I've been following along and cheering y'all on, but didn't have much to contribute re. home projects lately... however.. :-)
As those who were here last Saturday know all too well, we had some work done on the front of the house. (Charlie supposedly was trying to work around the party time but somehow ended up painting the front porch just as people were arriving.) Garage doors, front door, and shutters have all been repainted. The new shade is slightly bluer than the previous grey-blue, and we reallly like it.
All the white trim above the windows and around the garage was repainted; some of the garage trim was replaced, too. Trim & columns on the front porch were repainted. He had to take down the robins' nest that had been there for 5 years (this was clearly its last season; it was falling apart)... he repainted the corner behind it, to cover the stains, and then he made me some cute little corner platforms for the tops of both columns so the birds would have more room.
Everything got pressure washed in front before painting started. He even polished up the windows and washed the screens! What a difference all the cleaning & fresh paint makes. We have new hardware on the front door, too... the latch had started giving us trouble this past year, and when he took it off we could see the mechanism was pretty well shot. New set is Baldwin, solid brass, and it works soooo smoothly! There's a deadbolt, but I opted to get a set where the door handle didn't have a lock on it -- no more getting accidentally locked out of the house, hooray!
We've been here 15 years, so it's just time to do a lot of stuff. New carpet, painting, new family room sofas are all on my radar for this winter. I'll look into hardwood or a looks-like product for the living and dining room, too.
Home projects in the mid atlantic forum- May 2015
Surprising what a fresh coat of paint can do.
I love my bamboo flooring and it is holding up like a champ so far.
I miss the original group of three Sally, Henrietta and ????. They followed us all around the yard while we were out digging and were great about patrolling the rock wall for slugs. Of course they were there for the bugs and grubs we would dig up but it was fun having them as gardening companions.
Slug patrol
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=6625007
Waiting for the digging to start.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=6693554
Sally was the Buff Orpington (blond of course), Henrietta the Barred Rock, and for the life of me I still can't remember the Partridge Cochin's name.
Ric and I keep talking about maybe a small bred duck. Jamie built his ducks a raised pond and they are having a great time. I did tell Ric that if we do get a couple of ducks he will have to build them a pond down by the veggie garden.
Ducks really have to have the water, don't they?
Come to think, I visited someone near here with ducks, she did not have a pond and I don't even remember a kiddie pool or anything. They wandered the yard.
Cute pictures! Lined up by the wheelbarrow, waiting...ROFL
No you don't have to have a pond for them but they really are happier with water and especially if the water is deep enough for them to dive.
Gosh ! 325 posts! Maybe I will get mine in as the very last post.
Mission accomplished!!!!! My new ledge by the basement entry door is complete!
Now you all can see what I have been missing for over 3 months.
HAPPY DANCE!!!! This wonderful man came on 4 different days and worked
and worked on it. He was the ultimate perfectionist...down to the last nail....
Working with new 2x6x8's was tricky--as they would warp in no time at all.
Needed shims under some boards and washers around screws to have
everything just right and tight.
It now looks just like my old one did--just all fresh wood. I hate to get it dirty! :o)
I am very satisfied with his work. G.
1&2---The Old
3-4--and 5 New-- from different angles. Isnn't it beautiful??????????????????
Gita
Gita, That does look great, I can see it next summer filled with plants. So very nice.
He did a great job. I'm so happy it worked out so well.
I've got 4 ceiling fans with lights sitting in my front hallway that will be installed on Friday. By then (err, must do it tomorrow), I plan to paint the center of the ceilings in 3 of the rooms so I don't have to paint around the fans later. Having fresh paint in the center of the ceilings will be a good motivation for me to paint the rest of the ceilings this winter, and I'll try to get the walls done as well.
After the fans are in, I'm going to have more insulation blown into the attic. Those are my main indoor winter projects.
That project really turned out well, Gita. Love the plant ledge.
I think you'll really be happy with the fans, Muddy. I wish we had them in all the bedrooms. They make such a difference in keeping things comfortable.
My main goal was to get more light into the bedrooms, which have no overhead lights, so I was going to just buy ceiling lights (cheaper than multiple floor lamps, and don't take up floor space). Then I remembered that the front bedrooms are uncomfortable in the summer without floor fans, so I decided to go for ceiling fans with lights.
I approve!
He did NICE work, Gita.
Good choice on the fan lights, muddy.
Great new ledges, Gita!
Pressure washing has begun in back... deck, back patio, side patio & walkway, back of house, windows. ALL the hardscape surfaces have been cleared off, and most of what was on them has been sorted out. Whew, was that a job! So glad I had help with it.
We're managing to get some yard and garden work done as well... if Charlie's helper has "down time," he finds me, I point, he digs! Hoping to have them help with mulching and with putting chicken wire "protectors" around new trees, too, maybe tomorrow if I can get mulch delivered then.
I guess that's more inside than outside, although there are a couple of other things on Charlie's list like a leaky set of bathtub faucets (on the soaker tub... not trivial for me to try to redo the "stems" on them).
Lots of work about to start on the street, sure hope my neighbors get a good settlement from the construction company (damage from blasting -- not sure how it missed us, but we're not on the affected rock ledge). Charlie will be in the thick of that, which is good for me... he says he's happy to do little things here & there when he's already on the street. :-)
Woohoo!! Sounds like Charlie is a great find!!!!!
Great job Gita.
Jill, Charlie sounds like a keeper.
Our door project is going well more later.
They did a nice job, Gita.
Damage from blasting? 0_o
Goodness, Jill, that construction company has done their fair share of mistakes with this construction. It's a good thing Charlie's nearby!
Oh yeah, I think there are 20 houses involved... sure hope they get enough to repair the damage. We're talking cracked foundations, not just nail pops. The trees I was so upset about losing are small potatoes by comparison.
Holly, I love bamboo flooring but am not sure about putting it into "formal" settings... it seems like a more modern finish to me... I can't quite envision it with dark antique wood pieces like Grandma's dining set.
Door is finished, now Ric has to hang it. I will be glad to get it out of the middle of the living area.
"When is a door not a door?"
"When it's a rug."
(the old answer to the joke is, "When it's ajar" -- a jar, get it?)
Right now my door is an object of frustration for Ric. LOL
It will look great and be an object of tremendous satisfaction once in place, though!
Our screens are just about shot, pretty much tearing at a hard glance. Charlie is taking them down anyway for pressure washing, so he's going to rescreen with some better (more UV resistant) stuff "while he's at it."
He said while he was working for Mr. Handyman, they had a nation-wide customer satisfaction survey -- and he came in 4th! He says he thinks he'd have done better, but unlike the Beverly Hills guys he wasn't willing or expected to make 3 am house calls for dripping faucets. (He's a widower & single dad.) He just gave me a page with a 3-column checklist (in small print) of all the things he can take care of... and I know there are things not on the list! With his help, I think I'll be able to knock out a lot of my "honey do" stuff... Jim is beyond delighted by that.
I get an image of Jim doing handsprings across the living room. LOL
The doors are re hung and now only needs the trim replaced. Alfie just loves it since he can see down the front walk.
Yep! Charlie says Jim told him, "just do whatever she asks. I'll settle up with you and be happy I don't have to do it!"
Jill---
Maybe I missed it--but where did you find Charlie???
He sounds like a gem!
Gita, one of our neighbors "found" Charlie towards the end summer... I think they met at work when Charlie did some things at the bakery he manages. He's been doing jobs on the court, and we hired him to paint the shutters/doors on the front of the house. He also replaced and upgraded some trim around the garage and fixed some siding in a way that I hope with be a permanent solution (with thin heat-dispersing backer board so it won't bubble up again). I was so impressed by his expertise and work ethic that I'm hoping to help my neighbors keep him busy this winter. (He's pretty much the go-to handyman on the court now.)
It is nice to have someone like that. He is a pleasant person as well. I talked to him a bit on pick up day and he seemed so very nice.
Does he work only around the Frederick area? Is he reasonable?
Of course--that can be subjective.
Just asking--in case...... G.
I think Muddy talked him into going down as far as Vienna... He lives around Thurmont. and yes, I'd say his rates are reasonable. He charges more when he is doing plumbing or electrical work, which makes sense to me since plumbers and electricians make more per hour than mulch-spreaders. But he wants to keep busy and keep his clients happy, so he'll turn a hand to pretty much anything.
Is the guy who built your new entryway ledge available for other things, Gita? From your description of the way he works as well as from the photos of the finished project, I'd say he's a "keeper" too.
Jill--
The Guy who did my ledge only works with lumber as one of his outside jobs.
NO concrete work or electrical or plumbing. He mows lawns too.
He is a retired policeman at 47. He had to quit due to a bad back.
His "real" job is to take action pictures at sporting events. G.
I'm going to try to scan the info sheet Charlie gave me... type is fairly small, but if I can get good enough resolution, I'll Dmail it to anybody who is interested... or Dmail me with your email address and I'll get it to you that way.
High time for a new thread- go here
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1408511/