Home Improvement

I enjoyed watching Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor (Home Improvement) work on just about every project possible while growing up. Now that I have a house and a wife (both with their respective "to-do" lists), I find myself always looking at the next 11 things that I need to take care before it gets cold outside (finish the garage) or before it rains again (backfill the new drainage ditch) or before the week gets too busy (stain my current wood projects). I've learned so much from the great men in my life - skills that have proven to be invaluable when it comes to my project list(s). Fortunately for me and my family, I'm not the accident prone Tim Taylor and I try not to bite off more than I can chew. Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE having projects galore. I've waited so long to have my own house so that I could do some of these things. I just wish I had an unlimited supply of time and energy to get it all in while still being able to spend some quality time with Alyssa and Jonah and maybe some of the friends I think I still have (not just on Facebook...). This juggling act requires a precise amount of finesse in order to keep the proverbial apple cart from upsetting. I tend to focus so diligently on a single project that at times I forget about the rest of them and have to be pulled away (forcibly at times ;) ) and back into synch with the other to-dos. These lists don't include the woodshop to-dos, either - a list that grows weekly and will never be complete.

Ah yes, home improvement - not just a catchy title of a 90's sitcom tied to a main character who worked a lot, but a concept that Alyssa and I are embracing as new homeowners. Since moving in, we've successfully improved the space bit by bit and have high hopes for what our castle will one day be. We spent some time at Ferguson on Monday thanks to Alyssa's Aunt-in-law. She works there and has been keeping an eye out for a new kitchen faucet and sink so we can replace the broken and stained ones in the house. Not only did we find what we were looking for, we stumbled on a over-range microwave for half off that will fit beautifully. Kevin and Sheena brought it to us last night and when I finally got it in the house, I realized that our old microwave will literally fit in the new one. The thing is gargantuan! (will post pics when it's installed...maybe even with the old one in it....)I'm not sure how we ever lived with our puny excuse for a cooking device! Needless to say, our trip to Ferguson showed us some potential priority list re-writes (can you say Corian?!)(or hardwood??!!) and added some different dimensions to our planning efforts. I still think the basement is high on the list especially if home daycare (for any ages) is in the mix for Alyssa. The plan is to keep tucking money away and slowly procure framing materials, then eventually host a framing party where all my great family and friends with framing experience come over and knock it out (rather put it all in...) in a day / weekend. Ideally, the same concept would be used for all the aspects of basement finishing, e.g. electrical, plumbing, drywall, tape and texture, painting, etc. Take note - that's a lot of parties that we'll host in the coming years. I'll post the play-by-play of each project here as I've done for the last week. I feel like I've done a solid job of posting as of yet - here's to hoping I keep it up!

Welcome to the woodshop!

As promised, I'm going to walk you through Michael's woodshop and some of the wonderful tools that we have at our disposal for any number of projects. Before I get there, though, lets start with where this woodworking endeavor started. Michael began his hobby in a 1-car garage using foldable benches that could be easily moved if a vehicle needed to be put inside. He then upgraded with his last house to a 2-car shop that had some fixed benches and didn't require that the primary tools be moved, but that the less oft-used ones be pulled out when needed. This setup wasn't ideal, but allowed for quite a bit of productivity and it was where my woodworking skills began. So, here it is:

Above: Sign given to Michael as a shop-warming gift / below: compressor room and wood storage in the finish room.

Desk and planning area:

Fridge, stereo, T.V., and tool cabinets:

Stain and hazardous material cabinet (given to us by my grandparents):

Most of our work is done between 2 large workbenches:

Ok, now for the hardware:

The mobile clamp rack - clamps include 1, 2, 3 foot, and some large pipe-clamps.

The planer - used to get pieces to the right thickness.

The large, wall-mounted clamp rack is used for table tops, dresser tops, and any other large glue-ups.

Table router.

Table saw.

Jointer.

12 Inch, Compound Mitre saw. There's a glimpse into where I spend my Thursdays and occasional weekend days. Hope you enjoyed the snapshot!

Check another one off!

Posted a couple Ipad pics of the hardwood floors in the last post - thanks for getting those, Suzan. Had a wonderful church service this morning - significantly more tame than last week (minus the fish in a blender....). Went to the shop after talking for a bit, had a quick bite to eat, and went right to work on the trash can. Michael made some progress between Thursday's start and today meaning we had even less to do. I cut all the face (front and back) trim Thursday and apparently made all the right cuts:



So we started in on the door and the drawer. I took some quick measurements and started ripping the pieces we had set aside while Michael started cutting some 1x2 out of the nicer pine for the door face.







After a couple hours of working in parallel, we joined back up to attach the completed door and sort out what we wanted to do for a drawer runner. We'd intentionally left enough space for a bottom mounted, single rail, then decided we didn't like the thought of the drawer being so high and having to block under both sides to keep it from wobbling. We eventually decided to use 1/4 inch strips of oak from front to back, sanded very smooth, to allow the pine drawer to slide in and out.



Once the drawer and tilting door were mounted, we started some of the finishing touches, specifically routing the rounded edge of the top, softening ALL of the very sharp exposed edges, and burning my "brand" into the interior.



So, here is the "finished" product until Suzan paints it and adds the hardware. I'll be sure to advise when she gets her pictures posted.





Overall, very happy with how it turned out and even happier with how it was received. I'm sure she'll love it for many, many years to come...even if it took 3 years to finally get it!

Stay tuned for the next post - Intro to the shop - coming tomorrow :)

Hardwood flooring....

Ridiculously long day yesterday starting at 3 am with feeding Jonah, 4 am to 630 mudding drywall, and the rest of the day putting in a beautiful hardwood floor for my Uncle-in-law, Kevin. 400 square feet, 12 hours, and some very raw knees later, we were finished and very impressed with our first attempt at flooring. Suzan took some IPad pics and once I get them, I will add them.


Getting ready for church and an afternoon in the woodshop to *hopefully* finish the trash can and start on a china hutch for Donna.

Also, I slept til 8 this morning. Only happened a handful of times in the last ten years. Guess I was pooped!

Shop night

Had a very productive evening in the shop. We finally finished a massive, oak dresser for Michael's friend Ron. It's been in the shop for 10 months getting incremental overhauls and I can't wait for the floorspace to be void of it's huge footprint.
Before adding the last drawer faces -

Inside of drawer -

Finished! (and ridiculously heavy!!!)-

In addition to checking that project off, we finally started Suzan's tilt-out trash can mentioned in an earlier post. The frame is complete and all of the trim has been cut. Needs some serious sanding, the drawer (to hold trash bags...), and the tilting section. Great progress and hoping to have a couple hours to give to it this weekend to move it along. Made some ad-hoc modifications to the plans to include the drawer and a more solid top than originally planned. All in all a very good night. :)

Materials before starting -

Frame in clamps -

Trim for the face -

Also, if anyone has seen my wife and son, let them know I love them and miss them! (they were out the door at 6 this morning when I was getting out of bed (exhaustion makes me sleep in occasionally...)and I haven't seen them since!)

Time for sleep!

Garage

I spent a couple hours working on the garage walls last night. I could have kept going, but decided my time would be better spent with my honey and my baby. We had a nice, simple dinner, put Jonah to bed, and had the rare opportunity to watch a little Prison Break. We've been slowly working through T.V. series and have really enjoyed this one. We're anxiously awaiting the release of Smallville season 10 since the end of season 9 left us hanging. Here's a couple snaps from the Ipad - not the greatest camera, but it works when you're running out the door to work.

Done:

and done:

Left to do:

Tonight

We were planning to have some friends over for dinner this evening, an occasion we always look forward to, and turns out it will be what I've grown to call a "free night" since there are some other things going on and we postponed our social dinner. So after work, I'm going to Lowes to pick up some drywall and some insulation in hopes of chunking away some more finish work in the garage. Our master bedroom and bathroom are over the garage and the outside wall of the garage is mostly unfinished. As the temperatures have dropped in the last week, we've noticed our tile bathroom floor is a bit chilly early in the morning. I hope that finishing that wall will help keep the garage warmer which benefits both the bedroom/bathroom AND my shop area (a place I spend a good amount of time....). I've built my work benches, peg board space for tools, and some cabinet/shelving areas to help organize the space. Still a ton of work to do, but it's come a long way since 1 May. After the garage, we're going to start migrating effort to the basement. I drew some rough floor plans to help the planning process along and we decided to put in a full bathroom, bedroom, recreation room, and if all goes well, a theater room with 6 seats. Not sure how long it'll take us to get there based on budget, but I have grand visions of the finished product. This blog will serve as the conduit to our progress on the house with the bulk of the pictoral references on FB.

Projects

Far to many to list all of them, but wanted to share a couple. After a recommendation from Suzan, Alyssa and I immediately started (and promptly finished) a ruler growth chart which is hanging in our living room as of this morning. I think it turned out great (thanks to 517 Creations) :

Next up on the building block is a project that's been on the to-build list for approximately 3 years; a tilt-out trash can. Suzan asked for this long before she was my mother-in-law and the time has come to put it in the completed column. I picked up all the materials and planned to have it done last week, but some very heavy and unexpected rain caused some flooding at the house and preempted a visit to the shop. Alas, this week is prime for it and I think it will surpass all expecations. Will let you know how it goes and post some "finished" pictures this weekend. (Thanks to Ana White for the plans that we're using as a starting point!

Back to Bloggin'

Hey all! It's been a long time since I put some thoughts out there for the blog world to read. I think a quick recap of major events of the last year is a good place to start.

After much deliberate planning, Alyssa and I were finally able to buy a house in May! Not just any house, but THE house that we wanted. We didn't compromise in any area. It's got all the features and potential we listed in our initial planning stages. I sincerely wanted a master retreat as our last place shared the upper bathroom with any guests that came to stay. I had a 2-car garage as the optimum and we ended up with a 3-car tandem thus allowing me to have a "mini-shop" for smaller projects not requiring the more robust capabilities of Michael's shop. The yard could be bigger, but there is plenty of space for Kiwi to run and make messes. Overall, Alyssa has done a wonderful job making it our HOME. Her mom came in and did some serious painting in the first couple days after closing while everyone else helped move us in. We've been slowly getting pictures on the walls and rearranging furniture for the right fit and feel. Still lots of work to do including finishing the garage and the basement, but no hurry on that.

We found out that Alyssa was pregnant last November and changed a lot of our timetables for the house (mainly buying one...) and everything lined up. Jonah Maverick Duncan was born on June 30th @ 8lbs, 7oz and has become the center of our universe (after God and each other, of course!). I fell head over heels in love with him the moment he entered the world. I realized at that second that the 28 1/2 years of life leading up to it were all preparing me for fatherhood. I've learned so much since his birth and he manages to teach me something new every day. He's growing like a weed and he smiles more and more. I'm anxious for his first giggle and his first words. Bath time is his favorite and he's already been on 2 hikes and spent some time in a pool. He's a happy baby and he sleeps almost all the way through the night. Alyssa and I have been truly blessed with this gift and couldn't be happier.

Those are the 2 major events of 2011. We're trying to find a solid schedule and have quite a few activities that keep us occupied throughout the week - work, church, volleyball, shop nights, date nights (not enough of those!), dinner with friends, and time at home as a family. Life is wonderful and God has truly provided for us in ways we never imagined. I give all the credit to Him.

More to follow soon!

Fantastic Weekend

I'll always be amazed at how much I can be anxious for a long weekend....and how quickly they always fly by. 96 hours to get caught up on everything; spend time with Alyssa, play games, read, sleep, workout, wax the truck. Somehow, most of that stuff didn't get done and I feel no guilt...instead, I feel sunburned, full, and refreshed. We helped plant the Pruitt garden, ate more grilled food in 4 days than I've eaten this year combined, played some serious Wow, enjoyed some time with the new kittens, hung out with the Grojean clan, (Michael and I finished the final bookcase for a job we started well over a year ago...and the couple who commissioned it was as excited as we were to be done. Nice to finally check that one off the list - though they want us to build they're basement bar for them and that project could very well occupy the next year or so!), an watched a ton of Lost (in a desperate attempt to get caught up). Needless to say, I was NOT ready for this week to start and for all the phone calls and emails that were waiting for me.

On a similar and slightly related note, I have applied for a new job and will hopefully hear something within the next week or so. It's local and in the same field I currently work in - just a different office, chain of command, and set of roles and responsibilities. I'm anxious at the thought of a change of scenery. We'll see what God has in store and run with it when it happens. Please add this to your own prayer lists as well.

Thanks for reading.

Another busy week

I look at a coming week and am always surprised at how many things are planned...and then more surprised as the week goes on more things fit into the mix.

I had the opportunity to bring Alyssa with me to work on Wednesday. They modified / relaxed some of the security measures to allow friends and family to attend our commander's changeover (4 Star, Air Force). I have wanted to bring her to work for a long time so that she could see the cubicle I spend so many hours in every week, toiling away. I think it's important that she "see" where I'm at so that when I say, "I'm going to run upstairs to get a cup of coffee or lunch," she actually knows where I'm going and can picture it. The Change of Command and retirement ceremony were awesome and included such VIPs as the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the highest ranking member of the uniformed services), not to mention about 40-50 other General Officers / Flag Officers (GO/FOs). Very cool. They also had some static displays of military aircraft and other miscellaneous vehicles set up for spectators to see. All in all, it took up the better part of my "work day."

As for the coming week, we are trying to coordinate a visit from my sister for Memorial Day. She had some issues with her Toyota Tacoma a couple weeks back and now is driving a newer Ford F150 that she wants to drive out from Kansas City. We're also in the process of re-evaluating our living conditions. I mentioned in a previous blog that we were looking at other houses to rent. We still are, though we've accepted that the path of least resistance is to stay where we're at temporarily or go month-to-month until we find the perfect place. More prayer and discussion are in the plan, that's for sure!

That's all for now.

Dear Summer,

I have been meaning to write you for a while. I'm a bit disappointed in your timing and am surprised at your inability to be both consistent and punctual. It is the 13th of May and it's barely 40 degrees. I watched my breath punch through the chilly air as I walked from my truck to my office this morning with my heavy, wool topcoat pulled tightly around me in a desperate attempt to block the icy wind. I still have to consider the weather when looking at a potential tee-time.....and not because of an afternoon rain shower, but because of freezing temperatures, frost, and snow?! I'm very confused and hope you'll reply with some 70+ degree, sunshiny, no-wind-at-all days.

One of your greatest admirers,

Chad

P.S. Sunshiny is a great word.

Monday - not my Funday

I had a great weekend. A friend of mine from back in the day came to spend a couple days catching up (Wed-Sat). It was very refreshing to have a low-key agenda with more time allotted for talking and joking than for going to see everything there is to see in Colorado Springs. Not that we sat around the whole time - we just didn't run from place to place in a desperate attempt to make his visit full. Most visitors would be frustrated at the thought of sitting and watching TV or playing cards / dominoes while "on vacation." Not Wil. It was a great reminder of why we coexisted so well as roommates in Maryland and why I didn't hesitate to have him stay at the house for a couple days. We did go see the Garden of the Gods and we ate at some cool restaurants, Bird Dog BBQ and the Black Bear Diner for instance. We went to dinner at Michael and Donna's Thursday night and Wil invited another former co-worker and his family. Good times. Wil invited Alyssa and I to come up to Portland for a visit and we're going to try to make that work one of these summers. With my new job (and the slow accrual of leave) and a trip to California already planned for this summer, it may have to be next year.

After Wil took off for the airport, Alyssa and I grabbed some smoothies and went back to the house to chill for a couple hours before heading to her Uncle Tony's for a family get-together. Hung out for a couple hours, had some awesome rigatoni for dinner, and then decided to have a sleep-over at her parent's house. Since Alyssa's mom was out of town, it was a great opportunity for the "boys" to catch up on WoW and for Alyssa to spend some serious time with the kittens, one of which has been claimed by her (I will plead ignorant on the whole matter...though I may admit that Josie is ridiculously adorable...).

All in all, it was a very, very relaxed weekend - something we haven't had for a while. Reminds me that we can't go full speed for weeks without stopping to catch our breath every once in a while. I almost felt bad about all the down time when I got up this morning when I started thinking that I could have gone to the driving range to practice before Tuesday's match, I could have done a couple loads of laundry, I could have cleaned the house, I could have done any number of things that didn't get done....and then I stopped that whole line of thinking and decided I did what I wanted and everything will work out just fine. I can clean and do laundry this afternoon, go to the driving range before the match tomorrow, and anything else that I forgot/ignored will get done when it gets done :) No regrets.

This week is flying

This has been a great week so far. Golf and volleyball on Tuesday both resulted in a win, Wil (a former roommate and Army buddy) successfully made it in from Portland, and work hasn't been as taxing as last week or as some of the weeks to come.

We're planning a nice evening with the Grojeans and then going to Bird Dog BBQ for dinner tomorrow night. We're also going to try to get some "tourist" activities in for Wil's sake as he has only been through Colorado Springs once and would like to see some of our sights. I hope the weather holds and the wind calms down a bit.

Alyssa and I are also trying to determine where we want to live after the lease is up at the end of May. We're debating another 6-12 month lease in a nicer place, but haven't heard back on any of the houses we've emailed on. I'm sure that the right one will pop up at the right time. We like the house we're renting right now, but it is older and doesn't fit us. It was a good move in order to allow us to get our stuff consolidated and give us a place of our own - now it's time to find a place that WE want. Please keep this situation in your prayers.

Back to work for me - I've been blessed with 20 minutes of quiet time this morning and am fairly certain that I won't have any more for a couple days.

Cootees and Flowers

As I logged in to blog this morning on Alyssa and I's "joint" blog...I noticed pretty flowers, damask print, and general "girlyness" on every inch of the screen. My chi was unfocused and my ability to type was hindered. She suggested I "get my own Blog...." and I've done just that. Now I can decorate....or leave that silly stuff alone and concentrate on my masculine writing! (insert laughter by reader here).

I won't commit to daily postings as that's both ludicrous and unlikely, but I will try to get on here occasionally to release some brain activity for others to absorb or dissect.

For now, I'm going to figure out how to make my background camoflage....