home improvements

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I’m One Lucky Guy

Lucky 4 Leaf CloverLast Thursday, Holly and I woke up to find that we had no hot water. I figured that it was nothing more than the pilot light on the water heater that needed to be re-lit. Unfortunately, as I went into the garage to light it, I discovered water flowing out the top of the water heater, all over the garage floor and down the driveway into the street. This was just the beginning to a very long few days.

That day I had several client site visits to make, not to mention proposals and other deliverables due. I slammed as many of them as I could before leaving that morning, saving time by not taking a shower. I simply threw on a baseball cap and figured I’d explain my dishevelment to my clients when I saw them. I made quick work of my client visits and at the last one, I asked my client if he knew of a good plumber. Since my client runs a property management company, I figured if anyone knew of a good plumber, he would. Recommendation in hand, I was out the door and on the phone.

The person I called came highly recommended and after a quick conversation, he told me that what I would need is a new water heater. 45 minutes after my first call, someone was there at the house to take a look and see what the problem was. The problem was simple – I needed a new water heater. 2 hours and $850 dollars later and I had a new gas water heater installed and heating away. I was absolutely stunned at how fast they got it done and was quite pleased with myself for how smart I was in choosing them. :P

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2119 days ago • home improvements • Tags:

3

Lampe Berger & Effusion Lamps

Aromalytic Crystal Effusion LampMy wife an I stumbled onto the greatest air purifier/aromatic thing-a-ma-jig in the world and I just had to tell you all about it. I’m not usually this gung ho about things for the home, but this little bad boy really surprised me at just how good it is.
When Mike Rohde and his wife Gail came to visit back in October, Holly and Gail went shopping in Franklin, TN to a place called The Factory. As they browsed the various boutiques and sundry shops, they entered “Cherie’s Unique Decor” and were immediately taken by the fragrance that wafted through the air. Asking the owner what smelled so wonderful, they were told it was a fragrance called “Red Currant” and when they asked about what was creating the scent, that’s when they were told the whole story.

Fast forward to several hours later when Gail and Holly are trying to describe how this oil lamp worked. Although they tried to explain it, I just couldn’t get my head around how this thing worked exactly. Mike and I both scratched our head a bit and figured we’d go out there ourselves and see them first-hand since Holly was so enamored with them. Lucky for Holly and I, we didn’t have to wait because Mike and Gail bought us one as an early thank you gift!

Now that I had one in hand, I could get a better sense of how this thing worked, but first I had to try it out for my self. We followed the instructions, waited for the wick to get it’s fill of oil and then lit the top of the lamp. After 4 minutes or so, we blew it out and then took a step back as the room began to fill with the most wonder scent. It was heaven.

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2268 days ago • home improvements • Tags: , ,

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I Am A Weekend Warrior

A tired marineIt’s Monday morning and my eyes feel like two pee holes in the snow. My body aches in places I didn’t know existed and my hands feel like two thick hunks of pork shoulder. If left alone for five minutes I would be sound asleep – even if I were standing up. Why all the pain and suffering? Well this weekend was the second weekend in a row for working on outside projects around the house.
Last Weekend
Last weekend I did the initial mow on the yard. The grass and weeds are a little taller than usual and I like to use the bag attachment for the first cut of the season. I chickened out on mowing the hill, but by the time I was done I had 10 bags of leaves, debris and cuttings and we have a small yard. I also transplanted 8 bushes and a small tree. That was a lot of digging and by the end of the weekend, I was spent.

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2861 days ago • home improvements

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I’m A Dirty Dirty Boy

PigPenHaving a pool is both a blessing and a curse. When everything is clean and working properly it is an absolute joy. It’s one of those moments where you think to yourself this is the good life. However, when your pool is not working properly, or when it’s dirty it’s an absolute nightmare. It sometimes feels that it’s more a curse than a blessing.

That was definitely the case last year. I just couldn’t keep the darn thing clean. I would have everything balanced one day only to have the water turn murky the next. I tested the water every weekend at Pool and Spa depot and every weekend I was having do invoke some voodoo chemical ceremony to try and bring the water back. “Take this phRise and put it in a pillow case and drag it through the water. But don’t touch it or it’ll burn you.” I’m not kidding, that was just one of the many weird things I had to do last year. Unfortunately, none of the things I did had any real long term solution and when it was time to winterize the pool, I just gave up. I cried uncle and let the pool water slide into decay and decomposition.

Cleaning out the pool this year was a bit of a journey, as such, I created a Travelogue for it. It was simply too long to try and post here. To read all the gory details, please select this link. There is also a photo gallery that goes along with it. Warning, these photos are pretty nasty. :)

3132 days ago • home improvements

1

Vanity Completed (New Photos)

Guest Bathroom Vanity

Guest Bathroom Vanity

After two weeks of sanding and painting the vanity in the guest bathroom is finally complete. Although there is still quite a ways to go on this home project, it is good to have one element of it completed. I’ve added 6 new photographs to the guest bathroom re-design photo gallery [Edit: The galleries were removed after a site redesign] to show off my handy work.
The name of the color that was used for the vanity is called “Creepy Jenny” and it complements the yellow color well. Unless your retinas are detached, you’ll probably notice that the color pallet that we’re using is quite bright. :P Once the flooring and the other pieces come together, it will tone down the room a bit. The end result that we’re going after is a bright, warm, fun room.

The new light fixture is actually an outdoor lamp typically found on a barn or garage. Since the accent tones that we’re using are a natural metal, this fits in nicely – not to mention that it was cheap! The only downside is that it doesn’t cast enough light to illuminate the entire room. So, that means having to wire another light fixture for the room.

Speaking of lighting, Holly just fell in love with the lava lamp and just HAD to put it in the room. I don’t know if it’ll be a permanent accessory, but it’s fun.

Next on the task list – laying tile!

3249 days ago • home improvements • Tags: , , , ,