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

A Man Walks Into a Red Door - Doh!

It all started when we bought a house... wait, you know about that. Let me try again.

Well, it all started when we painted said house - again, we've covered that, haven't we? Hmm...

The house looked dumb with a white front door. There, that sets the tone I'm looking for. Our neighbors already have a great lime green front door, and the next logical choice was to go with a regal red.
 See the image to the right there? Imagine a white door there. Apparently I didn't take any house photos post-painting pre-door-painting. It figures.

Anyhow, I took down the doors. Roughed them up a little, taped up the parts that need to contrast, and hosed them in some rustic red something or other. It's perfect, and I haven't a clue what the color is.

This wasn't a bad way to spend a warm Saturday. The only problem that arose was running out of paint. Katie was out running errands, and here I was halfway finished and no doors on my house. 

A quick check with a neighbor who was outside, and off I went. Two cans of paint in hand, I fogged the rest of the front door, and then unloaded on the back door. The back went much smoother, as it was new - here I go again repeating stories you can go back to read.

Hanging the doors back up, that was a trick and a half. I got it done, but it isn't something I want to do on a weekly basis. Maybe once more, this decade.

No, wait. It's colonial red. Thank you Katie!

Now, we have a patriotic looking house. Take a moment, say the Pledge of Allegiance for me.

Side projects were also addressed: foundation was painted with extra grey from the porch. Additionally, that terrible wire along the outside of the house, that the Verizon guy thought I wanted making our house look like a dump, I moved that to the wall directly inside from the FiOS box. Verizon FiOS, if you are reading this, stop contracting out to morons who don't take even a slight interest in the quality of the installation. That or warn us before we pay for a full installation that the installer will do a terrible job.

There, that looks better.

Lastly, I put a new set of blinds in the kitchen.

They're nice. It's a nice house. But OH BOY wait until I tell you about the gable vents! I'll bring this story about until another day. Tomorrow, perhaps, if I have time. maybe over Thanksgiving.

Hey, Happy Thanksgiving! Do something constructive to your own home this weekend!

Can Jam!

Worst before photo ever.

After painting Dueselhouse, there was a moment of "wow, great idea!" It was Memorial Day Weekend, and everything in Virginia which was labeled "green" was tax free. Low flow toilets are green, and the bathroom in Dueselhouse wasn't sporting a very spectacular throne.

A one piece micro-seat wasn't very great to perch upon, and with taxes set aside for the weekend, I decided that it was time to make a change.

New wax ring

 Glacier bay makes a good looking can that my parents have at their place on Cape Cod. Dual flush, extra tall, and the deep oval make this bathroom addition very accommodating. My dad helped with the installation, and I must say that aside from having to think about what goes through the drain as you clean out the old wax ring, it wasn't a difficult installation - though it was good to have the insight and experience to help me through it all.

Economically speaking, water doesn't cost a whole lot, but there's piece of mind having a positive impact on the amount of water used. This, roughly hundred dollar upgrade, was probably as awesome as painting the upstairs bathroom - not necessary, but really great return on the enjoyability of the user experience.

Katie didn't like having a toilet in the living room. Odd.

Progress

Finished! All told, 25 minutes elapsed.

Step up, sit down, and consider the goodness.

Shabby to Fabby (What is Fabby?)

My apologies, faithful reader, for not returning sooner to share with you our developments. Duesehouse has been all a-spin with our busiest season - back to school, and busy events across the country keep Jeff and Katie on the run an awful lot.

Do not let our lack of writing fool you, we've been quite busy around Dueselhouse, from plumbing improvements, exterior polishing, and we even found a little time to paint this old pile of sticks. Not just the bathroom this time, the house!

See that green mess over there, that is about to be gone. you will see how gone in the picture directly below this statement. Seriously, scroll down a bit I'll wait... see, I wasn't kidding.


Pretty sweet, right?  That's my house.

Some special thanks for all the help:

• Mom and Pop Duesel
• Carolyn of Graham Road El. and her husband Luke were in around 10am! 
• Stacy joined the party and thought we were done, but we had only finished two sides at that point.
• Summer and Aura (my biggest helper!) showed up and Aura really got into the painting. 
• John, of attic furniture fame, came and painted the southern facing eave with the precision of Rembrant. It looks magnificent!

Believe it or not, the house painting started around 8am, and we were magically finished before 5am. Not bad. I still maintain that the house could have been painted in an hour. 8 hours isn't shabby though!

More photos to come!

 

 

The next weekend I was out in Pennsylvania four wheeling with some people from the Off Camber Crawlers. The house was ready for some final touches. The door still needs painting, the foundation is still green, and a lot of photos still need to be uploaded to my folder. 

But rest assured, the house got a fresh coat!

Thanks for the help, Aura!