Note: Since completion of the house I have also decided to allow guest bloggers to post articles related to remodeling. This continues the education process.
TIMELINE
Architect Selection - December 2002 through January 2003
Getting a Permit - January 2003 through November 2004
Construction - November 2004 through September 2006
Post Construction - October 2006 through ???
Maintaining this House is Something Else!
Fri, Jul 9 2010 09:50 PM
| Door, Hot tub, koi, Painting, Palm Tree, Pond, Post Construction, Stone, tankless water heater, Wood Deck
| Permalink
I haven't written in a few months but that's not because I had nothing to write about. We have been in the house over 3 1/2 years now and there are certain things that need fixing. Some are regular maintenance items and others are just surprises. Let me give you a quick rundown of what's going on.
Exterior Paint - The South sides of the house start to fade due to the constant sunlight received throughout the year. On average, we have been needing to paint the South side of the house every 12-18 months at a minimum. For this we are using a clear coat of Varathane on the shingles and the bark-colored Cabot stain on the redwood trim. Just last year I had the garage door sanded down and refinished along with the house as it was fading bad with only a clear coat on the mahogany. I had it stained and recoated. Now it looks like a million bucks.
Tankless Water Heater - Once a year I have to flush the tankless water heater with vinegar. It's not difficult to do but just another thing to do.
Hot Tub Pump - I just had the hot tub pump replaced with about 3 months left on the warranty. Whew! Apparently, it's better to keep the water pH on the high side to prevent corrosion of the parts.
Stone Facade on Hot Tub Door - I built a wall surrounding the hot tub but needed to leave one side open so it could be slid into place. I had a 3-sided wall and wanted to close off the fourth side. We devised an extremely heavy two part door on heavy duty hinges. When I had to open the doors and put them back for the recent hot tub servicing, I had a problem getting the doors to shut. Apparently they weigh so much (maybe 200 pounds each) that the hinges were bending. With some finessing and a lot of brute force I managed to shut the doors again, however, some of the stone facade attached to the face of the doors fell off and now I have to fix it. Not only that but two fingers were crunched in the doors when they finally shut. Not fun!!! Note to self....get others to help shut the door so you don't create more work by having to replace stone.

Wood Deck around Palm Tree - Do you remember the palm tree in the backyard that we basically built the house around? Well, you may also remember that I had a wood deck built around it in 4 pieces to maximize the patio usage. It was a very nice fit but as the tree continued to grow about 18 inches per year, the base kept getting larger and the surface roots started to lift the deck. Last year I lifted the 4 panels, trimmed the roots around the tree, and enlarged the hole. Well, it's time to do it again. This looks like an annual event.
Now after all of these things, people always say "you wouldn't do it again, would you?" I would do it all over in a second! I love this!!!
Bye for now......Mike
Exterior Paint - The South sides of the house start to fade due to the constant sunlight received throughout the year. On average, we have been needing to paint the South side of the house every 12-18 months at a minimum. For this we are using a clear coat of Varathane on the shingles and the bark-colored Cabot stain on the redwood trim. Just last year I had the garage door sanded down and refinished along with the house as it was fading bad with only a clear coat on the mahogany. I had it stained and recoated. Now it looks like a million bucks.
Tankless Water Heater - Once a year I have to flush the tankless water heater with vinegar. It's not difficult to do but just another thing to do.
Hot Tub Pump - I just had the hot tub pump replaced with about 3 months left on the warranty. Whew! Apparently, it's better to keep the water pH on the high side to prevent corrosion of the parts.


Koi Pond - The koi in the pond are HUGE!!! I'm glad to see the pond thriving but that being said, I just got through my annual cleaning of the pond. It costs about $650 per year! They take out the fish, scrub all of the algae off the rocks, clean out the filters, check everything, and refill it. I'm sure there's more to it than that. It takes 3 guys about 4 hours. See the koi pond cleaning here. But wait, there's more. The lights in the pond are failing and I have been told that the new lights out now are the way to go and will last for 10 years or so. So there's another grand or so. Stay tuned.

Now after all of these things, people always say "you wouldn't do it again, would you?" I would do it all over in a second! I love this!!!
Bye for now......Mike
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Craftsman Home Remodeling Blog WINS!!!!
Thu, Apr 22 2010 02:40 PM
| Blogger awards, Remodel
| Permalink
Thanks to all of you, the Craftsman Home Remodeling Blog has won the 2010 JDR Industry Blogger Award in the Remodeling category.
Craftsman Curtain Rod Bracket Installation
Sun, Mar 14 2010 03:05 PM
| Curtain rod brackets, Curtain rods, Curtains, ebony, mahogany, Post Construction
| Permalink
As promised, here are some installation pictures of the curtain rods. A previous blog post shows the manufacturing of the curtain rod brackets.
Rich Wright, the contractor of my house, made the curtain rods and brackets out of left over mahogany from the construction. He had to build a jig to hold the base bracket in place and ensure that it was aligned straight.
This picture shows the mounting really well. There are two screws that mount the base piece into the wall. The cover piece has a hole in the center where a 3-inch screw goes through the rod (not shown) and into the back support bracket. That hole is then filled with an ebony plug.

We ran into an issue with how to do a bracket for a corner window where each window had it's own curtain. Here is the solution, a corner bracket that takes each rod in at a 45 degree angle.
Test fitting a curtain rod into the brackets to make sure everything fits.

Now it's time to make the curtain rods. Each mahogany rod was custom cut to the length required for each window and door. I numbered the ends of the rods when finishing so I could remember where they went later. After some light sanding to bevel all edges, I sprayed on 3 coats of Varathane to seal them. This is the same finish I used on the curtain rod brackets.

Meanwhile, this block of ebony was cut into tiny squares to plug the holes in the brackets after installation.

And now for the final product. Well, almost final. I still haven't put in the ebony plugs but you can't really tell in these pictures. The rods extend one inch past each end of the brackets. The curtains have tabs with buttons so the curtain can be removed if needed.
Rich Wright, the contractor of my house, made the curtain rods and brackets out of left over mahogany from the construction. He had to build a jig to hold the base bracket in place and ensure that it was aligned straight.


This picture shows the mounting really well. There are two screws that mount the base piece into the wall. The cover piece has a hole in the center where a 3-inch screw goes through the rod (not shown) and into the back support bracket. That hole is then filled with an ebony plug.

We ran into an issue with how to do a bracket for a corner window where each window had it's own curtain. Here is the solution, a corner bracket that takes each rod in at a 45 degree angle.

Test fitting a curtain rod into the brackets to make sure everything fits.

Now it's time to make the curtain rods. Each mahogany rod was custom cut to the length required for each window and door. I numbered the ends of the rods when finishing so I could remember where they went later. After some light sanding to bevel all edges, I sprayed on 3 coats of Varathane to seal them. This is the same finish I used on the curtain rod brackets.



Meanwhile, this block of ebony was cut into tiny squares to plug the holes in the brackets after installation.

And now for the final product. Well, almost final. I still haven't put in the ebony plugs but you can't really tell in these pictures. The rods extend one inch past each end of the brackets. The curtains have tabs with buttons so the curtain can be removed if needed.


Craftsman Home Remodeling Forum Shut Down
Hi everyone,
Due to excessive abuse of the Craftsman Home Remodeling Forum by spammers, I have had to shut it down. Not only was the forum being blasted with inappropriate messages but somehow the spammers were using it send out SPAM emails.
I do plan on resurrecting the forum at a later date with much more stringent controls.
Sorry for the inconvenience,
Mike
Due to excessive abuse of the Craftsman Home Remodeling Forum by spammers, I have had to shut it down. Not only was the forum being blasted with inappropriate messages but somehow the spammers were using it send out SPAM emails.
I do plan on resurrecting the forum at a later date with much more stringent controls.
Sorry for the inconvenience,
Mike
Kids Outdoor Arts and Crafts Area
Sun, Mar 7 2010 03:04 PM
| Arts and crafts, Play area, Playhouse, tree removal
| Permalink
This is late in coming but for those of you that have read about our palm tree removal, you know that we had some empty space on the side of the house.

Not wanting this space to go to waste, I built a frame structure, put on a corrugated, plastic roof and grew wisteria over the entire surface. I had some left over slate from my master bathroom so I fit it into the dirt space for a floor. The blue table is one that I made out of a single 4x8 sheet of plywood. It always seemed to be in the way but now it has a good home.


Not wanting this space to go to waste, I built a frame structure, put on a corrugated, plastic roof and grew wisteria over the entire surface. I had some left over slate from my master bathroom so I fit it into the dirt space for a floor. The blue table is one that I made out of a single 4x8 sheet of plywood. It always seemed to be in the way but now it has a good home.


2010 JDR Industry Blogger Awards
Fri, Mar 5 2010 07:57 AM
| Blogger awards, Remodel
| Permalink
The Craftsman Home Remodeling blog has been nominated as Best Remodeling Blogger in the 2010 JDR Industry Blogger Awards! Voting is now open.
Please vote for us here today!
Please vote for us here today!

ForteFaucets.com and ForteLight.com Join The Craftsman Home Remodeling Network
Sat, Feb 20 2010 02:23 PM
| Chandeliers, faucets, Home Remodeling, Lighting, Remodel, Sinks, tubs
| Permalink
Welcome ForteFaucets.com and ForteLight.com to the Craftsman Home Remodeling Network.
A recurring theme in emails I receive from the Craftsman Home Remodeling readers has to do with where is the best place to get a sink, faucet, chandelier, toilet, etc., etc. I decided that I should create these two web sites as part of the Craftsman Home Remodeling Network to give our readers a place to shop for these items.

ForteFaucets.com
Now you can finally have the Kitchen or Bathroom you've always dreamed of - without the frustration of going from one store to another searching for that perfect faucet or fixture. All this without weeks of searching for an accessory to match. That's because we've designed an online store with over 272,000 items where you can find all the best names in kitchen and bathroom plumbing including Delta Faucets, Delta Select, Moen, Grohe, Price Pfister, Insinkerator and more at guaranteed low prices!

ForteLight.com
As your premier home lighting dealer, we are proud to offer a full range of products for the do-it yourselfer or contractor. We have an extensive online catalog of over 42,000 products offering a wide variety of home lighting products from Kichler, Minka, Murray Feiss, Quoizel, Maxim, Sea Gull, Progress, Monte Carlo, and more. Our fully trained Customer Service Representatives care for you and will help you with your product selection and any questions you might have. You can always count on ForteLight.com to have the right light at the best price.
==============
Make sure to sign up for our newsletter. Not only will you receive home remodeling tips but I will also include coupons for the stores. Of course, I also provide these on the Craftsman Home Remodeling site, but signing up will make sure you don't miss out!
A recurring theme in emails I receive from the Craftsman Home Remodeling readers has to do with where is the best place to get a sink, faucet, chandelier, toilet, etc., etc. I decided that I should create these two web sites as part of the Craftsman Home Remodeling Network to give our readers a place to shop for these items.

ForteFaucets.com
Now you can finally have the Kitchen or Bathroom you've always dreamed of - without the frustration of going from one store to another searching for that perfect faucet or fixture. All this without weeks of searching for an accessory to match. That's because we've designed an online store with over 272,000 items where you can find all the best names in kitchen and bathroom plumbing including Delta Faucets, Delta Select, Moen, Grohe, Price Pfister, Insinkerator and more at guaranteed low prices!

ForteLight.com
As your premier home lighting dealer, we are proud to offer a full range of products for the do-it yourselfer or contractor. We have an extensive online catalog of over 42,000 products offering a wide variety of home lighting products from Kichler, Minka, Murray Feiss, Quoizel, Maxim, Sea Gull, Progress, Monte Carlo, and more. Our fully trained Customer Service Representatives care for you and will help you with your product selection and any questions you might have. You can always count on ForteLight.com to have the right light at the best price.
==============
Make sure to sign up for our newsletter. Not only will you receive home remodeling tips but I will also include coupons for the stores. Of course, I also provide these on the Craftsman Home Remodeling site, but signing up will make sure you don't miss out!
Craftsman Home Remodeling is going Social
Hi everyone,
It's been a while since I have posted anything. I have had some projects around the house that have been finishing up such as custom Craftsman-style curtains that I want to share with you all but it was time for me to move this site into the 21st century. As a result, this blog is now synched up with it's own Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craftsman-Home-Remodeling/287979256075) and Twitter page (http://twitter.com/craftsmanremodl). Feel free to become a fan on the Facebook page and follow me on the Twitter page. I will be posting the blog to all, sharing more remodeling information, and also providing coupons on the latest home appliances, faucets, sinks, tubs, lighting, and more.
So sign up now and join me on these pages. Also, I have just started a newsletter that I will be sharing this information weekly in your email box. So please sign up for that. The links to everything are as follows:
Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craftsman-Home-Remodeling/287979256075)
Twitter page (http://twitter.com/craftsmanremodl)
Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/hiSs)
It's been a while since I have posted anything. I have had some projects around the house that have been finishing up such as custom Craftsman-style curtains that I want to share with you all but it was time for me to move this site into the 21st century. As a result, this blog is now synched up with it's own Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craftsman-Home-Remodeling/287979256075) and Twitter page (http://twitter.com/craftsmanremodl). Feel free to become a fan on the Facebook page and follow me on the Twitter page. I will be posting the blog to all, sharing more remodeling information, and also providing coupons on the latest home appliances, faucets, sinks, tubs, lighting, and more.
So sign up now and join me on these pages. Also, I have just started a newsletter that I will be sharing this information weekly in your email box. So please sign up for that. The links to everything are as follows:
Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craftsman-Home-Remodeling/287979256075)
Twitter page (http://twitter.com/craftsmanremodl)
Newsletter (http://eepurl.com/hiSs)
Relax the Back Store is now OPEN!
Fri, May 8 2009 12:15 PM
| Foot massagers, massage chairs, mattresses, Office chairs, Recliner chairs, tempurpedic
| Permalink
Through our partnership with Relax the Back
, we are able to bring their entire collection of mattresses, pillows, massage, office, and recliner chairs, and more to the Craftsman Home Remodeling website.
Be sure to Check Out Relax The Back Clearance Items
to see if there are any deals to be had.
Be sure to Check Out Relax The Back Clearance Items
The Lighting Store is now OPEN!
Tue, Mar 3 2009 07:22 AM
| Chandeliers, Craftsman, Lamps, Lighting, Quoizel, Sconces, Stained glass, Store, tiffany
| Permalink
Through our partnership with Lamps Plus
, we are pleased to bring their entire collection of lighting to the Craftsman Home Remodeling website.
Next Page
Be sure to browse the 2,000 picture Photo Gallery for more step-by-step construction details.