.
The choice was simple: it's a quick surgery to remove her eyeball, which was likely to have contained the cancer (which biopsy revealed to be melanoma). My poor girl... although she doesn't seem to have noticed. Distortion of the lens meant that she was already blind in that eye, and its removal likely eased some discomfort. In hindsight, I recall her rubbing her eye with her paw, and being startled by my outstretched hand reaching to pet her... like she didn't see it coming.
Post-op, minus one tumor-filled eyeball. Her face is shaved, bruised, and swollen.
She seems to be getting around okay.
Sadie must be feeling better- she's bossy for treats again.
Too soon for the costume?
Rain Barrel
My hand-me-down rain barrel now collects rain from two segments of gutters, and sends overflow through tubes buried in the garden. At least... that's how it works when it's not overflowing from summer deluges.
New Plates for the DogMobile
New license plates for my dog-mobile.
New license plates for my dog-mobile.
Michele's Garden
Michele's garden gives me inspiration
Over the last few decades, Michele two doors up has cultivated an extensive collection of perennials that thrive and multiply... and I'm happy to help when she thins them out.
Climbing hydrangea entwined with buoys from Bill & Michele's sailboat adventures.
Sedums climb the rock wall up to a lush bed of lilies, irises, ferns, dashes, hostas, and other perennials that I have yet to catalog.
New Roof
A big project.
I knew that the roof had some issues when I bought the house. Some were easy to see from the ground, others were pointed out by my inspector. The sheathing was too thin for the 24" span of the rafters, and in some places it wasn't nailed to the rafter at all, allowing for a sagging appearance and obvious squish when stepped on. Inside, the heat damage illustrated the poor ventilation.
So... quotes. And more quotes. Each one higher than the last... except for the one guy in a pickup truck who sent his teenager onto my roof (without appointment or permission) while I was in the middle of a conference call. He was the cheapest. And I didn't hire him.
I learned all about soffit vents and ridge vents and underlayment and more than I care to know about roofs. What I do know is that I have 6 feet of crazy thick coating around all the edges of my house to prevent ice dams from leaking through, and then other self-healing awesomeness over the whole house, and a ridge vent that's extra puffy, and a 50 year warranty. Yep, five-zero. 50.
New roof! I painted the shed door and trim to demonstrate the new color scheme... but I still need to get the eaves of the house painted.
Painted Wall
Ugly retaining wall turned gorgeous mural.
My mother, the very talented Mrs. Pineo of the mural-painted Hadley Elementary School, offered to paint my ugly retaining wall. She painted it without my help... in fact, she was dog sitting while I was sunning myself at Virginia Beach.
So now my formerly ugly eyesore of a retaining wall is a lovely mural that blends in with the landscaping... and soon... patio!
Before
After
Dog Mountain
Let's say you're an eccentric dog-loving artist. What do you do with your money? Well, buy a 150-acre mountain and dedicate it to the love of dogs! I'm a little jealous that Stephen Huneck did it first. Dog Mountain is a worthwhile pilgrimage to St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Serene, picturesque, and dog-welcoming... my girls loved wandering through the gallery of Huneck's work, sniffed the butts of the chapel dogs, dunked into the pond, and roamed the hills of lupine. What a great day!
Fence Edging
No. Weedwhacking. EVER.
I edged the grassy fence line with mulch to avoid having to weed-whack and make mowing easier. I also dug a corner garden so I don't need to fight to get the lawn mower in there.
Screen Room Demolition
Time for a major change... no more looking out the living room window at the screen room.
When I bought the house, I couldn't figure out how best to use the screen room. It was disconnected from the house, and hovering above the yard... this was a great concept that was badly executed. It became storage. Storage with a rotting floor, shaky stairs, torn screens, and squishy roof. What a mess. I was getting the house re-roofed, so I needed to cut bait.
This was not a job for one. Especially not this one. I hired a local gentleman who does home rejuvenation projects, and occasionally hires the son of my neighbor. Two short days later, the room was gone, and I was left with a sandy slope. (See my Terraced Vegetable Garden for how it turned out.)
I appreciate bug protection, but I want to entertain in the yard, not above it.
The screen room is a collector for pollen and dead bugs.
Crud underneath.
Roof mush needed a spatula moreso than a crow bar.
Ready for haul-away
The sandy slope beneath filled with debris.
Much nicer.
Upcycle: Potting Bench
I created a storage and planting bench out of found materials.
I had some scraps hanging around, so I built a (temporary) potting bench to house all my gardening gear.
Storage Closet Organization
Labeled bins make stuff easy to find and retrieve.
I can't stand big plastic storage bins that grow in heft until they can't easily be lifted. Even worse is when they get stacked up so you need to move four awkwardly heavy bins in order to get at the contents of the fifth.
Sterilite makes a shelf-and-bin system that solves this issue... 25-quart and 50-quart bins. I like that they stack tightly, efficiently using all available space.
Bathroom Outlet
Rewiring the bathroom switch for convenience and safety.
The single-gang box in the guest bathroom held a combo outlet & switch. The switch controlled the vanity lights and the one outlet in the room. I learned this when I bought a nightlight and realized it only turned on when all six vanity lights burst to light as well.
I added a new two-gang box, a GFCI outlet, and a switch that is illuminated in the dark.
Living Room and Hall Paint
Fresh crisp new paint in a more modern hue.
I wanted a pale warm gray for the living room... something more modern than the current ivory walls, but neutral enough to run all the way into the hallway and compliment the sage of the dining room. Even thought this color is marketed as 'creme', it reads gray in my space, especially against the white trim.
The walls and trim had been the same aging ivory color as the door. I really like the clean crisp feel of the white and silver. It'll be on my to-do list for next spring to take the doors off their hinges so I can scrape, sand, and paint.
Drywall Repair
Patching a big hole in the hallway wall.
There was a damaged portion of the hall wall that had been poorly patched with a stick-on mesh patch kit. The problem is, the hole was way too big for such a flimsy solution, and it seems like every flex and crack was addressed with more and more spackle until the wall was a lumpy mess.
I ripped it all out and fitting a new square of drywall.
Jacked Up Disposal
Sometimes a solo project requires a little creativity.
Literally.
This is the shit you come up with when you work alone. I was having a hard time holding the garbage disposal up while rotating the attachment cuff until I decided that the car jack might do the trick.
Bathroom Shelves
New floating shelves hold towels in the guest bathroom.
New floating shelves present towels at the ready for my visitors.
