Like a Submarine

Spring has come to Dueselhouse, and while I have a lot to work back through, what better place to start than the present and work backwards!

I was installing a new ceiling fan in the blue room, and needed electrical tape. Of course I didn't have any, so it was time for a trip to Ye'Olde Hardware Depot. Since I was there, I needed some soil break-up for the hole where the stump was. And since I am there, i might as well look at the one thing the house really needs.

It hasn't probably hasn't come up to be discussed here, but Dueselhouse is awesome. An amalgamation of old and new, fresh and firm, classic and custom. All the openings to the outside are relatively (if not completely) new, and while a little throttled the front storm-door is great. What we needed was cross ventilation. The kitchen has a door that keeps the heat in there when it is summer, or keeps the dog inside when the door is open, but darn-it-all if there is no circulation of air in the place.

We need a screen door!

Why today there is a trip to Depot, how serendipitous! Why not cruise past the screen doors and see what's what.

I came home with a vinyl screen door, big top opening, 4 small sections on the bottom. "Do you know how to install one of these?" The cashier asked, studying my Jeep t-shirt.

"I will tonight, when I'm finished." I told her skeptical look.

Back home, the covering was ripped off, and the door was sized up for the space, not quite a perfect fit. A professional had installed the back door last spring - see the story A Square Deal -  and the door was exact, the screen door was off a smidgen.

Fine, full disclosure, I didn't use a measuring tape, the door didn't fit, and I wasn't about to change the door trim. About a quarter inch had to be taken at the top and bottom of the frame.

A bit of massaging with the belt sander, and she slapped right into the opening no problem! Hinges, handle, done! Right?

NO!

I got a little creative, and put some reenforcement trim on the inside of the lower sections.

Pressing Down the Trim Additions

One thing led to another, and the door was installed. The door had a spring to pull it closed. The door had a handle! The door had a hole in it!

The door isn't supposed to have a hole in it, is it? It is a screen door, so technically it is supposed to have hundreds of small organized holes in it. But this new door has a hole in it.

Before anyone begins wailing, and gnashing, and what have you, let's see if this video helps explain:

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Dueselhouse got not only a screen door out back, but a just-for-Frankie screen door too!

Suffice to say, I am thrilled with this little project.

EDIT 3 Hrs Later: Now I'm thrilled with it:

We Didn't Forget About You!

Hi everyone, I've spent a lot of time considering how little I have written since November. I'm sorry, but only a little. I could site moving down a grade at work, and how it turned out to be a lot more work that when I taught back in 2008. I could blame the economy, or how much I've been drinking. But truth be told, I've been distracted...

See that photo? There have been some major developments at Dueselhouse, and it has occupied a lot of the spare time that I would have spent writing.  Since early September, we have been preparing Dueselhouse for a new member - no we do not know the exact type that member will be, but I have a lot of fun answering people's question, "Are you having a boy or a girl?" with a flat, "Yes."

The house has definitely not been ignored, and I will have to start setting a half hour a night to drafting up the full stories.

Here is a brief sampling of the different projects you may haven't heard about while the radio has been silent:

Home Grown Roof Vents!

A new friend at Dueselhouse:

which has fostered other projects to distract me...

There was the weekend I almost burnt the house down, so our thermostat is still the original:

We ditched the Family for Christmas in Florida:

 

OH! The "Bathroom in a Weekend" project CHALLENGE:

 I had coffee from Japan one morning. 

Color and stripe for the Blue Room 

And then the floor was deemed terrible...

Did I mention that our floor project carried into the whole house?

We have said goodbye to one friend, only to welcome another:

 old --> new

I joined a club, and Katie let me out to go four wheeling a few times, this is from April, but it was COLD out in February!

The point is, we've been busy - I mean, you should have seen the math scores at the beginning of this year! 

Don't give up on Dueselhouse, we've got lots more to share, stories to regale, and useful experiences to learn from. Please,  be sure to check in again real soon. 

I promise get back on the horse on a more-regular basis. We will branch out into the other stuff too - maybe include some driveway projects and trip reports. Katie will have to write too. Remember, it has only been a year, wait until you see what happens in year two!

-Jeff