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Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover

Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
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sakurama

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Oct 10, 2010
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Location
Portland - the cool one.
really nice work! love that cable railing how did you tension the cables?

Yes, threaded ends. I'm tensioning the end in the bedroom the most right now and just tensioning them like a guitar - to the same general sound. I don't want to tension them too much as my first test showed that they could actually pull the posts. The ends in the bedroom I'll trim back and then route a channel in the vertical trim board to cover the nuts. The other end I'll make a door in the drywall to have access if they stretch.

Right now they're very tight and will easily pass the 4" ball test.

Gregor
 

coma13

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Nov 5, 2012
Messages
247
This thread is truly an inspiration. I occasionally feel overwhelmed trying to keep my TINY garage and various projects organized and on track. This really gives me some perspective! haha

Thank you.
 

THR1LL3R

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Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
116
Location
St. Louis City
Still came out okay.

i-XF2RsdH-XL.jpg


Which is more than I can say for my first swage. Hmm, so much for reading the directions. I was able to straighten this out but it needs some file work to fit through my 5/16th holes. I want to string one before I go too far to see how much tension they need. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get the metal mid spans welded and drilled and then send them out for powder but I need to know that the cable is going to work before I go too far.

where do you get the parts for this?

Dave
 
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sakurama

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Portland - the cool one.
Thanks for the kudos.

The past few weeks have been rough and not much has happened on the house. While I was in NYC I got a call from the hospital that my father was found by the police wandering lost. He was taken to the VA and was diagnosed with early dementia and they've held him until today when I'm supposed to pick him up and find him an assisted living situation. He has no resources but does own property which means he can't get aid and that the kids have to pony up to pay for this. Unexpected to say the least and difficult as he has made it clear he wants nothing to do with this. As anyone who might have dealt with this knows this is hard.

All that to say I'm a bit busy with work, taking care of the kids while my wife is traveling and now this. The house is hardly on my radar right now.

Despite this I needed to get over there to pay Jorgé for work he's done. Everything is painted and clean so I tasked him with sanding the cork floors upstairs. We don't have the cash right now to replace them and Judiaann doesn't like cork but if I can save them she'll live with them. So we're going to try to save them. He's what they look like after one initial sanding.

i-HcCcBXg-XL.jpg


i-ctTPfdM-XL.jpg


The wet sponge is cleaning the floor but also giving me an idea of what they'd look like if we poly them which is the plan. Any recommendations for coating cork? I want to keep progress going for my own sanity right now...

Gregor
 

mikedprince

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2013
Messages
16
Location
Hot Springs, AR
Love the quality of your work on the pictures, the house and the bikes. I will commit to praying for your father and you as you deal with his challenges. Keep us posted!
 
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sakurama

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Portland - the cool one.
First, thanks for the personal notes regarding my father. It has been a rough week but I think we're getting him settled in. While it's an unexpected and rather large expense I'm hoping that the end - well, let's be honest, something that just resembles an end, is in sight and that the costs will start to drop with the house.

That said I did manage to get a little bit of time on Friday to stop by with both my father and Nadia who didn't have school that day. Obviously not much got done but I was able to prepare for next week so that Jorgé and I can make some real progress.

We got the cork floor cleaned and poly'd and while I can't say that it's a great success it will do for now.

i-WrnDpJV-X2.jpg


And once again I spent a little time to do something that did not at all further my cause but did make me feel better by showing me a window to the future. Ben and I decided to add black painted quarter round to the various wall/ceiling junctions as a way to tie together the beams and further the details of black sandwiched cedar posts. By keeping it very small we consider these to be like "brush strokes" of black in a drawing. The heavy lines that give weight.

i-xMBw3jX-X2.jpg


It's a very small yet perfect detail and one that makes me smile.

Another boost to my moral came from a note I received from one of the editors of Atomic Home who has followed my blog and said they would like to feature the house when we're done. Flattering, perhaps, more for the thought that someone thinks that someday we might be "done".

Gregor
 
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sakurama

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Finally.

Finally I got a full day at the house after weeks of (real) work and distractions. As we're basically finished with the walls and beams the next thing was the floor.

I've been waiting on this for months.

i-j8KBSW5-X3.jpg

We began with the wall on the far side of the porch as that was a confusing conundrum that I didn't want to deal with. It's pretty easy to click the stuff together and it's a nicely mind numbing thing to do.

i-2sFwzwb-X3.jpg

It's actually not as fast as I thought it might be but I don't care because it's going down and it's progress.

My friend Ben (the architect) came out to visit this morning and check on the progress. I've noticed something about our relationship. He'll often come out and look around and nod approvingly and then he'll start a sentence with, "You know what would look really great?"

I'm slow, gullible and a slave to aesthetics so I always perk up and ask excitedly, "No! What!?!" and then suddenly I'm adding weeks more to the house.

Seriously, I don't know how often I've fallen for this.

Anyway, the last time he said this we were looking up at the ceiling and he pointed out how great it would look if the cedar ceiling and black beams of the interior continued out onto the eaves so that when you were inside you'd look through the windows and see a continuation of the ceiling.

i-Ksd5gts-X3.jpg

So, we started sanding all the cedar eaves...

Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment but it will look great.

Gregor
 

Audicon

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Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
139
Gregor,

This just keeps getting better and better. The house is going to look as great as your photography. I think many of us actually appreciate the work going into it and would love the opportunity to see it live, as it were.

Keep up the great work and let Jorge know he is doing a great job.

Scot
 

51rider

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Dec 21, 2009
Messages
502
Location
London, England.
Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment but it will look great.

Gregor

Yes, it will:thumbup::thumbup:

****** architects! Trust them to come up with that little detail that always:
a) adds extra cost
b) makes you wonder, "why didn't I think of that?"

:D:D:D

I'm going to pinch that railing idea for use on my house-it's great!
 
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JordonMusser

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Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Messages
367
Location
Dallas, TX
Gregor-
Where did you get the stainless rope and swage-ends? McMaster has the appropriate cable at a reasonable cost, but having difficult finding a nice selection of ends.

Thanks.
 
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sakurama

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I think many of us actually appreciate the work going into it and would love the opportunity to see it live, as it were.

That's a great idea. I should have a big garage warming party when I'm (close to) done. Maybe in the spring. I certainly have seen a lot of PNW folks on the board. Supposedly the original owners used the house for entertaining and Judiaann and I certainly love a good party. Why not?

So for all the talk about how fast and easy these engineered floors are they aren't fast. Well, not by yourself at least. The larger areas go pretty quick but every junction and wall requires careful trimming.

i-kQPPkb9-XL.jpg


What's not seen is the hall behind me but the light wasn't nice when I was done so I didn't bother shooting it.

You lay the stuff in a diagonal sort of way but we've reached a point where I need to build the cabinet bases before I can do more. That means I need to actually commit to the size and design and to the appliances.

Gregor
 

locul

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May 13, 2010
Messages
98
Stopping by to see the updates. The details are per standard high and everything looks well placed.

Sad to hear about your father. I´ve never experienced the like as my father passed away with cancer. Next which comes to mind is the unexpected bills and the US way regarding health system(Don´t want to start an debate).
 
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sakurama

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Thanks Locul. Yes, it's startling how much these things cost and it's certainly putting the brakes on my progress a bit. Whatcha going to do?

Lay more floor - that's what! But not first without beginning to deal with the issues outside. Our inspection of the house revealed a "little" rot in a couple of the beam ends. Well today we decided to dig out the rot and then fill it with auto body putty. Until we actually got it all out...

i-Fcvj6qD-X2.jpg


Then I considered carving a dragon head.

Since it's beyond putty I found a scrap 4x6 and ran it through the planner to clean the edges up and then cut it to glue together.

i-w9ThzsP-X2.jpg


i-d2bc7r9-X2.jpg


From here we'll mark out a rough shape on the beam that we can then transfer to the block and then cut that to match and then glue it into place and sand the whole thing back to square. Then we'll put some flashing over the beam ends to protect them so this doesn't happen again. This is (hopefully) the worst of it as it had no flashing. Any other rot will be dug out and filled with putty and then sanded back and painted black.

And we made good progress on the floor today but I can't tell you how many times I heard people say, "Oh, engineered flooring goes down so fast - you can do the whole thing in a day" because that just isn't the case for us. Still, it's going well and it's looking great.

i-zLsBBHh-X3.jpg


Hope to get a lot done tomorrow.

Gregor
 
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Dr Klaun

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Mar 28, 2010
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59
Location
Tumalo
Enjoying your renovation!

Re: your cork flooring:

Cork is pretty much treated just like wood flooring - sanding (lightly!), staining if preferred and use the same finishes. We installed it in our old house in the kitchen and bathroom and loved it. Used the OS brand Wax / oil finish - brushed in and wiped off and it kept the soft feel of the material while holding up for 10 years until we sold the place. Always warm to walk on!

Was yours painted?

I also agree with having the exterior detailing relate to the interior. Keep this in mind with any patios, etc. with materials. I'm always amazed when folks don't put the two and two together.
 
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sakurama

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Oct 10, 2010
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Location
Portland - the cool one.
Thanks guys. Our cork floors are probably beyond saving but for now it was worth the time to sand and poly them. Area rugs will cover most of the damage (such as the self leveler poured in spots) and the rest will be nice "character".

I think I might have seen our house on Portland Modern - it's hard to remember now but I do know that I looked at that sight often. Portland is a great little city and I love it here. Even the winters which will be an excellent time to spend in my new shop.

I heard from my Revit client that I can show some of my images even though the collection won't be public until January. So, if you were following along before you saw me hanging out of a pickup shooting my friend and stunt rider Gino. Well, here's that final shot:

i-6CTB59Q-X2.jpg


Now, back to our regularly scheduled house build. In an effort to keep my dad involved I pick him up in the morning and take him to our local coffee shop (Maplewood Coffee & Tea) where I get Jorgé a coffee and let Dad walk back to the house for some exercise. We've put our cutting station into the kitchen for the moment.

i-4Q64GRw-X2.jpg


Then Ben stopped by to help me work through the kitchen cabinets and counters. It's very helpful to talk through the ideas and just look at plans and then put a tape to the wall.

i-kbwrnLp-X2.jpg


Finally the floor is done in the main room. It's such a change from where we started and I think it's no understatement to say we've rescued this house.

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It's actually helpful to me to see the images as it's a chance to reflect on the space while not "in" the space. Those closets that are drywalled look nice in white. I may consider doing the doors in white to break up that wall. Or something.

Anyway, it's been a productive week.

Gregor
 
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sakurama

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kyrbz

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Jan 30, 2012
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midwest US
Just looked at both your blogs - wow! Wonderful restorations and fantastic art. You would be right at home here.

Gregor

Thanks for the comment in regard to my blogs. I have family in Seattle, so my wife and I visit the PNW often and it's really where we feel we eventually want to be. Looking at your website and threads, your craftsmanship and attention to detail is evident in everything you do. Again, fantastic job you're doing on the house as well as your other endeavors.

-BZ
 

Crazy Backyard Builder

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Joined
Feb 8, 2010
Messages
111
Location
SoCal.
I have been following along and the progress is amazing, I have even forward your build thread to a couple of friend's.

But I have to say, the latest photo's with your Dad in them really made me smile !


Keep up the great work,
 
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sakurama

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Portland - the cool one.
But I have to say, the latest photo's with your Dad in them really made me smile!

Thanks. He's been doing great and really enjoys hanging out at the house. He even got out and trimmed the rose bushes... out of existence. :dunno: Tell me that's not your yellow 911...

Remember this?

i-Fcvj6qD-X2.jpg


Well, we made some progress today. Cut a template and jigsawed the shape out.

i-dQvPHpQ-X2.jpg


i-vSVGnQr-X2.jpg


I used construction adhesive because the cut and block weren't perfect. This isn't structural at the end so we just need to get rid of the rot and basically rebuild the beam.

i-z72dCXB-X2.jpg


Bondo'd up all the gaps and whatnot.

i-d92nCXW-X2.jpg


Belt sanded the end flush.

i-scR4stm-X2.jpg


And the Festool RO150 took down the rest. We now have a solid and square beam with no rot.

_______________________________________________

Moving on to the interior I finished most of the floor and began the cabinet bases.

i-sF8hCCF-X2.jpg


This Fein oscillating tool is just amazing. It's been a god send whenever I've had to trim casing or trim in place.

i-J74gR6c-X2.jpg


The bases are held by a couple of screws into the concrete and those corners were also used to level out the base as I screwed the pocket screws after the top was level.

i-WDqgmMv-X2.jpg


I truly love having good quality tools but I am sad at how beat up they've gotten over the course of this project. I think when we're done we'll end up spending several days cleaning the tools.

_______________________________________________


And finally some garage content! :rocker: < that is the most ridiculous emoticon. I only use them ironically.

We really should be painting the outside of the house considering the amazing weather we're having but that wasn't a high priority and the garage is (to me). Besides, I can't afford the paint and I already bought the tile so tile it is.

i-m4H4Dgt-X2.jpg


Since I'm eschewing the typical black and white check floor I considered a more subtle choice - do I alternate the orientation of the tile flecks in a checker board as it normal or do I run them all the same direction? No to checker and normal - it just didn't look as cool.

This is the first time I've ever laid VCT and a while back they were putting it down at my daughters school so I stayed and watched. Seemed pretty simple and in a pleasing turnabout it is even easier than it looked. Put the glue down and let it dry.

i-H5JLmfZ-X2.jpg


Lay a chalk line as a reference. Since nothing in the garage is really square a lot of the pressure is off here.

i-zFfTnQg-X2.jpg


i-H8XtHhm-X2.jpg


Line up the tile to it's neighbor and press it tightly in place. J roll it down, move on to the next one. It cuts like drywall - easily and poorly.

So we made an effort to get about one half done and then we'll do the other side and then, finally, we'll move the big machines and do the back wall last. It's very encouraging to see it going down as every garage or shop I've had for the last... well, forever has been concrete and it's always dirty. Even when it's clean it's dirty. This is feels like the garage is becoming a shop, an actual room, my personal skunkworks.

I'm happy.

Gregor
 

locul

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Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
98
Morning from Denmark.

Regarding tools, which i ofourse love, but have no ability to use. Are the Festool and Fein big in US? I think of them as very high quality, though my self is a cheap A$ and use Makita.
I think you are doing great as usual, but your patience would probably be your biggest skill(beside all the other...). Methodical and with an eye for the detail. I´m looking forward to the 950 end in this shop. YOUR SHOP ;-)

regards

ps: When will you start the 1290 engine swap?
 

Oldsklrolla

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Jan 1, 2011
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96
Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
Well that 14 page read was worthwhile. :)
The progress you have made since January is amazing, it looks like a completely different place. Love the natural wood finish inside too, makes it feel much warmer to look at.
Can't wait to see what how the garage turns out and the projects that ensue.
 
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sakurama

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Portland - the cool one.
Morning from Denmark.

Regarding tools, which i ofourse love, but have no ability to use. Are the Festool and Fein big in US? I think of them as very high quality, though my self is a cheap A$ and use Makita.
I think you are doing great as usual, but your patience would probably be your biggest skill(beside all the other...). Methodical and with an eye for the detail. I´m looking forward to the 950 end in this shop. YOUR SHOP ;-)

regards

ps: When will you start the 1290 engine swap?

The 1290? Do you want me to never ride again? Good grief!

I have several other bikes that need finishing so I'm hoping the 990 can be my "reliable daily ride" for the next year. After that I'm going to convert the 990 to a single sided swingarm. That's the next step - I love SSS's and am planning on building one for my Guzzi and Boxer first though.

As for Festool I think it's it's fairly uncommon generally but then so is KTM to the general population but my friends tend to have both. Buying green is like buying orange - once you drink the coolaid...

Gregor
 

smschriefer

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May 28, 2009
Messages
842
Location
Yorktown, VA
Your house is beautiful and I have enjoyed watching you restore her to her former beauty. I hadn't noticed until your last shots with the fireplace the glass brick wall. Is that glass brick original? If not, do you plan on replacing it in the future and what type of windows would have gone there? I've done just a little restoration work on older homes and I have always enjoyed the architectural detective work that goes into it. Sometimes it becomes a case of artistic license and to me that is fair. I'm guessing that was a plate glass window at some point that was either broken, or was a privacy concern.

Whatever you do, keep doing it. Your work and your tastes are both excellent!
 
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sakurama

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Is that glass brick original? If not, do you plan on replacing it in the future and what type of windows would have gone there?

Good eye. Nope, it's not.

One of the prized possessions of the place I found when we first looked at it - the original blueprints. It's been a while since I consulted them and I was just wondering about that window the other day. Good time to take a look.

i-JvHgZVV-X3.jpg


Sorry for the big print - it's easier to read.

So there's a few things that I'm not putting back to "original" and the loft is one - the kids just love it - and the closets next to the fireplace is another - more because we need storage and it would be a massive hassle with no real return.

The glass block is another but only for the time being. My dad loves it but then he also wore paisley ties and bell bottoms. I suspect that we'll replace it with a similar sized window to the new one that was put in the corner - to keep the symmetry. But for now it's not essential to getting in the house so it's for "down the road".

Yesterday I discovered one of the reasons for the beam rot. All the drip flashing on the edge of the roof was installed backwards. I suspect that I'll be replacing that this week. Also Ben suggested making caps for the beams and that just happened to coincide with finding a screaming deal on a Diacro 24" finger brake - which is something I've been searching for for about 7 years. Good timing on a great tool that should pay for itself with just the caps. That's how I got my garage full of tools - wait until I need a job done and then buy the tool to do it myself.

Gregor
 

Ford52PU

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Aug 7, 2007
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797
Location
Coatesville PA
Good job, everytime I check in it looks better and better.
So glad your Dad is with you watching, he must be proud of his boy!
 

7th Kahuna

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Los Angeles, CA
Wow. Amazing job. I just arrived at this thread and read it from one end to the other. Kind of addicting and having arrived at the end I am already suffering a bit of withdrawal. Nice find on that finger break. I too acquire tools as projects require them. It is one of the highlights of working on the to-do list. The other, of course, is getting the job done. Good luck in your continuing progress. Though I could happily follow this for months to come, I know you and your family are looking forward to settling in.
 

OHSCrifle

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Mar 11, 2013
Messages
178
Location
Atlanta
Good call on the caps. Brake a little kick-out on the bottom edge to make them functional while you're at it.

Had to google "finger brake". Cool tool.
 
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sakurama

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Portland - the cool one.
I'm glad this thread has proven entertaining - the encouragement and advice has been a much needed boost for me as this project drags on. While I've made a lot of progress this week I can't claim to have "finished" anything.

i-vsk3zR5-X3.jpg


Ben came out to the house to look at some of the roof flashing issues I was confused by and he (as always) was a voice of reason. As we repaired another beam end we discovered rotted cedar boards at the junction above the beam because flashing was installed upside-down and there was no correct drip guard. As I was considering the complicated replacement Ben suggested just leaving it for now as we will want to replace the whole roof in the next year or so and that would be the time to fix the rest of the issues. It wasn't going to get worse if we put in the right drip guards so we're going to just keep going on the things that will get us in the house.

Like finishing the floor and the cabinet bases.

i-XbQ8W8Q-X2.jpg


Which I did yesterday. There's still the small section of floor to do in the laundry room but the cabinet bases are done. Having them in place makes me realize that the kitchen will be small - but in a nice, efficient way. I like the layout and the choices of what we put where.

We also worked on another section of the garage floor. It's turning out really great and I'm looking forward to being able to do a better garage door. That will "make" the garage. In the mean time I tested out the black base moulding I got for the garage. Black to tie into the theme of the beams and trim. It will look good I think even though you won't see much of it with all the machines.

i-GGHZTfM-X2.jpg


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And today I took the day off and went on a school field trip with my daughter. After lunch we both took long naps and it felt so nice to not work on the house for a day.

Gregor
 
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