bed part one.

So here is part one of testing the plans from knockoffwood to build J a new bed ... lumber.

Phwew. I haven't added it up exactly but I think after all was said and done I spent close to $300 in lumber. Bear in mind the bed is $700. So now I have probably close to six hours minimum invested in it just reviewing the plans, picking out lumber at Lowe's, a trip to Tacoma to Gray's Lumber for the harder-to-find stuff and back to Lowe's to return the stuff I got but am not using due to my altering of the plans.

Which are:

• She had the top and bottom rails of the headboard and footboard the same (6"), but I noticed on the Land of Nod bed they are not - so I am going with 4" stock for the top rail and 6" stock for the bottom rail of both
• She had 1x stuff for everything - it makes sense cos it's cheap and easy to find in lots of dimensions (unless you're using harder-to-find or more exotic woods than most of the soft woods and oak or poplar). But I realized that would make the headboard and footboards 2-1/4" deep whereas the siderails were only 3/4". Unacceptable. Also, I thought varying the depths of the wood used for the headboard/footboard would look more aesthetic so I got 1/2" stock for those 4" and 6" top and bottom rails
• She used 4x4" posts for the bed which are hard enough to find. But still after probably half an hour spent combing the pallet of fir 4x4s at Lowe's, I opted going for the much more expensive 3x3 CVG (clear vertical grain) fir posts that Gray's lumber had (@ $3.40-something a foot!) - thankfully I only needed 12'
• She used 2x4s for the crown on the headboard and footboard which to me seems somewhat ghetto - so for relatively cheap I substituted 5/4 CVG fir (only 98¢ a foot) - got 5/4x3 stock to match the 3x3 posts

So wow - a few modifications but I am hoping they will make the bed look a little more classy and not so much the yeah-I-got-a-bunch-of-cheap-lumber-and-threw-together-a-bed sort of look.

Next step: cutting.

furniture building + upgrade.

So I am starting a little project building a bed for Julian. He is excited. So am I. Let's see ... maybe five years or so ago I built a bookshelf which turned out OK but was nothing to really show off. And that rounds out my furniture-building experience.

So this will be an experience in and of itself. I am trying to build this bed -

Based on these plans from the knockoffwood blog. In a full-size. I figure as long as I'm building J a bed, I might as well build one that he can grow into. I don't plan on building him another.

But - this is in preparation for building my own bed which will be a king with a canopy so this is good practice. If it turns out (big 'if') I will be slightly more confident in being able to pull off building a king-sized bed.

Now Ana (the writer of knockoffwood) claims the lumber is fifty bucks. Well, for even the crappiest, knottiest pine it'd cost just a little over a hundred bucks (for a full - and she was quoting for a twin to be fair). However, I'm not really going for the 'rustic' look and want this to look pretty much like the Land of Nod version so I bucked up and got much nicer pine (which was still slightly cheaper than fir, came in more dimensions, and definitely cheaper than hemlock which is still a soft wood). Which cost me about $250 and required trips to a couple different places (Lowe's for the bulk of the nice pine stock and a local lumber yard for some harder-to-find stuff like 3x3 VG fir posts and 1/2x6"x8' stock). I am modifying her plans slightly to make it (IMO) slightly nicer-looking - using 1/2" stock on the headboard and footboard cross-sectional pieces instead of 1" stuff, going to try to notch the 2x4" supports that attach to the inside of the bedrails so the rails attach a little closer to the center of the bedposts, and going from 4x4" to 3x3" posts cos the 4x ones just look too beefy even though I spent about a half-hour combing through the pallet of 4x4 fir posts at Lowe's only to go back and return them. Oh well. I want this to look as nice as possible.

And today I found this great post on a totally different site (but linked from the knockoffwood blog) about how to treat pine prior to staining. Totally pertinent, since I'll be trying to stain pine as dark as the bed in the photo above. We'll see how that works out.

Like I said about this whole project - big 'if.'

But - the reason for this post, not only to mention my plans to build a bed, was to highlight an upgrade I made to my DeWalt 12" compound double-bevel miter saw (wow, that's a mouthfull). Two words: laser sight.

I figured before I start a project like building a bed I owed it to myself to make it a little easier on myself. But after reading that finishing post, now I am realizing I should have splurged for a variable-speed orbital sander (mine's just an orbital - no control of speed) for when it gets to the finishing stages. Hopefully I don't destroy all the pine in the process of sanding.

But - we'll see how this all goes. It'll be fun. If it turns out. The alternative is - if it does not - cutting the legs of J's Ikea loft bed to make it into a twin instead of trying to sell it on craigslist. But in the meantime crossing my fingers ...

another day.

Started off the day waking up early then going back to bed. I love that feeling. It was still dark. Woke up the second time opened the blinds and sun. Surpised. A list of things to do so no time to waste. Let's see ... another coat of mud, clean the kitchen, pick up the house, laundry, weed some more, mow the lawn, jumpstart Oliver and drive him around the block then give him a bath. And other little stuff.

After picking up and cleaning the house a bit it was time to head outside to jump Oliver and give him a ride around the block (he'd been sitting for a couple of months). Did. It was fun - I do love that little car. Fifteen minutes later after getting back I gave him a bath then went to move him afterwards - but the battery it turned out did not hold a charge. Assuming it was dead after testing it with a voltmeter I headed out to get him a new one. Put me off a bit, but all in a day's work. He's running just fine now.

And a day's work I had. And it felt good. I love weekend days like this to myself just spent working not relaxing it nice enough outside to actually open the kitchen window over the sink for a bit. Sun most of the day then clouds winding the day down. Mowed part of the lawn and started wrapping up as it clouded over, turning my attention to things inside like finishing up the laundry. Lit a candle. Put on some Moby ('Blue Paper' from Hotel Ambient on repeat sorta quiet) and just enjoyed the fact of having spent the day being productive. Not necessarily working on my house this day but still working on things. It is a good feeling. Did not get to everything but it's okay. I still have my list.

I am so looking forward to warm weather and more days like this. Productive.

the laundry room part 1.

So I am well underway in the laundry room. Over a year ago (I think) I ripped out the drop ceiling back there and installed a new one, wired in three recessed lights and before that I had updated the floor when I did the kitchen - and now I am getting to the walls and everything else that is left.

When it is finished, the paint will be the color that's smeared on the wall by the dimmer switch for the overheads (which was just a test to see how it looked when looking through the door to the kitchen color). The doorway will be trimmed out like the kitchen door. The cabinets will be painted white, have new hardware and a crown molding just like the kitchen cabinets. All the rest of the trim will be installed (7" baseboards, the door to the bathroom, out the back of the house and window) to match the rest of the original trim and stuff that I have updated. Oh, and the recessed lights will have trim - as opposed to just loosely hanging out of the cans.

I plan on keeping my steam with the walls so it hopefully will not be much more than a month and this room will be finished. Or so is my plan. We'll see. But I will of course take another shot from this same angle when it is all finished for a good before/after. Well, kind of. A truly good before/after would be if I had a photo of how it looked with all the wallpaper and crappy floor and low ceiling etc. like it was when I moved in. That would be good.

drywall 101.

Ah, the joy of mudding and taping sheetrock. In order to be successful, you must approach it with a zen-like mindset. It actually can be somewhat enjoyable and I have kind of missed doing it. The last time I was doing this was for the back bathroom. So now I am in the laundry room next to it and finally getting to doing it (uh, the drop ceilings were removed from both rooms at the same time so I've been needing to get on this for a while now).

But zen-likeness aside, there is definitely an art to mudding and taping drywall so I will quickly go over some of the key points in which to keep in mind.

1) Tools: I spent a small fortune on my knives, but worth every penny. Not only should you get good quality knives, but lots of different sizes is very important. I stay away from the blue steel kind and go straight for stainless steel (blue steel will rust and as I will point out below, mudding is all about water - lots and lots of it). I had to get some of mine online cos the local mom and pop hardware store didn't have every size I wanted (and the Big Box guys don't even carry Marshalltown which is the brand I would highly recommend).

Anyways, I have just about every conceivable size: 2" (for cleaning tools), 4" (for general prep, knocking down the last coat, and other miscellaneous tasks), 6" (for the first coat I put on after the tape is up and dry), 8" for the next coat, 10" (for applying each coat of mud - much faster with a wide knife then a narrow one when you're looking at a 12' section - and for the following coat), and 14" (for those bad seams and repair jobs where having an über-wide knife is essential). Do not underestimate the need for that many tools - a knife too wide will get you in trouble, and those really wide knives are important for seams and areas that require a wide feather. I also have a corner tool (not necessary and sometimes I do corners without it) and a ceiling tool - it's kind of a pain getting mud on it from the pan but it works really well for applying mud on the ceiling. Definitely worth it.

2) Tape: like in the photo, I only use and recommend simple ol' paper tape. It has a seam down the middle so it can be folded perfectly for corners. Do not bother with mesh or any other kind of seam tape. Oh, but I do use the mesh kind for repairing holes in walls - just not for drywall seams.

3) Mud pans: get two, one stainless and one plastic. I use the stainless for the mud (do not bother with the cheap plastic ones for mud - they are much, much harder to clean after you've finished) and the plastic just filled with water that I use to run the tape through and dip my knives.

4) Water: as I mentioned above, mudding is all about time and water. You have to be quick once you get the mud on the wall, but more importantly you need lots of water! That's why I keep a plastic mud pan full of water. I run all tape through it completely before embedding in the mud, and when I am taking off a coat I dip the knife in the water before running it down the wall. This is essential. Keep all of your knives wet!

5) Feathering: like I also mentioned above, make sure you work progressively. For novices like myself, I first apply the tape and, once it's dry, then apply the real, first coat. Pros combine this step but a pro I most certainly am not. But when you put on the tape, only use just enough mud to embed it and create a tight seal (very important!) with the wall. No extra mud. Then the first real coat is applied with the 10" knife horizontally across the tape just as wide as the tape because it will be taken off with only a 6" knife. You do not want a wide feather for this first coat. Each successive coat is then applied slightly wider than the last - I typically do three coats.

6) Mud: I use a 5-gallon bucket of just standard mud for everything but the last coat. The last coat I use a topping compound which is lighter (finer might be a better word to describe it) than standard mud and easier to sand.

7) Sanding: never sand until you are finished putting on all coats. You do not want to sand in between coats! That is a waste of time and you should be putting on the mud and taking it off with the knives good enough to not have to be sanded in between coats.

And I realized sanding mud is just like feathering a mask in Photoshop - the softer the better (i.e. a soft edge obviously will not show once the walls are painted). If you can feel the edge, sand some more because it will show. Nice feathers are key to never seeing the seams.

8) Inspecting: use a 500W halogen lamp and shine it at an angle at the wall. Every conceivable defect will show. It's your call then to decide just how perfect you want your walls.

Hmm, I think that's about the gist of it. Good times. Now back to work.

uhh ...

But I took this in the beginning of February ...

For what it's worth, February or not I really enjoyed getting my hands dirty in soil as I went around to all my flower beds and pulled weeds, checking to see what was all coming up. Apparently the daffodils think it is Spring.

living room stuff - audio/video #2.

At long last. Well, almost three years after moving in. I finally wired the surround speakers in the living room. It took a few hours. No swearing involved. It actually went quite well, and very systematically. Measured from the east wall to where the outlet behind the stereo equipment was, then went up in the attic and did the same thing. Drilled into the header and wallah - I could see the light I shone into the hole I had cut for where the low-voltage Leviton structured wiring outlet plate would go. Hallelujiah! Then I had to break out my fishing tape (the actual speaker wire was too flimsy and I couldn't successfully grab it from that hole behind the stereo) and drop it down the inside of the wall. I grabbed it, secured the speaker wires to it, went back up into the attic and, well - went fishing. For wire. Up it came and I tossed it across the attic to the opposite wall.

Then it was just the fun matter of crawling on top of the insulation into the far corners to run the wire. Back in the living room, up on a ladder, I cut the holes, secured two more Leviton plates and the mounting brackets and that was pretty much it.

Oh, and cleanup. And now I have surround sound.

Well, about that. I was looking into DACs because my LG only has optical audio out and, well, since I have had my receiver since I was in high school it ... does not have optical ins. A DAC was about sixty bucks. Then I checked good ol' craigslist to see what a used but slightly more modern receiver might cost. Much to my surprise (or not), I found a really nice Pioneer (my old one was also Pioneer) for one-fifty. It had three digital ins (two optical and one coaxial) and one optical digital out.

So after work the next day I hit up the guy's house and took it off his hands. The next day, I spent wiring it and the components all up. Dolby Digital, 5.1, 7.1 etc. etc.

So I ordered some cables from Amazon after, uh, of course checking Best Buy just to confirm that yep - still true - Best Buy charges approximately 1500% more than any online retailer for cables. I can wait a couple of days, and then the TV will have a digital audio out (yea! so all the movies I stream I will be able to watch in 5.1 surround), my CDR will be all digital in/out along with the DVD and Xbox as well. Not sure if I'll really hear a difference but really, the plugs were about eight bucks each.

Tonight I get to set up the surround. It comes with a small microphone which I am supposed to clip to myself sitting where I normally sit after I tell it my speaker configuration so it can adjust the output of all of them. I also might just put my SPL meter to the test for good measure.

Ah, audio. Good times.

knock off wood.

Uh, so the power of the internets really is profound. I was glancing at the Woot! blog yesterday when I noticed a little link off to the righthand side that said something like 'crate your own barrel' and so, eh, I clicked on it. And it brought me here. To some woman named Ana's blog. And there I found something completely amazing ... plans she has made from reverse-engineering furniture from places like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and - yes, apparently - Crate & Barrel. Why? Because that stuff is ridiculously expensive and she could not afford it, but has good taste (don't we all?). So ... she started this blog.

And a quick search of it, well - much to my amazement - brought up the detailed plans of the very bed I have had in mind to buy for a couple of years ever since first eyeing it in a Pottery Barn catalog (as apparently this post at my old blog confirms). For what I am estimating to be maybe $100 in materials and a solid weekend of my time (OK, the staining might take a few days to apply multiple coats of stain and then varnish), I will get the satisfaction of having not spent about two grand on a bed and having made it myself.

I figure with the $1800 or so that I'll save - since the plans look like the only real power tool required will be a chop saw - I can afford to buy a laser guide for my 12" DeWalt double-compound miter. Cos I will have to do a nice job, and having a laser will make my saw even more precise than it already is.

And she has dozens of plans for bookcases, coffee tables (although not the one I want unfortunately, but it leads me to wonder could I make it from plans I could come up with myself after fifteen minutes with a piece of paper and a measuring tape in a Pottery Barn store?), end tables, kitchen tables, etc. etc. I am going to build Julian a bed, too that will match mine (uh, except in size and sans canopy).

This is the most excited I have been in some time. The idea of getting something amazing and saving a ton of money is alluring in the world of remodeling. Thanks to this woman and her amazing blog - so I am just doing my part to spread the word. I will be sure to send her some photos when I am done (a modest request she has made for anyone who uses her plans).

bedroom wiring.

Wow, I cannot believe it was back the end of May that I officially kicked off this blog by saying I was going to get to the bedroom wiring. And then summer came and I took off just about every weekend and did not do anything at all on the house. So now, eight months later I finally got off my butt and did it.

Wall sconces on either side of where my to-be California king canopy bed (could not fit a regular king and still have room for the sconces and room for the closet door to open and bedside tables and blah blah blah) will go and on a dimmer (duh, of course). I am hoping they work out cos it's a bit of a pain to move them if they do not, but thanks for the good advice Dana about watching out for the bed posts – hopefully they look OK.

A closet light now – had to pull power from the outlet behind the bed up into the attic and then back down. It was, um, a bit frustrating hanging the drywall in the closet ceiling. I might have not been able to uphold my resolution of no swearing while remodeling, but there was no one around to witness and I apologized to my house profusely afterwards. Uh, assuming I was not able to uphold that. I'm just saying.

The swatch in the middle is Benjamin Moore HC-98 providence olive. Someday I will be at the point where I can actually paint, but that will mean that everything else is done, including the carpeting (which I plan on using this stuff below) ~

Which is a little ways off. OK, so anyways - the wiring is finished. But I do need to do the structured wiring still that I mentioned in that first post (low-voltage stuff). Then replace the windows before I can actually hang drywall in there so I am not looking at insulation and 2x4s. Yes, that will be good.

But I am excited about this year and the progress I plan on making. Enough stalling. Time to get back to work.

end tables.

So wandering through Target I found these end tables in the clearance section. They will match the coffee table for the most part which is just to say I think the color of the stains will match and the little drawer pulls are pretty similar. But not match in the sense as being identical like from the same living room set – lame, I don't like things to match to that extent. In the little drawer pulls I labeled one of them 'Remotes' and the other 'Magazines.' And I really did put all of the remotes in that drawer and loaded up the other with a bunch of magazines – This Old House, National Geographic, Backpacker, miscellaneous Rejuvenation/Pottery Barn/Crate & Barrel/etc. catalogs out of which I had gotten some ideas.

But anyways ... now if only I would someday get a bookshelf or two so I would not have to keep all of my books in boxes. Yeah, that would be awesome.

Oh and the book makes a great addition (if only these were a coffee table) - thanks again Dana.