renovation blogs

So, with much of the structure of the chicken house built, I'm starting to work on making them some accessories, like a nest box (which they will need Real Soon Now) and a more automated feeder. (I also have an...

This post was written for Houseblogs.net as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by True Value. Housebloggers can register to win a $300 AMEX gift card but entries are due by Tuesday, July 21st--go here for details.

Since we're running the contest we're not eligible to win, but we thought we'd participate anyway. It's always nice to reflect back on what we've gotten done around the house! So, on to our favorite DIY project pick....

We've had a quiet-ish weekend here, because we're waiting for an opportunity to borrow a truck to get more sheet goods (drywall, more cementitious siding, and so on), and also because events conspired to send Noel off to be a...

This afternoon we went to visit the Sunset Idea House, which is right next door to the Sunset offices in Menlo Park. It's a big-looking house from the street, but not massive by suburban standards (though, of course, larger than...

While our server was falling over on a regular basis this week (sorry about that), the wiring was getting done in the pantry. The needs for the pantry are fairly simple, so the wiring hasn't been too complicated. We put...

If you're a regular reader of our blog but haven't visited Houseblogs.net recently (a site we also run) you might be interested to know about a contest that we started there yesterday.

For the next week True Value is sponsoring a "Look What I Did" contest for housebloggers - three winners will receive $300 AMEX gift cards to spend at a local True Value store.

The contest is pretty simple and should be a fun way for housebloggers to show off our favorite projects. Anyone can participate and the instructions are available on Houseblogs.net. Don't wait too long though, since the deadline is next Wednesday.

We'll post our own entry here shortly (although I'm guessing we're not eligible to win since we're helping to run the contest!)....

The thing about the garden in summer is that even when you are lazy and get nothing done, things are just going crazy on their own. You hardly need to do anything, assuming you did some basic weeding in the...

It's been quite an ordeal disposing our small box of asbestos tiles. (Remember them?) After we boxed them up, I'd put them in the back of the car, intending to stop at an appropriate disposal facility on the way to...

Until we get all the drywall up in the pantry, we have this great little shortcut from the kitchen through the closet in the back of the library. I was thinking of putting a little secret doorway into the pantry,...

When we bought our house in 2002, there was an illegally installed bathroom in one of the pantries (the door had been moved so it opened into the library, but it was originally a pantry). You have two choices when...

Temporary light shade in our sunroom. Left over from a long ago house party in our old condo. It will be staying there until we can find a light fixture that we a) agree on, and b) can afford.

It's possible that it will be there awhile.

It's been a while since I wrote about the garden. (I spent the day doing something I cannot yet write about, so there you have it.) We're in the height of summer, and it's been hot and dry (the sump...

I usually don't do this kind of thing, but I met this dog and she is a total sweetheart. She is being fostered by our neighbors, Joel and Helen, and she is looking for a permanent home.

There are good dogs and there are great dogs, and this one, who is really special, is desperately seeking a home. Her name is Lunar and she is LOVELY. The sweetest, gentlest dog I've ever met - great with kids, great with other pets, great watchdog. She is two years old, medium/large sized and has longish red fur. She came from a household that neglected her and the physical signs are evident, but she is emotionally a very happy girl.

If you've ever flown United, you're probably familiar with the Three Perfect Days series in their Hemisphere Magazine. It picks a location and then outlines the activities and lodging required to spend three perfect days in that location.

It is only possible to do this, of course, if you have stellar weather and no small children in tow. Thus, I bring you our version of Three Perfect(?) Days in Seattle with a Two Year Old. Enjoy.

Day One: Wake up early because you have no choice. Your toddler believes that she is still in Chicago and thus, it is 4:30 am Seattle time. The sun is not glittering on Elliott Bay nor the snow-covered Olympic mountains because the sun is not up yet. But, good Lord, you are. And there is a toddler bouncing around your room and demanding to go "yo'side". Reach quickly for the remote control. Try to find cartoons on a Seattle station.

At 5:30 am, open one eye to see the toddler drawing on the wall of your sparsely-appointed room at the Holiday Inn near the highway (and Seattle Center!) with the antiperspirant that she has stolen from the duffle bag. Decide that it might be best to take her outside now.

Wander around Seattle Center with an overactive and gleeful toddler while trying to scrounge up some coffee. This is a town known for its coffee, right? RIGHT??? OMG, WHERE IS THE COFFEE?

Also, no one else in Seattle is awake yet.

In e-mail recently, a question about cross-bracing (with links by me): You said that the bottom of a tensioned cross-brace goes away from the hinge. What is a tensioned cross-brace, and when does the bottom go away from the hinge?...

As you may know, those of us served by EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utility District) have been ordered to reduce our water usage because we are in a drought. While there's been a significant amount of griping from those of...

The theme for our holiday weekend was Moving Stuff. Earlier in the week, Roomie John moved on to edgier, more urban digs in Oakland, and this weekend we re-took his room as our office/workspace. This involved a trip to IKEA...

This morning it was abundantly clear that the circular saw was dead. Noel opened up the gear box and the gears were all stripped out, so he made a trip to Pagano's and bought a new circular saw. Then he...

Today was not a banner day for us, construction-wise. We had spent much of the evening last Sunday trying to calculate the hypotenuse of a couple of triangles, then use similar triangles to find a particular length that needed cutting....

Hi TK! I made you this! TK? TK? TK?